Visitors to North Dakota have a diverse range of expectations when it comes to their vacation, but one thing everyone agrees on is that there are fewer places on the map where you’ll receive a warmer, friendlier welcome. It’s fitting, then, that “Dakota” is the Sioux word for “friend.”

Starting this one tank trip in Medora, you’ll discover a few interesting tidbits about this area. Founded by a French nobleman in the late 1800s, Medora was a thriving boomtown for many years. A few years later, Theodore Roosevelt arrived on the scene, originally to hunt buffalo. He fell in love with the area and built two cattle ranches within easy range of Medora. As a result, Medora serves as the entrance to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Among the many spectacular features to be found here is the Coal Vein Trail, which takes you through an area where a fire burned for nearly 30 years, thereby giving the rocks an unearthly purple color. A fantastic way to enjoy this area is with a horseback ride down the Maah Daah Hey Trail, which runs nearly 100 miles through the park and connects the north and south sides. This ride offers us a mix of scenery, from rolling grasslands to majestic buttes, and runs parallel to the Missouri River. While in Medora, you can enjoy a tour through the Cowboy Hall of Fame, or maybe you’d like to knock a few golf balls around at the award-winning Bully Pulpit Golf Course. Click on the link below to find North Dakota camping options in Medora.

Drive east on the I-94 for 15 miles until you come to the northbound US-85, which takes you through 66 miles of incredibly attractive scenery before you come to the ranching community of Watford City. Give your legs a good stretch with a walk around the paved trail that envelops the city, then cool down with a trip to the Wild West Water Park, or set up camp by the banks of the Yellowstone River. Get a taste of exploration by heading up the Lewis and Clark Trail, or rent a boat and enjoy a day of fishing on Lake Sakakawea. Anyone who enjoys being outdoors will want to return to Watford City again and again.

Back on the road, cruise east on the ND-23 for 30 miles, then take the southbound ND-22 for 65 miles into the town of Dickinson, home to – among other things – the Dakota Dinosaur Museum. This fascinating facility offers us a rare, up-close look at various prehistoric fossils, several full-size dinosaur displays, and a genuine triceratops skeleton. Another exhibit showcases meteorites, including some that were originally part of Mars, as well as from our own moon.

Sometimes, the journey can be just as interesting as arriving at one’s destination. A good example of this philosophy is the Enchanted Highway, which connects Dickinson with the town of Regent. Leaving Dickinson by way of the eastbound I-94, you’ll come to the exit for the southbound Enchanted Highway in about 10 miles. As you cruise down this unique stretch of road, you’ll be treated to a series of metal sculptures that are the incredible work of one very talented artist. Flocks of geese, gigantic grasshoppers, a 75-foot tall buck jumping over a fence, and even Teddy Roosevelt himself, are among the many displays presented in sculpted metal. There’s nothing quite like it.

As your tour through the land of enchantment comes to an end in Regent, drop in to the sculptor’s office and get a glimpse at what projects are in the works, or pick up a souvenir of this offbeat leg of your trip in the Enchanted Highway gift shop. Then, head west on the ND-21 for 14 miles before angling north on Highway 22, which you’ll stay on for 9 more miles until you reach the city limits of New England. This aptly named town has the charm of a New England village, while possessing a personality and appeal all its own. This is a quiet, peaceful region, where you can pull your rig over and escape into nature, with plenty of hunting and fishing and North Dakota camping opportunities available.

Continuing west for 16 miles on the ND-21 brings you to the northbound US-85, which you’ll take for a little over 20 miles into Belfield. This community is positioned on the banks of the Heart River, which means you’ll find a wealth of outdoor activities to enjoy, such as strolling down the walking trail that runs through town, or hiking up to Belfield Dam.

Medora’s just a short hop away, a mere 15 miles further west on the I-94, but since Belfield is extremely RV-friendly, maybe you’d rather just pull over and go with the local flow for a while on this last one tank trip stop.

See a list of Woodall’s Recommended North Dakota RV Campgrounds.

