NewsUSA) - The time of year is upon us for vacations to hit top gear. And is there any better way to enjoy the sights with your family than cruising the countryside in your recreational vehicle? Over the past decade, RVing has become an enormously popular hobby, with approximately one in 12 U.S. households owning one. Whether it be taking a trip to the Grand Canyon or going on a camping trip to a state park, RVs are building momentum. However, with newer users comes inexperience. So, what are the hazards you should be aware of before making your RV adventure? 
1. Refrigerator fires and propane tanks.
GMAC Insurance receives at least 250 claims per year due to refrigerator fires caused by leaking propane tanks. A rig can burn up in as little as six minutes as a result of leaks in the propane tank system.
Another problem:
Tailgating sports fans wanting to show their support have even painted their tank the teams’ colors. Dark colors more readily absorb the sun’s rays and can cause the tank to overheat and explode.
• How to avoid it?
First, don’t paint your propane tank. Second, have propane tank lines and connections checked by a certified RV dealer each year.
2. Hitting gas station overhangs and bridges.
Forgetting the height and getting lodged under the gas station overhang has ruined more than one vacation.
• How to avoid it?
Create a constant reminder by posting a sticky note with your RV’s height on your dashboard.
3. Forgetting to retract steps and awnings.
Just as some of us forget to take our gas cap off the top of our car, RVers often forget to retract the steps and awnings on their RVs. Open attachments can be torn off the side of an RV, leaving gaping holes.
• How to avoid it?
Use a pre-trip checklist that includes a reminder to retract the awnings and steps.
4. Tire blow-outs. The three major causes of tire blow-outs are: over- or under-inflating tires, old tires wearing out and water tank damage.
• How to avoid it?
Clean your tires and keep them blocked from the sun’s damaging rays whenever possible. Also, check your tire pressure regularly and purchase new tires every seven years, regardless of mileage or visible wear.
5. Animal infestation.
When RVs sit over the winter months, mice and squirrels like to make your RV their home. They chomp through wires and lines, debilitating the entire vehicle.
• How to avoid it?
Start your RV every week to scare the animal guests away. Read More>>

