“A FAMILY OF FRIENDS”

A PUBLICATION OF TETON CLUB INTERNATIONAL

VOLUME 10 NUMBER 2 MAY 2000

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the au-thors and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Teton Homes, Teton Club International, or any of its officers. Any technical advice is not intended to substitute for the advice of a professional mechanic or authorized RV service technician and TCI accepts no liability. The newsletter is published quarterly in February, May, August, and November. Deadline for articles is the 10th of the month pre-ceding publication. All letters, articles, art, and photographs are subject to editing, alteration, or may be condensed.

• TCI Rally Highlights • It’s a Stowaway • True and Balance Your Tires • Tips From Our Email Newsletter • Solve Those Blackwater Holding-

Tank Problems • New 2000 Teton Accessories • Regional News • Welcome new Members And with your newsletter. . .

YOUR TCI 2000 CLUB DIRECTORY

H ow(dy)⎯Y'aII need to rope ‘em in and get ready for a big time in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Although all RV sites are comparable, park-ing will be assigned according to receipt of registration forms. All

TCI members inviting guests need to be sure your guests fill out their own registration form and include the TCI number of the TCI sponsor in the appropriate space. It will be the TCI member’s responsibility to keep their guests informed of any and all changes, as well as, provide them with a copy of the map if your guest will not be traveling with you. Time is a flyin’ and according to Jerry Worley, registrations are running vastly ahead of previous rallies. So fill that form out and get it in as soon as possible.

I am very excited at the vendor response thus far. Approximately forty formal invitations were sent to vendors and seventeen have already indi-cated acceptance. We will continue pursuing others that might be of in-terest to you. You will find that the vendors this year will be a blend of those you're familiar with in the past (e.g. Dometic, Mor/Ryde) along with several new products including Air Hitches, Satellites, Rubber Roofing, Hydraulic Jacks and RV Cleaning Treatments. Additionally, Native Ameri-can artists and crafters will also be represented from various local Indian nations. And, oh yes, big truck vendors will be there along with Allison Transmission. One whole day will be devoted to seminars, and space is being provided for each vendor to have a booth set up for your conven-

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)

Excitement Builds for Y2K Shawnee Rally

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ience.

Volunteer Blood Donors Needed

I am still in need of volunteer blood donors for the Teton Blood Mobile and the Oklahoma blood drive. I have gotten some volunteers, but I still need 20.

Please call my voice mail and let me know if you can/will participate in this worthy event.

Bring A Toy, Help a Child

Also, for everyone willing, don't forget to bring a $5.00 new toy. A doll, small truck or car, puzzle or stuffed animal will make a child smile next Christmas and make your heart full.

Last Minute Information

Don't forget, I will be putting rally up-date information on our voice mail beginning August 15, 2000.

Early Arrivals

The Shawnee Exposition Center is hosting another RV rally just prior to ours and they need a short time to prepare for us. Therefore, you will not be able to enter the Expo Center until the afternoon of Monday, September 18th. Note that the rally starts on the 19th, consequently there will be an $8 charge if you choose to arrive on Monday.

The map with directions to the Expo Center identifies the Shawnee Hotel/Motel accommodations for those without their rigs.

For those of you wishing to arrive even earlier in the metropolitan Okla-homa City area, bear in mind that the Oklahoma State Fair (which might be a nice pre-rally activity) will be ongo-ing throughout the period of our rally so make your reservations early.

Council Road RV Park is located in Oklahoma City just off 1-40, Exit 142

(405-789-2103). Ask for Don, the owner, who agreed to provide a rea-sonable weekly rate when you men-tion you are a member of the Teton Club. This campground has full hook-ups, with a limited number of 50 amp sites.

Arrangements have also been made, via the Shawnee Expo Center, for ac-cess to the Potawatomi Indian Nation campground. The campsites are small (e.g. one Teton will probably require two sites). In my opinion it can accommodate approx. 30 Te-tons. It has water and electric (30 amps), a dump station and restroom facilities. It is available to the TCI Club as of September 12 at a rate of $10/night. Anyone wishing to use this campground must make his or her reservation through me by calling my toll free voice mail at 1-888-757-7701 ext. 38842#. Sites will be as-signed on a first come, first serve ba-sis. This campground is conveniently located approx. 5 miles from the Expo Center (See Map). The Potawa-tomi Museum and a very nice 18 hole golf course (with a great restau-rant) is right across the street.

Arrival Day

To expedite your comfort level, here's what to expect on Round-Up Day (i.e., the first day). Upon your arrival at the entrance to the Expo Center, go to channel 14 on your CB (which will be the channel throughout the rally). A welcoming committee in orange vests will greet you. You will be presented with your rally bag, which, among other things, will include your pro-gram book and your rally gift. Infor-mation on your truck and rig will also be gathered at that time. You will then be escorted, by golf cart, to your campsite (full hookups w/30 amps) by a member of the parking commit-tee, also in an orange vest.

Once you are settled into your camp-site, spend some time meeting and greeting others, and getting ac-quainted with the program book. Then wander up to the rally room to get your annual TCI rally photo taken. At the designated time, proceed to

Rally Excitement Builds . . . Continued the rally room for opening ceremo-nies, followed by a meal of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres.

For those of you who may have ques-tions, especially first timers, your TCI Board members will be easily identi-fied by their neon pink vests (when you put a woman in charge you get pink).

Get Ready For Fun

So, have you started your diet yet? You will be fed plenty at the rally and may want to shed a few pounds be-fore you arrive. Dust off your boots and cowboy hats and we'll see ‘ya all in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Remember, fuel costs in Oklahoma are about the cheapest in the U.S. so don't let fuel costs stand in your way of one heck of a good time.

Regional Rally Master Thank You

Jim and I wish to extend a special thank you to Bernie and Joan Hulse, regional rally master for the North-west; Rick and Carol McHugh, re-gional rally master for the Northeast; Norm and Heath Rentle, regional rally master for the Southwest; and Allan and Glenda Snyder, regional rally master for the Southeast.

