Free Fishin' in Texas June 2

Got the hankerin' go "dip a line in the water," but don't want to have to dip your wallet for buying a fishing license? Saturday, June 2, you can fish in Texas without a license. The special day in the Lone Star state, was authorized by the Texas Legislature, to promote fishing and encourage people to enjoy the state's fishing resources. Both resident and nonresident recreational anglers will be allowed to fish without a license and will not be required to have special stamps such as the saltwater or freshwater fishing stamps.

Hey, if you like the free fishing day, you can make any day a free fishing day through August 2008. How so? Just park your RV in a Texas state park that has fishing available, and you won't need a license. Of course, you still have to pay for your site, but it is a perk.

Photo © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Motorhome owners club gets new look

Family Motor Coaching Magazine, the official publication of the Family Motor Coaching Association (FMCA) has a new look. The magazine was first published in 1964 and has undergone many facelifts, but the last before now was more than 11 years ago and had become terribly outdated.

FMCA is the largest club exclusively for motorhome owners. Like the larger Good Sam Club, it holds local, regional and national rallies and offers its members services from insurance to emergency road service. The magazine has always been content-packed, especially with RV destination articles. The focus of the club has traditionlly been on big motorcoaches, and the ads and RV reviews in the magazine are heavy with those with price tags of $150,000 and up (often WAY up!) and skimpy on more basic units favored by young families and other weekend campers. All in all, though, the club should be a must join for RVers who travel with a motorhome.

KOA to sell its own brand of coffee

KOA is luring consumers to its campground's stores with its own brands of coffee. The company recently partnered with City Brew Coffee of Billings, Montana (same town where KOA itself is based) to develop Winding Road Coffee Co., a private-labeled coffee program exclusive to KOA.

Results from Kampgrounds of America's 2006 Spirit of Camping Survey indicate that 76 percent of KOA campers enjoy starting their day with a coffee.

Store sales also reflect the demand for coffee grounds on campgrounds. For the past two years, coffee-by-the-cup has consistently ranked as a top selling item on KOA's company operated properties. "Due to the popularity of coffee-based drinks, we felt that it was important to provide our campers with a high quality product," said Shane Ott, KOA's president and chief operating officer.

City Brew developed several premium coffee blends for KOA. "Glowing Embers" and "Sunset Trails Decaf" are two of the combinations that are unique to Kampgrounds of America. Campers will be able to purchase these and other popular blends by-the-cup or bag at participating campgrounds.

Oregon Bound? Here's a Web Site to Help You Plan

"Fields is so far out in the desert — it’s about 50 miles south of Frenchglen — that airplanes occasionally land on the highway, pull in to the gas station, and tank up right from the pumps. The tiny town has a great cafe, which serves cheeseburgers and milkshakes and keeps track of the numbers sold each year on a scoreboard. "

So begins a restaurant review in one of the funkiest, but perhaps most useful, blogs on "The Beaver State." While set up in typical blog format, theRealOregon.com does add a handy tool for researching the state--category selection of the site's archives. From "Best Places to Eat," to "Museums" and "Kitsch," for those of us who enjoy the offbeat, 'anything but the standard chamber of commerce fare,' this little site is worth a lookup.

Incidentally, we find it kind of well, different, that a few years back the Beaver State Government folks decided to change their state tourism slogan from, "Oregon: Things Look Different Here," to the currently pushed, "Oregon. We love dreamers." Somehow I enjoyed that runner more: "Spotted Owl: It's What's For Dinner."

The Real Oregon, aptly subtitled, Oregon for the eccentric traveler.

Real Oregon seal, borrowed from theRealOregon.com

Troubling Questions for the Oil Industry

You don’t need to go far to understand that "gas pains" can come from something more than spending too long a session with the frijoles out of Mama Maria’s Mexican Monotroch. The main-stream media is having a feeding frenzy, with some prophecying $4.00 a gallon gas.

