Frommers Exploring America by RV, 1st Edition

Award-winning travel writers Shirley Slater and Harry Basch had tried just about every mode of transportation known to humans in their travels through 186 countries, but it wasn't until they drove an RV in 1991 that they found their passion. In the decade that followed they racked up 120,000 miles, avoided freeways whenever possible, and focused on discovering the offbeat and the best of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. While Exploring America by RV is aimed particularly at novices--with detailed advice on buying and renting RVs as well as RV-ing tips and hints on such things as what to look for in campsites, the miracle of bubble wrap, and "how to give backing-up directions without destroying your marriage"--it also outlines 10 excursions through the U.S., Canada, and Baja with enough unusual stops along the way that the book is a veritable gold mine. To get an idea of the sort of travel Slater and Basch prefer, here are some of the highlights of the California Desert & Las Vegas excursion: the Hullabaloo World Tobacco Spitting Championships, endangered desert pupfishes in Anza-Borrego State Park, and sand-sailing in a dry lake at 70 mph with no brakes. Off-the-wall attractions in Alaska include the world's largest chopstick manufacturing plant, a collection of 3,600 billed caps, and the town of North Pole (where Santa get his mail). They're fond of lists with names like: Ten Terrific Spots Where History Comes Alive (in the Blue Ridge Mountains); Ten Terribly Texas Things To Do; and Seven Swell Side Roads to Explore (in Baja). For each trip you'll find tips for keeping costs down, as well as suggestions for splurging (say, a helicopter ride around Mt. Rushmore or a stay on little Palm Island), a list of campground oases, and where to find some incredible-sounding treats (like bumbleberry pie at Zion National Park and the best lobster in Maine). Slater and Basch have had a good time demolishing the myth of RV-ers as national park lemmings who never leave their rigs: these guys know where the fun is. --Lesley Reed