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Sunday, August 14, 2022
Non-Members (advertising-supported) edition
Page Contents
Featured articles
Could lawsuit against Walmart doom overnight RV parking?
A Minnesota woman is suing Walmart in Federal Court for negligence and wrongful death after one of her daughters died and another was seriously injured when a camper van parked next to them in a Walmart parking lot caught fire because of a hot camp stove. The complaint alleges negligence on the part of Walmart for creating a nuisance and failing to monitor overnight campers in its parking lot. Read more.
READER POLL
If overnight RV stays at Walmart and other big box stores were banned, would it affect your RVing? Answer the poll here.
RV shipments decline in June, off nearly 12 percent from year ago
Results for the RV Industry Association’s June 2022 survey of manufacturers determined that total RV shipments ended the month with 44,793 units, a decrease of 11.7% compared to the 50,796 units shipped in June 2021. Through June, RV shipments are up 7.8% compared to the same point last year with 323,831 wholesale shipments. Continue reading.
Campground Crowding: More extreme weather will alter course of reservations
RV sales have skyrocketed and more people than ever are taking up RVing. The result is campground crowding like never before! In this weekly blog, RV Travel readers discuss their experiences. This week readers relate the many advantages of RVing over staying in hotel rooms, the importance of learning as much as possible about RVing before buying an RV, and the difficulties of making reservations far in advance due to unknown potential extreme weather conditions. Plus, more tips on how to save money when camping. All that and more here.
Search for missing teen from California campground continues
The frantic search for Kiely Rodni continues in the Lake Tahoe area after the 16-year-old disappeared from a party August 6 near the Prosser Family Campground about 10 minutes north of Truckee, California. Her silver 2013 Honda CRV (California license plate 8YUR127) is also missing and her phone has been out of service since she disappeared. The sheriff’s office and FBI are treating the case as a possible abduction. Kiely is 5 feet 7 inches tall, 115 pounds, and has blonde hair, hazel eyes and a nose ring. If you have info, please contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (530) 581-6320, option 7. You may remain anonymous.
Photo Contest
Here is the current edition of our twice-a-week photo contest. See if your submitted photo made the first cut, and then vote for your favorite. Once you’ve voted, submit your own photo for consideration. Winners receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Good luck!
Voting ends tonight at midnight (Pacific time).
(And remember, this contest appears every Saturday and Wednesday, so don’t forget to check back for a new batch of photos this coming Wednesday! Sign up for our RV Daily Tips newsletter [if you’re not already]. If you are not sure, sign up again. You will still only get one issue, not two.)
Today’s RV review…
Bowlus Volterra—$310K. Charge your EV, too
In today’s review, industry insider Tony Barthel looks at the Bowlus Volterra. Tony says it’s “… that company’s newer and slightly larger, very high-end trailer that’s a bit of a tribute to the inspiration of the RVs built by Hawley Bowlus a century ago. There’s a lot to take in on this $310,000 trailer. But first, something that really annoys me—unsubstantiated claims.” Hmmm.
Read all other RV reviews by clicking here.
That was the RV week that was
August 7–13, 2022
Gasoline prices have dipped to under $4 for the first time in more than five months — good news for consumers who are struggling with high prices for many other essentials. AAA said the national average for a gallon of regular was $3.99 on Thursday, down from the mid-June record of $5.02. However, that’s still higher than the average a year ago when it was $3.19 a gallon.
If your vehicle’s catalytic converter was one of 44,000 recently stolen in Washington, Nevada, California, Texas, Oregon or New York, authorities may have arrested the group responsible. Police detectives in Beaverton, Oregon, said they’ve identified the man who orchestrated a $22 million catalytic converter trafficking operation based in Portland and spanning six states since January 2021. A Washington County grand jury indicted 12 people on racketeering, aggravated theft, money laundering and other charges on July 29, police said Thursday. Catalytic converters are targeted for the valuable metals inside — rhodium, platinum and palladium. Just a few grams of these can yield large profits, though catalytic converters each only contain a small amount of them. (SOURCE: USA Today)
A motorhome exploded in flames Friday afternoon in Rexburg, Idaho. “The family was just getting the RV ready to leave and go on a trip today (Friday) and nobody was in (it) at the time,” said Madison Fire Department Chief Corey Child. “They had been loading some stuff in it and went into the house. Fifteen minutes later, a neighbor called and said, ‘Hey, your RV is on fire.’” No word yet on the cause. The RV, as you can see in the photo, is toast.