Though you will receive a notice, if you have a Fleetwood Encounter or Storm or a Coachmen Catalina travel trailer, check with the dealer to see if your unit is affected. You should get this recall fixed immediately. See this release for more information.

Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

reprinted with permission

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it will continue to waive day use and camping fees for active service military personnel and DoD civilians who are on mid- or post-deployment leave from duty involving deployments in support of overseas contingency operations.

The Corps began waiving recreation fees for active service personnel on temporary leave from duty in Iraq in 2003. In August 2008, the Corps expanded the waiver to cover DoD civilians and active service military personnel on mid or post leave from deployments.

“Our intent is to recognize the selfless service of these men and women to our nation and the world,” said Steve Stockton, the Corps director of civil works. “The more than 2,200 Corps-operated recreation sites nationwide provide excellent opportunities to find renewal, solace, and to reconnect with families and friends.”

Active service military personnel and DoD civilians on leave will be required to show identification and leave orders/forms upon arrival to the recreation sites to obtain the waiver. The waiver will also apply to all immediate family members accompanying them on their visit. The waiver will be applied to day use and camping fees.

Fees will be waived on a walk-up and space available basis, as well as for reservations made through the National Recreation Reservation Service call center at 1-877-444-6777. However, fees will not be waived for on-line reservations made through Recreation.gov.

In addition, state, local and other managing entities of recreation areas located on Corps lands are encouraged, but not required, to comply with this waiver of fees in the areas they manage.

The Corps is the nation’s largest federal provider of outdoor recreation, managing more than 400 lake and river projects in 43 states and hosting more than 350 million visitors per year. The Corps estimates that nearly 89 percent of its recreation projects are within 50 miles of metropolitan areas and provide a diverse range of outdoor activities to people of all ages.

For more information, visit www.CorpsLakes.us

SOURCE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers press release

No, it is not a recipe for a new mixed drink.  They are three of the most important items for any camper to have with them – any means those with tents to big motor homes.

I’ll start with the green alcohol.

All RV’s have sewage holding tanks that eventually need to be emptied.  Tent campers often carry porta- potties that also need emptying.  The amount of harmful fecal bacteria present in the effluent is overwhelming.  There is enough stuff in one of those tanks to infect the entire population of my home town and still have some left over.

I am appalled at the number of people I see dumping their sewage tanks with bare hands and no apparent method of disinfecting themselves.  Some use heavy canvas work gloves or rubber gloves.  But, unless they are disinfected all they do is spread the bacteria to their container and even the person using them. Disposable vinyl or latex gloves should always be used.  Disinfecting is also necessary, but many campers ignore this important step because they do not know what to use.

Years ago I used a solution of bleach and water mixed together in a spray bottle as a disinfectant.  But, if any bleach happened to get on my clothes they were ruined.  I also found the smell unpleasant and it was not good for my skin.   I switched to Lysol in an aerosol can, but it could get kinda expensive.  Then, one day when I had to take Oscar to the veterinarian, I was introduced to wintergreen isopropyl alcohol as a disinfectant.

The Vet used it in the bottle it came in and just screwed on a spray top.  After one animal was examined, they would spray down the tables with the green alcohol and then wipe them off with a paper towel.  I thought this was a great idea!  Wintergreen 70% isopropyl alcohol is available at Wal-Mart for about a buck and a half a bottle.  The wintergreen has a nice scent.  Once I have dumped my holding tanks,  I spray down my gloves, peel them off into a trash can and then spray down my hands with enough alcohol to disinfect the spray bottle handle as well.  Next I spray all the dump levers and caps.  Lastly, I spray down the soles of my shoes before climbing into our truck.  An application of a little hand lotion once in the truck helps to prevent any dryness the alcohol may cause on my hands.

For tent campers green alcohol is great for spraying down your hands after using a porta-potty. You can recycle or purchase small spray bottles that hold a couple of ounces and fit in your pocket.  These small bottles of green alcohol are beneficial as a disinfectant for public porta-jons or restrooms.  If you check the ingredients of a small hand sanitizer bottle you will discover that it is isopropyl alcohol.  Buying it in a pint bottle is much less expensive.  It is great stuff and no camper should be without it!

