Error processing SSI file
|
Error processing SSI file
Error processing SSI file
Error processing SSI file
|
|
The RV Doctor will return, Saturday, Aug. 15.
Due to a technical glitch, the archive of the Aug. 1 program is not available.
Weekend of August 1, 2009
Issue 389 of RV Travel
Learn about RV camping, RV travel, RV news and much more. This newsletter is funded through sales at RVbookstore.com, the World's Largest RV Bookstore specializing in books and DVDs about RVs and the RV lifestyle.
 Learn the right way to drive a
motorhome with this DVD
Learn how to drive a motorhome the right way from RVer/tour bus driver Lorrin Walsh and host Mark Polk. This should be essential viewing for co-pilots and novice RV drivers. And experienced RVers, too! 67 minutes. Learn more or order.
To ensure you continue to receive email alerts for this newsletter, please place the following email address in your own email address book: rvtraveler@topica.email-publisher.com
Editor's corner
By Chuck Woodbury
Dear reader,
 Last Saturday, July 25, some of you joined with me as I appeared via live video right at the top of this web page. Between 10 and 11 a.m., Pacific Time, anyone who visited the newsletter saw me in real time at my desk at home. I invited you to email me questions and comments, and I did my best to answer most of them.
It was an unpolished effort -- an experiment with some new technology. The lighting and sound was not the best, but the live event went well, and I believe that everyone who participated enjoyed themselves and probably learned something.
 If you are reading this newsletter early Saturday (today, Aug. 1), please return at 10 a.m., Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern), when Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor, will be here for an hour via live video from our RVbookstore.com and RVtravel.com offices in Edmonds, Washington.
Gary is the national authority on RV repair and maintenance. Here's your chance to pick his brain. You can email him questions before "air time" or when he is here to TalkToUs(at)rvtravel.com. Just keep them to no more than four or five sentences. I'll read them to Gary -- or sum them up -- and he'll answer you right on the spot.
Many more RVing experts will join us on future Saturdays. Alas, I have a busy late-summer ahead -- a short RV trip along the Oregon coast and then three weeks in Europe, so we may skip a few live events between now and October. But after that, we'll devote at least one hour each Saturday to bringing you well known RVers to answer your questions. I'm sure Gary will be back many times.
I also plan live "broadcasts" from the road when I begin traveling more in late 2010 -- from a campground, a tourist spot, National Park or maybe from the top of a mountain! (I will practice my yodeling!).
But, for today, stop by to visit with Gary (look for him right at the top of this page). Unfortunately, this broadcast will not be available in our archives.
* * *
Wanted: Fulltime RVers to be interviewed for a DVD by RVtravel.com on Full-time RVing. If you live along the I-5 corridor between Seattle and Sacramento, we can visit in the next month or so. Email Chuck(at)RVtravel.com if interested.
 Wal-Mart Atlas & Bonus
"No Overnight RV Parking" Directory
Order the popular Wal-Mart Atlas and receive the "No Overnight Parking" Directory for FREE. SAVE $9.90! Most Wal-Marts permit a free overnight stay in RVs. The Wal-Mart Atlas provides driving directions to more than 4,000 Wal-Marts and Sam's Clubs. It lists which stores sell diesel, have pharmacies, and provides store GPS coordinates. The "No Park" Directory lists more than 350 stores that DO NOT allow stays! Learn more or order.
Get the latest RV news headlines at Twitter.
LEARN HOW TO USE TWITTER. Get Twitter Power
Number of free & cheap campgrounds at FreeCampgrounds.com: 1,848
READ BACK ISSUES OF THIS NEWSLETTER: Click here.
 Fleetwood launches
2010 Bounder Classic motorhome
Fleetwood RV, Inc. has debuted the 2010 Bounder Classic, a value-priced gas Class A motorhome. It's available in three models: a 30-foot, dual-slide floor plan (30T); a 34-foot, dual-slide mid-ship TV floor plan (34W); and a 35-foot, dual-slide mid-ship TV floor plan with bunk beds (35S). Read more.
Blue Ox BedSaver hitch accessory ensures against truck damage
Good and bad things happen when you "drop" a fifth wheel trailer. Bad: damage to truck and RV, embarrassment when family and friends see what happened, plus potential injury. Good: you become great friends with technicians and insurance companies. The Blue Ox BedSaver is said to prevent all this. Learn more.
Don't let Summer injuries spoil your RVing
We love the RV lifestyle. When traveling there's usually plenty of relaxation and beauty that lifts the spirits. But summertime brings its hazards, and RVers are not immune to problems related to the season. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while enjoying the hot season.
