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Saturday, September 23, 2023
Issue 1123
Members edition
Featured articles
Starlink News: SpaceX gets green light for two new dishes, loses 200+ satellites
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued approval for SpaceX to introduce two new Starlink dishes, one smaller and one larger than the current models. The smaller of the two is about the size of a notebook computer and will enable Starlink Roam RV users to have more utility in storage and deployment. The second, larger dish is 22.4 inches by 14.7 inches, designed to optimize performance. Learn more.
The tragic case of Brooks Roberts: A tale of U.S. Forest Service law enforcement overreach and homelessness
By Randall Brink
In May 2023, a violent incident unfolded in Payette National Forest, Idaho, involving Brooks Roberts, an unhoused man confined to a wheelchair. Roberts was shot eleven times and paralyzed by undercover U.S. Forest Service Police. The shooting was recorded on video. The tragedy raises questions about law enforcement tactics and the criminalization of homelessness. It also highlights a stark fact that will surprise many RVers: The U.S. Forest Service deploys armed, undercover law enforcement officers in the national forests. That revelation deserves its own investigative article and will be dealt with separately. Continue reading this eye-opening report.
Happening soon: A nationwide Emergency Alert system test
By Gail Marsh
A test of the nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) is planned for Wednesday, October 4, 2023. The purpose of this test is to make sure everything is working properly in the event of a natural disaster or other calamity. Continue reading.
Missouri State Park has a treat for Mark Twain fans
The handwritten manuscript of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain has returned home to its official display at the Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site after being conserved and preserved. The public is invited to attend a special ceremonial unveiling of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” on Thursday, Sept. 28. Learn more.
Campground Crowding
Guided RV group trips, full-timing families, taking up campsites: “10 school buses come into the park morning and night!”
RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs than has been the recent trend. Has that changed campground crowding? This week Nanci Dixon relates more reports of RVers giving up on RVing due to increasing expenses and difficulty getting reservations. Plus there are complaints about private equity firms taking over RV parks and increasing rates, and corporations buying campgrounds and “trying to ‘reinvent’ what worked for years to put their stamp on the property” resulting in chaos.
Click here to read all that and more
NEW: Disadvantaged RVers on “the street”
Homeless “solutions” have mixed results
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Two cities on the West Coast have taken different approaches to homeless solutions. They’ve certainly had mixed results, showing that there are no quick fixes, and certainly no “one size fits all” for the problem of people who’ve lost their homes. We’ll focus on how these have affected disadvantaged RVers in this month’s report, “Disadvantaged RVers on ‘the street.'” Continue reading about this widespread quandary.
RVs in Hollywood
You normally do not equate Hollywood, California, with the homeless or with homeless RVers, but in this report from KNBC-TV, you’ll see that just like many other communities, this one has a sizable population of RV residents on the streets.
RV Video Tour
Tour the MEGA lithium-powered 2024 Airstream Trade Wind travel trailer
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join Patrick Botticelli, Airstream brand manager for Colonial Airstream in Millstone Township, New Jersey, for a tour of the new lithium-powered Airstream Trade Wind™ travel trailer. If you were familiar with the Trade Wind trailers Airstream built in the ’50s and ’60s, this is the new-and-improved modern version that takes advantage of new technologies to make an off-grid Airstream like never before.
Click here to read more and take the tour
That was the RV week that was
September 16–22, 2023
Today is National Public Lands Day, one of five days in 2023 when the National Park Service (NPS) offers free admission to all its more than 400 sites, 109 of which normally charge admission. The NPS operates 425 locations throughout the United States, including 31 memorials, 84 monuments, 11 historic battlefields and 63 national parks.
The scenic Beartooth Highway (US-212) between Long Lake barricade, near Top of the World Store, and the Montana/Wyoming state line is closed due to winter weather conditions.
Only a few weeks remain until a much-anticipated annular solar eclipse graces parts of the USA. Texas State Parks is encouraging visitors to view the October 14th event from one of its locations. The eclipse will pass over the state from Midland/Odessa to Corpus Christi, with 17 Texas State Parks along its path of greatest eclipse visibility. Visitors planning to observe the event along the path are highly encouraged to reserve a day pass in advance since they will likely reach capacity.
