2022: Another Strong Year For Gun Sales

Above, Cabela's gun department in Albuquerque. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

2022 was another strong year for gun sales, according to an article at the NRA-ILA website.

They wrote:

According to a recent story by Stephen Gutowski at The Reload, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) reported that 2022 saw 16.4 million queries run through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) that were related to firearms. While NSSF has not yet done a complete analysis of 2022 data—where it removes NICS checks that were likely not related to actual firearms sales—it is possible that the final tally will exceed 15 million gun sales for the year.

NICS background check numbers don’t represent firearm sales exclusively or correlate exactly to the number of firearms sold, but they are broadly indicative of sale trends and, by implication, the growth of the gun-owning community. Adjusted NICS data from NSSF, which subtracts transactions coded for carry permit checks and rechecks from the overall NICS figures, confirm that gun sales remain consistently strong despite record-breaking inflation.

While sales may no longer be breaking records, interest in firearms remains high. This should be a solid indication that Americans, in general, remain committed to their rights protected under the Second Amendment.

As we reported in December, strong gun sales, along with reports on 8.5% of Americans holding concealed carry permits (even as the need for such permits declines as more states enact constitutional carry), help reveal how tens-of-millions of law-abiding citizens truly feel about the right to keep and bear arms. 

To read more, go here. 

Looking Back At 2022

Above, at the HHS 50ish Multi-Class Reunion with Debbie and Karen.

As a year, 2022 wasn't too bad of a year for me.

The main problem with the year was the high gasoline prices that swept the nation. This forced me to skip the spring clampout of the Lost Dutchman Chapter of E Clampus Vitus. It would have cost me over $500 in fuel costs for the round trip.

Above, at the fall clampout of the Lost Dutchman Chapter, ECV.

However, prices did moderate enough for me to go to the fall clampout near Williams, Arizona. The prices moderated enough for more trips, albeit nearer to home.

My ex-roommate, Jessica, came over for a visit and we took a camping trip up to Durango, Colorado to ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train to Silverton and Bar D Chuckwagon show & dinner and do some boating at Navajo Lake State Park.

Above, Jessica and I at the Bar D Chuckwagon dinner and show in Durango.

I then took another trip to Colorado to attend the John Wayne Cancer Foundation's half marathon near Ridgway, where scenes of True Grit (1969) were filmed. There, I met Patrick and Ethan Wayne, the two living sons of John Wayne. 

Above, yours truly with Patrick Wayne near Ridgway, Colorado.

After that, I headed up to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park for a few days and took the Goulding's Lodge morning tour of Monument Valley. The route of the tour was different than the afternoon tour I took in 2016, which made the trip more enjoyable as I was able to see the park's features from different perspectives.

Above, yours truly at Artist's Point in Monument Valley.

In September, I made the first trip to L.A. since I moved to New Mexico for the Hawthorne High School 50ish Multi-Class Reunion in El Segundo. I had a nice time and during the trip I visited with Dawn Brown in the San Fernando Valley for a bit after arriving.

Above, at Pancho's with Mark Holloway, Mitch Geriminsky and Dwight Kuntz.

I was able to go to Manhattan Beach for dinner at Pancho's and King Harbor in Redondo Beach. It still looked the same and the food was good. Mark Holloway joined Mitch, Dwight and I there. Mark was another Hawthorne High classmate.

It was sad to see how deteriorated California had become under Democrat and Gov. Gavin Newsom's rule. I really couldn't wait to get back home to New Mexico. Gas prices were over $5.00/gallon. Some stations charged over $6.00/gallon. Pitiful.

At home, I attended all of the rodeos during the summer, including the Wild Thing Bullriding at Red Rock Park. They were all entertaining. 

Above, Mitch and I at King Harbor in Redondo Beach. Photo by Dwight Kuntz.

The vehicles (Mustang, Jeep and Minnie Winnie) behaved themselves for most of the year with the only mechanical need was for fix the Mustang's starting issue earlier this month. It turned out that the problem was the distributor cable to the coil was badly corroded. 

Above, with cousin Maria and her husband Fred at the El Rancho Hotel.