You deserve a special thank you for all your hard work and the planning you have put in over the last few years to assure that members have a fun-filled successful rally. Not many realize the effort it takes to plan, pre-pare and present a rally.

We wish you all the best of luck in your upcoming regional rallies. Al-though Jim and I will not be able to attend all of them, we want you to know we will be thinking of you all.

PATTI BIPPLEY TCI #582 RALLY MASTER SHAWNEE, OK Y2K

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A proposed route to the Expo center is: I-40 exit 185 (Kickapoo Rd.). go south approximately 2.5 miles to Independence St. (there are small signs to the Expo center over the road). Turn west on Independence and proceed to Darrien Gordon Drive, which is the entrance to the Expo center.

For safety reasons, the Expo center requests that you NOT enter from US-177 (I-40) exit 181. You can proceed to Kickapoo spur then east to Kickapoo Rd., North to Independence and back to Darrien Gordon Drive as stated above.

Directions to The Shawnee Expo Center

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World Wide Tours, Bettye Ashwood, will be in charge of our personal bus tour guides for our Oklahoma City tour day. Bettye has been a professional tour guide since 1983. She is also the guide for the Oklahoma Department of Tour-ism for their Discover Oklahoma Televi-sion program. Oklahoma history is her specialty, but she can probably tell you as much about your home state as her own. Bettye’s son is the Director of Civil Emergency Management for the state of Oklahoma, handling such disasters as the Murrah Federal bomb tragedy and many terrible tornadoes. Bettye and her team look forward to being our guides for this special day in Oklahoma City. She will amaze you with her trivia historical knowledge of some of your states. Zack Morris and his Native American Dancers, Zack Morris is a Sac and Fox and Pawnee Indian. Zack brings with him a marvelous group of Native Ameri-can dancers, drummers and flautist in full Native American costume for one of our evening’s entertainment. You will be both educated and entertained as their program is fully narrated, with full explanation and definition of each dance, dancer and costume. For those of you who have never before attended a Native American Powwow, you are in for a real treat. Zack and his dancers have entertained all over the United States, as well as overseas. Cowboy Preacher, Chaplain Pete Criswell, after spending nearly 20 years on the race track, working on breeding farms and at training centers, found his true calling, when he found himself al-

ways among fellow jockeys and cow-boys without a home place of wor-ship. Chaplain Pete is the “Cowboy Preacher” as he enjoys being called at the Remington race track in Okla-homa City. Jim and I have attended his services each time we are in the area. He is a down home, boots and jeans, cowboy hat, tell it like it is, preacher. You will be both blessed and spiritually lifted, as he shares with us at our Sunday morning ser-vice. This will be a non-denominational service, with a mes-sage we can all appreciate and enjoy. Plan on wearing your boots and cow-boy hat, Chaplain Pete will. The Bonham Revue, Virgil Bonham and the Bonham Revue is a Blue-grass Gospel band that is in it's 29th year of entertainment. Their roots date back to the 1970's as the Kiamichi Mountain Boys, and into the 1980's as the Signal Mountain and the Bonham Brothers. In 1992 they became known as the Bonham Re-vue. Over the last 28 years, they have been a part of 18 albums, released two singles and received numerous awards. They have had the honor of sharing the stage with such bluegrass greats as Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, the Whites, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Douglas and Byron Berline. They have performed at concerts and festivals such as the International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie, OK, Grants Bluegrass Festival in Hugo, OK and Sanders Family Festival in McAlester, OK. They are among the

finest Bluegrass performers you will have a chance to see. The Bonham Revue will be a part of our Sunday service with Cowboy Chaplain Pete Crisswell. You won't want to miss them. Included in the Revue, are two young girls who play a mean fiddle. So come, stomp your feet and be prepared to rejoice and reju-venate your spirits. Catering by Finley, Bill Finley is the owner of Catering by Finley. Many of you may wonder why I include cater-ing in the entertainment bios. Well, I view looking forward to our meals at our rallies as a part of our entertain-ment—especially when it is so sump-tuously planned and prepared. Bill Finley has been one of the re-nowned caterers in Oklahoma City for years. He has prepared for and fed hundreds of thousands of hun-gry varmints such as ourselves. Each meal is carefully planned with the theme of the day taken into con-sideration, and a variation in palate and artistic appeal. We have taken a great deal of time with Bill to se-lect a menu for each day that would take into consideration a need for those few who may have special diet needs, yet also allow anyone who wishes to "pig out". So be sure you come hungry. Bill will be intro-duced to you at the opening cere-monies and will be in attendance during most of our meals should you wish to acknowledge his efforts. PATTI BIPPLEY TCI #582

Additional Entertainment & Events Scheduled for the Rally

In the February issue of the newsletter, we highlighted entertainers Les Gilliam, Gene McFall, F.D. “Sky” Shivers, and Captain Jack Parker. Additionally, the marquee for the rally includes the following:

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Telephone Scam

I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician who was con-ducting a test on telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine(9), zero(0), the pound sign (#), and then---hang up. Luckily, I was suspicious and refused.

Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number.

I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons.

I have also verified this information with UCB Telecom, Pacific Bell, MCI, Bell Atlantic and GTE. Please beware. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE. The GTE Security Department requested that I share this information with everyone I know. FRANK HERNDON #594

• First and foremost, you will have the opportunity to renew friendships from all over the US and Canada, and acquire new ones.

• The rally site is conveniently located in the heart of the country to encourage maximum attendance from all regions.

• Not six, but SEVEN nights with full hookups.

• At least THIRTEEN catered meals native to the ole Chisholm trail (including a meal of hot & cold hors d'uevers the evening of registration day).

• A 27,000 sq. ft. air-conditioned facility for dining, entertainment, seminar and vendor activities.

• Professional entertainment indigenous to the Oklahoma City area.

'Where the Cowboys and Indians Play' • Grand Finale at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, which has recently been expanded, followed by formal dining and entertainment.