Duct Tape was first used in WWII as a sealing tape for ammo boxes.

Silver duct tape is also called Hurricane Tape, Racer Tape and now Camper Tape

At the time it was called Duck Tape (as in quack-quack).  Truthfully, it is not a good tape for sealing heating or air conditioning ducts.  Its adhesive is a natural rubber compound that dries out and releases its adhesion after a few months.  But, for temporary or emergency repairs to a RV or tent it is unsurpassed by other tapes.

I keep a big roll of 3M duct tape in the RV all the time.  Rarely do we set up camp that I do not use duct tape for something.  There are many other brands of quality duct tape such as Scotch, Duck and Nashua.  Unfortunately, some brands are of inferior grade.  Sticking with a brand you know is good is the best way to go – it does not have to be 3M if you know the quality of the brand.  Another brand of duct tape that has recently come on the market is Gorilla Tape.  It is thicker than regular duct tape and its adhesive is awesome.

Pop-Up Camper with canvas/vinyl material completely recovered with silver duct tape.

I have used duct tape to fix torn awnings, rips in rubber roofs, torn aluminum camper siding, rips in  tents, lawn chair repairs, tarp tabs, leaking pipes and hoses, and I have even twisted it into a rope for tying items down.  I have friends that have used it to hold in broken

Director's Chair completely recovered with silver duct tape - a new life for camping furniture!

windows, hold a compartment door closed that had a broken latch, seal where gaskets are missing around slide-outs, repair a broken fender on a golf cart, patch a leaking air mattress and even patch a crack in a camper grey water holding tank.

I have seen wallets, jackets, pants, boats, tents, door mats, and drinking cups made entirely of duct tape.
I used a piece of duct tape today to make a tie to hold one of my tomato plants to a post.  Without a doubt is it the most useful tape a camper can have with him.  The only downside is that one must understand that the tape is a temporary repair.  While it is extremely strong, has a really sticky adhesive and is somewhat water proof, it will deteriorate when exposed to the elements and the adhesive will dry out and release over a period of several months.

Now, duct tape is being used as a “fix” for a reception problem on the new Apple Iphone 4– who would have ever thought……… ?

The TV show Myth Busters recently did two episodes on duct tape that included putting a car back together that Carrie totally cut apart, making a black powder cannon from the stuff and even a suspension bridge that Jamie and Adam walked across.  In summary, don’t leave home without at least one roll of duct tape.  The stuff is amazing and its use is only limited by your imagination.

Last but definitely not least is WD-40

This amazing liquid in an aerosol container can make anything you have not secured with duct tape move.  I have used it on my camper’s screw jacks, as a fire starting fluid, to clean chewing gum off of the carpet, as a cleaner for bugs splattered all over the front of the camper, waterproofing for shoes, a cleaner to remove road tar from both the truck and camper.  It is useful as a cleaner and rust preventer for tools that are exposed to salt air or high humidity.  It also works well to remove the gooey residue left after removing duct tape from a smooth surface.  Having spent the past two weeks at the ocean-front I have used up a full can on my golf cart, lawn furniture, beach umbrella, tools, beach cart wheels and even the snap on Oscar’s leash which filled with sand and salt water.  A light spray on the polished aluminum wheels of our truck that is wiped down with paper towels leaves a clean, shiny surface that easily repels brake dust and road grime.  It is great for removing paint, grease and dirt from your hands.

I remember my grandfather polishing his big black DeSoto sedan with a can of kerosene and a rag.  The kerosene would leave a brilliant shine, remove dirt and make it easier to get the next round of tar and bugs off of the paint.  Today, WD-40 has replaced kerosene as the preferred petroleum based polish and cleaner for the fiberglass front cap on many trailers and can make sun aged plastic parts look new again.  It also helps to preserve and protect these parts.  WD-40 should NOT be used on your rubber camper roof.

