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Saturday, February 24, 2024
Issue 1145
Free, abbreviated edition
Featured articles
RV manufacturer leads auto industry in 2024 recalls
Who would think that an RV manufacturer would top all automakers in safety recalls in the early days of 2024? The RV manufacturer, the second largest, is cranking out recall notices faster than Ford and GM, each of which dwarf even the largest RV maker in production.. Read all about it.
Man catches freeway ride on a travel trailer—VIDEO
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
For those who have suffered through the always-slow southbound traffic of I-15 near Barstow, California, you could probably use some relief. We’re not sure if this is the kind of relief you need, but drivers on the 15 got quite an eyeful, watching as a man caught a freeway ride on a travel trailer. It all unfolded last Monday, February 19. You won’t believe this!
Starlink News: A sleek new dish for RVers; retiring older satellites; illicit Starlink usage in Ukraine
By Randall Brink
RV travelers and boondockers, have you been wishing for a more portable and convenient Starlink internet setup? Your wish has been granted! SpaceX has officially released a next-generation Starlink dish designed specifically with RVers in mind. … Read about that, plus Starlink de-orbiting satellites due to a potential flaw, and Russians using Starlink in Ukraine, here.
Quit struggling with hose and cable hookups at the campsite
Are you tired of struggling to hook up your coax cables, water hoses and other connections when you arrive at your campsite? It’s a snap with Cable and Hose Grips from J Wright Concepts. Save time and frustration! Life is too short to hassle with the little stuff! Learn more or order.
Campground Crowding (and more!)
“Permanent full-timers don’t have to follow the same rules they give us—junk lying around, more pets and vehicles than allowed…”
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 some of your stories including learning not to write good reviews about campgrounds or they get too crowded; more complaints about the sky-high prices of RVing, including campgrounds; the observation that folks living full-time in campgrounds aren’t following the rules like the travelers are expected to; and a couple of happy camper stories with tips.
RV Tours
2024 KZ RV Venom 4013TK 44-foot luxury toy hauler 5th wheel—It’s HUGE!
By Cheri Sicard
If you are looking for a large 5th wheel—no, make that an ENORMOUS 5th wheel—take a look at the 44-foot-long KZ RV Venom. In the video below we get a tour of this massive luxury toy hauler from the team at Big Truck Big RV (one of the nominees for our 2024 RV Video Awards). Overall, the entire kitchen in this rig is amazing. It looks like a well-appointed apartment kitchen, not like an RV.
Stop RV Repair Bills from Ruining Your 2026 Travels
Say goodbye to rising RV repair costs when you protect your RV and your travel budget with Wholesale Warranties this new year. With 20+ years of experience, personalized coverage options, and 5-star customer support, we help RVers stay on the road. Save on costly repairs, enjoy flexible coverage including mobile mechanics, and travel worry-free all year long. Get your FREE personalized RV warranty quote today and enjoy peace of mind for every mile.
More RVing News
Trouble in paradise? Late Wednesday, February 21, Camping World announced the results of its 2023 year-end and fourth quarter (ending December 31, 2023) financial reports. The major takeaway? Camping World reports revenue declines across nearly all aspects of the company business. Learn more about those numbers here.
It’s official. A new California law went into effect as the calendar flipped from 2023 to 2024. This new law increases the financial penalties for people who make reservations at a California state park or beach, and then fail to show up or do not cancel their reservation in a timely manner. The question is: Will California’s new law deter late cancellations and “no-shows” in their public state parks and beaches? More information is here.
Ever wanted to claim that you kayaked in the driest place in the U.S.? Well, here’s a one-time opportunity for bragging rights for the rest of your life! A temporary lake at Badwater in Death Valley National Park provides that rare opportunity. But hurry: the lake won’t last long. More information here (hurry, hurry!).
America has a new National Park, following the Town of Granada, Colorado’s acquisition and donation of the land needed to establish the Amache National Historic Site. President Biden signed the Amache National Historic Site Act in March 2022, designating the Amache site as part of the National Park System. The designation will permanently protect the site for future generations and will help tell the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Learn more here.
National Park visitation numbers are up from last year including in the off-season. 400 parks reported a total of 325.5 million recreation visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4% over 2022. In addition to the growth in overall numbers, data shows that visitation is increasing in the off-seasons at many parks, with more visits in the spring and fall than seen in the past. And 20 parks broke visitation records in 2023. Learn more.
