Welcome to the RVtravel.com newsletter. “Home of the RVing Experts since 2001.”
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Issue 1166
Subscribers edition
Featured articles
Harvest Hosts buys Escapees RV Club
Harvest Hosts has acquired the Escapees RV Club, a thriving membership organization of 70,000 RVers which is based in Livingston, Texas. “This collaboration promises fresh insights and expanded services, all while maintaining the founding philosophies of Escapees RV Club. We believe this transition will positively transform both the Escapees RV Club and Harvest Hosts brands into the best community and support network in the industry.” Continue reading.
RVers cheating with reservations, says campground industry
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
A California campground owners’ organization says there are more campsites available than you think, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Sure enough, when you check out public campground reservation sites, you’ll see that plenty of campgrounds are full. But what you do not see is that some of those “filled” sites are bogus, reserved by cheaters who all too often have no intent of using them. Now, those who cheat the system are getting called out. Here’s the full story.
Marmots are attacking cars in California national park
Rangers at the Mineral King area of Sequoia National Park in the central California Sierra range are advising hikers and other visitors to wrap their vehicles with a tarp when they are away. If not, the local marmots may feast on their vehicles. The rodents are attracted by the smell of engine components and fluids and they regularly crawl into undercarriages for exploratory nibbles. This can be a disaster!
Abandoned campfires surge nationwide; park officials release scary statistics
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Maybe it’s the summer heat creating a loss of mental acuity. Maybe it’s a lack of parental training. Who knows, but the result is spelling a dangerous trend. Across the country, fire officials are seeing a huge increase in the number of abandoned campfires on public lands. The day after the July 4th holiday ended, the Forest Service noted with alarm that 77 abandoned campfires had been reported in Colorado and Kansas. Continue reading.
Campground crowding (and more!)
Guess what? “First-come, first-served are never no-shows!”
RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs. Has that changed campground crowding? Is it easier to find a campsite now, particularly in state and national parks? This week, Nanci Dixon relates more comments from RVers who are missing the spontaneity of camping days gone by, a reminder that you can save money with the Federal Senior Lifetime Pass, and a plea from an RVer to contact federal agencies to request 50/50 registration/first-come, first-served camping. Donna makes the accurate and very obvious point that, “First-come, first-served are never no-shows!”
RV walk-through
First look at the 2025 Airstream Atlas Murphy Suite, a luxury Class B with slide
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join Anthony from Airstream of DFW for a first look at the 2025 Airstream Atlas Murphy Suite, a high-end luxury Class B motorhome. This is the only Airstream motorhome with a slide, which adds substantial interior space.
Click here to read more and tour
More RVing news
RVers, if you ignore this Wyoming road sign, you could spend a month in jail! RVers and others who ignore these signs are now being targeted by a new Wyoming law with stricter enforcement. On July 1, the “Light and High Profile Vehicle Closures Bill” took effect. Get a $1,000 fine and be sent to jail for up to a month if you break this new law.
Gas prices have finally dropped. “The national average for a gallon of gas fell four cents to $3.50 since last week. The likely cause is the terrible demand number for gasoline, as folks may be curtailing driving amid sizzling summer temperatures. The arrival of summer used to signal the start of a robust driving season, but that has not been the case recently,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. Read more.
In a quiet, weekend announcement last week, FMCA (formerly Family Motor Coach Association) members were told the group is at present without someone at the corporate helm. FMCA’s CEO, Chris Smith, is no longer with the organization. The word came from FMCA’s National President, Gary Milner. The email told members that Smith wanted out of his contract. There will be more about this in tomorrow’s newsletter.
Grand Design says owners can now transfer their warranties when they sell their rigs. Grand Design rigs’ one-year warranty was already OK to transfer, but the outfit says the longer three- and five-year Grand Design warranties are now transferable, too. Learn more by clicking here.
KOA has unveiled its inaugural Outdoors & Wellness report, a significant addition to its annual Camping and Outdoor Hospitality Report series. This latest report emphasizes the integral role that camping plays in enhancing physical and mental wellness, revealing that more than 9 million camping households plan to embark on wellness-focused trips in 2024. Here are the report details.
After a long day in the saddle, it’s great to know you have a place to overnight the RV. RVtravel.com readers showed much interest when truck stop king, Love’s, started putting in RV hookup sites for a modest charge. Here comes an offer some can easily take advantage of—10% off Love’s RV campgrounds. Yeah, there’s a catch.
Back in May, California’s Senate passed a bill that would require half of all passenger vehicles, big trucks, and buses sold in the state to come equipped with a “speed assistance system” by 2029. All would need them by 2032. Now, California lawmakers are moving toward bringing vehicle speed technology to a car or truck near you.
