- 1 -

VOLUME 19 NUMBER 2 MAY 2009

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Teton Homes, Teton Club Interna-tional, or any of its officers. Any technical advice is not intended to substitute for the advice of a profes-sional mechanic or authorized RV service technician and TCI accepts no liability. The newsletter is published quarterly in February, May, August, and Novem-ber. Deadline for articles is the 10th of the month preceding publication. All letters, articles, art, and photographs are subject to editing, alteration, or may be condensed. Please mail or email all articles to:

George Hooper, TCI Editor 185 Citrus ridge Dr. Davenport, FL 33837 Email: geoandkay@macfl.com Phone: (407)340-2597

• Albuquerque Rally Update

• After Rally Activities

• President’s Message

• Fix Those RV Stripes • Tough Times in RV Industry

• Dexter Hydraulic Brake Line Issue • Upgrade Your Teton kitchen • Welcome New Members • Teton RV Tradegy • Regional News • AND MORE . . .

“A FAMILY OF FRIENDS”

A PUBLICATION OF TETON CLUB INTERNATIONAL

20th Anniversary TCI Rally Update

S pring is sprung with Tetoner rallies in full bloom all over the country. The Southeast Rally was held last month in Pine Mountain, GA; the

Southwest Rally in Sedona, AZ; the North-east Rally opening this month in Sevierville, TN, and the Northwest Rally next month in Boise, ID. With slightly less than four months to recover from all this fun and fri-volity, we are looking toward the September 24th opening of our TCI 20th Anniversary rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Just a reminder—rally dates are 9/24–9/30 with a $650 registration fee. Payment will be due in full on or be-fore July 1st.

This is a tentative Schedule of Events:

• 9/24 Thursday – Registration (12pm), Open Meeting (4pm), Get Acquainted “Road Runner” Dinner (6pm)

• 9/25 Friday – Executive Board Meeting (9am), Brunch “On the Run” (11am), Anniversary Party (1:30 - off site) with “Wyoming Appetizers” (4pm)

• 9/26 Saturday – Manufacturer & Vendor Presentations (9am); “Members Barbeque” & Beverage Exchange (5pm)

• 9/27 Sunday – Crafts (9am); Non-Denominational Worship Service (11am); Crafts (12pm); “Day of Rest” Brunch/Supper (2pm); Open House (3:30pm)

• 9/28 Monday - Regional Meetings (9am); “Regional Progressive Dinner” (4pm)

• 9/29 Tuesday –“Don’t Fence Me In” Dinner and Entertainment (6pm).

• 9/30 Wednesday –Tetoner “daredevils” Balloon Ride (6:30am); Annual General Meeting (1pm); Anniversary Awards “Taste of Italy” Dinner (7pm)

If you want more information, email Sharon Grooms Rally Master bunnytrail@att.net (Or) call 818 846-9944.

SHARON GROOMS , TCI RALLYMASTER

Albuquerque is a 300 year old city founded by the Spanish. Some of the old town has been preserved. Plan a visit

- 2 -

President’s Message

I hope everyone had a good winter. We finally got rid of the 7 feet of snow piled up around us and

spring seems to be here.

We still are getting new mem-bers. Based on my emails and phone calls, a lot of these people are new to RVing. I have had numerous contacts with people with slide problems; after supply-ing them with information on the hydraulics I strongly sug-gested that they attend a regional and/or international rally.

I’m still interested in forming a self help group for both the regional and international rallies. Unfortunately in today’s market we are losing some of our suppliers. Fortunately we still have members that have the knowledge to fix almost anything that needs to be repaired.

