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The RV Doctor
Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor, has answers to your questions about RV maintenance and repair.

Boondocking
Learn where to stay and what to do without utility hookups.

RV Videos
Do you like TV? Do you like RVing? Then check in here for the latest and greatest online videos.

RV Doctor Videos
Learn how to maintain and repair your RV by watching this short, free online videos from Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor.

Fulltime RVer
Articles, information and advice about RVing full-time.

The RV Shrink
Get advice to make your life better, especially as it applies to RVing, from our resident RV psychologist.

RV Arizona: News, information and travel tips for RVers who travel in Arizona.

RV Tech Tips: Our RVtravel.com bloggers provide helpful advice to make your RV and its systems perform better.

RVing California
News, information and travel tips for RVers who travel in California.

RV Short Stops
Learn about great places to visit with your RV.

RV Now with Jim Twamley
A tremendous amount of helpful information about RVs and the RV lifestyle.

Great RV Accessories
Accessories and other goodies for your RV.

The RV Kitchen
Recipes, tips and techniques to help you prepare healthy meals within the confines of a small space.

RVs in the News
"Concentrated RV news." Practical, useful, and breaking news on RV issues.

Motorhomes on Fire: See videos of motorhomes burning -- reminders to keep your RV in good repair to avoid having yours burn, too.

RVing Quartzsite, Arizona
Keep up-to-date with what's happening in the winter snowbird capital.

Weird RVs
If it's an RV and it's weird, wacky or oddly wonderful, you'll find it here.

RVing Florida
If you travel in Florida with an RV, check in here.

Truck Camper news
News, information and advice for owners of truck campers.

Chuck Woodbury's Roadside Journal
Sometimes serious, sometimes silly, Chuck Woodbury has developed a unique style and what the Washington Post once called a "cult following."

RVing Alaska
Keep up with the latest news of interest about RVing in the Last Frontier.

RV Wheel Life
Veteran RV reporter Julianne Crane keeps you up-to-date with news and information about RVing, RVers and the RV lifestyle. Always entertaining!

RV Tech Tips with Mark Polk
A veteran RV technician, gives useful tips and advice.


RV Travel Home 
 
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FREE SHIPPING on RV Books and DVDs
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Why We Need English Teachers
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ARTICLES YOU
MIGHT ENJOY


Should health issues keep you off the RV road?


Shrink wrap your RV this winter season

RVing and food canning: Yes you can

Buying your first  truck camper? Check out the leg room!

How to upgrade your RV's television

Video: RV air conditioner gets sliced off by low bridge

Good idea to replace 12-volt deep cycle batteries with two six-volts?

Free Yourself From A Dribbling RV Shower

Lemon Pledge Good For Wood And The RV Toilet
 
Propane situation could pose danger to some RVers
 
Casino Camping: What's Your Style?
 
Charging Your Fifth Wheel Battery With Your Truck Alternator
 
Portable Clothes Washers--Do They Really Deliver?
 
The Lazy Man's Way to Back up a Trailer
 
RVer asks RV Doctor how to reseal a leak in slide out.

Parking your RV for the winter? Beware of "flat-spotting"

How do full-timers keep "busy?"

Using RV generator at home could pose risks, study shows

Dealing with formaldehyde in a new RV

Quartzsite, Arizona: A boondocker's Nirvana

How to install motorized visors

RV generator seems to run fine, but does not generate power


RV News & Newsletter : RVtravel Newsletter


RV Travel Newsletter: Issue 518


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For Email Newsletters you can trust

Weekend of January 28, 2012

Issue 518 of RV Travel

Learn about RV camping, RV travel, RV news and much more. This newsletter, now in its eleventh year of continuous publication, is funded through sales at
RVbookstore.com and voluntary subscription contributions from our readers.

2012 EDITION
Guide To The Firearm Laws
of the 50 States

HOT OFF THE PRESS! RVers who travel with a firearm may not know that what's legal in their home state may be a felony in another. This 2012 book explains current, specific gun laws for every state. Don't cross a state line with a gun without knowing the laws. Learn more or order.
Editor's corner
With Chuck Woodbury
Follow RVtravel.com on Facebook


The photo is of me in my first motorhome printing black and white photos in my portable darkroom. I snapped the photo in the late '80s with a self-timer, back when I was roaming the rural West as a freelance writer.

