Image Source: Auto Caravaning Europe

Sgt. Stanley Lis of the Grand Rapids Police said that they believe the stealing episodes were done by the same group and that they are sure of what they were doing.

During the past few weeks, three RVs were reported stolen. One was from the Holland Motorhomes and Bus Company located in East 16th Street while the other two were from Midway RV Center in Kentwood.

Dave Ballast, Midway sales manager quipped, “we were all kind of in shock. You kind of go from shock to disappointment to anger. You are not sure what to feel.”

Police say that they haven’t seen motorhome stealing happen locally in years. According to Sgt. Lis, he has been handling car theft cases for 16 years in the area and this is the first time he had seen motorhomes being stolen.

The police and investigators have identified some suspects based on surveillance photos. They believe that the thieves are targeting similar motorhomes — valuable ones that cost almost half a million dollars.

Police think that the thieves are from outside West Michigan and one thing is for sure: they are experienced and they know what they’re doing. Thus, everyone should be cautious.

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Image Source: Access Mobility Systems

Retired Marine Jack Pierce, 38, is an example of an individual with disability who didn’t let his condition get in his way. Because of a roadside bomb explosion he was fallen victim to during his service in Afghanistan, Pierce was left paraplegic. However, he has learned how to move on and do his thing despite his physical condition.

Right now, he is set to begin his tour with his son and wife. He is to drive their 2012 Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup, with a fifth-wheel RV trailer that is especially customized for his particular needs. Tethered into the trailer is a three-wheeled motorcycle that allows him to drive while on his wheelchair.

Pierce is just one of the younger market that needs customized vehicles. Aside from the veterans and other older customers, manufacturers now found the need to consider those who are in the age bracket of 20s and 30s who are determined to make the most out of their lives in spite of their physical limitations.

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Image Source: TravelPod

Paula Turner, owner of Shadow Hills RV resort, admits that some of her colleagues and workers are anxious and uneasy about her plan to open her park to the music festival attendees, as such festivals are known to easily spin out of control and become wild. However, she said that the people this year are generally well-behaved, and that she hasn’t had any problems so far.

The Coachella Music Festival is spread over two weekends, and the resort is sold out both weekends. Turner added that music festivals like the Coachella offers potentially lucrative business opportunities for campgrounds and resorts like the Shadow Hills.

“Last weekend, rapper Kendrick Lamar came in with his entourage for an interview and photo shoot with Complex Magazine. Every inch of our place was filled with RVs and tents, and lots of happy people,” recounts Turner. And things just keep getting better for Shadow Hills. This weekend, Complex Magazine and its sponsor, Dr. Pepper, plan to use Shadow Hills as their base camp while they co-host two special outdoor music events, during which time they will raffle free Coachella tickets with the help of popular Los Angeles DJ “Them Jeans.” Complex Magazine’s and Dr. Pepper’s stop at Shadow Hills is part of a 3-month tour of music festivals across the country. The tour encompasses 23 cities, with the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago being the final stop.

From April to 29, another music festival, named Stagecoach, would take place in the same venue as the Coachella. Stagecoach is one of the largest music festivals in the country, and people from all around the world would be rushing to attend the event.

“We’re completely sold out,” Turner said, “But we’re still taking reservations for a few tenters who plan to come for Stagecoach. Shadow Hills RV Resort is an example of how we have gone after the festival attendees to come stay at our park. You can stay at any park but guests are looking for an experience and they are willing to pay more for that experience. I would say 40 percent of our guests are from outside the United States. We have people from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Ireland, England, as well as much of the rest of Europe and South America. It’s truly amazing.”

For more information on Shadow Hills RV Resort or to make arrangements to interview guests attending Coachella 2011, please call Paula Turner at (760) 360-4594.

For more information on campgrounds, RV parks and resorts in the Coachella Valley and throughout California, please call Debbie Sipe at (530) 885-1624 and visit www.Camp-California.com.

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Image Souce: RVCarz

“This is the 50th anniversary of the program and we hope people will join the celebration by photographing one of America’s national natural landmarks,” said Jonathan Jarvis, National Park Service director. “We’re looking for images that capture the beauty and diversity of these natural areas.”

It has been announced that the 2013 National Natural Landmarks Calendar will feature the winning entries. Each contestant is allowed to submit up to 3 entries, and each photograph must be unique and must be taken from a different national natural landmark. Photographs of landmarks and sceneries featured in the 2012 calendar will be considered void and will be rejected. The country offers about 600 areas considered to be national natural landmarks—an amazing array of the most beautiful and breathtaking sceneries—and the contestants wouldn’t run out of options. Examples are the dinosaur tracks and fossils at the Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas in Colorado and the bioluminescent waters of Puerto Mosquito, Puerto Rico, as well as the Barringer Meteor Crater, Arizona, famous for being the largest known impact crater in the United States. However, participation in the annual contest is voluntary, and it isn’t guaranteed that all landmark sites will be available to the public.

There are no restrictions regarding the dates when the entries were taken. The deadline for submission of entries is June 30, and the winners would be announced in September.
More information about the National Natural Landmarks Program, including a complete list of designated sites and their accessibility, is available at www.nature.nps.gov/nnl.

