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Weekend of March 28, 2009
Most 2009 RV directories now available  Most of the year 2009 annual directories and other annual guides about RVing are now available at RVbookstore.com. These include the 2009 Trailer Life Directory (and the 2009 version on CD-ROM), the Big Rigs Best Bets Campground Directory, 2009 Woodall's RV Buyers Guide, the (Alaska) Milepost, the Next Exit, RVers Friend, the 2009 Guide to Firearm Laws, and the new and improved 2009 Choosing Your RV Home Base. In addition, new editions of the Corps of Engineers Campground Guide and the Casino Camping Guide are also available. You will find information about all the new directories at RVbookstore.com by clicking here.SATURDAY UPDATE: (3:15 p.m., Pacific Time) -- All of our websites, including this one, were offline most of today. We think we have our problems fixed, but if this newsletter suddenly disappears on you, then I guess we've got more work to do (I think we are okay, though!)  Editor's cornerBy Chuck Woodbury Dear reader,  Sometimes all it takes to do a good deed is some imagination and a six-inch Santa Claus.The Santa Claus I am referring to is one I came across in old town Albuquerque years ago at the front door of a tourist shop. It was a toy Santa that ran on batteries. All day long, it rang a tiny bell. Beside the toy Santa was a small wicker basket -- only a few inches across. In it were hundreds of coins -- dimes, quarters, pennies -- people's change. A small hand-written sign read: "The Salvation Army, they really need your help." Inside, I asked the owner of the shop about the toy Santa. Manny Goodman told me that in the six years it stood guard by the door of his Covered Wagon souvenir shop, it had raised more than $34,000 for the Salvation Army. "People ask me why I leave it out there 12 months of the year," he said. "I say, 'Well, the Salvation Army is feeding 'em 12 months of the year. That's why I do it.'" He told me that people never steal from the little Santa, "but they borrow sometimes." One of the reasons I enjoy traveling by RV so much are wonderful little acts of kindness I stumble upon -- the rare moments that make a person feel warm and fuzzy and happy to be alive. In this case, all it took was a tiny Santa and a kind man with imagination. Manny Goodman died in 2004 at age 96.  Diesel cheaper than gasoline?Were my eyes playing tricks on me last week, or did I really see that the price of diesel was lower than the price of regular unleaded gasoline? Here's a photo of the gas station at my neighborhood ConocoPhillips 76 station in Edmonds, Wash. Is this a trend? I don't think so: up the street at the Shell station, the price of diesel was more than 59 cents higher than the unleaded fuel. I admit: I'm confused. I came across this quote this morning (Saturday) by Winnebago founder John K. Hanson: "You can't take sex, booze and weekends away from the American people."  Get the latest RV news headlines at Twitter Keep up with the latest in RV news and information at our new RV Travel headline service at Twitter.com. Plus, you'll be the first to get an alert about each new issue of the weekly RVtravel.com newsletter. Go there now. Other Twitters to follow Julianne Crane, RV Wheel Life RVtravel.com forum moderator Adrienne Kristine RV Wal-Mart: Overnight RV parking news RV Bookstore RV Travel editor Chuck Woodbury  DID YOU MISS last issue? If so, read it here. RV Travel Sunday Chat Please join RVtravel.com's Adrienne Kristine every Sunday at 6 p.m. (Pacific Time) for our weekly chat. Discuss anything to do with RVing. Statistics RVtravel.com Forum Update as of 3/27/09 at 5:30 pm: 9,403 registered members, 25,783 messages. RVtravel.com Alexa ranking: 86,362* *Rank in the world of tens of millions websites. Number of RVtravel.com followers at Twitter: 908  Number of free and inexpensive campgrounds now profiled at FreeCampgrounds.com (as of 3-20-09): 1,746 Get an email alert for upcoming issues of this newsletter. It only takes 20 seconds to sign up. Your email address is never sold or shared with outsiders. No exceptions. READ BACK ISSUES: Click here.  JUST RELEASED FOR 20092009 Trailer Life RV Parks & Campground Navigator CD-ROM America's most popular RV campground directory is now on 2 CD-ROM disks. The user friendly interface provides the ultimate RV travel planning software for the U.S. and Canada. This is the best CD-ROM RV park and campground directory. Retail price: $59.95. Now 38% off -- only $36.99. Learn more or order Navistar coming to the rescue of Monaco? Navistar International Corporation announced Wednesday that it has issued a non-binding letter of intent to purchase certain assets and assume certain liabilities primarily associated with the RV manufacturing business of Monaco Coach Corporation. Monaco filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy relief on March 5. The letter of intent contemplates that Navistar and Monaco will work to sign a definitive asset purchase agreement by mid-April. Navistar produces International brand commercial and military vehicles, MaxxForce brand diesel engines, IC Bus brand school and commercial buses, and Workhorse brand chassis for motorhomes and step vans, and is a private label designer and manufacturer of diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. Read more.
