Archived Issues
RV Travel Issue 163

SPECIAL NOTICE: Because of a technical problem,
our email newsletter was not delivered today (Sunday) until noon.
Therefore, we are postponing today's Quizzes until tomorrow
(Monday). Same times and place.

Dear fellow RVer,

I'm happy to announce a new contest that will be a bucket of fun. Beginning tomorrow (Monday) at 11 a.m. (2 p.m. Eastern), we're kicking off our new "Pot of Gold" contest. Each weekday at RVbookstore.com, during a specified time frame, usually two hours (each week's exact start and end time will be announced in this newsletter), we'll post a randomly selected U.S. Zip Code. If it's yours, and you can prove you live there, you win the "Pot of Gold." We're stocking the first pot tomorrow with $100 cash and for each day it's not claimed we'll toss in another $5. So by next week, the pot will contain $125, and continue building until there's a winner. I'm sorry that we can't include Canada postal codes: it's simply too complicated for us right now.

Why do we sponsor such a contest? Simple! It's our way of tempting RVers to regularly visit RV Bookstore! And, to be honest (and we truly mean this!), we absolutely love giving away stuff, especially money! This week's contest will be "live" this week Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pacific Time. Hours the following week will change: we'll let you know what they are in next week's RV Travel newsletter. Read more about the contest and the (very) simple rules here.

I don't know about you, but I feel pretty safe in my motorhome when driving and while camped. Of course, I am. . . most of the time. Below, I've reported on a half dozen recent RV mishaps, several of which ended in tragedy. I hesitate to even bring these incidents up, but I believe I should — to illustrate that we must pay close attention to how we use our RVs, whether on the road or in the campground. Personally, in reporting the last few months about many RV fires, I have become far more aware of that possibility with my own RV. Consequently, my old fire extinguisher has been traded for a new one. The old one was so old I bet it would not have worked. But like many RVers, I had simply forgotten about it. Anyway, please be careful and do not take your RV for granted when it comes to paying close attention to safety matters.

Now that Memorial Day has passed, many of you are getting ready to hit the road for summer RV adventures. For members of AAA, be sure to stop by your local office and stock up the club's CampBooks. While these campground directories are not as comprehensive as those produced by Trailer Life or Woodall's, the price is right — free to members. Each edition usually includes two states or more (usually more). And be sure to pick up AAA maps of where you're headed: they are still among the best, and still free.

I'm happy to introduce you to two new columnists to the RVtravel.com website, Malia Lane and Adrienne Kristine. Learn about them below.

And don't forget . . . if you have a question about RVing or have a comment to make, head right over to our RVtravel.com Readers' Forum. And if you're looking for free or inexpensive places to stay the night in your RV, FreeCampgrounds.com should be your first stop.

Win a pair of panoramic, waterproof binoculars, or your very own Roxy Robot!
Learn more below.

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.

How many RVers drive with their RV's refrigerator running on propane? Find out.

Tire Trials
RV tires are susceptible to the rigors of weather, particularly when the rig sits in one spot for a long time. Tires contain an agent that keeps them supple, but this material is distributed through the tire as it rolls. A tire industry expert advises tires need to be protected, but not in the way after-market hawkers would have you believe. While "slick-em-ups" may make those expensive "rubber donuts" look good, potions containing petroleum, silicon or alcohol will do a lot more harm than good. Protect your tires from UV radiation by covering them when parked, be it with "tire guards" from the RV store or even chunks of old plywood. It's also best to park off concrete or asphalt, but if you can't, be sure to put a barrier between your tire and the hard stuff — a simple 99 cent table placemat works great.

Russ and Tiña Demaris are the authors of RV Boondocking Basics.

Books and videos about Boondocking

QUESTION: "What are 'pull-thru' campsites?" ANSWER: They're campsites where you can drive in, park, and pull out going the same direction. They are very handy for RVers with long trailers, fifth wheels or motorhomes pulling a car because the RV will enter and exit the space without needing to back up. For a short stay, there is often no need to even unhook the vehicles.

Books and DVDs for beginning RVers

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

Britton City Park, Britton, South Dakota
Five full hook-up sites. First three nights are free then a fee is charged for extra nights. Two free stays per year allowed.

Isleta Pueblo Casino, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Free 20 amp electrical hookups for four to six RVs.

Daisy Mae Lake, Morganfild, Kentucky
Small lake with camping all around but no conveniencies. A federal reserve and it's free. You can park anywhere off the grass. Take Highway 56 east four miles from Morganfield.

