Cirque Du Soieil RV fire shuts down highway

By Chris Dougherty

Certified RV Technician

A conversion coach for the Cirque Du Soieil performers caught fire and burned in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. The vehicle was a total loss.

According to KATC-TV, the cause of the fire hasn't been determined, although fire investigators suspect some sort of mechanical malfunction was responsible. The driver was the only occupant, and he escaped without injury.

The blaze reached as high as 50 feet in the air and damaged some electrical transmission lines. Utility crews rendered repairs and reopened the area to traffic.

While motorhome fires are relatively rare compared to the number of units out there, they are still a concern for RVers. Proper maintenance is essential to help avoid the possibility of fire. Make certain your RV has smoke, propane, and carbon monoxide detectors, and that they work.

Just like at home, use EDITH - Exit Drills In The Home. Have an escape plan for your RV. Have fire extinguishers in various places within the RV and in an easily accessed outside compartment.

Before driving, look around your coach for anything that looks amiss, like a leak, something that has landed on the engine, or an unusual smell, and investigate and fix the issue before leaving.

Source & Photo: KATC-TV

Best RV parks named by campground association

The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) recognized the achievements by private parks during its annual industry awards competition held Dec. 2 at the Outdoor Hospitality Conference and Expo in Savannah, Ga.

Park of the Year awards were given to RV parks and resorts based on several criteria, including customer service, employee training, operational excellence, national directory ratings and community service, according to ARVC. Winners included: 


Small Park of the Year:
Nashville Country RV Park in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

Medium-Size Park of the Year:
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Kozy Rest in Harrisville, Pa.

Large Park of the Year:
Buttonwood Campground in Mexico, Pa.

Mega Park of the Year:
Ocean Lakes Family Campground in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Parks that made exemplary efforts to become environmentally friendly received the Association's Plan it Green award. The winners were:

Small/Medium Park category:
Guadalupe River RV Park Campground and Nature Trails in Spring Branch, Texas.

Mega Park category:
Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

SOURCE: RVdailyReport.com

Forest River introduces Aviator at RV trade show

By Chris Dougherty

Certified RV Technician

Many manufacturers at the recent National RV Trade Show in Louisville had interesting new RVs on display, but the Aviator Touring Edition by Forest River was so intriguing, it warranted a second visit.

The Aviator is a new composite-built high-end trailer from Forest River, and just about everything about this RV is unique and interesting.

From the outside, the trailer.. and yes, it's a travel trailer (although it seems hard to call it that) looks like a Space Shuttle replacement. The front end is absolutely unique in design and construction. A travel trailer first, this unit has a full size, two piece, tinted glass windshield, epoxied into place. With its aerodynamic shape, it makes for a very interesting front dinette. The sides of the coach are contoured slightly and with the full paint and tinted surface mounted thermo-pane windows give this coach an amazing look . Next to the front door is a full size built-in entertainment center... but more about that later.

The Aviator is available in two floor plans. The 'Wright Flyer', which was displayed at the National RV Trade Show, has one living room slideout which holds the couch, with a front dinette and rear bedroom. The 'Spirit of St.Louis' is a front bedroom unit with two slideouts in the livingroom and a rear wall mounted entertainment center. Both floorplans feature a fireplace as well.

The trailer features a powder coated frame, one-piece fiberglass roof with aluminum truss rafters, a one-piece laminated composite floor, Celtec (foamed PVC) cabinetry with aluminum facing, heated and enclosed underbelly with Ultra-Heat equipped holding tanks. All the lighting inside and outside the coach is LED. The Aviator is equipped with a 57 gallon fresh water tank, 94 gallon gray water tank, and 47 gallon black tank.

Of particular note is the fully integrated Sony entertainment systems.. yes, systems. The systems consist of the outside 32" LCD HDTV, and DVD stereo, the living room 32" LCD HDTV, Blueray home theater system and fireplace, and the bedroom 32" LED HDTV and are all linked by a central router and a Sony 16GB tablet computer. All the A/V equipment and the fireplace are controlled by the tablet from anywhere around the coach. Besides being pre-programmed for easy swipe and tap control of all the components, plus full control of the electric fireplace, the tablet has the entire set of owner's manuals on there too. An interesting educational add are the videos on how to operate various parts of the coach, which are loaded on the tablet, but viewable on any or all of the TVs as well.

