Archived Issues
News and information from RVtravel.com

Issue 179. An alert for this issue was emailed to 105,000 RVers

DVDs show how to operate your RV 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

Don't pay to stay! Camp for free! At FreeCampgrounds.com, learn where to find more than 800 free or inexpensive RV campgrounds in the USA. More locations being added every day! Save money!

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Want to fulltime with an RV? Anyone who is thinking of traveling full-time with an RV will have his or her questions answered in this wonderful 90-minute DVD. Interviews with dozens of full-timers as well as experts on the lifestyle. Learn more or order.

"Free Gas Fridays" at RVbookstore . . .details below

Editor's Corner
By Chuck Woodbury

Dear fellow RVer,

Two devastating hurricanes in a row seems too much, too unfair. Why? Mother Nature has her ways, and there's little we can do about it.

It's probably a good time to remind ourselves that those of us fortunate enough to own RVs have an escape option not available to others. Our RVs can offer us emergency shelter in emergencies like those we have seen in the past weeks. For those of us on the West Coast, they can provide shelter after an earthquake.

All those long traffic jams out of Houston last week — some motorists crawled for an entire day at one mile per hour. But when stuck in traffic, it's a whole lot better to be stuck in or with an RV where the fridge is stocked, the bathroom is ready, and where occupants can do something besides sit for hours on end. Once away from impending disaster, these RVs can serve as comfortable shelter for days and even weeks on end.

But as we learned after Katrina, many RVers who left town expecting to return a few days later soon discovered there was no home to return to. Many brought along only minimal provisions that soon ran out. Some didn't leave home with full water or gas tanks.

We can learn something from their unfortunate experiences: Prepare your RV to leave in an instant with all the basics of day-to-day living onboard. Make sure gas, propane and freshwater tanks are full. I carry along a small, $50, water filtration system designed for backpackers. In an emergency it allows me to clean up lake or river water to make it potable. Stock your cupboards with essential food items. Dehydrated foods take minimal space and do not weigh much. Make sure the closet has at least one warm jacket, and the clothing drawers have underwear, socks and a few pairs of pants. Your best attire is not necessary. Instead of tossing away a pair of well-worn pants, keep them in the RV for such an emergency. Make sure you have a copy of your prescriptions, or at least know where you can get them filled while away. Be sure there are plenty of blankets. Stock a good first aid kit and a portable radio that you "wind up" for power.

When we are faced with the need to flee our homes fast there may be little time to pack, shop and fill the gas tank. So be prepared. Our RVs can be much more than our toys.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
We have now raised more than $700 to aid RVers in the Louisiana/Mississippi areas stranded because of Hurricane Katrina. Many no longer have homes and jobs to return to. For the rest of

Look closely at the door of this man's truck. Kinda catches your eye, eh?

this month, all sales from our eBooks The ABCs of Pop Up Campers and Your Home on Wheels are being provided to these now homeless people.

Free Gas Fridays: Beginning this coming Friday at RVbookstore.com, win free gasoline (or diesel) every Friday. Check our Contest page for details. Return each Friday morning for that day's start time!

Sign up for a Quiz reminder so you don't forget. Win up to $100 worth of free gas!

Pot of Gold Contest News
No winner last week. The pot is now $215 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.

Read last week's edition of the RV-Links.com newsletter. Learn about some great websites about RVing.

How did RV Travel readers respond to this question:
"What's the most you will pay for a campsite for one night?"
Learn how nearly 1,500 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.

Boze Anguay and Stew Oleson of RV Today

Two TV programs showcase RV lifestyle
RVers have two choices of television shows about RVs and the RV lifestyle. RV Today airs on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) and RVTV on the Outdoor Channel. RV Today also airs on RFD-TV, a cable channel in rural areas. Both shows air weekly with the same episode shown several times. For RVers, both are well worth a half-hour of couch potato time. Read more.

. . . and speaking of RV TV shows . . . A one-hour Columbus Day special entitled R.V. Having Fun Yet? will air on Nickelodeon Monday, October 10, at 8 pm (ET). During the special, the tweens of Nickelodeon's "All Grown Up" hit the road with their moms to explore America. Later, when the bumpy road splits the kids from their moms, a chain of awesome events reunites them.

