Maybe the best reason is that we love to find great resort “destinations” and party hearty with friends!

Our Entegra Coach is our fourth rig. I generally think of it as a vehicle that we can live in (quite nicely, to be sure). But, my wife thinks of it as a house that rolls. Our opposing perspectives, are probably illustrative of how some of our responsibilities are divided up in the coach, and I think that applies to many motor homing couples. The learning curve has been steep, as we figured out our equipment (both the strengths and the shortcomings), how to go about seeing America, how to plan our trips and build a budget that will allow us to maximize our budget and our FUN!

Well, we fell in love with our new coach, just as you have, and reflecting on how we see our worlds a bit differently as a husband and wife, we surmised that other new owners would have to face that same learning curve. They might want to pick someone else’s brains as they faced that mountain. We thought it might be great if we could just find each other and get together, and share all the great stuff we’ve learned. Perhaps that would both shorten the learning curve, and at the same time, provide a deeper network of support for others beyond the Customer Support that Entegra Coach provides.

We approached Tadd Jenkins at Entegra Coach, and asked permission to use the name and to incorporate their corporate logo into a new club that we wanted to start. He agreed, and shortly afterward, we found a lot of support among other Entegra Coach owners at the first-ever Summeriest in Petoskey, Michigan. We Chartered our club under the Family Motor Coach Association because of the wide network of resources they offer, the member benefits that help us with some peace of mind, and the umbrella of insurance coverage that would also cover us as we began the club without any resources, whatsoever…just our willingness to work hard and build something that could bring like-minded people together, whether for an event or for a lifetime of friendships.

We host Rallies, where a bunch of coaches gather together in a great location for a few days. We’ll share some meals together, sometimes catered, sometimes not. We’ll have some Happy Hours time. We’ll meet people and make some friends. We’ll have time to share and exchange ideas. Sometimes we’ll do something together as a group, and sometimes just set aside time for individual sightseeing. We don’t always plan all the rally events. Sometimes we just go visit another rally as a group, such as The Rally in Phoenix, the Lazy Days Entegra Event, the Tampa Bay Supershow, or the FMCA International Family Reunion. Our get togethers are light, and fun and sometimes informative and educational too. We’ve dry camped with no services, semi-dry camped with limited electrical services, and been together with full hook-ups. We’ve learned from each other by being in those situations together. Entegra Coach has also learned from us. They frequently sent representatives to our rallies, listen to our complaints, and actively ask us for suggestions about improving their products. We’ve also been fortunate to have dealers interested in building relationships with the attendees, and have provided tech support, display coaches, and offered driving tips.

After two and a half years, we’ve grown to over 400 member coaches spread all across the North America continent. We’ve hosted numerous club rallies and gatherings in all parts of the country. We’ve had some wonderful opportunities for fellowship, as we’ve brought people together for days at a time. We’ve learned from each other how to use our equipment. We’ve shared our goofs, stumbles and pitfalls, and helped others to avoid them. We’ve modified our rigs and shared with others how we’ve maximized our living and minimized our effort. 

So far, ECOA has been involved to some degree with over 19 separate events in just over two years. The Club has hosted five major club rallies, visiting Americas Best Campground in Branson, MO, Beth Page Camp Resort in Urbanna, VA, Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville, TX, Egg Harbor RV Resort in Door County, WI, and Hilton Head Island Motorcoach Resort, in Hilton Head, SC. At each one we have been able to meet other owners from all across this continent, and have discovered much in common. 

Within the last year, we’ve had, and continue to have, members propose events and take the leadership role in setting up some of our Rallies and Gatherings. Our opportunities to get together and meet other Entegra owners continues to grow and diversify across the country.

One of our members was talking with some other folks in iRV2.com’s Entegra Owner’s Forum, and he mentioned that he wanted to go to Quartzsite, AZ in January, and attend the RV show there. A couple of others thought that might be cool. He wrote to me and asked if we could do a Gathering at Quartzite in January. We talked a bit and he and his lovely wife decided they might try their hands at being Wagonmasters for the event. In less than a week, we had 15 coaches signed up to attend. We have no idea how big it might get, but it’s going to be total dry camping in the Arizona desert, surrounded by other groups doing the same thing. I’m sure they will all have great stories to tell, and will make some friendships that will last a lifetime.

We have had some growing pains. We’ve engaged an online database and club management service to expedited communications and simplify much of the work of managing a growing membership. Entegra Coach liked what we were doing, and committed to sponsor the first year’s membership for all new 2016’s purchased. And so we grow.

Why an Entegra Coach Owners Association? Joining, you have an opportunity to meet like-minded people and learn about your coach; but most of all, have a good time! If this appeals to you, come join us. And if you have a great "favorite destination," let's have a party!