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Sunday, April 11, 2021
Non-Members (advertising supported) edition

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Are “bots” stealing your campsite? Answer: Yes!

If you’ve tried to book a camping reservation online at popular locations in the past five years, you’ve likely been stymied by a camping bot. Bots are ingenious little bits of computer code that allow a user’s computer to flood a reservation site with campsite requests. It all happens fast – a typical reservation bot can complete a purchase in .02 of a second. Good luck typing fast enough to keep up with that. Learn more.

National Parks want darkness; RV makers say, “Let there be light”

The National Park Service has announced a new partnership that will help reduce light pollution in its parks. “Staring at the night sky with the Milky Way streaking overhead is a quintessential experience for many national park visitors,” said Karen Trevino of the NPS. Meanwhile, RV makers continue to produce RVs that add to light pollution. RVtravel.com editor has an opinion about this. Read it here.

New RV inspection facilities may help RV quality issues

You don’t need to look far to find dissatisfaction among folks who’ve bought new RVs. It’s a matter of, “For the money we’ve spent, to have to send the thing back for service immediately is ridiculous.” This is a common refrain. But at least two RV manufacturers may alleviate some of that. A new RV inspection service has just opened in the heart of U.S. RV manufacturing country. General RV Center has thrown open the bay doors at its Bristol, Indiana, inspection plant. Continue reading.

SALE EXTENDED! Save now, or pay more later!
Harvest Hosts’ NEW member prices are going up to $99/yr. this coming Thursday, April 15. If you buy a membership now, it’s only $67.15 a year after a 15% discount for an entire year of unlimited overnight stays. Use HHFRIENDS15 at checkout for the discounted rate and to lock it in forever, regardless of how much the membership fee increases in the future. Learn more or join.

This week’s podcast (#2)

Host Scott Linden is back with another dose of RV news, information and entertainment. Listen to it on the official RV Travel Podcast page, where you can learn what’s up this week, or just click the play button below. Or download it here.

IDEA: Play the podcast as you read this newsletter.

In today’s review, industry insider Tony Barthel looks at the Coachmen Catalina Legacy 333RETS Travel Trailer. Tony says this trailer “offers a large, usable and comfortable living space, which could be great for a destination trailer or even a full-time living situation.” Read more and see how it compares to yesterday’s Keystone Outback.

Last week’s reviews:
Newmar King Aire • Jayco Jay Flight SLX 8 264BHW & the Starcraft Autumn Ridge 26BH • Runaway Campers V-Series Mini-Campers • 2021 Rockwood Signature 8263MBR Travel Trailer • 2022 Arctic Fox Camper 1150

Read all other RV reviews by clicking here.

That was the RV week that was

April 4–10, 2021

If you’re a fan of “Camp Walmart,” here’s an “amenity” that may be going away: McDonald’s. The Golden Arches chain says it is shutting down hundreds of its in-store locations at Walmarts across the country. Plans are only about 150 locations will stay alive at the retailing chain that boasts 3,750 Supercenters. Blame it on COVID-19. More and more Wally shoppers are either having their groceries delivered straight to their door, or are picking up in the parking lot. Less foot traffic means a cut in Big Mac sales. Walmart says it will fill the vacant holes, in some cases with alternative “regional” restaurants.

A “temporary” day-use permit system will add another layer of reservations to your National Park visits in California’s Yosemite. If you plan on visiting the park between May 21 and September 30, you’ll need an advance reservation – that includes annual and lifetime passholders. Reservations can be made on recreation.gov starting at 8 a.m. on April 21. If you reserve one of the 580 camping spots available in the park, you won’t need to have the day-use reservation to enter the park on your camping date.

Fire-prone Forest River? For the second time in less than a month, firefighters were called to a Forest River manufacturing plant. This time, the Wednesday afternoon blaze broke out at a building off Old U.S. 20 in Elkhart, Indiana. The fire was in a stack of air conditioner units, and was largely outside of the building. Firefighters said they were a bit hampered in dealing with the flames: Fencing around the plant meant they had to route 2000 feet of fire hose to the nearest fire plug. No cause for this blaze pinpointed. However, a fire in a Forest River lamination plant a few weeks back was sparked by a space heater. That fire demolished that building, and the company has since relocated the operation to another available building.