Sheriff deputies arrested a man in Trinity County, Calif., who they believe started several structure fires at an RV park on Thursday. The deputies responded to a report of several structure fires at the Old Bridge RV Park in Lewiston at about 5 a.m. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fires and deputies located witnesses who said they saw a man leave the area after the fires started. Investigators identified the suspect as 65-year-old Owen Wroblewski, who was booked into the Trinity County Jail. No reason was provided about what motivated him.
News briefs
Much of Death Valley National Park, CA, is still closed due to recent flooding which caused extensive road damage. The most highly visited areas of the park, including Furnace Creek Visitor Center, Badwater Basin, Zabriskie Point, Dante’s View and Mesquite Sand Dunes, remain closed. The southern portion of nearby Joshua Tree National Park is also closed.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has opened 17 campsites at Oregon’s Loon Lake Recreation Site by reservation only for camping Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Six sites at nearby East Shore Campground are also open on a first-come, first-served basis. The BLM closed Loon Lake Recreation Site in 2019 after heavy snow toppled trees and caused extensive damage.
Campsite fees at Oklahoma’s Chickasaw National Recreation Area will go up October 1. All campsites with electric utility/water hook-ups will be $30 per night, up from $22 and $24. Those without the hook-ups will be $20, up from $14 and $16. This includes sites available on a first-come, first-served basis and those booked through recreation.gov.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the conviction of those who destroyed an American oystercatcher egg at Gateway National Recreation Area in New York. Got info? Contact either U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Kathryn McCabe at (516) 318-7383.
A new, two-lane, full-service RV dump station is now open at Salmon Harbor Marina in Winchester Bay, Oregon.
A gas station in Hartford, Connecticut, mistakenly dispensed water from its pumps for a short time to motorists instead of gasoline. The station owner blamed heavy rains that saturated the land and allowed water to seep into the tanks. The owner told a local TV station he was working with his insurance company to reimburse drivers who were affected.
Pennsylvania’s first state park dedicated to ATV enthusiasts and those who enjoy other motorized recreation vehicles will open in the summer of 2024 in the Catawissa Recreation Area. The area once included an off-highway vehicle park that closed 10 years ago that featured more than 140 miles of riding trails, according to the website riderplanet-usa.com.
Unusually dry forest conditions at Washington’s Olympic National Park and neighboring Olympic National Forest have forced campfire restrictions that will only allow campfires in metal rings at designated sites, campgrounds or picnic areas. The restriction begins tomorrow and includes coastal areas of the national park.
Frequent bear activity has forced the closure of Chisos Basin Campground and Chisos Basin Group Campground in Texas’ Big Bend National Park. The park will reopen when the bears move on to other areas.
Labor Day weekend might be a busy time in your favorite campground. Outdoorsy, the peer-to-peer RV rental company, reports that net bookings for the weekend are up 9% from this time last year. Oh, a little trivia for you: Outdoorsy reports the most popular RV rental for the 3-day weekend is the Jayco Jay Flight travel trailer.
Watch your speed! Starting today through the 21st, law enforcement agencies throughout New York State are increasing patrols to target speeding. According to preliminary data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College, unsafe speed contributed to 353 fatal crashes in the state last year.
CONTEST
Is this your RV?
Win a $25 Amazon gift certificate if today’s RV photo shows your rig
Every day we post a photo of an RV either submitted by its owner or by our editors as they move about the country.
Click here to see if your RV made it into today’s issue.
Better than duct tape?
