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Sunday, July 17, 2022
Members edition
Featured articles
Marcus Lemonis to co-star in movie about Jeff Bezos
Camping World and Good Sam Club CEO Marcus Lemonis has taken a break from his role as a corporate leader to co-star in a new movie “Bezos”, which documents Jeff Bezos’ founding days of Amazon and the first movie made about Amazon’s beginnings. It’s Lemonis’ debut role in a motion picture. “As a lifelong investor and entrepreneur, I can identify with Bezos’ journey and relentless pursuit of excellence to revolutionize commerce, and we look forward to sharing this movie with audiences worldwide,” he said. Read more and watch the movie’s trailer to see Lemonis at work.
Are campgrounds suddenly uncrowded? Here’s what we found
We recently got an email from a reader named Drew. Drew and his family had just completed a more than 6,000-mile RV trip around the West. In a gentle chide, he used his trip experiences to point out something we might have missed. “You have been crying about RV overcrowding for three years (or more) and there is definitely some of that. But every RV park we stayed in along the way—and there were many with many different brands—there were always open spaces. Even in the KOA next to Mount Rushmore. Some were actually almost empty!” It got us to thinking: Are campgrounds suddenly uncrowded? Read what we found.
RV makers differ in informing owners of dangerous RVs defects
By Ron Burge
This week Forest River and Oliver Travel Trailers announced dangerous “deadly” defect recalls covering about 13,000 RVs. However, unlike last week when we pointed out that some manufacturers intended to delay notifying their dealers and RV owners, Oliver Travel Trailers got right to it. Learn more.
Anchorage tosses RVers from campground, moves in homeless
In an effort to provide shelter for its homeless population, Anchorage, Alaska, canceled all reservations to repurpose its 86-site Centennial Campground into a homeless encampment. At a recent count, at least 180 people are crowded into the park. Read more.
Tesla alums promise long-range electric-driven RV
The dream of a truly electric-driven RV thus far has been largely that. A dream. Yes, Thor and Winnebago have made a lot of noise with their “prototype” rigs, and perhaps there’s some promise there. But when will e-RVs trot off either of the two manufacturers’ lines? Who knows? Maybe it’s a problem of an RV manufacturer trying to fit electric drive into an existing RV concept. But this week, a new industry startup says it will become the first electrically driven RV seller when it releases its e-trailer which is “designed like an EV.” Continue reading.
Campground Crowding: More people buying land to “camp.” Would you?
RV sales have skyrocketed and more people than ever are taking up RVing. The result is campground crowding like never before! In this weekly blog, RV Travel readers discuss their experiences. This week we hear from more RVers who are giving up the lifestyle, unfortunately; some who are expecting things to improve as far as crowded campgrounds go; and some who have solved the crowding situation by either becoming seasonal campers or purchasing acreage. It’s all here.
Winnebago’s Grand National Rally getting ready to roll
For more than 50 years, Winnebago, the flagship brand of outdoor lifestyle product manufacturer Winnebago Industries, Inc., has welcomed its owner community to Forest City, Iowa, for the Grand National Rally, a week-long celebration of Winnebago RVs and owners. This year’s event takes place July 17-21 at Winnebago’s rally grounds. Continue reading.
STILL MISSING
UPDATE July 15 from reader/father Alan Wolfe: “Incredibly, there have been no sightings since July 5th.”
Long-time RVtravel.com reader Alan Wolfe of Maple Valley, WA, reached out to us to ask if we could help find his missing daughter, 37-year-old Melissa Wolfe of nearby Renton. “She is in the company of a known fugitive (Joshua Bouchard) and driving a stolen black 2021 Ford Transit camper van,” he said. “They were last spotted July 4 traveling south on Highway 101, at the Giant Redwood RV Park in Myers Flat, California.” Learn more.
Photo Contest
Here is the current edition of our twice-a-week photo contest. See if your submitted photo made the first cut, and then vote for your favorite. Once you’ve voted, submit your own photo for consideration. Winners receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Good luck!
Voting ends tonight at midnight (Pacific time).
(And remember, this contest appears every Saturday and Wednesday, so don’t forget to check back for a new batch of photos this coming Wednesday! Sign up for our RV Daily Tips newsletter [if you’re not already]. If you are not sure, sign up again. You will still only get one issue, not two.)
