Welcome to the RVtravel.com newsletter. Be sure to check out all our other RV-related newsletters.
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Issue 1128
Members edition
This week’s RVing news…
Grand Design RV to begin manufacturing motorhomes
Grand Design RV will begin building motorhomes in late fiscal year 2024 for the first time in its 12-year history. That announcement was made by Winnebago Industries CEO Michael Happe, who spoke to investors and analysts on a conference call Wednesday following the release of the company’s recent quarterly and full fiscal year earnings. Continue reading.
Congress fails to halt BLM proposal that imperils boondocking
EDITORIAL
By Randall Brink
In mid-July, I published an editorial regarding the prospect of a new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule that has emerged as a topic of concern within the RV camping and boondocking community. This proposed rule, ominously titled “Conservation and Landscape Health,” has the potential to dramatically curtail access to public lands and, if implemented, would significantly impact the future of boondocking and dispersed camping. The rule would enable the BLM to severely restrict camping on the 245 million acres under its management. Learn more.
Love’s growing RV park network ready for holiday travel
Love’s Travel Stops says it’s making travel easier for RVers over the upcoming holiday season. Need a place to overnight with the rig? Since launching Love’s RV Hookups in 2022, Love’s has added 33 Love’s Travel Stop locations across the country. Read more.
Gas prices could drop 9 percent by end of year
While the summer tourist season is decidedly over, plenty of RVers are still on the road. Snowbirds heading for warmer destinations may be concerned about the price of road fuel. Fuel industry analyst GasBuddy may have some good news. Gas prices could drop 9% by the end of December. Learn more.
Developer wants to turn prison yard into an RV park
Got an old prison you don’t know what to do with? That’s the story in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While the city may be the “Gateway to the West,” until 2017 it was home to the State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh. That old prison, built in 1826, was an entirely different gateway. But since the last of the wardens left the old institution behind, the question has been, what to do with it? An area developer wants to turn the prison yard into an RV park, and a lot of the rest of it into a hotel. Read more. Would you stay there?
Pair arrested after shots fired at Slab City
Slab City, the alternative lifestyle and boondocking site near Niland, California, got pretty exciting last weekend. Law enforcement got some agitated 9-1-1 calls from Slabbers complaining of shots fired at Slab City. In the end, a man and a woman were arrested on multiple weapons charges, and a U.S. Navy explosives team had to be called in to remove ordnance found in their RV. Learn more.
Justice Thomas’ motorhome under scrutiny by Senate investigators
Many RVers know that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is an avid RVer. For some years Justice Thomas has owned and traveled in a motorhome with his wife on their vacation time. However, Justice Thomas’ motorhome has now become the focal point of the Senate Finance Committee. Continue reading.
COMING TOMORROW!
The craziest RV story we’ve ever heard…
We’ve heard a lot of crazy, insane, unbelievable stories around here. (Just read the RV Service Centers and Repairs Report week after week and you’ll see what we mean!) But this one holds the cake for the craziest RV story we’ve ever heard.
Just wait until you read this one in tomorrow’s newsletter… WOW!
Campground Crowding
RVer warns: Just because you have a reservation doesn’t mean a park can’t change the price last-minute!
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 shares your ongoing stories about campground rates increasing and sometimes with no apparent reason other than to keep up with the rates at other campgrounds, boondocking opportunities decreasing, and even a reservation made months in advance and the rate was doubled just before their planned arrival. There’s also a reminder of how to save a lot of money at national parks.
RV Video Tour
Tour the 2023 Phoenix TRX 1563 Class B+ motorhome
By Cheri Sicard
The Phoenix TRX motorhome is designed to have a small footprint that makes it easy to drive around town as well as comfortable to drive on the highways. Built on an AWD Ford Transit Chassis, this Class B+ motorhome is loaded with extras from Ford. In fact, Phoenix orders its chassis with every available option.
Beginning in early November, we will report the news daily
We are discontinuing the weekly news briefs feature in favor of an email recap of the very latest news about RVing every weekday afternoon. We’ll begin the weekday emails next month. Sign up to receive these timely emails here. (You can easily unsubscribe if you wish.)
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this super-soft flannel camp blanket?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (October 28, 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!
More RVing News
RV shipments continue to decline in September
Results for the RV Industry Association’s (RVIA) September 2023 survey of manufacturers found that total RV shipments from factories ended the month with 24,700 units, a decrease of 12.9% compared to the 28,363 units shipped in September 2022. To date this year, RV shipments are down 42.8% with a total of 238,121 units. Continue reading.