Just a reminder, if anyone has suggestions for changes to the by-laws please send them to Ed Ingram, Jerry Yoesting or me. RICK MCHUGH #401

TCI PRESIDENT, RICK MCHUGH

T he 20th annual TCI rally is fast approaching. Lots of folks are working on a lot of cool things for our 20th celebration. We are in need of old digital photos of

past TCI and regional rallies for a slideshow we are developing. If you care to contribute some photos, please copy to a CD and send to:

Tom Wilby, 1698 Old Titusville Rd., Enterprise, FL 32725

Please get them to me by July 1st. Thanks everyone for your help. TOM WILBY #1450 (TOM@WILBY.US)

S o you haven’t made your reservation! Stop Pro-crastinating and call, now. We will make every effort to fill your request on a space available ba-sis. It is hard to believe we have only slightly less

than four months to the opening of our 20th Anniversary rally.

We are so pleased to have 57 confirmed registrations in-cluding five first timers and two guest rigs. Rally dates are 9/24 – 9/30 with a $650 registration fee per couple. Pay-ment will be due in full on or before July 1st.

Following confirmation of reserved site, access www.Tetoners.org and download your registration form.

If you do not have access to a computer, we will provide a form. Please do not send a registration form prior to con-firmation of site availability by phone or email

If you interested in attending the rally, or just want more information, email Sharon Grooms bunnytrail@att.net (Or) call 818 846-9944. SHARON GROOMS , TCI RALLYMASTER #1213

H ave you ever ridden in a Balloon? If you are inter-ested, we still have space available. We have con-firmed reservations for this exciting activity. Our adventure will begin at approximately 6:30AM on

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. We launch at sunrise. Our flight is about an hour over the Rio Grande Valley area. While floating above the city, you will catch breathtaking

views of the Sandia Mountain Range and and the Rio Grande River Valley. After the flight, the Rainbow Ryders will provide us with a light-continental breakfast and a tra-ditional champagne ceremony to commemorate our flight experience together. We will also receive first flight certifi-cates and balloon flight lapel pins. The whole experience lasts about 3 hours. The cost of our journey is $160 per person, including transport to and from our RV park. If you wish to come along for the ride, contact me as soon as possible – Sharon Grooms email bunnytrail@att.net or call 818 846-9944. After confirmation of your reservation, pay-ment for this TCI Rally add-on event ($160 per person) is due not later than June 1st and should be mailed to: TCI Secretary/Treasurer 3700 S. Westport Ave. #2590, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57106-6360

SHARON GROOMS , TCI RALLYMASTER #1213

20th Anniversary TCI Rally, Continued

Would You Like to Ride in A Balloon?

Wanted– Old TCI Digital Photos

- 3 -

T o the more than 60 club

members who contributed to our TCI, “Family of Friends” newsletter in 2008—a BIG thank you!

Your notes, articles, and photographs make the newslet-ter what it is — a reflection of your active RV lifestyles, your willingness to share ideas, and above all, our desire to meet socially at luncheons, dinners, and rallies.

Make a New Year’s resolution to contribute to your news-letter this year. Your Teton friends really do want to hear from you. GEORGE HOOPER, EDITOR THANKS TO . . . :

Steve and Joyce Bates #1104 Joe and Darlene Betz #130 Chris Braun, Former Teton CEO Ron and Marilyn Camp #1531 Bill Cavanaugh #91 Bonny Conrardy # 1413 Sherry Cox #892 Jacquita Davis #831 Dick and Kathy Dickinson #851 Dennis and Jacki Dunne #1287 Ina Ebert #930 Eddie Ezell #932 Tim Getty #1138 Carole Gilfedder #64 Dennis and Guadalupe Griffin #1341 Sharon Grooms #1213 Eleanor Hall #912 Bob and Mary Halley #1491 Connie Hargin #478 Jack & Evelyn Hatheway #1066 George and Kay Hooper #454 Herb and Lorraine Hummel #677 Linda Ingram #1170 Dennis and Kathy Inman #1184 Gary Lonstein #975 Sandy and Ernie Lovegren #1216 Bob & Gail Martelle #1323 John Martin #949 David McGalliard #1075 Rick & Carol McHugh #401 Connie and Rich Meyer #923 Orris Mosby and Ginnie Goffinet #707 Terry and Cheryl Nance #1179 Flo Nordin #77 Wayne Ranks and Kim Wilson #708 Jonell Shepherd #1510 Clarence and Dot Spencer #1046 Julie Terrell #1457 Jerry & Ruth Yoesting #1376 Tom and Jeanie Wilby #1450 Ann Wilson #996