A couple of guys in their twenties hit the road in a motorhome to see the USA. In this two-minute video they introduce themselves and announce their plans. Sounds like fun. RV window shades: finally something better For many years most RV manufacturers have offered two choices for window coverings. Mini-blinds or pleated day-night shades have been installed in a large percentage of both motorhomes and trailers. Both of these choices definitely have their downsides. Now, MCD RV Innovations is bringing a better solution into the RV market. Read more.
 Pull this travel trailer behind a motorcycle or small carRVs don't come much smaller than this one. Its unloaded weight is a mere 265 pounds, making it light enough to pull behind a motorcycle and even the smallest of cars (heck, even behind a tiny horse!) In this eight-minute video, watch this little trailer get "popped" up and down. Gee, this is cute. Florida RV dealer Lazydays struggles to survive As Baby Boomers start to retire, Lazydays RV Center in Seffner, Florida ought to be entering its glory days. Instead, Lazydays, which bills itself as the world's largest recreational vehicle dealer on one site, finds itself scrambling to survive the recession. Read more.  Corps Camping Guide to Corps of Engineers Campgrounds This best-selling guidebook describes more than 600 Corps-managed campgrounds suitable for RVs on nearly 200 lakes around the USA. Haven't camped at a Corps of Engineers' facility? Then you've missed out! Learn more or order
In this theatrical trailer about RVers who stay overnight in Wal-Mart parking lots, you meet a half dozen RVers who tell why they do it. We have seen the full-length documentary film this short clip promotes, and think the best parts of it are right here. If you ever wondered why RVers like to "camp" in Wal-Mart parking lots, you'll get your answer in this two-minute video. Little British motorhome is . . . well, cute! When this tiny motorhome shows up at a campground you can bet it draws attention. It's cute as can be, although its beauty may be in the eye of its beholder. Anyway. . . see a pic and learn more about the now 40-year-old RV.
 2009 Next Exit DirectoryThis should be an essential guide for every road-tripping RVer! Learn what you will find at every Interstate highway exit: gas/diesel fuel, campgrounds, truck stops, casinos, stores, malls, hospitals, factory outlet stores, parks and more. Learn more.
Dear RV Doctor, Can the sensors on a holding tank be removed, cleaned and reinstalled? And how is the best way to do this? --Bob Robinson Read previous RV Doctor columns   Special discount: Save $500!Come along with us on THE OREGON TRAIL Join Tracks as we follow the footsteps of the pioneers who traveled west on the Oregon Trail. See the old wagon ruts. Savor steaks over the campfire. Ride a real Conestoga Wagon! Form friendships you'll treasure forever on this 33-day RV tour from Missouri to Oregon. All arrangements including RV parks by Tracks RV Tours. Click here for your FREE full-color magazine covering this tour and all our others or call 800-351-6053. This Week's Reader Survey Do you owe more on your RV loan than what you could sell your RV for? Answer here. Last week's survey question Past reader surveys and results  2008 Wal-Mart Atlas & FREE Bonus "No Overnight RV Parking" Directory Order the best-selling Wal-Mart Atlas and receive the "No Overnight Parking" Directory for FREE. SAVE $9.90! Most Wal-Mart stores permit a free overnight stay in RVs. The 2008 Wal-Mart Atlas provides driving directions to more than 4,000 Wal-Marts and Sam's Clubs. It lists which stores sell diesel, have pharmacies -- and it provides store GPS coordinates. The "No Park" Directory lists more than 350 stores that DO NOT allow stays! Learn more or order. Recent RV recalls Each month we list the latest recalls of RVs at RV-Recalls.com. Here are the most recent ones: 2009: January/February 2008: December -- November -- October -- September -- August -- July -- June -- May -- April -- March  Essential for Fulltimers!2009 'Choosing Your RV Home Base' For would-be fulltimers, which state to establish an official home base is critical. Picking the wrong state can result in paying thousands of dollars extra each year in taxes or RV registration fees. Don't let that happen! This best selling guidebook is an essential planning tool. Learn more or order.
