DVDs show how to operate a motorhome, trailer or 5th wheel Learn how to use every system, how to set up, how to drive or pull your RV and more. Class A motorhome • Class C motorhome • Pop Up • Travel Trailer/Fifth Wheel

Locate Wal-Mart stores Use this directory to plan free overnight stays. Get the location of every Wal-Mart in America. Easy driving directions. Use to plan free overnight stays in parking lots. Get more info about the 2005 Wal-Mart Locator.

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Dear fellow RVer,

Do you ever have flashbacks of places you've been and then go nuts trying to figure out where they were? An hour ago, relaxing on my couch, a vision of a small, waterfront town popped into my head. There was a long parking lot and a grassy strip by the beach. I recalled that there was a cafe up the street where I had enjoyed coffee. For the next ten minutes I tried to remember where the place was, but alas, no luck.

Awhile later, out of nowhere, the answer came to me: it was a small town on the south island of New Zealand! I was there four years ago with a rented campervan. Why that image just popped into my head baffles me. Where did it come from? Why did that particular image out of the millions of such visual memories show up now? Does this happen to you, too?

We said good-bye Friday to Malia Lane, a full-time RVer who has been working in our offices for the past five weeks, learning the editorial ropes. Malia is editing our RV-Links.com website and its newsletter, and will soon undertake a new web project about RVing on a shoestring. More about that next month. Today, Malia will unhook from her campsite in nearby Everett and begin her journey south, stopping at the Portland, Ore., airport to pick up her 79-year-old mother for a three-month RV adventure along the California coast and then into Arizona. The last time the two traveled together was for six weeks last summer in Alaska and on the Alaska Highway. Malia wrote about that trip in Good Sam's Highways Magazine. Malia travels in a 36-foot Itasca Sunflyer. She travels alone (the upcoming trip with "Mom" is an exception), and says she loves it! She has friends almost everywhere she travels and stops to see them often. She is living her dream life and is bound and determined to keep going until she "can't go no more." You can read about her adventures at her website. Women who are traveling alone by RV or want to will be inspired by Malia's words. We're sad to see her go, but we know she must: she's a wanderin' kinda gal.

Do you live near Edmonds, Washington? If you are an experienced writer or editor and know the RV lifestyle inside and out, and are looking for a great part-time job, please contact us. We have a position available.

A few weeks ago I wrote about having just returned from an RV trip in Idaho. I wrote that among the things I did was "feed bears." Whoa! Did I ever get a scolding from many of you! I can't even repeat what a few readers said. But it boiled down to "Don't you know you should never feed a wild animal?" Well, to set the record straight, I fed the animals at "Yellowstone Bear World," where the bears are either bred in captivity, rescued because of injury or retired movie performers. In the wild, of course, feeding a native animal is often a death sentence, tempting the animal to become dependent upon tasty handouts (not available when the tourists are gone), or in the case of bears, turning them into dangerous menaces who invade campgrounds searching for yummy treats. At Yellowstone Bear World my daughter and I were able to bottle feed baby bears who were born there. Visitors to the popular tourist stop can do the same. The cubs are cute as can be.

We donated $527 last week to RVers in the Louisiana area stranded because of Hurricane Katrina. Many no longer have homes and jobs to return to. For the rest of this month, all sales from our eBooks The ABCs of Pop Up Campers and Your Home on Wheels are being provided to the RVers to help them buy food and other necessities. Because they have a "shelter," the RVers are not eligible for the same aid as people in public shelters. In some cases, whole families are squeezed into tiny trailers, even pop ups. It's shelter, yes, but hardly the same as the house they lost. For those of you who purchased the books above, your money was put to good use and has made life a little less stressful for some very unfortunate people.

The media continues to harp on Wal-Mart "free camping," the latest installment in last Sunday's New York Times. I was quoted as saying that Wal-Mart has "become the largest RV campground in the country." I didn't really say that but did say that on some nights there may be more RVers at Wal-Marts than at KOAs. Read the article here.

Pot of Gold Contest News
No winner last week. The pot is now $190 cash. Check each weekday at RVbookstore.com between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Pacific time) to see if you live in the Zip Code of the Day.

Letters to the editor: If you have a comment about anything in this issue, please write me at outwest@seanet.com. Read what other readers have written here. If you have a technical question or comment, please visit our RVtravel.com Readers Forum to post your request or information.

How did RV Travel readers respond to this question:
"Do you drink the tap water from your RV's freshwater tank?"
Learn how more than 2,600 readers responded.

Look for a pop quiz or two with terrific prizes most weeks at RVbookstore.com.
Sign up to receive an email alert of quiz start times.

Precooked Pleasures
If you'll be boondocking for a few days away from home, there's no need to give up nice meals nor spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Precook some of your favorite dishes, then pack them up in aluminum foil containers or aluminum pouches. Popped in the freezer, they'll be ready for you to re-heat in your range or even outside on the gas grill. The beauty is, you won't have a lot of washing up to do afterwards — just toss the containers in the trash. Surprisingly, pasta dishes work quite well on the re-heat cycle. To determine appropriate amounts, when you cook up your meals, use a standard serving plate. Place the amount you'd serve at a meal on the plate, then transfer to your freezing containers.

Russ and Tiρa Demaris are authors of RV Boondocking Basics and Boondocking Tips for RVers: More Fun Without Hookups

Books and videos about Boondocking

QUESTION: I have seen a sticker on new RVs with the initials RVIA. What does that mean? ANSWER: It means it was manufactured according to the strict standards of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. Be wary of buying an RV that does not have such a sticker.

Books and DVDs about how to buy an RV

Transfer Campsite: Durango/Mancos, Colorado
Wooded primitive camping in San Juan National Forest. Most sites are level and can accommodate large rigs. Each site has table and fire ring with grill. Hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and ATV trails all nearby. Water available by pump only. Outhouses on site. $10 or less.

Pete's Quick Stop: Summerville/Cross, South Carolina
Convenience store between Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie one hour from Charleston. Nice grass area. All boondockers welcome. Free.

Amtrak Centennial Station: Olympia/Lacey, Washington
This station has a large parking lot and a sheriff's office inside. Park at the far end and as long as you don't make a mess (or mind the trains passing by), no one should hassle you. Take College Street south from I-5, turn left on Yelm Highway and you will see the station to your left as you pass over the railroad overpass. It is well lit and safe. Free.

The information above was provided by visitors to FreeCampgrounds.com. The information has not been verified.

Learn about more than 750 free and inexpensive campgrounds at FreeCampgrounds.com

. . . RVing south of Mexico to Guatemala.

Guidebooks and DVDs about RVing in Mexico

Where to turn when you're in strange territory
When you arrive in a new town, one you've never been to before, there's much to learn about the lay of the land. Confused? Don't know where to find everything? Just ask a local. Most are glad to help. Read more.

Book: RV Traveling Tales:
WOMEN'S JOURNEYS ON THE OPEN ROAD
Women who travel by RV tell about their lives. Superb!

Sales of RVs still going strong
Despite high gasoline prices, the RV industry is anticipating one of its best sales years since 1978. The key: Interest rates are still relatively low, with a 20-year loan for $75,000 less than seven percent. In the early 1970s, interest rates of 16 percent to 18 percent hurt RV sales. "That's always been more important than gas prices," Gregg Lewis of Lewis Auto & RV Sales in Dayton, Ohio told Cox News Service. Gas prices near $3 per gallon appear to have had little or no effect on RV sales so far, Lewis said. But it has shifted the product mix: Towable trailer sales are growing while motorhome sales are expected to decline somewhat this year, said University of Michigan economist Richard T. Curtin.

Wool Festival: Kit Carson Park, Taos, New Mexico
On Oct. 1 and 2, celebrate more than 400 years of wool tradition with Southwest breeders and fiber artists. See traditional and contemporary fiber artistry and get up close and personal with sheep, goats, rabbits, alpacas and llamas. Don Juan Oρate first brought the sturdy churro sheep to the region in 1598 as a walking commissary and fiber source for his small group of settlers. The churros quickly became a major basis of subsistence for both these newcomers and the natives. Generations later, wool growing and fiber artistry are still important to the people of the mountains and valleys who have added new artistic techniques and exotic products to traditional wools. The "Fiber Critters Showcase" and two days of shearing demonstrations are reminders that before the shawl wound its way around your shoulders or the blanket covered your bed, there was a living, breathing critter keeping warm with those fibers. Festival admission is free.

2005 Big Rig Best Bets Campground Directory
Drive a king-sized RV? This directory is for you. Buy or get info.

Manage Your RV's 12 Volt System
Learn all about your RVs 12-volt electrical system including
how to upgrade and operate it and troubleshoot problems.

Truck Stops love RVers! Directory tells what they offer!
The 2005 RVers Friend lists every Travel Center in the
U.S. and Canada and the services each provides to RVers.
Learn which offer overnight stays, dump stations,
Internet access, propane or other services. Best Seller!
Learn more or order for only $12.95

Buying an RV?
Don't buy one before reading The RV Buyers Survival Guide. Ex-RV
sales manager Bob Randall reveals how to get the best deal from
an RV dealer. Don't pay too much. Available as printed book
or instant eBook.

Camp at Casino RV Parks. . . (Sometimes for FREE)
Learn which casinos have RV parks and which ones offer
free overnight stays in their parking lots. Learn more.

RVers Guide to Dump Stations
A state-by-state directory of most of the known
public dump stations in America. Learn more or order.

All The Stuff You Need To Know About RVing
The best book for beginning RVers.
Order or get more information.

Quartzsite, Arizona. See it on DVD!
Visit the Boondocking Capital of the West on DVD. Like being there!

Books about earning an income on the road

RV books for less than $9.99

Museum of the Week
Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Shoe Museum: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dr. Wilson (1853-1919), a noted Philadelphia orthopedist, traveled widely, collecting ethnic footwear from more than 30 nations. Most of the museum's collection is from the 19th and 20th centuries, but older footwear is also on display. Items include Egyptian burial sandals, bridal footwear, salesmen's miniature samples, Malaysian clogs, Eskimo boots, a circus giant's size-18 shoes, iron diving boots, ballet shoes, and the huge shoe of a gigantism victim whose leg and foot weighed 58 pounds. Shoes of celebrities and former Presidents and First Ladies are also displayed. Sport stars shoes include Bernie Parent's Stanley Cup skates, Reggie Jackson's five-home-run World Series shoes, Andre Agassi's 1990 pink and black Nikes, and the shoes of World Cup Team Portugal superstar Luis Figo. The Shoe Museum includes roughly 900 pairs with about 250 on display. Admission is free, but a reservation is necessary. Call (215) 625-5243.

Hurricane victims moving into travel trailers
The ranks of "RVers" are increasing. Five hundred victims have settled into new trailers at Alabama's Wind Creek State Park. Tens of thousands of others will follow into trailers and other temporary housing. More than a million people were displaced by the storm.

Find missing persons
Have you lost touch with friends or family in the areas devastated by Hurricane Kristina? Here is where to search for their whereabouts.

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This issue's Knowledge Quiz

THREE QUIZZES TODAY

Prizes:
•$50 cash, a First Alert Carbon Monoxide alarm and an RVbookstore.com coffee mug.

Answer the Quizzes here at 10 a.m. 11 a.m. and Noon, Pacific Time.

Knowledge Quiz official rules

How to keep your RV dry

For Sale By Owner Like to do your RVing "off-road?" Maybe this RV is for you. Price tag: $175,000.

One of the most important things an RV owner can do to keep their unit in good condition for a long time is to keep it leak free. The roof of an RV is the single most important body component. If not maintained properly, a leaking roof can cause extensive damage, which is often not covered by insurance. Here are a few tips from RVtravel.com tech tip expert Chris Dougherty on maintaining and resealing your RV.

Deep cell batteries
The batteries used to supply 12-volts to the RV itself are commonly referred to as house batteries. House batteries need to be deep cycle batteries that are designed to provide a steady amount of current over a long period of time. Starting batteries and marine batteries should not be used in this application. True deep cycle batteries have much thicker plates and are designed to be deeply discharged and recharged over and over again. These batteries are rated in Amp Hours and more recently Reserve Capacity. The amp hour rating is basically how many amps the battery can deliver for how many hours before the battery is discharged. Amps times hours. In other words a battery that can deliver 5 amps for 20 hours before it is discharged would have a 100 amp hour rating 5 Amps X 20 Hours = 100 Amp Hours. This same battery can deliver 20 amps for 5 hours 20 Amps X 5 Hours = 100 Amp Hours. Reserve Capacity rating (RC) is the number of minutes at 80 degrees F that the battery can deliver 25 amps until it drops below 10.5 volts. To figure the amp hour rating you can multiply the RC rating by 60 percent. RC X 60 percent. — Mark Polk. Learn about Mark Polk's RV "How-to" DVDs and eBooks.

Avoiding slideout damage
We found this tip at FMCA.com.
After seeing the damage caused to slideout rooms in friends' motorhomes when they had not removed the safety devices before trying to extend the rooms, I developed a simple reminder for myself. I made a small laminated card with the word "Yes" on one side and "No" on the other. I attached small strips of hook-and-loop fastening material on each side of the card and another piece on the in/out switch for the slideout. This lets me know when the room is safely extended, or when the room is in and the safety bars are in place. Now I just need to remember to reverse the card at the appropriate time! — R. Marrinson

"Can't," replied the farmer. "At night I haul water for the hole." From RVjokes.com.

RVing Resources. . .

Upcoming RV Shows

RV-Links
Loads of links to great websites about RVing

Investigate a company with the
Better Business Bureau before making a purchase.

RV Travel Forum
Exchange ideas and information with other RVers.

Beginners Guide to RVing

RVing the Northwest

Full Time RVing

RV Recalls

Workamping Information

RV Travel is rated PG* by the Oregon United Theater Historians Organization Underwritten by Southern Executives. (OUTHOUSE)

RV Travel is copyright 2005 by RVbookstore.com. Our International Headquarters: RVbookstore.com, 170 W. Dayton Street, Suite 103, Edmonds WA 98020, USA, Earth, Milky Way, Known Universe, Unknown Universe.

RVbookstore.com is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau. We strive for excellence in all we do and that's the absolutely, 100 percent and honest truth. Our customers receive really, really fast service. We move so fast in sending out a customer's order that sometimes we look like big ol' human blurs. Our motto is "You need it so we speed it,"™ and no truer words were ever spoken! If you're in Edmonds, Wash., stop by to tour our offices and warehouse. We're a block from the fishing pier near the traffic holding area for the Kingston Ferry, gateway to the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas.

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Vernal dinosaur photo: Vernal is in dinosaur country, just a short drive from Dinosaur National Monument (in Colorado). The dinosaur in this photo is next to Vernal's "Welcome to Town" sign.

RV Travel staff
Editor: Chuck Woodbury. Assistant Editor: Adrienne Kristine. Contributing Editor: Malia Lane. Contributors: Peggi McDonald, Russ and Tiρa Demaris, Chris Dougherty, Mark Polk, Bill and Dot Bell. Website Administrator: Zoey Platt. Office Manager: Jody Allcot. Clapper Loader: Emily Woodbury. Mascot: Captain Jack Platt — the Energizer Doggie.