Issue 1184
The latest news for RVers
Another one bites the dust… Washington state has announced it will mirror California’s new motorhome ban. Some RVers are up in arms. As we pointed out, the effective ban of the sale of motorhomes in California will have far-reaching consequences. Washington state RV dealers acknowledge that following California’s lead, the Evergreen State may kill off motorhome sales as soon as the turn of the year. Dealers are caught off guard, and here’s what’s going on.
Lazydays has sold seven dealerships to Camping World. Camping World Holdings, Inc., which declares itself to be “the World’s Largest Recreational Vehicle Dealer,” announced the takeover in a press release dated November 15. In a deal valued at roughly the book value of the assets, Camping World will take over seven dealerships. The company expects to pay between $10 million and $20 million in net cash, after accounting for proceeds from standard real estate financing. Learn more.
White campers have an advantage in making camping reservations. University of Montana researcher Will Rice studies inequities in national park campground reservations, finding that online systems favor higher-income, white campers due to barriers like internet access and planning flexibility. His work highlights the need for solutions, such as lottery systems, to improve equitable access while protecting park resources. Continue reading.
Oh, and speaking of Lazydays… The company indicated the sales were to help it regain its financial footing. On Tuesday, Lazydays released its third quarter 2024 earnings report. Lazydays’ financial woes are big. The company is in a financial whirlpool that threatens real trouble. Maybe more Camping World sales are to come?
When California unleashed its rules on the sale of fossil-fuel-burning rigs, creating what the RV industry says is essentially a ban on motorhomes, RVtravel.com readers reacted quickly. Readers have left a mountain of comments, with much of it critical of Golden State regulators. Regarding the regulation and its effects, is it “all over but the shouting”? Apparently not, as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and RV manufacturers are actively talking with each other. Here’s what’s going on.
Planning on driving the motorhome or pulling the trailer out in the next couple of months? You won’t be alone. A new survey from the RV Industry Association (RVIA) reveals that millions of Americans are planning to travel by RV this holiday season. The survey found that 21 million Americans plan to go RVing between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, with 9 million hitting the road for Thanksgiving and 7 million for Christmas. If you’re traveling, here’s what to expect.
An incident from the Pennsylvania Turnpike shows a bad pairing: LP gas and a lit cigarette. An LP explosion just isn’t the way to start your day. Pennsylvania troopers got a call yesterday to the Blue Mountain Service Plaza in Hopewell Township around five in the morning. It seems somebody who’d taken advantage of the plaza rest area woke up in their motorhome and decided on a wake-up smoke. It seems that the person’s nose wasn’t tuned into the odorant put in LP gas to warn of gas leaks. The result was sadly predictable.
Campground crowding and concerns
What’s wrong with the RV industry? “They do as they please and never listen to actual RVers!”
This week Nanci Dixon relates more of our readers’ concerns about no-shows at campgrounds, a couple of suggestions on how that practice may be deterred, and how much just finding a place to camp has changed over the years. Also, a former RVer discusses the negative aspects of RVing/camping as a growing issue, and how the RVIA totally ignores the RVers themselves. Read more.
More RVing news
No more cash on Oklahoma turnpikes. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announced Thursday, November 21, that cashless tolling is now on all 12 Oklahoma turnpikes. The last turnpike to switch to open road tolling occurred early Wednesday morning on the I-44/Will Rogers Turnpike corridor between Tulsa and the Missouri state line. Here’s more info.
The Iowa DNR is seeking campground hosts for the 2025 camping season. If you enjoy camping and meeting new people, this may be the perfect volunteer opportunity for you. In this volunteer position, hosts are provided a free campsite and live in the park for one to five months during the summer season. Learn more.
Oregon State Parks have some of the prettiest campgrounds. It’s only natural that RVers would like to hang around and absorb the beauty. But how long can you stay? Just what are Oregon State Parks campground limits? Apparently not even state parks’ employees know. Management wants to put an end to the confusion.
