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Saturday, April 1, 2023
Free, abbreviated edition
Will you be the Seattle area this weekend? If so, come say “hi” to us at our RVtravel.com booth at the Washington State Evergreen Spring RV Show in nearby Monroe. More show info here. If you want to stay awhile, camp overnight at the fairgrounds RV park.
We’ll be selling a number of books and videos and other products for a small donation — a fraction of the products’ price — with 100% of all proceeds (every penny) going to the Sky Valley Food Bank in Monroe, the site of the RV show. At least 1,300 families in the area do not know where their next meal is coming from. We hope to help a little.
Featured articles
Class action lawsuit over fire danger against major RV manufacturer can move forward, judge rules
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Imagine you’re tooling down the highway, towing your fifth wheel. Suddenly you notice smoke at the back of your tow rig. Fire! Jay Nelson, an RVer from Montana, didn’t need to imagine it—it was a real-life experience for him. Now a Montana judge has ruled that Nelson’s claim against toward the RV’s manufacturer can continue toward class action status, despite the manufacturer’s attempts to get it tossed out. The worrisome part is this: If Nelson’s allegations are true, there’s a potential that a whole lot of other owners could be in danger of fire in their rigs. Continue reading.
New South Dakota law could ban some full-time RVers from voting
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
We’ve been following the actions of South Dakota’s legislature as they apply to full-timers. With its low taxes, the Mount Rushmore state has been a popular domicile for many full-time RVers. However, the 2023 legislative session brought threats to full-timers’ ability to vote there. Two bills were shot down before even reaching the floor. But one, Senate Bill 139, has passed and received the blessing of Governor Kristi Noem’s signature. While the law will have definite effects on those wanting to become South Dakota voters, it could possibly disenfranchise some existing voters—full-timers who are registered there. Learn more.
New RV buyers are young, want RVs as place to work from
If you believe a just-released news release from the RV Industry Association (RVIA), then you might react by saying “Are you kidding me?” The RVIA now reports that the average median age for first-time RV buyers in 2022 is 32. Their number one reason for buying: Having a place to work from. Read more.
Amazon’s satellite internet Project Kuiper ramping up. Trouble for Starlink?
By Randall Brink
With SpaceX releasing news of Starlink’s advancements almost daily, the satellite broadband provider has achieved an aura of invincibility. Is Starlink invulnerable to competition? Or is a strong rival about to enter the broadband space race? When Starlink RV debuted in May of 2022, there was no competitor in sight. But since then, we’ve heard rumblings from Amazon that it is working on its Project Kuiper and pushing it toward fruition. Learn about it here.
RV shipments dive in February
Total RV shipments ended February with 24,903 units, a decrease of 53.7% compared to the record 53,773 units shipped in February 2022. So says the just released RV Industry Association’s (RVIA) February 2023 survey of manufacturers. Read more.
Maryland considers law for RV dealer franchise agreements
By Randall Brink
New legislation introduced in the Maryland General Assembly in March would establish a regulatory framework for recreational vehicle manufacturers, distributors, factory branches, and dealers. The bill has been referred to by the RV Industry Association (RVIA) as a “Franchise Bill,” and the trade group says that the law would “improve the relationship between RV dealers and manufacturers.” The legislative framework includes state licensing requirements for recreational vehicle manufacturers, distributors, and branches of RV factories that act as retail outlets. Learn more.
The night sky gets darker, bigger in Boulder City, NV, under new project
By Randall Brink
The city of Boulder in Nevada has taken a significant step towards sustainable recreation and tourism by initiating the Boulder City Dark Skies Project. The project, which aims to retrofit every municipal light with energy-efficient, light-pollution-reducing fixtures, has received a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Authority (EDA). The grant was announced on September 20, 2022, and the project will commence in 2023. Continue reading.
C’mon—Be a little foolish today!
By Gail Marsh
My dad had a great sense of humor. He delighted in telling his three daughters that he proposed to Mom on April Fools’ Day. Predictably, Mom would roll her eyes, smile, and say, “The joke’s on you. I said ‘yes’.” Thinking back on that tidbit of my family history, I began to wonder how it happened. How did April Fools’ Day begin? Find out here. (And watch the video with farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees!)