Today’s RV review…
2023 Grand Design Imagine 2600RB
Tony writes, “The little details and consistent aspects of this design will earn it a lot of happy fans. With just a few touches, it could be even better. But, still, a pretty nifty trailer overall.”
Read all other RV reviews by clicking here.
That was the RV week that was
July 10–16, 2022
Smoking is now restricted park-wide in Yosemite National Park and fire restrictions are in effect below 8,000 feet. Smoking is only allowed in enclosed personal vehicles, in open frontcountry campgrounds and picnic areas in which fires are allowed, and while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of flammable material. Wood and charcoal fires are still allowed in open frontcountry campgrounds and in open picnic areas that have fire grates. Fires are not allowed elsewhere, including in the wilderness (below 8,000 feet).
Eldorado Canyon State Park will begin accepting reservations for vehicle entry times for weekends and holidays starting on Wednesday, July 13, for reservations beginning July 23 through Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s sales system, IPAWS. This is the first Colorado state park to implement a timed entry system. Reservations for vehicles that include specific entry times will be required on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays through Sept. 15.
A drop in demand has forced the RV industry to slow down production. The cost of parts to make the trailers and motorhomes plus the price of gas to fuel them or tow vehicles are putting both in a tight situation with inflation. “This year… certainly there’s a balance going on in the industry from inventory dealership production levels that was at a level in the past eighteen months that was not maintainable,” said RV industry veteran Gregg Fore.
This is the most bizarre burning RV video our editors have ever seen and begs the question, Do you believe in ghosts? It begins with a motorhome engulfed in flames. Nobody could be alive inside. And then the headlights start flashing, not once but repeatedly, baffling bystanders. And then, suddenly, the RV’s horn honks and the RV travels across the street, as if someone is at the wheel, until it runs into a tree and stops. The owner of the RV said later that he and his wife had enjoyed many wonderful adventures in the RV until she died while aboard it three years earlier. Do you believe in ghosts? Watch the video.
A famous Scugog Island (Ontario, Canada) summer getaway now has a new name. Goreski’s Landing, an RV resort community on the shores of Lake Scugog, has been renamed and is now officially Scugog Landing RV and Cottage Resort.
Demand for RVs remains high in Germany, but supply chain problems are limiting the production and distribution of new vehicles. During the first half of the year, 55,292 new leisure vehicles were registered, a 12.2% drop from record year 2021, but still the second-best period in the industry’s history.
Tickets are now available for what’s billed as America’s Largest RV Show, coming September 14th through the 18th to Hershey, Pennsylvania. The show will showcase 1,200 RVs from dozens of manufacturers along with one of the largest (if not the largest) contingents of companies with products and services of special interest to RVers. Hourly seminars will cover topics on everything from RV maintenance to RV buying tips. Tickets may only be purchased online, not at the door.
The California Coastal Commission has voted to approve a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) that will allow Northeast MB, LLC, which operates the Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego’s Mission Bay Park, to proceed with the long-awaited cleanup of the Park’s De Anza Cove peninsula. The cleanup project will improve coastal access by adding 147 temporary campsites at Mission Bay RV Resort, result in repaired coastal bike and pedestrian paths, and provide for the removal of dilapidated homes and debris that have long blighted and posed environmental risks along the coastline. Today, the existing Mission Bay RV Resort and Campland on the Bay campgrounds located in northeast Mission Bay, provide more than 850 campsites with pricing starting at $60 per night.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is warning consumers to beware of a new attempt to steal their personal information. The phishing scam involves sending people text messages falsely claiming New York State is offering $1,500 rebates as a result of high fuel prices. If someone clicks on the link provided, they are taken to a webpage that is designed to look like the DMV website and they are asked to submit personal information with the intent of committing identity theft.
GM and Pilot Company (Pilot and Flying J) are collaborating on a national DC fast-charging network of 2,000 charging stalls, co-branded “Pilot Flying J” and “Ultium Charge 360,” at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J travel centers. Many of these sites will feature canopies to help protect customers from the elements while charging, as well as pull-through capability allowing convenient charging for electric pickup trucks and vehicles towing trailers.
One of the most dramatic RV fires we’ve seen lately happened Friday near Farmington, California. What you see in the photo above is what remains of a Class A motorhome after it burned on State Highway 4 near Dunton Road. No word on the cause. No injuries were reported.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We are continuing to develop a story about the closing of California manufacturer Lazy Daze RV. Information is sketchy. We hope to have more next week.
