Welcome to RVtravel.com, the newsletter for intelligent, open-minded RVers. If you comment on an article, do it with respect for others. If not, you will be denied posting privileges. Please tell your friends about us!
Learn about RV camping, RV travel, RV news and much more. This newsletter, now in its 19th year of continuous publication, is funded primarily through advertising and voluntary subscription contributions from our readers, plus the generous financial support of SoftStartRV, an inexpensive device every RV with an air conditioner should have.
If you shop at Amazon, please visit through our affiliate site (we get a little commission that way – and you don’t pay any extra). Thank you!
[activecampaign form=38]
August 22, 2020
If you would like to read this week’s issue with the ads included, click here.
ZOOM CHAT UPDATE: We have postponed our Saturday members-only Zoom chats until we get our act together to do them 100 percent right. So stay tuned.
Editor’s corner
With Chuck Woodbury
Anyone who has traveled with an RV for a decade or more will tell you about how one or more of their favorite places to stay is now fully booked these days, making a reservation necessary months, even a year ahead.
I have just returned home from a 10-day camping trip in a beautiful county park near my Seattle home. But in order to stay those ten days, I had to return home one weekend because the park was booked. I then returned, but to a campsite I didn’t like that much. I reserved the spaces two months ago, and even then available sites were scarce.
As I approach my 20th year of publishing this newsletter (and a decade of RV travel before as a roving reporter), I remember fondly the days when I never made a reservation. There was never a need, whether for a beautiful spot in a public campground or a full-hookup RV park.
I remember a newspaper reporter asking me years ago what the biggest decision I had to make each day was. I told him it was whether to turn left or right after leaving the campground. It didn’t matter. I had no reservations. Wherever I ended up, I’d find a public campground or RV park with an available space. Many public campgrounds were still free or $5 or less a night.
Alas, our country has grown by 100 million people since I began RVing, from about 230 million to 330 million. The ranks of RVers have grown as well.
And now, with the explosion of RV sales — with many RV dealers’ inventories being wiped clean by frenzied consumers — campground crowding is worse than ever. Hardly a week passes that I do not hear from one or more long-time RVers who are hanging up their wheels — “It’s just too hard,” they say — too much of a hassle finding a place to stay. And good ol’ Walmart is not their idea of a meaningful experience with nature. “Hey, Honey, quick, look at the deer over there! Oops, sorry. It’s only a shopping cart!”
A new RV park costs between $15,000 to $25,000 per full-hookup site to build, plus land (hence why so many are alongside railroad tracks). That’s a huge investment for a business that may take years to turn a profit. No wonder there are few new parks. And, have you noticed that many new ones these days are “resorts?” KOA just opened its first “Glamping” park where guests rent a luxury tent for $300 to $400 a night. Want to stay with your RV? Sorry.
I believe the RV Industry Association and RV Dealers Association should do something more than push RV sales. They should do everything in their collective power to promote the creation of new campgrounds. As it is, they do virtually nothing. They are incredibly short-sighted — nothing new there. It’s a shame.
DID YOU SEE MY STORY LAST SUNDAY about the RV park where you can buy a site for a mere $400,000? Oh, you get a bungalow in the deal. But, come on, that kind of a park is not helping most of us who don’t have that kind of money to buy a small plot of earth, plus a half million dollars or more for a luxury motorcoach.
WHAT DOES THIS CROWDING MEAN?
A lot — a whole lot. Our freedom to go where we want when we want as still promoted by the RV industry is longer true. Alas, those of us who have been around the RV scene will simply need to just adapt, as most of us will. What else can we do? We love our RVs, and if we play the game smart enough, an RV life can still be better than living in one place and mowing our lawn once a week.
For me, though, I’ll use this newsletter and our website with its ever-growing reach to educate would-be buyers that crowding is a fact of life these days, and they need to understand that the freedom they dream about may be just that, a dream. If battling to find a campsite is okay with them, then they can make the best of it and probably have a good time.
My staff and I are all ears about solutions to crowding. At the very least, with our big audience we can get people talking. We’ve advocated for the creation of low-cost campgrounds across America. But then the pandemic hit, and that idea, sadly, got sidelined, at least for now.
