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Saturday, December 30, 2023
Issue 1137
Free, abbreviated edition
Featured articles
James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan could face jail time for Yellowstone behavior
James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan is slated for his day in a Wyoming court after bonehead tourist behavior at Yellowstone National Park. A case was filed in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming on Tuesday, December 26. Similar violations have resulted in fines and jail time. Read the full story.
Is it another “Dieselgate”? Cummins to pay $1.675B penalty in emissions defeat case
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
In the largest-ever-so-far settlement under the Clean Air Act, Cummins, Inc. is handing over $1.675 billion. In an agreement that admits no wrongdoing, the big engine company said it has already begun to recall some of the 630,000 Ram pickups that allegedly have illegal emissions defeat systems built into them. Just what is an emissions defeat device? Find out here and learn more.
Off-roaders summon BLM to court over road closures
By Randall Brink
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) faced backlash from off-roading and dispersed camping interests as well as state officials after announcing significant closures of off-roading trails in the Moab, Utah, area. The decision, which closed 317 miles of trails, is the subject of a federal lawsuit brought by BlueRibbon Coalition, Inc., Patrick McKay, and Colorado Offroad Trail Defenders. Continue reading.
Fuel tax rates change with new year. Will you be hit?
One of the biggest costs for many RVers is that of fuel. Most watch the fuel price boards with a close eye. Come the turn of the year, you may see some changes on those price boards. Fuel tax rates in many states will change with the calendar. And, as expected, the rates will be up, not down, in most places. Learn more, including how it affects dispersed camping.
Seattle tries again to get homeless RVers off the streets
Seattle, Washington, is making another attempt to host an RV lot and said this time will be different than the failed policies of the past. On Thursday, Dec. 21, the Salmon Bay Village opened just off 15th Avenue West in the Interbay neighborhood, an active and busy traffic corridor. The City of Seattle allocated $1.9 million for the site but struggled to find placement for it and held several community meetings before zeroing in on Interbay. Continue reading.
Campground Crowding
RVer says “the kind of folks camping has really gone downhill”
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 relates your suggestions regarding how to have a “fun journey,” letting available campsites “take you on an adventure,” and how to easily find available campsites with a particular app. There are complaints about lock-in site fee “extortion,” illegal resale of electric power, and an observation from one camper who says, “The kind of folks camping [since Covid] has really gone downhill,” then lists some examples. Have you noticed this?
RV Video Tour
2024’s most interesting RV? The Ember RV Overland 240TKR
By Cheri Sicard
Join Myles of Myles RV for a tour of what he says is 2024’s most interesting RV, the Ember RV Overland 240TKR. In fact, after producing over 600 RV video tours, Myles says he hasn’t seen anything quite like this. Not only does Myles say that Ember is different, but he also says that this particular floor plan is different.
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RV’s leather furniture cracking, peeling or looking dull? Here’s a fix
Dustin Simpson writes, “Everything from the oil in your skin, the products we wear, sun exposure, moisture in the RV, and storage temperatures can cause the materials on your RV furniture to break down. Do regular cleaning: wiping off furniture with 303 Leather 3-In-1 Complete Care to regularly remove sand, dirt, and other grime. The best way to maximize the longevity of your furniture is to keep it clean because when oils, dirt, and other residues have time to soak into your furniture, the quicker those materials break down.”
More RVing News
Want to live in an RV in Maine? Right now you might get away with it. But now the town’s select board says they want to define just what a residence is. If the proposal passes, an RV wouldn’t be a residence. And those who live in them could lay themselves open for some big fines. Learn more.
Fuel prices have gone up for the first time in 13 weeks. The old saw says, “All good things got to come to an end.” Sad to say, the constantly lower price of motor fuel has evidently come to its end. Motor fuel analysts at GasBuddy say gas prices have gone up for the first time since mid-September.
The New Jersey Senate voted unanimously on Dec. 21 to advance a bill to address concerns about pothole damage to roads and bridges around the state. But what are the states with the worst potholes? They don’t include New Jersey! The answer may surprise you.
The National Park Service announced on December 28 the designation of 11 communities across the United States as American World War II Heritage Cities. This program honors the contributions of local towns, cities, counties and their citizens who stepped into the workforce to support America’s war effort during World War II. See the cities here.
An arsonist burns RV and three structures targeting child molesters. Police and fire officials in Anderson, Indiana, were busy recently. A string of fires in the early morning hours included an RV fire, plus three other structure fires. The fires were torch jobs, and the arsonist says he was targeting child molesters. What?!
Amazon Prime joins the herd and puts advertisements into your viewing. If one of the reasons that caused you to sign up for Amazon’s “Prime” membership was because you could get their “free” video streaming service, heads up. Like thousands, if not millions, of Amazon Prime members, Russ and Tiña De Maris got a friendly email from the Big A on Thursday announcing advertisement changes.
Death Valley National Park recovers from three-day power outage. The California national park watched as power blinked out on December 23, only to finally be restored Tuesday. A lot of “inconvenient” things happened to visitors.