News briefs
The fire danger rating in Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming, have been elevated to high. Visitors are reminded to not be deceived by the landscape’s green appearance. It is the dead and down timber and fuels that prompted fire managers to elevate the rating.
Record gas prices continue to drop. As of Friday, they had fallen 30 days in a row after international oil prices dipped below $100 a barrel on Thursday to levels last seen before Russia invaded Ukraine.
A potent thunderstorm dumped nearly 9 inches of rain Thursday on parts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC, in a few hours, washing out sections of roads and trails in the Greenbrier area. The park temporarily closed roads, trails, and facilities in the area to motorists and pedestrians due to damage. For updates, click here.
Montana’s legendary Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park opened to traffic on Wednesday, tying the latest opening date in the season. Check with the park about traveling the narrow, curvy road: Reservations are required and there are vehicle length limits.
Citing low registrations, FMCA has canceled its Northeast Area Rally in Fryeburg, Maine, in August and its South Central Area Rally scheduled in September in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
The age of RVers has lowered over the past decade. Of the 11.2 million RV-owning households, the median age of owners is now 54 years, according to Monika Geraci, a spokeswoman for the RV Industry Association.
Yellowstone National Park is recovering surprisingly fast in the month since flood waters ravaged its northern area. About 93 percent of the park’s roads and nearly 90 percent of its backcountry have been reopened. The biggest challenge is how best to rebuild the park’s north entrance road from Gardiner, Montana, to Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, and park headquarters.
A proposed RV park in Belton, Texas, has been nixed by the city council. Some local citizens are opposed to the park idea because it would be next to their property, and because an RV site would not fit in their neighborhood.
CONTEST
Is this your RV?
Win a $25 Amazon gift certificate if today’s RV photo shows your rig
Every day we post a photo of an RV either submitted by its owner or by our editors as they move about the country.
Click here to see if your RV made it into today’s issue.
Trucks and Tow Vehicles
E-truck towing experiment ends in failure
News Briefs
A full-size GMC truck sold for an average of $62,470 in June, up 9.1 percent from last year’s $57,276.
Reader poll
Can you use your RV’s toilet with the slides in?
Curious minds want to know. Answer the poll here and leave a comment if you’re in a writing-kinda mood.
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS STOLEN RV?
This motorhome was stolen the afternoon of July 4 in Houston, Texas, near the Richmond Ave/Highway 6/Eldridge/Windchase area. The thieves were driving a white single cab Chevy truck with an unknown plate number. The motorhome’s Texas plate number is DTM-0224.
Did someone rip off your ride? Let us post information on your stolen RV. Email Russ (at) rvtravel.com.
See many more recently stolen RVs. Let’s help find these for their owners and maybe even put the crooks in the slammer. Click here.
RV recalls posted since our last newsletter
• Forest River recalls motorhomes for propane leak danger
• Forest River RV awning issue forces recall of 19,911 towables
• Coachman trailers recalled for possible trailer brake failure
Did you miss yesterday’s RV Travel?
If so, stories you missed:
• Cover story: How RVers are gaming the system to get campsites
• Featured article: 1,600 comments and 1.5 million views. Article a hot topic among RVtravel.com readers
• Campground owners urged to provide employees “Active Shooter” training
• RVelectricity: Battery safety, plus Mike’s new SoftStartUp video
• RV boo-boos: To trust or not to trust the GPS?
• RV “Gremlins”: Part 4: RV roof air conditioners: Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t
… and much more
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of July 11, 2022:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $4.65 [Calif.: $5.90]
Change from week before: Down 13 cents; Change from year before: Up $1.51.
Diesel: $5.57 [Calif.: $6.67]
Change from week before: Down 11 cents; Change from year before: Up $2.23.
Brain Teaser
A man was walking in the middle of nowhere and it started to rain. He had no umbrella and no hat, but not a single hair on his head got wet. How can this be?
(Answer below.)
Upcoming RV shows
It won’t be long before RV show season gets underway. Click here for a directory of upcoming shows.
????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
If you need this, it means someone is DEFINITELY laughing at you! Hahahaha!! Too funny. And yes, it happens.
Recipe of the Day
Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie
by Brandy Woodbury (Hey! That’s a great last name!)