BROAD PASS, Alaska — John McPhee got it right when he wrote that Alaska’s highway system consists of two roads: one from Fairbanks to Anchorage, the other from Anchorage to Fairbanks. When the best-selling Coming Into the Countrywas published 30 years ago, my husband and I were what McPhee called ”urban Alaskans.” I was born in Fairbanks when the state was a territory. Jason grew up in Anchorage. Our roads crossed at the University of Alaska. Then, just as the state began to feel the seismic economic impact of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, we left. Things haven’t changed much. Now we’re speeding along the northern reach of the Continental Divide as we drive up to Fairbanks. We rented a 29-foot Winnebago Chalet motor home in Anchorage three days ago. It’s our first RV trip. We thought it would be a fun way to show the state to our son, Francis, who says his parents make him half-Alaskan, even though he was born in Houston. Most of the state is accessible only by water or air. But even though the highways are limited, Alaska is a spectacular setting for a road trip. Journey along with us as we explore five routes. CHENA HOT SPRINGS RD Where: Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs Length: 56 miles Surface: paved Ah, glorious asphalt. A jaunt to Chena Hot Springs Resort is a fun day trip, one popular with the locals, too. The road passes through the Chena River Recreation District, and you’d have to be driving blindfolded to not see any moose, which are protected here. A car pulled to the side is the first sign someone has seen an animal ahead, and I lose count after a while. We skip our favorite trailheads and go straight to the resort. It’s been spiffed up and expanded since I was a kid. The rotten-egg odor of the indoor pool is gone and the outdoor adults-only lake is peacefully quiet — and hot. I also insist on touring the Aurora Ice Museum, which looks cheesy from the outside but turns out to be totally cool. We meet sculptor Steve Brice, who has created an icy fantasy world that stays on view year-round thanks to a custom cooling system. His work includes full-size knights jousting on horses, an oversize chess set and an ice chandelier. Then, we ”warm” our hands by the ice fire and check out the rooms. Francis is so taken with the bed carved in the shape of a polar bear that he crawls into the winter-grade sleeping bag on it and stays there while the adults have apple martinis at the ice bar. Francis adds a night in the ice hotel to his life list. RV camping is $20 here, but we find a secluded area next to the Chena River. The view is charming, and we have the place to ourselves after a fisherman scurries away (the grayling aren’t biting). We make a driftwood fire and lounge the evening away in what we agree later is one of our favorite spots. STEESE HIGHWAY Where: Fairbanks to Circle Length: 161 miles Surface: One-third paved, two-thirds gravel For the first hour, we drive past relics from the mid-1900s gold rush. Tailings — gravel dredged from stream beds — line the highway. We stop at the Chatanika Lodge and scramble up some to look at a rusted dredge. The drive continues through winding river valleys that were burned in a 2004 wildfire. I miss the green, but my husband finds the stark landscape of charred tree trunks intriguing. Francis is oblivious. He’s reading, somehow immune to the RV’s motion. We stop at Eagle Summit for a hike. The elevation is 3,600 feet, but at this latitude, we’re well above the tree line. The Milepost, the gold standard of Alaska road guides, says this is the best place to see wildflowers on the state highway system. The hills to the north are carpeted in magenta — fireweed, so called because it’s often the first thing that grows after a burn. It’s ubiquitous in Alaska, but I’ve never seen so much of it in one place. Two German backpackers have just finished a three-day trek along the Pinnell Mountain National Trail. We’re going the opposite way, so we give them water and beer instead of a ride. The nice wide gravel road suddenly narrows. Potholes and ridges appear. We try driving down the middle of the road, even on the other side, but it’s so bad, we’re stuck in an 11-mph crawl. If we go any faster, this thing will surely shake apart. We get a 1.5-mile asphalt break in Central, population 113, before we’re back on gravel. We only have 33 miles left, but we’re still going 14 mph, tops. Francis reads out loud from The Milepost. A pair of wild swans and two young floating down Birch Creek on our right lift our spirits. Finally we reach the suburbs of Circle, about a dozen small homes with matching outhouses in yards landscaped with junk that might be useful someday, and drive straight into a bare dirt lot that slopes into the Yukon River. Circle is a transportation hub for the river, but there’s nothing to do here, really. I take pictures; some of these cars have been abandoned since the ’40s and ’50s. Francis sits on a swing in a patch of overgrown grass and complains about the gnats, which are bad for a few hours. Though the sun sets, it doesn’t get dark. It’s so still the quiet rings in my ears. We leave early the next morning, in time to catch a black bear ambling down the road. We stop in Central for $94 worth of gas and at the Chatanika Lodge for lunch. A classic Alaskan roadhouse, it’s decorated in genuine frontier kitsch. Flowers spill from containers out front. Inside is a restaurant, a bar and dance floor, saw blades with hand-painted scenes, fox pelts and a mint-condition 1955 Thunderbird convertible that’s parked in a back room with a full-size Santa, snowman and sleigh. It’s all for sale, except for the sleeping ”guard beagle” that’s so fat it looks more like a doorstop. Lunch is $30; the pelts run $85 to $100. We don’t ask the price of the restaurant and car. PARKS HIGHWAY Length: 362 miles Where: Anchorage to Fairbanks Surface: paved The silvers are here, the woman behind the counter of the Montana Creek general store says. Jason and my brother-in-law John, who lives in Anchorage 96.5 miles to the south, aren’t buying it. She probably just wants us to pay for parking. But the people on the bank where the creek empties into the Susitna River say it’s true. We grab our gear and $145 nonresident fishing licenses (good for two weeks) and join them. The salmon pass right in front of us; we can see them when the sun breaks out from the light, low clouds that obscure the Alaska Range. After landing fish all afternoon, we keep only two silver — or coho — salmon for dinner. Jason and John are so excited, the filets are nearly done on the portable grill before I even start to boil water for the rice. You’d think they’d never caught a fish before. We catch two more silvers the next morning before we leave. Two miles later, we turn onto the 14-mile spur to Talkeetna. The town is the staging area for climbers flying to the Kahiltna Glacier base camp on Mount McKinley, 60 miles to the northwest, and a great place to book a flightseeing tour. At the Fairview Inn we stop for a drink. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding ate here after driving in a golden spike to complete the Alaska Railroad. He died a few days later, rumored to have been poisoned at the inn. We feel fine; maybe the president should have stuck to beer. Another hour’s drive takes us to the Byers Lake Campground in Denali State Park, a less-crowded alternative to the national park a few hours up the road. A man who looks like an overgrown Hobbit strolls into our camp, no doubt attracted by the substantial stream of smoke we have generated. Keeps away the mosquitoes, you know. He conjures a proper blaze in moments. Giles is from Quebec; we chat in broken English and French. He declines a s’more, but accepts a plastic cup of the Veuve Clicquot champagne we’ve opened to celebrate our anniversary. After John and his 6-year-old son turn back to Anchorage in their truck the next morning, Jason, Francis and I hike around the lake and up to a ridge, where we can see Denali peeking through the clouds. Denali National Park, up the road a bit, is utterly magnificent, not to be missed if you’ve never seen it. But we have. So we blow by the entrance. Or try to. Two traffic lights — some things have changed — are both red. We watch an Alaskan Railroad train cling to a mountainside as we wend through the Nenana River canyon. The Alaska Range drops away behind us; we’re now in the Interior. Road construction stops us a few miles from Fairbanks. I’m happy to sit on the guard rail and wait. We’re on a ridge, with broad views of the Tanana River and the Alaska Range off one side, and lowland country off the other. It’s a sunny, dry 70-degree Interior day. Jason and Francis have heard it a million times: I want my ashes scattered here. Read more>>

