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Saturday, July 6, 2024
Issue 1164
Free, abbreviated edition
Featured articles
Today’s newsletter is a little shorter than usual. Our writers were goofing-off a little more than usual this past week, celebrating our country’s birthday, or just laying low, air conditioners cranking, avoiding the brutal heat.
Still, you’ll find a good selection of interesting RVing news below which we hope you will enjoy and also benefit from. If you’re camping or on the road, be sure you drive home safely. A lot of other folks will be joining you out there on our highways and byways. So be careful. And no drinking and driving, except root beer, which is OK (and good, too).
Emily & Chuck
Editor & Publisher
Campground crowding (and more!)
Reader says RVtravel.com is “too negative.” Others say, “RVing not fun anymore.” What to do?
RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs. Has that changed campground crowding? Is it easier to find a campsite now, particularly in state and national parks? This week, Nanci Dixon relates more of your concerns about increasing costs and crowding at campgrounds and some are giving up the lifestyle. One reader complains that 85% of the content in this column is negative. But those comments are outnumbered this week by others that say they don’t have a problem finding campsites, that the increased prices aren’t that bad, and they still love RVing.
RV walk-through
The 2024 inTech Flyer Forge toy hauler trailer, a new trailer with new options
By Cheri Sicard
In the video below, we join PJ from Princess Craft RV for a tour of a new trailer from inTech, the 2024 Flyer Forge toy hauler trailer. It appears inTech listened to consumer feedback, which asked for a bathroom in their popular Flyer Discover toy hauler. Ask and you will receive.
Click here to read more and tour
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.
RVer severe weekend weather forecast for July 6-8, 2024
Here is the latest forecast of severe weather from the National Weather Service for today, July 6, through Monday, July 8. If you are now located or plan to head to an area where extreme weather is forecast, please be prepared. If possible, stay away until the weather threat has passed.
Click here for the severe weather forecast
More RVing news
A family in Peabody, Massachusetts, is reeling after what was supposed to be a trip to the Grand Canyon went horribly wrong. The neighborhood was rocked Tuesday afternoon when a massive explosion in a Bounder Class A shook the neighborhood and melted siding on nearby homes. Three generations—a grandfather, a son, and a grandson—were working on the rig. Here’s the rest of the very sad story.
Take a dog (or two or three) with you on your RV travels? Your pup is in luck, because Love’s just opened its 400th dog park. Love’s knows that the more features it adds to its travel centers, the more likely it is folks will choose to make the outfit their travel choice. So, Love’s began adding dog parks to locations in late 2018. Learn more about these dog parks here.
It’s another case of national park vandalism. But this time, the culprits are connected to “Bird Nazis.” U.S. Park Rangers are investigating multiple incidents of destruction of property and vandalism in the area of Herring Cove Beach and the Wood End Marsh trail bike rack in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Can you help?
Here’s a wild story for you… It sounds more like a scene lifted from an American crime drama, but it played out in Canada. Mounties responding to a weapons complaint in Lloydminster ended up chasing their suspect into a crowded campground. Before it was over, a motorhome was stolen. The RV hijacker crashed the rig, but not before wounding “many” civilians and a Mountie. Read the rest of the story here.
And here’s another one… A Class A motorhome took a plunge into Colorado’s Big Thompson River near Loveland last Saturday. Authorities still aren’t clear on what caused the river excursion. What is known is that about 2 p.m., the big motorhome left the roadway and took a downhill detour. It’s estimated the rig “drove” down the 75-foot embankment and into the river. Read about the rescue mission here.
In Wisconsin, state patrol officers are nabbing speeders from places never expected. Folks who like to “brake check” truckers, or simply don’t give them safe clearance, could be in trouble in Wisconsin. The State Patrol is gearing up its “Trooper in a Truck” program, where they could ticket you… from inside a semi-truck. Here are the details.
Speaking of state patrol… We bet you’ve never seen a “car” like this pulled over before! This story takes “close encounters” to a whole new level! It’s not every day you hear about a Missouri Sheriff Patrol Officer pulling over a UFO on Interstate 44, but that’s exactly what happened the morning of July 1, 2024. Buckle up, because this is one traffic stop that’s clearly out of this world.
Have a noisy RV? Stay out of Connecticut! The 1st of July saw the onset of a new law in the Nutmeg State, which grants cities and towns throughout the state the ability to use something like a speed cam—only not for speed, for noise. Many of Connecticut’s communities have ordinances against loud, modified exhaust systems. Click here for the full story.
Denali National Park campground and other operations closed due to the Riley Wildfire, which, as of Tuesday, had burned nearly 400 acres and was 5% contained. The park will continue to remain closed to personal vehicles and day-use visitors until further notice. You can find more info here.
It’s described as “the backyard playground to over 20 million people in the Greater Los Angeles Area.” Big numbers in this big playground could spell big fee hikes. Angeles National Forest camping fees could jump four-fold. Managers at the Angeles National Forest are proposing “new and increased” fees at 11 of the national forest campgrounds, rolling out in 2025.
A New Mexico state park has shut off its water to help the nearby city of Las Vegas, which has a limited supply of water due to heavy flooding and debris. Here’s the full story, and if you have reservations at this state park campground and don’t want to dry camp, you may want to make other plans.