You can scroll through a list of other uses for WD-40 by downloading the PDF at

http://www.wd40.com/files/pdf/wd-40_2042538679.pdf ^[6]

When combined as a three-pack, green alcohol, duct tape and WD-40 are indispensable items for any camper.

You’ll find a coffee shop on virtually every corner, and there’s always a poetry reading or live music going on somewhere. Take a walk through Stanley Park, which sprawls over several acres and allows you to lose yourself among the trees as you follow the winding trails. Be on the lookout for the dark brown ground squirrels, which are only too happy to block your way and demand food for allowing you to pass through their turf.

The aquarium at Stanley Park features many exhibits of fresh and salt water fish, some of which are rare or endangered. Traverse further through the park and you’ll find yourself transported to the Amazon rain forest and will come face-to-face with several types of wildlife from that region, including the dreaded anaconda.

Up in North Vancouver, you can traverse the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which is touted as being the number one tourist attraction in Vancouver. The swaying boards take you across a 200-foot chasm that provides you with a world-class view, and the surrounding park is filled with restaurants, shops, and activities guaranteed to make this an experience to remember.

What makes this area great for one tank trips and vacations is that you’ve got every type of terrain available to you within a short driving distance. Beaches, snow-covered mountains, marshland, even desert, are all easily accessible, and waiting for your exploration at this South British Columbia camping destination.

Heading north out of Vancouver via the PR-1A, take it for 12 miles until you come to the PR-1. Along the way, you’ll see signs for the Sea to Sky Highway, which runs alongside a steep fjord that offers up unparalleled views between the West Vancouver and Squamish areas. Take the PR-1 for 7 miles, then head north on the PR-99 for just under 30 miles until you pull into the Squamish/Britannia Beach area. This area is considered to be the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada, with more opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, or watching wildlife than just about any other part of the province. In the fall, avian enthusiasts from all around gather to get lingering looks at the rarely-sighted bald eagles, which return to Squamish every year and make it their winter home. In nearby Britannia Beach, the BC Museum of Mining provides a change of pace, and gives visitors a comprehensive look at the mining operations at work in the Vancouver area, dating back to the earliest prospecting days.

Take a drive through 40 miles of breathtaking greenery via the PR-99 and before you know it you’ll find yourself in Whistler, site of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Walk in the steps of some of the world’s greatest athletes and try your luck with the downhill ski courses, or maybe just sip a hot toddy by a warm fire in any one of the numerous ski lodges in the area. In the summertime, you’ll have your pick of such fair weather activities as golf, tennis, canoeing and kayaking, rock climbing, and renting an ATV for some off-road adventure. Go whitewater rafting down the Elaho-Squamish River, or ride the gondolas to the top of a 6,000 foot mountain peak and work up an appetite by hiking back down. Add to this a myriad of shopping and fine dining opportunities, and you’ll see why Whistler is considered one of the most treasured jewels in British Columbia’s crown of tourist destinations and the perfect spot for ending South BC one tank trips when possible.

When you experience this area for yourself, you’ll see that British Columbia camping blends elegance and ruggedness, relaxation and adventure, like no other area in the world can.

Jerry and Cynthia Winegard, members of Providence Baptist

Jerry and Cynthia Winegard, RV Outreach

“Well at least until the Lord says, ‘Don’t do it anymore,’” Jerry Winegard told The Alabama Baptist. “But He has just given me a testimony that really has an impact on people when they hear it. But I never knew who I’d be able to share that testimony with other than people in the area where I live.”

On Feb. 3, 1990, a robber shot Winegard twice in the chest. He was 26. The bullets crushed his spinal cord. Medically speaking, he was dead for seven minutes but lived to tell about it. Recently he’s wanted to tell a lot more people about it.

“I’m not a rich person by any means with the means to travel around in order to do that, so over the years, I said, ‘Lord, if that’s what you want me to do, you’re going to have to make it happen,’” Winegard said.

God soon obliged him in the form of a 19-foot 2008 Palomino Gazelle travel trailer. And that’s all it took to get RV Outreach off the ground and on the road.

On May 30, the husband and wife team began pursuing the RV park and campground ministry full time, an idea Providence Baptist Pastor Allen Foster said was born through months of prayer.