The rise in fuel prices has raised more than hackles--it’s gotten up the suspicions down at AAA headquarters. Earlier this week (on Tuesday), the venerable automobile club’s director of public affairs, Geoff Sundstrom got his chance to sound off before the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

While Sundstrom’s entire testimony is too lengthy to repeat here (visit the AAA media website to read the whole enchilada), a couple of interesting points did rise to the surface. First, forget about $4 fuel. "AAA thinks prices are likely to move somewhat higher over the next 60 days, perhaps approaching $3.25 per gallon," Sundstrom note. "But the much- ballyhooed $4 per gallon gasoline will not materialize as a national average price unless the oil price marches into the $75 per barrel or higher range – a scenario that is only likely if an unknowable event such as a hurricane or geo-political conflict were to seriously threaten or disrupt energy flows."


Sundstrom then raised a question that many paying-to-pump-petrol Americans are wondering about. "As frustrating and unpleasant as our two previous national experiences with $3 gasoline have been, both were accompanied by an oil price at or exceeding $75 per barrel and a natural or man-made disaster with the real or perceived ability to block the flow of petroleum for some period of time.


"This summer is clearly different, however. This year, $75 oil prices and dramatic news about hurricane damage or a possible war throughout the Middle East are absent. Instead, we have sky-high gasoline prices as the cost of oil rests comfortably near the $60 per barrel target set by OPEC, amidst crude inventories that are routinely described as plentiful. Without OPEC, Mother Nature, or an imminent man-made catastrophe to blame for the high price of gasoline, Americans want to know, ‘why?’"

The AAA representative went on to discuss what he described as the "troubling" situation with American refineries. Why, asks the motorists club, while refineries are having great profits and while employing armies of experts, can’t they do a better job of keeping up with the demand for fuel without the painful results we see on the streets--and at the fuel pumps--across the country.

A good question, indeed.

RV Concern: FEMA, Formaldahyde and Katrina Trailers

If you missed the CBS News segment on high levels of formaldehyde in RV trailers built for Katrina evacuees, you shouldn't miss the transcript. It's an eye-opening, and slightly frightening look into what may be causing illness among those who took shelter from the storm in some of the trailers provided by the RV industry.


The quick once-over says this: Many of the "Plain Jane" trailers provided by FEMA tested for high levels of formaldehyde gas. FEMA itself warned its own employees that when inspecting trailers prior to occupancy they should consider opening the windows and turning on the air conditioning for their own safety. The problem? Formaldehyde could cause cancer.

If a FEMA employee should be concerned about formaldehyde gas during an eight-hour shift, what about folks living in them, 24/7? FEMA never warned residents about the potential dangers, and when asked, at least one manufacturer simply said, "For the FEMA trailers it used components and materials that met or exceeded industry standards." The problem there is that there is no industry standard for formaldehyde off-gassing.

One RV industry employee says he feels the problem came when masses of trailers had to be produced in a hurry, and his company (he feels) got inferior materials for construction. The question for all of us could be: What levels of formaldehyde are present in regular production line RV models? Have you ever had your RV tested? Please leave a comment if you have.

Believe It or Not: Some Recalls NOT Involving Dometic Reefers

It's been a traumatic season in the RV newsroom. We've had to sort, pic, alphabetize, and edit the minutia of the big Dometic refrigerator recall. It's our own personal reefer madness! But hey! There really ARE other recalls! A couple for Ford diesel pickups of interest to RVers, and a few for RVs having nothing to do with chill-boxes.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your product safety pleasure:

Coachmen is recalling 24 MY 2007 Capri Micro travel trailers. The self tapping screws that are used to secure the liquid propane (LP) bottle support tray to the trailer frame may fail. The support tray is mounted to the A-frame of the trailer and holds the LP bottles securely in place. Should these screws fail, the LP bottles could become loose and disengage from the trailer increasing the risk of a crash. If significant contact were to occur over a period of time, the LP tank or lines could be damaged and potentially leak LP gas, which could result in a fire. Dealers will repair the LP bottle tray free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during April 2007.