I believe I have shown you this picture before. But with Kodak's bankruptcy announcement last week, I got to thinking about my "film" days.

I loved that darkroom. It was cheap with no frills. But it did the job.

With it, I could send my stories, complete with photos, from just about anywhere. I was too impatient to wait until I returned home, and, truth be told, I needed to get paid fast because I was usually on the brink of financial collapse. Besides, printing photos was good entertainment in those days without a TV, and before the Internet was invented. At first, I wrote with a manual typewriter (torture!).

I would typically set up the darkroom once or twice a week, providing I could find a dark campground. All I needed was an electric hookup. Having running water was nice, but not necessary beyond a gallon to mix with the photo chemicals and later for a quick rinse of the prints.

I'd work into the wee hours of the morning, often marveling at how, in the middle of nowhere, I could print photos for newspapers and magazines.
As I worked, I would sip cheap beer, listen to my Walkman, and sing like a giant canary. I remember being very happy. My neighbors would have never guessed what was going on next door.

SOMETIMES AFTER PRINTING for a couple of hours, I'd step outside to stretch. It would be dark and dead silent. I'd glance back at the motorhome, which was pretty in the night with the dim orange glow of the safe light visible through the open door. I would feel great joy knowing I was living my dream of being a writer on the road -- going where I wanted, when I wanted, and choosing my own stories.

These days, I have a laptop computer and an aircard so I can access the Internet. I have a cell phone, TV, iPod and iPad. For entertainment I can watch a DVD, or video chat with friends and family. There's no more darkroom: with my digital camera I can snap a photo and share it with the world in a few minutes. Same with videos.

I love being on the road as much as ever, and I love the new technology. But I miss my darkroom.


If you live in the Northwest, please mark your calendars for Feb. 9 to 12 to visit us at the Seattle RV Show. We'll have a booth and I plan to be there most of the time. Spin our prize wheel to win a book, DVD or other prize including a $400 tire pressure monitoring system. Learn more about the show and print out a discount admission coupon.


Tell your friends about
the RVtravel.com newsletter

Will you do us a big favor and tell your friends about this newsletter? It's free and easy to sign up. The address of this issue is http://RVtravel.com/issue518.shtml. Just copy that address and email it to your RVer friends and urge them to sign up. Or post the info to your Facebook page.

READ BACK ISSUES OF THIS NEWSLETTER: Click here.
kgjEditor comment: We post breaking RV news throughout the week at our RVtravel.com Facebook page. "Like us" at RVtravel.com/facebook

Police are looking for brazen crooks who stole a 32-foot Keystone Bullet travel trailer from the Fair Oaks Campground in York County, Virginia between December 29 and January 1. If you know anything, call the police Crime Line at 888-LOCK U UP.

Flooding of the Chetco River near Brookings, Oregon is higher than in 20 years, say locals. One couple whose rig was parked at the Rivers Edge RV Resort say they had three feet of water inside, requiring new carpeting and a refrigerator.

Volunteers are big in Virginia. The state says in 2010 volunteers put in 256,418 hours of free labor at its 35 parks, worth over a half million dollars. While 2011 numbers are not final yet, 215,000 hours were contributed through September.

Bisbee, Arizona lawmakers may drop the hammer on living in an RV. An amendment to the city code would allow RVs to be used only for temporary occupancy, and with permanent hookups (as opposed to drop cords and hoses). A $25 permit would also be required for temporary use, not as a revenue producer claim city officials, but as a way to run the clock on how long an RV is being lived in.

RV chassis builder, Navistar, lost a bid to force a recall of engines built by its competitors. Navistar wanted the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recall the competition's 2010 diesel engines equipped with technology Navistar says doesn't comply with the Clean Air Act. A U.S. District Court judge told Navistar attorneys they didn't make a sufficient case.

RV wholesale shipments for 2011 totaled 252,300 units, up 4.1 percent from 2010. Towable RV sales were higher while motorhomes were slightly lower. For December, wholesale shipments of all RVs were reported at 16,900 units, 3.6 percent better than November's total but 7.7 percent less than the same month in 2010.

