Talk about your winter of discontent! Everyone has probably
tuned up and used those snow shovels and snow blowers more than they ever
wanted to. I am not going to make any jokes about the weather, nor any
reference to my winter in Florida. I am also going to restrain myself and not
load up any clever pictures of snow. I would imagine that everyone north of the
Gulf of Mexico is extremely tired of talking about, thinking about or seeing
any reference to cold weather. Now you are ready for this rally year? We should
have a great summer. So, it is almost time to get the old motor coach ready for
the rally season.
Without
referring to the winter I have completely run out of anything to say. No, just
kidding. On a good note I have not received any information about any problems
that our members have endured over the last six months. That is a good thing.
We do have
a great set of rallies scheduled for 2014, which is our 45th year. We
are going to open with a rally at the Coachlight RV Park at Carthage, Missouri
in April and end in October with a rally at the Cedar Oaks RV Park in Grove,
Oklahoma. In between there are four, and maybe five, other rallies. Before you
know it you will be thinking about Thanksgiving. Just remember, time really
flies when you are having a good time. And what better time than being among
those other coach-type folks.
Pilot/Flying J Loyalty Card. Upon
attending the Tampa RV show in January, among the many vendors at which I
stopped was the Pilot/Flying J area. As I have seen on several occasions, when
Pilot sets up a display they go all out; large space, lots of reps, etc. Upon
approaching the area I noticed one of the Pilot reps talking to a couple so I
decided to listen in. He was explaining the new loyalty card program being put
in place in concert with Good Sam. As of January 1, 2015 the current
Pilot/Flying J loyalty card program will no longer exist. On that date those
Flying J RV Real Value and Pilot/Flying J myrewards cards will no longer be
valid. A new program was started earlier this year in partnership with Good
Sam. In essence, Pilot has turned over their loyalty program to Good Sam and
they are using this year as a transition period. The new card is called Swipe
& Save. It serves as a Good Sam card, replaces the Camping World
President’s Club card and is the new Pilot/Flying J loyalty card you can use at
the pump and inside. To get one you have to be a Good Sam member. If you sign
up as a new member this is your membership card. If you are already a member,
call Good Sam and ask for a new card. In most cases, I am told, they will ask
you to renew your membership for one, two or three years. I say in most cases
since I called and got one without renewing as I had renewed last Fall for
three years. This card will give you the standard 10% Good Sam discount at most
RV parks, a Camping World discount of up to 30% (?) and fuel, propane and dump
station discounts at Pilot/Flying J. I believe that it is worth the cost of
Good Sam membership and it more that pays for itself if you stop at Good Sam
parks (yes Wayne, I know), use Pilot/Flying J and/or buy things at Camping
World. If you are interested visit the www.goodsamclub.com
web site.
For those
who want to listen, I now have additional experience in troubleshooting a
frosting problem with our Norcold refrigerator. The bottom line is that I
probably need a new lower right door but the knowledge route I took to come to
that conclusion is interesting.
In any case I look forward to seeing everyone next month.