Be ready for changes at Death Valley
It may be one of California’s premier winter RV destinations, but if you go, be ready for changes at Death Valley. Catastrophic floods left the national park closed for a while, and things are slowly reopening. Learn more.
The shocking truth: Not enough EV charge station technicians
As the RV industry makes more and more noise about moving into the world of electric vehicles (EVs), RVers wonder how it will all work. In addition to issues such as too-little mile range per charge, locations of EV charge stations also pile up. Now there’s another worry: Not enough EV charge station technicians. Continue reading.
Camping World adds 12 locations with one purchase
Camping World’s “march for domination” continues with a twist. On Oct. 23 the company announced it will snap up Travelcamp RV in a “cheaper by the dozen” move. Picking up all 12 Travelcamp RV locations will mean Camping World gets a much bigger footprint and emphasizes two big-name RV manufacturers, Thor and Forest River. Learn more.
… But Marcus Lemonis’ empire-building chain closes two Idaho stores.
Truck driver safety study has lessons for RVers
A truck driver safety study that points to causes of accidents could help RVers, too. The naturalistic study, meaning one that involves observing subjects in their driving environment, narrowed down common causes for crashes. Read more.
Alliance recalls Paradigm and Valor 5th wheels for fire risk
Alliance RV, LLC is recalling certain 2021-2023 Paradigm and Valor fifth wheel trailers. A wire connector from the solar panel ports to the solar charge lines may loosen. A loose solar panel electrical connection could overheat, increasing the risk of a fire. Potentially some 3,390 units could be affected. Learn more.
Reader poll
Will you watch the World Series?
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of October 23, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.53
Change from week before: Down 4 cents; Change from year before: Down 24 cents.
Diesel: $4.55
Change from week before: Up 10 cents; Change from year before: Down 80 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain Puzzle
Can you find the only jack-o’-lantern without a nose? Click the image to enlarge.
(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
Jack-O’-Lantern Cheese Ball
by Renee King from Battle Mountain, NV
This is a simple and cute Halloween cheese ball. We have had similar cheese balls but they’re coated with crushed cheese tortilla chips. Coating with finely shredded cheese is a much tastier method. It prevents the cheese ball from getting soggy. The only problem with this recipe is it’s so cute we didn’t want to eat it!
Trivia
In a poll last week we asked if you’ve ever visited the California Redwoods. 65 percent of you have visited, and 28 percent of you said no, you haven’t been but you’d like to go.
Well, California Redwood lovers, this trivia is for you! Click here to take a quiz from the Save The Redwoods League and see how much you know about these beautiful giants.
Laugh of the Week
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 think the email in support of turning the prison into an RV park is wrong. I wrote a support letter and then could not send it.
Please verify and correct. I think we should flood the email with support letters. Pittsburgh is a great old city and we love to visit it.
Hi, Sherry. The email address in the post is what was in the original article: savethecastlepgh@gmail.com . If that still doesn’t work, maybe you could send your letter to Tom Tripoli c/o the reporter: Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com Good luck. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Nanci- I just gotta know- where is that campground on my email notice? I’ve seen busy, but Jeez!
Hi, David. I think it was A.I. generated.😉 Either that or there definitely need to be more campgrounds built, pronto! Have a great day! 😀 –Diane
I don’t even think the laugh of the week is funny at all!
Snoopy
I disagree, Snoopy. I thought it was pretty funny!
🤣 Don’t take it personally, Snoopy. Have a great day! 😀 –Diane
Gas.
Here in So. Cal. it’s still over $5.00 for reg.
Found the pumpkin, answered all the redwood quiz questions correctly, and enjoyed today’s laugh. It’s going to be a good day today!!
And I got to spend part of my morning with the RV Travel gang, woohoo!!
I like the laugh of the day! Two years ago, a great grandson, then age 6, was dressed and made up to look like me, albeit without a walker!! It was hilarious to see this little old guy! Last year he came dressed as pilot! The other three were Dracula and princesses.
I would really like to know where that picture is in a valley at the start of your news letter. Is that a local (calif. or Arizona ) picture
Hi, Pat. I’m pretty sure someone on our staff used an A.I.-generated picture for that. Have a good afternoon/evening. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Thank you, Emily and Diane! Another exceptional newsletter put to bed. 🙂
Thanks, Neal.😊 Yep, almost done with tomorrow’s newsletter. Bed? Did someone say bed?🤣 Well, in a few hours. More so-called “work” to do first. (This is too fun to be considered “work”.) Have a good night.🤗 😀 –Diane