Bungling burglars in Lexington, Kentucky sped away when an RV dealer's security guard caught them in the act. The guard at Northside RV was making rounds near midnight recently when he found RV batteries and generators lying on the ground. The crooks apparently fled through a hole they cut in a chain link fence, and without any loot.

In July, 2010, Alberta, Canada residents Lyle and Marie McCann vanished, last seen when filling up their motorhome outside of Edmonton. Now Canadian police are running down yet another lead, searching for a welder who modified the couple's tow bar for their Hyundai. He is not a suspect but may have helpful information. Visit here if you know anything.

Las Vegas-based LVM Resort has extended its military discount through 2012 to 50 percent for active duty military personnel and 20 percent to veterans.


Camping World's CEO Marcus Lemonis has announced that the company will open 11 new stores in the first quarter of 2012. Among the new locations: Conway, N.H.; Avondale, Ariz.; Spokane, Wash.; Redding, Calif.; St. George, Utah; Asheville, Raleigh and Fayetteville, N.C., and three locations in Florida -- Lake City, Winter Garden and Cocoa Beach.

Find helpful experts
who specialize in RV insurance

Explorer RV Insurance offers you more than just standard RV insurance for your RV including many value-added benefits including total loss replacement, purchase price guarantees, personal effects coverage, awning replacement coverage, towing, and more. Explorer RV Insurance is a full-service agency that has established partnerships with leading carriers bringing you access to a wide range of specialty RV insurance products. Learn more.

More News

UPDATE FROM LAST ISSUE: Missing RVers Bruce and Linda Stewart who we told you about last week have been located.
After friends called to advise them that news reports listed them as missing the Stewarts contacted Roma, Texas police to report they were fine.

A spokesman for the Florida Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds says "the worst is over," for the state's industry. Robert Cornwell told local Sebring, Florida News Sun, "With the economy and political situation the way they are, things are unstable, but better than two years ago, much more positive."

Thor Industries is recalling some of its 2012 Dutchmen Voltage and Rubicon trailers. Wheels on the trailer may not be fully seated and could come loose. While the company will notify owners, if you like you may contact Thor at 937-596-6849. This is one case where we don't recommend you drive 'til the wheels come off.

Campers Inn in Kingston, New Hampshire is now carrying the Palomino truck camper line.

WHSV-TV reports that a bill in the Virginia General Assembly that would have required public campsites to base their fees on private ones, has been dropped.  As is, fees are $15 to $30 cheaper at public campsites, according to WHSV.


For comprehensive RV industry news, visit RVbusiness.com.

Tow it and you won't rack up miles on your odometer!*
Tow this beauty behind your RV! Grand Vitara's generous standard features, such as Navigation and Auto Climate Control, along with its roomier interior, superior towing capacity and warranty protection makes it an exceptional value in its class, which MSN Autos called "A must consider in the SUV market." 0.0% APR, 60 months** Visit our website to learn more.
*with optional Four-Mode 4WD system. **on approved credit.


A solar water heater for an RV?
Is it possible? Wouldn't it be cool to unroll a small rubber collector on the roof of your RV, adhere it to the roof, plumb it into your water heater and have LOTS more hot water, while using less propane and/or electric to heat it? Sound good? Richard Miller, the Wanderman, tells you about the simple system he's designing. Your input is welcome.

New website shows dealer cost on RVs
Before you head out to buy your next RV, you might want to visit this new website that shows both the MSRP of a recreational vehicle as well as how much an RV dealer pays for it. For example, a 2012 Jayco Melbourne 28F Class C motorhome shows an MSRP of $95,111 with a dealer invoice of $71,350. Learn more.

Reduce the risk of "back over" accidents
It's a scary statistic: Each year 18,000 people in the U.S. are injured in accidents while backing up, and another 300 are killed. No doubt the majority of these are mowed down with automobiles and pickups, vehicles that are admittedly easier to see behind than RVs. What can you do to increase the margin of safety when backing up your rig? Find out.


No, you cannot eat this vehicle!
We do not believe this is an RV, but perhaps it will serve as an inspiration to you for a new exterior design for your recreational vehicle. No doubt about it, if you pulled into a campground in this, heads would turn. Take a look.