• Sunday church services with a Cowboy Preacher and Bluegrass Gospel Singers.

• A day devoted to assorted seminars.

• Additional vendors with displays of a variety of products and services.

• Teton factory representation.

• Optional Guided Bus Tour of Oklahoma City consisting of:

> Myriad Botanical Gardens.

> Bricktown (A fascinating new downtown development with shops, restaurants and a river walk that just recently opened).

> Historic Cattlemen Stockyards.

> OmniPlex.

> Oklahoma State Capital.

> Murrah Memorial (the very moving site of the April 19, 1995 bombing), scheduled to open in 2000.

Come - Rested, hungry, ready to participate & have a good time.

Remember! A guest need not own a Teton to attend, but please limit guests to 2 people or one rig.

Note: For those who may be concerned about tornado activity. Tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area are primarily spring-time events. The National Weather Center for the State of Oklahoma says the chance of a tornado in September is virtually zero.

For questions contact 1st Vice President Patti Bippley (TCI #582) 1-888-757-7701 Ext. 38842#.

Teton Club Y2K Rally Highlights

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It’s a Stowaway

I have been thinking about putting a car on the back of a truck for several years. I finally made it a reality with the completion of the first sTOWaway on Dec. 23, 1999. The

sTOWaway is an enclosed mechanism using a system of hy-draulics and a winch to load and unload a car to be trans-ported to and from various locations.

This unique "truck garage" has ramps with a receiver that secure the rear of the car as it is winched up. The car is then secured in front with tie-down straps. When that is done, the hydraulics lift the car back and up for a safe, smooth ride to the next destination. In less than 10 min-utes, the car is unloaded for scenic tours or a trip to the mall.

We just returned to Oregon from the Teton factory. It was very well received there and all the places we stopped. We were very pleased with the handling of the truck in the wind

and snow.

The Geo Metro has a gel-filled battery, cross engine, and fuel shut-off with switch. The local Geo dealership has checked the car while in its garage and everything checked out ok.

It is great fun to have the freedom of driving around in an eco-nomical car and still have the pulling ability needed to travel with our Teton home.

We plan to be in Chula Vista May 2nd thru 6th for the SW Spring Rally and in Shawnee, OK.

Ronald Terrell #759

True and Balance Your Tires

W e attended the Florida Luncheon, and were talking to Pat Wortman and Paul Gotimer about a shimmy in the Freightliner. They both told me about having their tires shaved and balanced. Seems that Pat had found a good place that does this in Haines City. As soon as the luncheon was over, Darlene and I went to the place and made

an appointment. They were nice to deal with and worked us in on the following Monday. It took them about four hours, and what a difference! If you want a smooth ride, having the tires trued up and balanced does the job. We are so pleased⎯and the truck now rides so easy.

We have passed the word here to the ones from the club in this area, so Snyder Tires will have lots to do in the next few days. We're thank-ful for our club, too, as everyone is eager to pass on the good tips to make RVing better for all. JOE BETZ #130

Ed. Note… Following the advice of Pat, Paul and Joe, I also had the tires trued and balanced on my truck. And like the others, the change was dramatic. A shake that had been getting more pronounced at about 63 mph, went away completely . My cost was $177.00

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TCI Email Ideas (Compiled from Marty Jenkins‘ periodic email news-letter). To get on the email list, con-tact Marty at: cptcusty@aol.com

Truck Striping. . .Darlene and Joe Betz had their truck striped at a lower price than other dealers and the fac-tory. They used RV Stripes & Graph-ics, 10849 E. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ 85220 (602)- 984-7939 Email RVSG@aol.com. We saw their truck and it looked great. Just some-thing to put in the back of you mind to look at it as you leave that area or when you come back next winter.

Sticking AC Plugs . . .Another hint from the Betz's. You know how diffi-cult it is to disconnect AC plugs due to the lack of support behind some of the outlets. A small spray of WD-40 in the outlet or on the plug makes it very smooth. Maybe you have already tried it but we had not.

Alaska Travels . . .Next on our minds is Alaska travels. We know some of you have already been but we have a member who has made 38 trips so maybe we should call him our resi-dent expert. Contact Mike Staso, #813, Alaska Computer Solutions PO Box 141765, Anchorage Alaska 99514. Phone 907-230-5814 or Email staso@worldnet.att.net. He

sent us this information last fall but thought it may be more appropriate to share it closer to the time most people would be interested in traveling there.

Dometic Refrigerator Grill . . .The next thing we want to share is probably very important to many of you. We found out from Phil Hargin about the discoloration of the refrigerator vents. Ours was turning yellow and could be cleaned but it never got really white like new. In the 1997-1998 range, and perhaps other years, Dometic evi-dently left out a pigment in the fin-ished product causing the sun and weather to discolor them. Dometic will replace them free of charge and it is not difficult to change them out. We did ours in an hour or so. It involves just 6 screws and new caulking. The most difficult part is removing the old caulking and redoing it.

Habitat for Humanity . . .While in GA we toured the Habitat for Humanity Headquarters in Americus, GA and got some information on a “build.” So be-lieve it or not we are planning on join-ing a build in Sanford, NC and that means us getting up at 0630 to at-tend devotions before picking up a hammer. For those of you who know us, that is going to be a miracle, but it is only for two weeks, so it is doable. Also while on this topic, HFHI is hoping to get support for an RV corporation or club “build.” They recently got SMC

and Beaver Corp. to sponsor a house in FL. and FMCA has a chapter. HFHI will be contacting other RV corp. to do one. Maybe we can get Teton to sign on. Right now we don't have all the particulars but will find out more. If anyone is interested in getting in on a build somewhere in their travels infor-mation can be obtained by calling 1-800 HABITAT ext. 2446 and ask about RV CARE-A-VANNER. they usu-ally provide RV hook up at churches, etc., or discounted RV parks. They have a quarterly newsletter with build sites and needs. We will let you know how ours goes.

