Archived Issues
RV Travel Issue 168 (July 10, 2005)

RV Travel Issue 168 An alert for this issue was emailed to 103,000 RVers

Locate Wal-Mart stores Use this directory to plan free overnight stays in parking lots. Learn 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.

RV Repair & Maintenance RVs are just like people — sooner or later things go wrong and they need some tender loving care (and repair). And a good way to minimize trips to the repair shop is to keep your RV in good shape so the inevitable breakdowns are few and far between. Here's a big selection of books and DVDs about taking care of your RV.

The email alert for next Sunday's newsletter will arrive later
than usual at about 10 a.m. Pacific Time. The actual issue, however,
will be online at 3 a.m. (Pacific) at RVtravel.com.

PRIVACY STATEMENT
This newsletter's email addresses are never sold, rented or shared.
Rotten Rodney, our Cybertruth Tiger, guards them and he eats spam for breakfast.

Dear fellow RVer,

First off, we're giving away another Apple iPod in today's Knowledge Quiz. The iPod Shuffle is the most compact of the personal music players — only a third of an inch thick! Put your favorite songs on this iPod and then listen to them at near CD quality with stereo ear phones. Details below.

Welcome to the 1,400 new subscribers who signed up last week after reading about this newsletter and RVbookstore.com in USA Today and on CNN.com, MSNBC.com and in dozens of newspapers. We're thrilled to have you along for our cyber ride.

I'm headed off today (Sunday) to Redmond, OR, to attend the July 11-14 Great North American RV Rally. More than 5,500 RVs and 12,000 RVers are registered. If you'll be anywhere near Redmond (just north of Bend), you can still attend by buying a daily pass. It includes admission to all rally attractions including seminars, commercial exhibits (535 booths), a dog show, and evening entertainment including performances by Debbie Reynolds, Pam Tillis, Ronnie Milsap and others. And just for fun, watch the "building" of the world's largest s'more. The ingredients: 40,000 marshmallows, 40,000 graham crackers and 14,000 chocolate bars. Big yummy!

If you've ever wondered what European motorhomes look like, tune in to this month's coverage of the Tour de France on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN). Keep your eyes open and you'll see hundreds of RVs along the race course as the cyclists (and the TV cameras) pass by. I don't know if it's my imagination, but the rigs look longer these days than when I followed the race in 2001 and 2004. By the way, all the major race teams, when not racing, travel in large, luxury motorcoaches during the 2,200 mile, 22-stage event. Lance Armstrong and his Discovery Team have an especially elegant coach.

Our weekly RV Travel reader surveys are a fascinating and highly informative resource for learning about the habits of RVers. Each week in this newsletter I pose a question, and usually between 1,500 and 2,000 of you respond. New RVers, in particular, can learn a great deal about their fellow RVers' behavior regarding virtually every aspect of the RV lifestyle. When you have a free half-hour, browse through the archives of our past surveys. No matter how much you already know about RVing, you will learn more, and I suspect be entertained in the process.

RV BOOKSTORE NEWS: Last week we began offering a wonderful new DVD for would-be full-time RVers, and I believe we are the only online store where you can get it! Larry Wood has just released Fulltiming: The Documentary. Anyone who is thinking of traveling full-time with an RV will have most of his or her questions answered in this wonderful 90-minute DVD. Wood interviews dozens of full-timers as well as experts on the lifestyle, and the result is a comprehensive, entertaining video "bible" for anyone who dreams of a life on the road or who is getting close to actually doing it.

No winner last week in our Zip Code Pot of Gold contest so the cash prize is now $225. This week's contest will run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon (Pacific Time) at RVbookstore.com. If you live in the Zip Code of the Day, you'll win if you're the first to tell us. Certain rules apply. Recent Zip Codes included Houston; Sterling Heights, Michigan; Colorado Springs; and Florence, Alabama — to name just a few. If you live there and had told us so during the contest you would have won the day's cash prize. So be sure to check in every day — it only takes a few seconds to see if you win. You could lose some very easy money if you don't. All Zips are chosen randomly; yours could be next!

Don't forget to visit our RV Travel readers forum — now 3,300 members strong.

Opening early August in Edmonds, Washington
The real-world, brick and mortar RV bookstore.
Free coffee, great books & videos. . . & plenty of "Rig Talk."

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!

Notice the "For Sale Sign." The basic problem with a drive-thru RV park is that everybody just drives though. Nobody stays.

Learn more or order for only $12.95

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.

Past reader surveys and results

Would you loan your RV to your best friend for a short trip? Learn how 1,500 RVers answered this question.

Travel Guide to the Navajo and Hopi Reservations
"Native Roads" is hot off the press. A superb guide to these native lands.

Ten campground favorites in the West
The editor of this newsletter names 10 of his most favorite camping spots in the American West.

Smelly Black Water Tank?
Sometimes you get a particularly bad batch of black water. Stepping into the coach after motoring down the road may practically "blow your head off." Until you can resolve the problem by dumping the tank or discovering the cause of the big stink, try this cover up: Encase your RV toilet in a large plastic garbage bag before pulling up stakes. At times strange vacuum effects while traveling can pull black water smells up through the toilet. Covering the "pot" with a big bag reduces the effect and keeps smells at bay.