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Image source: National Parks Traveler

These outdoor apps are designed and molded specifically to accommodate each park. For example, the features of the app designed for the Grand Canyon National Park differ from the features of the app designed for Glacier National Park. The long list of apps includes programs pretty much for every national park across the country, such as Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park. The apps could deliver to you and your family all the important information you need in a flash. Gone are the days when you’ll waste time trying to figure out the attractions worth going to. Maps, tour itineraries and hotel information are never out of reach. You and your family could even stay updated with the latest news and alerts about the National Park Festival.

These apps are normally priced between $4.99 and $9.99, but Chimani LLC is ready to give away 1 million copies of the said programs starting April 18, 2012. You could easily find these apps in the iTunes app store or on Google play, exclusively for the iPhone and Android devices. You may also search for “Chimani” in your favorite app store.

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Image Source: Wikipedia

The week covering April 21 to 29 was presidentially declared to allow Americans to celebrate the national park system’s beauty, diversity and history. NPS or the National Park Service manages about 400 national parks and over 84 million acres of wonderful scenery and historical landmarks that have been venues of recreational activities.

A lot of parks throughout the nation are celebrating the National Park Week through holding special events and programs. And the better news is all the national parks are offering free admissions during this week.

The Saratoga National Park in New York, for instance, will be hosting the Electronics Recycling Day and the Recycled Art Show, among others. Meanwhile, Nebraska’s Homestead National Monument will display the authentic 1862 Homestead Act document beginning April 25 up to May 28.

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Image source: PR Newswire

National Park Foundation’s latest online hub aims to be the central source of information, news, commentaries, photos and videos, among others, that are related to America’s national parks. The website www.nationalparks.org was built under the principle and goal of delivering practical and relevant yet compelling content that will inform and educate park enthusiasts and guests.

The National Park Foundation’s new website acts as the online avenue for supporting every national park in America and their respective programs. Visitors of the website can learn about how they can help with the conservation and betterment of the national parks under the guidance of the National Park Foundation itself.

The website designed and created by STRATMARK has the following features, among others: Parks Near You (discover national parks that are nearest to your current location); Share Your Story (previous guests can upload and share their stories, photos and videos through this feature); National Park Marketplace (Shop online for NPF merchandise and at the same time, help in the foundation’s developmental projects).

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Image source: Heritage Interp

The discount applies to regular camping fees in the 16 horseman’s camps and 55 family campgrounds. Those planning to experience the getaway rentals including Rent-a-RV, Rent-a-Camp, tepee, yurt, cedar cabin units and camper cabin offered at 38 state parks can also enjoy the discount.

The getaway rental and camping discount is available from April 11 until April 30 and can be used for overnight stays. However, it cannot be used together with other discounts.

Interested parties can reserve up to six months prior to their planned visit by calling 866-OHIOPARKS (866-644-6727). Reservations may also be done online via www.ohiostateparks.org. Although not required, reservations are highly encouraged.

April guests and campers can also gather points on their Ohio State Parks rewards card which may be redeemed for free overnight stays once adequate points are collected.

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Basically, site fees vary depending on the types of services. Fees range from $17 at the Pine Cove Campground to $24 at the Heaton Bay for those who need electricity hook up. On the other hand, day-use fees rolled back a few dollars from last year’s $8 down to $5. Meanwhile, overnight guests will be charged with extra $5 vehicle fee for a second vehicle.

Aside from fee changes, guests need not expect other changes in the campground operations.

However, the new concessionaire is planning to add several sites to the online advance reservations system and to extend the reservation window beyond a week prior to desired schedule.

According to Kenealy, some campground seasons may also be extended although it will remain in a first-come, first-served basis before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. However, reservations are still available between the two holidays. Normally, the season runs mid-May through mid-September, but the campgrounds such as Heaton Bay may remain open until end of October.

Some of the Green Mountain Reservoir sites and Blue River campground will open on May 4. The rest will open depending on weather and demand, but eventually, all will be open by Memorial Day.

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The first trailers arrived at the Gulf Coast after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. However, these trailers in question were found to have toxic levels of formaldehyde which is known to cause health risks. This led for lawsuits to be filed against the RV manufacturers.

Just recently, Elkhart Truth announced that a deadline was announced for the involved parties (both the RV manufacturers and the hurricane victims who lived on the trailers) to submit their proposed class settlement agreement. By April 9, they should have already submitted the agreement to the Eastern District Court of Louisiana. Although this does not necessarily end the litigation, it will be the beginning of the conclusion process.

As per court documents, about 28 manufacturing defendants are joining the settlement: Heartland Recreational Vehicles, Dutchmen Manufacturing Co., Skyline Corp., Sunnybrook RV Inc. and Keystone RV Co. are among the participants.

On the other hand, there are manufacturers that have not reached settlement yet: Jayco Enterprises Inc./Starcraft, Forest River Inc./Vanguard Industries of Michigan, Gulf Stream Coach Inc. and the insurance companies Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, American International Specialty Lines and Lexington Insurance Co. for the former Monaco Coach Corp.

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