Recommended Repair Facilities . . .We would like to recommend an RV repair facility in Kissimmee that we used for our wheel problem. It is not a big fancy place but the technician that they have is a fine jewel. He spent about 8 hours on our rig and they did not charge us for all that time. He was very meticulous and me-thodical in his work. The place is Cen-tral Florida RV at 106 Martin St. They have road & park service for things that can be done on site and major things can be done on their small lot.

Tips From Our Club’s Email Newsletter

A s you have probably noticed, in this newsletter there is an ad for our truck and trailer. Heidi and I have decided to give up the "traveling" life-style, at least as

it involves RVs. We have been in the club over nine years and have enjoyed meeting and seeing members on the road and at the rallys, both national and regional. We will miss these meetings in the future. However, this doesn't mean we are dropping out of the club. We want to keep up on the happenings of the club. With reference to the ad for the truck and trailer, the truck has sold, thanks to Clara and Don Schnyders. As we look back on our participation in the club, we feel we have been

fortunate to meet so many great people, all with different personalities and ideas. I believe this is one thing that makes the club strong and one worth belonging to.Jim Jor-dan coined the phrase "A Family of Friends" and it truly is. We especially regret that we will be unable to attend the Y2K rally in Shawnee. Patti Bippley has put together an outstanding rally, one that will be talked about for some time to come. We urge all who can attend to do so. You won't regret it. We wish all of you good luck and happy trav-els. JERRY AND HEIDI WORLEY #125

Club Secretary/Treasurer “Settles Down”

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A lmost anyone who has had the job of dumping the RV’s black water tank, rates that task

somewhere near the top of “most undesirable RV tasks”. Even more unpleasant, however, is the task of “fixing” a black water tank so built-up with solids that it won’t drain properly, the flushing system stops working, and solids begin “climbing” the soil pipe all the way to the toi-let⎯Yuk! If you flush your toilet and it “burps” back at you, even though the holding tank is nowhere near full, you may already have a prob-lem.

The funny thing is, we all know the fate that awaits us when we neglect and misuse our black water tank. Yet, we still break the rules from time to time, putting all kinds of im-proper paper and fiber products down the drain, hoping that our luck will hold out. Even if we follow the rules, who knows what goes down the drain when company visits. This article is for those of us who have thrown the dice once too often and who now face the unpleasant task of fixing a poorly operating system.

Prevention Before we focus on “fixing” a blocked holding tank problem, let’s first consider some of the tips that club members and Nick Keller, from Teton Homes, suggest:

Use plenty of water when flushing solids. This is especially important. In many of our Tetons, the three inch soil pipe often makes as least two bends and enters a low profile hold-ing tank⎯one which crosses the width of the trailer but may only be one foot deep. After fighting with a toilet that kept “burping” at us, we learned about the “double flush” technique from TCI members. This is nothing more than filling the toilet bowl ½ to ¾ full of water before a bowel movement. Then after flush-ing, fill the bowl a second time, and flush again. This helps move the sol-

ids away from the bottom of the soil pipe in the holding tank.

Use the proper type of toilet paper. Most toilet manufacturers recom-mend a special RV toilet paper, or at least a one-ply paper. Multi-ply and long fiber paper products do not break up well. They foster a solids build up below the soil pipe. If you travel with these long fiber products in your tank, you increase the chance that these fibers will enter the clean out flusher and become trapped in-side (more about that later).

Do not leave the drain to the black water tank open. Only open the black water valve when dumping. This is basic “RVing 101” but some people still leave the valve open when camp-ing. When this is done, the water drains off and leaves most of the sol-ids behind. Not only is this a problem with a solids build up, but it also al-lows debris to get lodged in the rub-ber gaskets of the drain valve⎯a problem waiting to happen.

Flush the tank. When you empty the tank, make sure you drain it using the flusher system (if you have one) or pour a couple buckets of water down the toilet. Some suggest this addi-tional step: Close the 3" valve and continue the flushing/rinsing process. After a few minutes, open the 3" valve and continue to flush the tank for sev-eral more minutes. CAUTION, if you use this system of flushing with the drain valve closed, don’t walk away and get involved in another task. If you ever forget, you will be the talk of the campground when your holding tank bursts, or your black water tank pumps out onto your roof through the black water tank air vent!

Cleaning a Blocked Black Water Tank

If your toilet sys- tem

seems to be oper-ating poorly, it may be

time for some remedial actions. Tell-tale symptoms of a growing problem may be a toilet that “burps” at you when the tank is not near full, or a tank that doesn’t drain well. Below are some suggestions from Nick Keller, Teton Homes:

Use a cleaner/deodorant to try to clean up the tank. You must use plenty water and cleaner to slosh around in the tank when moving (from one campground to the next) so that it scrub the sides.

Dump a bag of crushed ice down the stool and drive around with the ice sloshing around in the tank to try and knock down buildup in the tank.

If the water bubbles out of the stool when flushing (and the tank is not full), try to wash the restriction out with a hose. Stick an old hose down the toilet to free up the restriction.

As a last resort you can add live sep-tic tank activator to introduce live bacteria into the tank to start the break down of the solid materials. This method of cleaning will take longer. The level of the water must be high enough to be up into the 3" drain line below the toilet. This will take several days to work if you have the time.

“No-Fuss Flush” Rinsing System

Sometimes a holding tank in trouble causes problems with the toilet rins-ing system. The rinser slows down and eventually becomes blocked and stops working. The rinsing sys-tems used on Teton fifth wheels are not the same on all trailers. The "No-Fuss Flush" is used on trailers manufactured after 1994. The "Swan" system was used up to 1994. The cleaning with the swan was the same except that you had the option of cleaning the gray tank as well as cleaning the black tank. A valve in the basement storage area performed this selection.

Location of the spray nozzle is not

Solve Those Blackwater

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always the same on the coaches. Some older coaches (with 40 gal. tanks) had two nozzles, one at each end of the tank. The newer coaches generally have a rinser placed in the center of the tank. My ’97 San Gabriel has a nozzle located on the rear side of the tank, across from the soil pipe entrance.

