May 2005

The RV Education 101 Newsletter

Learning RV's the Easy Way by Video
RV Education 101 is Endorsed by
Sign up here for this free RV newsletter
E-mail this page to a friend!

Issue # 15  In This Issue:

• Quote of the Month
• Editorial by Mark
• Feature Article 
• Tip of the Month
• RV Vet Corner
• Peggi McDonald's RV Nook
• RV Campground Cooking
• Monthly Product Discount
• RV Campgrounds and Attractions **New**
• Classified Ads and Informative RV Links
• Be A Happy Camper
• Subscribe / Unsubscribe Information

Enjoy Soda Without Lugging and Storage Transform water into fresh, fizzy seltzer or soda in seconds with a Soda-Club soda maker. Each compact bottle of concentrated SodaMix is like having 36 cans of soda on board! 25 delicious flavors -- regular, diet and caffeine-free. Regular flavors have much less sugar, carbs and sodium than store bought drinks, and diet flavors are sweetened with Splenda®. No more lugging and storing heavy, bulky bottles and cans of soda on the rig – and no more empties to deal with. Three-year warranty and money-back guarantee. SAVE $30 when you use promotion code: RVED, with your online order. http://www.sodaclubusa.com/referrer.aspre..._0020_0195_0001

---

**Quote of the Month**

And that's the wonderful thing about family travel:  it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.  ~Dave Barry 

Editorial by Mark Back to top.

Hi Everybody,

April turned out to be another busy and exciting month for us. I may have mentioned last month that the RVTV program was renewed by the Outdoor Channel for 26 more episodes. The Outdoor Channel is starting a new high definition (HD) channel and RVTV will be the first RV television program to be filmed in high definition. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb230402.htm 

The RVTV crew came here to film the next 13 RV Savvy segments. Rob Engman and his wife Karla, the show producers have been traveling in their motor home since December of 2004 and came from where they were staying in California. Paul Cruickshank, the camera man and co-owner of Bullet digital flew in from Canada. They spent about a week with us and we had a great time. It was a lot of work, but we managed to get everything done. We are hoping to make a trip to Canada late this summer to film the other 13 segments.

We are also in the middle of a complete re-design of our RV Education 101 web site, DVD covers and advertising literature. We felt like it was time for a new, more up to date look. We are extremely impressed with the new design and think you will be too. Keep an eye out at www.rveducation101.com, it should be finished by late May or early June.

We have given away over 230 free RV related prizes in the RV Lotto game to date. http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/4/emw233298.htm If you haven't taken the time to play yet you're missing out on all the fun and prizes. We designed this site just for RVers and even if you don't win any of the games you still receive a great weekly online RV magazine called the "The Sunday Paper for RV Folks" It's loaded with everything from feature RV articles to ghost stories around the campfire. I do a segment called "RV University's Weekly RV Exam" where you get to test your RV knowledge just for fun. Register now- We invite you to start playing today and start receiving the Sunday Paper for RV Folks.

Hopefully you have taken your RV out of storage, given it a good once over and are planning this years RV trips. We will be taking our RV on a 4,000 mile round trip from 24 May through 10 June so you will be getting next months newsletter from the road. 

Happy Camping,

Mark 

**Feature Article** -

• Strategically park your RV to take advantage of any shade that is available, especially on the side where the refrigerator vent is located. Don't be afraid to ask for a shady site when you check in at the campground. This will not only help cool the RV down, but your refrigerator and roof air conditioner will work much more efficiently.
  
• You can also improve your air conditioner's efficiency by keeping the filters clean. In most cases you can wash the filters in warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly and allow them to dry before reinstalling. Another option is to clean the filters with a small hand-held vacuum cleaner. I recommend you keep a new set on hand in the event the old filters have seen better days.
  
• Use your main awning and any window awnings to assist in cooling the RV down. In addition to the awnings use your window blinds or drapes to help keep the sun out and the cooler air in.
  
• Campground voltage can fluctuate, especially during the summer months when campers are placing a higher demand on campground electricity. You should monitor the voltage coming in to your RV with a digital voltmeter. If voltage drops below 105-volts or goes above 130-volts turn your appliances and electronic equipment off until proper voltage is restored.

**Tip of the Month**  - by Les Doll

Les Doll is a Certified RV Technician and author of "The Dummy's Guide to Buying a Pre-Loved RV" E-book

RV Trailer Weighing

1. Drive the tow vehicle and trailer or fifth wheel onto the scale with all passengers, supplies and equipment as for a typical trip. Take a weight reading as each axle or axle group comes onto the scale.
   1. The first reading will be the load on the tow vehicle front axle.
   2. The second reading is the total tow vehicle weight including the trailer tongue weight.
   3. Subtract the first reading from the second - this gives you the loading on the tow vehicle rear axle.
   4. Drive both the tow vehicle and the trailer onto the scales. This reading is the total combined towing weight.
   5. Subtract the second scale reading from this combined weight - this is the weight carried by the trailer axles

Les is the webmaster of rverscorner.com, the publisher of the RVers Corner Newsletter and founder and administrator of the The True RVer's Forum bulletin board. Les also has authored a continuing series of e-books on RV related subjects that are available for instant download. -Les's E-book details

**RV Vet Corner** by Dr Bloomfield Back to top.

Dr. Bloomfield is on the board of his local humane society in Truckee, Ca and he is their vice president. He also writes a regular column for their newsletter, and helped his wife Jennifer to create the "Emergency First Aid and Travel Kit for Dogs". He and his family are also avid RVers.

