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Saturday, July 22, 2023
Members edition
Featured articles
Has Camping World become too big to fail?
By Dave Helgeson, former RV dealer
Has Camping World become too big to fail? Keep reading to find out why I ask this question, based on a press release issued July 21.
Court orders backyard RV park slum cleared; property owner faces charges
A judge has issued an order to evacuate a property in Sylmar, a suburban neighborhood of Los Angeles, containing 23 RVs and the owner’s residence. The decision came swiftly after utility crews cut power to the property, which has posed health and safety risks, including raw sewage flowing through the “RV park” and into neighbors’ yards. Continue reading.
Starlink News: Satellite radiation, and a “threat” from China
By Randall Brink
In a study in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers claim that the constellations of satellites above Earth, including those of Starlink, are leaking radiation that could disturb radio astronomy observations. Additionally, new competition is escalating in space between SpaceX and China. China is challenging and could potentially “defeat” SpaceX’s Starlink, which could negatively impact Starlink (RV) Roam subscribers. Read more.
FMCA president candidate Curtis Coleman explains plans if elected
If you’re a member of FMCA, and care about the club, you should watch this hour-long interview by host Chuck Woodbury with Curtis Coleman (best known as the founder of RVillage, which he later sold), who is running for National President of FMCA. FMCA is in crisis mode: It’s lost a million dollars a year for the past two years, and, for now, there is no plan of how to stop the bleeding. Learn Curtis’ ideas in this important interview.
RV industry lobbying for pull-through electric vehicle charging stations
The RV Industry Association has partnered with global engineering firm Black & Veatch to release a report and financial analysis that makes the case for federal funding to be used to install pull-through electric vehicle charging stations to meet the needs of RVers today and well into the future. Read more.
Woman dies in shuttle accident at Winnebago national rally
The Camp Winnebago Rally, formerly called The Grand National Rally, got off to a tragic start last Sunday, July 16, when a 76-year-old woman from Frontenac, Minnesota, was killed in an accident on a people-mover on the event’s rally grounds. Continue reading.
THIS MORNING:
BEHIND THE SCENES, FILMING “THE ANGRIEST MAN IN AMERICA,” THE WINNEBAGO MAN!
Watch on YouTube • Watch on Facebook
Saturday, July 22, from 8-9 a.m. (Pacific Time)
Today’s guest, RVtravel.com’s Dave Solberg, will discuss what it was like being part of the production crew that filmed the now-infamous and hilarious Winnebago promotional programs with host Jack Rebney. Outtakes from his obscenity-laced scenes were eventually posted to a then-relatively new YouTube, turning the outtakes into one of the very first viral videos. Rebney, who recently died, was dubbed “The Angriest Man in America.” Dave will share what it was like to be on the set that day.
Read Dave’s story Behind the scenes at the filming of Winnebago Man, the world’s angriest man
Campground Crowding
“Campground rates are so high we put our RV into storage.” More RVers throw in the towel
RV sales have slowed dramatically and fewer people are buying RVs than in the last few years. Has that eased campground crowding? This week Nanci Dixon relates comments from several RVers who are giving up RVing due to high campground and gas prices, difficulty with campsite reservations, and other RVing frustrations. What is going on? What are your observations about this?
RV Tours
RV inspector recommends top 3 best used Class A motorhomes
Duane, our favorite RV inspector, is back with his picks of the best brands for used Class A motorhomes. Duane’s advice, as always, is down-to-earth and practical. Here, Duane comes up with the three best brands he has seen over the last 10 years or so.
That was the RV week that was
July 15–21, 2023
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Entegra Launch, Qwest, Jayco Melbourne, and Melbourne Prestige motorhomes. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) blower motor circuit may be inadequate, which could allow the wiring harness to overheat. Learn more.
Want to appreciate the beauty of Texas State Parks and stay indoors? Visit The Art of Texas State Parks traveling exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science this summer to stay cool while enjoying the views and vistas found in parks. The exhibit will remain in Houston until October 1. Read more.
KOA’s Monthly Research Report for July 2023 reports that more than 21.5 million households camped over the Fourth of July holiday, about the same as last year. Most campers (56%) shared that they have postponed trips to later in the summer or fall.
