This is the third issue of our quarterly newsletter, devoted to folks who own and/or appreciate the classic GMC motor coaches built between 1973 and 1978.

2005 Officers

President: Mike Rice

Vice President: Mark Elmer

Treasurer: Keith Barnett

Secretary: Elizabeth Livingston

Activities Chairperson: Les Watson

Newsletter Editor: Mark Elmer

New Members

We wish to welcome the following new members:

Harold & Bettie Kennedy, Loveland, CO

This brings our total membership to twenty-five. We are getting very close to our goal of becoming a Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) Chapter.

You will notice that I have enclosed a form for each of you with FMCA membership to fill out and return in a self addressed envelope.

Please don’t drag your feet on this. I beg you… Please fill this form out and return it to me ASAP. There were some of us that filled out one of these forms when we formed the Great Mountain Classics club months ago at the home of Bert and Barbara Wanlass.

However, I cannot find that form. I am not sure if I have misplaced it or if I never got it from Mike Rice who has moved and a lot of his stuff is still in storage.

If you are not an FMCA member yet, please consider joining. If you only use your coach a modest amount membership in The Family Motor Coach Association is well worth the small investment.

Great Mountain Classics Financial Report

Our treasurer Keith Barnett has our nonprofit status set up with the state of Utah. Keith had some help from Val Livingston. Thank you Keith and Val.

Keith submits the following financial report:

Member dues $500.00

Photo-copies 24.91

Filing fees 22.00

Office supplies 38.41

Postage & Mailing 48.03

Website costs 29.90

Balance $336.75

“Come if you can” Venue change

As our Activities Chairperson, Les Watson hosts our Great Mountain Classics “Come if you can” dinners.

However, it was decided at the last dinner that a change of venue was in order. Please join us April 6^th at 6:00 p. m. at Golden Corral, 8860 South Redwood Rd (801) 561-5306.

These dinners are open to anyone with an interest in GMC motorhomes. If you have GMC friends who are traveling through the area please invite them to adjust their travels to join us for a bite.

Meet Mike & Kris Rice

This month the Great Mountain Classic spotlight shines on Mike & Kris Rice.

Mike Rice is the founder of our Great Mountain Classics group. Like many of us Mike thought it would be beneficial to find some fellow GMC coach owners to commiserate with. When he found that there were not any clubs that were close by he thought that perhaps that should change.

In the beginning most of what our group did was all put together by Mike. He got things organized, planned outings and when necessary put out mailings largely out of his own pocket.

Mike and Kris recently purchased a very nice home in Murray and have been spending quite a bit of time doing renovation projects to make it their own.

Mike was born in Oakland, CA. just before the “Big war”. He graduated from Hayward High School (Bay Area) and served a hitch in the U.S. Navy, including serving in the Philippines for 2 years, had several dinners in Hong Kong and was jailed in Hawaii (briefly).

Mike spent many hours skin diving in the South China Sea, and hunted wild buffalo on Mindoro Island.

He also served an LDS mission in Oklahoma and Missouri, and attended B.Y.U., USU (M.Ed.), the U. of U., Weber State, U.S.B., Brooks Institute of Photography and a few other schools.

Mike has also served as a Cub master, Cub leader, and Scoutmaster.

Mike has held many jobs, but the longest in length was the 27+ years he spent at the “U”, teaching photography. He also taught at Weber State, Woods Cross High, Tooele High, and Hillcrest High, as well as at Crescent View Middle and Midvale Middle schools. One of his most fun jobs was being a cinematographer at KSL TV.

At Hillcrest High, Mike taught computer graphics. He is still a certified art teacher (until

June of ‘05). Mike is retired, but still substitute teaches. Mike has 3 children and 5 grandchildren.

Another interesting tidbit: Mike and Kris have 3 vehicles, and they are all GMC's!

Mike's hobbies include reading, writing fiction, fishing, photography, building cars and computer graphics.

Mike met his spectacular wife, Kristine Clark Rice, while they were in graduate school in Logan.

Kris is a Special Education teacher in the Murray School District. She has taught in several schools in Murray, and also taught in the Jordan and Weber districts.

She is a certified teacher with endorsements in severe and moderate disabilities. Kris is also a

trainer for the “Mandt system” (controlled restraint for out-of-control students) in the Murray District. She holds a MEd in education, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from the “U”. Kris was born in Salt Lake City, and served an LDS mission to Japan.

Kris's hobbies include sewing and reading. She has made all of the choir dresses for Riverview Jr. High for the past 5 years, and annually, makes hundreds of jammies for children, which she gives away at Christmas. She has been highlighted in the Deseret News and on television for her work.