Speaking of numbers that are up… KOA’s latest monthly report showcases a significant uptick in travel bookings for the 2024 season, particularly among Gen Z campers. Travel demand has surged significantly beyond last year’s figures, with 64% of campers already making reservations for upcoming trips. Read more about the report here.
And on the topic of numbers, here are some that are up… or down… or ??? If your rig is diesel-fired, you likely watch the fuel price reports closely. This week is a reporting anomaly. Nationally, diesel prices are up nothing since last week—or they’re up 15 cents. Is diesel up or not? It depends on who you ask. Wait, what?
If you’re hankering for a little East Coast camping, then rejoice: March 4 marks the day. Camping season in Virginia officially opens in all of the Old Dominion State’s parks on that date. Reservations are available for the camping season. More than 1,800 sites are available. Click here to learn more and reserve your site.
Beginning Monday, February 26, and continuing through Friday, March 1, crews will make emergency repairs along the western park entrance road of Big Bend National Park. Visitors accessing the Texas park from Highway 118 to the entrance near Study Butte/Terlingua will encounter single-lane traffic and delays of up to one hour while crews repair a heavily eroded section of road base. More details here.
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Saturday Giveaway!
How would you like to win this RV Cooking cookbook?
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (February 24, 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
How easily could you live in an RV as your only “home”?
RV and RV-Related Recalls
LP tank bracket problem forces Forest River motorhome recall
Forest River is recalling certain 2019-2024 Georgetown and FR3 Class A motorhomes. The liquid petroleum gas (LPG) tank mounting brackets may break, which can result in the LPG tank becoming dislodged and damaged. More info here.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Multi-function? Yeah, you can say that again! Holy smokes, this thing does it all—literally! For the tool and gadget geek or the DIYer, this is for you!
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of February 19, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.27
Change from week before: Up 8 cents; Change from year before: Down 11 cents.
Diesel: $4.11
Change from week before: No change; Change from year before: Down 27 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
Cabbage Roll Casserole
by Beth Pierce from Old Monroe, MO
While delicious, cabbage rolls are time-consuming to prepare. This casserole has all the same flavors of cabbage rolls without all the fuss. The seasoning is well-balanced with the tomato, rice, and meat mixture. Cayenne pepper adds the perfect amount of heat, though that can easily be omitted. We loved all the layers of cheesy goodness. It will become one of your favorite go-to dinner meals. Thanks to the cabbage, it’s even ideal for St. Patrick’s Day.
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Trivia
According to a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, as of 2022, nearly 71% of adults and 82% of children lived in wireless-only telephone households.
Laugh of the Week
Think it’s funny? Get your own sticker here or check out variations of it (they’re all funny—and maybe too accurate!).
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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Gas at $3 +- in the Florida Panhandle along I-10. Once pass Tallahassee, going East, the prices increase by 20 to 30 cents.
Same issue between Clark and Nye County in Nevada with Inyo County along the side. The price per gallon is always less in Nye County.
Here’s a bit more help if anyone is interested to find the best price of fuel along a route:
https://www.gasbuddy.com/
They have an app as well.
Laugh of the Week is Hilarious! I’ve gotta get me one of those!
A good reader poll would be; “Do you have any bumper stickers on your RV?” Yes, No, A couple, Too many to count. I’ll bet the comments would be a hoot!
Thanks, Sven. Good suggestion. I’ve passed it along to Emily. We had a question like that a few years ago, so it’s time to run it again. Have a great day! 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
The trivia is interesting, but the adult part should be broken down into age groups. We are in our 70’s and while we do have cellphones, we also have a landline as do most of our ‘old’ friends. Our old style desk phone does not rely on having charged batteries and can sustain a pretty good drop without damage.
Regarding trivia, we, who are in our seventies, sort of defaulted into wireless when our landline service quit working, unbeknownst to us at first. By the time we realized we were only using our cell phones, we were so used to being wireless-only that we decided to drop the landline service instead of fixing the problem. Of course, the company never stopped billing us, though the phone had stopped ringing. (We confirmed with them that the problem was theirs, not our device.) Very few people we know still use landlines.
We tried living with only our cell phones but after we moved into our new house and lost power during a storm we hooked up the land line. Seems calling our electric co-op from an out of area number doesn’t work like it should. I had look up our electric bill for the account number to give the automated answer system as the account our cells are associated with.