On Tuesday, a 71-year-old man from the Los Angeles area collapsed and died at the Golden Canyon trailhead in Death Valley National Park. National Park Service officials believe he had likely just been hiking the popular trail. He was wearing a sun hat and hiking clothes, and carried a backpack. The temperature at the time was approximately 121 degrees. Learn more.
Effective Monday, campfires or the ignition of wood, briquettes, or any fuel in fire pits, fire pans and barbeque grills, are banned throughout Washington’s North Cascades National Park and complex, including Ross Lake National Recreation Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
The Dyrt, an app for camping information and booking, has found a growing interest in camping alone among its community. According to the company’s 2023 Camping Report, the number of solo campers increased by 28% from 2021 to 2022.
Glacier National Park officials, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, euthanized a food-conditioned, five-year-old female grizzly bear on Thursday. This action was taken after the bear received multiple food rewards from unsecured sources, causing it to exhibit increasingly aggressive behavior which posed a threat to human safety. Don’t feed wild animals!
Grand Design RV is recalling certain Momentum and Solitude fifth wheel trailers equipped with certain CURT 7000 and 8000 pound axles. The U-bolts may have been improperly tightened, which could cause the axle to move out of position. Learn more.
Despite another week of lackluster demand for gasoline, average pump prices rose three cents since last Thursday to $3.58. The primary culprit is a higher oil price, which has recently increased to the mid-$70s per barrel, according to a report from AAA.
A shark advisory was posted for Blacks Beach after three juvenile great white sharks were spotted in the nearby waters Friday afternoon. They were respectively six, eight and nine feet in length. The sharks were not exhibiting any aggressive behavior at the time; however, signs were posted by lifeguards along the Southern California beach for a mile in each direction to warn beachgoers to swim at their own risk.
Blue Compass RV has expanded into Utah. Last week, it launched its flagship store in the greater Salt Lake City market. It’s rolling out the Blue Compass RV brand to more than 100 stores in 33 states in 2023.
RV on land AND sea! Sealvans, a Turkish startup, is transforming the traditional RV. These “amphibious vehicles” offer a unique camping and cruising experience on land and at sea. Two models cater to outdoor enthusiasts with luxury amenities.
A 47-year-old woman from Phoenix, Arizona, was gored Sunday morning by a bison near the Lake Lodge Cabins on the north shore of Lake Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park. She was walking with another person in a field in front of the Lake Lodge Cabins when they spotted two bison. They immediately turned to walk away from the animals. One of the bison charged and gored the woman. Read more.
Jayco, Inc. (Jayco) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Entegra Coach Accolade, Accolade XL, Jayco Seneca, and Seneca Prestige recreational vehicles. The windshield wipers on the motorhomes may fail, resulting in dangerous reduced driver visibility. Learn more.
Construction is underway on a 90-acre upscale RV resort in Darlington County, SC. Standing Pines, located near Hartsville, will have more than 100 campsites, including 80 for RVs.
Ocean County, NJ, has purchased a privately owned campground site off Route 9 in Bayville for $5.9 million and plans to turn it into a nature preserve, making this summer the last season that the Cedar Creek Campground will operate.
A $2 billion American Heartland Theme Park and Resort will open in Oklahoma on 1,000 acres near Grand Lake on Route 66. The resort will feature a 320-acre Three Ponies RV Park and Campground with 750 RV spaces and 300 cabins—the largest campground in the central U.S. The resort will also include a 125-acre theme park with rides, live shows, waterways, and restaurant-quality food, alongside a top-tier 300-room hotel and modern indoor water park. Ahh, roughing it…
The U.S. Forest Service plans fee hikes at several campgrounds in Superior National Forest, northern Minnesota, and will introduce a new cabin rental site. Private campground owners and operators in the area may face impacts as campers seek more affordable options outside the forest’s boundaries. While private operators could benefit from increased demand, they may need to improve facilities to compete with federal sites.
RVtravel.com has launched several new Facebook Groups recently. They include RV Prospector • RVing the California Gold Country • Southwest RV Snowbirds • RV Bloggers and Writers • RVing U.S. Aviation Museums.