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - The board that oversees the Cam-plex events center in Gillette plans to extend sewer lines, water and electricity to hundreds of recreational vehicle sites in time for the 2010 National High School Finals Rodeo. Cam-plex last hosted the rodeo in 2005. That year, more than 1,000 people requested full-service campsites with sewer lines, water and electricity.But about 300 of those people had to park their recreational vehicles in spots without sewers. That means they had to get their sewage tanks pumped out.The 2010 National High School Finals Rodeo will be bigger than ever. The high school rodeo association has added three states and now has members in 42 states, five anadian provinces and Australia. Read More>>

FOR some on-the-go second-home owners, maintaining their weekend getaways means checking the tire pressure and maybe changing the oil. Their second homes are recreational vehicles, a category that includes almost anything on wheels that has a bed, from half-million-dollar motor homes to pop-up trailers.There is no yard work, and quarrelsome neighbors can be left in your rear-view mirror. If you can live with the price of fuel, a well-maintained RV can keep you comfortable whether you’re in Death Valley, the Everglades or a Wal-Mart parking lot. Consider Albert and Janet Noller of Saugerties, N.Y. They bought their first RV, a 1994 Fleetwood Bounder, in 1993. In 2006 they bought their fourth, a 2007 Fleetwood Expedition. All have been Class A motor homes — the bus-like behemoths that prowl national parks and Interstates nationwide.The Nollers have taken their RVs as far south as Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, as far north as the Arctic Circle in Alaska on the unpaved “Haul Road” and as far east as Newfoundland. Part of that last trip involved putting the bus on a boat. Even at 7.5 miles to a gallon of diesel fuel (to be fair, that’s with a Jeep Wrangler in tow), the Nollers can go about 650 miles before a refill, thanks to a 90-gallon tank. An 82-gallon water tank and two 50-gallon waste tanks mean they can spend the night almost any place they can park.The Nollers’ experiences illustrate two points about maintaining an RV. Batteries are among the vehicles’ most troublesome components; the Nollers keep their RV’s six batteries charged by keeping the vehicle plugged in when it’s not in use. They keep the electric/propane refrigerator on, too. And, the Nollers avoid most other maintenance problems by replacing their RVs fairly frequently. Their worst problem? Once, a clamp broke on a hose and the hose popped off, stranding them in Pennsylvania. “We had to be towed,” Mr. Noller said.Mark Polk of Fayetteville, N.C., has written “The RV Book” and put together 15 DVDs, all about how to maintain RVs  “I get asked 50 questions a week by e-mail,” he said, adding that the maintenance problems that he hears about most often involve roofs. “The membrane roofs are guaranteed by the manufacturers,” he said, “but it’s the owner’s responsibility to inspect the seals” around vents and other rooftop protrusions. “It’s a case of out of sight, out of mind,” he said, because few owners bother to climb on top and do a proper inspection.Mark White, who owns Mark’s RV Supplies in Albion, N.Y., said he sold a lot of new awnings, mostly to RV owners who damaged their old ones through carelessness or failure to keep them clean. “People neglect to roll up the awnings in high winds or heavy rains, and they’re damaged,” he said. He offers a list of RV maintenance “tech tips” on his Web site.Gary Hosking, an owner of Campers’ Barn, an RV dealer in Kingston, N.Y., said that maintaining the batteries — keeping them charged and the connections clean — is key to a happy RV experience. Next in importance, he said, is maintaining all the roof and window seals. He’s not surprised that leaks develop: after all, he said, “It’s a house moving down the road.”  Read More>>