If you eagerly add stamps to your National Park Passport, add another destination to your trip planner: Marfa, Texas. The Blackwell School National Historic Site in Texas is now the nation’s newest national park, giving the country 430 national park sites. Learn more here.
It seems like practically everything has a battery. Batteries are central to device operation, from watches and phones to portable power tools. But when those batteries cash in their chips, where do they go? It’s not good for Mother Earth to just toss old batteries in the trash. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says you’ll soon have 1,000 new locations for battery recycling.
A tragic motorhome crash has taken the lives of three members of a family of eight. The crash happened in Utah’s Grand County last Sunday, July 14. While both parents and the youngest member of the family are gone, today hopeful news emerged regarding one of the surviving children.
High temperatures across the country are taking their toll. The Utah heat is deadly. Last Friday, a father and daughter died from heat-related causes in Canyonlands National Park. The same day, officials reported another heat death at a Utah state park. Here are the details.
Four North Dakota state parks will upgrade their RV utilities. While the campgrounds in these parks already have electrical hookups, those using 50-amp service have been stuck using the weaker 30-amp connections. No more! Here are the details.
Three people were hurt in a motorhome fire on a West Virginia interstate on Monday. The inferno shut down southbound Interstate 79 south of Fairmont for nearly three hours. By the time dispatchers received the call at 2:20 in the afternoon, the rig and its toad car were fully engulfed. Don’t let this happen to you!
A tornado dropped down amid 90-mile-per-hour winds on Tuesday in the RV Capital of the World, Elkhart, Indiana. It’s a nightmare every RV manufacturing executive dreads. They got lucky this time. Read more.
In yet another instance of high temperatures messing up our recreational opportunities — and, far more importantly, our world in general — Yellowstone National Park has now closed many of its streams to fishing due to warm water temperatures and low river flows.
There are no “lazy days of summer” at Yellowstone National Park. Maybe crazy days, but certainly no lazy days. Crowds came in this June, surpassing last year’s visits for the same month, but still down from the days of the great COVID escape. Here are the details from a Park Service news release.
Speaking of Yellowstone… So far, no word on exactly what caused an SUV carrying five passengers to veer off the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction in Yellowstone National Park, causing the vehicle to plunge into the inactive Semi-Centennial Geyser. The SUV became fully submerged in approximately nine feet of hot, acidic water. Here’s the story.
Love to e-bike? Perhaps it’s time to plan a trip to Lake Tahoe. They’ve been a no-no, until now. The Forest Service may soon open 100 miles or more of trails to e-bike use. The Forest Service’s Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has been looking at allowing the “less-than-motorcycles” an allowance to take to the trails. Under current rules, “motorized” vehicles, including e-bikes, are off limits.
Senseless vandalism has destroyed some facilities in Idaho state parks. On July 17, park officials discovered extensive vandalism at the Malad Gorge and Niagara Springs restrooms. The restrooms are located in the popular Idaho Thousand Springs State Park. Law enforcement contacts are noted here if you have information.
Members of FMCA, the world’s largest nonprofit association for recreation vehicle owners, will gather in Redmond, Oregon, August 14 through 17, to enjoy good times and activities related to RVing. More than 700 RVs are expected to converge on the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center for FMCA’s 109th International Convention & RV Expo. Anyone interested in the RV lifestyle, member or not, is invited.
Traveling in Oregon? Beware of wildfires. On Wednesday night, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act for a series of fires in Umatilla County near Pilot Rock. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office has Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation notices in place. Here’s more info.
Plan on camping in Missouri? Maybe not… Recent heavy rainfall has led to significant flash flooding in the Midwest, especially in Missouri, particularly affecting the popular camping areas around Branson and Hollister. RV parks near Lake Taneycomo were evacuated, and several area roads sustained damage.
It’s not unusual to see winged creatures in California’s Death Valley National Park. But a few days ago, park officials announced that a private aircraft had made an emergency landing on a two-lane highway in the southern part of the mostly-California park.
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 North America. Read this week’s latest news here.
Saturday giveaway
How would you like to win a copy of Fodor’s Best Road Trips in the USA travel guide?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (July 20, 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
If you had to rate your life as an RVer, how would you rate it?
RV and RV-related recalls
Triple E RV recalls motorhomes. Generator may fall out
Triple E Recreational Vehicles (Triple E) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Wonder W24RL, W24FTB, W24MBL, and W24MB motorhomes. The floor structure to the crossmember may be inadequately secured, causing the generator to fall. A generator that falls increases the risk of a crash and injury to the occupants of the RV or other nearby motorists or pedestrians. Learn more.
