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Saturday, March 2, 2024
Issue 1146
Members edition
Breaking News
SATURDAY MORNING AT 5 A.M. (PST): A dangerous blizzard expected to bring up to 10 feet of snow to parts of the Sierra Nevada has forced the closure of Yosemite National Park, at least nine Lake Tahoe ski resorts and more than 50 miles of Interstate 80 between Reno and Sacramento
Featured articles
Is an RV considered a “home” in a bankruptcy proceeding?
By Randall Brink
In the recent case of In re: DRUMMOND, Steven and Mary Drummond found themselves in a unique situation. They resided in their 2017 Tiffin Allegro motor home and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The pivotal question arose: Could their motor home be considered a “home” under the homestead exemption in Arizona law? Specifically, they claimed that their motor home qualified as a “mobile home”… but does it?
Grand Design RV’s future hangs in the balance amidst serious safety concerns
By Keith Ward
The future of Grand Design RV hangs in the balance amidst growing concerns over frame flex issues in their fifth wheel trailers. With a flurry of reports circulating, the company’s response becomes paramount. However, their silence risks amplifying suspicions. As the public awaits clarity, one question looms: How will Grand Design navigate this storm?
RV sales scam goes outrageous step further–steals legitimate dealer’s ID
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
We’ve written warning articles before—don’t buy an RV sight unseen. But we’ve never seen an RV sales scam like this one. A very clever scammer not only flim-flams RV buyers, they’ve also stolen the identity of a legitimate RV dealer to build up trust in their victims. This is crazy!
RV sales report: Motorhome prices still down, towables up first time in months
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Used RV auction market watcher Black Book has rolled out its RV sales report for January wholesale auction values. As has been true since 2022, motorhome prices continue their month-by-month sawtooth play. While motorhome prices continue down, towable values actually headed up for the first time in six months. Where are we headed now?
Texas’ Smokehouse Creek Fire burns more than 1 million acres; largest wildfire in state history
By Gail Marsh
The Smokehouse Creek Fire continues to burn out of control, forced along by raging winds and fueled by very dry conditions throughout the region. Several other fires also continue to scorch the surrounding area, making this massive fire event the largest in the state of Texas’ history with over one million acres burned. Learn more about this terrible fire here.
Campground Crowding (and more!)
RVer says, “To get a site at crowded parks you gotta know somebody.” Plus, expensive lock-in fees pay for campground fraud scandal?
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 including a report on the state of campgrounds and costs in the Northeast U.S.; the lack of first-come, first-served campsites, and more campgrounds saying “full” but with many empty sites; and are one campground’s lock-in fees an attempt to recoup a million dollars lost to a fraudulent manager? Also, some more tips on how and where to find campsites.
RV Tours
Tour the 2024 Thor Magnitude AX29 Super C motorhome
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join one of our readers’ favorite RV Tour hosts, Matt of Matt’s RV Reviews, for a tour of a tiny Super C motorhome, the 2024 Thor Magnitude AX29, an all-new floor plan for Thor Magnitude motorhomes. As usual, the lovely Andrea joins him. Super C’s are one of the fastest-growing segments in the RV industry. Most of these highly powered motorhomes are LARGE, coming in at 38 feet or more. Not the 2024 Thor Magnitude AX29!
Click here to read more and tour
More RVing News
Yikes… Crash chaos! A runaway motorhome hit a grandmother pushing a baby carriage holding a toddler. According to reports from the area, the 30-ish driver had stopped for a cup of coffee. After he left the rig for his java, the rig, for reasons yet to be determined, took off on a roll. The driverless rig continued down the road for more than a block. Learn more and watch the video.
Are you a AAA member? Then you’re probably familiar with the club’s Trip Canvas tool. It helps members plan trips. AAA and RoverPass have teamed up to give Trip Canvas more value for RVers. Trip Canvas users can browse campgrounds and RV parks, getting detailed information about amenities and local highlights through the synergistic coupling. This is neat.
Camp hosts go fishing in Idaho, and get a free campsite. That could be possible as the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest needs camp hosts. Not into fishing? Well, host positions are close to some fantastic hot springs, too. Here’s more info.
A major winter storm has closed Yosemite National Park to all visitors. The closure began at midnight on Thursday and will extend until at least noon on Sunday. The park service warns that the closure may be extended even longer, depending on the severity of the storm. Learn more about it here and stay up to date on info.
Explore the wonders of space from one of the darkest locations in the United States. This year’s Death Valley Dark Sky Festival started Friday and will continue through Sunday, March 3. The popular event drew a crowd of more than 3,500 last year. Learn more about this amazing event here.
For the sake of “visitor convenience and to eliminate security issues,” fees for the popular BLM-managed Virgin River Campground, AZ, camping and day-use sites have gone “cashless.” All payments are now made through recreation.gov. That’s great if you make a reservation in advance, but may pose an issue for the “drop-in” RVer. The BLM says it has a workaround.
We reported earlier on how many visitors streamed into all national parks last year. Here’s a breakdown of just how one of the more popular parks fared—and a graph that could help you plan to call when things aren’t so busy. Yellowstone National Park visits in 2023 were next to the highest ever. Wow, check out these numbers!
Can you guess what the most popular dog breeds in the U.S. are? New pet industry research from U.S. News & World Report’s 360 Reviews finds these three breeds to be the most popular in the United States. Guess which breeds you think are the most popular, then see if you’re right.
And, lastly, a funny tip from the National Park Service X (Twitter) account:
TODAY IS NATIONAL PLAY OUTSIDE DAY! Get out there and play! Here’s some travel inspiration.
Don’t miss out on the latest, breaking news for RVers!
