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Saturday, April 22, 2023
Free, abbreviated edition
 Featured articles Â
Proposed changes mean California State Park campsites could be easier to reserve
A new state bill, AB 618, introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, aims to make it easier to secure campsite reservations in California state parks. The proposed amendments include incentives for early cancellations and penalties for no-shows, as well as the implementation of a lottery system for popular campsites. Additionally, the bill proposes providing a discount to low-income visitors with a Golden Bear pass. The changes are aimed at addressing the high demand for campsites and improving the reservation process for frequent campers. Continue reading.
Hydrogen-powered RV concept—A zero-emission camper with a reasonable range
By Randall Brink
First Hydrogen Corp., based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is making waves in the RV industry by developing a zero-emission hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered RV. As the world shifts towards cleaner, greener energy solutions, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are gaining attention. The practical science of FCEVs, their advantages over battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs), and the differences in the range between the two technologies represent a clear advantage to the hydrogen-powered vehicle. Learn more.
Man loses part of leg in alligator attack at RV park
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
A 72-year-old man, presumably an RVer, lost the lower part of his leg in an alligator attack on Friday, April 14. Brevard County, Florida, rescue officials were called to the Great Outdoors RV Nature & Golf Resort in Titusville after an emergency call reported a gator attack near a park retention pond. Dispatch recordings spell out the terrible details: “Per the caller, we have confirmed amputation.” Continue reading.
Ford F-150 Lightning electric trucks catch fire in video
Oh, this is not pretty. This short video shows smoke emanating from three tightly packed Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickups in February in a holding lot owned by Ford Motor in Dearborn, Michigan. CNBC obtained the previously unreleased footage from the Dearborn Police Department in Michigan through the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Watch the video.
Spend the night camping in a can of beans. No kidney… er… kidding!
By Dave Solberg
Spend the night in a can of beans? Well, sort of. It’s a can-shaped trailer painted to look like a giant can of Bush’s Beans. But it’s not filled with beans. Inside, it looks very much like a very nice camping trailer, although in this case it’s called a “canper.” Yes, a can-per! Continue reading about this uncanny contest.
Campground Crowding
Why aren’t there more RV parks? Good luck getting a new one approved!
By Nanci Dixon
RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs than has been the recent trend. Has that changed campground crowding? This week readers continue to express their concerns, including rethinking RVing snowbird plans for Florida winters due to crowding and increased costs at campgrounds, and difficulty getting reservations even with a camping membership, including in Canada. Also, “fear of the government [red tape]” is holding back property owners from building a small RV park on their beautiful 20 acres in Florida.
 NEW! RV Video Tour
Look for Cheri’s new RV Video Reviews every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Not signed up for our RV Daily Tips newsletter? You’re missing out!Â
Awesome entry-level Class A—Tour the 2022 Forest River FR3 30DS
By Cheri Sicard
Matt of Matt’s RV Reviews (one of our readers’ Best of RV YouTube channels) is here to give us a tour of the Forest River FR3 30DS. Matt says this makes a perfect entry-level Class A. Why? Well, he goes over that in today’s video (and what he doesn’t like about it, too).
That was the RV week that was
April 15–21, 2023
Recent coverage on RV YouTube channels has been dominated by the scandal surrounding the demise of Nomad Internet. Touted as the nation’s largest wireless internet provider for RVers, Nomad Internet promised unlimited and untethered bandwidth on the road, akin to home internet. However, the company’s meltdown has left RVers in a lurch, with many disgruntled customers sharing their experiences online. The surge of content on this controversy has caught the attention of the RV community. Watch a video update on what’s going on.
National Park Week begins today and continues for another 8 days. But today, in honor of Earth Day, admission is free at all parks. So when you have finished reading this newsletter, head on out to your favorite close-by park. Hey, free is good.
Private campground owners and operators have cause for celebration this Memorial Day weekend, as the latest KOA Monthly Research Report for April 2023 reveals that camping sentiment is at an all-time high. The report shows that a staggering 22.6 million households have expressed interest in spending the May holiday weekend in the great outdoors, marking a significant increase from the previous year and the highest number of camping households since October 2022.
With springtime and warmer weather here, two White Mountains-area state highways reopened Thursday, April 20, after being closed for the winter, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. State Route 261 runs from State Route 260 near Eagar to Big Lake, while State Route 273 goes from SR 260 to Sunrise Park and Big Lake. State Route 473, running south from SR 260 on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, was scheduled to reopen on Friday, April 21.
Snow will delay openings of some Colorado campgrounds. While many campgrounds are opening along Colorado’s front range and eastern plains, winter conditions continue to hold on in parts of the northwest. Significant snow amounts in many of the high country state parks in the Northwest Region have made it impossible to access campgrounds. Learn which campgrounds are affected here.
Many of Yellowstone’s facilities are still closed for the season. But some have opened or are opening soon. For a list of what’s closed, open or opening soon, click here.
Speaking of Yellowstone, its resident grizzly bears don’t limit themselves to living in the back country. This mama and yearling are pictured walking on a boardwalk near Old Faithful.
