Rancho Mirage — VanSky 26 (Challenging)

A new camping trend from the US is gaining popularity: compact travel trailers that offer RV-like comfort in a towable size. The ROG 12RK-FB by Encore RV features a pop-up bathroom, kitchen, queen bed, and heating, weighing about 1,270 kg and measuring 4.5 meters.

Plans for an RV park in Mount Hope’s Bailey’s Bottom area are on hold after city officials received a July 7 letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture stating the project would likely violate restrictions on flood-buyout properties. The land is held under perpetual easements meant to restore floodplains, prohibiting buildings, vegetation alteration, and filling. A large crowd attended the July 14 city council meeting amid resident concerns over safety and transparency.

Fire crews responded to a fully involved travel trailer fire near Highway 49 and Shaws Flat Road in Sonora, California. The blaze, dubbed the Shaw Fire, produced a large smoke column and was contained without spreading to surrounding vegetation. No information is available on whether the trailer was occupied at the time.

GoRVing.com published a three-day RV route through three states: Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. Total driving time is under four hours. The route includes stops in Coalville (Utah), Bear Lake (Idaho) and Alpine (Wyoming). Activities include whitewater rafting on the Snake River, visiting Grand Teton National Park and a treetop ropes course at Echo Island RV Resort.

A 1982 Crown Supercoach school bus has been converted into a motorhome and is listed for sale. It features a 7.0-liter Detroit Diesel 6-71T two-stroke turbodiesel engine producing 270 hp and 762 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 5-speed Fuller manual transmission. The engine is mounted in the middle of the chassis. The current owner purchased the bus in 2003; odometer reads approximately 132,000 miles. Interior includes maple flooring, birch plywood cabinetry, a queen-size bed, an RV toilet, and a sink.

Around noon Tuesday in Dunkirk, New York, an RV struck the Willow Road bridge, which has a clearance of just over 10 feet. The top of the vehicle became wedged about eight feet beyond the entrance. This is the latest in a series of incidents at the bridge, exacerbated by a detour from the Canadaway Creek Bridge replacement on Route 5, which began in May and is expected to last until Labor Day.