“If you are staying after the Rally…” Fiesta Party 10/2/09

I f you are in Albuquerque on Friday, October 2, don’t miss this party. On this date the Bal-loon Fiesta is revving up around the city.

We propose to kick our weekend off with a late lunch/supper in a 1960's family owned landmark restaurant in an historic (non-commercial) part of the city. We chose El Pinto Restaurant, honestly not because it is the best or the most expensive, but because of the 'feel' and the service. I suppose it is appropriate to mention that the parking area will support our largest pullers (we will carpool to this venue).

We plan early dining in a private banquet area of the restaurant, which will allow plenty of time for fellowship and food (great margarita's by the way) and if you wish, you may then return to the American RV Park to prepare for departure on Saturday morning for Balloon Fiesta Mass As-cension. But don’t leave without taking a peek in the beautiful lounge. If you have access to the Internet, you may visit their website, www.elpinto.com. Don’t get lost in the many types of salsa they sell across our country.

Following is a look the menu choice available for our late afternoon meal.

(For 30 or more) Salad Bar, Red Chile Cheese Enchiladas and Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Folded Taco Bar (beef and chicken), Chile Rellenos, Rice, Beans, and Chile Con Carne Tostadas and jalapeno salsa, Sopapillas and honey, Soft drink, coffee or tea—$17 per person (includes room charge, tax and gratuity)

We have confirmed reservations for this facility. Make your reservation either by email to Sharon Grooms bunnytrail@att.net or if you prefer call 818 846-9944.

Payment please, by August 1, 2009 Make check to: Sharon Grooms

Mail to: 362 South Myers Street, Burbank CA 91506-2616

- 4 -

striping. Two of our members, Steve and Dale Zacher, and Joe and Darlene Betz have recommended a company called RV Stripes and Graphics in Mesa, AZ. Check out their website at www.rvsg.com. RV Stripes and Graphics will remove the old stripes and install the replacement de-cals for you.

A second option is to find a custom painting shop that can handle an RV. Check out dealers who paint buses, mo-torhomes and trucks.

A third option— one that I chose— is to repaint the stripes myself. Don’t look for the cheapest paint available. I chose spray paint from Lowes. Both colors were approved for plastic and resin exterior surfaces, satin finish. For a top quality automotive paint, consider a Sherman Williams automotive store. If you own an air compressor and spray equipment, great. They will fill spray cans for you, but it is a minimum of 12 cans.

GEORGE HOOPER #454

Fix Those RV Stripes

T eton coaches have included decorative stripes and swirls almost from the beginning. In 2004, Teton Homes built a full-sized paint booth and began painting some of the graphics on their 5th wheels.

However, I would venture a guess that the great majority of stripes and decals on our coaches are still stick-on vinyl pieces.

While vinyl stripes look great, they are eventually prone to problems, including cracking and peeling. What makes them go bad? My experience is that the number one culprit is too much sun. Not moving my current Teton for five months in the winter, means that the sun beats down on the same side each afternoon. The result is great stripes on the shady side and terrible ones on the sunny side. I have heard that other issues also shorten the life of graphics, including power washing, using truck washes, and not keeping the RV washed and waxed.