 The Next Exit: Learn what's at every Interstate exit.
 RVers Friend: Directory of RV services at truck stops.
Corps of Engineers Camping: 600 campgrounds on 200 lakes
Casino Camping: Which ones have RV parks, offer free stays, etc.
Guide to Free Campgrounds: West Edition. Camp free or cheap.
National Park Service Camping Guide:Essential for RVers
Fifth Wheel Bible: Own a fifth wheel trailer or plan to?
Guide to Dog-Friendly campgrounds and RV parks:Learn more.
Get ready for tire pressure monitoring systems
You may already have a tire pressure monitoring system. For many people, it's not a bad idea, because under-inflated tires account for roughly 20% of all tire failures, and have been attributed to some 10,000 plus vehicle accidents. Of course, simply checking tire pressure (on a cold tire) and making adjustments as needed could do away with a lot of the trouble. Still RVers aren't unlike most drivers: Some are conscientious about keeping an eye on things, while others . . . Read more.
 Some Quartzsite businesses reject $100 bills
If you're planning to bring your RV to the snowbird capital of Quartzsite, Arizona, leave your $100 bills at home. A rash of alleged counterfeit money passing has caused some Quartzsite (and Blythe) merchants to stop accepting $100 bills. RVers might do well to think "small" when visiting. Read more.
 Do you drive a long RV?
2009 Big Rigs Best Bets
Campground Directory
If you drive a king-sized RV, this directory is for you -- details on 1,100 RV parks throughout the USA and six Canadian Provinces that welcome long motorhomes and towable RVs. All parks personally visited and rated by the authors! Learn more or order
Motorhome sticker mania
It's one thing to put a bumper sticker on your RV's bumper. But, in this case. . . who can even count the number of stickers on this motorhome? Hundreds? A thousand? More? Check out a photo.
  Tour Barbie's excellent
1976 motorhome
You may think you have a cool RV! Well, here's the ultimate cool RV -- a 1976 Barbie Star Traveler motorhome. In its heyday it was every little girl's dream. In this 30-second TV commercial, you'll see the rig in action, and even glimpse inside to see gorgeous Barbie preparing a meal in the kitchen!
Bryce Canyon hoodoos never fail to intrigue
 Hoodoos, very unusual rock formations, are found through many areas of the Colorado Plateau, but an exceptional "collection" if you will, is protected at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. The park is "off the beaten track," but a real "must see" for those who are intrigued by the forces of nature that create such unusual formations. Read more.
 National Park Service
Camping Guide
This book is a helpful resource for anyone who enjoys camping in a National Park. Learn about nearly 450 campgrounds in 121 National Park Service areas -- home to more than 25,000 campsites. Learn more or order.
 "What you need to know in as few words as possible."
Monaco RV LLC will hold its first ever "New Frontier Rally" and new product display Oct. 26-30 at the Beaudry RV Resort and Rally Park in Tucson, Ariz. "We're celebrating our first combined company-hosted event as Monaco RV, a Navistar company," the company said in a newsletter to all Monaco motorhome owners inviting them to the rally. Monaco products for 2010 will be displayed.
All Barnes and Noble stores now offer free Wi-Fi.
Two RVers had to be airlifted to an Edmonton, Alberta hospital after an explosion in their motorhome. The man and his wife had gone into the RV Wednesday evening and started the propane-powered fridge. The propane exploded with a loud boom. Witnesses saw smoke at about 8:30 p.m. When fire crews arrived, the RV was fully engulfed in flames. The RVers survived. No word on what caused the explosion.
 RVTV will air again this week at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (5:30 a.m., Pacific) on August 5 and 6 on the Versus cable TV network. Be sure to tune in or set your recorders. Host Rob Engman did a great job last week on his inaugural show. Expect the same this time around.
President Obama will visit the USA's RV-making capital, Elkhart, Ind., on Wednesday. It will be the President's fifth trip to the area in the last 15 months.
 These DVDs will make you a better RVer
Get these popular DVDs and others at RVbookstore.com
 Better Business Bureau Guide to Buying an RV
Choosing an RV: A Logical Approach (with Joe & Vicki Kieva)
Do It Yourself RV Care (with the RV Doctor)
Drive Your Motorhome Like a Pro
Guide to Class A Motorhomes
Guide to Class C Motorhomes
Towing Behind Your Motorhome
Guide to Travel Trailers & Fifth Wheels
Guide to Trailer Towing, Weights, Hitch Work & Backing
Guide to Winterizing Your RV
Lack of proper hitch is crunching experience for this RVer
Oooh! Watch this video for a graphic example of why a sliding hitch is necessary for a short-bed truck making a tight turn with a fifth wheel in tow.