Fleetwood is recalling 160 MY 2007 American Eagle and American Tradition Class A motor homes. The service compartment that contains the inverter and the house batteries is insufficiently sealed from spark producing devices. In the event out gassing occurs from the batteries and the gases are exposed to a spark of measurable size and duration, ignition of the gasses may occur. This has the potential to ignite combustible objects with the compartment. Dealers will inspect and install a compartment spacer and bulb seal to the service compartment that contains the house batteries free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during April 2007.

Jayco is recalling 561 MY 2007 Bungalow, Eagle, Jay Flight, Designer, and Recon travel and fifth wheel trailers equipped with Hickory Springs 'Big Easy Triple Steps.' An improper engagement of the bottom step pivot arm with the formed stop edge of the middle step support bracket can result in the bottom step rotating to an unsafe downward angle. A person could be injured should the step give way while being used to enter or exit the trailer. Dealers will inspect the trailers for the manufacturing date sticker to verify the date of production of the step and, if necessary, will weld stock to each side of the lower (triple) step stop edges. The recall is expected to begin during April 2007.

Ford is recalling 33,169 MY 2008 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 trucks equipped with a 6.4L diesel engine. Excessive temperatures in the diesel particulate filter in the exhaust system may result from excess hydrocarbons in the exhaust. Lack of power or rough operation, unusual noises from the engine or exhaust, white smoke from the exhaust, and potentially a visible flame out the tailpipe can occur. Dealers will reprogram the power train control module. The recall began on March 30, 2007.

KZRV is recalling 285 MY 2007 Durango, Sportsmen, Jag, Sportster, New Vision, Montego Bay and Escalade travel and fifth wheel trailers equipped with Hickory Springs Big Easy Triple steps. An improper engagement of the bottom step pivot arm with the formed stop edge of the middle step support bracket can result in the bottom step rotating to an unsafe downward angle. A person could be injured should the step give way while being used to enter or exit the trailer. Dealers will inspect the trailers for the manufacturing date sticker to verify the date of production of the step and, if necessary, will weld stock to each side of the lower (triple) step stop edges. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule.

Ford is recalling 1,022 MY 2008 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 trucks equipped with a 6.4L diesel engine. Insufficient clearance of the battery positive (B+) wire to the right hand splash shield bolt may result in the battery B+ wire contacting the splash shield bolt. Long term contact could cause wire chafe, resulting in copper wire being exposed. If this condition occurs, the battery B+ wire could short to ground increasing the risk of a fire.Dealers will inspect the battery b+ wire location and, if necessary, reposition the wire. The recall began on March 30, 2007.

Dometic's Reefer Recall--Most Recent NTHSB List

“Dometic is committed to offering RVers the best and safest in RV products,” Brad Sargent, vice president of marketing, stated in a Feb. 12 release announcing the recall of 926,866 refrigerators manufactured between April 1997 and May 2003. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

It would be hard for an RVer to miss this recall. Magazine advertisements, letters to end-consumers, notices from RV manufacturers, and blog entries like ours have all pointed to this massive recall campaign. The problem? Some Dometic refrigerator units have an oversize burner assembly that can heat up parts so hot that cooling unit tubing can come undone. Should the coolant hit the burner flame, a fire could result. So far, Dometic says they've heard of a couple of fires, and say that in 99.99% of cases, the unit should be safe as-is. But to cover that fraction that might not--well, enter the recall.

While this list MAY NOT be the complete list of all RVs possibly equipped with the recalled refrigerators, it is the most recent National Highway Transportation Safety Board recall list. Check out the Dometic recall web site to see if your specific refrigerator is under recall.