There are plenty of out-of-the-way public, primitive campgrounds that always have room. But they may be five miles down a dirt road, in an area without cell service, where, heaven forbid, a 21st Century Camper can’t post to Facebook twenty times a day. “Look at me standing by a pine tree!” “Look at me sitting in my lawn chair!” And there are millions of acres of wide open public land in the West, where you can boondock for months on end with a properly outfitted RV (lots of solar, for example).
I loved the news item in last Sunday’s newsletter about how actor Jerry O’Connell went camping with this family in Yosemite. “Don’t ever go on an RV trip with your family,” he advised. “It’s non-stop fighting. I haven’t showered in a week. And how about ‘all the comforts of home?’ We tried to cook something last night but it didn’t really work out… so we ended up ordering a pizza… I’m in the only spot in all of Yosemite with, like, an ounce of WiFi.”
Do you feel his pain? Do you care?
AN INTERVIEW WITH YOURS TRULY
I was interviewed last week by Jason Epperson on the popular podcast RV Miles that he produces from the road with his wife Abby. We talked about the state of RVing today and what it means to RVers. My interview begins at the 13 minute mark. But don’t miss the segment about what Verizon has done to make life easier for RVers.
A plug for one of our sponsors
You’ve seen many ads on RVtravel.com for SoftStartRV, an inexpensive device you install on your RV’s air conditioner to enable it to operate on household power (it can’t do that without such a device). Or with two devices, you can run two air conditioners on 30 amps. We’ve tested it, and it works as promised. You really should look into this if you spend time in hot weather with your RV. As we said, this company supports us financially (a truly reputable business), but we would tout its product even if it did not support our efforts. Learn more here or order at a special discount rate.
Stories in tomorrow’s newsletter
• How an RV park blew its online rankings by picking a fight with the wrong campers about a questionable rule.
• In the news: Did you know the temperature hit 130 degrees last week at a popular national park? We’ll tell you where.
PLUS: Campground updates • Latest fuel prices • Latest RV recalls • Free and bargain camping locations • Stolen RVs (keep an eye out) • a Reader survey • and much more …
Last week’s Tip of the Day in RV Daily Tips Newsletters
• RVers: Slow down and enjoy life.
• Another easy way to check propane tank levels.
• Keep RV ventilated, even when stored.
• Select your towed vehicle for all-around fun and utility.
• When boondocking, do you have a backup plan if something fails in the RV?
Clintoons • By Clint Norrell
Clint has noticed that RV parks are starting to look like trailer parks of yesteryear.
As RVers are we “getting away from it all” or is the lifestyle “getting away from us”?
By Barry Zander
It’s crazy! If you haven’t been made aware of the sudden under-supply of campsites as RV sales skyrocket, it will become more apparent when you try to make a reservation. We picked out our preferred campground last week, Doheny State Beach in California, looking for a date in mid-September. We secured it for November. Had we waited two more days, that campground was full, and the next openings for more than a day or two is/was the week of February 11. The next campground was just as unavailable, and the next … Read more.
RVers and experts weigh in: What are the best days to travel?
By Nanci Dixon
A friend recently asked me which days we prefer to travel on. He said that they like to travel on Wednesdays because they avoid folks going out of town for the weekend and avoid those returning from the weekend or a long trip. That got me to thinking, “What days do RVers like to travel?” I found that travel days are a popular area of discussion among RVers. … Do you agree with Nanci’s findings? Let us know in the comments.
Boondocking in a coronavirus world. Part 5: Here’s a big variety of things to see and do
By Dave Helgeson
Due to the pandemic, more RVs are on the road this summer as families across the country have discovered RVing as a safer way to travel. While there are more RVs on the road, there are also fewer places to safely visit and activities to enjoy due to virus-related closures and social distancing requirements. … If you’re boondocking, here are several suggestions for things to see and do where you are at extremely low risk of contracting the virus. Read more.
Tips for Wi-Fi and cell data on the road
By Nanci Dixon
As many of us know, when we cut the cable to our internet and TV source, whether a weekend warrior or full-time RVer, our data life changes. Some of us realize how dependent we have been on technology – how hooked into our phones, tablets, computers we’ve been – and say, “Yeah, we are free!” For the rest of us, it can be like cutting off an appendage. Connectivity has become an integral part of our daily lives. Read how to improve your connectivity while RVing.