Usually the first sign of graphics in distress, is peeling along the edges. In talking with Nick Keller, formerly from Teton Homes, he said, “If your vinyl starts to peel, it’s important to remove the curled edge, otherwise, it will trap dirt and wa-ter, and accelerate the deterioration.” Nick said, “Don’t try to glue the curled edges back down. You are almost guar-anteed to have a mess!” Nick recommended using a razor and steel edge ruler to trim the graphic. Carefully score a line below the bad edge, where the graphic is still firmly af-fixed. Don’t press too hard, or you will leave a score line in the fiberglass. Having done this at least half a dozen times over the years, my experience is that each vinyl trim buys you about one year. My last stripes were trimmed three times before replacement.

Once you decide it’s time for stripe replacement, you have several options. The first is to replace the stripes. Unfortu-nately, we can no longer call Teton Homes to purchase the stripes, but there are other companies that specialize in RV

Peeling Decal

Trim Line

One fix for deteriorating vinyl decals is to trim the edge with a razor and steel straight edge. A careful job will make the stripe slammer, but it is hardly noticeable.

Use newspaper and masking tape to mask off the area to be painted. A thin roll of tape is most flexible to make the curve, fol-lowed by a wider roll of tape for spray protection.

After removing the masking paper and tape, the edges of the stripes can be cleaned up with a razor if necessary.

Repainted stripes

- 5 -

I t’s no secret that times are especially tough in the RV industry., hurt worse than many other businesses be-cause of the “double whammy” of high fuel prices and a poor credit market. Teton Homes was not alone in the

foreclosure/bankruptcy bind. Based on the Internet, and newspaper/magazine reports, these manufacturers went out of business or who have filed for Chapter 11 bank-ruptcy protection in 2008 and 2009.

RV manufacturers out of business— Alfa Leisure, Ameri-Camp, Bigfoot, Chinook/Trail Wagons, Dolphin, Extreme RV, Fleetwood trailer division (closed for good), King of the Road, National RV, NuWa Industries (plant closed. Building Hitchhiker 5th Wheels again in June), Pilgrim International,Sun Valley Inc., Sunline Coach, Teton Homes, Trail Wag-ons, TravelSupreme, Weekend Warrior, Western RV, Inc, and West Coast Leisure Homes.

Companies that have declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy pro-tection — Country Coach (Factory closed), Fleetwood (Still building motorhomes and manufactured homes), Monaco (Factory closed), and Rexhall (Bankruptcy, still operating).

As with other companies, these difficult times will force consolidation of RV manufacturers. The stronger, more prudent will emerge. Actually, some are already developing long-range plans. For example, RV Business reports that New Horizons RV Corp. from Kansas has hired former Te-ton Regional Rep., Kevin McCormick, (and possibly others) as national sales manager to oversee their shift from fac-tory-direct to retailing high-end products through a dealer system network. Who knows who could end up owning the Teton name?

For Sale 2005 Freightliner, Mountain Master bed, M2-112

Extended cab. Mercedes Benz 4000= 430 Hp, 1550 pounds of torque, custom seats, sound damping, Tripteck computer, smart tire system, 24,000 miles, will pull any RV you could buy with ease ideal for the Teton Reliance.GPS, CD player, near new condition.

Price $99,999.00. Replacement cost $150.000.00. Phone Kathy Dickenson 951-767-0392 email rwdkd@gte.net

In This Newsletter Packet

T his issue of the Teton Club newsletter includes our Annual Directory and copies of a new member ap-plication, “Hello Teton Owner.”

The Annual Directory has some changes this year. With the closing of the factory, and some former Teton dealers, the dealer listing has been removed. Replacing it is a master index listing of technical articles printed in our newsletters going back 10 years. These articles, by fellow club members, may prove helpful in maintaining your Te-ton.

To access these articles, assuming you haven’t saved all your back issues, you will need to visit our club’s website (www.tetoners.org). Navigate to the section that says TCI Newsletters. Look for the index at the top of the page. If you need more help, try navigating to the TCI Member’s Forum, where you can read answers to the questions of others, or feel free to ask questions yourself.

If you are a handy person, and have no trouble keeping your Teton in repair, PLEASE log on the TCI Forum from time to time—We need your help and suggestions.