Tips to 'Feng Shui' your RV
If you don't know what Feng Shui means, then forget reading about how it can help you live better in your RV. If you know what it means, then perhaps this article will be of interest.
 
 DWireless Temperature Station with Included TX2U Transmitter
Retail $39.99. For you -- $9.95
Instantly know the temperature of locations in and around your RV or home with this wireless temperature station. Monitor the outside temp, the inside temp, even the temperature inside your RV's fridge. A remote transmitter measures temperatures for up to 80 feet away. Batteries last approximately one year. This normally sells in stores for $39.99, but you can get it right now for only $9.95 (RV Travel readers special deal!) Learn more, see a video, and learn about our other specials .
 Ask the
RV Doctor
Gary Bunzer, The RV Doctor is a well known RV author and the host of RV Roadtrips, the DIY Network cable television show. He is one of the RV industry's most sought after speakers and the host of the popular DVD Do It Yourself RV Care.
Fuse blows when retracting slide. What's wrong?
Dear RV Doctor,
While closing my slides I found the main (30A) fuse blown. I returned home and replaced the fuse and set up the coach and plugged into my AC source and opened up both of them. We had some bad weather coming through our area so I went out to close the slides and the main fuse was blown again! I replaced the fuse after opening the slides and it was okay. My book doesn't show an electrical diagram for the circuits and I am lost. Neither time could I smell any type of smell indicating bad wiring. --Randy Serice
Read Gary's response. Read previous RV Doctor columns
  Check with us on the Web for last minute bargains!
Send for FREE CATALOG
Have fun, make friends!
Drive the Alcan to America's Last Frontier, envision yourself on Nova Scotia's miles of coastal drives, cross the border to sunny Mexico, celebrate Mardi Gras, experience Grand Canyon, Glacier, Pacific NW, Great Lakes, Branson, South Africa, Australia. All arrangements including RV parks by Tracks RV Tours. Click here for your free full-color magazine or call us toll free at 800-351-6053.
This Week's Reader Survey
Do you pay off your monthly credit card balances in full or send payments? Answer here.
Last week's survey question
Which of these best describes your very favorite location to stay in your RV? Read the answer here.
Past reader surveys and results.
 ALASKA BOUND?
Check out these books and DVDs
2009 Milepost Directory
DVD: RVing Alaska with Joe and Vicki Kieva
Traveler's Guide to Alaska Camping
Guide to the Alaska Highway
The World Famous Alaska Highway
DVD:Alaska By RV
More Alaska Books & DVDs
Some of our features. . .
--Photo of the Week
--The Good Ol' Days
--Tourist Attraction Spotlights
--A Woman's Perspective
--Working on the RV Road
. . . are taking a summer vacation break. They will return in the fall.
  Bella Terra RV Resort
FREE Summer Stay Program
Bella Terra of Gulf Shores is kicking the season into high gear with a promotion you won't want to miss! Call NOW and ask about our FREE STAY Summer Vacation Program (certain restrictions apply). Also inquire about price incentives on the few remaining Phase One lots! Be sure to mention promo code - RV Travel !!! Call (866) 475-7746 or visit us at BellaTerraRVresort.com.
RV MANUFACTURERS that are in bankruptcy or out of business.
 JUST ARRIVED!
2010 Rand McNally
Motor Carriers' Road Atlas
RVers who drive big RVs can travel with peace of mind with this truckers' road atlas as their guide by avoiding low overpasses and roads where a big rig could get in a pickle. Learn more or order.
RV Boondocking Tips
Meals on wheels. Really!
By Russ and Tina De Maris
If you have good battery power or sufficient juice from your RV alternator, here's a tip for cooking a meal while traveling. Whip up a meal in your slow-cooker or "crock pot," carefully packing the cooking utility in the coach sink. After a long drive day, your dinner will be waiting. And if you make a big enough supper, you may have leftovers enough for another meal!
Russ and Tina De Maris are the authors of RV Boondocking Basics.
Books and DVDs about camping on public lands and RV boondocking.
The RV Kitchen: Fix It in Foil
Easy prep, great taste, good nutrition and quick clean-up - what more could you want from a meal? This cookbook combines the best of all worlds! Featuring 51 fantastic recipes that each include instructions for cooking in an oven, over a campfire, or on an outdoor grill. Learn more or order
 The RV Kitchen
Janet Groene's Freeze-Ahead
Farmer's Market Soup Mix
Make a huge soup kettle of this basic mixture and freeze it in batches suitable for your family. Each 3/4 cup of mix makes a two-cup serving of soup after "completers" are added. Enlist the family to peel and chop or just put everything through the food processor. Get the recipe.