Wacky RVs of the Week
Here’s this week’s installment of some of the weirdest, wackiest, oddball RVs ever made. Get ready to laugh.
Last year at this time, these were the most popular articles
• The new American RVer – not a pretty sight
• Hard to believe an RV park hookup could be so stupid!
• The wordiest parking lot sign in America
• RV Tire Safety: Is a pickup tire better than a trailer tire?
Brain Teaser
The number 8,549,176,320 is a unique number. What is so special about it?
(Shhh. Don’t give it away. Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday News newsletter.)
Reader Poll
How often do you camp where your nearest RVer neighbor is at least a mile away?
Please let us know. After you click your response, you’ll see how others have responded. Feel free to leave a comment. We’ll post the final results in next week’s newsletter. CLICK HERE.
The most popular poll in this past week’s RV Daily Tips newsletters:
What kind of cell phone do you have? See how more than 2,200 other RVers responded here (and see how many don’t own a cell phone at all!).
Letter from 10-year-old RVer will touch your heart
You’ll fall in love with Poppy after reading this thoughtful letter she wrote to the new owners of the RV she had traveled in with her parents. We wish we could meet this wonderful girl. Read her letter.
Knowing this hidden key trick could save you a road service call
By Barry Zander
I just read a blog about someone who locked her key in the motorhome. What to do? When she reached in to unlock the door it set off the alarm that she didn’t know she had, and she still doesn’t know how to turn it off. Read Barry’s “secret sauce” here.
Storytelling: A pleasant RV spot, a mysterious gray van, and a whole lotta cops…
By Barry Zander
With red and blue lights a-flashing, into the campground came some of Yavapai County, Arizona’s, finest. They formed a circle, a la Wagon Train’s nighttime configuration, preventing anyone from escaping. Ah, the excitement of camping! You don’t want to miss this.
New blog: Crowded campgrounds
RV Travel readers chime in with their stories, and we try to make sense of how to deal with the huge new influx of RVers competing for a mostly unchanging number of places to stay. Read the first installment of this weekly blog.
Have you been to America’s “folksy-est” place?
By Barry Zander
Music, a cavern, more music, mountains, down-home culture and lots more music. Today we’re in Mountain View, Arkansas, in the heart of the scenic Ozark Mountains. While so many places have lots of reasons to be on “My Favorite Place List,” Mountain View is special. Find out why here.
Deer fly bites driving you nuts? Try this easy trick!
By Nanci Dixon
Deer flies … an RVer’s enemy! Deer flies can be unbelievably irritating at times. So bad you just really, really want to stay inside your RV and never get out. They bite! Hard! The “Bucket of Death” can help. Read how.
What’s dark, damp and beautiful? Go spelunking to find out
By Barry Zander
Shields, bacon, soda straws, drapery. Those are just some of the terms you learn when you descend into the depths beneath our world to go spelunking. While traveling throughout North America, we have been lured into the depths of the Earth by billboards that inform RVers that a cave or cavern lies just 120 miles down the road. Continue reading then plan your next spelunking adventure.
Airstream Touring Coaches – What you need to know – Part Two
This is Part Two of a four-part series entitled, What You Need To Know About Airstream Touring Coaches. In this series, Andy Pargh, The Gadget Guru, interviews Justin Humphreys, the Vice President of Sales of Airstream, Inc., and various topics are discussed regarding Airstream’s Sprinter Touring Coach Business as well as the specific models in the lineup. Note: This is not a commercial and no payments were provided Andy for the production of this video. Watch Part Two here.
Popular articles from last week
• Will moth balls repel mice from your RV? Here’s the verdict.
• Are you kidding? $400,000 for an RV site? Yup!
• RV dealers are running out of RVs. Service centers are jammed.
• Horrific blast wipes RV from face of the earth.
• The masked bandit that robbed our campsite and got away!
• Oregon state parks “temporarily” yank nonresidents’ welcome mat.
• 2020 Ford Expedition review: Big, bad***, expensive.
• Oh, an unimaginable horror! Be careful not to do this.
• Canada tightens travel restrictions from Lower 48 to Alaska.
• “We’re (finally!) towing a dinghy and loving it!”
• This innovative spring system improves your RV handling.
• Building an RV park: Surprise visitors, perc tests and off-roading, Oh My!