Willie Nelson sang about his eagerness to get “On the road again.” Following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, so many Americans have the same feeling that this summer will likely see the highest road fuel prices since 2018. That prediction comes from the Energy Information Administration’s Summer Fuels Outlook report, released April 6. Gasoline prices will average $2.78 a gallon from April to September in the U.S., up 30% from last summer. Diesel fuel prices are projected to average $2.96 over the summer, up 20% from last summer. These projections could be off – much depends on what happens to the price of crude oil.

Wildfire that hit North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park last week continues to burn. The 5,000-acre blaze is in the park’s North Unit, and a portion has made its way onto the Little Missouri National Grassland. As of Friday morning, firefighters had contained about 70% of the blaze. While no structures have been damaged, the historic CCC campground near the park is still at risk.

RV TRIVIA: In the year 1980, 5 million American households owned RVs. In 2020, the number had more than doubled to 11.2 million RV-owning households.

Retail RV sales in February set a new “best ever” record – up almost 18% from last year. Travel trailers pushed up better than 24% with 22,646 new rigs registered. That compared to February 2020’s 18,202. Fifth wheels posted a better than 21% increase: 6,627 new rigs registered compared to 5,549 in 2020. Pop-ups were likewise a marvel, up 24.5%: 482 in 2021 versus 387 in 2020. Park models, though small in numbers, saw a huge increase, up nearly 50% to 125 registrations in February 2021. Motorhomes were not nearly as stellar: Class A registrations sank almost 8%, down to 1,142 this year, versus 1,235 in February 2020. Class Cs also dove – down almost 1.5% to 1,658 this February from 2020’s 1,682. The only motorized bright spot were Class B campervans, roaring down the road with better than 43% increases – 621 this year, 433 in February 2020. Source: Statistical Surveys Inc.

“It is insane to spend $45,000 on temporarily mitigating an RV dump. I think it should be closed. People will drive with their crap anyway.” With that insightful comment from Councilwoman Laura Mitchell of the Crested Butte, Colorado, town council, the council has voted five to two to dump the town’s RV dump station. It was a colorful discussion, with many locals demanding the town’s RV dump station, previously located at the local sewage treatment plant, be closed for safety considerations. Last year an allegedly speeding RVer ran over and killed a pet in the area, and the naysayers were at the council meeting in droves. It seems residential development has grown out toward the sewage plant, and RVs are seen as speeding, unsafe hulks. Not everyone felt as Mitchell. “The hardest thing about being a tourist town is the impacts of tourism,” said Mayor Jim Schmidt, according to the Crested Butte News. “We don’t want the bad things that come with tourism but tourism is what keeps the town, the businesses here running. My preference is to keep it going for awhile and find a long-term solution.”

What if they gave an illegal party and 5,000 people came? It happened last weekend in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest when park rangers happened upon the huge event in the Lower Sycamore Creek Recreation Area. The service requires a pre-approved permit for a gathering of more than 75, but driven by social media invitations, the thousands, many equipped with off-road vehicles, turned up, taping off sections of the main road. When two quads cracked into each other, a helicopter had to be called for an evacuation, as party-goers blocked the roads. Citations (and potentially arrests) were issued for speeding, reckless driving, unlawful fireworks, double-riding, and DUIs. Adding to a volatile mix: Target shooting without knowing backstops.

Back in 2020 we wrote about the new, automated RV park on I-44 near West Sullivan, Missouri. Called RV Self-Park, armed with a credit card, weary RVers can pull in and get a full-hookup site for $25 for 12 hours, or $39 for 24 – all without speaking to a soul.  Readers weren’t particularly enthusiastic, suggesting the rates seemed a bit steep. No mind, RV Self-Park developer Jim Turntine says he’s moving ahead with developing a franchise deal. Turntine is now consulting with a franchise group and attorneys, and is said to be writing up a 200-page “operations manual.” It looks like it’ll be a few months before franchise opportunities will be opened up, but Turntine and RV Self-Park are pushing ahead.

Refrigerator bars ensure nothing shifts while moving
It’s happened to most RVers – you open the fridge (even slowly) after a day of driving and a heavy jar falls on your toe – “Ouch!” Never have that happen again with these easy-to-install spring-loaded refrigerator bars. They’re also useful in cupboards and closets. Order for a good price.

Grand Canyon National Park’s east gate reopened last Thursday. The entrance at Desert View had been closed since April 1, 2020, to reduce traffic through the Navajo Nation in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Park officials consulted with the nation and other U.S. and Arizona health officials prior to the reopening. Although Highway 64 from Cameron to the park is open, no other roads – aside from state and federal highways – are open for use. Mask wearing on the reservation is required. No food or fuel will be available at Desert View, and the campground there continues closed. While credit cards are accepted at South Rim (Grand Canyon Village), cash IS NOT being accepted at this time.

