From the Editor

Last month, I asked subscribers to complete a survey about their favorite sections of the newsletter. Nearly 300 subscribers responded. The results of the survey are as follows (newsletter sections are listed from most popular to least):

1. Touring America
2. RV News
3. Fun Stops USA
4. Gadgets & Gizmos
5. Exploring State Parks
6. Discovering Your Public Lands
7. Camping in City & County Parks
8. RV Dump Stations
9. RV Vacation Planner
10. Legends of America
11. RV University
12. Casino Camping
13. Roundabout Roundup

I would like to thank those of you that responded to the survey -- your input helps me improve the newsletter. Many subscribers commented on how much they like the newsletter and had difficulty in selecting their favorite sections. I must be doing something right!

As always, I'm interested in hearing your comments and suggestions. Feel free to contact me.

Touring America

Illinois

The Shawnee Hills on the Ohio scenic byway in southern Illinois travels alongside the Ohio River between New Liberty and Mitchellsville. The byway is about 70 miles long and follows a series of state highways and county roads through Shawnee National Forest. Camping is available throughout the national forest and at Cave-in-Rock State Park.

Washington

The Mount Baker Highway scenic drive is 35 miles east of Bellingham in northwest Washington. The National Forest Scenic Byway officially begins in Glacier and ends at the summit of Mount Baker. Byway travelers are treated to mountainous scenery as they cross Mount Baker National Forest. There are two Forest Service campgrounds located along the byway: Douglas Fir and Silver Fir.

RV Vacation Planner

by Donna Flanders

Donna is retired from computer programming. After 20 years of computer work, she now devotes her analytical, organizational and research skills to developing vacations for others. She is a list maker and she shares her lists with you at RV Vacation Planner.

Where Am I?

I had a conversation with my grandson when he came to stay overnight in our RV. He said "You know Nana, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I can't remember where I am. Sometimes I am in my own bed, sometimes I am in the living room, or maybe I am sleeping at my friend's house. Then I look around and I remember where I am. Tonight I will be in your RV." I said, "Well, Robert, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I wonder where I am. I look around and I know I am in my RV, but I can't remember where the RV is parked!"

Select this link to read more.

Fun Stops U.S.A.

Tennessee

Spring Hill is a small town in central Tennessee with a population of about 20,000 folks. The town is located just five miles west of Interstate 65 at Exit 53. About a half-dozen historical homes can be seen including the Rippavilla Plantation, built in 1854 by Nathanial Cheairs. Visitors can take guided tours of the plantation or enjoy getting lost in the corn maze. Also in Spring Hill is the huge General Motors Saturn plant.

RV Dump Stations

Here are some recent additions to the RV Dump Stations web site:

Discovering Your Public Lands

Utah

Strawberry Bay Campground lies within Uinta National Forest about 25 miles southeast of Heber, Utah. The campground is situated along the shores of Strawberry Reservoir and has nearly 250 sites, including 26 with full hookups. Camping fees range from $12 for a site without hookups to $22 per night.

RV University

by Mark Polk

Mark Polk is the producer of training videos on how to use and maintain your RV. He is also the author of The RV Book, a personal guide to understanding and enjoying your RV.

Basic RV Safety 101

I recently received an email from someone that was considering purchasing an RV. After explaining their interest in RVing there was one short question. "Are RV's dangerous to own and operate?" After giving this some thought I realized that this one short question covered a very large spectrum. There was no quick or easy response to this question. I responded by saying that in most cases it's not the RV that is dangerous, but the individual that is operating the RV that is dangerous. I gave some examples of unsafe acts that I have witnessed like carrying a full spare LP gas bottle inside the RV, sleeping in the RV with the generator running and never weighing the RV or checking the inflation pressure in the tires.

Select this link to read more.

Exploring State Parks

Louisiana

Lake Bistineau State Park is situated along the shore of Lake Bistineau near Doyline, Louisiana. The park's campground has 67 sites with water and electric hookups for $16 to $18 per night. Golden Age and Golden Access Passport holders will receive a 50 percent discount off camping fees.