• How to make Google Maps more accurate.
• Nikola taking orders for Badger pickup; adds garbage truck to its electric truck fleet.
SWELL CONTEST OF THE DAY
How would you like to win this NOAA Weather Alert Radio? Well, this might be your lucky day! In last Monday’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter we published a secret phrase. Simply email the phrase to us at RVcontests@gmail.com . We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (August 22, 2020) by 11 a.m. Pacific time. Remember, you can only enter once and after we notify you by email that you won, you have 24 hours to respond or we’ll give the prize to someone else.
LAST WEEK’S WINNER of the terrific drone was Steve Tolbert, of Xenia, Illinois. The previous week’s winner of the cute Retro Travel Trailer Party Lights was Robert Beede of Summerville, South Carolina.
Resources
Our NEWEST Facebook Groups: • Casino Camping • Electric bikes for RVing • Crowded Campgrounds Discussion • RVers Who Just Bought Their First RV • RVing over 60 • RVing During the Pandemic • RV Tires with Roger Marble • Coronavirus News for RVers • RV Parks where you can fish without a license • RVing Fulltime • RVing with Dogs • Towing Behind a Motorhome • RVing with a Disability • RV Travel Tips • Trucks for RV Towing
Where to complain about bad RVs, dealers, service, RV parks. This is an ever-expanding list of resources where you can report, share or discuss your problems with RV manufacturers or dealers.
Best Club for RVers: Escapees. Click here to learn more or join. Endorsed by RVtravel.com.
The RV Show USA
Listen each Wednesday evening on Facebook or YouTube for the live taping of America’s only syndicated radio program about RVing.
Directory of RV parks with storm shelters
In case you’re on the road with your RV and the weather report is showing a tornado headed your way, have this list handy.
RV Clubs
Check out our Directory of RV Clubs and Organizations.
What does financing an RV for 20 years REALLY mean?
In case you missed this article the first time around, here it is again. Important! Click here.
Stuck with a lemon RV? Contact Ron Burdge, America’s premier RV lemon law attorney.
You can’t call yourself a fan of RVtravel.com if you’re not signed up for our RV Daily Tips newsletter! The Daily Tips newsletter has it all: quick tips, popular articles, polls, a website of the day, clubs and useful organizations, trivia, a pet of the day, a joke, and so much more! Check out Friday’s issue, then sign up here.
RV Electricity
Can I get shocked from a GFCI?
Dear Mike,
I felt a tingle from my RV when it was plugged into a 20-amp GFCI outlet at my friend’s cottage. He opened up the outlet box and we found there wasn’t a ground wire connected to it. This is a pretty old building that he says didn’t have grounded outlets to begin with, but an electrician replaced some of them with GFCI outlets. Is this safe or legal? Doesn’t a GFCI outlet need a ground to work? And why did I get shocked? Is the GFCI shocking me, or what? —Karl
This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session:
Why does my 30-amp plug overheat?
Dear Mike,
I’ve had my 30-amp plug burn up a few times in the last couple of seasons. Is it something I’m doing wrong, or something the campground is doing wrong? —Burt
Sign up for Mike’s popular and informative RV Electricity group on Facebook.
RV Tire Safety
More on tire cold inflation vs. “set pressure”
Roger Marble got this question from a reader of an RV Forum: “Thank you for all of your informed comments regarding proper tire care. I need one clarification. I have always considered the cold psi on the side of my 22.5 RV tires to be the minimum to carry the maximum rated load, but have assumed that psi was also the maximum COLD psi the tire should see. From your recent post, am I to understand that unless the tire states that it is the maximum cold pressure, I can exceed it by 5-10 psi? Thank you for your time. Doug” Read Roger’s explanation.
RV Short Stop
To view very colorful history, visit Las Vegas’ outdoor “Neon Boneyard”
The Neon Museum has assembled a singularly unique outdoor collection of amazing signs that together illustrate Las Vegas’ neon history. Since 1996, several hundred vintage neon signs have been gathered in this one electrifying display. These signs are amazing!