How well would your motorhome hold up in a crash? That’s the question from ADAC – the largest motoring association in Europe. ADAC put a Class B campervan to the test, smashing it head-on into an SUV-like vehicle at 35 mph. Using crash test dummies to simulate driver, front-seat passenger, and children in the back, things didn’t go as well as they might. The front end of the rig crumpled up, and potential damage to the driver’s legs were seen. Those in the back seat were thrown forward as the seat moorings appeared to give way. While beds and cabinetry stayed in place, that couldn’t be said for the contents. Glassware flew through the air – in shards – creating all sorts of ballistic impact issues for people on board. ADAC not only recommends manufacturers should improve seat construction and front-end crumple zones, they had advice for RVers: Consider switching out to lightweight plastic dishes, always wear seat belts, and if a table is between rear-seated passengers and the front, it should be folded and put away when traveling.

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Sometimes we come across things that are so darned cool we buy them for ourselves… This is one of those things!

Montana’s Glacier National Park staff are trying a new approach to educating “the Selfie Generation.” Rangers have been unnerved as first-time visitors to the nation’s parks turn out in droves to take their own photos to post on social media. Trouble is, many seem to know nothing of the “no trace” ethic. Just ask any ranger who’s had the odious assignment of cleaning up and packing out human waste. Now the park is “partnering” with social media “influencers.” Selected posters who put information on their own sites about topics like leave no trace, social media ethics, and climate change will be offered the opportunity to have their posts re-posted on the park’s social media websites – garnering the opportunity to have their posts viewed by an additional 900,000 of the park’s own followers.

St. Paul, Minnesota, may be the capital of catalytic crooks. The city has the dubious distinction of having six of the pollution cutting vehicle devices stolen each day. Now police are fighting back: They scheduled a Saturday “drive through clinic” for owners to get help protecting their precious converters – and license plates. Police will spray paint the cat converters – making them less attractive to scrap buyers – and will install theft prevention screws on license plates. The latter have also become hot crook commodities, wherein the stolen plates are affixed to stolen vehicles to help conceal their identities.

We reported last month on Minnesotans Richard and Dana Laine. The Laines are dairy farmers who’d like to retire, and building an RV park on their land seemed like just the ticket. But locals have a beef with the idea, and have managed to convince local authorities to repeatedly shoot the idea down – until last month. A last-minute vote reversal by a Becker County commissioner took the proposal off death-row and put it in the realm of possibility. Now that same commission has completely riled locals and voted to approve an eight-site park on Big Toad Lake. Officials tied strict conditions to the permit, but residents weren’t happy. One predicted there’d be a complaint filed bright and early every Monday, he’s so certain the Laine’s operation will somehow violate those conditions.

And the dumb crook of the week award goes to … Chicagoan Lafayette Moore, who stole a car at a gas pump in Joliet, Illinois, on March 26. After toodling around a few miles, he found himself lost. What did mama say to do if you’re lost? Ask a policeman for help. Moore did. Helpful officer did more than give directions to Interstate 80, he gave Moore a ride to the police station. Aiding and abetting our dumb crook of the week, our dumb victim of the week. The car owner had left the car running, with the key in the ignition, at the gas station.

The National Transportation Safety Board says it wants more safety equipment in your vehicle. On Tuesday the board adopted a list of priorities, and included on it was a plea to car and truck builders to build in collision avoidance systems as standard equipment. The board said nearly 80% of all road crashes could have benefited if the vehicles involved had automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems.

A couple missing in Death Valley National Park were located. Alexander Lofgren, 32, and Emily Henkel, 27, from Tucson, Arizona, were supposed to have returned from a hiking trip last Sunday. When they didn’t show, a missing persons report was filed on Tuesday. Rangers checked every spot on their itinerary to no avail. On Thursday their car was found in a remote part of the park. Inside the car, a note which read, “Two flat tires, headed to Mormon Point, have three days’ worth of water.” An aerial rescue team spotted the couple on a high ledge on Friday and attempted to rescue them. Sadly, when they finally reached them on the second attempt, Lofgren was pronounced dead. Henkel was airlifted for medical treatment. Her condition as of press time is unknown.