Wyoming’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has given the green light for a wastewater facility at Basecamp Teton WYSPV LLC’s glamping site, near Teton Village. Despite environmental concerns, DEQ assures that the septic system will maintain water quality. This decision may pave the way for other glamping operators in the state.
Camping World has opened more RV dealerships: a supercenter in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and its first Montana store in Billings, the latter its 199th store in the U.S.
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this watermelon cutter?
Cut up a watermelon in seconds with this stainless steel melon cutter!
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (July 22, 2023) by 7 p.m. Pacific time. Remember, you can only enter once and after we notify you by email via RVcontests@gmail.com that you won, you have 24 hours to respond or we’ll give the prize to someone else.
Click here to enter or see last week’s winner!
Reader poll
As a young child, did you ever fear that a monster was under your bed?
Respond here and see how others responded
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS STOLEN RV?
Rip-off artists in San Leandro, California, did a dirty deed at a hospital. A 2005 Ford F-350 pickup, topped with a Palomino Bronco truck camper, vanished from the Kaiser Medical Center on July 12, around 7:30 p.m. The pickup is a 4×4, with plate 7T33459, and is Champagne colored. The truck camper is a tougher one, because the owner “debranded” it by removing all its decals, but it is a “pop up” style camper. If you know something, report to the San Leandro Police at 510-577-2740 and refer to Case 23-25-780.
Did someone rip off your ride? Let us post information on your stolen RV. Email Russ (at) rvtravel.com.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of July 17, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.56
Change from week before: Up 1 cent; Change from year before: Down 93 cents.
Diesel: $3.81
Change from week before: Unchanged; Change from year before: Down $1.63.
For fuel prices for specific states, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain Teaser
Every day, a cyclist crosses the border between Spain and France carrying a bag. No matter how much customs officials investigate him, they do not know what he is smuggling. What is he smuggling?
(Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday RV Travel newsletter. And please don’t spoil it for other readers by posting the answer in the comments.)
Upcoming RV shows
Click here for a directory of upcoming shows.
Recipe of the Day
Pigs in Egg Roll Blankets
by Linda Dalton from Coconut Creek, FL
Don’t let the combination of ingredients fool you… this twist on pigs in a blanket is super tasty! Once fried, the egg roll wrappers are crunchy. They’re stuffed with baked beans, coleslaw, Sriracha, mustard, cheddar cheese, and a hot dog. Kind of like your favorite parts of a summer barbecue wrapped in an egg roll wrapper. They make a fun appetizer or prepare a few for a small meal.
Trivia
Big Bend National Park is the only national park that encompasses an entire mountain range—the Chisos Mountains. The volcanic formations stretch 20 miles across the southern tip of West Texas. Four of its peaks exceed 7,000 feet above sea level.
Laugh of the Week
Tongue Twister
A tutor who tooted a flute tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to their tutor, Is it harder to toot or to tutor two tutors to toot?
Today in History
RVtravel.com All Star Team
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Gail Marsh, Dave Solberg. Contributors: Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Cheri Sicard, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade and Paul Lacitinola. Moderator: Gary Gilmore. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Artificial (AI) contributors: Johnny Robot and Milly MacWilly. Canine Mascots: Archie and Astor “the Disaster”
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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Was it the flute that was tooting or the tooter’s.
I have a problem with the government being expected to fund the electrical charging stations. Why should the everyday person who pays taxes have to cover the cost of it? Should it not be sponsored either by the companies making the electrical vehicles or a private consortium that would then pass the cost along to the consumer?
YES, agree totally!
yes, but since it is not economical (like “green”energy), the government has to “force” it on you.
So I guess the above means the large oil/gas companies receive no government subsidies…
Don’t remember the government funding the building of gas stations back in the day. Someday we will have to figure out how to fairly fund road building/repair costs from EV users too. I have a 2022 PHEV TOAD and so far have 7,000 miles total with less than 3500 on gasoline. I usually plug it into the 20 AMP plug when staying at RV parks. Only been charged once for additional electric use, I think it was $10 for the week.
Biden, purposed a Federal government mileage tax on all EV’s. https://www.lemonade.com/car/explained/pay-per-mile-tax/