RV Fire Safety
Keep the fire extinguisher’s powder loose or it may not work
Invert and shake your dry powder or dry chemical extinguisher monthly to loosen the powder. The jarring of the coach while you travel down the road does not keep the powder loose; in fact, it packs the powder, which may make your extinguisher useless in fighting a fire. Courtesy: Mac “The Fire Guy” McCoy
Museum of the Week
The New Bedford Whaling Museum
New Bedford, MA
Thanks to the riches of whale oil, New Bedford was once the wealthiest place in America. The town obviously owes a lot to these gentle giants, so why not have a museum dedicated to them? The museum focuses on the art, culture, history and science of the whaling industry, and how it shaped this corner of our world. There are more than 750,000 items inside the museum, including logbooks from whaling ships, whale skeletons, art, model whaling ships and so much more. Visit the museum website to plan your visit.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
Pets featured in this past week’s RV Daily Tips:
• Monday: Rocco & Harley • Tuesday: Boomer • Wednesday: Eden • Thursday: An anonymous tablet-peepin’ pup • Friday: Bella
Trivia
A new survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that almost 41% of respondents in the U.S. are struggling with mental health issues due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the measures to contain it.
Bumper sticker of the week
“Honk if you like honking.”
Have you seen a funny bumper sticker? Send it to editor(at)RVtravel.com
Joke of the Week
Some camping tips from lovetheoutdoors.com:
• When using a public campground, a tuba placed on your picnic table will keep the campsites on either side vacant.
• The guitar of the noisy teenager at the next campsite makes excellent kindling.
• It’s entirely possible to spend your whole vacation on a winding mountain road behind a large motorhome.
• Bear bells provide an element of safety for hikers in grizzly country. The tricky part is getting them on the bears.
Leave with a song from the past
Here’s a song recorded March 27, 1947, by Tex Williams that rose all the way to the top of the Hot Country Songs chart. If you’ve ever smoked cigarettes or spent time with someone who did, Tex’s message about “nicotine slaves” may ring true, even today. Enjoy “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette).”
Did you miss last week’s RV Travel?
If you have not contributed to RVtravel.com for some time and would like to do so again, you may do so here. Thank you.
RV Travel staff
CONTACT US at editor@RVtravel.com
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Emily Woodbury, Russ and Tiña De Maris. Contributing writers: Mike Sokol, Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, Julianne Crane, Chris Guld, Machelle James, Nanci Dixon, Barry and Monique Zander, Mark Gorrie, J.M. Montigel and Andrew Robinson. Social media director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
FOREVER IN OUR MEMORIES — OUR STAFF MEMBER IN HEAVEN, Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor.
Honorary Correspondents: Loyal readers who regularly email us leads about news stories and other information and resources that aid our own news-gathering efforts.
• Mike Sherman • George Bliss • Tom and Lois Speirs • Alan Warren • Steve Barnes + others who we will add later.
Are you interested in our affiliate program? Learn more.
REGIONAL AND LOCAL ADVERTISING: We can now run banners on RVtravel.com in your town or in a designated area near you, for example to readers within 100, 200, etc., miles of your business. Learn more here.
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 the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising 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 this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This newsletter is copyright 2020 by RVtravel.com.
Campground we are currently at in Georgia is adding 22 more spaces to be open by Labor Day. Currently, full for the week-end, except for under 30 ft RVs. Big Rigs are filling this area. They expect all the additional slots to be full by Thanksgiving.
The RV park we’re in here in Houston is currently in the process of adding 90+ spaces. It is ‘supposed’ to be ready this coming January, but with all the rain we’ve had, that date is doubtful.
Chuck, I was wondering, do any campgrounds work like a “time share” ownership ? I think it would be worth it to buy a site, and have the company rent it out for the time I am not there.
Caution, Don. That’s the pitch line used by condo “time-share” salespeople. And how did those turn out for most people?
In 2018 we took a two month trip from Eastern Ontario where live, to California, up to Washington State, over to Vancouver Island, then across Canada to home. I made reservations for all the campgrounds I could (3 were first come), a train trip, a tour and two ferries. We stayed at one Walmart, and had planned on two more but it was too hot so I found two campsites on the fly.
I had made all the reservations in February of that year. Reserving was great. We never had to worry about finding a place for the night.
There are a few things I want to mention. We were RVing, not camping. We do not not need a picnic table, bathhouse, or even trees. A parking lot with power, water and access to a dump station is all we need. We don’t like trees as they present a hazard while moving. Also, many campgrounds were constructed when RVs were smaller than they are now.