Lake Mead is projected to see a substantial rise this summer, as near-record snowpack melts off and finds its way into the Colorado River. After dropping more than 50 feet since 2020, the lake behind Hoover Dam is now expected to rise by roughly 22 feet by the end of the year, according to the latest forecasts from the Bureau of Reclamation.
There is still time to volunteer as a campground host at a National Park. A minimum commitment of two months is required. To learn more or sign up, visit www.volunteer.gov.
Spacious Skies Campgrounds has acquired the Savannah Oaks RV Resort in Savannah, Georgia, and renamed it Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks. It’s the company’s 15th campground and its first in Georgia. It has 115 RV sites and is located steps from the Ogeechee River.
Daytona Beach, FL, gives the green light to a major RV resort development project by Blue Coral Properties, Inc. The ambitious $75-$90 million project will span 353 acres of land on the city’s western edge, featuring a 1,200-lot facility with amenities such as nature trails, activity centers, and 58 acres of lakes. With 61% of the land to be preserved as undeveloped natural vegetation buffers, the resort aims to become a premier destination for RVers.
Officials from Great Smoky Mountains National Park have not yet released the identity or cause of death of a person who was reported missing and found dead on April 16 near Low Gap Trail in the Cosby, Tennessee, area of the national park. Park Service rangers initiated a search for the missing person on April 13 after discovering a vehicle with a license plate registered to a person reported missing parked at the Cosby Campground Amphitheater.
And, lastly, some more sound advice from the National Park Service Twitter account:
WOW! The world population is 8 billion, of which more than 6 billion have access to a mobile phone. Alas, only 4.5 billion have a working toilet.
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win a set of Trailer Party Lights?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (April 22, 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!
9-in-1 camping cutting board makes cooking easy
For RVing cooks, this 9-in-1 camping gadget makes prep and clean-up work much easier! This collapsible, lightweight gadget is a cutting board, colander, and wash basket. It also comes with two knives and several slicing, mashing and grating pieces. Think of all the drawer and cabinet space you’ll save with this! And for a great price, trust us, it’s worth it. Learn more or order.
Reader poll
For couples: Are you or your partner a better driver?
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE STOLEN RVs?
Determined crooks made off with this 2020 Salem Hemisphere travel trailer. The unit was behind a fence in a locked-up yard in Conroe, Texas, off FM1314, and vanished April 20. The rig was last seen wearing Texas plate B442135. Know something? Contact the Montgomery County Sheriff at (936) 760-5800.
Crooks in Las Cruces, New Mexico, filched this Forest River Surveyor on April 15 at 5 a.m. The early-bird thief was seen pulling the 32-foot 2006 model travel trailer away with a light-colored pickup truck. Contact the Las Cruces police with information at (575) 526-0795.
Did someone rip off your ride? Let us post information on your stolen RV. Email Russ (at) rvtravel.com.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Spring is the perfect time for an activity like this! And since it’s Earth Day, it would be a great way to celebrate! With or without kids, this would be fun.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of April 17, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.66
Change from week before: Up 7 cents; Change from year before: Down 40 cents.
Diesel: $4.12
Change from week before: Up 2 cents; Change from year before: Down 99 cents.
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
Netflix announced last week that it has discontinued delivering DVDs to subscribers. That marks the end of an era for the company that shipped its first of 5.2 million DVDs, a copy of Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice,” back in 1998.
Laugh of the Week
Crime Report: Scary Arnold!
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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Misleading numbers in your WOW comment. 6 billion people have cell phones but only 4.5 billion have a working toilet. My wife and I each have a cell phone, but we share a toilet.
Correction on the end of the DVD for Net Flix. I got an email saying they will end at the end of September. But thats not to say it will end the DVD service permanently. But I am trying to get thru our DVD subscription and watch movies we cannot get without paying an arm and a leg to see. Some apps you have to actually have a television cable subscription to watch a movie. We cut the cord and went app. Luckily for me I am able to see some movies that I otherwise cannot see. Now if HBO does merge with Discovery is a boon for those with a Verizon subscription because you can get a cheap subscription on a monthly basis. So we shall see. Happy surfing.
Why even comment! You don’t print it. I’m done receiving your newsletter.
Sorry, Tom. I’ve put your comment back in, as well as replies to your comment. We try to stay out of politics, etc., here, and your comment and replies were getting into that territory. The replies would have just deteriorated further. We’ll see what happens now that it’s back. Have a good evening/night. –Diane at RVtravel.com
Diane, Thankyou for Reinstating Tom L,s comments….
Laugh of the week is not very funny, considering the implications.
And yet it cracked me up! I’ll be back!!!
Immediately I am sent back to the movie Kindergarten Cop. OMG what a great movie. A little scary for the little ones but one Arnold did very well. Great giggle.
I have noticed that the previous <> next chain links within the (current) individual articles often point to (again current) articles not listed in the master newsletter for the day.
I travel in Michigan early hours before anyone is up and on the roads and I see a lot of trucks pulling travel trailers. I often wonder if they are the stolen ones I read about. A few did not have plates. Who would believe me if I report it. Are people stealing them for a the immigrants coming into the United State illegal?
Typically racism comment. All of us have immigrant ancestors.
they must be stealing them for all the immigrants entering Michigan since it is so close to the border!