Grand Design recalling trailers for wiring issue
Grand Design is recalling certain 2024 Reflection travel trailers. The electrical wiring may be missing over current circuit protection. Wiring without circuit protection may become damaged and short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire, which could lead to injury. Read more.
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE STOLEN RVs?
We’re beefing up our coverage of stolen RVs to help find as many as we can, and you can help. To see what was most recently stolen, click here. Then keep your eyes open.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of July 15, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.50
Change from week before: Up <1 cent; Change from year before: Down 6 cents.
Diesel: $3.83
Change from week before: Down 4 cents; Change from year before: Up 2 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain teaser
My first is in ocean but never in sea.
My second’s in wasp but never in bee.
My third is in glider and also in flight.
My whole is a creature that comes out at night.
What am I?
(Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday RV Travel newsletter. And please don’t spoil it for other readers by posting the answer in the comments.)
Recipe of the day
Baked Sloppy Joe With Biscuits
by Sharon Freeze from Buffalo, NY
This is a fantastic rustic sloppy joe recipe. It’s super easy to make the sauce – in fact, you probably have the ingredients in your kitchen. Cooking the biscuits on top is genius. It’s wonderful to serve the sloppy joes with a big biscuit on top. As you cut into it with a fork, scoop up some of the sloppy joe, and eat it all together. It’s a tasty bite. We love the option of cooking over a campfire. It’s an easy camping dinner option.
Trivia
Mark Twain’s real name wasn’t Mark Twain. It was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. When he began writing, he chose the pen name “Mark Twain.” “Mark Twain” is actually a riverboat term measuring two fathoms (12 feet) in depth: mark (measure) twain (two).
The perfect scam
Puppy Scam Robs Couple of Their Life Savings
Michael and Kelli are empty nesters after their three adult children move out, and they aren’t prepared for how quiet and lonely the house becomes when their two dogs suddenly die. The couple turn to the internet, looking for a puppy to help fill the void left in their home and their hearts. Instead of finding a companion, the couple are targeted by criminals who steal almost every penny of their life savings.
Laugh of the week
Today in history
RVtravel.com All Star Team
Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.
I loved today’s trivia.
Hi, we were not thrilled to hear Harvest Hosts acquiring Escapees RV Club. The big just getting bigger and we don’t hear or see any benefit for us as RVers.The article about the acquisition had well written sound bites, but nothing or substance explaining why it really happened, what is the outcome, who benefits? Peter and Debra B
I can’t really think this will be a good thing. I formerly belonged to Escapees and it was such a totally service oriented organization. I hope Harvest Hosts will be as good, but it doesn’t seem they are, now, so much into service as to entertainment. Escapees owned/ran a few parks, who will own them now?
I will be at FMCA Convention in Redmond, OR Aug 14 – 17 giving Seminars on RV Tire Safety. Readers of RV Travel are more than welcome to stop buy and say HI and ask their questions on tire safety.
Can’t wait to meet and greet you Roger !
Has RVTravel ever reviewed and recommended extended warranties. Our rig is six years old and out of original warranty. Our mobile tech suggested we look into buying an extended warranty. (He has no connection to any of them.) I wonder if it would be worth it since some of the “big” ticket items could be giving us problems in the future.
Good morning, Paula. If you go to our homepage at rvtravel.com, then search for “extended warranties”, you’ll find several helpful articles. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
If you divide the cost of one of these “warranties” (actually more truthfully called ‘service contracts’) into a monthly format you’ll see that if you just put that amount or less into a money market account specific for your RV repairs monthly you’ll be way ahead of the game.
“Service Contracts”, correct. I was astounded by the cost of these, thousands of dollars. I went with the “savings” route as you suggested!
RV Parks are getting a little picky. Just because your RV is ten or twenty years old does not mean it’s ugly. I just sold my 26 foot RV trailer and it looked better than 75% of those on the road. It was well taken care of and had no ugly areas on it. RV Parks should go by looks, not age.
Several times we have had parks request a photo of our then-1993 Holiday Rambler fifth wheel. We were never refused. This seems like a legitimate compromise. We now have a 2003 Monaco, so guess we’ll still be sending in pictures!
Thank you, Emily, Diane, and Kim! 🙂 The laugh of the week almost accurately portrayed my packed luggage when DW and I flew somewhere. She, a seasoned traveler/flyer, could get a week’s worth of clothes and toiletries into a roller bag carry-on. I usually had to check my “carry-on” because it was oversize and overweight, even for a weekend trip. 🤔😯 😉 RVing makes the divergence in our “necessary” volume of clothing and shoes more easily concealed. 🤔😯 😉 Thanks again, have a great weekend, safe travel whether motorized or not, and safe stays! 🙂