Heartworm is a disease of dogs, and a surprisingly large number of other species as well. Cats get heartworm too in some parts of the country. Many species of wild animal also become infected, and because they are unprotected and untreated, they succumb to the disease. We can prevent it in our dogs and cats.

Heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes and must go through the mosquito to be infective. My dog can't give it to your dog but he or she can give it to a mosquito who will nurse it until it is old enough to infect your dog then it will bite your dog and transmit it. The heartworm preventatives we all use work by killing the form the mosquito injects into your dog (or cat, though it doesn't complete the  whole cycle in cats making it harder to diagnose sometimes). It will work within 30 days after a bite, which is why it is so important to be regular with the medication.

Dogs should have an annual heartworm test to make sure that nothing has slipped by. Check with your veterinarian or vets where you will be traveling (through as well as to) to find out if your cat is at risk and if so take preventative with you. Heartworm preventative is given based on the mosquito season. In warmer climates, there is no season and dogs get preventative all year around. Some areas go from spring to early winter and some only give preventatives to dogs and or cats that travel to heartworm areas. For example; this means that you can live in the snow covered mountains of California but if you visit your friends in the lower elevations less than 2 hours away your dog will be at risk though it is still winter where he or she regularly lives. The best source of information for your specific pets will be your local veterinarian. He or she will be familiar with the region they see animals from and will be able to guide you appropriately. Now that it is spring most everywhere, it is important that you start preventative if you have not already. See your vet before you see the first mosquito!!

Canine Companion - "Emergency First Aid and Travel Kit for Dogs"

Everything a dog might need in an emergency whether at home or on the road. The kit contains 42 first-aid, health care, wound care, bandaging, and comfort/safety items; with easy to follow instructions written by Dr. Bloomfield, specifically for each product. RV Education 101 feels this kit is a smart necessity if you are going to travel with your dogs.

** Peggi McDonald's RV Nook** - By Peggi McDonald author of "RV Living in the 21st Century"  Back to top.

Summers coming; its time to reorganize and off-load 'stuff' to make your RV ready for travel. If you haven't used an item in the past year you obviously don't need it. Driving an overloaded RV reduces handling ability and dangerously stresses tires, brakes, axles and everything else on your unit.

When packing your cupboards be sure there is no free space between items.  Instead of lining the complete cupboard with ‘Scootgard’ to stop things from slipping, we cut and place a 6" square under each pile of dishes or other items.  This way if the bottom item sticks to the Scootgard when you pick it up, the entire shelf doesn't become rearranged.

Tips like those above are only a few of the numerous ideas gracing the pages of the comprehensive RV LIVING IN THE 21ST CENTURY. One review stated “Peggi provides the answer before you even thought of the question”. This publication overflows with mega information. It has so much for so little:
"RV Living in the 21st Century" Details

**RV Campground Cooking** By: Pat Watson   Back to top.

Pat and her husband, Francis, live in Holland, Ohio, and love cooking and entertaining their friends and family, especially at KOA campgrounds! Her new cookbook, "Campground Cooking", is a collection of more than 200 fun, easy recipes designed for RV cooking. Pat says all of the recipes can be made using an RV oven, crock-pot, microwave or electric skillet. She even has sections on cooking with foil and recipes for grilling. Many of the recipes can be adapted for cooking over an open fire, and it's great for busy cooks at home.

Now available as an instant e-book! Cookbook details 77 pages

RV Education 101 strongly supports the sale of these Cookbooks. Pat is donating 10 percent of her profits from the book to benefit the KOA Care Camps Trust for kids with cancer. You can find out more about KOA Care Camps here:http://www.koacarecamps.com/

**Monthly Product Discount** - Back to top.

The "RV'ers Notebook" is designed for Windows 98 or higher operating systems. Just load it in your PC or notebook and this one of a kind, easy to use program allows you to keep all of your RV information right at your finger tips. With eleven menus to choose from you can track your maintenance records, expense reports, campground details, weights, and much more. This program supports Class A, B, & C motor homes, 5th wheels and Travel Trailers.  It will keep track of your RV and automobile We cannot say enough about how wonderful this computer notebook is to help you stay organized and make your RV experiences fun, SAFE and stress-free!

Regular price $39.95 discount price $34.95. This offer is good only thru 17 May 2005. To receive your discount follow these instructions:

Please type: newsletter discount in the: Key Code box. We will adjust your total when your order is processed.

Order Now! 

Campgrounds and Attractions - provided by KOA **New** COLORADO KOA camping in Colorado Estes Park A bronze sculpture of an elk-Samson-welcomes visitors to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Take a ranger-led tour to look for these majestic creatures (hear elk bugle in the fall), hike to alpine lakes and waterfalls, and take an amazing car trip over the Continental Divide.

Ouray
Once a silver-mining boomtown, Ouray is a fascinating place to explore. Take a walking tour of the historic downtown (on the National Register of Historic Places), tour old mines and nearby ghost towns, and go 4-wheeling in the San Juan Mountains. Take the scenic route (I-550) from Ouray to Durango through the San Juan National Forest.

**Classified Ads & Informative Links**

When you think of the East Coast you usually think of big cities, but there are many natural areas that have been set aside as well. Our adventure begins in Virginia Beach as we follow the coast south through the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One-third of all the sal*censored*er marshes along the East Coast are located in Georgia. An eco-tour explains how important the marsh is to the creatures that inhabit it, like oysters, crabs, wading birds, and manatees. The Everglades is the place to visit for natural wonders. The national park is one of the most unusual in the country. The East Coast contains many natural wonders that most people are not aware of, come along for the ride! by John Holod Order Now!