Rv Update - recreational vehicles - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Travel America, May, 2001 by Nancy Baren Miller

Places, products, clubs, & activities you can enjoy in your RV

COACHMAN'S NEW LINE-UP

Coachmen RV Company and Shasta Industries have unveiled innovative 2001 product lines. Among the offerings is a new mid-priced Royal Deluxe fifth wheel model line. It features full aluminum-cage construction. The new Coachmen Catalina Freedom Hauler is a toy toter travel trailer with a 7-foot entrance door for better clearance. Coachmen Cadet, a hybrid travel trailer with fold-out bunk ends, is available in 21-foot and 19-foot floor plans. It boasts a large U-shaped dinette, indoor-outdoor range top, and 60-inch queen bed. Shasta Flite lightweight towable series has expanded the line from its 26-foot model. For 2001, the innovative 28foot Flite features a front kitchen area and private rear bedroom. For more information, contact www.coachmen rv.com and www. shastaind.com.

FOR THE DISABLED

According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, 15 manufacturers offer RVs and conversion vans outfitted with features making it possible for people with mobility concerns to travel freely and comfortably. Typical modifications include: wheelchair lifts or ramps, widened entrances, conveniently located controls, and roll-under sinks. Others are lower kitchen counter and cabinets, roll-in showers, longer faucet handles, and brighter lighting. RV campgrounds are also adapting. Many have wide, level, and paved sites for easy use by wheelchairs, walkers, or electric scooters. To obtain a directory with information on RV accessibility for the disabled, write RVIA, P.O. Box 2999, Dept. P, Reston, VA 20195. For more information on services and products for the disabled traveler, contact the Handicapped Travel Club at (916) 966-7090.

FLORIDA'S SPACE COAST

A spacious oasis appealing to nature and sports enthusiasts, Great Outdoors Resort lures RVers to Central Florida's east coast. Located near Titusville, the property is just 6.5 miles from a Space Shuttle launch viewing site and 12 miles from Kennedy Space Center. Paved RV sites with underground utilities are $35 for two people from November through April, $25 from May through October. RV sites for purchase start at $32,200. Recreational facilities include an 18-hole golf course, four tennis courts, and 22 lakes stocked with fish. The resort also has a store and restaurant. Contact: Great Outdoors Resort, (800) 621-2267; www.tgo resort.com.

METEOR CRATER

Some 50,000 years ago, a meteor caused a massive crater at what is now Meteor Crater Visitors Center at 1-40, exit 233, near Flagstaff, Arizona. The crater, 4,000 feet across and 560 feet deep, was an official NASA training site for Apollo Astronauts because of its moonlike appearance. It's a National Landmark. Explore the center's Museum of Astrogeology with displays on meteorites and the mechanics of impact cratering. Learn at two interactive computers about the solar system, space, and lots more. See the movie Collisions and Impact shown twice each hour. Visit the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Four observation areas behind the museum allow viewing the crater from inside the rim. Daily guided tours allow those with proper hiking shoes to venture about one-third mile around the crater rim. Meteor Crater RV Park, five miles up the road, includes a recreation room, playground, laundry, country store, and Mobil gas station. Guests receive discount coupons to visit Meteor Crater. Contact www.meteorcrater.com or (800) 289-5898. Call the RV park at (800) 478-4002.

SUMMER RALLY

Family Campers & RVers will hold its 41st annual "Campvention" July 6-13 in Gillette, Wyoming. The rally features daily and nightly entertainment, seminars, commercial displays with new RVs, the Miss FCRV Pageant, a parade, and tours to places of interest such as the well-preserved mining town of Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota, and in Wyoming a bison ranch and Devils Tower National Monument. Registration for the week is $140. For more information, visit www.fcrv.org or call FCRV at (800) 245-9755.