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Saturday, July 8, 2023
Free, abbreviated edition
Featured articles
Generator noise ratings matter more than you think
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
At first glance, you might not be particularly concerned about generator noise ratings. After all, if it’s quiet enough to put up with, it must be quiet enough already. Right? It ain’t necessarily so. With increasing emphasis on “keeping nature natural,” it shouldn’t be surprising to hear that visitors to the nation’s parks may get a bit sensitive about noise. And while the National Park Service may not “have an app for that,” they most certainly do have a rule for that. If you’re shopping for a generator, you do really need to be concerned about noise ratings. Read all about generator noise ratings here.
Cyanide bombs should be banned from use on public lands
By Randall Brink
EDITORIAL
Conservation groups and federal lawmakers are taking action to outlaw the utilization of “cyanide bombs” on public lands. The conflict highlights ethical and safety concerns regarding long-standing wildlife management practices. The “cyanide bombs,” technically referred to as M-44 devices, are designed to kill wolves, delivering a lethal dose of sodium cyanide powder. However, they also indiscriminately kill any animal that disturbs the landmine-like device, posing serious safety risks to humans as well. Continue reading.
KOA swimming pond closes after drownings
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
After two drowning deaths and a near-drowning, a Michigan KOA campground is shutting down its swimming pond. An 18-year-old man, Anthony Lavelle Shores Jr., vanished in the pond water last Wednesday. Minutes later, frantic rescuers brought his lifeless body to shore. Sadly, this was the second death-by-drowning at the KOA Holiday Campground near Petersburg in less than a year. Learn more.
Lock your doors: A foot fondler is on the loose
It would be impolite to laugh at this: if you are a victim of this criminal, then this is not one bit funny. But, golly, it’s hard not to chuckle, at least when you read the headlines about this criminal, who police are searching for right now in a popular tourist area. Read more.
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Campground Crowding
“This ‘Woe is me, I can’t find a campsite’ stuff is getting old!”
RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs than has been the recent trend. Has that changed campground crowding? This week Nanci Dixon passes along comments and tips from our readers regarding ways to avoid crowded campgrounds and save on high prices. Plus, Joanne B. complains that even though their truck camper is “new, looks nice and was easily as expensive as a trailer,” they still were not welcome in resorts in Florida. Even a campground owner, Barb H., complains about the difficulty in finding a campsite for their upcoming vacation. Plus, more complaints about the complainers.
Click here to read all that and much more
RV Video Tour
RV expert picks the BEST 5th wheel brands for 2023
By Cheri Sicard
One of our readers’ FAVORITE RV vloggers, Josh the RV Nerd, is back with a video detailing his picks for the best 5th wheel brands for 2023. When it comes to RVs, Josh knows what he’s talking about, so it’s always valuable to get an insider’s view on the RV industry. Josh rightly puts in the disclaimer that there is no single “Best 5th Wheel” for everyone. It is going to depend on how you intend to use it. So, to make this video more useful, he broke it down to his best picks for fifth wheels in these categories …
Click here to continue reading and watch Josh’s video
Take an extra 10% off a GhostBed luxury RV mattress!
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Beginning next week, RVtravel.com will publish a weekly recap every Tuesday of all articles we published the previous week about RV repair and maintenance. Each week’s email edition of RV Tech Tips will include a headline and brief description of each article with a link to read it. Sign up for RV Tech Tips here. Easy unsubscribe if it’s not your cup of tea.
That was the RV week that was
July 1–7, 2023
On Saturday, July 22nd, the National Park Service and Devils Tower Natural History Association will host the Annual Bat Festival in the picnic area of the Wyoming National Monument from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. The festival will include presentations and fun educational activities all about the amazing nighttime resident of Devils Tower/Bear Lodge – the bat! Learn more here.
A 65-year-old man from the San Diego area was found dead in his vehicle in California’s Death Valley National Park on the morning of July 3. Extreme heat appears to have caused his death. Continue reading.
… Speaking of heat, do you know the signs of heat stroke in humans? We posted this video earlier this week, but we want to make sure you see it. Know the signs, symptoms, and stay safe and cool! Watch it here.
Oregon State Parks has launched a pilot program for same-day campsite reservations at 17 coastal campgrounds. Previously, reservations had to be made online at least 24 hours in advance. The program addresses the popularity of coastal parks, which often book up to six months ahead, resulting in a high number of cancellations. Same-day bookings will be exempt from the usual $8 reservation fee. Learn more.