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

Books and videos about Boondocking

QUESTION: What are two important things I can do to help my motorhome last longer? ANSWER: Change the engine oil regularly and have the roof inspected once a year for potential leaks.

Books and DVDs for beginning RVers

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

Rest Area, Boron, California
Three miles west of Boron is a very nice rest area with clean restrooms and a dump station. Sunsets are always beautiful. Borax and Boron Museum are close. If you like Mexican food, this is the place. Boron is along CA Route 58 near Edwards Air Force Base. Free

East/West Camp, North Waterboro, Maine
Three-acre campground near North Waterboro on a gravel road one mile from Route 5. Great for popups, small trailers or motorhomes and tailgaters. 12 spaces. Walk to river nearby. It is a very nice place to go camping. There is a big lake close by, a lot of places to go hiking, a lot of beautiful country and the ocean is about 45 minutes away. There's a really cool rock on the site and the owner is a very nice fellow. Free.

4-H Park, Bloomington, Illinois
SW corner of 4-H fairgrounds. Water & electric. Dump station is a few hundred feet away. $10 to $15 per night. 1 mile from intersection of Illinois Route 23 and old Route 66. Three miles from I-55. Gas stations, food, RV repair near within three miles. Route 66 museum and war museum downtown. Full during 4-H fair and occasional gathering.

Read about these and nearly 500 other free and inexpensive campgrounds at FreeCampgrounds.com

New Fleetwood motorhomes now available
Fleetwood announced announced last week that its 2006 Providence and Excursion Class A diesel models are now available at select dealers nationwide. The models feature slide-box trim molding, additional exterior color choices that coordinate with interior design, and larger EZ Store compartment doors. Interior features include three-point adjustable driver-seatbelts, increased number of seatbelts for all travel-seating positions, and booth dinette options. Options include water heaters with 16-gallon output capability, sofa sleeper with air mattress, automatic-start generators and 14-cubic foot refrigerators. Base MSRP on both models start at $202,713.

Guidebooks and DVDs about RVing in Mexico

Camping with children
Headed camping with your family? But would your kids — especially the teens — rather play with Game Boys and prefer getting a root canal to hanging out with their parents? Here are some ideas, suggestions and thoughts that may make your family camping trip more rewarding for all involved.

Read more articles by Adrienne Kristine.
Read articles by Malia Lane.

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

2005 Traveler's Guide To The Firearm Laws of the 50 States
Explains the specific gun laws of every U.S. state.

RV Refrigerators: Take care for long life
Considering how much an RV refrigerator costs, a little extra time and money now to take care of the one you have will pay of in the long run. Here are some things an RVer can do to help keep his or her RV's refrigerator running at peak efficiency for many years.

From 10-Minute Tech Tips: Canny Color Coding
"I pull a fifth-wheel trailer, and there have been times when I could not quite see if the hitch latch had closed properly behind the engaging hitch pin; everything is painted black. To solve this problem, I masked off the hitch and painted the movable latch a bright color. Now, I can tell if everything is meshed properly before I pull away from each stop." — Bob Chapman, Corpus Christi, Texas. Editor's Note: The driver should physically install a safety pin after the handle seats. (Hundreds of tips like this are found in 10 Minute Tech II from Trailer Life.)

National Baby Food Festival, Fremont, Michigan
Hurry. It's coming July 19-23 to Fremont, the Baby Food Capital of the World — home of Gerber Products Company. For one week, the city of 4,500 is transformed into "The Family Fun Capital of the United States!" Do you enjoy racing — maybe playing the ponies down at the track? Forget the horses — at this festival you'll thrill to the ever-popular Baby Crawl! Parents go nuts as they try to persuade their rug rats to be first across the finish line. And food: Wow! There's baby food dining and dining for adults, too. Plus there's music, entertainment, educational activities, clowns and tons of other great stuff. For information call 231-924-2270.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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!

Workamper News publishers moving on
Greg and Debbie Robus, founders and publishers of Workamper News, announced in their July/August issue that they will "pass the torch to the capable hands of our good friends and longtime business associates Steve and Kathy Jo Anderson." Greg and Debbie founded Workamper News in 1987. "When we coined the word Workamper and made it our trademark in 1987, we had no idea that 18 years later it would be so widely used," they explain on their website. In the last 18 years, their magazine and website have helped tens of thousands of RVers find work while they travel, and thousands of employers find the employees to fill temporary positions. The Robus' do not plan to retire, but to "slow down and smell the roses." They do not rule out taking up workamping themselves. They expect the transition of ownership to occur in the fall.

The best RV websites
Learn about the best RV websites and the best information at RV-Links.com. Only the best web RV resources are included. Read for hours. Be entertained and learn a lot, too. New listings every week. And if you feel like a good laugh, be sure to visit RVjokes.com.

