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Saturday, February 17, 2024
Issue 1144
Members edition
Featured articles
RV repair delays soar despite sales slump. Industry grapples with bottlenecks
By Andy Zipser
RV repair times have surged despite a drop in sales, leaving customers waiting for months for basic repairs. Industry efforts to improve servicing have fallen short, with wait times doubling in some regions. Despite lower production rates and efforts to bolster technical expertise, RV owners continue to face frustrating delays and parts shortages. Click to read.
Highway guardrails put to the test: Shocking results revealed as vehicles blast right through. RVers beware
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
It’s the stuff you can make into a nightmare. You’re tooling down the highway, approaching a curve. What you don’t know is that the road ahead of you is sheeted with invisible black ice. Your rig hits the ice, and your hope of control is down the drain. As your rig slides off the roadway, you see a steep embankment coming right up. What prevents you from a fateful meetup? A humble highway guardrail. But a recent dramatic test shows that the typical highway guardrails probably won’t stop a modern electric vehicle. What about your RV? Continue reading this startling report.
RV boondocking: A plan to preserve a threatened lifestyle
By Randall Brink
Boondockers prefer camping on public lands without hookups or amenities, moving from place to place. Boondocking is one of the best ways to experience America’s public lands’ natural beauty and diversity. However, boondocking is facing a serious challenge. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages more than 245 million acres of public lands in the United States, is systematically closing off boondocking access to many areas due to irresponsible and destructive behavior by some campers…. Read Randall’s possible solution to several major issues plaguing our country.
Colorado’s BLM rules could hit RVers hard
Heads up, RVers. Colorado’s BLM rules that are up for public comment could have impact on RVers who boondock. The new supplementary rules will specifically hit dispersed area camping, campfires, and the use of metal detectors. And if by some chance you happen to carry a goat with you on your travels, it could be baaad news. [Yes, goats are listed in the proposed rules.] Learn more about what could happen here.
Campground Crowding (and more!)
RV “resorts” are “packed shoulder to shoulder, have lots of noisy kids, and zero natural beauty”
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 your observations and tips, including noticing the increase of permanent full-timers in RV parks, a recommendation for a great state park in Alabama, a request for park owners to build larger sites to accommodate big rigs, more complaints about disrespectful campers, a tip to not dwell on the doom and gloom in articles, and one RVer’s observation regarding traveling that “All in all, the RV way is the BEST WAY!!”
RV Tours
Tour the 2023 Panoramic RV camper van—European style with American practicality
By Cheri Sicard
Looking for a Class B camper van? Check out the Panoramic RV camper van that combines European styling with American practicality and autonomy. In the video below we get a tour from Traveling Robert, one of our readers’ favorite RV travel channels. But this time instead of traveling, Robert turns his attention to giving us a tour of this unique rig. Philippe from Panoramic RV joins Robert to give us the lowdown on these unique Class B camper vans. I have to say, for me, this is the nicest Class B camper van I have seen.
More RVing News
A New York plan to curb campsite reservation cheating has backfired. It’s a problem that RVers frequently complain about: campsite reservation cheating. You try to get a site at your favorite campground but, despite time limits, the same people are in the same site, seemingly perpetually. It’s a problem that New York’s state park officials have been fighting with. So they rolled out a new plan to “combat” the issue, and now the public has spoken but the problem remains.
Love’s RV Stop could be coming to the birthplace of Rockabilly. Jackson, Tennessee’s regional planning commission has given the nod to a preliminary site plan filed by the big truck stop company. The “RV Stop” is apparently an addition to the company’s travel plaza, but would increase RVer attraction. Included in the filing were plans for an enclosed playground, a dog park, and spots for 37 RVs. Here’s more info.
Back in 2022, people were screaming. If you wanted to go camping, they said, good luck trying to find a spot. A new survey says things have loosened up. Booking campsites is not nearly as hard as it was then, even though the number of RVers booking sites has increased significantly. So why the change? Find out here.
Forest River announces more layoffs, and manufacturing plant will close. Forest River plans to phase out its No Boundaries manufacturing plant in Goshen (Plant #77) and combine the No Boundaries line with the current Ibex manufacturing plant in Ligonier, Indiana. Learn more about these layoffs and plant closure here.
