Michael Vreeland (20733)
Virginia State Director

Hello to my fellow Newmarians from my summer spot in Ashland, Virginia. I got back to Virginia early March and got to “enjoy” some cold weather. Boy did I miss the warm weather of Florida. I did get to see the Cherry Trees blossom, which was great. I have not seen that in years since I am usually in Florida during this season. Although the weather was cold, I still toughed it out in shorts and a pair of gym warm up pants. It was great to get back and see my “Americamps” family. I have been pretty busy with one of my top priority items to complete, is the same as everyone else – filing my income tax. I did that and I guess the upside is considering what I had to pay the national debt should go down some.

In addition to the Legacy input, I also provide monthly input to the Virginia Wheels Newsletter and in the last newsletter I included some RV maintenance info which I thought might help other Newmarians so here is a PSA for all. While in Florida I woke up one morning with a “stuffy” head. We all know what that is like. This is not a usual occurrence for me, so I figured it was time to change air filters which became that day’s chore. So, I opened the vent covers and sure enough they were dirty. My little buddy Tom Rezentes had given me a bunch of air filters when he upgraded to his new Dutch Star which I happily installed six months or so ago. Now that it’s time to change the air filters and since I liked the ones Tom gave me, I went online to order some replacements. Evidently these air filters are made from precious metal given the cost of each one. But I have always said we all paid a lot of money for our RVs so why am I back peddling on a couple hundred dollars for air filters? I was preparing to pull the trigger on the purchase when I thought why not check to see if other similar filters were available cheaper. Well, there were several options, but they were still pretty pricey. Then I stumbled on “10 Feet roll of Blue and White Air Filter Media Roll, Merv6 Polyester Media – 25” wide” for about $26 on Amazon (search on this name and it will pop up). Pretty much the same as the ones Tom gave me. Of course, the simple solution was buy 3 rolls and roll them across the ceiling of the RV, close the filter covers – problem solved. Then out of nowhere I felt something hit me in the back of my head and shout “NO!!”. I suspect that was Marcy and I can see her rolling her eyes and thinking “silly man.” Bottom line I needed a new plan. Then I came up with taking the filters down, laying them on the roll, drawing their outline using a black marker, cutting it out and eureka, problem solved. So, I figured out the best way to lay out the filters for cutting to maximize the number of filters I could get with a minimum of waste. I pulled down the old filters (thanks again Tom) and replaced them with my “new” ones and now my air is clean again and I have enough air filters left over for another change out. Hopefully, this tip will help other Newmarians.

After filing my taxes, it was time to run down more specifics for the upcoming Virginia State Rally and it has been harder than I expected. I called a BBQ place to check on catering and their automatic answer system kept looping back to the start. There was no other way to contact them, but I will keep trying. I have zeroed in on several meals but still trying to nail down costs. I have set up a Ghost Tour in Harper’s Ferry which should be a lot of fun. I also have set up a tour of White Post Restorations, which is a well-known car restoration company. There are a lot of other tourist activities within the local area, but these will be based on attendee choice during “free days”.

I would like to remind my fellow Newmarians that the Virginia Wheels will be hosting two rallies this summer in addition to the Virginia State Rally. First was the Virginia Wheels Rally is scheduled May 18 – 22, to be held at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia. Which, as you are reading this, is over. The second Virginia Wheels rally is a joint Virginia/North Carolina/South Carolina Rally at the Mayberry Campground in Mt Airy, North Carolina scheduled for July 13 – 17. It is listed under the NKK website under the July calendar and is called the Mayberry Chapter Rally (VA/NC/SC) rally. Details of these rallies will be provided in the Virginia Wheels Chapter input in this Legacy, and you can also check out and register for it on the NKK website.

The Virginia State Rally is scheduled for August 20-27, at the Candy Hill Campground in Winchester, Virginia. Candy Hill Campground (540-662-8010) is taking reservations now and I am pleased to say I have 15 registrations already so please register at your earliest convenience. I currently have reserved 25 sites. I can add more, but the sooner folks register the better.

For all my fellow Newmarians please stay warm and please travel and be safe – I want to see your smiling faces in my travel and hope to be able to sit and swap some lies with you. Rally On!!!!! I can be reached at beagleRV@gmail.com or 540-809-9830