Other visitors this year included Larry Bach, Mitch Geriminsky and Dwight Kuntz and my cousin Maria and her husband Fred. It was especially nice to have family members over for the first time since I moved to New Mexico.

Hopefully, next year will be just as good or even better than this year.

Leaving LAX:

What Will Travel Look Like In 2022?

Above, The Beast at the Jackson Hole/Snake River KOA. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that we're in a new year, it is time to start thinking about travel.

Since this is also the third year of the pandemic, how we travel depends upon what develops. Will the pandemic finally fizzle out or will it keep roaring back again with even more variants? 

KRQE posted an article with a travel expert's predictions for 2022 travel.

It begins with:

(NEXSTAR) – When the travel industry (and pretty much every industry) went quiet in March 2020, we didn’t think we’d still be thinking about the coronavirus much in 2022. But here we are, heading into year three of the global pandemic.

Some of us still have leftover airline credits to use from canceled trips, and may be desperate to go somewhere — anywhere — that isn’t home. Others are still feeling nervous about the virus, and can’t puzzle out how safe travel is these days.

As the world (once again) reels amid a massive surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant, travel plans may feel even more uncertain.

We asked Melanie Lieberman, senior travel editor at The Points Guy, to help us understand what we can expect of the travel trends in 2022.

To read the article, go here.

What's In Store For RVers In 2022?

Above, The Beast at Deer Creek Valley RV Park in Topeka, Kansas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

2021 has been a mixed bag of a year.

In regards to the pandemic, it seems that each time we take two steps forward, we end up one step back when it comes to personal freedoms. While some politicians love to not let a good crisis go to waste, there has been blowback from people telling them enough is enough.

What does 2022 have in store? That's anyone's guess. But on the RVing front, Mike Gast at RV Travel looked into his crystal ball and makes some predictions.

He starts off with:

I know we’ve just arrived in December 2021, but with the weirdness of the past 12 months, it’s not too early to roll out the crystal ball and try to start making educated guesses as to what may be in store for RVers in 2022.

What got me thinking along those lines was the grand opening of a new RV park in Avila, California. It looks like a beautiful place, especially its spectacular ocean views. But we heard from at least one RVTravel.com reader who wasn’t too happy with the rates the new park was charging. There are, of course, a lot of factors in their rates, but they appear to be in the $98- to $135-a-night range. That doesn’t seem out of line with the rest of the parks in that region, but it sure seemed high to at least one reader.

The new 115-site Flying Flags Avila Beach RV Resort is just one of the first of what will likely soon be a flood of new and expanded RV parks in coming years. New campgrounds and new park owners will likely bring new rate structures along for the ride.

But rates are only part of the picture as we approach 2022. Here’s a look at a few things to consider for the future. It’s likely not a totally comprehensive list, and my predictions could be way off base. I’d like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to give us your thoughts in the comments section at the end of the story.

To read more, go here. 

Thor "Sold Out" of RVs For 2021

Above, Thor-owned brands includes Jayco. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one is skeptical over the "alleged" shortage of RVs on dealer lots, the following will set one straight.

It was posted yesterday by RV Travel.

They begin with:

If you had doubts about the stories regarding RV dealer lot inventory shortages and the demands on RV manufacturers, Thor Industries CEO Bob Martin wants you to know that yes, everything you’ve heard is true. Thor, the largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles in the world, is all sold out until next year.

Martin recently appeared on CNBC’s popular “Mad Money” television show to talk about the first quarter of 2021 being the best quarter in Thor’s history. He said the explosion of interest in RVing and the subsequent boom in sales has left Thor “pretty much sold out for the next year.”

In fact, Thor is reporting an “order backlog” worth more than $14 billion.

Thor Industries owns the following brands outright: Airstream, Crossroads, Cruiser RV, Luxury Suites, Dutchmen, Entegra Coach, Heartland, Highland Ridge RV, Jayco, Keystone RV Company, KZ Recreational Vehicles, Redwood Recreational Vehicles, Starcraft, Thor Motor Coach, Tiffin Motorhomes, Vanleigh, and Ventura RV. That long list includes a plethora of different models. If you don’t own a Forest River or Winnebago, it’s likely you have a Thor.

To read more, go here.