As spring reaches Yellowstone National Park, creatures come out of hibernation. You might think bears, but snails? Hang on, these aren’t your typical garden pests, but rather, a rare snow formation. The Park Service released photos of the oddball things lined up at the bottom of a hill. Called “snow rollers,” “snow bails,” and, of course, “snow snails,” these crazy natural formations are caused when sticky, light snow is shoved by strong winds, or when rolling down a hill. “Unpredictability characterizes Yellowstone’s weather, especially during the shoulder season,” park officials said. “Big temperature swings are possible and can be hard to predict.”

Statistics suggest that if you’re looking to be involved in an accident with a big rig, Texas is the place to be. Some Lone Star State legislators are working to bring House Bill 19 to law that would make changes for how those who are injured in big truck accidents fare in court. The point of the bill is to shift responsibility for truck accidents from the companies that own the rigs to the individual drivers. Opponents blast the bill, saying it limits how much could be brought up in court as to how a trucking company maintains its rigs and monitors its drivers. Proponents say the bill protects trucking companies from multi-million-dollar jury awards. The bill is in committee, and has yet to be brought to the floor for a vote.

Campground hosts are needed in Southwest Virginia. The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests have openings for the Bark Camp and Cave Springs Campgrounds, and for the High Knob Recreation Area. The former two need hosts beginning in May, the latter starting in July; all run through September. Cleaning, greeting, and general maintenance are in return for an RV site – except at High Knob, where hosts get a cabin. Interested? Phone the ranger station at (276) 679-8370.

In case you missed this in our RV Daily Tips newsletter this week, Harvest Hosts, a membership program giving RVers access to unique RV camping options, announced that it has exceeded 2,000 host locations on its platform. This list includes more than 575 wineries, 500 farms, 241 breweries and distilleries, 390 golf courses, and 338 museums and other attractions, all with scenic overnight RV camping options. Continue reading.

A 126-site RV park will open in Nampa, Idaho, this summer. The 7.5-acre Central Point RV Park will be located off Northside Boulevard near Interstate 84. Developers say they’ll open to travelers, and those who’d like to rent on a month-to-month basis. They point to the area’s Amazon warehouse as a driver behind the limited amount of RV space in the area. Does your rig list its “birthdate” before 2010? Then you won’t necessarily be welcomed. Paul Hilbig says rigs that old will have to be evaluated on a “case by case basis” as to whether they’ll be admitted to the park.

After hundreds of searchers looked in vain for a woman said to have fallen from an overlook in West Virginia’s New River Gorge National Park, a man is going to jail. Nope, he didn’t toss his wife off a cliff but, rather, conspired to fake her death to avoid her own going to jail in a health care fraud case. Rodney Wheeler told authorities his wife fell at the park on May 31, 2020. Choppers, rappellers, and search dogs spent two days looking for Julie Wheeler, but didn’t find her in the park. Instead, she was hiding in a closet back home. Rodney told some big whoppers to try and keep her hidden, with the plan that he would care for her while she permanently disappeared. Instead he’ll spend two months in prison and six months of home confinement. Meanwhile, wife, Julie, is working through her own 42-month prison sentence for her conviction in the health care fraud case.

Folks camping in Utah’s Logan Canyon may see a bit of a spiff-up if they camp at the Guinavah/Malibu Campground. The Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest got a $2 million economic kick-in from the Great American Outdoors Act to help handle deferred maintenance and other needs. The campground entry from the highway will be moved a bit – reducing traffic danger from another attraction across the street. In the campground, non-native crack willow trees which frequently lose heavy limbs in windstorms will be removed, to be replaced with native species. And, wary about creating issues in the historic (pre-20th century) campground, officials say they’ll be cautious as they make campground improvements in a way not to upset the historic apple cart.

National Park Service rangers are always on the lookout for resource poachers. From ancient artifacts to Saguaro cactuses, people will steal practically anything. Now there’s a new resource the poachers want: white oak. Recently a man was sentenced to nearly a year in jail for stealing dozens of white oak trees from Lookout Mountain in Tennessee’s Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. What makes the white oak attractive to bad guys? By law, Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon must be stored in barrels made of new white oak. With the price of the wood reaching more than $400 per 1,000 board feet, it’s attracting the criminal element.