Chuck:
I would love to see some statistics from all these Campgrounds around the Nation, you say are Overcrowded?
There has got to be Statistics for this information.
Thus Far this year we have been out 4 times on short weekend trips. Have never had a problem getting reservations.
We are currently staying at an RV Park in Marksville, LA and there are 235 spaces in this park and it is NOT FULL. Maybe about 100 RV’s and they all came Friday night. LOTS AND LOTS of Space!
I can understand Overcrowding in the High Traffic, Family Oriented Tourist Traps, but not in other venues in the USA!
We have another Trip planned for next month heading North and have reservations all in place. Didn’t have any problems getting reservations either.
So, where is all this Overcrowding????
I am a native of Colorado and we used to go camping every other weekend when I was growing up – no reservations. When my husband and I got married we bought a tent trailer and went when and where we wanted. Now, 30+ years later we are lucky to get in any where 6 months in advance. Now, part of that is that now we need electricity for my husband’s oxygen concentrator but even those sites without electricity are scarce. So – Colorado is one of the places with overcrowding.
I’m also from Colorado. We reserved a camping site in a National Forest campground along the Poudre River about one month in advance for camping in late June for Sunday night through Wednesday morning (no hookups). For July we had made a reservation at the Gunnison KOA several weeks in advance (full hookups and great Wifi). We’ve just returned from a trip to the Flaming Gorge in Utah. We didn’t make any reservations and it went as follows: We spent our first night (Sunday) in a “dispersed” camping area near the top of Cameron Pass (the kind of place we used to tent camp at on a weekend), then arrived at Mustang Ridge campground in Utah about 5pm Monday and found a campsite without making a reservation (no hookups) (also an hour later there were no more sites available), we left Thursday and found a Forest Service campground on top of Rabbit Ears pass with many sites available about 3-4pm (no hookups, $10/night, seemed to fill up sometime that night.)
I definitely agree that it’s more crowded than last year, but there are still various ways to find camping sites, even without a reservation. One other thing…we were really surprised to discover that we had Verizon cell service at the Rabbit Ears Pass campground!
Note that we have a 21′ trailer pulled by a 2019 Ranger. About 41′ total length.
GlacierNP
Yellowstone,Yosemite to name a few.more
It must be our particular style of camping, mid-week and configured so we don’t need hookup services, but I agree with your observation. We are able to secure campsite reservations for our needs to get into the deep deep woods. Washington State.
Well, it’s in places which are ‘in season’, and/or near big population centers. People are avoiding the deep south and southwest during the summer, and are trying to go places where the high is say 78 degrees rather than 98, or they are trying to go to national parks or popular places on their bucket list, or they are booking weekends an hour away from the big city they live in.
I’m glad you’re in a good spot (and hope there is plenty of shade!). I’m in a nice area right now in the southern Midwest which has plenty of open spaces, but it’s off the beaten path, so to speak, and not as ideal as I would like. I can always find spaces to stay as I travel, but it requires a good bit of research and being willing to be flexible. I am dreading the process of finding a spot for Labor Day weekend, in an area I frankly did not expect to be at that time.
As someone who lives in the deep south, I am not seeing anyone avoid us (I wish!). Only need to check the reservations at our state parks and the beach areas. As soon as our beaches opened, visitors from all over the US were heading this way…campsites became hard to get and the COVID numbers soared! Apparently there are plenty of folks who love the hot weather.
They can have my space, because we always head for the higher elevations in the summer!
We just spent two months traveling in our RV – FL to WI to SD to IN to FL. Reservations for the first part of the trip were made early in the year but almost all the parks we were in (all private CG’s) were full or only had small spaces (usually backins) remaining (we’re 45’ and tow a car). When I started making reservations for the last half of the trip I was only a couple of weeks before traveling. It was very hard to find parks that could accommodate us and had space available. And the parks we reserved in advance stayed full during our stay. One, within a few hours of a major city, not only had the usual influx of weekend campers but also managed to smoke us completely out of the park! Packed campsites all burning what had to be the smokiest fires I’ve ever seen – with temps in the 80’s!. We were literally reduced to using inhalers even though our coach was closed up with the A/C running. We left the next morning and stayed in a Walmart that night to avoid another night of smoke.
