National Parks To Offer Free Admission Days In 2014
National Park Service director Jonathan B. Jarvis has announced nine entrance-fee-free days for America’s national parks in 2014, as follows: January 20, Martin Luther King Jr. Day; February 15-17, Presidents Day weekend; April 19-20, National Park Week’s opening weekend; August 25, National Park Service’s 98th birthday; September 27, National Public Lands Day; and November 11, Veterans Day.
“National parks not only protect and preserve the places we most value, they also add enormous economic value to nearby communities and the entire nation. Visitor spending represents a $30 billion annual benefit to the national economy and supports more than 250,000 jobs,” Mr. Jarvis said. “Fee-free days are a great way to both thank those visitors and introduce parks to first-timers who can find a new place to call an old favorite.”
Normally, 133 national parks charge an entrance fee that ranges from $3 to $25. The entrance fee waiver does not cover amenity or user fees for things such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours.
Other federal land management agencies that will offer fee-free days in 2014 are the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Contact each of these agencies for details.
For more information about the U.S. national parks, visit www.nps.gov.
Marathon Coach Boosts Production
Marathon Coach Inc. has announced that the company has increased new custom coach production and will hire more employees to facilitate the growth. In 2014, the company plans to build more than $10 million in additional new bus conversions and expects annual sales to exceed $45 million. The company, which currently employs 125 people, will add more than 20 new staff members in the coming months.
“The luxury coach market has improved considerably, and it is exciting to increase Marathon’s new coach production,” Steve Schoellhorn, Marathon Coach president and owner, said. “There is currently a historically low level of finished new luxury coaches available on the market, which clearly indicates that the market has rebounded and there is pent-up demand. Marathon is very well positioned to grow significantly over the next several years.”
Marathon Coach Inc. has produced more than 1,200 custom coaches since the company’s inception in 1983. Marathon’s corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility is located in Coburg, Oregon. In addition to its sales and service operations in Coburg, the company also maintains sales and service facilities in the Tampa, Florida, and Dallas, Texas, metropolitan areas.
More information about Marathon Coach can be found at www.marathoncoach.com or by calling the Oregon facility, (800) 234-9991; Marathon Coach Florida, (800) 437-8295; or Marathon Coach Texas, (800) 448-8881.
La Mesa RV Center Opens New Florida Location
La Mesa RV Center, one of the nation’s largest multi-location RV dealerships, recently celebrated the opening of its newest sales and service center, in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. La Mesa officials note that the 117,000-square-foot indoor, air-conditioned RV showroom, located at 8650 N.W. LTC Parkway, is possibly the largest of its kind in Florida. Combined with the outdoor display area, the site covers 20 acres. The dealership offers a variety of new motorhomes from manufacturers such as Coachmen, Fleetwood, Forest River, Monaco, Thor Motor Coach, and Itasca by Winnebago. The dealership also will stock a selection of preowned RVs from Fleetwood, Monaco, Tiffin, Winnebago, and others.
With the opening of the Port Saint Lucie facility, La Mesa RV Center closed its store in West Palm Beach. The company has 12 sales locations across the United States, including three others in Florida — Sanford, Fort Myers, and Sarasota. The dealership was founded in 1972 in La Mesa, California, a suburb of San Diego. Today it maintains its headquarters in San Diego and has locations in Davis, California; Tucson, Mesa, Phoenix, Yuma, and Quartzsite, Arizona; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
For additional information, visit www.lamesarv.com or call (858) 874-8000.
RV Golf Club Provides RV Parking At Golf Courses, Resorts
Jim Vernes, RV owner and avid golfer, has created the RV Golf Club in partnership with golf clubs across the United States. Membership in the RV Golf Club offers free overnight RV parking at hundreds of golf courses, as well as free two-night stays at RV resorts throughout the United States and Canada.
Mr. Vernes was inspired to form the club while traveling cross-country with his wife, Julie. They discovered the convenience and beauty of parking at golf courses.
The cost of membership in the RV Golf Club is $99 per year and includes free overnight parking plus member discounts on greens fees, food and beverages, golf shop merchandise, and other services provided by most of the golf course and restaurant owners and operators. The RV owner need not be a golfer to join.
For more information, visit www.rvgolfclub.com or call (800) 520-0757.
Freightliner Custom Chassis Unveils V-Ride Rear Suspension System
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation introduced its new V-Ride Rear Suspension System to the RV industry during the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky, this past December. The V-Ride system is touted as the first single-axle rear suspension rated for 24,000 pounds.
Freightliner officials note that the V-Ride offers motorhome manufacturers more options for floor plan designs and luxury amenities and will provide motorhome owners added towing capacity and greater flexibility. The V-Ride Rear Suspension System will be available as an option on the XC chassis starting with model-year 2015.
Company officials note that the V-Ride already has been proven in heavy-duty applications. The suspension’s v-rod-shaped upper control arms, from which it derives its name, help to dissipate suspension forces through the cross member and frame rails, reducing stress throughout the suspension.
In addition, the V-Ride’s transverse beam is directly integrated with the trailing arm to form a single-piece U-shaped assembly. Company officials indicate that this unified design, combined with the v-rod control arms, significantly reduces sway and provides a more stable ride, especially when traveling around curves.
“The V-ride maintains superior roll stability and more predictable handling throughout,” said J.P. Davis, RV product manager for Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. “This gives motorhome owners a more confident driving experience in all road conditions.”
For more information, visit www.freightlinerchassis.com or call (864) 487-1700.
Pleasure-Way Launches New 5-Year Warranty
Pleasure-Way Industries Ltd., based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has introduced the Five-Year Freedom limited coach warranty for all of its 2014 Type B motorhome models.
The 5-year/60,000-mile (100,000-kilometer) limited coach warranty reportedly is one of the longest manufacturer’s warranties in the RV industry.
With a network of more than 60 dealers in North America, Pleasure-Way Industries Ltd. is a family-owned and operated company that has been building Type B motorhomes since 1986.
For more information, visit www.pleasureway.com or call (800) 364-0189.
KOA Purchases Lazydays RV Campground In Tucson
Lazydays RV and Kampgrounds of America (KOA) have reached an agreement on the sale of the Lazydays RV Campground in Tucson, Arizona, to KOA.
The campground, located at 5151 S. Country Club Road, is now known as the Tucson/Lazydays KOA Campground. It joins 486 other locations in the KOA system throughout North America.
Lazydays will continue to operate a sales and service center at the Tucson site. Lazydays CEO Tim Sheehan noted that the transaction includes a marketing agreement that allows the two iconic industry brands to work together to promote both the campground and the dealership.
The campground offers pull-through sites with 30/50-amp full hookups, a restaurant with a full-service bar, two pools, an event center and meeting rooms, a fitness center, an off-leash dog park, and complimentary Wi-Fi.
For more information, visit www.koa.com/campgrounds/tucson-lazydays or call (520) 799-3701.