Dinghy towing guide for 2012 now available from FMCA
Motorhome owners who are considering the purchase of a new vehicle to tow behind their RVs, will find a great resource in the 2012 dinghy towing guide from FMCA. It's available in the January edition of the club's magazine, but also online for free. Learn more and how to get it.

How to go 100% Electric without Propane!
Until now, the standard for heating recreational vehicles of all types has been to use bottled propane (LPG). With the CheapHeat system that's no longer the only option. Now you have a choice to change the central heating system between gas and electric with the flip of a switch. When you choose to run on electric heat rather than gas heat, your coach will be heated by the electricity provided by the RV Park.
Learn more.

This Week's Reader Survey
How is your financial condition compared to a year ago? Answer here.

Last week's question

Do you plan to travel with your RV more, less or about the same in 2012 as in 2011?

Read the survey results.


Past reader surveys and results.


"The Most Comfortable Camping Chair!" -- Chuck Woodbury
Superb back support!
The STRONGBACK folding camping chair was designed to provide back support; other camping chairs don't. Sit just once in a STRONGBACK chair and you'll never sit in a regular camping chair again! And the STRONGBACK is far more comfortable than any other camping chair. RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury is a big fan. Click the video to see his 60-second testimonial. Visit the STRONGBACK website for more information.

Craziness! Motorhome tows car and
pop up trailer with golf cart on bumper
Try backing up this motorhome -- or even driving it down the road. Let's see -- it's got a golf cart on the back bumper, with a Jeep towed behind the motorhome, and a pop up trailer behind the Jeep. This is crazy! Watch a 23-second video. Our advice: Don't try this.

How do you change a tire?
This sounds like a simple question, right? But maybe not when it comes to changing a tire on a recreational vehicle. Have you ever given this much thought? Our RV Tire Safety blogger Roger Marble has. Here are his suggestions.

Arizona sees influx of snowbirds
Arizona RV parks are reporting a snowbird incursion is underway. While some parks say their visitation rates are on a par with this time last year, others say they've seen an increase in RV traffic. Read more.


Big and small portable solar equipment
As we search high and low for new solar equipment and innovations for RVers, we're sometimes surprised by what else pops up on the market. Take GOAL ZERO for instance, an outfit that calls itself, "an innovator of portable solar power systems." (Italics ours). The company is trumpeting two entries to the portable power market, but we're wondering if RVers really need these. Read more.


Are you ready for some football?
Alabama's TOP RATED Gulf Coast luxury RV resorts Bella Terra of Gulf Shores and Lake Osprey RV Country Club have one more big football weekend lined up -- the Super Bowl on Feb. 5. Watch this great game on our giant 10-foot TV screen with friends and other fans. Enjoy great food, fabulous giveaways and hearty competition! Visit Bella Terra's website and Lake Osprey's website for reservations. Book today, spots are filling fast!
RECENTLY UPDATED
Upcoming RV Shows
See the long list of upcoming RV shows for 2012.

FreeCampgrounds.com
More than 2,200 places to stay for free or less than $10 in an RV.

Latest RV Recalls
See them here, along with past recalls.


JUST PUBLISHED!
2012 Trailer Life Campground Directory
The 2012 Trailer Life Directory is the most comprehensive, accurate and reliable source for campground information available, with full descriptions and details for more than 11,700 private and public campgrounds, information on over 900,000 RV sites, RV service centers, LP gas locations, and tourist attractions. Cover price $24.95. Our price only $14.96 -- that's 40% off. Learn more or order.

Idaho proposes sleight-of-hand pass trick to get more money
Idaho's state parks department is taking a new approach to raising money through a pay-for-pass program. Banking on taxpayers desire for a choice, the agency is floating a bill in the state's legislature that will give Idahoans a choice of park passes. More.

Planning to tailgate the Super Bowl?
How about $1,199 for a parking space?
That's what it will cost to park your RV just a short walk from the stadium for some pre-game tailgaiting. But, no worries, we know about a space you can grab for only $499. Now that's more like it, eh? Read more.