We bought our first RV in late 2014, so I consider ourselves kinda newbies “with experience.” Since our purchase, we have always needed to make reservations months in advance. I am often times thrilled when we can make a reservation only a week or two in advance. I can’t help but wonder if we added to the issue of so many more people RVing. I mean, haven’t we been telling folks, who don’t RV, how wonderful it is and that they should try it? I know I’ve been talking about it nonstop since 2014. BTW, my husband just secured a reservation at an Elks Club (in Monterey, CA) yesterday for next weekend! For those who didn’t know, many Elks Club Lodges have RV spaces they rent out. You have to be a member though.
Wow…right by Pebble Beach and Carmel-By-The-Sea…Beautiful area in California.
Yes! LOL, my husband told me to “shush” on this gem. LOL!
We are at the Elks in Monterey right now! Kinda smokey with all the fires but nice just the same.
Be sure you look at Google maps so you will know the best entrance for you. We are in a 40′ motorhome and towing so the best entrance for us was Soledad (from Hwy 1) to Monte Vista, turn left to Porta Vista then left. Go about 50-75′ and turn right into the Elks driveway.
Have a great time.
Thank you very much, truly appreciate the “heads up” on this!
My sister and her husband are not planners. Their impromptu camping trips don’t exist any more. They can’t find any place to go last minute as there is not availability. Their neighbor bought a nice Class C and she can’t find places to go either. Everything is all booked up. They do live in Minnesota where the summer’s are short. We are traveling from northern MN back to AZ, gradually. We have our reservations and trip planned out all the way home. We’ve also downsized from a 45’ motorhome to a 34’ travel trailer. It’s been easier to get spots that we could not get into before.
The next poll you take on camping with the nearest neighbor a mile away should be divided into two parts: camping east and west of the Mississippi River. I may repeat myself when I state that that dividing line separates two different camping lifestyles. Those of us east are jealous and those west don’t want us (east) to experience what they have.
We used to head out to Yuma, AZ for winter. Going through west Texas was always a easy trip, that is until the oil boom a decade ago started, then you could not get into most parks without a reservation period. Once we got to DAL, we always started making reservations in west TX. As peoples incomes are squeezed more, environmental regulations will only squeeze the available space to build parks. But it won’t last long, the democrats are going to tax us old folks to death, we won’t be able to afford to RV because we won’t have any money. That will free up the younger generation to travel. Don’t believe me, just read their platform, who in the heck is going to pay for all that free stuff, yep,. you and me.
I think the run on units is going to be cyclical. Covid fatigue I believe is part of the problem. Not they are traveling out of state, at least in Minnesota, they are going to state parks. We will be looking for a different RV as we sold our old one. I think we will find these people will be dumping these units when the novelty wears off. Just sayin.
Just playing devil’s advocate. Chuck , you have promoted rving for the last 20 years. It appears some people listened to you. So the old joke; oh no, you did what I told you to do. Just sayin.
We’re in Moab Utah now with 3 other couples in Motor homes and there are plenty of sites available.
I think the worst time to expect to camp without a reservation is when school is out. We travelled North and South Dakota, Wyoming and Idaho for two weeks during the summer in 1995 and had to make reservations or arrive by 3 PM if you wanted a campsite. Most times when we had reservations and were being booked in later in the day ie: by 5 PM, I heard other travellers being told that the campground was full. And that was a quarter of a century ago.
We joined an RV tour in August 2017 that began near Death Valley NP. The temperature reached 130 degrees F. This year is no different.
Hi no problems in middle America. Just booked a trip from WI to AL & FL in Nov and Dec. No problems booking anywhere. Always got our first choice.
Just want to provide some feedback on the weekend newsletter. My 60 something eyes don’t work as well as they used to…I literally need a magnifier to read your home page of the newsletter. The story pages are fine as I can zoom in and change the font size but this cannot be done with your home page. I read the newsletters on a decent sized tablet. Please consider enlarging the font size on your home page! Also, the lighter color of text is hard to read as well. Your newsletters are always informative and I look forward to many years of reading!
