RV Traveler Email Newsletter #21

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RV Traveler #21
July 7, 2002

Please help this newsletter grow by telling your friends about it.

THIS NEWSLETTER IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Beginners Guide to RVing
Free Campgrounds of the West
RV Links
RV Jokes
RV Bookstore

SPONSORS
Camping World
Fantasy RV Tours
RV Traveler's Email
Explorer RV Insurance
Poulsbo RV

THIS ISSUE'S EMAIL CIRCULATION: 20,446

FROM CHUCK WOODBURY
editor, http://www.RVtraveler.com

Dear Reader,
Welcome to the 21st issue of the RV Traveler Newsletter, brought to
you by the websites and sponsors above. And a special welcome to
our many new subscribers!

Like many of you, who are either on vacation right now or headed
out soon I'm about to leave on my summer adventure, this time without
my RV. In a few days, my wife, daughter and I will fly to Eastern
Europe to visit with my wife's relatives in Romania. We'll spend
a few days in Bucharest and then explore the countryside. I'll
likely write later about my trip, although not for this newsletter.
When I do post the story to the Web, I'll provide a link in RV Traveler
if you'd like to read it.

The next issue of RV Traveler is already set to arrive in your
emailbox right on schedule on July 21. I'll be in Transylvania
then, in a far different world than I occupy most of the time at
my home near Seattle or on the road in my motorhome. Because I'll be
out of range of email for awhile (except for an occasional stop at a
cyber cafe when available) there will be no quiz in this issue or next.

Please check out the results of last issue's reader survey where we
asked you if you'd lend your RV to your best friend for a short camping
trip. Very interesting! http://www.NewRVer.com/quizlet.html

Finally, would you please do me a really big favor and forward this
issue of RV Traveler to one of your RVer friends? Just sending it to
ONE PERSON will really help this newsletter grow. Thanks a lot!

Now on with the issue — a wheelbarrow-full of great information.

JOIN THE WORLD'S LARGEST RV CLUB. ONLY $19
Join the GOOD SAM club. Save on camping fees and receive
a free subscription to Highways Magazine! Only $19 a year!
http://www.newrver.com/gs.html

DARKNESS IS A RARE COMMODITY FOR ALASKA CAMPERS
Alaska visitors from the lower 48 states find it a bit unnerving to be
dealing with bright midnight sun this time of year, when ol' sol is
still showing no signs of retiring for the night. Read more at

MAP OF CURRENT FOREST FIRES
Make sure the area where you are headed isn't up in flames.

HOME VIDEOS HELP NEW RV OWNERS LEARN HOW TO USE THEIR RIGS
RV Education 101 presents two videos on how to operate everything
on a motorhome or trailer/fifth wheel. Each VHS video is 75-minutes
long and very useful to anyone new to RVing. Read more or order at
http://www.NewRVer.com/RV101.htm

Pop Up Trailer Video: http://www.newrver.com/popupvideo.html

NEW WAY TO CONNECT TO INTERNET FROM THE ROAD
The July issue of Family Motor Coaching Magazine has an article on a
new way to connect to the Internet by cell phone with a laptop
computer or handheld (PDF) device. Using an Ositech CellFlex PC card,
users can connect at between 9,600 and 19,200 baud from either an
analog or digital signal. If you don't subscribe to Family Motor Coaching,
(do so at http://www.fmca.com), you can read more about the Ositech
system at http://www.ositech.com . RV Companion also ran a
comprehensive article on the system, which can be read at
http://www.ositech.com/Articles/RVCompanion.htm

HALF-PRICE CAMPING AT RV PARKS
Save 50% at more than 700 RV parks:
http://www.newrver.com/happycamper.html

CAMP HOSTS MUST NOW PAY TAX ON "FREE" CAMPSITES
For those of you who work as you travel, here's important news as
reported by Motorhome Magazine. RVers who serve as campground
hosts or trade services for sites at commercial RV parks must now pay
federal and possibly state income tax on the fair market value of those
sites. Self-employment tax must also be paid. More information about this
tax is found in IRS Publication 17 which can be downloaded and read using
the free Adobe Acrobat reader at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p17.pdf

SUBSCRIBE TO THESE RV MAGAZINES. Best prices:
Motorhome, Trailer Life, RV Journal, RV Companion, Gypsy Journal
and Pop Up Times: http://www.NewRVer.com/rvmags.html

SMOOTH IT OUT, FIFTH WHEEL OWNERS
To RVers, there's no such thing as the perfect smooth ride. It can always be
smoother! Read more about how fifth-wheelers may get a smoother ride.
http://www.campingworld.com/pc/rvm/output.cfm?id=122077

RV FINANCING. GET A QUICK QUOTE
Financial Underwriters Network provides exceptional customer service
and exceptional interest rates. Get a quick online quote and caring service.

FREEBIE STAYS NOT ALWAYS RESTFUL
Some RVers occasionally spend a night in their RVs in a Wal-Mart
parking lot. Most stay one night to grab some sleep and then move
on (a few stay much longer. Read what I think of these people
at http://www.FreeCampgrounds.com/slugs.html). But sometimes
staying at such a freebie location can result in a less-than-perfect
sleep. We received this letter a few days ago — similar to other letters
we receive every week:

"We pulled into the Wheatridge, Colorado Wal-Mart at about 5 p.m. and
all seemed to be going well until 11 p.m. when the local police came by
and told us we needed to move. Apparently, it is against the ordinances
of Wheatridge to stay in a parking lot. There was a couple next to us from
Alaska who also had to move."