Hunters recall near-death experience in home brew truck camper
December marked the 50th anniversary of a tale of survival for two hunters. Dick Lansberry and Bob Wise headed off in the woods on a hunting expedition on December 2, 1961 in a home-build truck camper. The trip turned into a nightmare. Read more.


Latest fuel prices 
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel.
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.34 (on Jan. 27)

Change from week before: Down 3 cents 

Diesel: U.S. $3.84 (on Jan. 23)

Change from week before: Down 1 cent

TIRE FAILURES. . .WHY HAVE THEM WHEN YOU DON'T NEED TO?
Our commercial grade Tire Monitoring System will help ensure you travel safely without tire failure-related peril. Our system is inexpensive, simple to install, and fun to use. The National Transportation Safety Board says commercial grade vehicles need tire monitoring systems even more than passenger cars and trucks. Protect yourself and your loved ones today! Visit Truck System Technologies (TST) to learn more.

RV DoctorAsk the Doctor
The RV Doctor, Gary Bunzer, answers your questions.

New: Just published, Gary's new eBook, The RV Doctor's Technical Guide to RV Electrical Systems. Learn all about your RV's 120-volt electrical system. Order now and be reading a few minutes later.

Securing a table to RV paneling
Dear Gary,
I have read your articles and columns for years and was interested about your discussion of nutserts. Will nutserts work on the inner walls of an RV? Paper covered thin plywood with foam backing. We have a wall mounted folding table that keeps coming loose from the wall. I would like to secure it permanently. I'm wondering if the nutserts would work? --Harold K.

Read Gary's response.

SEE GARY'S VIDEOS at RVdoctorVIDEOS.COM.


5/8
" Locking Tow/Bike Rack Hitch Lock

Reg. $19.99. Now only $3.79
Secure and prevent theft of your bike rack, tow bar, hitch bar or anything else you might have inserted into your hitch receiver with this new 5/8" locking hitch pin. This locking pin has diamond knurled grips on both sides and a rubber storage cap. New easy turnkey lock and unlock design. Limit one per customer at this incredibly low price!
Learn more or order.

The RV Shrink
Mad at hubby for costly "parking overnight" violation
Dear R.V. Shrink:
I am very upset with my husband. We were just fined $150 for illegally parking overnight in a Florida marina parking lot in the middle of nowhere. He says it is partly my fault because I should have seen the sign. I'm 78 years old. I'm just happy if I can see tomorrow. I told him when he decided to spend the night there that it didn't seem right. If it was legal why weren't there several other RVers enjoying this same spectacular view of the Gulf of Mexico. My husband is tighter than a wax doll's ear canal, so he convinced me it was fine. When the officer rousted us in the middle of the night and issued a ticket, he pointed out a sign about the size of a small business card. I think it bordered on entrapment. I would be curious as to how many others have been issued this same fine. . . . I have been giving my husband the hot tongue and cold shoulder for a week for trying to put the blame on me. Do you think I should be mad at him or the Gulf county Florida authorities. --Too Old to be Caught Parking in the Panhandle

Read the Shrink's response
.


"Like" RV Travel on Facebook
Don't wait until Saturday for your next dose of RV Travel. Join us on Facebook for breaking news, valuable RVing information and advice -- some that never appears in this newsletter. Plus contests and quizzes with swell prizes! "Like Us!"

Odds and ends

Great RV Accessories
--Sturdy folding wagon collapses for easy storage.


Southern RVer
--Tennessee touts winter events.

RV Arizona
--Tonto National Forest opens proposed travel management plan for comment.

California RVer
--Slab City. "The last free place in America."
--Southern California RV resort keeps guests busy.
--"Prehistoric dinosaurs" and dragons found in Borrego Valley.

Weird RVs
--Upside down motorhome is new attraction.
--Stickers gone crazy on this motorhome!

Working on the RV road
--South Dakota now accepting applications for summer help.

Florida RVer
--It's "Manatee" viewing time in Florida.
--
Florida state park celebrates 52nd anniversary of its resident hippo.

Internet Specials!
 