The interior of the 'Wright Flyer' is well appointed with plenty of headroom. The front dinette allows for an amazing view, and great seating for family and guests. A hydraulically controlled table drops down to make a dinette, although the table was extremely wobbly and needs work. A 'dashboard' behind the dinette has room for knickknacks. The kitchen cabinets have a very lightweight feel to them due to their unique lightweight construction of aluminum clad Celtec, but are attractive nonetheless. The nine cubic foot Dometic refrigerator with icemaker is a nice touch for a travel trailer but its location in the middle of the hallway across from the bathroom seems a bit out of the way. The kitchen has a stainless steel convection microwave oven by Frigidaire, a stainless LPG cooktop by Atwood, solid surface counters, under-mounted sink, pull out pantry and garbage can.

The bathroom has adequate space. It consists of a one-piece fiberglass shower, solid surface counter with under-mounted lavatory sink, and an Aqua-Magic ceramic toilet.

As mentioned previously, all lighting in the Aviator is LED, with some with dimmers. High-end wall mounted rocker switches are a nice touch, and the livingroom entertainment system sounds good and is visible from most of the seating positions. A Fantastic Vent is on the living room ceiling, a great feature. However, it cannot be controlled from the Sony system, nor can the furnace, air conditioning, awning or lighting.

With this level of technological sophistication, it would make sense that the Aviator was built to be RV-C compliant, but it isn't. RV-C is a communications standard being developed by the RV industry to allow technicians a single point of connection for electronic diagnostics, similar to what is found in modern cars. A number of component manufacturers are working to develop the standard, and some components have been released, but Forest River was not willing to bet on it yet.

Built as an all-season RV, the thermo-pane windows should work well to enhance cold weather comfort. They are covered on the inside with daylight shades, with the exception of the windshield which, unfortunately, has no shades at all.

Storage in this unit is plentiful, and includes a sliding storage tray with spare tire carrier. The nose compartment holds the LP gas bottles and the dual battery system. The lower part of the nose is a door that lifts like the hood of a motorhome. We found however that this didn't work particularly well and needed adjustment. There is also storage under the dinette, which is accessible from outside via slam latch doors, and there is more storage under the 60" x 80" queen bed. Inside is a closet and two wards, which should be adequate for a trailer this size.

With its estimated $60,000 price tag, the Aviator is positioned as a first class RV. While not for everyone it is certainly in a league of its own from a standpoint of design and technology, and offers a look at the RVs to come.

Forest River RV helping out with Toys for Tots

Mishawaka, Ind. -- The holiday season is well under way for Toys for Tots, and in Indiana, they just received a big shot in the arm as employees at Forest River RV have donated nearly $18,000 worth of toys to Toys for Tots this year. Employees from Forest River RV rolled up in one of their RV's Friday at the Meijer on Bremen Highway in Mishawaka.

The company says employees pitched in $17,800 hundred this year for the Toys for Tots program.

Angie Garza, Human Resource Manager, explains how this yearly tradition is something everyone looks forward to because they know it's going to a great cause, "I have two children of my own and so...to see them open up something they really wanted to maybe be able to help some other family get something their child really wants it's a great feeling."

The RV full of toys arrives Saturday morning at the Toys for Tots site at the Concord Mall in Elkhart.

SOURCE:WNDU.com

Nearly four dozen RV parks and campgrounds get top rankings

DENVER, Colo., Dec. 5, 2011 – Four-four campgrounds, RV parks and resorts earned all around “A” grades in the fourth annual consumer satisfaction survey of campgrounds, RV parks and resorts. The top parks were announced Friday during the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds’ annual Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort & Spa and Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

More than 30,000 camping and RV enthusiasts participated in the online survey, which evaluated guest experiences at campgrounds, RV parks and resorts that are affiliated with the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.

 “Consistently earning an overall ‘A’ grade from guests is difficult, and our 44 winners this year represent less than two percent of all of the nation’s campgrounds. But what is even more impressive is that 12 of this year’s winners have also received this award four years in a row,” said Bob MacKinnon, president and CEO of GuestRated.com, the Murrieta, Calif.-based company that conducted the online survey.

“We are quite confident telling consumers that we have 44 ‘A’ rated parks among our members because of the feedback we have received from more than 30,000 consumers across the country who have participated in the GuestRated survey program,” said Paul Bambei, president and CEO of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.