Cookbooks for RVers: Big selection at RVbookstore.com.
 Best Seller!
Easy RV Recipes
This is an oldie but goodie, packed with yummy recipes plus advice about stocking in the RV kitchen, pre-trip food planning and great recipes for cooking over the campfire when you're "roughing it." RVbookstore.com price only $8.96 Learn more or order.
Recent RV recalls
Frequently, we list the latest recalls of RVs at RV-Recalls.com. Here are the most recent ones: 2009: March-May -- January/February 2008: December -- November -- October -- September -- August -- July -- June -- May -- April -- March
 Fulltimers:
Where to make your home base
For would-be fulltimers, which state to establish an official home base is critical. Picking the wrong state can result in paying thousands of dollars extra each year in taxes or RV registration fees. Don't let that happen to you! The best-selling Choosing Your RV Home Base, published in 2009, is an essential planning tool. Learn more or order.
Tech Tips
with
Mark Polk
Trailer sway is dangerous, be careful
Yaw, more commonly known as sway in the RV industry, is a bad word for trailer owners. The definition of yaw or sway is a side-to-side movement. Nothing will ruin the way you feel about camping faster than the first time you experience trailer sway. Knowing how to react when a trailer begins to do this can be the difference between your safety and disaster. Read more and see a video.
Learn more about RVing from Mark Polk
Find out about DVDs and eBooks by RV expert Mark Polk.
Guide To The Firearm Laws of the 50 States
RVers who travel with a firearm may not know that what's legal in their home state may be a felony in another. This 2009 guide explains current, specific gun laws for every state. Don't cross a state line with a gun without knowing the laws! Learn more or order.
Check out these RV Travel Forum discussions
Fresh water: What portable tank to use?
I've searched for the obvious answer but maybe this is too basic: is there anything wrong with using a blue tote to haul potable water so I don't have to hitch/move to a water supply? I can't seem to find a portable answer other than a gray/black drain tote. I'd like to have something about 20 gallons. What do you use, or are you always at a good supply spigot? The land I'm going to put my new-to-me 5er on doesn't have water to it yet, so I'd like to avoid hooking up to refill from a water source down the road.
Furnace air filter on RVs?
Is there an air filter on RV furnaces like there are on house furnaces? I haven't pulled the panel on the front of mine to see. It seems to work just fine, but it's also 17 years old, and wondered if it needed any maintenance?
Personal liability insurance for fulltimers
My insurance company recently informed me that it will no longer issue my personal umbrella liability policy since I no longer live in a "stick house" with homeowners liability of $300,000. Have other fulltimers run into this problem? Solution?
Best vehicle for towing a fifth wheel trailer?
For your fifth wheel tow vehicle: Automatic or manual? Gas or diesel? Why?
How to change your engine oil without making a mess
Can't believe no one has asked this yet or maybe I'm just slow. We like to save a penny or two by changing our own engine and generator oil, but there is so little space that we always make a mess. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to add the oil without spilling it all over the place?
After you retire: When do you fully comprehend it's for real?
When did it finally dawn on you that you were retired? I think I realized the other day that I didn't have to go back to work any more when after two days in a row. I noticed that I wasn't wearing my watch which I never used to go without. Did you just ooze into it or was there some point at which you said, "Hey, I don't have to punch that damn clock any more?" Respond.
Interesting Forum
 RVer Veterans: Here is the place where RVtravel.com forum members gather to exchange information about affairs that are common to veterans who also love to travel by RV. There is a lot of good information passed along here, some of it can help vets save some dollars on programs they may not know about.
 How to Buy an RV the Smart Way!-- ONLY $11.95
This eBook is delivered instantly to your email address. Learn how to buy an RV from RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury. Learn which RV is right for you, how to negotiate the best deal, and more. Learn more or order and be reading in a few minutes.
Trivia
Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, ranging from tiny cirque glaciers to huge valley glaciers. There are more active glaciers and ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 850 square miles. Five percent of the state, or 29,000 square miles, is covered by glaciers.
 Trailer Life RV Road Atlas
Besides showing highways and other roads, this large-format road atlas shows more than 10,000 campgrounds, plus RV service centers, tourist attractions and 1,600 state parks, plus a special Tech Tips section. Learn more or order for only $15.96. (Cover price, $29.95).