The Kampgrounds of America (KOA) Monthly Research Report for September shows that 85% of campers (including those who camp in huts and tents, etc.) are planning fall trips. The findings show that 38% of campers will definitely camp this winter versus just 17% in 2022. Another 27% report that they will probably camp this winter. Of the top most popular camping experiences, only about 25 percent specifically involve the use of an RV.
Chinook RV is debuting a Direct Fire Suppression System option that will use strategically placed fire suppressants to swiftly detect and suppress flames.
Five new battery-electric shuttle buses entered service this week at Zion National Park. These are the first of an entirely new fleet of electric buses Zion will acquire using a $33 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
A pregnant mother and her two sons died this past week in their RV while camped at an Indiana motocross track. The reason: carbon monoxide poisoning. Felecia Richey – a mother of four, including a baby on the way – died along with two of her sons, Tysin and Bentley. No word was given on the source of the gas, but often at events like this it’s from a propane issue or from fumes from a neighbor’s generator entering the RV. So sad. Don’t let this happen to you. Be careful!
The National Park Service started closing facilities yesterday ahead of severe weather conditions at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial. Cape Hatteras National Seashore’s Oregon Inlet, Cape Point, Frisco and Ocracoke campgrounds closed yesterday and are expected to reopen tomorrow, Sept. 24, after post-storm assessments are completed.
This winter, drivers can look forward to smooth rides at Kolob Canyons Road in Utah’s Zion National Park. On or after September 25, the National Park Service will start a project to repair damage that resulted from a landslide earlier in the year.
Will your car get a charge at Love’s? The big truck stop company has just been handed nearly $5 million by the U.S. government to build more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at eight of its truck stops in Colorado and Pennsylvania. The Federal Highway Administration funds will see to new EV charge points in Buena Vista, Eads, Parachute and Hudson, Colorado. And new chargers will go into these Pennsylvania Loves locations: Slippery Rock, Mifflinville, Brookville and Jonestown. Trillium Energy Solutions will design, build, and maintain the clean-fueling stations.
… Also, Love’s Travel Stops has opened its second location in Prescott, Arkansas, off Interstate 30 at 2005 Highway 19 North. It includes four RV hookup sites.
Amazon has created a new rule limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish on its site to three a day, after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale in recent months. The new sets of rules come after Amazon removed suspected AI-generated books that were falsely listed as being written by the author Jane Friedman. Earlier this month, books about mushroom foraging listed on Amazon were reported as likely to have been AI-generated and therefore containing potentially dangerous advice. AI-generated travel books have also flooded the site. —The Guardian
Due to recent monsoon rains, the trail to the Upper Cliff Dwelling in Arizona’s Tonto National Monument has been deemed unsafe for visitors. Reservations will not open on October 1st and reservations will not be taken until mitigation work on the trail has been completed. This may impact the start date for the tours in November.
The recent Hershey RV Show, one of the two largest RV shows held each year in North America (the Tampa RV Super Show draws about the same number of attendees) wrapped up a five-day run last Sunday at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Show director Heather Leach reported the final paid attendance was 45,535, down about 10 percent from 2022.
Mount Rainier National Park in Washington has lifted its park-wide fire ban. Campfires will be permitted at the park’s Ohanapecosh Campground, Cougar Rock Campground and White River Campground. The burn ban has also been lifted within the state’s North Cascades National Park Service Complex, which includes all NPS lands and campgrounds in Stehekin, along State Route 20 and the Ross Lake area.
RVshare has debuted a new tool using ChatGPT that it hopes will redefine the RV travel planning process. By simply typing in natural queries like “What RVs are available to rent near the Grand Canyon next weekend?”, users will receive recommendations based on RVshare’s inventory and historical search data.
Visitors to Yellowstone National Park should be aware that winter weather is on the way, especially on high elevation passes. Weather can change quickly this time of year in the mountains. The weather forecast for yesterday evening, Sept. 22, predicted 90% precipitation with possible 5-9 inches of snow accumulation on Sylvan Pass, located on the East Entrance Road, which could be closed by the weather.
Airstream has introduced a new RV, the Interstate® 19X Class B camper van. Sound good? Well, how about the price tag? It’s just shy of $200,000! Ouch!
Just four months after announcing that the hot dog-shaped Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was changing its name to the Frankmobile, the distinctive wiener on wheels is reverting to the original name. Oscar Mayer, which has several of the vehicles, announced Wednesday on Instagram that the Frankmobile is toast. The Wienermobile rides again.