“Jerry and I have probably been praying over this thing for a year and a half now or longer,” Foster said. “It’s just something he felt the Lord wanted them to do and they’re suited for it. They’ve got wonderful personalities and they’re grounded in their faith and organized down to every little dime they’re going to spend as far as the things they’re doing, especially with the kids.”

Reaching out to the kids of America’s campground-vacationing families with crafts, gospel tracts, Bible studies and scavenger hunts, one of the items on the list is a Bible, is one of the ministry’s main avenues of witness.

“It’s easy to connect with the kids, and then once you get them involved in something, then you can talk to the parents,” Winegard said.

The first stops on the couple’s itinerary include campgrounds in Georgia and North Carolina.

Cynthia Winegard knows that not all the people they’ll have an opportunity to minister to will be at the campgrounds for fun.

“The very first time we took out our camper was on a short trip to Oak Mountain (State Park in Pelham), and our granddaughter was with us, and while we were in the campground, we actually encountered a family living in their car and with a two-man tent,” she said. “We didn’t come prepared to give anybody anything, but we had bought the items to make s’mores. We did that and those little children were so excited. To me, that just confirmed the work we’re planning on doing.”

The Winegards are documenting their travels in a blog on their website, www.rvoutreach.org. Also follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/rvoutreach.

Motorhomes and towable RVs were damaged in a campground at the popular Albert Pike Recreation Area near Caddo Gap., Ark., during a flashflood early Friday. Seventeen people were reported dead Saturday and dozens of others were missing.

The pre-dawn Friday surge along the Caddo and Little Missouri rivers caught sleeping campers in and around the Albert Pike Recreation Area by surprise, leaving them little time to try to scramble in the darkness to higher ground and safety. The last person found alive was rescued late Friday morning.

Arkansas State Police Capt. Mike Fletcher said there were about two dozen people still unaccounted for as of Saturday morning — a number far lower than some had feared. By one estimate, there were some 300 people in and around the campground when the floods swept through, and a call center fielded inquiries about 73 people who hadn’t been accounted for as of Friday night.

Fletcher said authorities had identified 16 of the 17 bodies found, but that they wouldn’t be identified publicly until their families had been notified. There were children among the dead.

The search was expected to take several more days, or even weeks, and anguished family members of the missing who gathered at a church in nearby Lodi on Saturday could only wait helplessly for word of loved ones. Some cried and embraced one another, and some held their head in their hands.

Graig Cowart, the pastor of the Pilgrim Rest Landmark Missionary Baptist Church, said there were 24 people still unaccounted for Saturday morning, and that their families were worried sick.

“They’re just devastated. The time for shock has probably gone and now it’s just anxiety building. They’re beginning to fear the worst,” Cowart said.

Cell phone service and visibility from the air in the heavily wooded area are very poor, hampering search efforts. Portable cell towers were dispatched to the area in the hope that stranded survivors would be able to call for help.

Crews on horseback and ATV returned to the craggy Ouachita mountains to look for possible survivors, as searchers in kayaks and canoes explored the tangled brush along the river banks for bodies.

Debris hung from tree branches 25 feet above the bend in the Little Missouri River that the camping area straddles, and rock climbers searched the valley’s steep and craggy terrain. It would be difficult for someone to signal for help because of the rugged and remote nature of the area being searched, some 75 miles west of Little Rock.

Floodwaters rose as swiftly as 8 feet per hour, pouring through the remote valley with such force that it peeled asphalt from roads and bark off trees. Cabins dotting the river banks were severely damaged. Mobile homes and recretion vehicles lay on their sides. Some described the quick rise of the water as a tsunami in a valley.

Tabitha Clarke, a National Weather Service hydrologist in Little Rock, said Saturday that the wall of water that swept through the campground could have been higher than the 23.4 feet reported Friday because the valley in that area is so narrow. The nearest river gauge, some 4.5 miles downstream, showed a 20 1/2-foot rise in a four-hour period early Friday.

“It would have been even worse where they were,” Clarke said.