Joke of the week
In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.
Headed to Alaska?
Check out these books and DVDs
2011 Milepost Directory

DVD: RVing Alaska with Joe and Vicki Kieva
Traveler's Guide to Alaska Camping
Guide to the Alaska Highway
The World Famous Alaska Highway
DVD: Alaska By RV
More Alaska Books

Boondocking tips
with Bob Difley

Turn off the water heater at night
Campsite etiquette is not only important in campgrounds where your neighbors are within hearing distance of the noise you create, but also when boondocking in crowded places like Quartzsite or at RV rallies. A good neighbor will turn off his water heater at night so it doesn't recycle on and off, annoying nearby campers not accustomed to the sound. It will also save propane.
Relight the water heater in the morning. It only takes about ten minutes to bring the temperature back up. 

Bob Difley is the author of the eBooks Boondocking: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America's Public Lands and the Snowbird Guide to Boondocking in the Southwest Deserts, both available for instant delivery via email at RVbookstore.com.

eBOOKS!
INSTANT READING ABOUT RVing!
With eBooks you don't have to wait to read your book. Just place your order and your eBook will be delivered almost instantly to your email inbox. These eBooks are written by RV experts and delivered in PDF format. Check out the big selection of eBooks at RVbookstore.com. Browse the RVbookstore.com eBook department.

Riddle
You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat? Answer below.
Request your FREE
North to Alaska Travel Guide

Discover what makes driving North to Alaska so legendary. The roads are open and well maintained. Every route offers countless places to stop along the way to fish, hike, view wildlife, stock-up on sundries, dine, shop, camp and relax. This guide offers planning suggestions as to where to go, how to get there, what to see, and what to do. Get your FREE North to Alaska Travel Guide.

Tech Tips from Mark Polk
Why don't some RVs come with a spare tire?
Why don't some RV manufacturers include a spare tire with a new RV? Is it a liability or a cost issue? I've heard both sides of the story, and it usually depends on what type of a RV you're talking about. I have owned three towable RVs and two motorized RVs. Two of the towable RVs came with spare tires, and I ordered a spare tire as an option on our Class C motorhome. But I could not get a spare for our Class A motorhome. Read more.


Learn more about RV repair and maintenance from Mark's books and DVDs, available -- most at a discount -- at RVbookstore.com.

SAVE $40.13 over cover price!
The Ten Minute Tech, Vol. 2 & 3
Both for only $19.77!
Learn more than 1,200 tips and tricks from actual RVers to help you solve everyday RV problems and save money. These should be a must-own for any RVer's library. You'll pick up so many ideas you might just put these volumes at the top of your "most useful" books about RVing. Our supply is limited on both these volumes, so hurry to get this deal! Learn more or order.

Bumper Sticker of the week
My other car is a broom.

Have you seen a funny bumper sticker?
Send it to chuck@rvtravel.com

Looking for a job
while you travel?

Workamper News is the RVers' #1 source for finding jobs about "workamping" for more than 20 years. Find full-time jobs, part-time jobs or volunteer positions. Learn more

The RV Kitchen
Hot 'n Creamy "Crab" Gravy
Serve this rich seafood sauce over baked potatoes, wide noodles, cheese grits or, for a low-calorie base, French-cut green beans.
Get the recipe.

Related article: Wake up your taste buds with the ultimate jalapeno cooker.

Cookbooks for RVers: Big selection at RVbookstore.com.

These DVDs will make you a better RVer
Get these popular DVDs and others at RVbookstore.com
Tow Your 5th Wheel Trailer Like a Pro
Better Business Bureau Guide to Buying an RV
Choosing an RV: A Logical Approach (with Joe & Vicki Kieva)

Do It Yourself RV Care (with the RV Doctor)

Drive Your Motorhome Like a Pro

Guide to Class A Motorhomes

Guide to Class C Motorhomes

Towing Behind Your Motorhome
Guide to Travel Trailers & Fifth Wheels
Guide to Trailer Towing, Weights, Hitch Work & Backing
Guide to Winterizing Your RV

Photo of the week

Fire the bum!
This is terrible! This policeman needs to be fired! Imagine, sleeping on the job? Is that any way to keep crime at bay? What will happen when crooks learn that the coppers are sleepers? Yes, this is terrible! But wait. . . we just learned. . . a "sleeping policeman" is what some countries call "speed bumps." So, never mind. . .

https://rvbookstore.com/shop/images/2/t/1413.jpg Hot off the press!
2012 Next Exit and RVer's Friend
Here are two great guides. The 2012 Next Exit lists services at every U.S. Interstate exit. The RVer's Friend shows services available for RV's at all U.S. and Canadian travel centers (truck stops).  You receive both best sellers, and save $4.00 over purchasing them separately. Learn more or order.

