Issue 1207
This is the abbreviated, free edition of this newsletter.
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Today’s thought
“Freedom for people depends on freedom of the press.” —António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is World Press Freedom Day
On this day in history: 2000 – The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet.
Featured news
Thousand Trails announces major changes, hikes fees, top tier now $4,000 a year
Big changes are here for Thousand Trails memberships—no more lifetime memberships and all-inclusive pricing for upgraded plans. With fees reaching up to $4,000 a year, is it still worth it for RVers? We have the details on the new changes and plans, including which membership could save you the most based on your camping habits.
Camping World sells more RVs for less… and still loses millions
Camping World says business is “picking up”—especially in used RVs—but the company still lost nearly $25 million last quarter. In a swirl of financial jargon and corporate spin, executives tout big gains in profitability and sales, even as prices drop, staff is trimmed, and customers continue to grumble. Are things actually improving, or just getting repackaged? This look at the company’s latest earnings reveals what’s really driving the RV giant—and what it could mean for buyers.
City tows dozens of abandoned RVs dumped by manufacturer
The bizarre saga of abandoned RVs—and the homeless people living in them—just took another wild turn. After a California RV manufacturer dumped dozens of travel trailers in Wildomar, city officials had enough. With a judge’s order in hand, tow trucks rolled in and hauled the derelict rigs away—but not before tensions spiked and accusations flew. Questions about who’s really responsible still hang in the air. Where did the RVs go next? And why is one small town after another getting caught in this escalating mess? Click here to read.
Campground crowding, comments & concerns
“Cost, reservation availability, poor RV quality… killed the camping experience.”
There are a lot of differing opinions among readers as to what constitutes the ideal campsite. We all have that one site that makes the cost, reservations, and sometimes the hassle of camping worthwhile. This week, Nanci Dixon shares some of our readers’ observations, positive and negative, as well as what she considers her ideal campsite.
News briefs
Starlink is offering a $349 hardware kit for free to new residential customers in many U.S. areas—but there’s a catch that RVers in particular need to know. While the deal looks tempting (especially if you’re hoping to save $30/month over the Roaming plan), using your service on the road during the first year could trigger a hefty penalty.
And speaking of Starlink… T-Mobile’s $10 Starlink texting plan is now open to subscribers of rival carriers. Even if you’re a Verizon or AT&T cell user, texting-by-satellite is a reality for the masses. Here are the details.
ONLY IN AUSTRALIA, ER, ALABAMA? A runaway kangaroo named Sheila shut down a stretch of interstate in Alabama on Tuesday before state troopers and the animal’s owner wrangled it. The kangaroo was spotted Tuesday hopping along the side of Interstate 85 near Montgomery and Auburn. The mischievous marsupial caused a crash between two vehicles during the chaos.
What should’ve been a fun Easter weekend at Lake Powell turned into a costly disaster for one RVing family. After their big rig got stuck in the sand, a few well-meaning helpers tried to tow it out—and accidentally made things much worse. Like… pulled off the entire front of their motorhome worse…
The April 15 fire that shook up RV park residents and closed down operations at a popular Quartzsite, Arizona, propane service is still having an aftermath, two weeks later. Pattie’s RV Park and Propane was the epicenter of the conflagration, and owners tell us they’re working hard to get the pumping station back open.
BIG RECALL: GM pulls 600,000 SUVs for potential engine failure. Click here.
Here’s another one for the “dumb crooks file.” A man whose travel trailer had been stolen from a storage yard was shocked to see it for sale on a Facebook Marketplace listing. A 1:00 a.m. call to the police resulted in a 6:00 a.m. visit to the “seller,” which ended with help from a SWAT team and “shots” fired.
Every year in the Great Smoky Mountains a natural phenomenon draws thousands of hopeful visitors: the synchronized light show of fireflies. These fireflies flash in unison, creating waves of light across the forest in a spectacle unlike anything else in nature. But to witness it, you’ll need to plan ahead—and win a spot through a special lottery.
Two people fell to their deaths from popular Inspiration Point at Bryce Canyon National Park after apparently climbing over a safety railing, according to Utah authorities. The victims had been living in a U-Haul truck and were last known to reside in Florida. The only good news? Their cat survived the fall and was found inside a padded pet carrier with two broken ribs.
If I HAD A DIME FOR… Millions (8 million, to be exact) of coins spilled onto a Texas highway this week after a tractor-trailer hauling $800,000 in dimes rolled over in an accident, authorities said. The spillage led to the closure of a portion of the southbound lanes of U.S. 287 in Alvord for about half a day as workers got on their hands and knees to pick up the coins in addition to using brooms and shovels.
Reader poll
Where do you buy most of your RV parts and accessories online?
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Have you ever seen these? They are so funny! Who says driving has to be dull? Not these!
PRO TIP: I’ve been doing this for a few years. I got a big grease stain on a new pair of jeans. The bright yellow also keeps me from banging my knee. I use a thick ponytail rubber band to hold it in place. —Sherman Winner
Latest fuel prices
The latest U.S. average prices per gallon of fuel as of April 28, 2025:
Regular unleaded gasoline: $3.13. Down <1 cent from last week; down 52 cents from last year.
Diesel: $3.51. Down 2 cents from last week; down 43 cents from last year.
Upcoming RV shows & seminars. Click here.
Brain teaser
What English word has the same pronunciation even after you remove four of its five letters?
(Answer in tomorrow’s Sunday RV Travel newsletter.)
Trivia
Modern cars can have up to 100 million lines of code in their software! That’s more than a typical fighter jet or even some spacecraft. With all those lines of code, today’s cars are packed with advanced features like self-driving capabilities, smart safety systems, and infotainment systems.
Smile of the week
The perfect scam
Serial Scammer Targets Hockey League Parents, Part 1
Kota Youngblood is known as a larger-than-life character in his small Texas town, spinning wild tales of military service and work as an undercover federal agent to his neighbors and acquaintances from his son’s hockey league. His deceptions – from investments in rare coins and sports memorabilia to stories about drug cartels and kidnappings – steal millions and send one family into hiding.
Today in history
Today’s weather forecast across the nation
THIS MAP UPDATES TWICE A DAY
Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
Headed on an unfamiliar highway? Learn if it has low bridges you might not fit under.
RVtravel.com All Star Team
Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.
And when all those fancy computers choke, we will be walking.
“Freedom for people depends on freedom of the press.” Only if the press is responsible and unbiased, otherwise the press is a partner of the oppressors.
Thank you!
Freedom of the press includes allowing press that the governing establishment may disagree with, and not silencing those deemed to be publishing false information. The public needs to be allowed to decide what is true and what is false based upon their observation, not some official’s definition. Covid should have taught us that.
A certain POTUS administration now wants to defund PBS and a few other news sources. Everyday is a surprise with this bunch.
And none of them are pleasant.
Actually, almost all are pleasant….and 4 years overdue.
A smart phone has millions times more computing power than the Apollo Guidance Computer that took men to the moon. It had a 1mhz processor and 2 kilobytes of memory. It went to the moon and back.
Some new cars have a hard time driving cross country without a glitch.
Following up on an earlier story… I heard back from Camping world after submitting a claim for over charged shipping and prep work on my new trailer. They said that I didn’t qualify because I didn’t purchase in Oregon. Plus my purchase date is in January of 2025. I didn’t have my paperwork with me when they called so I couldn’t argue with them. I thought I’d let you know.
Wow…..quoting the UN SecGen. That’s telling…..