If the nozzle plugs up in the tank, you can try to blow the restriction out of the nozzle with air pressure. When the factory has performed this type of repair, the nozzle usually will restrict again in a short period of time. The factory has started to replace the nozzles rather than trying to un-plug them.

If you want to try to clean the rinser noz-zle yourself, it will be necessary for you to lower some of the vinyl under-belly. Check for a seam that runs across the trailer behind the area where the black wa-ter tank is located. Unscrewing this seam will cut down on the amount of underbelly which must be low-ered.

Lower the underbelly and move enough insulation aside so that you can see the side of the tank. If you don’t see the nozzle assembly, it may be necessary to trace the water rinse line from the “up-stairs” vac-uum break, through the basement area, below to the tank. When you have found the rinser, there will be a typical cold-water screw-on fitting. After making double sure that the black tank is empty (and will not be used for a while), open the fitting and pull the fresh water line out of the way.

The easiest way to clean out the

nozzle is to make a cleanout tool us-ing a metal coat hanger. Cut off a one-foot piece, fold one end over to make a handle, and bend a ½ inch right angle turn at the other end. The rest of the job is a matter of “fishing” out the wads of toilet paper fibers that have balled up inside the nozzle. Each time you pull out some debris, repeat aloud, “We will only use one-ply toilet paper.”

Checking the Anti-siphon Vacuum

Breaker

Sometimes the tank rinser will stop working, not because the spray nozzle has become plugged, but because something has blocked the water in-take line. One telltale sign that the water line is blocked at the check valve is when the rinser seems to work fine for one use then not work the next. A common cause for this blockage comes from an insect build-ing a cocoon inside an unplugged rin-ser intake connection⎯typical when a quick disconnect is left on the rinser hose-fill fitting. Another cause is de-bris, insects, or algae already inside an old hose, which is connected to the rinser. If you are unsure of the reason for your rinser system not

working, it is usually easier to check out the anti-siphon system before tackling the rinser nozzle at the black water tank.

The anti-siphon system includes a vacuum breaker, a check valve, and several fittings. It is code required in the flush system and should not be permanently removed. Normal place-ment is below the bathroom sink at the back of the cabinet. If you do not find the vacuum breaker and check

valve there, the system will be placed in the wall along the tub/shower. The access to these pieces is through the wall behind the mirror that is in the bedroom. If your rinser system is still working, now is the time to lo-cate the valve. The check valve usually “hums” when the rin-ser is in use. Listen and follow the sound. If you decide to check out the system, you will find normal plastic pipe fittings. Remove the intake line connec-tion, the vacuum breaker, and the check valve. It looks like a two-inch pipe fitting

AFTER the vacuum breaker. If any-thing is plugging the line, it will proba-bly be at the entrance of this small one-way valve.

Take care of your black water tank and you will save yourself from an un-pleasant job, or a significant repair bill. GEORGE HOOPER #454 & NICK KELLER

Holding Tank Problems

Bugs get trapped here

Paper/fibers get trapped here

Buildup here

Soil pipe

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For Sale 1994 Teton Atlanta III Royal w/generator, Mor/Ryde 1995 FL60 Freightliner, Cabriolet. Sportliner 8.3 Cummings 275 HP Allison 6 SP trans. Contact Don Schnyders (616) 679-2235 (616)-679-2384. E-mail schny-ders71@juno.com 1997 FL-60 Freightliner 300 Cat Diesel/3066 Allison Trans. Contact Rob Roberson #627 (904) 571-1863 1994 Nissan UD-1800 Turbo diesel 6-speed trans. Air ride seats/rear 55K miles. Ron Hobill #847 (760) 324-6957 (760) 831-4367 1996 Teton, Augusta III, Royal Two A/Cs Two Solar Panels 1996 FL60 Freightliner, Extended Cab Allison 6 Spd.Trans; 3126 Cat, 275HP Jerry Worley #125 (909)-302-7190.

New 2000 Teton Accessories

T eton Homes reports that they have added several new acces-sories/options to their new

trailers. They are:

A&E One-Step Awning. With just the touch of a button, the new one-step awning practically operates itself. Powered by a 12-volt motor, it opens automatically with no locks, handles or rafter knobs. No lifting is required. A new “Knee Action” design provides added protection by allowing the one-step awning to flex in moderate winds rather than break.

A fireplace option for $925

Nafco flooring in Custom Quarry style. This is an up-scale vinyl tile with beveled edges. It is designed to look like ceramic or marble tile. Could this be the solution to ceramic tile floors which do not yield to trailer flexing? GEORGE HOOPER #454

Welcome New Members TCI #873 Clay and Patty Swinburnson PMB 14093 240 Rainbow Dr Livingston, TX 77399 TCI #874 Darrel & Judy Hockett P0 Box 121 Hayden, CO 81639 TCI #875 Donovan & Fern Roberts 341 Langlaw Dr Cambridge, ON, CN N1P 1B8 TCI #876 Bob & Georgia Laws PMB 691 3818 Southwestern Ave Sioux Falls, SD 57105

T etoners in the Florida area got together on Feb. 16th at Quincy’s in Clermont, FL for

their second annual luncheon. All unanimously agreed to continue the tradition next year at Quincy’s, Feb 15th, 2001.

This year we had 35 who were able to attend. They included: Joe and Dar-lene Betz #130, Bob and Jean El-dridge #435, Susan and Ed Schmitt #760, Maxie and Dick Hassler #457, Marty and Rose Jenkins #727, Earl and Nancy Weir #718, Bob and Lizz Munter #566, Carole and Rick McHugh #401, Grace and Paul Goti-mer #347, Carole and Peter Gilfedder #64, Paul and Lois Tande #573, George and Kay Hooper #454, Bob-bie Farnsworh (Rup was under the weather and unable to attend) #296, Ray and Gail Brandt #24, Pat and Margaret Wortman #804, Vi and Roger Hall #19, Ed and Lois McKinnon #341, and Gordon and Kitty Burns #767. All introduced themselves, where they were from, where they were staying, etc, plus a little added humor that kept everyone laughing.

