Welcome to the RVtravel.com newsletter. Be sure to check out all our other RV-related newsletters.
This is the abbreviated free edition of this newsletter. For the ad-free, full edition, please become a voluntary subscriber for a one-time donation of your choice. Your support means a lot to us!
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Issue 1127
Free, abbreviated edition
Page Contents
Featured articles
Is this how motorhome shoppers and towable RV shoppers differ?
It looks like RVers differ in how they think—and shop. Leave it to the RV manufacturing industry to “psych us out,” and find out how to best promote different types of RVs. Yep, RV shoppers differ, and this is how Go RVing categorizes you. … Read this report summary from Russ and Tiña De Maris, then let them know what you think: Does the RV industry have you down when you shop?
The sky is falling …? A controversy surrounding Starlink satellites
By Randall Brink
In a world where the sky is increasingly cluttered with satellites, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently raised alarms about the potential dangers posed by falling debris from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. The FAA’s report, which has stirred a significant amount of controversy, suggests that these low-Earth orbit objects could, by 2035, fall and cause injury or even fatalities. Should Starlink RV aka Roam users be concerned that the service could be impacted? Continue reading.
Winnebago has tough financial year. Will RVers benefit?
Winnebago Industries came out on Wednesday, October 18, with its financial reports for the 4th quarter. It also released its 2023 fiscal year wrap-up. Like the rest of the RV industry, the end of 2022 and most of 2023 hasn’t been a time for waving banners. The company’s press release had plenty of guarded language to let stockholders down easy. Will customers benefit from Winnie’s tough year? Find out in this breakdown from Russ and Tiña De Maris.
You could win a Toyota Tundra from Texas State Parks group – but you gotta hurry
Last May, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation opened a contest to help support the parks. It read in part, “Make a $25 donation to support 100 years of Texas State Parks and you could take home a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro plus extras ….” Sounds like a raffle, huh? Well, NO, you don’t need to “donate” anything and still have an equal chance to be the winner. But you’ve got to act no later than tomorrow, Sunday, October 22, and there’s a catch even there. But still, you could win. Learn more.
Campground Crowding
“Site lock” fees being added on top of campsite fees to secure specific campsites—Yikes!
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 shares more of your tips about the necessity of planning and reserving campsites waaay ahead of time, complaints about Reservation.gov and no on-site campground host to communicate with, and more about folks who reserve a site and then don’t show up. And what do you think about the practice of paying for a particular site, and then having to pay extra to “lock” that site so you’re not moved elsewhere? Hmmm. Let us know in the comments.
RV Video Tour
First look: 2024 Wingamm mini-motorhomes now in America
By Cheri Sicard
Wingamm motorhomes have been making a lot of waves in the RV industry for their style and quality along with how many great features they manage to seamlessly integrate into an extremely small package. And now these popular Italian motorhomes are coming to the United States!
Beginning in November, we will report the news daily
We are discontinuing the weekly news briefs feature in favor of an email recap of the very latest news about RVing every weekday afternoon. We’ll begin the weekday emails next month. Sign up to receive these timely emails here. (You can easily unsubscribe if you wish.)
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this terrific book on Camping in America’s City & Town Parks?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (October 21, 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.
Reader poll
How many years have you considered yourself an “RVer”?
Have a paint nick or chip on your RV?
Here’s an easy way to fix it. Nanci Dixon writes, “Use mini automotive repair paint sticks or brushes. Works like a charm. Merely wipe the damaged area clean, dip the paint stick in the touch-up paint, wipe off excess paint and dab the nick. While the nick is still there, it is not nearly as apparent.” Read more or buy some paintbrushes here.
Check it out!
Man rows pumpkin “boat” 39 miles down Missouri River
By Gail Marsh
Missourian Steve Kueny recently embarked on a record-breaking pumpkin adventure. Kueny set a new Guinness World Record for the longest journey ever made inside a pumpkin boat. Yes, you read that correctly. Kueny floated down the Missouri River inside his 1,208-pound pumpkin named Huckle Berry for nearly 11 hours. Read how Steve squashed the record here.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We can think of dozens of uses for these right off the bat. And you know we love RV-sized things! What if we told you that with these you’d never have dirty hands again? Or no more dirty feet again! Or no more dirty pet paws again! Or dirty countertops or toilet seats or… No more dirty anything! Click here to see why we love these.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of October 16, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.58
Change from week before: Down 11 cents; Change from year before: Down 30 cents.
Diesel: $4.44
Change from week before: Down 5 cents; Change from year before: Down 90 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Upcoming RV shows
Click here for a directory of upcoming shows.
According to a poll we ran in September, 7 percent of RVtravel.com readers have had their RV’s black water tank professionally cleaned.
Recipe of the Day
Hearty Chicken and Dumplings Southern Style Easy!
by Kristi Martin from Covington, GA
The easiest chicken and dumplings recipe that truly tastes homemade like grandma used to make. Using a few shortcuts cuts your time in the kitchen (and no one needs to know). Using canned soup and gravy packets adds tons of flavor. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs and frozen dumplings are great shortcuts that give a great result to the final dish. The dumplings taste just like the ones you mix and roll out yourself.
Trivia
The average human body is more than 60% water. Water makes up almost two-thirds of your brain and heart, 83% of your lungs, 64% of your skin, and even 31% of your bones.
So you know what that means? Go drink a glass of water! Your body REALLY needs it!
SOURCE: Fortune
Laugh of the Week
Hey, we’ll all be there someday! (But we can laugh at it now!)
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 and Cheri Sicard. Contributors: Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, Jan Steele and Tony Barthel. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Artificial Intelligence (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.
RVtravel.com is a participant in many affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of the potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
Advertising. Information here.
Help desk: Contact us.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020
This newsletter is copyright 2023 by RV Travel LLC.
Diesel just shot up by about 65 cents TODAY! Saw something on the news that indicated it might go up but good grief! That’s crazy! A Love’s in the area was at 5.04 this afternoon.
About the reservation.gov question of someone paying for it in advance and not showing up? My answer is simple if someone has paid for it what business is it of yours. The goal is to help pay for expensed for the park. And yes sometimes there is not an attendant on duty. There is always someone in charge you just have to check the web site. Sometimes we park our RV and then leave for a day or 2 and return. Sometimes we have had a family emergency and had to leave for good and then the campsite sets empty. But just remember that it was paid for and that’s all that matters.
What you say is true. But it would be nice if the site could be opened up for someone else to use, if the original reservation is not used. Especially, since many of the popular sites are in high demand! There should be a fair way to make that happen. It would be a win-win situation!
Even if you advise the campground in change of departure (if you can reach them) they may not make the site available. There is NO incentive to do the right thing by advising you are leaving. For those of us that honestly try to keep our reservations “as is” situations do happen and it’s very expensive when that happens. Recently had 4 days booked at a city campground when mother passed away week before arrival. Couldn’t get refund or credit. Checked the reservation week later and it was reserved. No way to tell if it was still mine or reserved to someone else.