We love a delicious no-bake dessert in the summertime. This is a quick and easy cream cheese pie that can be made for any occasion. The sweet and tart raspberry filling goes nicely with the tangy cream cheese filling. A store-bought graham cracker crust adds a little crunch to every bite. Just make sure to keep this summer dessert refrigerated or it will get mushy. Blueberry, strawberry, or cherry pie filling would be tasty too.
Brain teaser answer:
The man is bald.
The Perfect Scam Podcast
Every Sunday we present a podcast from AARP about scams and how crooks are stealing your money, often via telemarketing. Their efforts are often most successful with people 65 years and older who fall victim to the scammers’ sophisticated techniques. Here is this week’s episode.
Trivia
Telephone hold music was originally an accident! Here’s the story: Back in 1962, callers who called the factory of Alfred Levy were treated to hold music. The callers liked the music so much that they started complimenting Levy on the nice touch. To their surprise, Levy had no idea what they were talking about! It turns out that a loose wire was touching a large metal girder inside the factory, which turned the metal factory shell into a giant antenna. When the calls were put on hold, the local radio station, which happened to be next door, overpowered the line signal so the callers could hear music playing on the local station. Levy patented a hold music system in 1966, and the rest is history!
Sunday funny
If you can understand this whole list, you’re definitely from the South! Read it out loud—this is funny!
Today in History
RVtravel.com All Star Team
When you voluntarily subscribe to RVtravel.com you help support these people’s hard work!
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel, Mike Gast, Gail Marsh. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Roger Marble, Dave Solberg, Dave Helgeson, Julianne Crane, Machelle James, James Raia, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Karel Carnohan DVM, Cheri Sicard, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, Paul Lacitinola and Johnny Robot. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore, Mark Gorrie. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. Special Reports: Bradford Geer. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
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This newsletter is copyright 2022 by RV Travel LLC.
Grocery list not necessarily written by someone from the South – writer could be a Californian, but probably written by someone incredibly stupid.
Might the list be a joke, perhaps?
A person can be uneducated but not necessarily stupid.
Unfortunately, since they don’t seem to teach the basics anymore this is more and more of our children.
Grocery list writer feels very good about their achievement. Modern schooling at it’s finest.
There’s no apostrophe in “its” in that usage.
I just corrected another person for the same thing. They laugh at someone else’s spelling, then use improper grammar themselves.
Perhaps FMCA would get better attendance if they scheduled rallies in areas not previously selected?
I would go to any rally that was within reasonable driving distance.
Every rally I have seen listed in the last few years is thousands of miles away.
Out west, in the desert, Maine??, C’mon.
Lets think, regional, and centralized in the regions.
Do you know the northeast is a region?
Precisely one of the main reasons I let my membership lapse, no activities within reasonable distance. At least the Good Sam club had state Samborees we could attend, that is until Lemonis took over, he killed the GS Club.
“Area” events are held in many locations. The current list includes 3 International events in NE, GA, & MT plus 4 “area” events in WV, AZ, OR, WI and 62 “Chapter” events across the US in 25 different states. I have asked FMCA about certain areas but it has been pointed out that for the big events (2,000+ RVs) not all states have venue large enough or a stage for entertainment. or are cost prohibitive, also some states present problems for some RV vendors due to restrictions on RV companies offering units for sale. You might want to check out this link to events.
Man is not only bald, but has no eyebrows or eyelashes.
I am not PC or usually concerned about humor being offensive (often the case with great comedy or satire). But when you take the micky out on a specific group for a cheap joke you violate all good taste (and RVTravel’s kindness policy).
Respectfully you have demeaned millions in the South and/or millions of the disabled.
I don’t think the ‘laugh’ should have got past the copy desk..
Agree. Northerners who would avoid any other ethnic slur consider Southerners fair game. Not okay.
Oh, lighten up folks. If we can’t laugh at ourselves the world will be a very grim place.
Thank you, Tony. We certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone. I didn’t pick that one out, but I did get a chuckle out of the phonetic spelling, and even spelling with an accent. That was why it was suggested to read the list out loud, so you could actually hear the southern accent from the way the words were spelled. Not disparaging, but interesting, I thought. But our apologies to those who took it the wrong way. Take care. 😀 –Diane
Your apology is a standard “non-apology” as it points the finger back at “those who took it the wrong way”.
An apology starts with “I’m sorry for”(not “if”) followed by a statement of exactly what the person is sorry for.