George Hooper filled us in on the up-coming SE rally in Charleston, SC and encouraged everyone who could to attend. Rick McHugh, NE Rally Host,

talked about the NE Rally at Lake George, NY, May 11-14, 2000. Rose and Marty Jenkins brought us up to date on the planned events for the SW Rally, May 23-30, 2001, in Albu-querque, NM. Rose is also the Histo-rian for International and requested any input for the international Album. As we all know, the International Rally this year will be in Shawnee, OK Sept 19-26. There’s still time to sign up. (“This will be a Rally you’ll be talk-ing about for a long time.”) All of the above is sure to be a great time for making memories.

George Hooper and Marty Jenkins briefed us on some of the newest features of the club, including the E-mail list. George has a list of arti-cles on discs that can be taken from the disc and sent to requesters on E-mail. Nick Keller at the factory can be E-mailed and he will respond very quickly. If you need answers quickly Marty can get them to you. On the other hand, George, Editor of the Newsletter, which comes out every three months, can meet your other needs.

Make plans to join us next year for our Florida Teton family luncheon. KITTY BURNS #767

Winter Florida Luncheon

TCI #877 Clarence and Cynthia Lowrey 1755 Kimberly Dr Marietta, GA 30008 TCI #878 John and Joan Phelps PO Box 146 Keene, NY 12942 TCI #879 Howe and Marcia Jeffrey 118 Pendleton Hill Rd North Stonington, CT 06359 TCI# 880 Don Anderson 2173 Darnis Circle Morgan Hill, CA 95037

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NAME: LAST __________________ FIRST ___________________ SPOUSE/COMPANION _____________________

TCI # (GUESTS, ENTER SPONSOR’S NUMBER) _______ ADDRESS __________________________________________________

CITY _________________________________ STATE __________________ ZIP ___________________________

NUMBER OF ADULTS _______ NUMBER CHILDREN ______ NUMBER GUESTS _______ PHONE ____________________

THIS RALLY WILL BE THE (ENTER NUMBER) ___________ INTERNATIONAL RALLY WE HAVE ATTENDED.

WE HAVE A TETON MODEL _____________________ LENGTH ______ YEAR _______ STRIPE COLOR _______________

DO YOU REQUIRE ANYTHING SPECIAL DUE TO HEALTH OR OTHER CONCERNS? _____________________________________

WHILE IN SHAWNEE, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING OUR __________ WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. BRINGING A PET (Y/N) ________

I WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP WITH (PLEASE CHECK AS MANY AS YOU WISH): REGISTRATION _______ AM COFFEE _________

BUS TRIP HOST _______ PARKING _______ CLEAN-UP ________ AND/OR ENTERTAINMENT PARTICIPANT ____________

I HAVE TALENT FOR THE FOLLOWING: __________________________________________________________________

At the Exposition Center Shawnee, Oklahoma

September 19 – 26, 2000

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST SIGN THE FOLLOWING: The undersigned hereby releases and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Te-ton Club International Club officers of any and all liabilities, claims, losses, damages, injuries and reasonable attorney fees which may rise as a result from, or relate to this rally; or the negligence, omissions or lack of care of its officers during the time period specified above. Cancellation in accordance with TCI by-laws.

Signature: _____________________________________________________ Date: _________________

Signature: _____________________________________________________ Date: _________________

For questions, contact 1st Vice President Patti Bippley at: (888) 757-7701 Ext. 38842#

Base Cost Optional Tour Total Per rig w/two people: ($407.00) ($54.00) $ ________ Per rig w/one person: ($251.00) ($27.00) $ ________ Per guest or child: ($190.00) ($27.00) $ ________ MINIMUM DEPOSIT $200.00 AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $ ____________

Make checks payable to TCI CLUB (US FUNDS ONLY PLEASE)

Mail to: Jerry Worley, Sec/Treasurer TME 1614 • POB 10121

Eugene, OR 97440

TETON CLUB INTERNATIONAL (Y2K) RALLY APPLICATION

Buck “le” up En-route to Shawnee Y2K

(That Ain’t no Bull !!!)

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Rain, Rain, Go Away! Despite the wet weather, hearty TCI club members visited Middleton Place Plantation’s nationally recognized gardens.

Rally Fun in Charleston

G reetings from the Southeast region. Another successful rally, was held from March 27-

31, 2000. We had 14 rigs in atten-dance with a total of 27 people. At-tending were Joe & Darlene Betz, Philip & Connie Hargin, Marvin & Anita Hopper, George and Kay Hooper, Louis & Jannette Hughes, Herb & Lorraine Hummel, Marty & Rose Jenkins, Orris Mosby, Marvin & Ruth Ranke, Kenneth & Linda Tinney, Earl & Nancy Weir, Huey & Mae Etta White, Patrick & Margaret Wortman, with Rally masters Allan & Glenda Snyder.

Four of us met up at the SC welcome center and traveled together to the park. I'm sure we got a lot of looks as we drove through the town. We met up with the rest at the Mt Pleasant KOA park near Charleston, SC where others were waiting to get warmed up

for fun and good times.

We had a pizza party the first night and then played cards for a while.

Our first trip was a Gray Line tour of the town by a Charleston native, George, who was very knowledgeable and witty. We saw the highlights, then we went to the old market to shop and eat lunch. Amazingly enough, while walking around, the Wortmans met a couple from their hometown area. It’s always amazing just how small this world is. That evening we went to RB's restaurant for dinner.

After breakfast on Wednesday, we caravanned to Boone Hall Plantation. There we toured the home and grounds. There were lots of pretty gar-dens and flowers that we had fun try-ing to identify. That evening we had another very good meal at the Trawler Restaurant.