This mailing packet also includes several copies of our, “Hello Teton Owner” new member application. In the past, the majority of our new members used a similar applica-tion that was included in each new owner notebook at the time of delivery. With the factory closed, at least for now, we need to work together to find new members. Our club will only continue and grow if we take the responsibility of finding new members ourselves.

During the year, as you meet other Teton owners, please hand them an application if they are not already members. Let’s make our family grow. GEORGE HOOPER #454

Tough Times in the RV Industry

- 6 -

Dexter Disc Brake Crossover Line Issue

T here’s nothing like a set of beefy hydraulic disc brakes to take the worry out of trying to stop a heavy RV in a hurry. It’s my belief that all RVs in the two and three axle class should be outfitted with hydraulic brakes. In addition to superior

stopping ability and smoother braking, disc brakes are self adjust-ing and require no manual brake adjustments. If your trailer ever pushes you into an intersection because the light changed faster than you thought, you will wish you had spent the extra money on disc brakes—Retrofitting is available, check out Mor/Ryde.

There is a downside, however. If you lose one magnet brake, you still have the rest. If road debris or a blown tire, takes out ANY of your hydraulic brake lines, you lose everything. This has happened to me several times.

Dexter Axle uses a fixed caliper with opposing pistons. What that means is that their disc brakes have active hydraulic pistons on both sides of the brake rotor. Some high performance automobiles use this system. The problem is, a small hydraulic cross over line is necessary to support the outer pistons. This can be a problem be-cause the line is somewhat unprotected on the outside. A tire blow-out can (and did in my case) take out the unprotected brake line as the tire self destructs.

On some models of Dexter’s 8000 lb disc brakes the crossover line passes by the rotor with about 1/2 inch clearance (Fig.A). It doesn’t take much of a bump to push the hydraulic line against the rotor, which then saws a hole into the line. Bad engineering!

Another model of the 8K brakes, possibly newer, includes some pro-tection from the rotor. This version, sometimes called “the notch” model, protects the line as it runs from the inner to outer pistons of the caliper (Fig. B).

Be Prepared

A broken hydraulic line can leave you stranded along the highway with no brakes at all. Fortunately, an investment of about $5.00 can keep you going until repairs can be made. You need to purchase at least one container of brake fluid and a brass plug (probably 3/8, but you will need to check your unit.

Your brake system probably consists of one or two main lines run-ning from the master cylinder, or pump, to the wheels. The line is “Teed” for each wheel as it goes to the rear of the unit. At the proper “T”, you (or your road service guy) needs to disconnect the broken hydraulic line to the affected wheel, and screw in the brass plug. This will temporarily close the system so that the other brakes will work. Add brake fluid to the reservoir and check your brakes. If they don’t work properly, you may have gotten air into the system

“If road debris or a blown tire, takes out ANY of your brake lines, you lose everything.”

A

Unprotected hydraulic crossover line as seen from the bottom of the rotor (part # 071-513-00).

B Protected crossover line with “notch” (part # 071-518-00).

and will have to bleed the brakes, starting at the rear. My experience is that running with five of these big brakes instead of six, made almost no difference in braking power.

If you lose a crossover line, you may find local re-placement difficult. The shops recommended by Dexter didn’t carry the part and didn’t want to make so many custom bends on such a small brake line. I recommend that you order at least one of these crossover lines from Dexter as a backup. For the 8000 lb brakes, the unprotected (no notch) line is part 071-513-00 and runs about $7.98. The pro-tected line (notch unit) is part 071-518-00 and is about $14.52 GEORGE HOOPER #454

- 7 -

T his was our first Teton (2003 Experience Frontier) and our thoughts were to order our next Teton to include features we discovered while traveling full time and meeting other Tetoners the past five

years. But sadly, with the factory gone, ordering a new one was not an option, which led to “Plan B”—remodel. We love our floor plan, so started looking for ideas to add the fea-tures we didn’t have. The Internet was a big help research-ing and comparing appliances as well as reading RV and Appliance discussion forums with others’ actual experi-ences.