Airstream set to debut small entry-level trailer
Airstream, Inc. will soon debut a lightweight multi-purpose tent trailer hybrid called the BaseCamp. The unit is aimed at entry-level RVers who may only have a modest-sized vehicle to pull an RV. Learn more.

"On-the-road" Internet satellite system announced
DataTech International announced Sept. 20 that its new DirecStar auto-pointing and deploying mounting system has been certified by Hughes Network Systems for use with HNS' DIRECWAYฎ broadband satellite system. More.

Reporter pleads with RVers: "Please stop writing!"
Reporter Ed Kemmick at the Billings Gazette who recently reported on the possible enforcement of an old law prohibiting overnight parking at Wal-Mart and in other public parking lots in the Montana town has been flooded with angry letters from RVers. "Please stop writing!" he pleaded in his column last week. "[Writers seem] to think that just because I wrote a news story about the issue, I agreed with them," he wrote. "Another common, incorrect assumption was that because I wrote the story I was some kind of receiver of complaints who had the power to change things. That's why nearly every letter contained a variation of this statement: 'We'll never pass through your town again, even in an emergency! We'll spend our money in towns that welcome Wal-Mart campers!' " He suggested RVers write to city council members.

Hurricane Rita expected to spike gas prices
Motorists face the prospect of another short-term spike in pump prices according to oil industry experts. Prices, which are already 47 percent higher than a year ago at $2.75 per gallon, could once again climb above $3 a gallon nationwide. Supply snags are most problematic for the Gulf Coast, but markets in the East and Midwest are also vulnerable.

Air Conditioner Protection
When the temperature gets hot, some boondockers fire up their generator to run the AC system. Make sure you get your money's worth from that expensive generator fuel (and noise). If the fins on the outside of the air conditioner unit are bent, they're not efficiently pumping that hot air off. Straighten the fins out with a small screwdriver, or get a fin comb from an air conditioner repair shop. Then be sure to cover the a.c. unit when not in use. Can't find a cover to fit your unit? Get thee to an upholstery shop and have them custom make you one with high quality vinyl upholstery material. We recommend you avoid the "soft" vinyls that have a backing that looks like cotton wool —use a commercial grade vinyl with a backing that looks like a woven material. Don't use a "protectant" on your new cover — it'll simply harden it up and actually reduce its useful life span.

Russ and Ti๑a Demaris are authors of RV Boondocking Basics and Boondocking Tips for RVers: More Fun Without Hookups

Books and videos about Boondocking

QUESTION: I have found a very nice used motorhome that I may want to buy. The only problem is that it has water stains on the ceiling. Should I be concerned? ANSWER: Definitely. The roof has leaked. What you cannot see is the RV's frame. If there was water seepage, it almost certainly caused structural damage to any wood. Do not buy the RV until you have a qualified RV technician inspect the unit from front to back, with a long look at the leak area. Be careful!

Velva City Park:Velva, North Dakota
Twenty-two miles SSE of Minot. Gravel entry off paved city street. Twenty spaces with water and electric: Five on hard surface, 15 on grass. City swimming pool and playground across walk bridge over river. Dump station at exit west of pool. Highway about three blocks south. $10/day - $50/week.

Army Corps of Engineers Cold Brook:Hot Springs, South Dakota
Cold Brook Lake is one mile northwest of Hot Springs off Highway 385. From Hot Springs .5 miles north. Thirteen sites, picnic shelters. No electric at site. Water and restrooms in park. Open all year. $5. Mid-September to mid-May is free with reduced amenities.

Tularosa Police Park:Tularosa, New Mexico
A small park behind the police station with room to park a few RVs and pitch a few tents. Water, picnic tables, a playground and a few good shade trees. Free.

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

Learn about 800 free and inexpensive campgrounds at FreeCampgrounds.com

. . . RVing south of Mexico to Guatemala.