Random RV Thought
If you value your sleep, never camp within short walking distance of a tavern. When it closes, there's a good chance some of the patrons will stagger back to the campground to continue their party (translation: noise!).
 Dog Friendly's Campground and RV Park Guide
This is a jam-packed, well-researched directory of campgrounds, filled with detailed information, about where you can camp with a dog in the USA and Canada. Learn more or order.
Small Towns You Gotta Love:
Toad Suck, Arkansas
Locals say the name of the town came years ago from ferry boat captains who would sit on hot days between crossings and "suck down moonshine whisky 'til they swole up like toads." Toad Suck is located north of Little Rock just west of Conway. Buy a Toad Suck coffee mug if you visit.
  RVs FOR SALE
Motorhomes, Travel Trailers, Fifth Wheels, Truck Campers, Pop ups and much more. NEW & USED. See the big selection at NewRVer.com. Click here
Bill's Hints
"When you leave your trailer unattended for extended periods, roll up the awning." --From Trailers and Fifth Wheels Made Easy.
eBooks: INSTANT READING!
With eBooks you don't have to wait to read your book. Just place your order and your eBook will be delivered almost instantly to your email inbox. These eBooks are written by RV experts and delivered instantly in PDF format.
I Have A Convection Oven in My RV. Now What?
The ABCs of Pop Up Campers
Boondocking Tips - More Fun Without Hookups
Complete Guide to Dinghy Towing
The Woman's Guide to Solo RVing
A Collection of RV Tips
RV Awning Use and Care
RV Care and Maintenance
Deep Cycle Battery Care and Maintenance
The 3 Primary Systems of an RV: LP Gas, Water & Electricity
Trailer Towing, Weights, Hitchwork and Backing
RV Check-List
Bumper Snicker
Energizer Bunny Arrested; Charged With Battery
 Best seller!
Find Rest Areas, Welcome Centers & more
With the 2008 Interstate Travel Guide you will quickly and easily locate rest areas, welcome centers, scenic turnouts, including a list of Flying J Travel Plaza locations popular with RVers. Learn more.
Worth Pondering
"You know, Wally, shaving is just one of the outward signs of being a man. It's more important to try to be a man inside first." --Ward Cleaver
 Bargains at RVbookstore.com
Low, low prices. Save up to 80% and even more!
RV books for less than $9.99
READ BACK ISSUES
of this newsletter: Click here.
Finance your RV at RVfinancing.com
RVfinancing.com is THE largest online RV financing company. Lowest rates nationwide. Visit its website or call 1-888-929-4424. Toll-free 24-hour recorded RV financing tips at 877-905-0060. Endorsed by RVtravel.com
 About the editor
Chuck Woodbury has explored America by RV for nearly three decades. In the '90s he published a quirky travel newspaper about his adventures and was an "on the road" writer for the New York Times Syndicate. Nowadays, he lives near Seattle where he drinks massive amounts of coffee and travels often in his motorhome and sometimes by plane when vast expanses of saltwater would turn his RV into a leaky submarine. He is the host of the Better Business Bureau DVD "Buying a Recreational Vehicle," the definitive guide to purchasing an RV the right way.
FMCA:
The best club for motorhome owners
 If you drive a motorhome you should join the Family Motor Coaching Association, the largest and best club exclusively for motorhome owners. Many benefits including rallies, local chapters and thick monthly magazine. Special new member price of $35. Click here to learn more or join.
RV Travel staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Contributing editors: Russ and Tina De Maris, Jim Twamley. Forum Administrator: Adrienne Kristine. Office Manager: Jody Allcott. Clapper/Loader: Emily Woodbury.
 Special low price!
2009 Trailer Life Campground Directory
This is the biggest selling directory of RV parks and campgrounds. If you travel by RV you need this! Check out our special low price. Order now
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. 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 pass through the sound barrier, which really upsets our neighbors. 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 and the Family Motor Coaching Association. RV Travel is copyright 2009 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, Expanding Universe.
If you read this far, then "thanks a bunch!"
DON'T MISS AN ISSUE
OF THIS NEWSLETTER!
Get a reminder notice for each new weekly issue of the RV Travel Newsletter
Every Saturday morning we post a new edition of the RVtravel.com newsletter. Sign up to receive a brief reminder notice of each new edition. Your email address stays private and it's a snap to unsubscribe if you need to. Now in our eighth year!
Top of Page
|
|
|
Error processing SSI file
Error processing SSI file
|
Error processing SSI file
|