On the day my husband, John, and I retired, we packed up our rescued mutt, Brindle, and headed south in our second-hand motorhome. It was our first RV trip, and neither of us really understood the workings of this ugly, 22-foot rolling home with a bed over the cab. I wanted to explore and decided we could see the United States when we were too old to drive to more exotic locations. I wanted to see the Panama Canal. When I told John, he thought I meant Panama City, Fla., but I soon set him straight. Setting off from Houston, we unglamorously stopped for our first night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Raymondville, near the border. The only planning I had completed was gathering the documents necessary to take the two of us, the dog and the motorhome through the seven countries of Central America and back. This involved several visits to the consulates in Houston, because none of them provide information by phone. We spent that first evening moving our salt and pepper shakers across a map fixed to the table, plotting our route. Our path would take us through the Guatemalan Highlands, and this was January. We went into Wal-Mart and bought a warm comforter for the bed and a couple of items to augment our tropical wardrobe. It took a few hours of driving in Mexico for it to sink in that this was not the United States. If the mañana way of life had not slowed us down, the speed bumps did. These “topés” announce every village or cluster of homes, whether palm-thatched twig huts or concrete-block houses. We often needed to bring the motorhome to a virtual standstill to clamber over them so as not to disturb our cups and eggs. If we went too fast, the china would leap from behind little guardrails and join the broken unbreakable tumblers in shards on the floor. Children and street vendors waited with friendly smiles at the topés to offer crabs from local waters, necklaces of oranges and mangoes fresh from the trees. We were familiar with Mexico and were anxious to reach Guatemala, so we skirted the Gulf of Mexico and then cut across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and reached Guatemala five days later. As the crow flies, the distance from Guatemala to Panama is about the same as from Houston to El Paso, but there are six international borders to cross. We quickly learned that Central America was not ready for motorhomes. There were only four full-service campsites beyond Mexico. Through discussions with various federales, we determined that there were about 20 motorhomes on the road at any given time in Central America. More than 8.2 million families own RVs in the United States, but very few take them south of Mexico. There were plenty of gas stations along the road, and the local markets made grocery shopping a charming adventure. So the biggest question always was where to stop for the night. As the sun began to lose its strength each day, we would look for a good place to pull over. Although gas stations welcome travelers, offering a safe place to stay overnight, we preferred more interesting locations. One of the main benefits of a motorhome is that, besides having a clean restroom and shower at your disposal, we could stop whenever we wanted a cup of coffee or a nap. Finding overnight places to camp took a little more care. We made a point of asking a local for permission and to learn if the area was safe.  Read More>>

When Liberty Lake real estate agent Julie Anne Young takes potential homebuyers around the Spokane area to see real estate listings, she no longer strays far from her office. As of last month, Young’s “office” is never farther away than the curb. Young and her husband, Joe, both of whom work for Windermere Real Estate/Cornerstone, recently bought a 21-foot recreational vehicle and outfitted it with all the equipment they need to use it as a mobile real estate office. Rather than beds, their Holiday Rambler Augusta Touring Sedan is equipped with a leather couch, barrel chairs, a small table that serves as a desk, and all the electronics you’d expect in an office, from computer to coffeemaker.Young says the mobile office is ideal for serving clients on a busy schedule.“I can meet a client at their office during the lunch hour, and the client can look over the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) listings while we’re driving and decide which ones to look at,” she says.Though Young and her husband sometimes work as a team in real estate sales, she says she’ll be the primary user of the mobile office. Often, her husband will drive the vehicle while she meets with clients in the “office” portion of the RV. When Joe Young isn’t available, she says, she’ll ask a co-worker at the Spokane Valley agency to drive the rig as she works with the clients. Read More>>

More than 20 years ago, Joe and Vicki Kieva traded in their 9-to-5 corporate jobs for life on the road in a recreational vehicle. Living free from the pressures of deadlines and board meetings, the couple has traveled to every state in the U.S. “It’s like having the control over my own life,” Joe Kieva said. This weekend, the Kievas stopped in Raleigh for the 19th annual N.C. RV and Camping Show at the State Fairgrounds. The veteran RVers hosted a seminar, doling out tips and techniques for living and traveling with an RV. This year’s show came on the heels of a study released by the National Academy of Sciences this month that said Americans are forgoing outdoor activities such as camping, fishing and visiting parks for the indoor pleasures of recliners, flat-screen televisions and video games. “People just don’t know what they are sacrificing,” said Katherine Skinner, executive director of the North Carolina chapter of the Nature Conservancy. The conservation group funded the study. But RV experts say just the opposite is the case. The lure of the open road has kept the almost $15 billion industry seeing steady gains despite surging gas prices, which now average close to $3 per gallon in the Triangle. Outdoors in luxury According to a report commissioned by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, the number of households owning RVs is expected to reach 8.5 million by 2010. Close to 400,000 RVs were shipped for sale in 2006, the best annual total in the past 30 years, according to the association. The RV industry hasn’t been affected by the trend toward indoor pursuits because RVs allow people to combine the comforts of home with their love of the outdoors, experts and RVers say. Read More>>