Joshua Tree’s fees are going up. In 2024, the online travel guide Travel Lemming ranked California’s Joshua Tree National Park #2 of all parks. It based the ranking on seven factors: Affordability, accessibility, biodiversity, crowds, reviews, job opportunities, and weather. We don’t know if that ranking had anything to do with a Park Service decision to hike fees there. But no doubt some will be disappointed with the Joshua Tree fee hikes.
With more than two-and-a-half million visitors in 2023, Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park is one of the Pacific Northwest’s key draws. The closure of a 185-site campground there for an entire season will have a major impact on Mount Rainier camping in 2025. Learn more about the campground closure and other park construction projects.
Speaking of beautiful places being closed… California State Parks says its popular Lake Tahoe venue D.L. Bliss State Park will remain closed into next summer. There will be no camping and only partial availability for day-use features until then. More info here.
The Adventure Lodge in Hood River, Oregon, is aptly named. On Monday, November 18, guests got more of an adventure than they probably expected when a Class A motorhome crashed through the motel’s front wall. That’s one motel stay they’ll never forget…
This past summer brought unprecedented challenges to the Appalachian Trail. Catastrophic storms—most notably Hurricane Helene—caused significant damage to the iconic treasure. More than a third of the trail, spanning areas from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Rockfish Gap in Virginia, was rendered inaccessible. Bridges washed away, landslides blocked paths, and several trail towns were devastated by flooding and high winds. Now, volunteers are getting to work rebuilding the trail.
EXTRA! EXTRA! National Geographic has released their wildlife photos of the year and we urge you to not miss them. As always, they are amazing!
Imagine buying the Starlink Mini dish for just $165. With a newly released discount, you can—if you’re in these countries. Starlink normally sells for $200, but the new discount really chops the cost. The Starlink discounts are a no-go in the U.S., though, and it appears the company is having some real issues, now reviving the “wait list” for some big U.S. cities. Learn more.
For an animal whose population barely tops 2,000, Montana’s grizzly bears hold an outsized presence in the psyche and politics of Treasure State residents. For many state visitors, including those with RVs, spotting a grizzly bear in the wild becomes a trip highlight and treasured memory. Small wonder, though, that Montanans, though likely never to have seen a grizzly, hold strong opinions about the legendary bruins.
RV and RV-related recalls
30,435 Grand Design RVs recalled again for same gas leak danger
You may have already had your Grand Design travel trailer in for recall work. KEEP READING, as the company is having to do a second recall for the same units. More than 30,000 Grand Design RVs are being recalled as an LP gas fitting could leak, setting up for a potential fire. This Grand Design LP leak issue is a serious matter and they are recalling certain 2022 Imagine, Reflection, Momentum, Solitude, and Transcend travel trailers. Learn more.
Thousands of Forest River fifth wheels recalled over bad wiring
Forest River is facing another self-acknowledged “manufacturing error.” This time nearly 3,000 fifth wheels over five model years are being called back after the company recognized workers did improper wiring that could lead to fires. Details here.
Grand Design recalls motorhomes for electric short danger
Grand Design is recalling certain 2025 Lineage 25FW motorhomes. The battery warming pad was installed incorrectly, which can damage internal wiring and cause an electrical short which can increase the risk of a fire which can lead to injury of RVers and others. Learn more.
Saturday giveaway
How would you like to win The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today by 7 p.m. Pacific time. You can only enter once and after we notify you by email that you won, you have 24 hours to respond.
Click here to enter or see last week’s winner.
Reader poll
Is your RV specifically included in your will or trust?
Latest fuel prices
The latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of November 18, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.05
Change from week before: Down 1 cent; Change from year before: Down 24 cents.
Diesel: $3.49
Change from week before: Down 3 cents; Change from year before: Down 72 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Brain teaser
When can you add two to eleven and get one as the correct answer?
(Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday RV Travel newsletter.)
Recipes of the day
5 delicious vegetable side dish recipes
What’s Thanksgiving dinner without all the sides? Admit it, you love the sides just as much as the turkey. (We do!) Here are a few vegetable sides that’ll shine at your table. Green bean casserole with a twist, delicious fall Brussels sprouts, a corn casserole, delicious squash au gratin… The list continues. Here they are.