RV Boondocking Tips  THE guide for Alaska-bound RVers! The 2009 Milepost is THE guide to visiting Alaska This is THE mile-by-mile guidebook for RV or auto travelers headed to Alaska, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. If you only take one guidebook to Alaska, take this! Learn more or order at a discount price.  DVD: RVing Alaska (with Joe and Vicki Kieva) Learn everything you need to know about traveling by RV to and from Alaska via the Alaska Highway and the Alaska ferry. Essential viewing for Alaska-bound RVers. Learn more or order. A Woman's Perspective
With Adrienne Kristine Be patient with bad weather Learn more about RVing as a woman. FMCA: The best club for motorhome owners  If you drive a motorhome you should join the Family Motor Coaching Association, the largest and best club exclusively for motorhome owners. Many benefits including rallies, local chapters and thick monthly magazine. Special new member price of $35. Click here to learn more or join. The RV KitchenJanet Groene's Beef 'n Barley Stew Cookbooks for RVers: Big selection at RVbookstore.com  RVs FOR SALEMotorhomes, Travel Trailers, Fifth Wheels, Truck Campers, Pop ups and much more. See the big selection at NewRVer.com. Click here NEWLY UPDATED  This is one ugly fish!You may have never heard of this beastly looking creature -- an Alligator Gar fish. The prehistoric-looking predators are found most often in Texas. They live as long as 75 years, grow 10-12 feet and weigh up to 250 pounds. The fish are on the menu in restaurants in Texas and Arkansas. Does looking at this fellow make you hungry?
Working on the road
 Looking for a job while you travel?Visit Workamper News
The RVers #1 source for finding jobs about "workamping"
 Photo of the weekWell, maybe not! In the 1990s, RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury explored the back roads of the West for his "on-the-road newspaper" Out West. He says that shortly after spotting this sign for "better than average" builders in Washington state, he came across "Trial and Error Construction" in Montana. "I think I would hire a company with a little more confidence in its work," he wrote in his newspaper.
Learn how to drive a motorhome the right way from RVer/tour bus driver Lorrin Walsh and host Mark Polk. This should be essential viewing for co-pilots and novice RV drivers. And experienced RVers, too! 67 minutes. Save 10% at RVbookstore.com. Learn more or order. 
Uneven towing laws, lack of driver knowledge cause accidents Find out about DVDs and eBooks by RV expert Mark Polk.
 The good ol' days. . .The Gypsy Van motorhome Roland and Mary Conklin of Huntington, N.Y., made house-car travel a family experience. Their bus factory built the Gypsy Van, shown here, and in the summer of 1915 the Conklin family set out to see America. Photo and caption courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution, the Huntington Historical Society (New York), and Home on the Road: The Motor Home in America by Roger White. New laws for 2009.  2009 Guide To The Firearm Laws of the 50 StatesRVers who travel with a firearm may not know that what's legal in their home state may be a felony in another. This guide 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. Check out these RV Travel Forum discussions Follow RVtravel.com forum administrator Adrienne Kristine on Twitter Trouble with toilet paper? Has anyone here had a problem with the prescribed RV degradable toilet paper clogging up their black tank line? Comment. How do I get my hot water heater to run on propane? Still working out all of the bugs with the trailer we bought last fall. This is a 1997 Starcraft Leisure Star. How do I get the hot water heater to run on propane? It works fine on electric, but I haven't figured out how to get it to fire up. I have turned the thermostat and tried to light what I thought may have been a pilot light. Hate to say it since I used to install residential water heaters, but I'm clueless. Problems charging RV house battery I have an 05 F-150 and an 04 TT, and I have been having problems having my TT house battery to charge. It did charge in the past and I did notice on my last 2 trips that it has not. I checked my battery connection and it is very good, and the contacts are clean. I have a 7-pin connection. So can someone tell me if there is a fuse on my charge line and tell me where it may be? Not sure if the fuse if blown or not but I think that would be the 1st place I should check. So can someone tell me where the fuse is on the charge line? Looking for a cheap fridge. How about one from a FEMA trailer? I am still looking for a replacement fridge without spending $1,000+ on repair or new. It was suggested that if I can find out where they are storing some of those thousands of trailers, there might be a fridge to be had for a reasonable price. I know there are some being held in Indiana, and some were sold in Michigan and Ohio as well. I'm gonna call some of those places but if anyone has any thoughts on this, they would be appreciated. Any problems taking a cat to higher altitudes? I'm going to Albuquerque for the Good Sam thingie this year. Albuquerque is high altitude. I have a cat. Anything I should be concerned about? A friend of mine says to not let the cat get too excited. In other words, don't go playing "laser pointer" with kitty. Let kitty kind of acclimate itself. Anyone ever had issues? Ear problems on the pets? Looking for a good campground on Alabama's Gulf Shores We've been to the Pensacola area and enjoyed the beautiful white sand beaches of Santa Rosa and Fort Pickens. My wife would like to try something along Alabama's Gulf Shores . . . Any suggestions for parks or campgrounds along any beautiful, white sand beaches in Alabama? Full hook-ups and close beaches are a top preference.  Flea Market U.S.A.This is the best directory of flea markets and swap meets in the 50 U.S. states. In fact, it's the only one we know of -- a valuable guide for both vendors and shoppers. And for only $6.99. What a steal! Published November 2008. Learn more or order. Interesting Forum  Communicating on the Road: How do you stay in touch with friends, family and business associates while on the road with your RV? Here is a terrific place to share information about cell phones, Internet access, PDA devices, laptop computers, email programs, and anything else related to staying in touch while traveling. Visit the forum.Read other Forum discussions  Best seller!Find Rest Areas, Welcome Centers & more With the new 2008 Interstate Travel Guide you will quickly and easily locate rest areas, welcome centers, scenic turnouts, including a list of Flying J Travel Plaza locations popular with RVers. Learn more. Trivia The first woman to drive In the summer of 1899, Mrs. John Landon got behind the wheel of a 1897 Haynes-Apperson automobile. Mrs. Landon was a stenographer for Elwood Haynes who asked her to drive his car 1.5 miles to the factory after lunch. This prompted Haynes to start advertising that his cars were so safe even a woman could drive them.