Yes, I’m sorry we offended some people. But I’m not sorry for the fact that some people took it the way it was intended – phonetic spelling with a Southern accent. But on a side note, I’ve always wondered if, to Southern people or folks from any other region with their wonderful accents, it sounds to them like we from the Western states have an accent. To me, I don’t hear an accent, but maybe people from other regions can hear it. I’ve always been curious. Anyway, yes, I’m sorry we offended some of our readers. We didn’t mean to. –Diane
It was funny, and I’m from the sorta south!
Thank you, Magee. I appreciate your support. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
Apologies for what? The people in the North East speak funny. The people from Minnesota speak funny. Down here in Florida, my Mid-west twang seems funny to people. It sounds funny to me as well when I hear my recorded voice. I do not hear myself like other people do. People without a sense of humor do not understand me at all. My dyslexia evidently has my spelling all screwed up. Some people need to get a life – after all LIFE IS FUNNY. Ain’t it sweetheart? Good Golly Miss Molly, Wholey Moley, …….
Thanks, Kelly. Then I can’t even apologize correctly. 😯 Can’t win fer losin’. Oh, well. Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane
Youz guys in the North West probably speak funny too, I don’t know. I only spent hours there changin’ flights. If I ever get up there again we can talk and laugh at each other. OH, and you and RVTravel ain’t losin’, y’all are a winnin’. Have a good Sunday evnen..
Thank you, Kelly. Just for kicks, I looked up types of American accents: Maine Accent, New England English, Pacific Northwest English, California English, Midwestern American English, Southern American English, Hawaii English And Pidgin, New Orleans And Cajun English, East Coast City Dialects (Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City), High Tider (North Carolina Coast). Then there are American Accents (Other): General American (America’s “Neutral” Accent), African American Vernacular English, Announcer Voice, Native American English. Very interesting. I had no idea there were so many types. Let’s see – what type shall we offend next week? How about “Announcer Voice”? 😆 Take care. 😀 –Diane
“Girl”, (that used to be an endearing term in the mid-west at one time), you need to take a break- or put on the brakes before you break. I have to eat supper, dinner, — evening meal. Do you ever rest? Monday is coming. lol
No. 😆 I’ve mentioned to Chuck, et al., that I work 28/7. I think that’s pretty close. 😯 But it’s all good. 😀 –Diane (the Energizer Bunny)
For sure!
When will the rest of the country finally realize that Southerners are NOT stupid and backward! Any uneducated person could have written that list!
Who demeaned anyone? The only ones I can think of that would be offended are the ones so picky about spelling and grammar that they were unable to read the list.
Grocery list: Ebonics at it’s finest.
Poor spelling is not just Southern, and not just certain ethnic groups. And you, sir, used improper grammar (“its,” not “it’s” as you used it.)
Frankly, I could not be any LESS INTERESTED in a movie about Jeff Bezos, Zuckerberg or even Lemonis!
Anyone read the book or watched the Netflix show called THE SOCIAL DILEMMA? Scary!
It should be required for all parents.
I will NEVER support anything Lemonis is involved with!
I am originally from SE East Tennessee (just above Georgia and within minutes of NE Alabama, so certainly southern. Yes, got the whole list. Although Doritos did take me a mimute, I got all the rest on first reading. My mother was, and remains an accomplished speller, but my father could have penned that list, or at least some of the items.
I could read the grocery list easily. I am a first grade teacher!
The bald joke is been recycled many times.
The grocery list is more truth than fiction. Kids aren’t learning stuff like that today.Spelling mistakes abound. ” my breaks ( brakes) aren’t working) my sup( soup) is cold.
Sorry, my brain went ded!
Wow, just wow…this is my hometown, Belton, TX. What an ignorant elitist judgement. I’m so embarrassed and ashamed.
“opposed to the park idea because it would be next to their property, and because an RV site would not fit in their neighborhood.”
The Sunday funny is how we learned phonics here in the south!
Dis is der’ bests list I cean .. shur are funny, ya sure, youbetcha.
OK, I live in the South. What’s wrong with the list? I don’t see any problems 🙂
While in a gift shop in Wales in the British Isles my wife (from the Pacific NW of the USA) was trying to talk to the clerk about an item. The clerk was trying to talk to my wife. Neither was understanding the other until a British lady stepped in to translate. The funny part is that all three of the ladies were speaking English!
Everyone has an accent except ME!