Trivia
According to data and tech company Numerator, Walmart has captured 21.2% of grocery market share over the past year. This far exceeds such grocery retailers as The Kroger Co., at 9.3%; Costco Wholesale, at 8.5%; Albertsons Companies, at 5.1%; and Publix Super Markets, at 4.2%.
The perfect scam
A Family’s Thanksgiving Dinner Ruined by a SNAP Scam
Thanksgiving is a time for sharing food with family and feeling grateful. It means a lot to Georgete, a struggling mom who just wants to make the holiday special for her kids. She relies on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to get by, and when her Thanksgiving dinner is essentially stolen from her, she is devastated. The theft is part of a highly organized crime and Georgete is one of hundreds of thousands of victims, resulting in $150 million of taxpayer money stolen by criminals. And the scam is still happening all over the country, hurting an already vulnerable population.
Laugh of the week
Today in history
Today’s weather forecast across the nation
Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
Headed on an unfamiliar highway? Learn if it has low bridges you might not fit under.
RVtravel.com All Star Team
Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.
Re: “Recalls”, faulty wiring (over five model years), gas leak (2022) and electrical shorts (2025). The latter two, post pandemic. When will the RV Manufacturing have more diligence. The production no longer satisfies the need, sales are way down. Will it take a loss of life (lives) before quality is assured?
We the people need to start pushing for Class Action Lawsuits against such garbage. Cause even with loss of life, they will weasle out of responsibility.
Start with breech of contract over warranty terms that further in the document give all sorts of weasel escapes for actually covering anything.
From a Plumber- The Thanksgiving funny is how my relatives pay for all the “FREE” plumbing calls they get all year long.
We sometimes buy packaged foods (cans and boxes) at Wally, but will never, never, never buy meat or veggies there. Bad experiences with both
“Latest Fuel Prices”
‘Average Price’ for the whole Country is so irrelevant.
Why don’t you publish the “Six State Gas Price Chart” and the “On Road Diesel Price Chart”.
‘That would be actual , at a glance, useful information for trip planning purposes and trip dreaming purposes as well as State Avoidance purposes. Like California!
AAA has a good US price map here: https://gasprices.aaa.com/
They provide a link at the bottom of the article that will give you exactly that. “For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.” Why don’t you just open the link.
Week 2 Chuck, since the misinformation propoganda piece and still no mea culpa even after testimony on the Hill. Maybe next week? We did get a racism misinformation article this week though, so I guess there’s that. DEI is dead folks, in case you hadn’t heard. Jaguar is about to learn the hard lesson too.
Perhaps you can enlighten me on exactly what “propoganda piece” (sic) you are referring to. I looked back 2 weeks ago and did not see an offensive article or any comments by you.
If you find this newsletter so offensive I suggest you stop reading it and you may be happier in life.
One last note, get a dictionary. You spell as bad as DJT.
The article was +/- 5 weeks ago Wallace. The 2 week marker I reference was when the facts came out which disputed the entirety of the PSA offered on RVT +/- 5 weeks ago.
Speaking of suggestions, if you are unaware of the reasoning or the nexus for a comment which yiu may notice was specifically directed at the publisher, not the general reader, simply stay out of it.
One last note back for you, welcome to the Golden Age. 😅🤣😂🤣😅
Don’t worry Wallace, Chuck heard me and I won’t be bringing it up again. The informed readers here know the score (thus the thumbs ups) …… you may want to become one.
Wow 2 thumbs up! 5 weeks is not 2 as stated.
if you want to make comments about how an automobile manufacturer wants to do their advertising I suggest you go to the many websites that discuss automotive issues.
If you don’t like my opinion all I can say is life’s tough.
First amendment!
2 in the aggregate brother. Could be 15 up and 13 down. The point is, just because Wallace B was unfamiliar with the 5-6 week old Gaslight PSA, it was real and the informed folks on here know it.
