Gas prices prompt Winter Texans to leave RVs here

If there are fewer RVs heading south next fall, it could be because they're already here.

RV park operators say that more Winter Texans stored their recreational vehicles in the Rio Grande Valley rather than burn fuel to haul them north in the spring.

Bonnie Dominguez, the manager at Fun N Sun RV Resort, said there are more RVs in storage there than at any time she can remember.

The RV park in San Benito has offered a discounted storage fee to Winter Texans who reserve a space for the 2008-09 season, she said.

At Sunshine RV Park in Harlingen, manager Lon Huff estimated the number of RVs in storage now is a 30 percent increase over past years.

He said some Winter Texans who stay at his park have stored their RVs there and others have found storage sites around the Valley.

In past years, most Winter Texans hauled their RV north in the spring, traveled in it during the summer, and returned with it to the Valley in the fall, Dominguez said.

High gas prices have changed that, she said.

In addition to more RVs in storage, Dominguez said Fun N Sun now has a 30-person waiting list of Winter Texans who want to rent park models there.

She hopes that this year's renters will become next year's owners when the Winter Texans realize the benefits of owning a park model.

Susan Pritchett, the sales director at Tropic Winds RV Resort in Harlingen said she's seen much more interest in park models. The 11 that were available for sale last year are sold, and all six rental units are reserved for next season, she said.

Winter Texans have told her they don't want to haul a rig, but "they're not willing to give up coming to the Valley," Pritchett said.

Jim and Marjorie Hughes of Frankfort, Ohio, gave up the long haul of moving their RV. After eight years of spending the winter in the Valley, Marjorie Hughes said they bought a park model at Tropic Winds RV Resort.

The last time they pulled their RV from Ohio to the Valley, she said, it cost them about $100 per day on a four-day, 1,500-mile trip. She estimated the same trip would now cost them at least $1,000.

The Hughes have taken the additional step of leaving a car here. Now, they fly between the Valley and Ohio.

Paying $2,200 annual lot rental for their park model is more economical than $1,200 for three months' rent, she said.

"For us, that was the way to go," she said.

Both Fun N Sun and Sunshine RV Park are offering "early bird" discounts for Winter Texans who arrive early or stay later in the 2008-09 season, Huff said.

"We're concerned about the gas prices, too," Huff said. "We need to give them a reason to come back."