We have long talked about a dishwasher, but I didn’t want to give up kitchen storage space. I am glad I waited as new things come out all the time. Though I liked the 18” full length model used in the past, and also in the former Teton Fac-tory customer lounge, it would take up a lot of my cabinet space and require much more cabinet work ($$$). So when I heard about dish drawers, I “Googled” them and found “RV” dishwasher drawers and counter top models, which are occasionally “built in.” Though less expensive, they are very noisy.

The Fisher Paykel Resi-dential unit has a good reputation, and is ex-tremely quiet. In fact

the first time I ran it John muted the TV to see if he could hear it, it

was that quiet. The size of the Fisher Paykel dish drawer was about 1 3/4” wider that the existing oven opening, less carpentry work required and I didn’t lose any drawers.

With that decision made, I needed a convection microwave to replace the gas oven I was losing. A friend had an Advan-tium (220v) in her home and loved it but I had not heard particularly glowing remarks from owners of the 110v RV versions, and some models do not have an on/off switch for the turntable, a negative for larger pans. A comparable unit was the Whirlpool Gold Velos, which does have turnta-ble on/off ability, a 16” diameter turntable in the 2.0 cubic foot interior that can accommodate a 9x13 glass dish and still rotate. The existing wall vent opening in the back also

Upgrade Your Teton—

The “before” picture showing existing Amana Microwave and Amana Range

All the surrounding drawers were removed and cabinets over the microwave and under the sink were emptied for access to electrical and plumbing

The next step was to remove the old appliances

A convection microwave oven was the first to be installed.

1.

2.

3.

- 8 -

matched up perfectly, so no additional openings were re-quired. I have yet to tap all the features, to name a few: it grills, bakes, roasts, steams, melts, reheats, boils, softens, microwaves and can be programmed to do most any com-bination of the above. It also has many presets and the help menu easily displays on the 2 x 4” LCD screen.

The last piece to the equation was a cooktop. The installer recommended the Atwood brand, so I chose an Atwood with electronic igniter. It has a higher BTU rating, cast iron grates, and a wider gradient range for more accurate tem-perature control than my previous unit.

With the new appliances on hand, and wood insert be-tween the top of the dish drawer and the cooktop stained to match the existing cabinetry, it was a one-day job.

We are very pleased with the outcome and would recom-mend our contractor, Dan Prock of Arizona RV Service, lo-cated in Mesa, Arizona. He did all the work at our site, very convenient. His website is http://www.arizonarvservice.com/

Safe Travels, MARGARET & JOHN SERAFIN #1116

New Appliances For Our Kitchen

4.

5.

6.

After constructing a support shelf, a dish drawer was installed.

The cooktop came next, installed above the dish drawer.

For additional information and schematics, here are the websites for the ap-pliances I chose, with links to downloadable installation guides and owners manuals:

• Fisher Paykel Single Dishdrawer: http://www.fisherpaykel.com/dishwashing/?productUid =41479B25-EA89-B116-2D4EC1A0587E3284

• Whirlpool Gold Velos Over the Range Convection Microwave: http://www.whirlpool.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=MIC RO-WAVES&cat=90&prod=1298

Atwood Cooktop with Electronic Igniter: http://atwoodmobile.com/cooking-appliances/atwood-ranges/high-output-cooktops.aspx

The final product—new dishwasher, stove and microwave/convection oven

- 9 -

Special parking area away from the general public

Buffet meal including appetizers, entree and dessert

Shuttles available to take guests to Main Street

Private bathrooms

JOIN OUR GROUP!

If you would like to join us for dinner in the Gondola Club send your request email:

Sharon Grooms bunnytrail@att.net If preferred call 818-846-9944.