Authorities prepared for a long search effort and said bodies may have been washed away. The last body found Friday night — the 16th confirmed dead — was found some 8 miles downstream from the campground.

“This is not a one- or two-day thing,” said Gary Fox, a retired emergency medical technician who was helping identify the dead and compile lists of those who were unaccounted for. “This is going to be a week or two- or three-week recovery.”

The rolling floodwaters would have sucked debris — including bodies — under the surface of the Little Missouri River and could have pinned people beneath rocks and trees that line the banks of the normally docile stream, Clarke said.

Brigette Williams, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Little Rock, estimated that up to 300 people were in the area when the floods swept through.

Forecasters had warned of the approaching danger in the area during the night, but campers could easily have missed those advisories because the area is isolated.

Denise Gaines said she was startled awake in her riverfront cabin by a noise that sounded like fluttering wings. She saw water rushing under the cabin door.

“I thought it must have been an angel that woke me up,” she said. She woke up the six others in her cabin and started packing her things.

Gaines, who lives in Baton Rouge, La., had been through violent weather before with Hurricane Gustav.

“We could feel the cabin shaking,” said her fiance, Adam Fontenot.

After the cabin filled with chest-deep water, the group clung to a tree and each other outside for more than an hour. Then the water dropped quickly, several feet in just a few minutes.

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A number of would-be RVers have asked about medical transcription, one of the options mentioned in the article. My advice would be to get the training and get started before hitting the road, if possible. If you are already established with an agency or a practice, it is much easier to then continue it while traveling. One thing noted by one RVer medical transcriptionist is that there are a couple of different specialties and that some companies are going to voice-recognition software where they don’t pay as much. The agency mentioned in the AARP article is one other RVers have used and are happy with.

You would need a good Internet connection. If you primarily move from one RV park to another for extended times, you could get a phone line. Internet satellite would work if you are not blocked by trees. The business plan, though more expensive, might work better if you’ll be online quite a bit. An Aircard can work well too, in many areas. With both the satellite Internet and Aircard, you’d need to be sure you did not exceed your allotted bandwidth. And, no matter what the connection you usually rely on, sometimes it does not work. Have a Plan B! If you work for an agency, they might be willing to be flexible and not give you assignments when you are traveling and have an iffy connection. Having established a good relationship before RVing could be helpful here.

The advantage to this kind of work is that, assuming you have an Internet connection, you can work from most anywhere. Some costs would be deductible since you are an independent contractor or self employed. Working at home AND on the road is a nice way to earn money!

Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

reprinted with permission

Image added by RvchurchesUSA

If your RVing plans include travel to anywhere in the U.S. southeast, Atlantic coastal states and provinces, or Gulf of Mexico states, you need to know a little bit about hurricanes.

First, hurricanes are big, really really big. The average hurricane is 200-400 miles across. Big ones will be 550-plus miles.

Second, they don’t occur suddenly, like in the movies. It takes days and weeks for hurricanes to build from tropical depression, to tropical storm, and finally to hurricane. There is plenty of warning before a hurricane hits.

Third, hurricanes don’t travel very fast. They average 10-20 miles an hour, though on rare occasions they can move along as fast as 70 mph or creep along at two or three.

Fourth, hurricanes don’t travel in straight lines. They take curving paths, often looping and backtracking and zig-zagging.

Fifth, hurricanes can have tremendous amounts of rain or very little.

Sixth, hurricanes have an eye, the centre of the storm. The eye can be from five to 120 miles across with most being 20-40. In the eye it can be eerily calm with clear skies, fooling people into thinking the storm is over, causing them to come outside to see the damage. However, once the eye passes over, there is the other half of the storm still left to endure, with sudden ferocious winds coming from the opposite direction.

Seventh, the worst winds tend to be in the northeast quadrant of the storm.

Eight, the sustained winds of a hurricane (74 to over 190 mph) are bad and cause a lot of damage. However, hurricanes tend to spawn many tornadoes which cause much of the damage.

Ninth, flying debris can be a bigger hazard than the wind itself.