Kris is a warm and loving person, as attested by her more than 30 grand nieces and nephews, who look forward to her visits.

Kris and Mike have been married for almost 20 years, and hope to spend another 20 years together. After that, they'll see.

Recipe Corner

Mike’s Skillet Bow Tie Lasagna

1 lb. Ground beef (or sausage, or a mixture of both. Ground turkey can be substituted, but the flavor is milder)

1 Small onion, chopped

1 Garlic clove, minced

1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, un-drained

1 6 oz. Can tomato paste

1 1/2 C. Water

1 Tbs. Dried parsley flakes

2 tsp. Ground oregano

1 tsp. Salt (or to taste)

Pepper to taste

2 1/2 C. Bow tie pasta

3/4 C. Small curd cottage cheese

1/4 C. Grated Parmesan cheese.

1). In a large skillet, cook meat, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink: drain juices. Add tomatoes, water, tomato paste,

parsley, oregano, pepper and salt; mix well.

2.) Add pasta; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes. or until pasta is tender, stirring once.

3). Combine cheeses; drop by rounded tablespoons onto pasta mixture.

Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Yields 4 servings.

This recipe can be adapted to a Dutch oven. And here are the adjustments: Instead of draining after the first step, the meat drippings are left in. The time should be increased as appropriate, and the last step (cheeses) would be unchanged.)

Great Mountain Classics on the Web

I want to once again extend a big thank you to our Webmaster John Brewer.

John has registered our online domain.

http://greatmountainclassics.com

At this moment our first newsletter and club application are posted there in PDF format. (Acrobat reader is needed to view these)

John will be adding the rest of the newsletters and will be making them available in other formats as well.

John would also like to post some pictures of club members, club activities, our coaches and whatever else that members send him.

Is anyone interested in a project day?

It always seems that I have a list of GMC projects that I want to do. And I suspect more than a few of you do as well.

I propose that we have a GMC project day. I will host it here at our home in Eagle Mountain unless someone else wishes to host it. I have a large air compressor and about a hundred feet of air hose, air tools, 2-1/2 ton floor jack, safety stands, etc. You are all welcome to come and do some simple projects or just come and be a helper to someone else.

Some of the simpler things that you could do:

· Tire inspection and rotation.

· Fabricate some “Bogie greasers”.

· Brake service.

· Safety checkup.

· Oil and filter change on engine.

· Oil and filter change on your Onan.

· Or just “hang out and help out.”

We can fire up the grill and have some lunch too. If you are interested in this please contact me. We all just need to agree on a Saturday date sometime in the near future.

You are always welcome to call me anytime on my cell phone: (801) 367-3432 or email me at: 77pickles@earthlink.net

Campout April 22^nd & 23rd

Les Watson has put together a spring outing for us. We will be having an overnight campout at Crystal Springs RV campground in Honeyville, UT on April 22^nd & 23^rd. We will likely have a club meeting Friday night.

Some of you will recall that we had a campout there in October 2003. It is a relaxing place to stay overnight and the hot springs are very relaxing.

The overnight fee for one coach is $25.00 for a campsite with full hookups. Please tell them that you are with Great Mountain Classics GMC club and they will group us together.

You can reserve a campsite with a $10.00 deposit charged to a major credit card. The number for reservations is (435) 279-8104.

Campers can use the pools at the following reduced rates: adults $4.50, children $3.50. The waterslide is $8.00 per person and includes the pools.

Les Watson can be reached at: (801) 360-0719 or via email at: wattles@comcast.net

What can your VIN code tell you?

All GMC coaches built between 1973 & 1978 have vehicle identification numbers that can be decoded to reveal the following information.

Example: TZE167V102359

T= Manufactured by General Motors

Z= 3 Axle Motorhome

E= Gasoline engine

1= Interior code

(0= GM interior from 1973 – 1974)

(1=GM interior from1975 - 1978)

(2= Twin beds from 1976 - 1977)

(3= Transmode sold w/o interior)

6= Model

(6= model 260 = 26' long)

(3= model 23O = 23’ long)

7= model year

(3 = 1973)

(4 = 1974)

(5 = 1975)

(6 = 1976)

(7 = 1977)

(8 = 1978)

V= Pontiac Michigan Plant

1= First year of production series # all production started with “1”

0= since total production was less than 13,000 units all GMC motorhomes had a zero in this position.

2359= Production sequence number.

I want to thank David Greenberg for this interesting information.

His email is: davegreenberg1@juno.com.