Watch out for "Robo Flagger!"

Ah. . . another endangered species -- the construction zone flagger! The state of Washington is about to test "Robo Flagger," which controls traffic without endangering humans. The remote-control device has red and yellow lights and a gate arm that lifts and lowers to control traffic.

The state says that there were 47 road construction zone deaths between 1999 and 2005. With Robo Flagger, the human controller stays out of harm's way (presumably sitting down instead of standing all day long), and controls Robo Flagger with a remote control device.

Other states are presumably already using or will begin using Robo Flagger. Keep your eyes open!

Olympic National Park Campgrounds Reopen

Fans of Washington State’s Olympic National Park have reason to breath easier. One by one, park roads and campgrounds are reopening to the public after the severe storm damage of last November and December. Combined forces of park employees, volunteers, and utility company crews have reopened access to vast areas closed out by the storms. It’s still a bit early to tell the status of many park trails, as winter snows still blanket significant areas.

Popular among RVers are beach campgrounds right along the Pacific coast. Kalaloch, Mora, and Ozette campgrounds are now open again. No doubt the shuffle for ocean view sites at Kalaloch is the order of the day, so if you go, be prepared to be satisfied with a non-view site, but have your lawn chairs ready to drag into any choice site that becomes available.

Farther inland, both the North Shore and South Shore Quinault Roads remain open and are in good condition. The North Fork Road and North Fork campground, which were severely damaged by heavy rain and flooding, have recently reopened. With North Fork open, crews have turned their attention to reopening the Graves Creek area, where a massive blowdown has blocked the road. Visit the Olympic National Park website.

FEMA Deliver RVs--on the Cheap

What hurricane Katrina did for the RV industry, FEMA may now undo. It's a good-news, bad-news scenario, and folks shopping for travel trailers may come out on the winning side.

In the little burg of Hope, Arkansas, there's a most unusual RV park: It's the FEMA "parking lot" for 12,000 travel trailers destined for hurricane survivors. Some of the trailers helped folks, others never got beyond this 450 acre lot. Now FEMA needs to let them go--but that's just the tip of the iceberg: Nationwide there are nearly 46,000 trailers in FEMA's inventory, most of which will eventually be sold at auction. For how much? Figure about a 25 cents on the dollar for what FEMA hastily paid for them.

Even now, Uncle Sam has plenty of travel trailers at auction. Some have been beat up pretty good by tenants, others "scavenged" for parts. But with prices on 2005 model year units in the $3,000 to $5,000 price range, you can bet the bargain hunters are on their way. Maybe you can cash in on the deal--mind you, if you're the successful bidder you'll need to make haste to get your new rig off the lot: The government typically allows 10 days for removal after the auction closes.

There's a dark side of course: With so many FEMA trailers flooding the market, what will happen to RV dealerships who have to compete with the inundation of low-cost trailers? Uncle Sam's folks say they're not unconcerned about the matter. Time will tell.

Latest RV Recall List from Uncle Sam

The January 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall list has been posted for public inspection. Included on this most recent recall list are a number of recreational vehicles.

Crossroad trailers with Lippert axles.

Damon's Unltrasport (2002-2005), Astoria, Challenger, and Tuscany (2006-2007), Escaper and LX400 (2004-2005), and finally Intruder (2003-2005) motorhomes.

Dutchmen's T@B trailers (2003-2006)

Fleetwood trailers with Lippert axles. Fleetwood's Prowler Regal, Terry Qunatum, and Wilderness Advantage fifth wheel trailers (2006). Also their Excursion and Providence motorhomes (2007).

Jacyco's Seneca motorhomes (2005-2007).

Monaco's LaPalma (2001-2003), Monarch (2001-2002), Monarch SE (2002-2003), Holiday Rambler Admiral (2001-2002), Holiday Rambler Admiral SE (2002-2003), Endeavor gas (2001-2002) and Vacationer Class A motorhomes (2001-2003). Also Monaco, Cayman, Holiday Rambler Admiral, Neptune, Safari, Simba, Simba Diesel, and Trek (gas) motorhomes--all of thse from 2007.