To see a list of Wal-marts that DO NOT allow free stays, visit
http://www.FreeCampgrounds.com/noparking.html .

"DRIVE" THE ALASKA HIGHWAY BEFORE YOU GO
Three new home videos provide a sneak preview of traveling north of
our border. "RV Alaska" details Bob and Judy Howen's 67-day, 6,700-mile
trip on the Alaska Highway and then in Alaska itself (with a return trip via
the Inland Passage by ferry). Their other videos, "Western Canada By RV"
and "Eastern Canada by RV" are equally entertaining. Read more about
these home videos or order at http://www.RVbookstore.com/howens.html

CAMPSITES: GOING . . . GOING . . . GONE!
At California campgrounds from Yosemite to Big Sur, "No Vacancy" signs
are being hung out this summer in what is turning out to be the biggest
camping season in the state's history. Every one of the 10,000 state park
campsites linked to a reservation service is already booked on weekends.
Eighty percent of them are reserved for weekdays, and the rest are going
fast. Earlier this year, state parks had 7,000 calls in a single day for
campsite reservations.

FREE COLORADO CAMPGROUND DIRECTORY
The free Colorado Directory is available from http://www.colorado-camping.com .
The average full-hookup price of the 8,419 RV sites listed is $22.

BUMPER SNICKER, ETC:
Written on the back of a fifth wheel trailer: "Taking the 5th."
Have you seen a good one? Let us know!
Write Chuck Woodbury outwest@seanet.com

SEE THE 2002 LINEUP OF NATIONAL RV MOTORHOMES AND TOWABLES:
http://www.nationalrv.com/showroom

EXTENDED RV WARRANTIES. GET AN ONLINE QUOTE
Buying an RV? Protect that investment with extended warranty coverage
from Web Direct Warranty. Fast online quotes; coverage for new and used
motorhomes, travel trailers, fifth wheels, slide-In and pop-up campers
at great prices. http://www.webdirectwarranty.com/connect2wdw.asp

HELP RESTORE A GHOST TOWN
Several RVers are wanted to help restore an Arizona ghost town. Yet
to be restored are two miner's cabins, two saloons and two stone
buildings. Other tasks include sorting, cleaning and preparing for display
about 50 boxes of 1880s documents and records as well as landscaping
the grounds. If you'd like to help, you will be furnished with an RV site with
a 30-amp hookup. Five RV spaces are available for RVers who just want
to stop by to see the town of Chloride. For more information email Don
Edmund at edmund@zianet.com .

BEST SELLING BOOKS ABOUT RVing

RV BUYERS SURVIVAL GUIDE (Also available as an ebook)
Buying an RV? You must read this first. Written by an ex-RV
sales manager who reveals all. Read this and save big money!
http://www.NewRVer.com/rvbook.html

NEW: CAMPING WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS
Describes more than 900 campgrounds across the USA managed by the
Corps of Engineers. A fabulous resource! Seniors camp for half-price.
http://www.RVbookstore.com/corps.html

RVers FRIEND
Learn what services truck stops provide RVers, including whether they
allow free overnight stays: http://www.NewRVer.com/rversfriend.html

FREE CAMPGROUNDS OF THE WEST (Also available as an ebook)
2002 edition: How and where to camp in an RV in the West for free.
Includes official campgrounds and "unofficial" places to stay.
http://www.FreeCampgrounds.com/guide.html

DON WRIGHT'S GUIDE TO FREE CAMPGROUNDS
Don Wright's long-awaited 2002 Free Campgrounds Directory is hot off
the press, this time in two editions, Eastern USA and Western USA. Lists all
free and inexpensive campgrounds including those far off the beaten path.
http://www.FreeCampgrounds.com/fcwright.html

BIG RIGS BEST BETS CAMPGROUND DIRECTORY
A directory of campgrounds that accommodate large RVs.
http://www.NewRVer.com/bigrigbook.html

MOTORHOMES MADE EASY, TRAILERS MADE EASY
These two books explain how to use everything on a motorhome
or trailer (or 5th wheel). And what a bargain at only $8.95 each!
http://www.NewRVer.com/easy.html

THE ABCs of RVing (Also available as an ebook)
A primer for new RVers written by Chuck Woodbury. Lots of info!
http://www.NewRVer.com/ABC.html

WASHINGTON BOONDOCKING SPOT NOW OFF LIMITS
A popular "boondocking" spot near Anacortes, Wash., is now off limits to RV
stays because of national security concerns. For years, RVers have
camped for free on beach property on March Point Road near the
Tesoro oil refinery. An oil company spokesperson said the closure
to camping was because of a directive by the U.S. Coast Guard based on
concerns about homeland security.

TRAVEL WRITERS PICK TOP TEN PANORAMIC VIEWS
Looking for some great Kodak moments? Here are ten great places
to snap an eye-popping photo:
http://www.trailerlife.com/output.cfm?ID=120565