Campground Crowding
Rates tripled for full-time RV residents in less than a year
RV sales have slowed (finally) and fewer people are buying RVs than has been the recent trend. Has that changed campground crowding? Our readers weigh in weekly on this, and this week Nanci Dixon received lots and lots of emails about the rising price of camping and passes along a few of them. But there were also some tips which RVers might find useful to locate a good camping spot.
That was the RV week that was
March 25–31, 2023
The National Park Service (NPS) has approved an increase in the weekly and annual entrance pass fee for Maine’s Acadia National Park. The fee increase will go into effect today, and is required year-round. The new entrance fees for a private vehicle are $35 for 7 days, motorcycle $30 for 7 days, pedestrian/cyclist $20 for 7 days, and $70 for an annual pass.
REV Recreation Group is recalling certain 2023 Fleetwood Bounder, Flair, Flex, Fortis, Southwind, Discovery, Discovery LXE, Frontier, Frontier GTX, Pace Arrow, Holiday Rambler Admiral, Eclipse, Invicta, Vacationer, Armada, Endeavor, Navigator, Nautica, and American Coach American Tradition motorhomes. The entry door latch may fail and thus not allow entry or exit. More.
Beginning today, Saturday, April 1, 2023, Utah’s popular Arches National Park will implement a pilot, temporary, timed entry system to access the park. From April 1 to October 31, 2023, between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, visitors will need to purchase a timed entry reservation in advance to enter the park. Learn more here.
Camping World is acquiring Carbon Emery RV. This acquisition includes two dealerships conveniently located in Carbon County, Utah, along historic U.S. Route 6 between Provo and Interstate 70. The deal is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2023.
Constant falling power lines at Lucky’s RV Park in Temple, Texas, have residents fed up and seeking resolution before someone gets hurt. Residents say the falling power lines cause them to lose power for days, and they’re concerned for their safety. They say whenever wind speeds reach at least 15 miles per hour, the power lines fall onto their RVs, causing them to lose power, blow out their outlets and put them at risk of being electrocuted. Oncor Electric Delivery Company told KCEN-TV that it was working on the problem.
New Mexico’s Bandelier National Monument is seeking public comment on proposed increases in expanded amenity fees for Juniper Family Campground and Ponderosa Group Campground. The park is also proposing to make a portion of Juniper Campground reservable through Recreation.gov. Fees for individual campsites last changed in 2005, and group campsite fees last changed in 1995. The new fees would raise individual campsites at Juniper Campground from $12 to $20 a night. Read more and weigh in here before April 24.
Get Away RV & Marine, a boat and RV sales and rental business in Templeton, California, is expanding to a second location at 1200 El Camino Real in Atascadero, which is scheduled to open in early May.
Park rangers were dispatched to Badwater Basin in California’s Death Valley National Park around 2:30 a.m., March 24, to look for a woman after her companions reported her missing. The group had hiked onto the salt flats at night to photograph stars. After the 61-year-old woman from Austin, TX, did not return to the group, her companions became concerned. It turned out she got lost returning to them, unable to see landmarks. So she stopped. At daylight, she walked to the park road and hitchhiked back to the Badwater parking lot. All ended well.
For nearly a year, the price of an average used vehicle in the United States had been decreasing. From a peak of $31,400 in April of last year, the average price had dropped 14% to $27,125 early this month. However, they are starting to rise again with the supply of used vehicles for sale decreasing.
Rangers at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are seeking tips about recent vandalism at George W. Childs Park in Dingmans Township, Pennsylvania. Areas damaged include the historic Brooks Woolen Mill ruins and the original date stone. Bright red paint proclaiming “I (heart) Tara” was scrawled across the original 1892 date stone that once stood at the former entrance to the site, while more red paint was used on the walls of the woolen mill to write “I (heart) Anthony.” The graffiti is dated March 23, 2023. Know anything? Call (570) 426-2457.
Community Management Group has acquired Copper Court RV Park in Anaconda, Montana, for $4.5 million. Copper Court RV Park is the latest addition to CMG Parks’ portfolio of more than 23 parks in Washington, Idaho, Montana and California.
Oops! Some Keystone RV Cougar travel trailers have been recalled for a missing exit window. More.
