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Saturday, February 17, 2024
Issue 1144
Free, abbreviated edition
Featured articles
RV repair delays soar despite sales slump. Industry grapples with bottlenecks
By Andy Zipser
RV repair times have surged despite a drop in sales, leaving customers waiting for months for basic repairs. Industry efforts to improve servicing have fallen short, with wait times doubling in some regions. Despite lower production rates and efforts to bolster technical expertise, RV owners continue to face frustrating delays and parts shortages. Click to read.
Highway guardrails put to the test: Shocking results revealed as vehicles blast right through. RVers beware
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
It’s the stuff you can make into a nightmare. You’re tooling down the highway, approaching a curve. What you don’t know is that the road ahead of you is sheeted with invisible black ice. Your rig hits the ice, and your hope of control is down the drain. As your rig slides off the roadway, you see a steep embankment coming right up. What prevents you from a fateful meetup? A humble highway guardrail. But a recent dramatic test shows that the typical highway guardrails probably won’t stop a modern electric vehicle. What about your RV? Continue reading this startling report.
RV boondocking: A plan to preserve a threatened lifestyle
By Randall Brink
Boondockers prefer camping on public lands without hookups or amenities, moving from place to place. Boondocking is one of the best ways to experience America’s public lands’ natural beauty and diversity. However, boondocking is facing a serious challenge. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages more than 245 million acres of public lands in the United States, is systematically closing off boondocking access to many areas due to irresponsible and destructive behavior by some campers…. Read Randall’s possible solution to several major issues plaguing our country.
Colorado’s BLM rules could hit RVers hard
Heads up, RVers. Colorado’s BLM rules that are up for public comment could have impact on RVers who boondock. The new supplementary rules will specifically hit dispersed area camping, campfires, and the use of metal detectors. And if by some chance you happen to carry a goat with you on your travels, it could be baaad news. [Yes, goats are listed in the proposed rules.] Learn more about what could happen here.
Take an extra 10% off a GhostBed luxury RV mattress!
The GhostBed RV mattress is 10” deep, crafted with gel memory foam for coolness, has 3 layers of luxurious comfort and is perfectly sized for your RV! Ahhhh… Wake up relaxed and rejuvenated. RVtravel.com readers now get an EXTRA 10% OFF a GhostBed Luxury RV Mattress! CLICK HERE and use code RVTRAVEL10. Watch RVtravel.com’s Tony Barthel’s RV mattress review here.
Campground Crowding (and more!)
RV “resorts” are “packed shoulder to shoulder, have lots of noisy kids, and zero natural beauty”
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 observations and tips, including noticing the increase of permanent full-timers in RV parks, a recommendation for a great state park in Alabama, a request for park owners to build larger sites to accommodate big rigs, more complaints about disrespectful campers, a tip to not dwell on the doom and gloom in articles, and one RVer’s observation regarding traveling that “All in all, the RV way is the BEST WAY!!”
RV Tours
Tour the 2023 Panoramic RV camper van—European style with American practicality
By Cheri Sicard
Looking for a Class B camper van? Check out the Panoramic RV camper van that combines European styling with American practicality and autonomy. In the video below we get a tour from Traveling Robert, one of our readers’ favorite RV travel channels. But this time instead of traveling, Robert turns his attention to giving us a tour of this unique rig. Philippe from Panoramic RV joins Robert to give us the lowdown on these unique Class B camper vans. I have to say, for me, this is the nicest Class B camper van I have seen.
Get ready for upcoming travel with the Road Atlas: Adventure Edition
As much as we love technology, we still appreciate a good physical road atlas. This highly rated National Geographic Road Atlas: Adventure Edition is certainly one to love. The atlas has up-to-date road maps for all 50 states, plus Canada and Mexico. Cities and metro areas include popular attractions and points of interest. The atlas also acts as a guidebook to National Parks and the top 100 adventure destinations. This atlas is cool! Check it out.
More RVing News
A New York plan to curb campsite reservation cheating has backfired. It’s a problem that RVers frequently complain about: campsite reservation cheating. You try to get a site at your favorite campground but, despite time limits, the same people are in the same site, seemingly perpetually. It’s a problem that New York’s state park officials have been fighting with. So they rolled out a new plan to “combat” the issue, and now the public has spoken but the problem remains.
Love’s RV Stop could be coming to the birthplace of Rockabilly. Jackson, Tennessee’s regional planning commission has given the nod to a preliminary site plan filed by the big truck stop company. The “RV Stop” is apparently an addition to the company’s travel plaza, but would increase RVer attraction. Included in the filing were plans for an enclosed playground, a dog park, and spots for 37 RVs. Here’s more info.
Back in 2022, people were screaming. If you wanted to go camping, they said, good luck trying to find a spot. A new survey says things have loosened up. Booking campsites is not nearly as hard as it was then, even though the number of RVers booking sites has increased significantly. So why the change? Find out here.
