RV and trailer owners camp locally as fuel prices rise
Just as COVID-19 limited camping in 2020 and 2021, it appears inflationary pressures will impact the 2022 season.
The rising cost of fuel is the major factor, some campers at Fanshawe Conservation Area tell CTV News.
Yet, in a time of higher prices for gas, food and housing, Rose and Bruce Beechey of London, Ont. are faring better than most.
The pair are seasonal campers at Fanshawe, residing at the park from May 1 until mid-October.
As they sip morning coffee, they express no regrets over their decision to sell their home and move here.
Still, at one time, they planned to move around in the RV they now call home. But with the price of gas, they have given up on that dream.
Bruce and Rose Beechey are seasonal campers at Fanshawe Conservation Area. After selling their home, the had planned on eventually travelling with their RV. But, with rising gas prices that dream is on hold. May 11, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
“It’s a super gas pig”, Bruce said, “And, wow, I can’t imagine people driving these things around and what it must cost them. It’s probably a couple of hundred dollars to go to Toronto and back, from London here. That’s a lot.”
It sure is, according to Mike Knapp. Another Londoner, Knapp didn’t travel far with his new diesel pick-up truck and trailer, purchased at the start of the pandemic, to camp at Fanshawe.
Knapp confirms far off excursions are out for the summer of 2022.
“We took it out to B.C. last year, but I don’t think I’m going there this year with fuel prices,” he said.
So if regional parks are the place many recreational campers will look, are they too late to book?Mike Knapp is seen at Fanshawe Conservation Area on Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
Unlike some area provincial parks, Fanshawe has some sites available for the Victoria Day long weekend. However, they are all tenting sites without electricity.
Still, those who do come can expect full amenities for the first time in two years.
“We are opening the pool back up this year. We are going to have canoe and kayak rentals,” states Assistant Park Superintendent Alison Miller.
It’s all music to the ears of Jake Hopf. He has called Fanshawe home for 28 summer seasons.
“It’s been really great so far. I sure hope it stays this way,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.