Here are your RV news highlights for the week of May 18 to 24, 2019.
The Lead Hill Campground at Arkansas’ Bull Shoals Lake is better suited for a boat than an RV. Nearly half its campsites are either underwater or otherwise impacted from the rising lake, up several feet already from heavy rains. The chief ranger said some of the campgrounds could be flooded for weeks, even months.
Elkhart, Indiana, officials say the cause of a fire that destroyed a Forest River manufacturing plant on March 12 is “undetermined.” Insurance News Net reported that a release issued by Elkhart Fire Department inspector Aaron Gerber on Monday (May 20) said officials have finished their investigation and “no other indications were found at the scene that would aid in determining the fire cause.”
Roberts Resorts & Communities, owner and operator of manufactured home communities and RV resorts, has announced the acquisition of two RV resorts in Texas and California. The communities are Coachland RV Park in Truckee, Calif., and Rayford Crossing in Spring, Texas, with 230 and 115 sites in each community, respectively.
A Monroe County, NY, sheriff’s deputy who stopped to check out a parked RV in Henrietta late Thursday night discovered two fugitives. The suspects have been identified as Blane Barksdale, 55, and Susan Barksdale, 58, who were wanted by the Tuscon, Ariz., Police Department on charges of first-degree murder, burglary, arson of an occupied structure, and criminal damage.
Nearly 43 million Americans will be on the road this Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA. The holiday, which marks the unofficial start of summer vacation season, will experience the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel volumes dating back to 2000, trailing only 2005.
A North Carolina city has filed a lawsuit against Camping World for allegedly violating a city ordinance by flying an American flag at its Gander RV location that is significantly larger than what the city permits. Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis says the flag is staying. “The flag isn’t coming down. It’s the only thing I know for certain,” he said. “I know I’m going to die. I know I’m going to pay taxes. And I know I’m not taking the flag down.”
Black Book recently released its RV auction findings as summer approaches, showing that the average selling price for motorized units was $42,879, which is up $111 (0.3%) from the previous month. Towables came in at $14,333, up $756 (5.5%) from last month. One year ago, the average motorhome sold for $42,591 at auction, and the average towable unit went for $13,792.
The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline fell 3 cents a gallon over the past two weeks to $2.93. The Associated Press reported that industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday (May 19) that it’s the first price drop at the pump in four months. Lundberg says the price is 6 cents lower than it was one year ago. The highest average price in the nation is $4.08 a gallon in the San Francisco Bay Area.
As Michigan state parks gear up for what is expected to be another booming summer season, state residents could find themselves with a distinct advantage. A Michigan lawmaker wants to give state residents a two-week head start over out-of-staters in making reservations at the multitude of sites in state parks. It’s an issue that any person who has tried to book campground spots at some of the prime locations — especially along Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, Holland, Petoskey and Traverse City — has encountered. Read more.
Mountain View, Calif., home to some of Silicon Valley’s most profitable companies, including Google, is one of the most expensive places in the world to live. The high-tech “campuses” rely on an army of low-waged, contracted-out cleaners, gardeners, cooks, baristas, etc., and these people struggle to find close-by housing. Many move into RVs they park overnight on city streets. The city council has now voted to ban overnight parking by vehicles taller than 6 feet, which goes into effect in 2020.
A trial date has been set for an Ohio RV dealer facing felony charges for allegedly assaulting his wife. Jeffery Couch, 51, was in Butler County Common Pleas Court on Monday for a pre-trial hearing on charges of felonious assault, attempted felonious assault and misdemeanor domestic violence. Police allege Couch “did knowingly cause serious physical harm to Shelley Couch” when he punched his wife in the face “multiple times and slammed her head onto a paved driveway multiple times.” Couch is the owner of Jeff Couch’s RV Nation in Trenton.