Tenth, hurricanes are tropical but are not restricted to tropical areas, the coast, or the summer. Some of the worst and most damaging hurricanes have hit in the Carolinas and northward in September. August and September are the months with the most hurricanes.

What should you do if a hurricane is headed your way? Don’t risk it. Evacuate -and do so early. Because hurricanes are so large and their path of travel is so variable, it will take time, maybe days, to drive your way out of danger.

If you wait too long before evacuating it’s likely you will get caught in a major traffic snarl along with all the other late evacuees, and you may not reach safety before the rain and winds of the hurricane or its outer bands reach you.

You may run out of fuel. There will likely be fuel shortages (because everybody is buying and stockpiling fuel) and you may not be able to buy fuel to complete your evacuation. If you must stay put, get prepared.

- Get as much water as you can -fill bottles, tubs, tanks, buckets, anything you can find with water.

- Have plenty of nonperishable food and food that doesn’t have to be cooked, heated, prepared or refrigerated.

- Have a good supply of drinks and juices.

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Coast to Coast Resorts, the industry leader in bringing RV enthusiasts access to some of the finest “members-only” outdoor resorts in the country, and Winnebago Industries Inc. today (June 1) announced the “3 for Free” promotion for new Winnebago Industries motorhome owners and Winnebago-Itasca Travelers (WIT) Club members.

The promotion entitles new owners and WIT Club members to a free three-day, two-night stay at one of more than 50 of the top Coast to Coast outdoor resorts across the U.S. and Canada, according to a news release.

The offer is available to anyone who purchases a new Winnebago Industries motorhome on or after Jan. 1, 2010, as well as new and existing WIT Club members. To be eligible, participants must attend a 90-minute presentation/tour on Coast to Coast membership at the campground.

In addition to the free three-day, two-night stay, participants qualify for exclusive credits and discounts. Guests who join Coast to Coast will receive a $500 discount on their membership, while those who decline membership will be offered a $500 camping credit at the resort where they stayed.

Participants in the promotion will experience the type of luxurious facilities offered by Coast to Coast’s resorts at locations that stretch from the wilderness of Washington’s Cascade Mountains to the Orlando, Fla. area. The resorts contain a range of high-quality amenities for vacationers of all ages, such as swimming pools, clubhouses, boating and countless fun planned activities for adults and children alike.

“Coast to Coast has a long history of providing excellent value on outstanding resorts across the country,” said Bruce Hoster, president of Coast to Coast Resorts. “By partnering with Winnebago Industries, we’re able to show the benefits of Coast to Coast membership to a whole new world of new and existing motor home owners. We look forward to welcoming Winnebago Industries motor home owners and WIT Club members at our resorts and anticipate that many of them will choose to become members of Coast to Coast following their stays.”

“Winnebago Industries offers a wide variety of motor home products with high quality expectations and the finest in luxury comfort available to RV owners,” said Chad Reece, director of marketing for Winnebago Industries Inc. “Therefore, it’s natural that we are partnering with Coast to Coast, whose resorts offer an equally high level of amenities and activities. We are sure that the combination of a Winnebago Industries motor home and a five-star outdoor resort will provide the perfect vacation getaway.”

A Coast to Coast membership makes it easy to travel safely and comfortably throughout North America, with hundreds of affiliated RV resorts in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Member benefits include a subscription to Coast to Coast Magazine and a number of travel services, with additional advantages that include cabin and condo rentals, trip routing and dining and leisure discounts. Coast to Coast offers RV Tripsetter, an online and phone reservation system, which provides a simple way to reserve a space.

Coast to Coast was established in 1972 and is owned by and affiliated with Affinity Group Inc. (AGI), the nation’s largest provider of outdoor clubs, services, media and events that service the safety, security, comfort and convenience needs of the North American recreation vehicle and outdoor enthusiast market. AGI is the parent company of RVBUSINESS.com.

Existing members of Coast to Coast are ineligible to participate in the “3 for Free” promotion. Other restrictions may apply. To participate, visit www.experiencectc.com/3forfree.