The 44 parks earning “A” grades:
-- Acres of Wildlife Campground in Steep Falls, Maine
-- Anaheim Resort RV Park, Anaheim, Calif.
-- Ashland Resort, Northfork, W.V.
-- AtRivers Edge RV Resort, Brookings, Ore.
-- Brookdale Family Campground, Meadville, Penn.
-- Buffalo Lake Camping Resort, Montello, Wis.
-- Buttonwood Campground, Mexico, Penn.
-- Camp A Way, Lincoln, Neb.
-- Chalk Creek Campground & RV Park, Nathrop, Colo.
-- Cherry Hill Park, College Park, Md.
-- Cross Creek Camping Resort, Delaware, Ohio
-- D & W Lake Camping and RV Park, Champaign, Ill.
-- Dogwood Acres Campground, Newville, Penn.
-- Emerald Coast RV Beach Resort, Panama City, Fla.
-- Gettysburg Campground, Gettysburg, Penn.
-- Gold Country Campground Resort, Pine Grove, Calif.
-- Hidden Valley RV Park, Von Ormy, Texas
-- High Plains Camping, Oakley, Kansas

-- Kalyumet Camping & Cabins, Lucinda, Penn.
-- Keen Lake Camping & Cottage Resort, Waymart, Penn.
-- Kozy Rest Kampground, Harrisville, Penn.
-- Lake George RV Park, Lake George, N.Y.
-- Las Vegas RV Resort, Las Vegas, Nev.
-- Magnolia RV Park & Campground, Kinards, S.C.
-- Meadowcliff Lodge & RV Resort, Coleville, Calif.
-- Mill Creek Ranch RV & Cottage Resort, Canton, Texas
-- Misty River Cabins & RV Resort, Walland, Tenn.
-- Moose River Campground, Saint Johnsbury, Vt.
-- Mountain Vista Campground, East Stroudsburg, Penn.
-- Myrtle Beach Travel Park, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
-- Ocean Lakes Family Campground, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
-- Pecan Park Campground, San Marcos, Texas
-- Pioneer Campground, Laporte, Penn.
-- Pismo Coast Village RV Resort, Pismo Beach, Calif.
-- Pontchartrain Landing, New Orleans, La.
-- Red Apple Campground, Kennebunkport, Me.
-- Rose Point Park, New Castle, Penn.
-- Sunny Brook RV Resort, South Haven, Mich.
-- The Springs at Borrego RV Resort and Golf Course, Borrego Springs, Calif.
-- The Vineyards Campground & Cabins, Grapevine, Texas
-- West Canada Creek Campsites, Poland, N.Y.
-- Willow Tree Resort, Longs, S.C.
-- Yellowstone Holiday Campground, West Yellowstone, Mont.

Ford to end E series vans; Class C chassis not included

Louisville., KY—A representative of Ford Motor Company at the RVIA National RV Show in Louisville confirmed to RV Travel that Ford will be discontinuing the E series van starting in model year 2013, and will be replaced with the European styled Transit van, in a larger size than the current Transit available in the United States.

According to a Ford press release, “Production of Ford’s E-Series, currently built at Ohio Assembly Plant, will continue to be available in certain variations through most of the decade. A new full-size van called the Transit – slated for production beginning in 2013 at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Mo. – also will be introduced for Ford’s commercial van customers in North America.”

Ford will, however, continue to build the E series cutaway van chassis used for class-c motorhomes, and other cutaway van applications such as box trucks and ambulances. In addition, production of F-650, F-750, and the F-53 motorhome chassis will move from Escobedo, Mexico to its Ohio Assembly Plant in Avalon Lake, Ohio. “By moving our commercial vehicle production in-house, we will be able to streamline and strengthen the engineering and manufacturing of our next-generation medium-duty trucks,” said Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company’s president of The Americas.

Thousand Trails introduces new trip planner app

CHICAGO (December 1, 2011) - Thousand Trails has debuted its new Thousand Trails RV Trip Planner App for Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. The free app is available in iTunes and the App Store, and provides outdoor enthusiasts with the freedom to research and plan trips to more than 80 Thousand Trails RV resorts, located in top vacation destinations across North America, from the convenience of their Apple devices.

The planner lets RV travelers and outdoor vacationers search for their favorite Thousand Trails RV resort by location or park name; view each resort's amenity list; and browse the property specific photo galleries. App users can also plan their routes using Google maps, and are able to email park information to a friend.

"Our guests are accustomed to using technology in their everyday lives including when planning their next RV trip," said ELS' Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Seth Rosenberg. "We are working to continually provide tools that make it easier for our customers to plan their next trip to one our many RV resorts across the country."

The Thousand Trails Trip Planner App also gives the user the ability to create lists of their favorite Thousand Trails resorts and has a "click to call" feature to contact Thousand Trails with questions or to make a reservation over the phone. The free Thousand Trails Trip Planner App is available through iTunes or the App Store by searching  "Thousand Trails."

Learn more about the Trip Planner App or get it.