•The Trans-Canada Highway stretches east to west as one continuous route but the highway number changes within each province. In the large city of Toronto this highway stretches 16-lanes wide, but through the quiet country areas, it is frequently reduced to two lanes plus an occasional passing lane.
•Only a set amount of duty-free beer, liquor, wine and cigarettes can be transported across the border (in either direction). When coming into Canada, additional quantities are allowed, but high import duties are assessed on amounts over the duty-free limits - provincial sales tax and federal tax are also added. Open bottles on board your RV count in overall volume.

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

Prize: A terrific RVbookstore.com coffee mug.

On sale now.

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International Rattlesnake Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
You have never seen so many rattlesnakes in one place. In fact, this is the largest collection of different kinds of rattlesnakes in the entire world! And not only can you see the live snakes and maybe even hear them hiss and rattle, but you can learn all about them. But even better, you can buy tons of souvenirs include rattlesnake tee-shirts, coffee mugs, posters, jewelry, boots and even snakebite kits. Easy RV parking is nearby and most likely a restaurant where you can dine on rattlesnake (tastes like chicken). Located in Old Towne.

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This issue's Knowledge Quiz

TWO QUIZZES TODAY

Prizes (not necessarily awarded in this order)

•An Apple iPod Shuffle. Holds more than 120 songs at near CD quality. Only a third of an inch thick! Plays AAC, MP3, WAV and Audible formats. Includes iTunes for Mac and Windows. A great gift!

• The 2005 Trailer Life Campground Directory. This is THE North American campground directory for RVers.

Quiz Start Times:
Sunday, July 10 at Noon and 1 p.m., Pacific Time.

Take the quizzes here beginning at the times above.

Last week's winners
William Morris, who won a self-powered AM/FM shortwave radio.
George Wharton, who won an RVbookstore.com coffee mug.
Ronald Brown, who won the Trailer Life RV Repair and Maintenance Manual.

See the results of previous quizzes

Knowledge Quiz official rules

Camp for Half Price at 1,000 RV Parks!
Join the Happy Camper Club for $49.95 and pay
half-price at more than 1,000 RV parks. If you camp more than
a few weeks a year, a membership can save you a bundle.

Navistar International Corporation announced last week that its operating company, International Truck and Engine Corporation, has entered into an agreement to acquire Workhorse Custom Chassis, a leading manufacturer of chassis for motorhomes. • • • A motorhome with eight people aboard rolled over and crashed near Jordan, MN, after the driver apparently fell asleep. Ambulances rushed seven people to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. • • • University of Texas Longhorn Foundation members can purchase a season pass to park their RV overnight at five home football games for $750. A one game RV parking pass for nonmembers is $300. But that includes electricity. • • • Ford is recalling approximately 260,000 vehicles for a stalling problem. The affected vehicles are 2004-05 model year F-Series pickups, Excursion SUVs, and E-350 and E-450 vans and motorhome chassis. • • • RV Companion Magazine has announced to its advertisers that it has ceased publishing. • • • Baby Boomers' preference for more bells and whistles is being blamed in part for a decline in camping stays in National Parks, which fell 12 percent between 1999 and 2004. • • • A massive fire at the Advanced RV dealership near Salt Lake City caused $800,000 in damages and lit up the sky for miles around. A child playing with fireworks apparently started the blaze when a firework struck a propane tank. • • • Thor Industries Inc. announced last week that its RV sales were up 19 percent this June compared with last June. The company sold 11,029 RVs in June, compared with 9,274 last June. Sales of travel trailers and fifth wheels were up 20 percent, Class A motor homes were up 19 percent and Class C motor homes were up 29 percent. • • • Some cats in Wyoming have tested positive for the Plague. Rodents, who also carry and spread the disease, are present in big numbers this summer season. Stay away from any wild or unfamiliar animal or you may risk exposure. • • • A family fleeing Hurricane Dennis to an Alabama State Park to wait out the storm in a trailer they had left there earlier, arrived to find the RV burned into rubble. • • • Gulf Stream Coach Inc. has debuted its new Track & Trail sport utility RV line — the company's first entry into the sector on the towable side. The toy haulers debut with three travel trailers and one fifth-wheel ranging in length from 22 to 30 feet and retailing from $17,500 to $23,500. • • • With the potential Hurricane Dennis has for flooding, those affected are being cautioned not to walk in standing water and not to venture out in the dark because they might not see a downed power line that could still be energized and dangerous. • • • Fulltime RVer Lorraine Preston caught a 75-pound King Salmon last Wednesday in Alaska's Kenai River, but said she couldn't keep the trophy fish because there was no room in her motorhome for a mount. "We'll just brag a lot," she said. • • • Nearly 70 percent of RV owners plan to travel more this summer than they did a year ago according to a new survey by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

Archives of early issues of RV Travel

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

RVing in Mexico

Full Time RVing

Post your own website of your travels.

RV Recalls

Workamping Information

This newsletter is rated PG* by the Pennsylvania Electrical Engineers Professional Energy Entrepreneurs (PEEPEE).

RV Travel is copyright 2005 by RVbookstore.com. Our International Headquarters: RVbookstore.com, 117 W. Dayton St., Suite 103, Edmonds WA 98020, USA, Earth, Milky Way, Known Universe, Unknown Universe.

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