The 30-mile highway through Lassen Volcanic National Park in northern California has opened for the summer season, though sections might seem like winter. A higher-than-average snowpack has been fully cleared. Visitors to the park should prepare for winter conditions at higher elevations, and possible delays due to ongoing road work.
General RV Center, which claims to be the nation’s largest family-owned RV dealer, has broken ground on its 15th Supercenter, located in South Weber, Utah. The 65,000-square-foot facility will have 30 service bays and will have the capacity to hold 450 RVs.
According to Edmunds, in the second quarter of this year, the share of consumers who financed a vehicle with a monthly payment of $1,000 or more reached a new peak of 17.1%, up from 12.2% a year earlier. In the second quarter of 2019, before the COVID pandemic and the chips shortage, it was 4.3%. Average monthly payments reached a new record high of $733. That compares with $730 in the first quarter and $678 in the second quarter a year earlier.
Popular camping app The Dyrt has enhanced its PRO Maps featured by adding more than 19,000 U.S overnight parking, dump station, and water station locations. It now boasts the largest database for these facilities. The map also shows all campgrounds across the country as well as 5,000 free camping locations. Get a free 30-day trial of The Dyrt PRO here.
More than 8,000 pounds of trash were left behind by careless visitors at Lake Tahoe’s beaches on July 4, more than double last year’s amount. In just three hours, volunteers collected 8,559 pounds of litter on July 5. This marks the highest recorded trash volume, with a significant increase from previous years. Beach cleanups in the Tahoe area have yielded over 70,000 pounds of trash, including 212,000 cigarette butts and 27,000 plastic bottle caps. Please do not be like these people!
Speaking of Lake Tahoe... Reader Bee O’Neil sent us the photo above from her phone of the traffic in the Tahoe area on July 5th. Wow!
If you get your prescriptions on the road, be advised that Walgreens plans to close 150 of its U.S. locations beginning in 2024. No word yet on which stores will get the ax.
The cost of postage is headed up on July 9:
• Forever Stamps will increase from 63 cents to 66 cents
• A 1-ounce letter will increase from 63 cents to 66 cents
• Domestic postcards will increase from 48 cents to 51 cents
• A 1-ounce letter mailed to another country will increase from $1.45 to $1.50
• Postcards mailed to another country will increase from $1.45 to $1.50
Two Montana ports of entry along the U.S.–Canada border will soon extend their operating hours. The extended hours will be at the Piegan and Raymond ports of entry and last for 120 days. New hours at the Piegan POE will be from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week beginning July 16. The Raymond POE’s operational hours will be 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week beginning July 30.
Due to the combination of increased dry conditions and rising temperatures, Washington’s Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park will implement fire restrictions at midnight July 9 that will allow campfires only in established fire rings in designated areas.
Utah’s Bryce Canyon’s centennial Geology Festival is scheduled for Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, and will include guided hikes, geology programs and interactive family-friendly booths. This year’s festival will also feature special evening programs from author and geologist Christa Sadler and park paleontology fellow Tut Tran exploring fossil discoveries within and around Bryce Canyon National Park. As always, the annual Geology Festival is free with park admission, though some programs may require free tickets to attend.
A new shuttle bus fleet is coming to Grand Canyon National Park thanks to a grant of $27.5 million from the U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Highway Administration. The funding will help pay for 30 new buses, including 10 battery electric buses and 20 compressed natural gas buses, to replace the current aging fleet. An estimated 6 million people visit the park each year and use the free shuttle buses to access destinations.
Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s is taking a lot of heat about its July 4th statement that Mt. Rushmore should be returned to Native Americans. “Long before South Dakota had become a state, long before the faces of four American presidents were blasted into the side of Mount Rushmore, that mountain was known as Tunkasila Sakpe, the Six Grandfathers, to the Lakota Sioux—a holy mountain that rises up from the Black Hills, land they consider sacred,” the company reported. Read more.
Love’s Travel Stops has opened a location in Parachute, Colo., that includes eight RV parking spaces and an RV dump.
Grand Design RV, LLC (Grand Design) is recalling certain 2023 Momentum and Reflection travel trailers equipped with certain 5200 and 6000 CURT RV axles. The axles may have an improperly tightened grease fitting that can separate and cause damage, possibly resulting in wheel detachment. Learn more.
Yosemite National Park has begun a second round of civic engagement to address improving visitor experience and access to the busy park during peak season. The park is seeking input on several key concepts to address improving visitors’ access to and experience of the park’s most significant resources and features while ensuring that those resources are protected. The 8-week public comment period will last through September 6. For more information and to submit a comment visit the project website.