RREAF Holdings, a Dallas-based private real estate investment firm with a portfolio that includes thousands of multifamily units and nearly a dozen hotels, is planning to invest more than $1 billion in the next 12 to 18 months in existing RV parks and resorts and the development of new ones. The Texas company’s current holdings include more than 14,000 apartment units in 14 states, as well as more than a dozen hotels.
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in California hovered around $5.79 on Thursday, up 29 cents from a week ago and 54 cents from last month, according to data from AAA. In some areas, costs are surging beyond the $6 mark, like in Long Beach, where prices are sitting at $6.06 a gallon. That’s up 70 cents over the past month. Alpine County, on the state border with Nevada, is seeing the average price of gas nearing $7 per gallon, according to AAA data.
Good news for work campers: Amazon said Tuesday it plans to hire 250,000 employees in the U.S. to help manage the holiday rush. It’s also increasing the average hourly pay for warehouse and delivery workers to $20.50 an hour on average, up from $19.
Keep COVID-19 tests on hand for this winter. Beginning Monday, September 25, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home. But before you throw out “expired” tests, check to see if your COVID-19 tests’ expiration dates have been extended. Learn more here.
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this rechargeable portable hand warmer?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (September 23, 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
Which of these peas do you most often eat?
We discussed this topic years ago and it drew a lot of discussion. Some people are pretty darn picky about the peas they eat! Do you most often prefer fresh peas, frozen peas or canned peas? Now is your chance to tell the world!
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS STOLEN RV?
Gone missing September 12, in Willis, Texas. A Heartland Mallard 335 Travel Trailer with Texas plate B339635. Brazen crook in a black four-door Dodge Ram, with silver running boards and black plastic on the doors, swiped it from the Convenience RV Park located at 17091 Highway 75. Trailer has a broken window on the street side that has been covered by white tape. Truck has seen better days, with missing paint and discoloration on the roof and hood. Contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 936-760-5800, option 3, and refer to case #23A270401.
This Holiday Rambler motorhome took an unexpected holiday from Winnipeg, Manitoba, on September 17. The Admiral was wearing plate KVF 216. The rig has a cracked windshield, and if you get a look under the hood, the windshield washer fluid tank is custom made aluminum. Know something? Phone the Winnipeg Police 204-986-6222, or Winnipeg CrimeStoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
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 September 18, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.88
Change from week before: Up 6 cents; Change from year before: Up 22 cents.
Diesel: $4.63
Change from week before: Up 9 cents; Change from year before: Down 33 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain Teaser
An old man dies, leaving behind two sons. In his will, he orders his sons to race with their horses, and the one with the slower horse will receive his inheritance. The two sons race, but since they’re both holding their horses back, they go to a wise man and ask him what they should do. After that, the brothers race again — this time at full speed. What did the wise man tell them?
(Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday RV Travel newsletter. And please don’t spoil it for other readers by posting the answer in the comments. Well, you can, but it’ll miraculously vanish, almost instantaneously.)
Upcoming RV shows
Click here for a directory of upcoming shows.
Recipe of the Day
Glazed Salmon with Mango Salsa
by Katrina Freed from Newark, DE
This is an elegant dish that will make it look like you spent all day in the kitchen but is really simple to prepare. The salsa is a kaleidoscope of beautiful colors and fresh flavors. Mango shines through with its added sweetness. Salt and pepper season the fish perfectly. The maple glaze adds just enough sweetness with a hint of caramel flavor. Fresh and light, this is a delightful dinner.
Trivia
All the letters of the word “typewriter” are on a single line of the machine’s keyboard. Historians say this was initially a convenience for the many typewriter salesmen in the early days of the machine who preferred all the letters be on one line for ease in their own peck-and-hunt pitches selling the newfangled device.
NEW FACEBOOK GROUPS : RVing New England and Texas RV Travel
Laugh of the Week
Cat lovers, don’t take offense (we love cats, too!), but can you imagine if someone played this prank on you?! Or you walked past your campsite neighbor and saw this? Hilarious, sure, yet horrifying (not to mention very gross)!