Wyoming rest stop parking will get bigger in 2026—at least at Evanston. Wyoming’s Department of Transportation will be handed a $27 million federal grant it will use toward the construction of 365 big rig parking spaces at the I-80 rest area. More info here.
Australian RV resort town gone to the rats! Pity your counterparts on the bottom of the globe. The Northern Queensland town of Karumba is a popular Australian RV destination. But as the Australian spring turns to summer, RVers have been turned off by a plague of Biblical proportions. Karumba, the popular RV resort town, has been overrun by the native long-haired rat.
And lastly, a National Park Service funny tweet of the week (wait, are they still called tweets?):
Thetford’s toilet seal isn’t crappy!
Nobody wants to talk about a yucky toilet, but nobody wants to actually have to deal with a yucky toilet either… Enter Thetford’s Toilet Seal Lube and Conditioner. It works on all RV and boat toilets and protects the seal from drying out. If your toilet’s seal dries out, it can prevent it from sealing and holding water. You don’t want that! This is one of those products you should really use, even if dealing with your toilet isn’t your all-time favorite thing to do. Check it out.
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this Happy Camper calendar?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (December 30, 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 you stick to your 2023 New Year’s resolution?
RV and RV-related Recalls
- Tesla recall – Doors can unlock in crash
- Toyota recall – More air bag woes
- Airstream recalls Basecamp trailers, spare tire bracket may fail
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Want to make 2024 your best year yet? Want to accomplish your goals? Discover what’s been holding you back? Well, this has all the answers you’re looking for and, yep, you’ll have the best year yet!
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS STOLEN RV?
The Polk County, Texas, Sheriff’s Department is asking the public to help them locate a large 5th wheel travel trailer that was recently stolen. The theft occurred at a boat and RV storage business on the east shore of Lake Livingston. The crooks were two males in an older model Ford extended cab dually pickup truck. They hooked onto the 2007 Victory Lane brand travel trailer and left with it. If you’ve seen the travel trailer or have any other information about the crime, call Polk County Crime Stoppers at 936-327-STOP or any local law enforcement agency. You don’t have to give your name, and if your information leads to an arrest, you could collect a cash reward.
Did someone rip off your ride? Let us post information on your stolen RV. Email Russ (at) rvtravel.com.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of December 25, 2023:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.12
Change from week before: Up 6 cents; Change from year before: Up 3 cents.
Diesel: $3.91
Change from week before: Up 2 cents; Change from year before: Down 62 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.
Recipe of the Day
Apple Turkey Meatballs
by Susie Price from Bartlett, TN
Meatballs are always popular and this puts a fall twist on them. They’re unique because apples and Dijon mustard are added to the ground turkey. After being baked, the meatballs remain nice and moist. Then they’re coated with a light balsamic glaze that gives the turkey meatballs an amazing sweet and tangy flavor. These make a great appetizer or main dish (serve over long-grain rice).
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Trivia
The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions dates back over 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. They were the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year, though their new year began in mid-March when the crops were planted. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians made promises to their gods to pay their debts and return borrowed items, believing that such commitments would lead to favor in the coming year. This tradition has evolved over time and is still a common practice in many cultures today.
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 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.
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Is it worth 10 cents a day to you? 2024 is a leap year. 366 times 10 cents equals $36.60.
Worth it to me. Check is in the mail.
Thanks, Tom!!! Have a very happy and healthy 2024!🤗 –Diane at RVtravel.com
I just want to give everyone a heads up on a safety issue. Our fridge died after 11 years in our 2011 Bighorn.We decided to replace it with a residential fridge. When we pulled it out, we found two electrical lines, one for the microwave and the other for the kitchen counter outlet, running behind the fridge. Both lines had been leaning on something hot at the back of the fridge, as they were both burnt through to the copper. The fridge had never been run on propane. Given that fridge fires seem to be a concern in RV’s, maybe it’s not the fridge per se, but the electrical wiring. It would be worth it to check out what’s going on back there.
Thank you for the very important heads up, Linda! Have a good night and a very happy and healthy 2024. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Amazon stole money from us when we refused to pay the 150 yearly fee. I bought something on Amazon and much to my surprise they also took their 150 out of my account as well. I have a lawsuit on them but live and learn. Next year time when it its time to pony up I will not be surprised like I was last year. Now that they are going to add ads for 150 a year is something I am not surprised. Netflix does not do this and charges me 15 a month. HBO is 9. Something wrong here. Amazon is like big pharma. They will charge you to the teeth. IMO not yours.
They default the Amazon Prime to on. And be sure to cancel you credit card so they can’t take it, and wait until your membership is over before ordering something on it.
I won’t spend a dime of my travel or camping money in Maine, can you guess why?
I have spent two summer seasons in Maine near Bar Harbor and love it. It is expensive in Bar Harbor but there is a lot of inexpensive and free stuff to do. Can’t imagine why you would not visit this area unless it is due to a recent government ballot issue. Heading back to Maine next summer. Happy trails.