Read about these and more than 400 other free and inexpensive campgrounds at FreeCampgrounds.com

Guidebooks and DVDs about RVing in Mexico

Campground Directory for Big Rig RVs
If you drive a king-sized RV, this directory is for you.

When I lived on the East Coast and summer began, we would clean and pack our winter clothes into a trunk and store it in the cellar. The summer clothes were unpacked and hung up in the closet or folded in drawers. Of course, that was when we lived in a stick home with plenty of closet space. Most RVers don't have the luxury of closet space or a two-season wardrobe. This is a good time to go through your wardrobe and decide what to keep. A good rule of thumb is if you haven't worn it in a year, give it away to someone who can use it. You can dress in layers and with the exception of a warm coat or jacket, the same wardrobe will clothe you year 'round. Read more articles by Adrienne Kristine.

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

33nd Annual Cuero Turkeyfest, Cuero, Texas
Turkeys from two towns in Minnesota will compete with a turkey from Cuero, Texas, October 7-9 in Cuero to vie for the title for their town as "Turkey Capital of the World." The winning bird will be crowned "Traveling Turkey Trophy of Tumultuous Triumph." The event includes a parade, dance, arts and crafts exhibits, a jalapeno-eating contest, Turkey Olympics, chili and barbecue cook-Off, washer pitching, kids activities and more. And experience a bit of history at the South Texas Wheel Spinners Tractor Show.

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

RVers Guide to Solar Battery Charging
Learn everything an RVer needs to know to enjoy the
comforts of household power through the power of the sun.

National Park Service Camping Guide
Learn where to camp at America's National Parks.

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

Learn how to operate everything on your RV
New, 72-minute DVD shows you step-by-step how to operate
everything on an RV. It's like getting a personal tour from
RV technician Tim Collard. Winterizing tips, too.

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

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.

Books about earning an income on the road

RV books for less than $9.99

Books and videos from Trailer Life. Great prices!

Peggi McDonald is the author of the new eBook, RV Travel To Canada and the webmaster of RVliving.net.

Prize: a beautiful, totally awesome RVbookstore.com coffee mug.

Jesse James Farm and Museum
Learn all about one of America's most famous outlaws on the farm where he was raised in Kearney, Missouri. See Jesse's guns, coffin and the bed where he was born. Admission: $7. For information call (816) 628-6065. After visiting the museum, head over to the town of Liberty to see the Jesse James Bank Museum, the site of America's first daylight bank robbery.

TWO QUIZZES TODAY

Postponed until (tomorrow) Monday
because of technical problems.
Times remain the same

Prizes:
•A pair of waterproof, submersible panoramic view binoculars.
These space-age binoculars are nitrogen-filled to prevent moisture build-up and can be submerged a remarkable 60 feet. Featuring 10x power and a 303-degree field of view at 1,000 yards, these binoculars capture a crisp, ultra sharp view.

•Roxy Robot toy
Are you working too hard and feeling stressed out? Are you tired and never seem to have enough time? Then Roxy Robot is for you. Can you imagine having your own domestic robot to pick up around the house, make dinner and look after your every wish? What's better, Roxy works for free and never needs time off. Just wind her up, sit back and take a nap! How totally cool! And just think, Roxy could be yours if you're one of today's lucky winners! See a pic of Roxy!

Quiz Start Times:
Sunday, June 5, 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Pacific Time

Take the quiz here.
Look for little man in the red coat.

RV Travel Reader's Tip:
The first quiz question will relate to what you read here.

Last week's winners:
No quiz last week, so no winners (makes sense, eh?)

See the results of previous quizzes

Knowledge Quiz official rules

Malia Lane has been a full-time RVer since June 2001, when she took off in the motor home she named "Inspiration." From the start, she kept a detailed online journal to share her adventures, and the only thing she says that equals the fun of travel is writing about it. An article about her solo RV trip to Alaska was published in the March 2005 "Highways" magazine. She is currently in southern Oregon working on her new website MaliasMiles.com, which will feature RV related material on Crater Lake and the gorgeous Rogue Valley. Look for many of Malia's articles on RVtravel.com in the weeks and months ahead.

Washington State Ferries
slash rates to BC's Vancouver Island
Washington State Ferries hopes to compete with ferry companies in British Columbia by slashing in half the price of a ticket for an RV from Anacortes, Wash., to Sidney, B.C on Vancouver Island. To offer the promotional discount, the ferry system is eliminating an over-height surcharge that applied to RVs. Previously, the one way fare for a 40-foot RV traveling from Anacortes to Sidney was $233.75. It's now $123.75, a little more than half because of a six-percent rise in all fares.