Trivia
The first letter to be sent and delivered by air mail was in 1785, when a letter was sent from England to France by hot air balloon.
Save $4.95 on Wal-Mart guides!
GET THE POCKET GUIDE FOR FREE
Here are two great guides to Wal-Mart stores, the "Wal-Mart Atlas" (Second edition, published 2011) and the "Wherezitat? Locate A Wal-Mart Pocket Guide" (includes stores that DO NOT allow overnight stays). You get the Wherezitat guide for FREE with the purchase of the Atlas, packaged together to save you $4.95 over purchasing separately. Get both guides for only $24.95, a $29.90 value! Learn more or order.
Random RV Thought
Prepare more complicated meals when you have full hookups. It's easy to clean up afterward because you have plenty of water and no worry about holding tank limits. Consider making a double portion and freeze half for a future meal. When boondocking, keep recipes simple; use paper plates which you can burn later to start your campfire.

SPECIALS & CLOSEOUTS!
Save more than 80%
On Books and DVDs at RVbookstore.com
CLICK HERE

Worth Pondering
"Choices are the hinges of destiny." --Edwin Markham



RV Insurance: Specialists in RV insurance. Explorer RV Insurance
RV Warranties: Depend on us: "We really do pay your claim." RVwarranty.com
RV Financing: The original and still best place online to finance your RV. RVfinancing.com

RVs For Sale
: Thousands of RVs for Sale, New, Used by Dealers & Private Sellers. RVzen.com


potogoldWin cash with our Pot of Gold Contest
To participate, click here Monday through Friday.
The cash prize is now $343.00. Each weekday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Pacific time) we publish a randomly selected U.S. Zip Code. If you live there and are the first to tell us, you win the money which increases every day there's no winner. Certain rules apply.
Last week's Zip Codes
: 05461, 07676, 66422, 26278, 06109

Useful information
Advertise in this newsletter. . .
. . . and on our several dozen other websites and blogs. If you have a business or represent one with a product or service aimed at RVers, you should check this out.
Riddle answer: An ear of corn.
Do you have a favorite riddle to share? Send it to chuck@rvtravel.com

About the RVtravel.com editor
Chuck Woodbury has explored America by RV for nearly three decades. In the '90s he published the quirky travel newspaper Out West, and he was an "on the road" writer for the New York Times Syndicate. His RVing adventures have been profiled on ABC News, CNN, NBC's Today Show, and in People Magazine, USA Today and in hundreds of newspapers. Nowadays, he lives near Seattle where he drinks massive amounts of coffee and travels often in his motorhome and sometimes by plane when vast expanses of saltwater would turn his RV into a leaky submarine. He is the host of the Better Business Bureau DVD "Buying a Recreational Vehicle," the definitive guide to purchasing an RV the right way.

Chuck on the radio
Hear Chuck on Rick Steve's travel show on National Public Radio.


RV Travel staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Contributing editor: Russ De Maris. Contributing writers: Julianne Crane, Gary Bunzer, Consuelo Heath, Mark Polk, Bob Difley and Richard Miller. Office Manager: Jody Allcott. Warehouse operations: Eric Brotman. New York City correspondent: Emily Woodbury.

If you enjoy and appreciate this newsletter and would like to help it continue by making a voluntary subscription contribution, we invite you to do so here. It will be appreciated very much.     

Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We're just human! So don't go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. So be sure to check things out. At RVbookstore.com we strive for excellence in all we do. Our customers receive super fast service. 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 and the Family Motor Coach Association. RV Travel is copyright 2012 by RVbookstore.com. Our International Headquarters: RVbookstore.com, 170 W. Dayton Street, Suite 103, Edmonds WA 98020. Write the editor at Chuck(at)RVtravel.com.


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