Vandals on public lands have struck again – this time in Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest. Someone has vandalized Native American petroglyphs in the forest’s Track Rock Gap. Speaking of the damage, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation said in a statement: “They are special sites for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and for all people as part of the Heritage of this region. Whether through ignorance or malice – the result is irreparable damage to a unique site that connects us directly to the people of the past.” The Forest Service has not indicated if restoration to the rock carvings will be attempted.

Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest was a $1.1 million winner in the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund handout. Their share will be used to replace a couple of bridges, repair a communications system building, and trail restoration, among other things. Of interest to RVers is a $90,000 earmark toward recreational site maintenance. A four-person team will do repairs and replacements to damaged infrastructure and some upgrades for disabled folk. They’ll also be upgrading toilets in a number of campground restrooms. Sawtooth’s $1.1 million share was part of the total $285 million package, funded by new oil, gas, coal, and alternative energy development on federal land.

The strains of marching band music won’t be heard in Washington, D.C., come July 4 – at least, not from the National Independence Day parade. The parade has been canceled for the second year in a row. Park Service officials say COVID-19 is responsible. “The marching units that travel from across the country to participate in the parade have not had the necessary 8 to 18 months to organize, rehearse and fund-raise before making the trip, and most are still unable to travel due to COVID-19 concerns,” said a Service announcement.

The villagers of Spring Lake, Michigan, have spoken: Out with the RVs. Back in 2018, the village’s Tanglefoot Park, a popular venue for RVers, was closed for repairs. It’s been closed ever since. Now the village manager says it’s time for a change. When locals were asked, apparently a typical response was like this of Stanford Butler: “While the summer renters enjoyed the beautiful riverfront view, the rest of the community did not,” Butler told the Grand Haven Tribune. “For up to six months of the year, the community was excluded from the river view, and for the other six they were left with a rather unattractive collection of concrete pads and dead grass.” The RV park will be no more.

Pickup truck news

According to our recent survey, about 80 percent of RVtravel.com readers own at least one pickup truck. Recognizing that, we’ll provide the latest news highlights about the vehicles here each week.

Rivian challenges Tesla with better EV truck, SUV battery warranty

A few months prior to its first deliveries, Rivian has taken the electric vehicle battery warranty lead over Tesla among pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. The warranty for the Rivian R1T electric pickup and R1S electric SUV is eight years or 175,000 miles (whichever comes first). Continue reading.

Now, use your air conditioner in low-power situations never before possible!
At RVtravel.com we don’t see too many products that we go nuts over, but the SoftStartRV is a game changer. Here’s what it can do:
• Run one air conditioner using only a small portable generator.
• Run one air conditioner on 20-amp household current.
• Run two air conditioners (with two SoftStartRVs) on a 30-amp hookup.
• Run an air conditioner or two using your onboard inverter system. Save $30! Read more.

Is this your RV?

If it’s yours and you can prove it to us (send a photo for comparison), tell us here by 9 p.m. Pacific time today, April 11, 2021. If it’s yours you’ll win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

If this isn’t your RV, send us a photo of your RV (if you haven’t already) for a chance to win in future issues.

Last week three readers claimed their $25 Amazon gift certificate: Eduardo W. of Weston, Florida, Roger B. of Lebanon, Tennessee, and Andrew K. of Clinton Township, Michigan.

We’ll have another photo in tomorrow’s RV Daily Tips newsletter (sign up to receive an email alert so you don’t miss the issue or those that follow). Some of these photos are submitted by readers while others were taken by our editors and writers on their travels around the USA.

Things to smile about this week

A weekly roundup of news stories that will make you smile (and maybe shed a tear or two…). This week: a turtle-y awesome story of an endangered species, a restored cemetery, food-pantry donatin’ musicians, and, of course, several cute animal videos, not to mention a Sasquatch with some gas… Click here to smile.

This is one cool puzzle! 
If you’re like a majority of people, you’ve done a puzzle or two (or 10) during quarantine. If you’re in need of a new one, check this one out. A vintage car with an Airstream on the beach. Puzzles don’t get much cooler – plus the sunset is beautiful! Get one for yourself here. It’s the perfect stay-at-home activity!

Reader poll

Do you have dreams about “falling?”

Answer here and see how others respond.

Brain teaser

They fill me up and you empty me almost every day; if you raise my arm, I respond in different ways. What am I?

Do you have a brain teaser you think we should use? Send it to us here.