Your check will be made out to:

Sharon Grooms

362 South Myers Street

Burbank, CA 91506-2616

Deadline for reservations

and payment is

August 1, 2009

Please note: Once your order has been processed there are no refunds. Rain checks are available for an alternative session where there is availability.

Gondola Club

Become a Balloon Fiesta® "VIP" and enjoy Balloon Fiesta from one of the most picturesque locations at Balloon Fiesta Park. The Gondola Club is a reserved area that lets you get away from the crowds with pri-vate seating indoors and out, delicious food and lux-ury bathrooms. Just imagine being able to have a pri-vate seat complete with wonderful food while looking out over the Oct 4th Balloon Glow.

General Information:

Hours of Operation, for the Evening Session October 4th 5:00pm to 9:00pm.

If you choose to drive, due to the location of the park-ing area, the parking pass will be shared among every 4 adult members.

Group pricing is available to our Teton Members ($50 per person for this session) Each person in group re-ceives: Hospitality tent & bar with dinner buffet, Ad-mission ticket to Balloon Fiesta & One Parking pass for each group of four.

POST RALLY FIESTA BALLOON GLOW AND DINNER (For those Tetoners who will be in Albuquerque on October 4, 2009) Bus transport to Balloon Park may be arranged with American RV Park during Rally (9/24-9/30).

- 10 -

TCI# 1555 Edward & Carol Robinson PO Box 1120 Park City, UT 84060 435-655-0406 TCI# 1556 Darrell & Carol Korman 7362 W. Parks Hwy. # 811 Wasilla, AK 99654 760-989-1767 TCI# 1557 John & Kathy Meigs 7770 W. Green Acres St. Homosassa, FL 34446 352-422-0019 TCI# 1558 Rob & Sherrill Canet 178 Rainbow Dr. #7893 Livingston, TX 77399-1078 832-654-7101 TCI# 1559 Daniel & Linda Parker 3770 Bender Road Middleville, MI 49333 269-795-9658

Welcome New Members TCI# 1560 Bill & Liinda Riebesell 23756 Arena Drive Rapid City, SD 57702 507-380-4610 TCI# 1561 Jim & Jessica Crush 10173 N. Suncoast Blvd. # 38 Crystal River, FL 34428 352-586-8637 TCI# 1562 Bob & Gail Windle 7100 S. Interstate 35 E Denton, TX 76210 214-418-4856 TCI# 1563 Earl & Sue Beers RR 5 Box 5072 Kunkletown, PA 18058 610-381-3582/610-730-5633 C TCI# 1564 James & Suella Coram 15570 Knodhaven Rd. Santa Clarita, CA 91387 661-252-2112

TCI# 1565 Robert & Susan Sander 1203 Scarlet Oak Cir. Vero Beach, FL 32966 772-766-3261 TCI# 1566 Glenn Conyers 434 Lucina St. American Canyon, CA 94503 415-850-4027 TCI# 1567 Franz & Helen Petersen 3670 Hurlbut Circle Lake Wales, FL 33898-8707 863-676-2957 863-258-2507C TCI #1568 Walter & Norma Kernes 16772 W. Bell Rd. Ste 110-297 Surprise, AZ 85374 623-340-4645 LATE REJOINS TCI # 925 David & Dorothy Holmes 4509 143rd Ave SE Bellevue, WA 98006 425-241-8261

S ome people say that the shortest measure of time known to man is a nanosecond. I think it’s the period of time from when a tire fails, and damage, and heat, begins. Even if you have an early warning tire blowout

system, such as PressurePro, you need to use your mirrors often—or as I’ve heard professional drivers say, “you need to ‘live’ in your mirrors.”

This winter, members Jim and Jonell Shepherd #1510 had a real Teton tragedy—a sudden tire fire. “I don't have any idea what could have caused this to happen,” says Jim Shepherd. “We had traveled less than 15 miles the morning of the 18th—I know the tires were OK when we left the Rv park,” says Jim adamantly. “I had checked all of them as I always do before starting out.”