Duct tape is the greatest thing for on-the-fly repairs of all kinds. But you may want to add Waterproofing Repair Tape to your tape supply. The manufacturer claims this stuff is so good that it’ll stick to almost anything, and it’ll do it even underwater. Read more about this handy tape here. Trust us, it’s sticky, durable, and you’ll want some.
Trucks and Tow Vehicles
Ford reopened order banks on Thursday for the next wave of reservation holders of the popular F-150 Lightning electric truck. It has extended its standard range battery models to an EPA-estimated targeted range of 240 miles. But don’t get too excited: The current range is 230 miles, only 10 miles less.
Meanwhile, Ford has increased the price of its electric pickup truck by thousands of dollars “due to significant material cost increases and other factors,” the Michigan automaker said Tuesday. The basic model of the F-150 Lightning, called the Lightning Pro, will now start at $46,974, up nearly $7,000 from its $39,974 price tag earlier this year. The truck’s most expensive model, the Platinum Extended Range, will cost $96,874, up by $6,000.
Other Ford News: For the second month in a row, Ford was the only major automaker to produce sales gains. Ford’s July sales grew 36.6 percent vs. an industry down 10.5 percent. Ford total market share hit 13.9 percent – up 1.0 percentage point from June and 4.8 percentage points over a year ago. Gains come from higher EV sales and share, F-Series and high-end large SUVs. Ford overall pickup sales, including F-Series, Ranger and Maverick, produced total sales of 74,034, up 27.0 percent over a year ago.
Forbes recently rated the best new diesel pickup trucks. The 2022 Ram 1500 topped the list closely followed by the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. Other top-ranking trucks were, in order, the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500, the 2021 Jeep Gladiator, the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado and the 2021 GMC Canyon.
Reader poll
Did you fall in love at first sight with your spouse/partner?
Did you just see him or her and think, “that’s the one for me.” Or did love take a while to develop? That’s our question today. Respond here (and please leave a comment).
Penetrating oil can save the day!
It can be a bad day on the road if you break down and need to loosen a screw or bolt and it won’t budge. Here’s help: This rust eater, deep penetrating oil will penetrate rust, scale and corrosion to free parts and assemblies instantly. It will free up rusted machine screws, bolts, nuts, clamps for mufflers and tailpipes, locks and more. You need this! Learn more.
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE STOLEN RVS?
Stolen in Summerland, California. This 1994 Dodge Pleasure Way, white with gold and light purple stripes, was taken July 25. Personalized plate DEDODJA, also look for scuffing on the accent stripes on right rear. Leads? Contact Derek Fehmers at 626-840-7715.
Stolen, West Seattle, Washington: This 1988 Thor Four Winds 5000 motorhome vanished in the night of August 7. You may hear it, as the owner says the muffler was missing. Know something? Seattle Police, West Precinct, (206) 684-8917. Refer to report number 22-20823.
Did someone rip off your ride? Let us post information on your stolen RV. Email Russ (at) rvtravel.com.
See many more recently stolen RVs. Let’s help find these for their owners and maybe even put the crooks in the slammer. Click here.
RV recalls posted since our last newsletter
• Airstream recalls some trailers for possible stove gas leak
• Pleasure Way recalls motorhomes for fire risk
• Jayco recalls as many as 11,532 trailers for awning issue
• Tiffin motorhomes recalled for overheating fuse that could cause engine to stall
• Little Guy trailers recalled for improperly tightened bolts
• Forest River recalls trailers: Pull-out bed could fail
• Forest River recalls some trailers: Axles installed backwards
Did you miss yesterday’s RV Travel?
If so, stories you missed:
• What decades of RVing have taught me, by Chuck Woodbury
• Featured article: You gave us the ‘good, the bad, and the ugly’ on road service plans
• Help from a popular auto parts store gone wrong—battery bust!
• RV Checklists: Campground setup
• Mice invading your RV? Lion poop to the rescue
• Can you afford to snowbird?
• Is a 12-volt refrigerator right for you?