We have avoided the over-crowding of campgrounds by traveling only in winter. However… that gets more crowded each year too. One option is “Boondockers Welcome”, a club of folks who have space for registered members to camp for a day or several. We have about 4 or5 Boondocker visitors to our land every summer— but we did close it during the pandemic. Yet this gives more options for a quiet private camping site visit. And we did go Boondocking at the site of one family who visited here. Always great interesting folks to share some time with. Each visitor has a listing that you can review, with comments form former places they visited, before accepting them as guests. One point is that places that have few RV parks, like Silicon Valley, also have few or no Boondocker welcome sites either.
I have been a subscriber of RV Travel for about 2 years, on the road full time for 10. We generally do not make reservations long in advance. We prefer to boondock when ever possible. We belong to three programs: Boondockers Welcome, Harvest Host, and Days End through Escapees. I am also an Elk. We rarely are shut out using one of these sites. Yes, some planning is necessary. We are currently volunteering at Island Park Idaho, 20 miles from Yellowstone. There are many FS campgrounds in the area. Many fill up early, but there are many dispersed camp sites if you look and don’t mind gravel roads. The glass is really half full, now let’s get out and enjoy ourselves.
Chuck I enjoyed your interview. I have heard much of it before.
Keep on keeping on!
We don’t enjoy boon docking. But when we are traveling cross the USA we prefer staying in nice CG’s. Nice can have different meanings but some of the CG’s that you have no choice after a day of traveling. would like to relax, a glass of wine, a walk around the place. #1 with us is the width of the spaces. I had to Laugh when you said you can hear the guy next door snoring. Well we hear worse during the day AND it’s not snoring!
It’s time for CG ‘s to upgrade their spaces. Wider, longer and no rocks around the park. It’s past time for a lot of these parks to get into the now age to fit the bigger RV’S into the spaces easily. Not crammed into little plots.
How about the ones with the Don’t signs. Don’t do this don’t do that, or if you don’t see it we don’t have it don’t ask! . Or The ones that close at 5:00 PM.Please At least stay open until 6:00 pm. Or the leaky faucet connections or the power panel with a bees nest inside of it.
We camped for a week in upstate PA in July, staying a week on the Eastern shore of MD this month, and heading to SC for a week in Sept. We have not had an issue getting a reservation at any of these locations. I’m not disagreeing with the premise of your article that there are definitely more people camping, I’m merely pointing out that it’s not a problem getting a reservation, at least in the locations where we are traveling. I don’t mind planning ahead a little and generally make reservations at least a month in advance.
I deeply regret all the times I’ve written and probably raved about this or that ‘free’ campground with the fabulous whatever. You’d think after 50 years camping under just blankets under the stars in Montana thru tents, pickup camper in Baja, class A everywhere west of the Mississippi, toy hauler and now back to a fully boondock ready 4wd pickup and Lance camper, that I would have figured out NOT to squawk to anyone who’d listen about all the great places. Now look at what I’ve helped facilitate .. ‘camping by reservation’. The 3 most disgusting words I can think of when heading down the road.
We wanted to go to Jackson Hole while we were in Wyoming, but they do not have RV parks to accommodate a 45 foot. My husband found this really cool off the beaten path RV and cabins over the pass in Victor Idaho. It’s so clean and pretty, the cabins are on the moose river and the lodge has coffee in the morning. They only have about 6-8 RV spaces. We really enjoyed staying at Moose Creek Ranch and were only 22 miles to Jackson Hole.
The “Sign up for our weekend newsletter” that pops up on every page of the newsletter while I’m in the middle of reading it is very annoying. In any case, if I’m reading the weekend newsletter, I’ve already signed up for it, so the pop-up is completely redundant.
We apologize, John. I’ve asked Jessica, one of our IT folks, about this. I do see that you’re signed up for the weekend newsletters but not the RV Daily Tips newsletters during the week. Is that possibly the popup you keep receiving? I think they’re only supposed to pop up a couple of times, but I’ve asked Jessica about that also. She or I will get back to you. Have a good afternoon, and stay healthy. 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Hi John, we have really strict permissions on our popup so that people who are already on our list should not see it or it should only show once every 14 days. To do this we use cookies. If you are using an incognito browser or some kind of cookie blocker then these restrictions wouldn’t work. Please make sure you set your browser to accept cookies from our site and that should take care of the problem.
I allow cookies, but for security and privacy, I have my browser set to delete them all when it closes.