Jim and his wife, Jonell are hopeful that their insurance co will investigate and find out what did happen. The Shepherds are now getting the list together as to what was lost for the insur-ance company. Jim says, “I don't think I should speculate as to what happened if I could ( which I can't ).”

Jim and Jonell, we wish you only the best as you resolve this mess. Remember, your TCI “Family of Friends” are here for you.

Teton RV Tragedy

Firefighters work to extinguish the spreading fire at the rear of the coach

- 11 -

This ia s photo of some of us Tetoners who were in Palm Springs, CA and met up for impromptu lunch at Billy Reeds Restaurant. Those who were there were: Larry & Eleanor Hall, Ralph & Mary Hankinson, Earl & Jo Faught, Norm & Flo Nordin, Bill & Jacquita Davis, Doyle & Cel Elkins, and Jack & Robbie Wilson. BILL & JACQUITA DAVIS #831

SE Mid-Winter Luncheon The Southeast region held their annual mid-winter lunch-eon at Homer’s Buffet in Sebring Fl. on Jan. 21st. There were quite a few members present and since we had our own room, we could be as loud as we wanted to. (And we were!) There were more than 40 people in attendance – this was one of the best attended luncheons we’ve had in quite a while. Now that Teton has stopped making 5th wheels it seems that the group has gotten closer and more “together” in order not to lose the feeling of being a “family of friends”. Surely we Tetoners are the best group of RVers in existence. We’re true friends and help each other whether the factory supports us or not.

Of course the conversation started out with the loss of fac-tory new Teton 5th wheel rigs. The discussions soon turned to ways of helping each other keep our rigs “new” for as long as possible. Everyone agreed that the newslet-ter is very important now in giving us updates and repair information. Many of us talked about keeping the “family” going and we noted that there are still some new rigs in the pipeline and that new members are still joining. That is a good thing.

The members attending ( in no particular order ) were :Clarence & Dot Spencer, Sue Corban, Katie Williamson, Charlie & Ann Wilson, Gary & Harriet Lonstein, Pat & Mar-garet Wurtman, Herb & Lorraine Hummel, Tom & Jean Wilby, Orris Mosby & Ginnie Goffinet, David McGallierd, Dick & Maxie Hassler, George & Kay Hooper, Joe Bergeron & Terry Cetrino, Bob & Jan Plants, Bill & France Moriarty, Harry & Joanne Knotts, Ervin & Laura Schrock, Dennis & Patricia Doty, Phil & Connie Hargin, Earl & Sue Beers, Curt & Bonnie Brandon, Ken & Gail Flinn, R. David & Diana Do-err.

Next year’s luncheon will be held on January 21st 2010 at 2:00 at Homer’s Restaurant in Sebring. Mark that date in your calendar! It is around the time of the Tampa RV show so a lot of you will be in the area. You are assured to have a good time and good food. We get our own room and waitress.

Homer’s is in Sebring Florida which is in the middle of the state and on route 27 which is a fast 6 and 4 lane high-way. There is plenty of parking both for the trucks and even your rig if necessary. If you plan to be there, contact Gary Lonstein via e-mail at garylonstein@hotmail.com or call from Nov-April at home in Sebring at 863-386-0963. His cell # is 914-799-0137 at anytime. It is important that you give him a heads up even if you might be there, as the size of the room depends on the number of people attend-ing. See you in 2010! GARY LONSTEIN #975

SW Luncheon Get-Together

- 12 -

George Hooper, TCI Editor 185 Citrus Ridge Dr. Davenport, FL 33837

I sure love those Teton Club rallies. That’s why I’m leaving

now for Albuquerque!

Some of the most fun you can have as a Teton Club member is to attend our TCI national and regional rallies. Once you attend, you’ll be hooked on the fun and entertainment. Attend three rallies in one year and become a “TCI Rally Rat”—And that’s a good thing!