Signs That Summer Travel Is Rebounding

Above, The Beast at a Lava Hot Springs, Idaho KOA Kampground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Do you really think that summer travel is rebounding?

Well, AZFamily has posted six signs that summer travel is rebounding and, in some ways, in a big way.

The article posted begins with:

(CNN) - The summer travel season, which was all but written off just weeks ago, have some peeks of sunshine after all. 

Demand is rising across several segments of the industry as coronavirus restrictions ease in the United States. While people aren't taking elaborate international vacations this year, they are renting home shares, flying domestically and even taking RVs to explore the wide open road. 

Here are some cautious signs that travel is returning:

Here's one of the signs (you'll have to read the full article to see the other five):

RVs 

RV sales and rentals are booming, with demand swelling in recent weeks. 

Enthusiasts say the vehicles are thriving because of social distancing concerns. Air and train travel have become less appealing. With an RV, there's no need to share a hotel elevator or airplane bathroom, and meals can be prepared inside the vehicle. 

Jon Gray, CEO of RVShare, laid off 10% of his staff in March and furloughed 30% of his remaining employees. Business started to pick up in mid-April as states loosened travel restrictions, and he's since brought back all the furloughed workers, and sales in the last week are more than double the same period last year. 

A competitor, Outdoorsy, said its bookings last week have grown 300% when compared with the same period a year ago. Airstream's parent company, Thor Industries, said this week that demand for its products are "very strong."

To read more, go here. 

Fatalities At Grand Canyon "Not Unusual"

Above, hikers on Bright Angel Trail below Grand Canyon Village. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This past year, it seemed like a lot of people died in Grand Canyon National Park. But because the fatalities came so close to each other, it sort of made it seem like a lot.

However, fatalities at the Grand Canyon aren't unusual.

According to AZFamily.com:

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ (Cronkite) – Two non-life-threatening medical calls came in at once to Grand Canyon National Park’s 911 center one day in late April, and the park’s search and rescue team was dispatched. 

Calls like these aren’t unusual: Last year, the team responded to 265 of them. But the very next day, a 70-year-old woman plummeted 200 feet to her death in the canyon, becoming the fourth fatality in or near the park in five weeks.  

The three previous fatalities occurred over within a week of each other. On April 3, a 67-year-old man fell about 400 feet below the rim east of Yavapai Geology Museum. A 50-year-old visitor from Hong Kong died on March 28 fell to his death while taking photos. 

The body of a Japanese tourist was found March 26 in a wooded area south of Grand Canyon Village, away from the rim. 

Park officials said the recent fatalities weren’t out of the ordinary – 17 people die at the Grand Canyon every year – and no safety changes are planned. However, there’s an increased focus on helping the park’s more than 6 million annual visitors understand the dangers that exist near the edge of a yawning chasm and of hiking in what will become excessively hot weather.

To read more, go here. 

Must-See Waterfalls In The West

Above, Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Do you like to look at waterfalls? I sure do. At times they are mesmerizing to behold.

The western United States has plenty of waterfalls and AZ Family has a list of the "must-see" waterfalls in the west. I've been to some of them.

They begin with:

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Fresh air, tumbling waters and rising mist make waterfalls a multi-sensory marvel. There are thousands of these natural phenomena across the country, but experts say some are more special than others. In the spring issue of Via magazine, AAA shares eight must-see waterfalls in the West.

  

To see their list of "must-see" waterfalls, go here.