News Briefs

Oregon Parks Cut Camping Fees

Oregon state park campgrounds are offering “Discovery Season” discounts on camping fees from now through the end of April, when summer prices will return. The winter rates are $4 below summer prices for full-hookup, electrical-hookup, tent and primitive campsites, and $20 less for group tent areas, deluxe cabins and yurts.

“This is a great time of year for spontaneous camping,” said Richard Walkoski, recreation programs manager for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. “Unless you’re renting a yurt or cabin, you normally don’t need reservations, even on weekends when the weather turns warm and dry on the coast. And you pay less to boot.”

Information about seasonal fees at specific parks can be obtained by calling (800) 551-6949 or by looking online at www.prd.state.or.us

New Bridge Extends Trail

The 600-foot-long Sandifur Memorial Bridge, a pedestrian bridge over the Spokane River, was dedicated in November as part of the West Link Project that connects downtown Spokane to Washington’s Riverside State Park in nearby Nine Mile Falls. The bridge also connects High Bridge City Park to the Spokane Centennial Trail. The trail is a paved path that runs for 37 miles along the Spokane River from the Idaho state line to Nine Mile Falls. The trail is a popular destination for hiking and biking, with 42 historical and archaeological sites that eventually will be marked.

Construction of the West Link Project took about a year and cost $2.5 million. Funds came from a mix of public and private sources. Plans call for connecting the Spokane Centennial Trail with the Columbia Plateau Trail State Park at Cheney and eventually creating a continuous trail between Spokane and the Tri-Cities.

RVIA Honors TV Personalities

John Ratzenberger, best known for his role as mailman Cliff Clavin on the Cheers TV series, and Mike Leonard, NBC News feature correspondent, have been honored by the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) for increasing public awareness of RVing.

The RVIA bestowed its Spirit of America award on Ratzenberger for his travelogue series, John Ratzenberger’s Made in America, on the Travel Channel. In the series, Ratzenberger traveled across the country in an RV visiting American factories. The award to Leonard was for his four-part series on the Today show chronicling his family’s experiences traveling in an RV.

RVers Increase Travel Plans

A new survey indicates that more RVers will be on the road this fall and winter to take part in camping, skiing and other outdoor pursuits than traveled last year. The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association hired a Virginia research firm to survey RV owners. Among the findings were that 56 percent plan to travel more during the fall and winter than they did a year ago and 39 percent intend to travel about the same amount.

The survey found that RVers expect to travel about 29 days during the two seasons, or three days more than a year ago. Many respondents said they want to take more short vacations to enjoy nature, escape stress and spend more time with their families.

Volvo Acquires All of Prevost

Prevost Car Inc., which manufactures motorcoaches and bus shells for high-end motorhomes and specialty conversion, is now owned entirely by Volvo Bus Corporation, a division of the Volvo Group. Volvo, which had owned half the company, became sole owner in October after buying the 50 percent interest held by the British firm Henlys Group.

Prevost has its major manufacturing facilities in Sainte-Claire, Quebec, Canada, and operates six service centers and seven parts warehouses in the U.S. and Canada. The transaction also makes Volvo the sole owner of Nova Bus, a Prevost division that manufactures urban transit buses.

Former Football Star Promotes Coachmen

Earl Campbell, the Heisman Trophy winner who became one of the National Football League’s top running backs, is promoting his own line of meat products and Coachmen RV Company while traveling in a 40-foot Sportscoach Elite motorhome.

Campbell uses the motorhome to visit grocery stores and other sites to promote Earl Campbell Meat Products. In return for free use of the motorhome, he is making promotional appearances for Coachmen.

Now 48, Campbell owns a 207-acre cattle ranch in Tyler, Texas. Besides using the motorhome in business, he also uses it for pleasure. “If I’d known I could travel like this, I would have had one years ago,” Campbell said. “I always thought they were for old people. Now all my buddies want one.”

Red Cross Seeks Disaster Funds

Contributions to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund are being collected at Camping World stores through January 6 to assist victims of hurricanes and other disasters.

A Giving Tree is on display at each store. Customers can buy paper ornaments for the tree for $1 each, with all proceeds going to the disaster fund. The money will be used for all kinds of assistance, including food, clothing, shelter and medical supplies.

New Historical Park Designated

President George W. Bush has signed legislation creating the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park in the states of Washington and Oregon. The new designation expands Fort Clatsop National Memorial at Astoria, Oregon, to include other sites that are significant to the Lewis and Clark expedition. It takes in a portion of Cape Disappointment State Park in Ilwaco, Washington, where a memorial will be built to honor Thomas Jefferson, who authorized the expedition.

The new park incorporates Station Camp and Dismal Nitch, also known as the Megler Rest Area, in Washington. Oregon sites include Fort Stevens and Ecola state parks. The new historical park designation will help the National Park Service work with Oregon and Washington state parks to serve visitors drawn to the area by the Lewis and Clark bicentennial celebration. Lewis and Clark arrived at the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805.

Fleetwood Reaches Milestone

Fleetwood RV has passed a milestone at its travel trailer production facility in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada, by rolling out the factory’s 100,000th travel trailer, a 2005 Pegasus. The plant has been building travel trailers since 1973 and has 450 employees.

The Canadian plant is the third Fleetwood travel trailer factory to reach the 100,000 mark. The Fleetwood facility in Riverside, California, reached that milestone in October and the plant in Longview, Texas, hit the mark last year.