Alabama State Parks has partnered with Timberline Glamping to introduce glamping to five state parks. The move capitalizes on the thriving glamping trend nationwide. The sites feature safari-style tents with A/C, heating, electricity, and mini-fridges. Rates start at $129/night with a $65 cleaning fee. The initiative began at Wind Creek State Park and has expanded to Lake Guntersville, Chewacla, Monte Sano, and Cheaha state parks.
On July 1, Maryland became the 21st state to legalize cannabis for recreational use. State residents aged 21 and older with a valid government ID may now purchase and possess recreational marijuana for use in their private residences.
Take a break from your RV and spend a night at Barbie’s Dream House. Airbnb recently announced this exclusive opportunity and details for this once-in-a-lifetime contest. Beginning at 1 p.m. EST on July 17, 2023, you can enter to win a free one-night stay in Barbie’s Dream House, located in Malibu, California. Learn more and see more photos—wow!
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this electric flyswatter?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (July 8, 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
Did someone ever ask you to marry them and you turned them down?
Respond here and see how others responded.
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS STOLEN RV?
Somebody kiped a Cougar in Howard County, Texas. Law enforcement says they got a report on June 21st from a business on the 1600 Block of North FM 700. Apparently somebody rolled away with a 2015 Cougar fifth wheel—sorry, no further description available. But a security camera did catch a couple of images that might be helpful. If you know something, contact Crime Stoppers at 432-263-8477 and refer to case 23-07772. A reward is involved for tips leading to an arrest or case closure.
Did someone rip off your ride? Let us post information on your stolen RV. Email Russ (at) rvtravel.com.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
This is so cool—you’ll love it! It looks just like the real thing… but it’s not! Plus, it’ll protect the surfaces in your RV, and that’s important! Check these out.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of July 3, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.53
Change from week before: Down 4 cents; Change from year before: Down $1.24.
Diesel: $3.77
Change from week before: Down 3 cents; Change from year before: Down $1.91.
For fuel prices for specific states, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Upcoming RV shows
Click here for a directory of upcoming shows.
Recipe of the Day
Zucchini Fries
by Josphine Morrow from Kerman, CA
These baked zucchini fries have a nice crunchy coating that’s perfectly seasoned. The method used in this recipe helps the zucchini fries maintain their Panko crumb coating. Serve with marinara sauce or ranch dressing, for an easy appetizer or snack.
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Trivia
The birthday paradox explains that in a group of only 23 people, there’s more than a 50 percent chance that at least two will have the same birthday. Seems hard to believe, right? But it’s true! Read more about it here.
Laugh of the Week
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, Cheri Sicard, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade and Paul Lacitinola. Moderator: Gary Gilmore. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. 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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Gas this morning at $2.949, not on Interstate station.
Gas prices in WA state are hovering around $5 a gallon from what I am seeing in our travels.
Hi, Donny. This morning I went to my local gas station in Lynnwood, just north of Seattle, WA, and regular is $5/gal., as is diesel. That’s higher than California and even Hawaii. I’m glad I get to work from home.👍 Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Ben And Jerry’s!! Another typical US success story. Sell a popular product, get rich, then sell out to someone overseas. This time in England. And as for the stolen land issue, I agree. But show me some land anywhere that wasn’t stolen from somebody.
I’m on a roll here. I agree, again!
As a full-timer with a home base in the Black Hills, the shame of Mt. Rushmore encouraged me to make my ‘home’ at Crazy Horse/Heritage Village.
I’d suggest to the ice cream boys that they set the example and be the first to give up their land to the Vermont indigenous peoples. Wouldn’t that be a “put up or shut up” moment for them? Lead by example? I’m not holding my breath for these, or any, hypocrites….
I agree to this also!
Human history is full of stories of one empire conquering another empire, one civilization overwhelming another! When Columbus and his crews came to the “New World”, they did not know the diseases they carried would kill off the indigenous tribes, because the tribes lacked immunity. I will not be sorry for what happened 100 or 2,000 years ago. We have to press on!
I agree!
Not a stat ponderer, but I wonder who counted the butts and caps?
I lived 1 hour north of there and camped there for years for their Halloween gig and never in my wildest dreams this would happen 3 years in a row. The only reason for the drowinings is because they state no life guard on duty swim at your own risk. So if you try to lawyer up you will be shot down. I say you want to be stupid? This will happen. Sad to hear the most biggest money maker is being closed. So sad because this is one of the nicest family koa ever. I hope it reopens next year and stupid doesn’t happen again.