Destruction Derby on the RV Highway.
It's been a bad couple of weeks in the RV accidents department. Near San Diego, a man was killed when his RV plummeted about 200 feet down an embankment on a stretch of Interstate 8. In Pleasanton, Calif., a pickup and its trailer overturned on Interstate 580, causing a traffic headache for commuters. In Peoria, Illinois a man was run over and killed as he tried to control traffic on a busy highway to allow an RV to pull from a driveway. In Salt Lake City, a station wagon veered off the road then over corrected, sending it slamming into a motorhome that then overturned. Luckily nobody was injured. And on I-5 near Everett, Wash., a pickup truck driver pulling a trailer crossed the median divide and smashed into a passenger car, killing all three of its occupants and closing southbound lanes for hours. Meanwhile, in Grass Valley, Calif., friends of a man who received burns over 90 percent of his body several weeks ago while attempting to light his RV's propane heater, gathered at a local veterans hall to donate blood to aid his recovery. Gee, folks, be careful!

Hospital makes deadly mistake
A motorist who drove an unconscious man to the car park of his local hospital in Kelowna, British Columbia, couldn’t believe his ears when medical staff told him to call the emergency number and wait for an ambulance. Ralph Vogel and his wife had been letting a homeless man sleep in their motorhome, but became alarmed when they couldn’t wake him. When Vogel arrived at the hospital with the man, the staff told him to call 911 and wait for an ambulance. By the time it arrived, the man was already dead. The hospital said it made a mistake.

Airstream offering $5,000 loyal bonus to some Land Yacht owners
Airstream is celebrating the end to sixteen years of production of its most successful gasoline powered motorhome to date with a $5,000 loyalty bonus to some current Land Yacht owners and buyers of new ones. Learn more.

The Pahrump (Nev.) Regional Planning Commission has approved a 54-acre RV park to be built adjacent to the Sheri's Ranch Brothel in Pahrump. Walking trails are planned as part of a blueprint for interconnectivity between a new residential subdivision, the RV park and Sheri's brothel. • • • RV rental companies expect rental activity to grow by an average of 36 percent this year over last. • • • Shipments of towable RVs remained flat in April while motorhome deliveries declined 23.3% for the month compared with 2004. • • • In its June issue, Consumer Reports noted that cell phone complaints by customers were greatest for AT&T and Cingular and lowest for Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular. The editors recommended Verizon Wireless for fewest complaints about service, quality and billing. A recent survey of readers of FullTimeRVer.com revealed that nearly 20 percent access the Internet on the road using a cell phone with their computer. • • • A University of Michigan study has revealed that nearly one in 12 U.S. vehicle-owning households — seven million all together — now own an RV. The total is projected to swell to 15 million by 2010. • • • British Columbia, Canada has a shortage of RV technicians. If you're interested in learning the trade call 604-718-6325. • • • The Life On Wheels Conference is coming June 26-July 1 to Moscow, Idaho. RVers get an intensive education in everything to do with RVs and RVing. Learn more or register at 866-569-4646. • • • Workhorse Custom Chassis reached a milestone last week when the company's 100,000th class A gasoline RV chassis rolled off the assembly line at Workhorse's Union City plant. • • • A family from Columbus, Ohio that plans an extensive RV trip around the country is offering its motorhome as a rolling billboard for the trip, and auctioning it on eBay to the highest bidder. With a minimum bid of $30,000, the last time we checked there were no bidders. • • • The FBI is looking for RVers Linda and Allen Andrews. Linda is wanted for burglarizing a school teacher's home in Phoenix, Arizona. Police there believe she may also know something about the teacher's murder. Police and the FBI believe the couple may be in the Clinton, Tennessee area. They're driving a 1988 black Chevy crew cab pick-up with dealer tags and a creme colored 1988 Coachmen Class C motorhome with Tennessee tag KDJ 015. If you spot them, call the FBI. • • • The Tampa Bay RV Supersale ends today (Sunday) at the fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida.

RV-Links
Loads of links to great websites about RVing

RV Travel Forum
Exchange ideas and information with other RVers.

Beginners Guide to RVing

RVing the Northwest

RVing in Mexico

Full Time RVing

Post your own website of your travels.

RV Recalls

Workamping Information

Visit Camping World for RV supplies and accessories

RVbookstore.com is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau. We strive for excellence in all we do and that's the truth. Our customers receive really, really fast service. "You need it so we speed it.™


© Copyright 2007 by RVbookstore.com