Alphabetical list from NHTSB:

Adventure Manufacturing is recalling 5,794 MY 2000-2002 Timberland, MY 2002-2004 Timberlodge, Riverside, Glacier and MY 2003-2005 Treasure Ship fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Airstream is recalling 5,084 MY 1997-2000 Excella, MY 1997-2004 Safari, MY 1999-2001 Limited, MY 2002-2004 Classic travel trailers and MY 1997-2004 Land Yacht, MY 1997-1999 Cutter, MY 1999 XL, MY 2000-2004 XL Land Yacht, MY 2002-2003 XC Land Yacht, MY 2000-2001 Land Yacht XL and Land Yacht XC, and MY 2003-2004 Skydeck motor homes.
Allen Camper is recalling 217 MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

American Travel Systems (ATS) is recalling 883 MY 1997-1999 recreational vehicles.

Bearcat is recalling 107 MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

Coach House is recalling 621 MY 1997-2003 Class B and Platinum motor homes.

Crossroads RV is recalling 3,939 MY 1998-2001 Prep, All American, MY 2001-2002 All Star, MY 2001-2004 Paradise Pointe, MY 2002 Paradise Cove, MY 2003 Crossroads, MY 2003-2004 Cruiser, AND MY 2004 Silverado fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Damon is recalling 25,128 MY 1997-2004 Camplite, Challenger, Daybreak, Intruder, Ultrasport; MY 1997-1998 Magnum, Outdoor Inn; MY 2000-2004 Escaper; MY 1997-2000 Hornet; and MY 1997 Frontier Flyer travel trailers and motor homes.

Fleetwood Folding Trailers is recalling 2,726 MY 2001-2003 Caravan and MY 2004 Caravan Micro-Lite travel trailers.

Fleetwood is recalling 167,096 MY 1997-2004 Southwind, Pace Arrow, Bounder, Flair, Storm, Fiesta, Terra, Bounder, Discovery, Providence, Excursion, Expedition, Revolution, American Eagle, American Heritage, American Tradition Class A gasoline and diesel motor homes, Jamboree, Tioga Class C motor homes and Prowler, Wilderness, Terry, Mallard, Pioneer, Pride, and Triumph conventional and fifth wheel travel trailers.

Forest River is recalling an undetermined quantity of MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

Four Winds is recalling 58 MY 2003-2004 Mandalay motor homes.

Gilbert RV Conversion is recalling 1 recreational vehicle.

Gulf Stream 38,767 MY 1997-2003 Atrium, BTouring Cruiser, Capri, Cavalier, Commerical, Conquest, Crescendo, Endura, Friendship, Independence, Palm Breeze, Scenic Cruiser, Sun Sport, Sun Voyager, Tourmaster, Ultra, Vista Cruiser, Yellowstone, Ameri-Lite, Canyon Trail, Innsbruck, Kingsley, Kingsport, Mako, Prairie Schooner, Seahawk, and Stream-Lite motor homes, fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Jayco is recalling 130 MY 2002 Firenza (GS-33A, GL-35L) and 2003 Firenza (GA-33A, GB-36B, GF-35F, and GL-35L) motor homes.

Jensen is recalling 3 MY 1997-2003 cargo trailers.

Keystone RV is recalling 122,167 MY 1997-2004 Sprinter; MY 1998-2004 Springdale; MY 1999-2004 Cabana, Cougar, Montana; MY 1999-2003 Bobcat; MY 2000-2004 Montana - Mountaineer, Tail-Gator; MY 2001-2003 Challenger; and MY 2001-2004 Montana - Big Sky fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Kibbi is recalling 1,762 MY 1997-2003 recreational truck conversions and trailers.

Lazy Daze is recalling 1,229 MY 1997-2003 motor homes (22M, 231/2FD, 231/2LF, 231/2TB, 231/2RL, 261/2MB, 261/2RB, 261/2IB, 261/2RK, 30IB, and 30TB).

Longhorn Conversions is recalling 1 MY 2001-2003 horse and cargo trailers.

Newmar is recalling 16, 190 MY 1997-2003 Class A and diesel pusher motor homes and fifth wheel trailers.

Palomino RV is recalling 345 MY 1999-2003 Stampede and Thoroughbred fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Recreation by Design (RBD) is recalling 942 MY 1997-2003 recreational vehicles.

