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Saturday, May 18, 2024
Issue 1157
Members edition
Featured articles
Look out! BLM plans fee increases in multiple states
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
If you RV in developed BLM campgrounds, listen up. The Bureau of Land Management requires a Recreation Site Business Plan for every area or site where use fees are charged. Each plan puts the public on notice of how those fee revenues will be used. Fair enough. Included in those plans is information on potential fee increases. Did that get your attention? The BLM plans fee increases in many states, with some sites increasing fees up to eight times their current rate. If you want your voice heard, the public comment period for many sites and areas is close to ending. Learn more.
Driver loses eye to steering wheel decal. You’ve been warned
Back in the day, singer Roger Miller’s “Kansas City Star” boasted “I drive a big old Cadillac with wire wheels, got rhinestones on the spokes.” Seems like wheel spokes aren’t the only place folks put rhinestones on their cars. Some are putting rhinestones—and other bling—on their steering wheels. But beware! Steering wheel decals can be harmful to your health. Read more.
Hail the size of softballs pounds Texas Hill Country
The photo in this report is real. No A.I. (artificial intelligence) is involved. It was taken Thursday, May 9, at 7:22 p.m. in Johnson City in the Texas Hill Country by Kathryn Puckett. The hailstone measured a whopping 6.25 inches in diameter, the second largest hailstone in the state’s history as confirmed by the National Weather Service. Read more and see an amazing photo.
Midwest RVers: It’s time to catch the avian migration
By Gail Marsh
Hey, there, fellow nature enthusiasts! Hold onto your binoculars and get those bird song ID apps ready because this week is going to be one for the books if you’re in the Midwest. Why? Because hundreds of millions of birds are gearing up for their annual northward journey, and you’re about to have a front-row seat to one of nature’s most awe-inspiring experiences. Continue reading.
Fire totals motorhome. Why did firefighters dig through the ashes?
What’s your first request to firefighters when your motorhome catches fire and burns to the pavement? For one RVer, it was for help finding something buried in the ashes. It all played out on I-15 near Fallbrook, California, on May 9. When fire totaled the Class A, firefighters went the extra mile. The motorhome was a total loss. But what did the RVer want from the ashes that remained? Find out.
First quarter report: Lazydays took a financial beating
Lazydays, whose Tampa, Florida, RV dealership declares itself the “World’s Largest,” is having some big problems. Lazydays Holdings, Inc., reported its first quarter 2024 financial results. (The first quarter ended March 31.) Lazydays took a financial beating, with both earnings and revenues missing stock market predictions for the third straight quarter. Read more.
Campground Crowding (and more!)
Campsite fee up 300% – but no extra services
RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs. Has that changed campground crowding? This week, Nanci Dixon relates a full-time RVer’s comment that they use Thousand Trails to help keep the RVing cost down and predictable; a suggestion to keep an open mind about “must-have” amenities and consider boondocking on weekends to avoid crowded campgrounds and save money; and more observations about the ongoing increase in rates, sometimes with nothing significant to show for it.
RV Walk-through (new name, same column!)
2024 Airstream International 30RB travel trailer is easy to love
By Cheri Sicard
In [this video] from Airstream of DFW, we join Anthony Miller for a tour of one of Airstream’s larger trailers, the 2024 Airstream International 30RB. The one in the video is model RBT, meaning twin beds in the rear bedroom, but the 2024 Airstream International 30RB is also available with a single queen-sized bed. However, the twin bed model gets you two extra storage closets.
As I am partial to Airstreams and the center bath, rear bedroom is my favorite of all RV layouts, I fell in love with this one. (I once owned a 1977 28-foot version of this trailer.)
More RVing News
- Elk calving begins in Yellowstone. Watch out – elk can be mean
- Expect traffic delays on Mackinac Bridge
- $2 million worth of fifth wheels destroyed by fire
- Star-gazing celebration coming soon at Grand Canyon
- Trail cam catches crooks at Canyonlands NP. Park needs your help
- Help honor Civil War Veterans who died in service
- Planning Memorial Day weekend RV travel? Go early!
- Minnesota tragedy: RVer run down by their rig
- Real costs: Hybrid, electric, or gas vehicles. You may be surprised
What’s new at campgrounds and RV parks
Stay up to date on news about campgrounds and RV parks across North America. Every week, learn about new parks, expansions, or special events coming up at campgrounds throughout the USA and Canada. Read this week’s latest news here.