(Answer below)

Popular articles you may have missed

• Propane shortages. Skyrocketing prices. Problems ahead?
• Improper trailer hitch extension – A disaster in the making
• Simple ways to keep RV pipes fresh and clean
• Values of used RVs doing something hard to believe!
• EZ Lynk being sued. EPA says no more “rolling coal” and modifying emission controls!
• California to roll out mandatory motorhome emissions testing

Device keeps fresh water tank clean
Tony Barthel writes: “The RV Inline Sanitizer is the simplest of solutions. It’s essentially a reservoir in which you put bleach and then use a source hose and a delivery hose to fill your fresh water tank. The sanitizer effectively adds the bleach as you fill the tank. It is truly that simple.” Read more about this nifty device here.

News briefs

The Idaho BLM needs a campground host for its Hammer Creek Campground on the Lower Salmon River, three miles from White Bird, Idaho. A full RV hookup and stipend is offered in exchange for the usual host duties. The term starts May 10 and runs until the end of November, and work days are Thursday through Monday, including holidays. Contact Joe O’Neill, 208-962-3683. More info and on-line application.

Tragedy has struck a Lower Township, New Jersey, RV park. Last Saturday police were called to the Sun Outdoors Cape May park when people pulled a 3-year-old girl from a park septic tank. Sadly, she was pronounced dead at a nearby medical center. Corporate owner, Sun RV Resort, through a media release described the incident as “a terrible accident.” The location had only opened for the season two days earlier. An investigation as to how the little girl could have fallen into a septic tank is ongoing.

When Skagway, Alaska’s governing body couldn’t find anyone willing to be a campground host for the Dyea Campground in exchange for an RV spot, they came up with another idea: Build a cabin, and let that serve as the host’s spot. But it seems like the city’s council can’t quite figure out the “scope” of the job. Initially the idea was to collect fees and keep an eye on things. But the councilors had a major brouhaha over whether the campground host should also monitor activities farther away on the river flats. In the end, it appears the host will simply work the campground – in the early morning hours – then have the rest of the day off to pursue a paying job.

A family-owned resort near Owensboro, Kentucky, is selling out to a mystery buyer. Diamond Lake Campground and Resort has been family owned since at least 2005. Current owners say Diamond Lake will soon sell, but say they can’t reveal who the new buyer is at this time. They did say the buyer does run other campgrounds and resorts around the country.

RVing families in Indiana may want to check out the new playground at Spring Mills State Park. Designed for kids 5 to 10, it’s up and running at the Donaldson Cave parking lot.

As the RV lifestyle breaks into the mainstream news market, it’s no surprise that business would follow along. Now there’s a new line of trailer tires available. Hankook Tire now offers Vantra Trailer Tires in a variety of sizes “that will fit,” says Hankook’s promotional literature, “most popular trailer applications.” Click here to learn more from the Hankook site.

Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park has attained status as the 100th International Dark Sky Park. It joins 169 International Dark Sky Places after a thorough application process.

Planning a visit to the Keystone State? You can get a directory of 231 RV resorts and campgrounds in the newly released Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association directory. The 68-pager is free: visit www.pacamping.com.

Firearms laws guide updated for 2021
The 2021 updated edition of the best-selling Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States is a must-have for firearm owners. The annual guidebook helps ensure RVers and others stay out of trouble when crossing state lines. What’s legal in one state may be a felony in another. More than 100 updates from last year. Learn more or order.

Previously closed due to COVID-19, Osceola National Forest’s Ocean Pond Campground in Sanderson, Florida, reopened last week. Capacity is limited to 50% to enhance social distancing. There are 67 primitive camping sites for RVs and tents as well as swimming, fishing and boating opportunities. Site fees range between $12 and $30 per night and are available on a first-come, first-served basis only.

The Army Corps of Engineers says it will open its Simon, West Virginia, R.D. Bailey Lake Campground on May 22. Of the 182 sites, 94 will be “first-come, first served,” including six with full hookups. The balance of sites will be on a reservation basis, which all have electric hookups. Fees range from $20 to $34 per night. The season will close come September 30. For more info call 304-664-3229.

RVers aren’t the only ones who love state parks. Up in Washington state, at the Lake Sammamish State Park, an enterprising mother goose has found a new home for her nestlings – in an abandoned eagle’s nest, 35 feet up a tree. Typically eagle families return to the same nest year after year, and since they nest before geese, they wouldn’t have had to evict the tenanting Canada goose.

RV TRIVIA – Approximately one-third (34 percent) of all RVers have children under 18 in the home. Current owners prefer towable RVs three to one over motorhomes.

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE STOLEN RVs?