Roadmaster is recalling an undetermined quantity of recreational vehicles.

R-Vision is recalling an undetermined quantity of recreational vehicles.

Skyline is recalling 57, 295 MY 1997-2004 Aljo, Celebrity, Century, Layton, Nomad, Seaview and Weekender truck campers, fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Space Craft is recalling 21 MY 1997-2003 fifth wheel and horse trailers.

Sundowner is recalling 5,254 MY 1997-2003 Cargo, Prostock, Stampedesl, Stock, and Sunlite recreational, cargo, and horse trailers.

Sunnybrook RV is recalling19,519 MY 1997-2004 Sunnybrook and MobileScout fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Teton Homes is recalling 610 MY 1997-2004 Expedition, Experience, Grand, Royal, Prestige, and Tradition recreational vehicles.

Thor America is recalling 12,000 MY 1997-2004 Citation, Chateau, Corsair, and Prism fifth wheel and travel trailers.

Travel Supreme is recalling 1,451 MY 1997-2007 travel trailers and motor homes.

Universal Specialty Vehicles is recalling 18 MY 1997-2003 Eagle recreational vehicles.

Western RV is recalling 6,188 MY 1998-2003 Alpine Coach motor homes, MY 1997-1999 Wilderness truck campers, MY 2003 Aspen travel trailers, and MY 1997-2003 Alpenlite truck campers and fifth wheel trailers.

Chevy-Workhorse Class C chassis sales on the rise

UNION CITY, Ind. — The Chevy-Workhorse Class C chassis grew its market share 10 percent from February 2006 to February 2007. Officials from GM and Workhorse Custom Chassis expect that share will continue to rise in 2007. The co-branded cutaway chassis was launched in November 2004 as a 14,050 lb. GVWR vehicle. That transition went well enough that General Motors and Workhorse announced a year later that 9,600 and 12,300 lb. GVWR models would also become Chevy-Workhorse vehicles.

The Chevy-Workhorse partnerships has translated into a leap from a 9.6 percent to 19.9 percent market share for the cutaway chassis during the above time frame, based on vehicle registration data compiled by Statistical Surveys, Inc., of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Presently, the Chevy-Workhorse chassis is powered by the GM Vortec 6.0L V8 gasoline engine with 300 horsepower and 385 lb.-ft. torque and mated to a Hydra-matic four-speed automatic transmission. The chassis features a coil spring independent front suspension and a rear leaf spring suspension with heavy-duty stabilizer bar. It has four-wheel disc brakes with ABS.

The cutaway platforms have gross combined weight ratings (for motor home with vehicle/trailer in tow) of 16,000 lbs. for the 9,600 and 12,300 lb. GVWR chassis, and 17,600 lbs. for the 14,050 lb. GVWR chassis.

RV Lifestyle Seminar in BC--Registration Closes Soon

With over 40 classes to choose from, a three-day RV lifestyle seminar at Okanagan College in "Beautiful B.C." is understandably filling up slots quickly. Where else could you learn that "SH__ Happens" and how to deal with it? If you hadn't cottoned on, it's just one of the classes slated, this one on how to keep your holding tanks happy. For more information, visit our sister website Fulltime RVer.

Monaco Monarch RV added CoachShare fractional ownership line

CoachShare, Inc., a leader in luxury motor coach fractional ownership programs, has added an entry-level 2007 Monaco Monarch to its product line. The MSRP on the 2007 Monarch including tax and registration is $108,000, however, with CoachShare's fractional ownership program owners can buy a share in the Monarch for as little as $9,500.

"Many of our customers were looking for a smaller, more maneuverable coach," said Jim Palmer, founder and CEO of CoachShare. "We listened, and decided to bring on the 30-foot 2007 Monaco Monarch." Another benefit to the Monarch's 30-foot length is that it can fit into campsites in 62 of the 91 California State Parks that allow RVs as well as in many other public campgrounds.