I like all opinions including yours, it is how an informed citizen stays informed, by hearing many ideas and making informed choices. Only the uninformed dislike other people’s opinions and try to cancel them or shame them into silence. They deflect by using insults like “spelling” instead of discussing the content because in a contest of facts it is better to have some in your holster.
✌️brother.
And yet you still have not answered the original question. If your going to refer to an article +-5 weeks ago I think the readers should be able to read what you are concerned about and make an informed decision which it appears you are unwilling to provide or give a link to or mention by name so we can use the search engine on RV Travel to find.
I did not try to shame you into silence. It was you who clearly stated “simply stay out of it”.
An article with 300 comments but regardless, I don’t spoon feed, Wallace. Those that are in the know, are already in the know. It’s over now. 1/2 the readers of this publication have been vindicated with truth the past 2 weeks.
Peace and love brother. ✌️😎
I don’t care if there are 300 comments or only 3, I have no idea because again you refuse to reference the article and you appear to still be concerned with it as you are the one who brought it up. I do not need to be spoon fed but when making comments about articles the writer has a duty to document what it is that they are writing about. Perhaps you can document how you know that half the reader of this publication have been vindicated, and perhaps the other half have not because they have no idea what you are talking about.
But as you say, it’s over.
Hint #1: article 5 or 6 weeks ago about “misinformation”. Hundreds of comments, many insults but it is all settled now and the ones insulted have been vindicated.
Hint #2: it was a Saturday.
Hint #3: Also had a follow-up angle on that same Sunday.
Obviously, you weren’t in on the comments 5 weeks ago or this explanation would not be needed.
I have no interest in rehashing it, which is why I CHOSE TO BE VAGUE, knowing full well it was a lightning rod and that those in the loop would understand and those not, would not.
All done Wally. Have a good evening.
Cancel, I think it might be time to drop this argument. You too Wallace.
IMHO
Thanks, Bill. I think they have.🤞 Have a good night. 😀 —Diane aka BS aka MM aka …
No sh1t, Bill. I tried 3 times, even said “have a nice evening” and move on but Wally wanted explanation after freakin explanation, time line and conver-freaking-sation. Sheesh.
Links below ⬇️
🤗
T-🚄-choochoo 🇺🇲
🫠
Most definitely!! 🤯
Read on…I posted the links below ⬇️
Power to the point!! 🇺🇸
The comment was directed at “Chuck”!!! Those of us in the “know” have been shocked at the turn this newsletter has taken in recent times and how it went on steroids with the “Starlink” and “FEMA” articles a few weeks back. The comments provided some insightful conversation at a time of great division in our country…which by the way is now UNITED 🇺🇸 in so many ways! I am here to stand up against people like you who simply read a “headline” or a few words and decide to attack! I have put the links below and you will find the “conversation” that you knew nothing about. Chuck’s article to the above mentioned articles garnered 268 comments! And your last sentence says it all!
https://www.rvtravel.com/hurricane-aid-business-move-truth-free-starlink-access/
https://www.rvtravel.com/scams-misinformation-spreading-fema-hurricane-efforts/
https://www.rvtravel.com/rvtravel-politics-1179b/
I just sent in my recent donation to RV Travel. I’m trying to read this weekends newsletters and have 4 to 5 ads flashing in my screen as I try to read the articles. Thought when we donated funds the ads were to be reduced. Hasn’t happened yet. I have been a donator for a while now,
Good morning, H. It does show you’re receiving the subscribers’ edition of our weekend newsletters. (Thank you very much for your donation!) The “no ads” only applies to the newsletter itself, not the posts that you go to when you click on a link. I wonder if that’s where you’re experiencing the ads. If that’s the case, the only thing I can suggest is what some readers suggest, maybe subscribing to an ad blocker. (I’ve never tried that myself so don’t know how well they work.) I’m sorry I can’t help you any more than that. But I hope you have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Thank you, Emily and Diane! [Almost done with the 5th of the 5 presentations that I am giving in Nashville (1/17-19) and Dayton (2/14 – 16). 🙂 I just hope to not embarrass Dave S.] Happy new year and safe travels!
You’re going to do great, Neal!👍👍 –Diane