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Don’t want to sign up? Don’t worry. This newsletter isn’t going anywhere. Continue reading this newsletter every Saturday for a recap of the latest news for RVers.
In personal RVtravel.com news… Hackers have tried to silence us! Read about the latest attack on RVtravel.com here. The internet is nuts!
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this sound/white noise machine for noisy campgrounds?
If you’ve always been curious about sound/white noise machines but haven’t wanted to purchase one, this is your chance to try one for free! These sound machines are great for campgrounds. We don’t know how you live without one. (Really, we don’t!)
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (March 2, 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
On a two-lane road when being tailgated, do you tend to speed up, slow down, pull over or just maintain the same speed?
RV and RV-Related Recalls
Keystone recalling Hideout and Springdale trailers for LP cylinder-related problem
A bum welding job on propane cylinder mounts has led to Keystone recalling nearly 2,000 2024 Hideout 175BH, 177RD, 178RB, 179RB, 181BH, and 2024 Springdale 1700FQ, 1760 FQ, 1800BH, 1810BH, 1860SS, 2010BH travel trailers. The propane cylinder holder may have insufficient welds, allowing the propane cylinder to detach. More info here.
Forest River fifth wheel recall–Hitch failure could cause crash
Forest River is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sanibel SNF3550 and 2021-2023 Sanibel SNF3902WB fifth wheels. The hitch (pin box) may not be sufficient for the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and may fail. Failure of the hitch increases the risk of a crash. Here’s more info.
Space heater causes a recall from Forest River–Fire risk in the ceiling
Here’s an unusual one: A space heater causes a recall from Forest River, who is recalling certain 2024 IBEX and No Boundaries travel trailers. The recessed space heaters may have been installed too close to the ceiling. Learn more.
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS STOLEN RV?
The owner of this stolen 42′ fifth wheel understandably wants it back. The 2021 Coachmen Chaparral vanished in the early hours of February 24, 2024. It bears Mississippi license plate Z2826R. You’ll find the VIN number in the photo. Sorry, we don’t have information on where it was taken from yet. Know something? UPDATE 3/4/24 — POLICE HAVE RECOVERED THIS VEHICLE WITH RELATIVELY MINOR DAMAGE.
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 February 26, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.25
Change from week before: Down 2 cents; Change from year before: Down 9 cents.
Diesel: $4.06
Change from week before: Down 5 cents; Change from year before: Down 24 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain Teaser
A ship is tied up. Over the side of the ship is a rope ladder. The rope ladder has steel rungs (which don’t float) spaced one foot apart. The bottom rung of the ladder is 6″ above the water. The tide is coming in at the rate of 2 feet per hour. After three hours, how many rungs up the ladder will the water be?
(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
Spinach and Artichoke Quesadilla w/Bacon
by Brandy Bender from Darrington, WA
This spinach and artichoke quesadilla with bacon is a cheesy and savory delight. The quesadilla is filled with creamy homemade spinach and artichoke dip that’s made with two types of cheese. Parmesan cheese adds a nutty and salty flavor, while pepper jack cheese gives the quesadilla a spicy kick. We love the smoky flavor and crunch bacon adds. These spinach and artichoke quesadillas are easy to make with simple ingredients and minimal prep time.
Trivia
New Mexico’s state question is “Red or green?” This is a question commonly heard at restaurants. Waiters are asking which kind of sauce the customer wants served with their meal, red sauce (red chiles) or green sauce (green chiles). If you order “Christmas style” you’ll get a plate with half red and half green sauce.
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”
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.
RVtravel.com is a participant in many affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of the potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.
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Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
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For those who might care today is “National Banana Cream Pie Day”.
Two pieces please.
2 more !
Also “International Rescue Cat Day”. Been there done that so I’ll rescue some pie today instead, thanks for relaying the option Tommy.
We “rescued” two cats in our marriage. Now it’s time to, as you say, “rescue some pie”.
That sound like a pie with a peal.
Brain teaser not much of a challenge
Retired Navy here, can confirm. 😎
Agreed. If retired, your ship must have floated.
Never been in the Navy, but I’ll confirm that, also. (Once in awhile we need an easy Brain Teaser.😉) Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Tailgaters certainly can bring one’s blood to a boil. If I maintain speed they are always there. If I speed up It can be a safety issue.If I slow down I am still engaged in a kind of drivers duel. If I assume they have a pressing situation and need to get somewhere fast I can calm down, pull over when safe and then resume my adventure feeling I may have helped someone.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! 🙂 I encountered an amusing irony after reading the story of the hacker attack on RV Travel’s site. When I entered the weekly contest, my entry was rejected because I had my VPN software/application active. Once it was disabled, then I entered without difficulty. I could have been a bad-actor concealing that with a VPN, so I think I understand the reason. But I did find it amusing to see how personal protection can be incompatible with site protection. I wish Kim well in his relentless effort to protect RV Travel’s website and I wish safe travels to all traveling! 🙂
Sometimes it’s good to pull over. Depends on the situation and what I’m driving! In my large dually, sometimes with an equipment trailer behind me, I just go on down the road. If I have to stop quick . . . poor driver!
Wish you could make the Reported Fuel Prices more relevant at a glance to our locations. When you click on the chart the gas prices don’t seem near accurate to what I just saw yesterday in California driving 3/4 of the length of the state. $5.25/gal very common. It couldn’t possibly be some agency is misrepresenting the numbers could it?
Hi, Ken. We just report what it says on the U.S. Energy Information Administration website, from the previous Monday. It’s interesting to me that it has numbers for the West Coast and then the “West Coast less California.” But even the numbers for California for Monday are nowhere near what you’re reporting, so I’m not sure where they get their numbers. Have a good evening. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com