| From RVbookstore.com Archived Issues Issue 228 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. This newsletter is posted early every Sunday morning. To ensure you continue to receive email alerts for this newsletter,
Among the most
common advice was about staying safe: don't stay alone in isolated
areas, be sure to carry a cell phone, and never open your door to
anyone except the police, but even then be careful. One RVer wrote: "If
the officer insists you leave your rig, make sure he is driving some
sort of official vehicle. He or she should be more than willing to
provide you with identification other than just a badge, which can be
flashed by anyone. If the officer tells you he has no other I.D., then
request his supervisor's presence." Many readers advised
to avoid parking next to big rig trucks, which often run their engines
all night, spewing offensive and even dangerous fumes. The results are
typically just an annoyance, but can be worse. One RVer wrote: "We went
to sleep with our windows open. In the middle of the night, we woke up
coughing and couldn't breathe. An 18-wheeler had pulled in next to us
and his exhaust was coming right in our windows. It smelled so strong
and foul. My husband said it was because his jets were dirty or
something. We went outside and sat at a picnic table awhile to regain
our breathing and then left." The scariest comment
was from a couple who awoke to what they perceived as a very alarming
situation. "When we awoke, there were two cars in the lot. One had
parked up against our front bumper and the other against our rear
bumper. The entire parking area was still empty except for these two
cars. You could not tell if anyone was inside. If we had gotten out of
our motorhome, I am sure something bad could have happened. We had
parked about two feet from the curb, so with much back and forth
maneuvering, we were able to get out of the parking area. If we had
not, we would have called the California Highway Patrol for help." Another comment was
more amusing than threatening. "I have been approached several times by
young females looking for temporary employment," an RVer reported. Perhaps the most
insightful comment was by an RVer who noted that a sign "No overnight
camping," means just that -- no camping! It does not mean no overnight
sleeping. He wrote: "You cannot "camp" in rest areas (don't pitch a
tent or put out your awning). In a few rest areas where "camping" has
been a problem, there may be a sign posted at the entrance stating a
maximum number of hours you can stay (usually less than 24 hours). The
truth is that rest areas are for preventing drivers from falling asleep
at the wheel, so "yes," you can legally sleep in rest areas! My brother
is a ranger who has been responsible for maintaining a few rest areas.
His comment to me was, "Can you imagine the state trying to defend
itself against an accident caused by a drowsy driver who was evicted
from a rest area? We would never think of evicting a sleeping driver.
That's why we build rest areas!" But, by and large,
most of the readers who wrote about staying at rest areas felt the
practice was safe, as long as the RVer paid attention to some basic
safety issues. If you would like to add your own comment or tell of an
interesting experience you had while staying at a rest area, please do so here. RV Travel magazine can be yours "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 . ANNOUNCEMENTS RV Travel editor on Internet RV radio show This Week's Reader Survey How many RVs have you owned in your life? Answer here. Last week's survey question Past reader surveys and results Popular RV cookbook author dies at age 61 JoAnna Lund, 61, an avid RVer who parlayed a 130-pound weight loss into a multi-faceted business, died May 20 after a four-year battle with breast cancer. Millions of Americans knew her from her appearances on the QVC shopping network. She appeared in two PBS programs, in cooking segments on the RVtoday TV show, and had a big following through her Healthy Exchanges Food Newsletter and her website. Read More Here. Children with cancer benefit from KOA free camping day Nearly 14,000 days of free camping were given away at 360 participating KOAs on May 12. The event was an opportunity for KOA campground owners to collect donated funds for KOA Care Camps for children with cancer. More than $75,000 was raised to directly benefit the charity. Articles from the RV family of websites Is your personality compatible with fulltime RVing? Rock guards and Toad protection Canine heat exhaustion New member needs help with electric step problem! Gets help for all kinds of problems. A question on water heater maintenance generates several good ideas. Generator repair for dummies: Member asks for help with his Onan. Can you help? This tip is one of more than 500 in All the Stuff You Need to Know About RVing by Ronald Jones and Robert Lowe.
RV owners save big bucks by registering vehicles in Montana As reported in the Kansas City Star, Missouri and other state officials are bitter about tax revenues that many RV owners are legally avoiding. By registering their RVs in Montana, these folks save thousands of dollars every year. Montana has no sales tax, no property taxes on vehicles, and relatively low registration fees, and unlike Oregon, a state with similar low taxes, it's perfectly legal for out-of-staters to register there. There is a catch: You need to establish a limited liability corporation or LLC in Montana. The RV is purchased and registered under the name of the company -- not the individual. Under Montana law, a business may legally own a vehicle, even though the owner of the business does not reside in the state and the vehicle is not "garaged" there. Lawyers in Montana are happy to help RV owners set things up. Tax avoidance or evasion? It depends on your point of view. City of Rocks National Reserve building RV campground RV rentals are up Bill's Hint "Your RV refrigerator light is 12-volt operated, so just because the light comes on doesn't mean that 110-volt power is available." -- From Motorhomes Made Easy. 2006 Wal-Mart Locator 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! Retail price $24.95. Order Now for our Everyday Low Discount Price of only $19.83 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 . From the FulltimeRVer newsletter: We just couldn't resist reprinting this item from our sister newsletter. Where lies Quartzsite's future? Note from a former trucker now RVer Last week we asked our readers: 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. RVing to Mexico Questions on Fixed income, internet reliability and documents for motorhome while traveling in Mexico are answered by our Mexico RV experts Dot and Bill Bell . Guidebooks and DVDs about RVing in Mexico . Do you know of an RV park or campground that loves dogs? Tell other RVers about it. Learn about where to camp for free RV Factory Tour Teton Homes, Casper, Wyo. The folks at Teton have been building trailers since 1967. Their luxury fifth wheel trailers are designed to withstand the elements 365 days a year, making them a favorite of full time RVers. Factory tours are Monday - Friday at 11 a.m. Call (307) 235-1525. The factory is located at 3283 N. 9 Mile Road. RV Tech Tip by Mark Polk How much weight can we safely tow? Your motorhome has a weight rating referred to as the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR). This is the maximum combined weight of the fully loaded motorhome and the fully loaded tow vehicle when weighed together. You never want to exceed this or any other weight rating. Another consideration is the amount of weight the hitch receiver on the back of the motorhome is rated for. The motorhome itself might have a tow rating of 7,000 pounds, but if the receiver is only rated for 3,500 that’s the most you can tow. (Learn about Mark Polk's RV "How-to" DVDs and eBooks .) What's it like to be a full-time RVer? 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 fulltimers as well as experts on the lifestyle. Learn more or order. Upcoming RV Shows June 16 - 18, NATCOA Truck Camper Show & Rally, Ogallala, NE June 21 - 25, Houston Summer Boat Show, Houston, TX Check RVTravel.com for future RV show schedules. Visit Camping World When you need something for your RV, big or small, make Camping World your first stop. Click here. RVing Resources. . . Visit the RV Travel Reader Forum to discuss everything to do with RVing with other RVers. RV-Links RVing With Dogs : Got a pooch onboard? You'll love this website. Life On Wheels Investigate a company with the Full Time RVing 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, the Family Motor Coaching Association, and a sponsor of the 2006 Life On Wheels Conferences. We are also darn good people. 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. © Copyright 2007 by RVbookstore.com |