After months of barely budging more than a few cents, the national average for pump prices moved into the fast lane, surging 12 cents since last week to $3.27 a gallon. See what’s contributing to this high jump here.
There are plenty of ghost towns around the American West. Many had ties to mining operations that went from boom to bust. But few are like Dearfield Settlement, perhaps America’s only African American ghost town. Dearfield, about 30 miles east of Greeley, Colorado, is now up for consideration to become a National Park Service-managed site.
Capitol Reef National Park is one of Utah’s “Mighty Five” parks, but if visitors come after March they may be dismayed. Roadwork and campground rehab will prove to be major disruptions. The biggest part of the work this year will be the shutdown of Capitol Reef’s Scenic Drive. The roadway is showing serious signs of wear and tear, as do some associated parking lots. A big part of the project will be rebuilding the roadway’s foundation. So why did they pick the busiest time of year for this massive project? Find out here.
Dry Tortugas National Park has announced that its dredging and moat wall repair project will begin on March 11. In multiple phases, the project will repair, strengthen and protect historic Fort Jefferson, a 19th-century fort located in the Gulf of Mexico, 70 miles from Key West. The work will cause a 45-day closure of the Garden Key Campground for the safety of park visitors. More info can be found here.
Some call it the “TriEx.” North Carolina’s Triangle Expressway is the first “modern” toll road in Tar Heel State. It also has the distinction of being one of the first toll roads in the country to use electronic toll collection exclusively. If you roll onto the TriEx, your license plates will be photographed, and you’ll get a bill for your toll charges in the mail. Now the TriEx is getting something else: a 10-mile extension, complete with—you guessed it—higher toll rates.
The April 8 solar eclipse has drawn plenty of attention. New York’s 335 eclipse view spots for RVers and other campers have sold out. But one New York KOA campground—which normally wouldn’t be open until May, is opening early to take advantage of viewers. They still have campsites available as of this writing.
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Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this heavy-duty apron with pockets?
This apron isn’t just for cooking! Use it while you’re working on the RV, doing craft and DIY projects, and much more.
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (February 17, 2024) 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
Have rodents ever damaged the wiring in your RV or tow vehicle?
RV and RV-Related Recalls
Some GMC Sierra Duramax trucks may have glow plug issue, but fix is free
Do you own a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup with the 3.0L LM2 turbo-diesel Duramax? Does that dreaded Check Engine Light come on? Turns out, some who are experiencing this unwelcome phenomenon may have a faulty glow plug in the number two cylinder. If so, “The General” wants you to know they’ve got your back.
Forest River recalls some trailers for tire puncture danger
Forest River is recalling certain 2024 Coachmen Catalina and Forest River Aurora travel trailers. The tire may contact the slide adjustment bolt and puncture the tire. Click here for more information.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of February 12, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.19
Change from week before: Up 6 cents; Change from year before: Down 20 cents.
Diesel: $4.11
Change from week before: Up 21 cents; Change from year before: Down 34 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain Teaser
Shown above are four men buried up to their necks in the ground. They cannot move, so they can only look forward. Between A and B is a brick wall that cannot be seen through. They all know that among them they are wearing four hats—two black and two white—but they do not know what color they are wearing. Each of them knows where the other three men are buried. In order to avoid being shot, one of them must call out to the executioner the color of their hat. If they get it wrong, everyone will be shot. They are not allowed to talk to each other and have 10 minutes to fathom it out. After one minute, one of them calls out.
Which one of them calls out? Why is he 100% certain of the color of his hat?
(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
Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken
by Sunny Shaine from Palm Harbor, FL
Easy to make, this pineapple sweet and sour chicken uses simple ingredients and tastes delicious. Pineapple adds a burst of sweetness. The sauce adds tang and coats the tender and juicy chicken breast pieces. Onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms add color and crunch. Try adding other vegetables to suit your liking—broccoli or snow peas would be good. This sweet and sour chicken is a winner.
Trivia
Adirondack Park in Upstate New York is the largest state park in the U.S. It is also the largest protected area of any kind in the Lower 48 states, at six million acres. It attracts 10 million visitors each year.
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, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, and Tony Barthel. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Social Media staff: Gary Pratt. Mascots: Archie and Astor “the Disaster”
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Brain Teaser sounds like something from Squid Games…
Squid games was excellent. Albeit a little disturbing at times, which is part of what made it great.