Forest River announces more layoffs, and manufacturing plant will close. Forest River plans to phase out its No Boundaries manufacturing plant in Goshen (Plant #77) and combine the No Boundaries line with the current Ibex manufacturing plant in Ligonier, Indiana. Learn more about these layoffs and plant closure here.
After months of barely budging more than a few cents, the national average for pump prices moved into the fast lane, surging 12 cents since last week to $3.27 a gallon. See what’s contributing to this high jump here.
There are plenty of ghost towns around the American West. Many had ties to mining operations that went from boom to bust. But few are like Dearfield Settlement, perhaps America’s only African American ghost town. Dearfield, about 30 miles east of Greeley, Colorado, is now up for consideration to become a National Park Service-managed site.
Capitol Reef National Park is one of Utah’s “Mighty Five” parks, but if visitors come after March they may be dismayed. Roadwork and campground rehab will prove to be major disruptions. The biggest part of the work this year will be the shutdown of Capitol Reef’s Scenic Drive. The roadway is showing serious signs of wear and tear, as do some associated parking lots. A big part of the project will be rebuilding the roadway’s foundation. So why did they pick the busiest time of year for this massive project? Find out here.
Dry Tortugas National Park has announced that its dredging and moat wall repair project will begin on March 11. In multiple phases, the project will repair, strengthen and protect historic Fort Jefferson, a 19th-century fort located in the Gulf of Mexico, 70 miles from Key West. The work will cause a 45-day closure of the Garden Key Campground for the safety of park visitors. More info can be found here.
Some call it the “TriEx.” North Carolina’s Triangle Expressway is the first “modern” toll road in Tar Heel State. It also has the distinction of being one of the first toll roads in the country to use electronic toll collection exclusively. If you roll onto the TriEx, your license plates will be photographed, and you’ll get a bill for your toll charges in the mail. Now the TriEx is getting something else: a 10-mile extension, complete with—you guessed it—higher toll rates.
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?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We typed in “the funniest gift ever” (really, you can see it in the search bar!) and this is what came up. This would be a hoot, and yep, it’d be funny! Let us know how it goes…
Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this heavy-duty apron with pockets?
This apron isn’t just for cooking! Use it while you’re working on the RV, doing craft and DIY projects, and much more.
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (February 17, 2024) 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 rodents ever damaged the wiring in your RV or tow vehicle?
RV and RV-Related Recalls
Some GMC Sierra Duramax trucks may have glow plug issue, but fix is free
Do you own a 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup with the 3.0L LM2 turbo-diesel Duramax? Does that dreaded Check Engine Light come on? Turns out, some who are experiencing this unwelcome phenomenon may have a faulty glow plug in the number two cylinder. If so, “The General” wants you to know they’ve got your back.
Forest River recalls some trailers for tire puncture danger
Forest River is recalling certain 2024 Coachmen Catalina and Forest River Aurora travel trailers. The tire may contact the slide adjustment bolt and puncture the tire. Click here for more information.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of February 12, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.19
Change from week before: Up 6 cents; Change from year before: Down 20 cents.
Diesel: $4.11
Change from week before: Up 21 cents; Change from year before: Down 34 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
Pineapple Sweet and Sour Chicken
by Sunny Shaine from Palm Harbor, FL
Easy to make, this pineapple sweet and sour chicken uses simple ingredients and tastes delicious. Pineapple adds a burst of sweetness. The sauce adds tang and coats the tender and juicy chicken breast pieces. Onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms add color and crunch. Try adding other vegetables to suit your liking—broccoli or snow peas would be good. This sweet and sour chicken is a winner.
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Trivia
Adirondack Park in Upstate New York is the largest state park in the U.S. It is also the largest protected area of any kind in the Lower 48 states, at six million acres. It attracts 10 million visitors each year.
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, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, and Tony Barthel. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Social Media staff: Gary Pratt. 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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Regular Gas in Central Florida is $3.419, just in time for the holiday weekend.
I’ve seen that laugh of the week sign at many boat ramps. Often wondered if it ever worked.
If electric vehicles are twice the weight of gas, will bridges be safe with twice the weight on them?
Most bridges aren’t safe now! And the fact that EV owners don’t pay a fuel tax for highway and bridge maintenance , it will only get worse.
PA has a state park where this sign is true. The Commonwealth took a small town, built a dam, and flooded the area. The town is under the lake and the road that went through the center of town is still used inside the park. And it does end at the water.
There is a state park just north of Bar Harbor and if you to the park and pass it there is a road that ends at the Atlantic Ocean. Seriously. We ended up turning around. Still need to visit the state park.Another great ghost town is St Elmo Colorado. Actually 2. the first you visit and if the road is not closed what ever reason you can visit that one as well. We saw St Elmo but told the road to the other one was closed. Also there is an RV park near there as well. Some day we will go back and see the second one.