Race City RV ST, HD, and HDXL tow trailers from 2005-2006.

Sunnybrook's Titan toy hauler fifth wheels with Great Plains (GPI) fuel pumps (2006).

Thor's Frenzy, Fury, Jazz, Tahoe, Vortex, and Wanderer cargo/travel trailers (2004-2005). Also Vortex, Viper, Tahoe, and Fury cargo travel trailers from 2005.

While some of the recall defects might best be described as minor, all should nonetheless be looked into. For specifics on the recall, visit the NHTSA web page devoted to the January 2007 recall list.

Dometic Recalls Two Door Refrigerators

Nearly one million RV refrigerators bearing the Dometic name are under now under a voluntary recall. Some of the recalled units could pose a fire hazard and will be repaired at Dometic's expense.

The two-door refrigerators were manufactured between April 1997 and May 2003. How do you know if your unit is involved in the recall? The recall is for model numbers: NDR1062, RM2652, RM2662, RM2663, RM2852, RM2862, RM3662, RM3663, RM3862 and RM3863. The units have serial numbers beginning with the following combinations: 713xxxxx through 752xxxxx, 801xxxxx through 852xxxxx, 901xxxxx through 952xxxxx, 001xxxxx through 052xxxxx, 201xxxxx through 252xxxxx, and 301xxxxx through 319xxxxx.

If your unit is one of those recalled, visit the company website at www.dometicusa.com/recall or call (888) 446-5157

Here's an Original Thought: Welcome RVers to Wal-Mart

Here’s a follow up story with a happy ending for RVers.

A couple of weeks ago we commented on the ongoing city council musings out in Monument, Colorado. One proposed ordinance that, if passed, would have "allowed" RVers to stay on the local Wal-Mart parking lot, but carefully corralled in one area to prevent the "unattractive" rigs from becoming a community eyesore. Another version would have simply put up the "no overnight parking" sign.

We don’t know what caused the changes in attitude up in that Colorado latitude--maybe letters and e-mails from RVers did the trick, but something sure happened. In a six-one thumbs down vote, the ordinance was roundly sent to the round file. According to a news item in the Colorado Springs Gazette, RVers are now welcome to stay overnight--maybe even for a few nights. ‘Put out your awning, fire up your grill,’ said four of the seven members of the governing body.

The one dissenting council member, Tommie Plank, claims he only votes for the will of the people. "I was only expressing at the council meeting what I felt people in the community had communicated to me," Plank exclaimed.

Keep your cards and letters coming.

RV Activities: Become A News Headline Critic

Some RVers are inveterate newspaper readers. It gives us another opportunity to laugh up our sleeves at the print media. Of course, by tomorrow I’ll be sure to make some major blunder on the blog.

We don’t make it up, but we do report it:

"CITY COUNCILMAN SUSPECTED OF DYING AFTER FALLING OFF BRIDGE IN OREGON." --KPVI News

"Rancher smolders long after fire extinguished"--Capital Press, Oregon

"Police are searching for baby motorist found bleeding next to highway and his mother"

(No link here, but San Jose Mercury News 8/10/2006 ish gets the credit)

Canadian RVers Given Government Buzz-Off

Some of Canada’s RV community complain their civil--and RV--liberties are being curtailed by government intervention. New Brunswick Natural Resources Minister, Donald Arsenault, says that in at least one area, RVers are just too encroaching. Claiming RVers leave behind trash, human waste, and even, "old rusted oil tanks," at a popular river area near Bathurst, his agency has posted a sign equivalent to ‘RVers Get Lost.’

Arsenault says his agency has received complaints from other recreationists who say RVers park their rigs for weeks at a time, blocking access to river frontage. While posted signs warn off RVers, tent camping is still allowed. Area RVers who have frequented the provincial woods are in a lather. "We park there," says Rosemarie Doucet, a trailer-owning nature lover, "we go hunting and we go fishing, and at night we all sit around the fire with a guitar and people sing--we have a lot of fun."

Unless the provincial authorities can be moved, it appears the songs will be curtailed. For more information, see a news story posted on CBC.