North Carolina

Stone Mountain State Park near Roaring Gap, North Carolina, features a granite dome rising some 600 feet above the valley floor. The park's campground has 90 sites for tent campers and RVers. Some site are equipped with water and electric hookups. The daily fee for camping ranges from $15 for non-hookup sites to $20 for sites with hookups. A park map in PDF format can be downloaded by selecting this link.

Gadgets & Gizmos

Garmin Nuvi 350 Personal Travel Assistant

This portable GPS navigator is small enough to fit in your pocket but also comes with suction cups to attach to your vehicle's windshield. It's preloaded with detail street maps of the entire United States and is also equipped with an MP3 player, audio book player, photo viewer, and world travel clock.

Campfire in a Can

Like me, I think most campers enjoy sitting around a campfire spinning stories with friends. Campfire in a Can allows you to have a fire when a campfire ring isn't available. There are two models available, the regular wood-burning one, and a propane-powered unit with natural looking logs. You can learn more by visiting the Campfire in a Can web site.

Legends of America

by Kathy Weiser

Kathy is a personal friend and webmaster of the Legends of America web site. Her site focuses on the history-rich travel destinations of the American West.

Victor, Colorado - The City of Mines

Perched on the side of Battle Mountain at nearly 10,000 feet elevation is Victor, Colorado, a village steeped in history. Filled with vintage buildings and gold mining structures, this semi-ghost town is one of the most preserved mining camps in Colorado.

Before the town was even officially platted in 1893 it had already become known as the City of Mines because the largest and richest gold mines of the Cripple Creek Mining District were located on Battle Mountain just above the camp.

The Cripple Creek gold rush began when cowboy and part-time prospector, Bob Womack, found gold on his cattle ranch in 1890. The ranch, bisected by a small stream called Cripple Creek, would be just the first of many locations in the Cripple Creek Mining District to be filled with rich veins of gold ore. When Womack first found the rich vein, there were less than two dozen people living in the four by six mile long area that would be called home to more than 50,000 people in less than a decade.

Select this link to read more.

Camping in City and County Parks

Florida

Saddle Creek Park is five miles east of Lakeland, Florida, via US 92 or seven miles south of I-4 Exit 38 via FL 33 and N Combee Rd. The county park has sites with water and electric hookups for RVers. The camping fee ranges from $5 to $11 per night.

Illinois

The Riverfront Park in Havana, Illinois, has 12 sites with water and electric hookups for $15 per night. Tent campers are welcome (the fee is $5 per night). The city park is on the Illinois River along N Schrader St, north of US 136.

RV News

Wal-Mart, Edelman Flogged For Blog

A travel blog featuring a couple traveling the country by RV and camping in Wal-Mart parking lots turned out to be a fake, its pro-Wal-Mart message backed by the Edelman PR firm. More...

PR Firm Admits It's Behind Wal-Mart Blogs

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A public relations firm has revealed that it is behind two blogs that previously appeared to be created by independent supporters of Wal-Mart. More...

Up to 400 Stranded at RV Park

POPPET FLAT, Calif. - A wind-whipped wildfire started by an arsonist killed four firefighters Thursday and stranded up to 400 people in an RV park when flames burned to the edge of the only road out, officials said. More...

Roundabout Roundup

American Journeys

American Journeys features over 2,000 pages of free RV travel information covering the subjects RVers want to know -- by state and city.

RV America

RV America features extensive resources for people exploring camping and the RV lifestyle. The site includes RV dealers, manufacturers, suppliers, bulletin boards, chat rooms and free classified ads.

Texas RV Travel

Texas RV Travel is a web site created by an RV Scrapbook member. The webmaster is a native Texan and RVer. Visit her site for a ton of information about RVing in Texas.

New Internet Explorer

Did you know there's a new version of Internet Explorer from Microsoft? Version 7 was released in October and is a big improvement over its predecessor. I've downloaded the new version to experiment with but I personally favor Mozilla's Firefox. If you're an IE user, I would recommend looking at Microsoft's new Internet Explorer.