RV Traveler Email Newsletter #80

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Selecting An RV Home Base
Plan to RV full time? You need this.

RV Traveler #80
October 12, 2003

This issue's email circulation: 56,000 plus

This newsletter brought to you by
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Workamper News

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

It's fall and than means the summer madness is over. With
rare exceptions, finding a campsite in a National or State Park
is easy. For RVers who crave peace and quiet and even
solitude, now is the time to be on the road.

I don't know about you, but I love traveling in the off-
season. I love being camped where there is a lot of
space around me, with no kids darting past on scooters
and no generators humming in the campsite next door.
I love camping in the summer, too, but it's a different
experience.

You may think me odd, but I even like camping in the rain.
I don't like it all the time, but sometimes it's okay, even
magic. Where I live, in the Northwest, it rains a lot in
the fall and winter. There's something very reassuring
about holing up in your little porta-home when outside it's
a soggy, drippy mess. But if it's not too cold, you can open
a window and smell the rain, and if you are lucky, smell
the forest or ocean, too.

I love to camp in the off-season near the seashore in an
Oregon State Park. There, I bundle up, slip on my rain
gear and walk to the beach where it's just me and the
surf and the rain blowing in the wind. If I close my eyes,
I feel the wind slapping raindrops at my face, and I feel
my nose stuffed with the exquisite, utterly hypnotic
aroma of the sea. And at that moment, I feel as fresh and
free as a man can be. I don't feel old or fat or skinny or
handsome or ugly. I just feel myself and the beach and the
ocean. And do you know what that does to me? It's as if
my mind is a blackboard that is suddenly erased, allowing
it to gush with renewed clarity and wonderful thoughts. I
feel a world away from the flotsam and jetsam of our
confused and too-angry world. Who cannot feel peace,
wonder and contentment at such a time?

People who don't understand RVing don't know about
our days on a beach like that. They don't see us
there, because they are not there. Those people . . .
they're behind a desk or they're plopped down on a
sofa wasting their brain in front of a TV or maybe
they're by the indoor pool at a Holiday Inn.

Me? I love being on that beach, either alone or with
someone I love. The heck with crowds, the heck with TV,
the heck with sitting at a desk. I'll stand on that beach and
let my mind run free until my cheeks turn red and my
fingers blue. Then I'll wander back to my mobile abode.
And when I open the door I'm suddenly warm and cozy
and happy to be home.

On my perfect day, I'll broil a dinner of fresh caught
salmon, sip a little wine and listen to music on my iPod.
And after that I'll retire to my lone easy chair with
a good book.

Why do people travel in RVs? That's why.

LAST WEEK'S SURVEY
I asked you to respond to my question about whether you're
a camper or an RVer. A camper, I suggested, was someone
who camps in a traditional way -- in a tent or a small
RV and spends much of his or her time in the outdoors.
An RVer, I suggested, was someone who travels a lot by
RV and probably treats his rig as a home rather than a
shelter during a family vacation. Based on 1200 responses,
the readers of this newsletter said they are:
Campers: 33%
RVers: 67%

This week's survey
REFRIGERATOR ON OR OFF WHILE TRAVELING?
One of the most controversial questions in the RV
community is whether it is okay to drive with the
unit's refrigerator operating on propane. Many RVers
say absolutely not — it's dangerous — yet others
say it's just fine and they do it all the time. What do
you do? Voice your opinion or read the survey results.

EDITOR'S FAVORITE PHOTOS
See a few of my favorite photos from my RV roadtrips.
This week's theme: offbeat toilets.

New in our bookstore
SELECTING AN RV HOME BASE
Learn where to set up a home base for full time RVing. Get
details about taxes, residency requirements and more. From
the editors of Trailer Life and Motorhome.

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

PICK UP AN RV AT ITS FACTORY
You may not have thought about it, but the RV you buy from
a dealer was driven there by someone. Most of the time,
the drivers are responsible, but not always. Here is one
RVer's advice about how to pick up your new RV right
at the factory.

SHOPPING FOR AN RV EXTENDED WARRANTY?
The Good Sam Club's Continued Service Plan covers your coach,
engine, appliances and accessories in your new or used
motorhome, trailer and even tow vehicle! Get an online quote.

AIRSTREAM PHOTOS — HUNDREDS OF THEM
At this website, owners of Airstream trailers send in pictures
of their rigs and other Airstreams. Some photos show the
coach's outside, others the inside. Photos are categorized
by the decade the Airstream was manufactured. You will
never see more Airstream photos in one place than here.