On Thursday we caravanned to Mid-dleton Place Plantation. Ole Mother Nature tried to ruin our day by rain-ing, but being stalwart travelers, we plowed on through the rain and wind and saw some of the most beautiful banks of flowers you could imag-ine⎯azaleas of every color and vari-ety. We did not do the house but saw the outside and we found out that we had just missed Mel Gibson filming for the movie, The Patriots. Sure is a shame. We could have been made stars for a day. You all know he uses a Teton for his movie set trailer, so we should have been assured at least supporting cast members. We had lunch at the pavilion⎯delicious she

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)

Outgoing President, Louis Hughes confers with Acting Secretary, Rose Jenkins at the SE business meeting.

Rallymaster (now SE Region President) Allan Snyder, reviews activities for the rally.

Southeast Region . . .

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Mini Rally

M ae Etta & Huey White, and Rose & Marty Jenkins drove from Arcadia, FL to Robins

Nest near Okochobee to have lunch with Connie & Phil Hargin, Gail & Ray Brandt, and Clara & Don Schnyders. We had hoped for a good dose of Florida sunshine but got clouds and wind in-stead. Connie had promised Marty beans and cornbread and he was not disappointed. We also had good home made custard creme pie and a good casserole by Gail and cake and cookies by Mae Etta and Clara. We ended up the afternoon by sitting around in the Hargin’s RV shooting the breeze as all good Tetoners can do.

Rose Jenkins #747

Q uite often, TCI club members find that they have the only Teton trailer in a campground. However, that’s not the

case when we come together for a rally. When that happens, the rally campground hosts quite a few of those distinctive trailers and big trucks. Such was the case at the Southeast Region’s last rally in Charleston, South Caro-lina After the club’s business meeting, most folks stayed around to talk about trailer mainte-nance ideas. After a while, groups left to clean

out hot water heaters and follow up on other tasks. Kay Hooper and Lorraine Hummel went over to the trailer where Kay was to show Lorraine some tips on getting hidden lint out of the dryer. A little while later, Orris Mosby headed back to his trailer. When he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw two women busy cleaning out the dryer. As they turned around and looked at Orris, all three said in unison . . “ What are YOU doing here?” After what only could be described as a moment of stunned silence, Kay turned to Lorraine and said, “Lorraine, isn’t this your trailer?” Lorraine looked at the two of them, shook her head, and said, “No, I thought it was yours!” Well, those of you who know Orris, know that he is both a gentleman and a bachelor. As a gentleman, he welcomed the somewhat embarrassed ladies in his trailer⎯and as a bachelor, he quickly got out his step stool so that Lorraine could finish the cleaning job!

Goodby From Don & Clara Schnyders

W e have sad news, but Don and I have to get off the road. We knew the

day was coming very soon as Don's eye's are not the best for driving. It is too stressful for me to constantly watch the road and also very unsafe. We made it back to Michigan and were very thank-ful as we had one close call. DON & CLARA #537

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12) crab soup, chicken salad and key lime pie.

The regional meeting was held that eve-ning with Ruth Ranke being elected 1st VP unanimously for 2001. She has the big job of getting a rally together in only one year. HOORAY for her. New mem-ber, Marvin Hopper, was elected 2nd VP. After the meeting we had helpful hint time which led to the usual demon-stration of hot water tank cleaning. Eat your heart out Bob Strange (AKA Ernie Enema). We now know how to do it after your class at St. George. The evening being free, some went to dinner while others just collapsed and rested.

Friday was our last scheduled activity, with a caravan to Patriot’s Point⎯with our second motorcycle escort provided by Hoopers and Hummels WE JUST GOTTA GET THOSE GUYS SOME LIGHTS AND BADGES. We went by boat to Ft Sumter where the first shots were fired for the Civil War. We had a very young female ranger give us some history just in case we forgot.

The carrier Yorktown is berthed there along with a submarine. After wandering through the submarine our rigs look very palatial. For our last meal together we had a covered dish supper at our pavilion to accompany ham and turkey. Another proof of just how many good cooks we have in our club. A highlight was a RUM cake made by Orris.

I hope I have written enough to get all of your interests peaked to come to the next rally whether it be regional or inter-national. Every one is just like a big fam-ily reunion. A great big thank you to Allan and Glenda Snyder for a job well done. ‘Till we meet again, on the road or at a rally, travel safe and have fun. ROSE JENKINS #747

They All Look Alike

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Northwest Region . . . Thoughts From The Northwest

Presidents

N ow that the 20th century has entered the history books and the 21st begins its existence,

we ponder all the magnificent things that we have witnessed in the last 100 years. The continued making of a country that has endured two world wars, the Korean and Vietnam con-flicts, the Gulf war and several skir-mishes on the home front the matur-ing of the automobile, the advance-ment of flight and the opening of a new frontier called "Space". Soon we will vacation on alternate planets, travel with light speed and talk seri-ously with computers....

It all makes one wonder, "Where do we go from here"? The miracles of modern medicine promise us longer life. Within the next decade or so we should have a cure for cancer, old age, and God knows what else. What do you suppose the next century is going to dazzle us with? Possibly peace, world tranquility, and stronger family ties, wouldn’t these be nice!

During the 20th century some of our basic values were compromised. Lets hope and pray that during the next century we will treat each other with more respect, dignity, and reinstate personal responsibility.

As we usher in the New Millennium let all people of the earth be prosper-ous and fulfilled. Let us remember the loved ones who fought to keep us free and passed our heritage down to us, the caretakers of the earth, and make this world a nicer place to live. MARTY & DEE DIEDERICH #533

2000 NW Rally Update

T he response to the NW Regional Rally has been small, 12 or 13 rigs but the quality will be out-

standing. To all of you coming to Ft. Bragg, come down Rt. 101 to Willits and take Rt. 20 to Ft. Bragg - DON'T turn off at Leggett coming from the north or at Cloverdale coming from the south. Both of these have a turn where you see the back end of your own rig. Our program is still intact and we expect to have a great time. Look-ing forward to seeing you all. BERNIE AND JOAN HULSE, TCI# 309

Last Article as NW Newsletter Editor

Spring has sprung and we are sitting at a great state park on Jordon Lake near Wilsonville, NC. There is only electric and water but the sites are long and wide. We could almost park two 40 foot Tetons on one site. The trees are cut back and up too.