Guidebooks and DVDs about RVing in Mexico

Museum of the Week
Kansas City Missouri Museum
The museum is housed in a 1910 mansion which was often described as the "palace on Gladstone Boulevard." Return to an era when the Osage tribe lived off the land and discover how modern-day Kansas City evolved from a tiny cluster of trading posts. The museum also features a 50-seat planetarium, natural history dioramas and exclusive special exhibits such as an up-close look at bears, bison, rams and other animals native to North America. Top off your museum visit with a tasty treat from the 1910 soda fountain which serves up phosphates, ice cream cones, sundaes and shakes. Located at the corner of Benton and Gladstone Boulevards right next to a main entrance for the Cliff Drive State Scenic Byway. (816) 460-2020.

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This issue's Knowledge Quiz

THREE QUIZZES TODAY

Prizes:
•A Progressive scan DVD player, a "Survival Kit in a Sardine Can" and a RVbookstore.com coffee mug.

Answer the Quizzes here at 11 a.m., Noon and 1 p.m., Pacific Time.

Knowledge Quiz official rules

The Shocking Truth About Campground Electricity
For some it's "Miller Time." That great moment when the rig is backed into the site, and the vacation has just about begun. You've hooked up to the park utilities and are headed inside to kick back. But as you reach for the door handle, your kick back turns into something like a sharp kick. A shooting pain rushes up your arm, tingling your body fibers. It's like a disgruntled horse -- you find yourself tossed back, rump first onto the ground. If things go right, you dust yourself off and try and figure out what happened. The fact is, an RVer can get fried with improperly wired campground electrical systems. Don't think it could happen to you? Think again! And read this.

Spot dry rot before it gets out of hand
Dry rot can destroy your RV so it's important to spot it before it gets out of hand. The term "dry rot" is actually a misnomer because the decay is caused by certain fungi that invade your RVs wood. Gradually, the wood decomposes and its strength is lost. Learn more.

Battery drain culprits
There are many electronic devices and equipment in your RV that can drain the coach battery when you're not using the RV. Some examples are the TV antenna booster if left on, LP gas leak detectors, clocks in radios, or just leaving a 12-volt light on by accident. If your RV is not equipped with a battery disconnect switch, you can purchase a battery disconnect from an RV dealer that can be installed directly on the battery post. When you aren't using the RV or have no requirement for the coach battery, you simply raise a lever and disconnect the battery. If there is a voltage draw on the chassis battery and you can't locate the problem, a battery disconnect can be installed on the chassis battery too. — Mark Polk. Learn about Mark Polk's RV "How-to" DVDs and eBooks.

From RVjokes.com.

Thor Industries Inc. has received $210 million in towable RV orders so far this month. Last year's September orders totaled $83 million. Some sales are coming from dealers selling to hurricane Katrina evacuees. • • • Monaco Coach Corp. will manufacturer between 2,000 and 3,000 travel trailers at a rate of more than 50 per day to fill a FEMA order. • • • Chubby Checker appeared at the Kingsley Coach display at this weekend's RV show in Minneapolis to show off his "Checkerliscious Express." • • • A proposal has been made to turn an old farm in Citrus County, Florida into a gated county RV park with pads for more than 1,100 RVs. • • • As of last week, cumulative cash contributions of the Affinity Group (owners of Good Sam Club and Trailer Life) had hit $188,000 in relief to Hurricane Katrina victims. • • • The largest private campground on the California coast, Lawson's Landing in Marin County, may be forced to close one-third of its campsites after a report found its size is putting too much pressure on the nearby sand dunes and marsh environment.

Upcoming RV Shows

RV-Links
Loads of links to great websites about RVing

Worth Pondering
"He who foresees calamities suffers them twice over." — Beilby Porteous

RV Travel is rated PG* by the Philadelphia Institute of Goop Slingers. (PIGS)

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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RV Travel staff
Editor: Chuck Woodbury. Contributors: Russ and Ti๑a Demaris, Malia Lane, Chris Dougherty, Mark Polk, Bill and Dot Bell. Proofreader: Adrienne Kristine. Website Administrator: Zoey Platt. Office Manager: Jody Allcot. Warehouse Manager: Walter Cardwell. Clapper Loader: Emily Woodbury. Mascot: Captain Jack Platt — the Energizer Doggie.