… and much more
Our best-selling products in July
These are the products our readers are buying! Check ’em out.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of August 8, 2022:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $4.04 [Calif.: $5.30]
Change from week before: Down 15 cents; Change from year before: Up 87 cents.
Diesel: $4.99. [Calif.: $6.10]
Change from week before: Down 15 cents; Change from year before: Up $1.63.
Brain Teaser
Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday?
(Answer below.)
Do you have a brain teaser you think we should use? Send it to us here.
????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
If you ever want to embarrass your partner, order these and then go out in public! We’re not sure where you’d want to go wearing this… or why… but we’re sure you’d get attention just about anywhere that may be.
Upcoming RV shows
It won’t be long before RV show season gets underway. Click here for a directory of upcoming shows.
Recipe of the Day
Blueberry Cobbler
by Twana Kelley from Vacaville, CA
This blueberry cobbler recipe is not only easy to make and super tasty, it also makes your mouth salivate while baking in the oven. The blueberry filling is better than anything you’ll find in a can. It’s thick and full of berries. The allspice is subtle. The crumb topping comes from a cake mix and firms up while baking to hold the blueberries inside. The filling will bubble around the crust, so don’t be scared to pile the crumble mixture on. Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect treat.
Collapsible salad spinner is perfect for RV kitchen
Salad spinners tend to take up a lot of precious, limited RV kitchen space. This Prepworks spinner folds down almost flat, so you can keep it nice and organized. It has an easy-to-use crank handle, which quickly dries lettuce or other veggies. You can use the nicely designed outer bowl as a serving dish, so you’ve got two in one, and it’s dishwasher safe. No clean up! Learn more or order
Brain teaser answer:
Yesterday, today and tomorrow.
The Perfect Scam Podcast
Every Sunday we present a podcast from AARP about scams and how crooks are stealing your money, often via telemarketing. Their efforts are often most successful with people 65 years and older who fall victim to the scammers’ sophisticated techniques. Here is this week’s episode.
Trivia
Lightning strikes enhance the growth of mushrooms. Multiple experiences conducted at a Japanese research facility found that exposure to brief, high-voltage charges, simulating nearby lightning strikes, diffused through the soil and yielded enormous increases in mushroom production. The mushrooms exposed to the electrical discharge grew larger and showed a 50-100 percent increase in mass. The research concluded that the electricity in the soil stimulated the hyphae, the elongated cells that act like roots in mushrooms, which increased the laccase enzyme. The enzyme triggers rapid reproduction and improved growth.
Hitch Ball Lubricant extends the life of your hitch mount!
Protect hitch balls and receivers from corrosion with this high-film strength and waterproof grease. Formulated to stay where you apply it, this lubricant reduces friction, wear, rust, water corrosion and noise. Compatible with any variety of trailer applications like receiver hitches, ball mounts, hitch balls, locks, couplers, jacks, and more. Learn more or order here.
Sunday funny
Today in History
RVtravel.com All-Star Team
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel, Gail Marsh. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Roger Marble, Dave Solberg, Mike Gast, Dave Helgeson, Julianne Crane, Machelle James, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Karel Carnohan DVM, Cheri Sicard, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, Paul Lacitinola and Johnny Robot. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore, Mark Gorrie. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. Special Reports: Bradford Geer. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
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.
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When we were enroute to Colorado in June 2019 we were told by the state police that no rest stop was allowed due to homeless people issues. Wal Mart also banned over nite camping as well. So the only two choices were truck stops or a campsite. We got our wallet stolen at a truck stop. So I say no to truck stops and I do do rest stops over nite and bug out by 6am. When the trucks do. Never a problem so far. I plan to do again when I leave Maine in a few weeks. There are a lot of Wal Marts saying no to overnite parking. Might want to try a mall? Good luck.
I don’t think the trucks in the Forbes list are diesel
A lot of 2021s on that list of “new” trucks.
Put your wife and your dog in the trunk of your car. See which one is happiest when you open the trunk. I bet it’s the dog
Now that’s funny!!
You’re right! My dog is obsessed with me!