COLUMBUS USED WIND TO EXPLORE. YOU ONLY NEED SUN!
Discover new worlds with Shell/Siemens 110 watt RV solar panel
+ mount @ $497 to 10/15/03, Reg $765. Disconnect generator +
shore power with free clean solar energy. 800-222-0017 or click here.

TWO WOMEN IN 80s, BEST FRIENDS, KEEP ON RVin'
Dot Eshbach and Margaret Saint have been friends for a
long time. And what they love doing in life is hopping in
their Airstream motorhome and hitting the road. Before
heading off, though, they beeline to the beauty shop where
for 25 years they've been getting their hair done on the
same day. Read more.

RV PARKS WITH WI-FI INTERNET ACCESS
New parks added weekly
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearly 10 percent of Americans age 55 and older own an RV.
That's the highest rate among all age groups, according to a
2001 University of Michigan study for the Recreation
Vehicle Industry Association. But the study also shows the
slightly younger baby boomers have become the fastest-
growing RV market and already own more RVs than any
other age group.

ESCAPEE CLUB PARKS TO GO WI-FI
Members of the Escapees RV Club will soon be able to log
on to the Internet via a high speed Wireless Internet (WiFi)
connection at the club's eight Rainbow Parks. The first
location to go online will the Escapees headquarters in
Livingston, Texas. See a list of current RV parks in
the USA that offer WiFi access.

ESSENTIAL READING ABOUT RVing IN ALASKA AND CANADA
Alaska By RV, Western Canada By RV, Eastern Canada By RV:
http://www.RVbookstore.com/howens.html. And don't forget the
2003 ALASKA MILEPOST DIRECTORY. If you are headed to Alaska,
Yukon Territory, BC, Alberta or NW Territories, this 55th edition
guidebook is essential. Get info or order.

PERHAPS THE MOST UNUSUAL RV YOU WILL EVER SEE!
Cast your peepers on this motorhome and behold what surely
must be one of the most bizarre recreational vehicles ever
built, or should we say concocted? It most closely resembles
a Class C motorhome. . . but the cab is . . . well . . . different.
See for yourself.

RV MIRRORS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Don't take your mirrors for granted. They open up a whole
new world to you — what's behind and beside you. And that's
very, very important. But watch out for those blind spots
— ignoring them can cause a heap o' trouble. More.

WOMEN RVers: RVing isn't just for guys. Read more.

HOME VIDEOS HELP NEW RV OWNERS LEARN TO USE THEIR RIGS
RV Education 101 presents home videos on how to operate everything
on an RV. The VHS videos are very useful to anyone new to RVing.
Read more, view a Quicktime video clip, or order at:
Winterizing Your RV
Class A motorhome video
Class C motorhome video
Trailer/5th wheel video
Pop Up Trailer Video

RV WIND DEFLECTORS: THE PROS AND CONS
Are they worth it? Read one man's opinion.

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.

OHIO CAMPERS CAN RESERVE CAMPSITES. . . FOR A PRICE
Campers in Ohio frustrated at being turned away at filled-up
state campgrounds will soon be able to make a reservation, but
it'll cost them a hefty $8 on top of the regular campsite fee.
Currently, campers take their chances that a space will be
available when they arrive.

KING OF THE ROAD BUILDS FIRST CLASS A MOTORHOME
Fifth wheel manufacturer King of the Road has began building
its first-ever Class A motorhome, a diesel-pusher named
Genesis. The price tag: $300,000 or thereabouts.

Best-selling books and videos about RVing

RV BUYERS SURVIVAL GUIDE (Also available as an instant 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!

VIDEO: ROCKY MOUNTAINS BY RV
Visit Yellowstone, Tetons, Glacier and Rocky Mountain Nat. Parks

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION LAKES GUIDE
Learn what to see and do at 250 lakes in the West and Midwest.
Most of these areas have low-cost campgrounds. Only $7.95

ALL ABOUT CLASS A MOTORHOMES
Advice for Class A buyers about rig selection, getting a good deal, and
how to inspect a rig before taking delivery.

The RV Traveler newsletter contains links to sites on the Internet
that are owned and operated by third parties. It is not responsible
for the availability of, or the content located on or through any
such third-party site.

ABOUT THE EDITOR
Chuck Woodbury has been roaming America by RV off and on
for nearly two decades. During that time he published a
quirky travel newspaper about his adventures and was a
member of the stable of writers for the New York Times
Syndicate. Nowadays, he lives near Seattle where he drinks
coffee (required by law) and travels when he can in his
motorhome and sometimes by plane when vast expanses of
ocean are involved.

PRIVACY STATEMENT:
We never sell or share any information about our readers or customers with any outside party.

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