A motorhome fire ended up knocking out internet and cellphone service in part of South Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday morning. No one was injured. And no word on the cause of the fire. RIP, Class C.
JUST PLAIN WEIRD: How about a Woolly Mammoth Burger? Don’t laugh. An Australian company on Tuesday lifted the glass cover in an Amsterdam museum on a baseball sized meatball made of lab-grown cultured meat using the genetic sequence from the long-extinct mammoth. Cultivated meat — also called cultured or cell-based meat — is made from animal cells. Livestock doesn’t need to be killed to produce it. Hungry?
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win a set of Stainless Steal Camping Mugs?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (April 1, 2023) 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
Have you ever lived in an RV for at least six months in a row?
Answer here and see how others responded.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Know someone who could use a break from their phone? Let’s face it, we could all use a break from our phone! This is for them, er, us…
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of March 27, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.42 [Calif.: $4.63]
Change from week before: Down 1/10 of 1 cent; Change from year before: Down 81 cents.
Diesel: $4.13 [Calif.: $5.17]
Change from week before: Down 6 cents; Change from year before: Down $1.06.
Upcoming RV shows
Click here for a directory of upcoming shows.
Recipe of the Day
Lemon Vegetable Pasta Salad
by Meryl Hausner from Wood-Ridge, NJ
This pasta salad recipe is different than other types we’ve had. Blanched snap peas and asparagus add tons of fresh flavor, but their harsh crispness is taken away in the blanching process. Yellow bell pepper adds a touch of sweetness and crunch. We liked the slight lemon and tarragon flavor in the creamy dressing. In warmer months, this could be part of a light dinner served with a piece of grilled fish or chicken.
The Perfect Scam Podcast
Every Saturday 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
Only female mosquitoes will bite you since they require blood to produce eggs. Male mosquitoes only feed on flower nectar, not blood.
Laugh of the Week
An Irishman, Mick, was on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.” He had already won 500,000 euros. “You’ve done very well,” said the presenter, “but for a million euros, you’ve only got one lifeline left, phone a friend. “Which of the following birds does NOT build its own nest? A) Sparrow B) Thrush C) Magpie D) Cuckoo. “I don’t know,” said Mick. “I’ll use my last lifeline and phone my friend Paddy.” Paddy wasn’t the smartest, but Mick had his number memorized. Mick rang and repeated the question to Paddy. “Dat’s simple. It’s a cuckoo!” Paddy said, “Are you sure? There’s a lot of money on this!” “Yes!” Mick hung up the phone and said, “I’ll go with cuckoo.” “Is that your final answer?” asked Chris. “Yup.” There was a pause then the presenter screamed, “Cuckoo is correct! You’ve won one million euros!” Mick called Paddy. “Tell me, Paddy? How in Heaven’s name did you know it was da Cuckoo that doesn’t build its own nest?” “Well, duh! Because he lives in a clock!”
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, Gail Marsh, Dave Solberg. Contributors: Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Karel Carnohan DVM, Cheri Sicard, Dustin and Ashley Simpson, Dale Wade, Paul Lacitinola and Jeff Clemishaw. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. Special Reports: Bradford Geer. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Artificial (AI) contributors: Johnny Robot and Milly MacWilly. Canine Mascots: Archie and Astor “the Disaster”
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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Da cuckoo doesn’t live in a clock. Ok need to revisit the joke of the day. Loved it otherwise
I haven’t seen any articles from Mike Sokol recently. Is he still a contributor?
Mike has his own newsletter. RVelectricity. He’s still giving out great electrical advice.
In regards to the Just Plain Wierd, Wully Mammoth burger. What could go wrong?
I mean as long as it’s not grilled pangellun served in a nice wet market Bat Broth, we should be OK.
In regards to The Cuckoo Bird Nest question, we had to laugh, as we thought he would respond “It takes one to know one!”😊
In reference to your falling power lines story, something struck me (not a power line) – the last sentence:
“The park’s owner, Oncor, told KCEN-TV that it was working on the problem.”
Oncor is NOT the owner of the park; Oncor is the electric company – they own the lines and the problem.
Thanks, Jewel! It’s been corrected. Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
As full timers, that’s what we do, live in our RV, so yes, many months🤣