Grand Teton National Park wants your help in the form of public input through August 12, 2024. Park staff are working on drafting desired conditions for the park and specific management areas. Park managers want your input, answering a question: Just what should they be doing for these 310,000 acres?
A Grand Canyon hiker, 69-year-old Texan Scott Sims, has died amid extreme heat while attempting to hike to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. According to a park release, Sims became semi-conscious and then unresponsive, prompting bystanders to initiate CPR. Despite the swift response from three National Park Service paramedics who were stationed at Phantom Ranch, their efforts, unfortunately, were in vain, and Sims was pronounced dead. Let this serve as a sobering reminder.
Joshua Tree National Park’s Covington Flats is temporarily closed for fire safety from July 3 to July 7. The park rangers at Joshua Tree are super vigilant about fire risks, and sometimes that means taking preventive measures like closing off areas to ensure everyone’s safety. Here are the details.
What’s new at campgrounds and RV parks
Stay up to date on news about campgrounds and RV parks across North America. Every week, learn about new parks, expansions, or special events coming up at campgrounds throughout North America. Read this week’s latest news here.
Saturday giveaway
How would you like to win this Blackstone Outdoor Griddle Cookbook?
If you have a Blackstone griddle, you’ll love these recipes! The book also includes grilling tips and techniques.
How to win
We’ll select a winner at random out of all entries we receive today (July 6, 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!
New and improved Dump Buddy is a must-have gadget for RV dumping
Dump Buddy® will change the way you empty your waste tanks. It securely fastens your waste hose to the waste pipe, preventing a spill. Whether you’re doing a simple dump at the end of a trip or need a secure hookup for a long stay, Dump Buddy is there to assist. Read Tony Barthel’s review of it or click here to find it on Amazon.
Reader poll
How likely will you stay in a campground that involves a 3-mile drive on a dirt road?
YESTERDAY’S POLL, IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Do you display an American flag when RVing? What percentage of RVtravel.com readers always display it? 11%, 21% or 37%. Find out.
RV and RV-related recalls
Wildwood and Salem travel trailers recalled for missing exit window
Forest River, Inc. (Forest River) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Salem and Wildwood travel trailers. A secondary emergency exit window may not have been installed in the recreational vehicles. In the event of an emergency, passengers may not be able to exit the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or death. Click here for more info.
Forest River recall: Cross Trail motorhome ladders can fall off
Roof access ladders on some Forest River products may have been installed improperly. Some Cross Trail motorhome ladders can fall off—with someone on them. The backer on the ladder receiver may not have been installed, which can cause the ladder to detach. A ladder that detaches while in use increases the risk of injury. More info here.
HAVE YOU SEEN THESE STOLEN RVs?
We’re beefing up our coverage of stolen RVs to help find as many as we can, and you can help. To see what was most recently stolen, click here. Then keep your eyes open.
Latest fuel prices
Here are the latest U.S. average prices per gallon of gasoline and diesel fuel as of July 1, 2024:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.48
Change from week before: Up 4 cents; Change from year before: Down 5 cents.
Diesel: $3.81
Change from week before: Up 4 cents; Change from year before: Up 5 cents.
For fuel prices for specific regions, states, and cities, go to U.S. Energy Information Administration.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Find us a butter product, we dare you! Better… we mean better… Don’t want to be spreading the wrong information! Seriously though, we want to hate this, but we think we might love it…
Recipe of the day
Quesadilla Burgers
by Christina Haley from Union City, TN
The concept of using quesadillas as a bun is genius. They add a cheesy crunch to the delicious burger. The meat itself is moist and full of taco flavor. The fresh pico on top is a burst of flavor while the ooey gooey pepper jack cheese is perfection. These are definitely decadent… and delicious!
Trivia
When an ant injures its leg, it sometimes will turn to a buddy who will help out by gnawing the leg off, effectively performing a lifesaving limb amputation. That’s according to some new experiments described in the journal Current Biology and reported by NPR, which show that ants are the only animal other than humans known to practice amputation as a medical treatment.
The perfect scam
In this 2022 episode, National Guardsman Therin Miller never imagined that placing an online ad for a roommate would result in something far scarier than anything he faced on two tours of combat zone duty. His new roommate, Brant Holloway, is a friendly, well-mannered local business owner. The two become fast friends, so when Brant suggests they go into business together, Therin is intrigued. Before he realizes it, Brant and his adviser, Lyle Livesay, have drawn him into a crime ring involving luxury cars and the Russian mob. His escape―helped by his girlfriend, also a National Guard member―is a tale of courage and honesty.
Laugh of the week
Okay, so here we have a road sign. The sign, like all good signs, should instantly visually communicate its message — why it is there, its purpose. Are we the only ones who can’t figure out what the heck this sign is trying to communicate?
Today in history
RVtravel.com All Star Team
Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.
Laugh of the Week sign – “Leaving the trail could result in a fine of $100”
$100 fine for running over a squirrel.
Besides being a very confusing sign, someone doesn’t know it’s $100 not 100$.
Laugh of the week
$100 dollar fine for messing with the animals. Keep on walking dude.
Leaving the boardwalk is a $100 fine
Lots of comments have gone missing!!!
Hi, Dr4Film. Where/when did the comments go missing? I haven’t noticed anything disappearing, and there’s nothing new in the Trash. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
As the saying goes a Mountie always gets their man or woman. I read on the New York Post about this UFO pull over. Too wild. I guess we do know UFOs do exist.