We had a great time at the SE Re-gional Rally in Charleston, SC. It was small but the camaraderie was great. Got to know several couples better this year. Had a new couple, Marvin and Anita Hopper, with us. Allen and Glenda Snyder did a great job. Thanks guys.

Our tentative plans are to leave here and go to Williamsburg, VA for a week, on to Washington, DC for a few days, Lancaster County, PA for a week before heading to Elkhart for suspen-sion and brake work. Long story. Then on back to Colorado to sell a couple pieces of property. After that we should have just enough time to head for the International Rally. It will be a long and busy summer but what can you do.

We hope to see many of our Teton friends this summer if not at Camp

Teton. If we don't see you, have a good summer and we will see you on the road. HAPPY TRAVELING, PHIL & CONNIE HARGIN, TCI#478

Member News Mitch and I plan to be in Chula Vista for the SW Rally then back to San Dimas till mid June when we head for Fort Bragg for the NW Rally. We missed seeing everyone at the rallies the past couple of years so we plan to do some catching up this year. We also plan to be in Oklahoma for the International, We have been fine, had a busy winter and are looking forward to being on the road again. See you all soon. MITCH AND BILLIE NAKAMOTO TCI#213

Nothing too exciting happening up here in Washington, except we have had quite a bit of wet weather. Bob is still not fond of the wetness but when we see all of the budding trees and bushes, you know that there must be a better time ahead.

We have been busy with our grand-children and enjoying every minute of it. Both Bob and I have been doing demos for Safeway on the weekends, and I will start with the census taking sometime in May.

Our plans are to remain up here in Washington for the summer. We go to Stewart/Hyder in August with four other rigs, and then on to Texas for the month of September to spend some quality time with our son, Jeff and his family. We will miss all of the western rallies, and are still uncertain about the international one. We will spend the winter in Verde Valley, AZ as Bob absolutely does not want an-other winter up here in Washington! PHYLLIS & BOB STEINER #131

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Get Well Soon . . . Our best wishes, and prayers for a speedy recovery, go out to three TCI members who suffered strokes this winter: Agnes Bichner #38, Ray Zweige #18, and Donald Lenc #615.

Get well soon, and join us back on the road.

We have plans at this time to be at both the SW and NW rallies…then we’re taking a trip to Europe..a few days in Finland to visit relatives, fol-lowed by the Scandinavian Capitols cruise via Royal Caribbean, then back home to check on our mothers and get organized for Oklahoma. What’s on your schedule for the summer? We will be leaving the west coast just after La-bor Day to head east…. Hopefully we won’t have to rush back. Keep in touch. FLO AND NORM NORDIN #77

Hola from Mexico,

We have spent the winter in Mazatlan Mexico. Plan to come back into USA toward the end of April and the slowly work our way to the Pacific Northwest. We have not seen any club members in Mexico this year but have enjoyed staying in touch through the internet with friends. Hope your winter travels have been good! BILL AND SHERRY BLOOMER #606

We recently received our Teton News-letter which we always thoroughly en-joy as we have enjoyed so much our membership in the T.C.I., however we feel the time has come to drop our membership.

We have recently purchased an RV lot here in Sequim, WA and are presently building a cabin on it. We will con-tinue to live in our Teton while up here and plan to put a park model on our AZ property next fall. Our trip to Apache Junction, AZ in October of this year will probably be our last trip south with our rig.

We have had many good times in the Teton club and have made some very special friends so we know we will miss it, and our friends, a lot. We’re both doing quite well health wise, al-though I did have a lung CA scare last fall but all tests were negative. So other than a few aches and pains from good old Uncle Arthur-itis, we’re doing fine. In fact, as I sit here looking out the window watching some deer feeding along side our rig, two squir-rels stashing peanuts we’ve put out for them, and chickadees and thrushes at the bird feeders, I feel there’s always something to be thank-ful, for at least wrinkles don’t hurt.

Please say hello to everyone for us. HARRY AND CATHY WINSTON #146

More Northwest Region Member News

“Come on, my dear, lets take a walk and hobble around the block Then, while we’re out-a-strolling, We’ll have a long, long talk.” SHE—Dejectedly. “I have a hitch in my get-along and my corns and bunions throb; My arthritis is so painful I nearly gasp and sob. We’ll wait a while, I’ll take a pill, Tomorrow, we may go Then, maybe we can stroll a block If we take it very slow.” HE—Remorsefully! So long my dear, please watch for me I’ll find you some bright day Then, we will stroll together Some grand CELESTIAL way. If you’d return to be with me, I’d want the world to know, We’d take a hundred little trips And LET THE DAMN GRASS GROW!

HE—Enthusiastically! “Come on, my dear, let’s take a trip So we can be together We’ll leave our many friends in town To talk about the weather. Our kids have grown and moved away And we are free to wander; We’ll view the beauty of the land Awaiting us out yonder!” SHE—Reluctantly. “I have so many household chores It’s hard for me to go— Plants to water and pets to feed; Weeds to chop and lawns to mow. Besides, my dear, the girls will meet And I would miss my club; I’d miss my hair appointment Massage and facial rub. Let’s wait a few years longer When social duties alter— We’ve been so very busy Since we journeyed to the alter! HE—A few years later.

Let The Damn Grass Grow (By Owen Sanders 1982)

Sent in by Donna Riedel #830 who hopes others will consider this poem when they decide whether to go/stay “on the road”.

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George Hooper, TCI Editor PMB 885 POB 917729 Longwood, FL 32791-7729

PHOTO OF TRUCK AND TRAILER IN THE MOUN-

TAINS

Doug and Rosalyn Palmer #742 stand in front of their Teton trailer and International truck with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop.