Issue 221
of RV Travel, voted the best RV newsletter in America: Learn about RV
camping, RV travel, RV news and much more. This newsletter is funded
through sales at RVbookstore.com where customer's come first and where
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This newsletter is posted early every Sunday morning.
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Hot off the press! Retail price $24.95. Our price only $19.95.
2006 Wal-Mart Locator
First update in two
years. Hundreds of new stores. Use to plan free overnight stays. Get
driving directions to every Wal-Mart in America. New in this edition:
Stores that sell diesel fuel! Order Now for $19.95
Editor's Corner
By Chuck Woodbury
 |
| Dinosaurs along Route 66 in Holbrook, Ariz., admire a passing motorhome. "It uses a lot of our ancestor's fossil fuel," one said, but they both agreed it was a good use for dead dinosaurs. |
As I observe fuel prices
climb -- they have now reached $75 a barrel -- I wonder how many RVers
are getting close to saying "enough is enough," and just staying home.
Yet, last week's RV Travel reader survey revealed that as fuel prices near $3 a gallon, only about four percent of you are hanging up your RV wheels.
There
are many ways to look at high gas prices and still justify hitting the
RV road. A good roadside hotel/motel is now $70 to $100 a night, two or
three times what a campground costs. Add restaurant meals to the tab,
and RV travel, with its onboard kitchen and bedroom, looks like a
bargain even with high gas prices. In our RV Tech Tips Newsletter
last week, Mark Polk reported some simple ways to extend your mileage.
Frankly, if you do what he suggests, you could stretch a tank of gas 10
to 20 percent, maybe even more. Take a few minutes to read his advice. If you aren't getting the RV Tech Tips newsletter, you can sign up here.
I'm no fan of
staying free in Wal-Mart parking lots, but, really, saving $20 to $35 a
night for "camping" doesn't sound bad right now. And there are
countless other free and inexpensive places to stay with an RV. Just
check out FreeCampgrounds.com
to find them. Maybe a little change of habits is in order now to help
balance a travel budget: pay for a campground four or five nights a
week and find a freebie the other times. Feed the money you save to the
gas monster. It may also be a good time to pick up a copy of Don
Wright's Guide to Free Campgrounds, available in West and East editions.
Speaking of Wal-Mart, the 2006 Wal-Mart Locator
directory has arrived at RVbookstore.com. This is the first update
in two years. Hundreds of new locations are included plus stores that
sell gas and diesel fuel.
 |
| The "Mystery of the Desert" awaits inside. |
As promised last issue, I have published a photo of The Thing,
the roadside attraction along Interstate 10 in Arizona that is
advertised on two trillion billboards along the lonely highway. It's
pretty much a no-brainer that when you finally view The Thing you'll
probably mumble
something like "Gee, I shoulda put that dollar admission toward a
genuine rattlesnake fang." I don't how long The Thing has been on
display at its Indian Trading Post, but I bet it's been at least 20
years -- probably longer. My old college marketing professor would say
it's a brilliant marketing ploy. I bet The Thing has generated millions
of dollars in sales for the trading post, which ain't bad for something
that was probably dug up in the desert. If you want to save the dollar
admission price and a trip to Arizona, you can cop a look at The Thing here. I used my secret spy camera for the photo, in case you are wondering.
Do you have a comment about what the editor wrote? Leave it here.
Our new RV Travel Print Edition
As we announced last week, we're a month away from publishing our
first-ever RV Travel printed edition. It will be really, really good. To receive a free copy of this inaugural issue
(no strings attached, as in NONE!) send a letter or postcard with your
name and mailing address to RV Travel, 170 West Dayton St., Suite 103,
Edmonds, WA 98020. For this first edition, we can only mail free to
addresses with a U.S. Zip Code. If you live outside the USA and would
like to receive it, please include $3 in U.S. dollars to cover postage.
Best way to preserve your rubber roof!
No other product can match the durability of EPDM rubber. Learn more about Liquid Roof and Liquid Rubber.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Pot of Gold Zip Code contest prize is now $228. Check at RVbookstore.com
between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Pacific time). You could win the cash by
simply living in the day's Zip Code! The pot grows larger every weekday
until we have our next winner! Last week's randomly selected codes:
86430, 57585, 45242, 11955, 17872. If you live in one of these Zips and
were the first to tell us so, you would have won the cash!
Visit the RV Travel Reader Forum to discuss everything to do with RVing with other RVers.
Do you travel with a dog? Check out RVingWithDogs.com. Learn about dog-friendly campgrounds. Woof!
Free KOA Campground Directory. Save on Campsites
Get a free KOA Directory/road atlas, free issue of Camping Life and 10% off daily registrations with a KOA Value Kard!
This Week's Reader Survey
Overall, is life better for you now than it was 10 years ago? Answer here.
Last week's survey question:
Gas is nearing $3 a gallon. How will this affect your RV travels this summer? Read the results here.
Past reader surveys and results
Avoid trouble: Don't buy a vehicle without learning its history!
Get a FREE VIN Check from AutoCheck.
Michigan towns ban Wal-Mart overnight stays
Fenton and Grand Blanc Townships in Michigan recently outlawed
overnight RV stays in their local Wal-Mart parking lots. Officials in
Grand Blanc Township claimed "aesthetics" for the new law. An official
said there had been no complaints about overnight parking in its store.
If you would like to voice your opinion about the new laws, letters to the local
newspaper are best sent to the Flint Journal at letters@flintjournal.com . Discuss this at the FreeCampgrounds forum.
The West's best campgrounds
The May issue of Sunset Magazine, on newsstands now, features a
cover story on the best campgrounds in the West. It focuses on those in
National Parks, but points out other superb locations nearby. If you
can't find the magazine at your newsstand (it's only on big ones in the
East), see if you can find it at a library. Then line up with everyone
else trying to squeeze into these spectacular campgrounds now that the
word is out!
EXPLORER RV Insurance
Owners
of motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels & medium-duty tow
vehicles save up to 15% over our largest competitors by tailoring their
coverage from over a dozen options. Learn more or get a quote.
Check out our forum discussions
-- RVers seeking information: If you need to know something about RVing or RVs, here is the place to ask a question.
-- Medical issues relating to RVers. This discussion needs an energy boost. Got something to add or ask?
-- Canada RV Talk. Do you live or travel by RV in Canada? Check in here to exchange information.
-- Truck Camper Central. If you have a truck camper or plan to get one, you might want to hang out here a bit.
And in the FreeCampgrounds.com forum:
-- Camping at highway rest areas. Best ones where to stay. Is it a good idea to stay at rest areas?
Riviera Folding electric bike: The best of both worlds
Finally
there's a cross between the folding bike and an electric bike. The
Riviera folds right up to fit in your compartment, you can use it as a
regular bike, you can use the motor with "pedal assist" or with the
motor alone at up to 15 miles an hour & up to 20 miles on a single
charge. Learn more or order.
Forest Service plans to close hundreds of campgrounds
A plan tucked away on the U.S. Forest Service website reveals that
the federal agency plans to close of hundreds of campground water
systems and ultimately, hundreds of campgrounds themselves throughout
the national forest system. According to the Jackson, Wyoming Star Tribune,
the "time-hallowed practice of fetching water from a hand pump -- for
preparing meals, washing dishes or washing dirty kids -- may become a
thing of the past." So where would campers go who previously enjoyed
these facilities: According to Scott Silver, executive director of Wild
Wilderness in Bend, Ore., they'd be replaced by fewer, but bigger developed campgrounds,
featuring more expensive and complicated water systems, operated by
for-profit concessionaires. Closures could begin within a few years.
. . . also, the Bush Administration is asking the National Park Service
to show that it could function on 80 percent of its current budget. The
target budget would be phased in over five years. If parks can't cut 20
percent while maintaining essential operations, the difference would be
made up with measures such as increased usage fees or the increased use
of volunteers.
Do you know of an RV park or campground that loves dogs!
Tell other RVers about it.
Sales of motorized RVs nosedive
February sales of motorized RVs dropped 18.5 percent from a year
ago. Class A sales were down 23.6 percent, while Class C sales dropped
only 6.6 percent.
So how many campgrounds are there?
According to Woodalls.biz, the 2005 edition of Woodall's North American Campground Directory
lists 6,942 private campgrounds and 4,249 public parks in the U.S. --
11,191 parks all together. By Woodall's count, these parks provided
890,749 commercial campsites and 376,157 public campsites. Woodall's
says there are additional parks it does not list. The number of
campgrounds is believed to be declining, particularly in places like
Florida, South Carolina and British Columbia, where real estate values
are prompting RV park owners to sell off their parks to developers.
Hundreds die each year from under inflated tires
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), under inflated tires contribute to 660 fatalities and 33,000
injuries each year. Other government research shows that about one in
four passenger cars and nearly one in three light trucks have at least
one significantly under inflated tire. "Heat is a tire's number-one
enemy," said Dan Zielinski of the Rubber Manufacturers Association.
"Under inflated tires cause heat buildup that can damage tires and lead
to failure. If you combine that with hot summer temperatures and fully
loaded vehicles traveling at highway speeds, you could be a risk for
tire failure." Learn ten ways to make your RVing safer.
SAVE 50% on campsites with Passport America!
Join Passport
America for half-price campsites at more than 1,300 RV parks from
coast-to-coast and in Canada. Founded 1992. Only $44 a year. Visit website or call (800) 681-6810.
Bumper Snicker
"4 out of 3 people have trouble with fractions."
Read other funny bumper stickers or buy them.
How to get Internet access on the road
Full-time RVer Steven Fletcher has just released the second edition of his popular eBook,
"RVers Guide to Internet Access On The Road." Learn everything you need
to know about getting online on the road -- by cell phone, satellite,
WiFi and more. Get info or order for instant delivery by email.
RVing to Mexico
This week our experts on camping in Mexico Dot and Bill
Bell answer some tough questions on traveling as a single woman in
Mexico, border routes and they announce their third "almost free
caravan." Read the column.
Guidebooks and DVDs about RVing in Mexico.
NEED AN RV LOAN?
Learn if you qualify in only seconds
Financial Underwriters Network (F.U.N.) provides exceptional service and low loan rates. Learn if you qualify.
Bill's Hint
"Plastic drive-on levelers stack on top of each other in an
interlocking manner providing a solid base for the tire. Make sure that
the tires are fully supported if you drive onto boards, which can do
the same thing in a pinch." - From Motorhomes Made Easy.
Updated in 2006
Learn which Wal-Marts DO NOT allow overnight RV stays
While most Wal-Mart
stores allow RVers to spend a night in their parking lots for free,
hundreds do not. RVbookstore.com has just updated its best-selling
guide to these "No park" Wal-Marts. The concise book is $4.27. Learn more or order.
Trivia
There's enough concrete in Hoover Dam to build a four-foot wide sidewalk around the Earth.
Cell phone won't work in out-of-the-way places?
Smoothtalker can help. Talk or get online in places you could never get online before. Learn more.
This issue's
Knowledge Quiz
Three QUIZZES TODAY
with fabulous prizes!
The prizes:
--An AM/FM Outdoor Weather Band Radio. Get round-the-clock weather reports. Compact size perfect for RVs.
--A cheap and tacky Pocahontas Purse Set from a New Mexico roadside Trading Post. Give it to your favorite young girl.
--A fabulous RVbookstore.com coffee mug! Impress your friends with this beauty!
Answer the Quizzes here on Sunday. Start times: 10:10 a.m., 3:15 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Knowledge Quiz official rules
Look for a pop quiz or two with terrific prizes many weeks at RVbookstore.com.
Sign up to receive an email alert of quiz start times.
Learn about where to camp for free
FreeCampgrounds.com lists more than 1,100 free and inexpensive campgrounds.
SECRET RV SENTENCE: A rubber duck can be your best friend in a bathtub.
Beginners Guide to RVing: Articles and information for brand-new RVers. Learn the ropes.
Free for the asking
--Get a guide to Idaho RV parks and campgrounds.
--Send for brochures about Starcraft trailers.
--Learn outline where you can get senior discounts. Huge list.
PLUS:
--Request a free copy of the first issue of the RV Travel printed magazine: See editor's column above for details.
RV Tech Tips
Safe RV driving and towing
Calilfornia DMV offers online advice about how to safely tow a trailer and how to safely drive a motorhome.
Use the sun to power your RV
You don't need to plug into an electrical outlet to provide long-term power for your RV. Let the sun come to the rescue. Learn how.
Often overlooked weight rating
One
weight rating that is often overlooked is the Gross Combined Weight
Rating (GCWR). This applies to any vehicle pulling a trailer or any
motorhome pulling a vehicle or trailer. The GCWR is the maximum
permissible weight of the tow vehicle and trailer COMBINED when both
are fully loaded for travel. Look for the GCWR on weight labels or in
the vehicle owner's manual. ---Mark Polk (Learn about Mark Polk's RV "How-to" DVDs and eBooks.)
Good Stuff from the Good Sam Club
Join the Club: $19 a year. Save on camping fees plus free RV magazine.
Continuing Service Plan: No More Major Repair Bills! Get a Fast Quote
RV Emergency Road Service. Special Low Rate! Join Today.
Raw information
RV historian David Woodworth is touring the country this month showing the media his brand new Winnebago motorhome and a 1931 "house car" that once belonged to Mae West. * * * The movie "RV" opens next Friday in theaters across the USA. The comedy stars Robin Williams and Jeff Daniels. * * * An RV fire
in El Paso, Texas that destroyed a half-million dollar motorcoach has
been ruled an arson. * * * At its recent rally in Florida, Good Sam Club members voted the Saturn car as their favorite dinghy vehicle. They voted Ford as best tow vehicle.
RVing Resources. . .
Why We Need
English Teachers
|
|
Visit the RV Travel Reader Forum to discuss
everything to do with RVing with other RVers.
Upcoming RV Shows
RV-Links
Loads of links to great websites about RVing.
Life On Wheels
"Go to school" to learn about RVing. Five annual conferences.
Next one: Bowling Green, Kentucky, May 12 - 15.
"How to buy an RV" from the Better Business Bureau
New
50-minute DVD from the BBB explains how to buy an RV. Learn how to get
the best deal, the best rig (for you) and how to avoid classic buying
mistakes. Hosted by RV Travel editor Chuck Woodbury. Introductory price: $19.95. Available in DVD and VHS.
2006 Next Exit Directory
Don't get lost! Never take a wrong exit off an Interstate highway again. The 2006 Next Exit
lists every exit along every Interstate and what's at each:
campgrounds, fuel, truck stops, casinos, malls, rest areas, hospitals
and more. Learn more or order.
The Digital RV
Learn everything "digital" as it relates to an RVer: Connecting to the
Internet, setting up a mini stereo system, managing digital photos,
mastering GPS and more. Order or get more 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.
DVDs show how to operate your motorhome or trailer
Learn, step-by-step, how to use every system, how to set up, how to drive or pull your RV and more.
Class A motorhome • Class C motorhome • Travel Trailer/Fifth Wheel • Pop Up Trailer
Campground directory for owners of big RVs!
Do
you drive a long motorhome or trailer/tow vehicle combination? Then you
know that not every RV park can accommodate you! Learn which ones can
and even which campsites are best! The editors of the 2006 Big Rigs
Best Bets Campground Directory have visited every campground in their
best-selling directory. Plus: extensive WiFi location directory. Learn more or order.
Headed to Alaska via the Alaska Highway?
The 2006 Milepost is hot off the press, and we've got them at RVbookstore.com. In its 58th year, this is THE guidebook
that everyone who drives the Alaska Highway must have. Learn
mile-by-mile what's along the road -- food, gas, attractions,
campgrounds and much more. Learn more or order.
Worth Pondering
"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." -- Mark Twain
Visit Camping World for RV supplies and accessories.
Random RV Thought
When you are taking an RV trip and fretting over high gas prices, you
may feel better if you think about your house back home, where the
heater, water heater and air conditioner are off or turned low, thus
saving you lots of money.
RV Travel staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Contributors: Russ and Tina De Maris, Mark Polk, Jerry (RiverGuy) Brown, Bill and Dot Bell. Forum Administrator: Adrienne Kristine. Office Manager: Jody Allcott. Web Operations Director: Zoey Platt. Warehouse Administrator: Walter Cardwell. Phone Operations Supervisor: Martha Lamb. Clapper Loader: Emily Woodbury. Mascots: Georgie, the food-crazed Jack Russell terrier.
Everything
in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we
occasionally get something wrong. We're just human! So don't go
spending $10,000 on something we said was good just because we said so,
or fixing something like we suggested (check with your own technician
first). Maybe we made a mistake. So be sure to check things out.
RV
Travel is rated PG* by the New Orleans Society of Engineers and
Professional Investigators of Crooks and Kleptomaniacs Engaged in
Reality Situations. (NOSEPICKERS)
Of all the known websites only approximately 1.07 percent are more popular than RVtravel.com.
At
RVbookstore.com we strive for excellence in all we do and that's the
honest truth (as opposed to the dishonest truth). Our customers receive
really, really fast service. We move so fast in sending out a
customer's order that sometimes we move too fast to even see. Our motto
is "You need it so we speed it," and no truer words were ever spoken!
RVbookstore.com
and RVtravel.com are members of the Better Business Bureau. We are
proud commercial members of the Escapees, the Family Motor Coaching
Association, and a sponsor of the 2006 Life On Wheels Conferences.
RV
Travel is copyright 2006 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.
*Pretty good