When we think of traveling by RV, one of the first thoughts that come to mind is summer. Although summer is known as one of the most popular times to travel by motor home, it is important to remember that you do not have to limit yourself. In fact, many RV owners travel by motor homes all year round, including in the winter.
As previously stated, winter is a great time to travel by RV. With that being said, there are some dangers associated with doing so. To help ensure that your next winter RV trip is fun, as well as safe, try implementing a few of the helpful safety tips outlined below.
An RV inspection is an important component of safely traveling by RV in the winter. Although it does cost money to get your motor home professionally inspected, there are a number of benefits to doing so. Take all advice, especially where repairs or updates are involved, into consideration. Also, outright ask your mechanic if your RV is safe for winter travel.
Part of the fun associated with RV trips is seeing what you have never seen before. With that being said, during the winter months, you will want to try and stay on roads that you are familiar with. If you must take a new route, be sure to stay on the main roads. Main roads, especially highways and interstates are often much easier to navigate, especially in bad weather.
Speaking of the weather, always get updated weather information when on the road. If you have a satellite television or a television antenna installed on your RV, examine the weather forecast whenever you can. Even if your RV isn´t equipped with a television, there are still other ways that you can stay updated on the weather. One great way involves listening to the radio.
The easiest way to stay safe when traveling by RV in the winter is by keeping a cell phone with you at all times. Cell phones are a must have for any type of travel. Should you run out of gas, run off the road, or face another emergency, you will want to be able to call for help. In fact, did you know that many cell phone providers allow weather updates to be accessed through their phones? In addition to brining a cell phone, be sure to bring a charger as well. Read more>>

Would you like to travel by RV? If you would, you are not alone. Motor homes are increasing in popularity and they are no longer reserved for the retired. Traveling by RV is a great way to reduce travel expenses, as well as spend quality time with close friends and family members. For that reason, there is a good chance that you may be interested in planning an extended RV trip. Although traveling by RV is a great way to travel, there are many individuals who believe that they are unable to do so. This common misconception typically involves those who do not own motor homes. Although there are a number of benefits to owning your own motor home, it is important to know that owning is not your only option. In fact, many individuals, especially beginners and those who only take limited RV trips, often find the best success when dealing with rentals.
If and when you decide to rent an RV, you will find that you have a number of different options. To get the best deal, as well as the motor home that is best for you and your needs, it is important to take the time to familiarize yourself with these options.
For starters, you may find that you have a number of different RV rental companies to choose from. You can easily familiarize yourself with local RV rental companies by performing a standard internet search, using online business directories, or by examining your local phone book. If possible, first research the reputation of local rental companies online. Rating and reviews can give you good insight into the company you are about to do business with.
When looking for a motor home rental company to do business with, it is also important to examine average prices. To quickly compare prices, choose a specific type of RV, such as one that sleeps six. When comparing the rental rates of multiple companies, be sure to stay with that same example. This will give more accurate rental rates to compare.
When looking to rent an RV, you will also find a number of options with rental dates. It is not uncommon for a rental company to have rules and restrictions concerning rental lengths. With that being said, you should be able to find at least one RV rental company that would be willing to accommodate you and your needs. For example, some rental companies will let you rent a motor home for a few as a couple of days, but as long as a month or even longer! Read More>>

Elkhart, Ind. — Damon Motor Coach has announced the company is introducing a new Class C motor home into their product line. The new product is expected to debut this summer. Class C motor homes, sometimes referred to as mini-motorhomes, provide the conveniences of a larger motorhome in a scaled-down version and at a lower price. A Class C is built on an automotive-manufactured van frame with an attached cab section. A new generation of Class C’s manufactured on larger, more durable truck chassis have enjoyed an increased presence in the marketplace in recent years. “We have been totally focused on Class A’s and this focus has enabled us to develop the hot products that our customers want, increase market share and gain momentum despite tough market conditions,” said Bill Fenech, Damon President. “In order to not lose any focus on the Class A’s, we have put together an incredibly talented new team to develop the Class C.” Read More>>