Luxury motor coaches, the largest and most lavish form of RVs, typically sell from $100,000 to more than $500,000. CoachShare's fractional ownership program divides the purchase and operating expenses between multiple owners, bringing luxury RV vacationing within the budgets of many families.

Photo: CoachShare's 2007 Monaco Monarch.

FEMA's "Top Secret Military Program" Relents--Poor Get Hurricane Trailers After All

Some time back, an Oklahoma based community action agency tried to obtain some of the surplus 'Katrina trailers,' from FEMA to help low-income Oklahomans get a leg up and out of poverty. According to a story in the Tahlequah Daily Press the agency was given a sharp rebuff and told those trailers were, "Part of a top secret military program." With a little intervention--and maybe a little bit of bad press--FEMA has finally relented. With a catch.

While government agencies can get the trailers for free, community service organizations can't. So the state of Oklahoma got FEMA to release trailers to them, and in turn in selling the trailers to the Cookson Hills Community Action agency. Despite the bureaucratic hoop-jumping, eventually the travel trailers will trickle down to low-income people who participate in a life-skills training program designed to help them learn skills that will help themselves and their families. One possible participant is a man presently living in a house with dirt floors and no indoor plumbing.

With strict income guidelines and a requirement to take the coursework, hopefully RV dealers won't feel slighted by folks who get these trailers without having to buy them on the commercial market.

For the whole story, visit the Tahlequah Daily Press article.

RVers face parking crunch along interstate

RVers who like to overnight at truck stops and rest areas on the interstate are finding greater competition for space these days. In a May 1 article, the Wall Street Journal reported that thanks to a robust economy, more large trucks are on the highways delivering goods. But the number of places where truckers can stop to rest isn't keeping pace.

"On any given night, the shoulders of interstates leading into big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Baltimore are lined with long glistening strands of parked 18-wheelers," the article says. "These are the trucks that couldn't get a space in nearby rest stops or truck stops because those roadside oases are already packed with resting big rigs."

This means fewer overnighting opportunities for RVers at the busier rest and exit areas. It also means that RVers who do find a spot might irk weary truck drivers looking for some place to pull over.

To avoid adding to the congestion and to foster good relations with truckers, try to park in narrow, tight places where the big rigs can't fit. If you do park in the same areas as trucks, be sure not to hog more space than you need. For instance, don't stop in the middle of a vacancy, thus leaving too little room both fore and aft for anyone else.

The more conflicts we cause, the more parking restrictions we're going to see down the road.

Fleetwood to close Canadian trailer factory

Fleetwood is closing a plant in Lindsay, Ont., on July 25. The plant is located about 65 miles northeast of Toronto and employees 315 workers. It's Fleetwood's only manufacturing facility in Canada.

The plant was opened in 1972 and supplies travel trailers for the Canadian market under the brands Pioneer, Mallard, Terry, Lynx, Prowler and Dakota. The company said the Canadian market will now be served by four U.S. plants. Fleetwood said it is also closing its Campbellsville, Kentucky facility.

The company recently announced that it was opening a plant in Mexico, where the labor is cheaper, to build some of its products.

RV Industry Looks for New Hires

While hundreds of Fleetwood RV line workers have been thrown off the lines in layoffs, the industry trade group says more workers are needed. In a recent media campaign, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) says plenty of folks are needed to fill positions from sales through repair. "We are a growing, vibrant industry that needs more workers," says Richard Coon, president of the RVIA. "We expect this growth trend to continue over the next decade. It's a great time to begin a career in the RV industry."

To give weight to Coon's statement, witness Oregon's Monaco Coach Corporations recruiting campaign. High school guidance counselors being given guided tours through the company plant; a special DVD touting careers in the industry aimed at high school and college students; new curriculum development programs for colleges and voch-techs. And while working as an RV technician may not be the highest paying job on the line (salaries typically start at $20,000 per year) there is never a dull moment.

Read more about the RVIA campaign here.