Saturday Giveaway!
Sorry, no giveaway today. The contest will return on June 1.
Reader poll
When staying in a luxury RV in a full-hookup RV resort, are you “camping”?
RV and RV-Related Recalls
Winnebago recalls nine years of motorhomes
A huge Winnebago recall calls back nine years of motorhomes. … Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) wires can be caught in the seat mechanism when the driver or passenger seats are adjusted. Damaged wires can prevent air bags from deploying in a crash, increasing the risk of injury. Potentially 15,572 motorhomes are involved. Is yours on the list?
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS STOLEN RV?
This travel trailer was stolen from a home on Holland Road in the northwestern part of Pitt County, North Carolina. The crooks also copped a lawn mower and portable generator. Anyone with information on the caper is asked to call (252) 830-4141 or (252) 758-7777.
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 May 13, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.61
Change from week before: Down 4 cents; Change from year before: Up 7 cents.
Diesel: $3.85
Change from week before: Down 5 cents; Change from year before: Down 5 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain Teaser
A man was driving an all-black Class B camper van. His headlights were off. The moon was not out. A girl crossed the street suddenly. How did the man see her?
(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
Hawaiian Summer Grill Salad
by Amber Parsons from Parkersburg, WV
A fantastic summer salad that’s hearty enough for a meal. The savory chicken is on a bed of lettuce with sweet grilled pineapple. Macadamia nuts and shaved Parmesan cheese add the perfect amount of saltiness. We really liked the sweet and tangy mango pineapple dressing. It’s different than anything we’ve had before—in a good way. Individually, the components of this grilled chicken salad are simple. But, once they’re all combined, it transforms into a scrumptious salad. You’ll be making this salad over and over this summer.
Trivia
In the 18th century, human alarm clocks were known as “knocker-uppers.” Clocks were expensive back then, so workers across the British Isles relied on those knocker-uppers. The knocker-uppers would work in the early hours of the morning, knocking on doors and windows to wake up their sleepy clients. The role was usually filled by people already up that early, such as police constables and lamp lighters, or early-rising elderly people who wanted a little extra income.
The Perfect Scam
The pandemic was tough for Victor’s small business, but the loan he receives from the Paycheck Protection Program is a lifeline. Years later, he receives a call from someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s office. The caller says Victor’s loan application has been flagged as fraudulent and he must pay the money back right away or face arrest. Victor doesn’t realize that his loan information is public and easily accessible to scammers, who use it to their advantage.
Laugh of the Week
Today in History
RVtravel.com All Star Team
Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.
Laugh of the week IS funny!
Thank you, Emily and Diane! What Tommy said about the laugh of the day. 🙂 Thanks again, have a great weekend, and safe travels! 🙂
Thank goodness my class a has no air bags. I’ll just be thrown through the windshield and clear of the wreckage. -At least that’s what some people used to say as an argument against seat belts.
Did anyone else receive a $50 check from Rec.gov? It’s not a refund. Seems kinda random. I’m trying to remember if there was a rebate or some such…
Thank you to all at RV Travel for today’s enjoyable edition!
I really got a kick out of today’s laugh too ! 🤣
Thanks, Bill. On the Laugh of the Week, I love big dogs and I love Alaska, so I love this laugh.🤣 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane
A dead or dying dog? I fail to see the humor in that picture
laugh of the day? I don’t think so
If that were the case, Thomas, why weren’t the mushers taking care of it? I think, as does the majority of the others who have seen it, apparently, that the dog has gone “on strike” and just wants to rest. Either that, or his back was itchy and he’s scratching it. Your comment was the first time that we’ve heard from someone with that “assumption” of the picture.🙄 BTW–I have seen dogs (and cats) die and it’s never on their back with legs up in the air. Have a good afternoon/evening. –Diane at RVtravel.com
Really? That’s your takeaway?
Not even an glimmer of a thought of a dying dog in that picture, to me. Zero, naughta, nothing, zilch. I still don’t see it now, when I go back and look after contemplation of that. Yikes.
Obviously, the dog told the musher that he needed to stop to scratch his back like every dog I have owned or seen, a sign of them being happy and content, otherwise dogs do not expose their belly. Maybe you were being sarcastic.