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 and Cheri Sicard. Contributors: Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, Jan Steele and Tony Barthel. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Artificial Intelligence (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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I worked in the film industry in Hollywood CA from 1993 to 2009. I am thankful that at that time at least some of people running the county of Los Angeles and the state had a little common sense unlike the people who have been in power since then. Those people have only themselves to blame for the mess that the entire state is dealing with now. I would fly to San Francisco for a weekend to enjoy that very special city on the bay. Heck, now I won’t even go near Los Angeles or San Francisco even for a million dollars. My advice, build a 50 foot wall around both of those cities and turn them into a prison.
I formerly said CA was a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there, now I wouldn’t want to visit.
you got my vote
Maybe that would be a good as a movie plot line? Call it something like “Escape From Los Angeles” and they could try and cast a manly man’s, man actor like Kurt Russell.
Your “Laugh of the Week” is quite simply, gross! That’s not funny at all, very sick mind, IMO.
Totally agree. Out of place here or anywhere.
I hear about abandoned shopping centers around the country;why not use the parking lots homeless campers? Why not use the storefronts as well?
Good for you. I wouldn’t go to California for anything, except maybe a million dollars, but it would be fly in and out the same day.
Laugh of the Week is terrible. What’s next…arranging the chicken pieces to look like a human?
I’m not a cat person…I still didn’t find the cat dish funny..
Thanks for including California Gas price again.
Please keep including it.
It is and always has been important to regular folks and especially us RVers.
$6.00/gal my in-town gas stations , $5.25/gal Costco.
The Infection has spread to the whole West Coast now.
Dang people calm down. Laugh of the week is hilarious. Good clean fun and no animals were actually mistreated. We all got a kick out of it.
Tell that to the chicken.
“RREAF Holdings, a Dallas-based private real estate investment firm…” Yep. A billion dollars into an industry where the executives have no experience in RV park management … and where the goal is to maximize revenue rather than any passion for the RV industry. Repeat after me: overpriced and chaotically managed where branding is more important than facility maintenance.
The article about the USFS shooting, while wrong and tragic , is incomplete. Look up how many times John Citizen complained about Timber threatening them on public land and access. Boobytrapped public access? Look up how many times they have encountered law enforcement. I don’t understand plain clothes and 11 or 12 shots, but I do understand a peaceful public wanting a safe access to a trailhead.
Glad to see RV Travel be the ‘milk carton’ for missing RVs. But a question always in the back of my mind is if these owners leave the RV hitch couplers unsecured? Admittedly, a hand sledge will destroy most hitch locks, but it takes time, effort and some noise.
Hi, Jim. I think that’s the first time RV Travel has been referred to as a “milk carton.”😉😅 You have a good point about the hitch coupler. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
The “Today in History” part of your weekly edition is my favorite part of each edition. Thanks!
I laughed at the “Laugh of the Week”. Sounds like some of the ‘posters’ who were offended by it are those who get up every morning ready to find something to be offended by. Lighten up!
Red or White?
I’m a cat lover from WAY back and found your ‘laugh’ totally hilarious. 😂🤣
The wise man told them the slower horse won’t win money at the track and the fast horse is worth money at the track. The son without the inheritance can earn.
Got a kick out of Laugh of the Week. Would definitely turn some heads! Keep’em coming.
Sitting up here in the pine trees in our RV on a chilly morning, I want to thank everyone at RV Travel for todays’ edition. Throughly enjoyable and maybe even a little bit thought provoking articles. I feel blessed 🙌
Blessed to still be able to RV camp in Ca. despite the high gas prices. ( you do need to know where to buy at though)
Agreed Bill. Great issue with thoughtful comments respectfully delivered again this week.
Thank you for the kind words, Bill.👍😊 Reading the first part I immediately got a picture of you “sitting up in a pine tree.”🤣 Enjoy your cozy RV under the pines, and have a great day. 😀 –Diane
Had a great day, thank you! I had to pull a few pine needles out of my hair though 😛
👍 And then there’s all that pitch to get off from climbing in the trees, eh? Have a good night, Bill. 😀 –Diane
Let’s hear it for the Wienermobile!!! Being an old codger, this is great news!!!
Also, thanks for another great newsletter! It makes my morning coffee time special.
Seems to me Coca-Cola tried renaming (and changing formula) of an icon a few years ago. The lesson learned did not sink in.
LOL !
👍Don’t you just hate pitch? Take care, Bill. 😀 –Diane