Regarding campsite reservation cheaters mentioned in the NY parks article, an easy solution comes to mind. Use license plate numbers to enforce the rules. Require reservations to include license plate numbers and use them to do the site check. Also use them to enforce the rules on the reservation system. Also, as a 2nd check, the reservation system could cross check credit card number. People could still cheat but it would require swapping vehicles, big hassle, or swapping license plates, highly illegal.
Swapping license plates would not work if checking Vehicle Identification Numbers listed on vehicle registration cards for the license plate of the vehicle. Still, cheaters will find a way to cheat and steal. Just a different kind of crook.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂 Have a great weekend (https://g.co/kgs/scLbPUk)! 😉
“Friday evening through Sunday evening”? All my days run together since I work all day, every day. I can’t even remember which day of the week it is. No wonder I don’t know what a so-called “weekend” is. My week never ends.🤣 Have a great whatever-it-is, Neal. 😀 –Diane
Thank you, Diane! I hope that your “whatever-it-is” is great. 🙂 Maybe you need a vacation — that is, a day or four without working — Diane. 🙂
Ha! What’s a “vacation,” Neal? Or a “day without working,” for that matter? I’d probably go stir crazy. Or I’d go up to my remote mountain property and forget to come back.🤣 However, if I do go up there for a couple of hours (only a couple of times last year), I take my computer with me to keep up with comments and emails.👍 In fact, one of my very brief trips up there last year was so I could attend our weekly Zoom meeting with the creek on my property running behind me and see if anyone noticed that it was actually moving, and not just the background I have for our meetings. (Yeah, they noticed.) I had a little trouble focusing on the meeting when I was constantly looking around me for bears (literally). And I don’t usually attend our meetings with my .357 Magnum S&W sitting next to my computer.🤣 Have a good evening, Neal. 😀 –Diane
Well, so long as you enjoy what you’re doing. 🙂 Why go there so rarely? Do you plan to “retire” there? Well, I cannot say that I have ever had to sit on our back, or front, porch with a weapon. Guess your mountain property must be in the “wild” west. The east might bore you. We lack such distractions as bears outside of the Smokies. We certainly seem to lack them here in the western foothills. Good night, Diane! 🙂
Thanks, Neal. I love what I’m doing.👍😄 And I go to my mountain property so rarely because of my 27/7/365(6) work schedule. No, I won’t be retiring there. No cabin, RV, or anything else. Just the raw, remote land, and the critters that allow me to share it with them. 😀 –Diane
So, no fear of squatters appropriating it? What do you do there if there is nothing built? Tent camp? Well, so long as you enjoy RV Travel and having mountain property, then no explanation necessary. 🙂 Good night, Diane. 🙂
Yeah, there could be squatters or trespassers. But the smaller parcel, on the dirt road side, has a couple of neighbors, one of whom keeps tabs on it for me. And since I very rarely go up there, I don’t need to worry about what to do when I’m there. If one or both of my sons are with me, we’ll park way down the road, walk across a private bridge, and walk up an easement about a mile that gets us to our 18 acres across Index Creek from our small roadside 2/3-acre parcel. We could then continue to hike into the hills beyond our property. But I am usually not there long enough to even walk up to that big parcel (no people on that side). BTW, I’ve owned most of the big parcel since 1992, and have never encountered another person on that easement that goes through it. Black bears, yes, but no two-legged critters. But I wanted to own mountain property all of my life, so it’s nice just to know I have it and that it’s up there waiting for me. (But I’ve never spent the night there.☹️) Have a good night, Neal. (I’m getting back to work now.) 😀 –Mountain Mama
It sounds so nice. But you don’t plan to ever have even a weekend house? Enjoy, Diane, as often as you care to! 🙂
Nope. No future plans for the property (unless I win the lottery–hard to do when I don’t buy any tickets, however🙄). Just enjoy it “as is” for as long as I’m able. That’s my legacy I’m leaving to my (Mountain Men) sons, who love it (almost) as much as I do. 😀 –Mountain Mama
The brain teaser is a good one!!!!
re: Laugh of the week. I was following my GPS instructions. It took me over a bridge,
had me turn right, then right again showing a dotted line across the river and to
“navigate offroad.”
Did yer RV have flotation devices?