 Updated for 2009Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly Casinos This 2009 directory is the best casino guide for RVers. Learn which casinos have RV parks or offer free overnight stays. Plus get tips and information about other casino benefits for RVers. Learn more or order. Random RV Thought In the early days of the automobile industry, before only Ford, GM and Chrysler were left, thousands of companies came and went. Anyone with a tool box and a garage could open a shop. A similar thing occurred in the first half century of the RV industry. Today, just as it happened to auto makers, one by one, the weaker RV makers are closing -- survival of the fittest in action. Best selling Directory of RV services at Truck Stops!
 Get your 2009 RVers FriendThis best-selling directory lists RV services at truck stops with free "camping," dumps, Internet, propane, repair services & more. Truck stops offer more to RVers than ever. Let this best selling book be your guide. Order the 2009 edition now -- just published! Learn more or order. Bill's Hints "Keep your tires "matched." Don't run a new tire next to an old baldy on your duals. Ditto on front tires." --From Motorhomes Made Easy.
Motorhomes on Fire
Tourist Attraction Spotlight
 This house is made of paper!A house made of paper? Yes, there is such a place in a Rockport, Mass. residential neighborhood. It was built in 1922 as a summer home by a man who made paper clips for a living. The house's frame is wood but most of the rest is made with tightly rolled or layered newspaper. Even the furniture is paper, and, incredibly a piano, too! The street leading to the Paper House is not meant for big RVs, but a 20-something-foot motorhome will make it. The Paper House is open every day, spring through fall. Admission is $1.50 for adults and less for kids. Ask for directions locally: the house is easy to miss. Photo: the piano made of rolled paper. The wall behind is varnished newspaper. Do you know of a terrific tourist attraction? Share it with the readers of this newsletter in the RVtravel.com forum.
eBooks: INSTANT READING! 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 instantly in PDF format. Buying an RV the Smart Way I Have A Convection Oven in My RV. Now What? Complete Guide to Dinghy Towing Deep Cycle Battery Care and Maintenance The 3 Primary Systems of an RV: LP Gas, Water & Electricity Trailer Towing, Weights, Hitchwork and Backing RV NEWS HEADLINES: THE LATEST NEWS
Bumper Snicker
 Bargains at RVbookstore.comLow, low prices. Save up to 80% and even more! Worth Pondering "To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides." --David Viscott
READ BACK ISSUES of this newsletter: Click here.  2009 Big Rigs Best Bets Campground Directory If you drive a king-sized RV, this directory is for you. The authors provide details about 1,100 RV parks throughout the USA and six Canadian Provinces that welcome long motorhomes and towable RVs. This should be an essential resource for owners of large RVs. Learn more or order About the editor Chuck Woodbury has explored America by RV for nearly three decades. In the '90s he published a quirky travel newspaper about his adventures and was an "on the road" writer for the New York Times Syndicate. 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. RV Travel staff Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Contributing editors: Russ and Tina De Maris, Jim Twamley. Forum Administrator: Adrienne Kristine. Office Manager: Jody Allcott. Clapper/Loader: Emily Woodbury. 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 just because we said so, or fixing something like 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 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 and the Family Motor Coaching Association. RV Travel is copyright 2009 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, Expanding Universe. If you read this far, then "thanks a bunch!"
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Issue 371 of RV Travel
The 2008-2009 
