Members RV Travel Newsletter for Sunday, October 29, 2023

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October 29, 2023
Issue 1128
Members edition

 Cover story 

A young boy at Walmart whose story will warm your heart

By Chuck Woodbury
In our world of negative, often depressing and sometimes tragic news and information, it’s wonderful to come upon a story that warms our heart. This one is about a young boy at Walmart, hardly where you would expect to find inspiration. But when I stumbled upon the story, I felt instantly aglow from head to foot. Oh, young children — sometimes they do things, most often little things, that brighten our day and embolden our faith in humanity. Here is the story and its photo. The source, I’m sorry to report, is unknown:

A mother visited Walmart with her young son. Sometime while shopping she realized her boy was gone. She searched all over for him and was becoming frantic when she neared the front of the store. There he was!

She was about to scold him when she noticed that he was kneeling at a bench, praying. She did not understand, at least at first. Then she saw a huge poster on the wall above him with photos and descriptions of missing children. It read: “Every second counts.”

She took a photo of her son as he prayed and posted it on Facebook. It immediately went viral.

One Facebook commenter wrote: “Whether or not you believe in a God really doesn’t matter. This was a child in Walmart who was thinking about others and doing the only thing he could to help. The world would be a better place if everyone followed his example.”

Oh, isn’t that so very true?

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Today’s RV review…

Keystone Cougar Premium 260MLE fifth wheel – Home run?

Today’s RV review is of the 2024 Keystone Cougar 260MLE. This is a new floor plan for the Cougar line and is part of their Premium series. … Knowing that I was in Indiana at the RV Open House, a friend of mine messaged me and implored me to go look at this new floor plan, as she is interested in getting one. … [F]or whatever reason, the website doesn’t reflect just how good this floor plan is. So let’s look at what makes this such a unique fifth wheel and one that I can see why my friend was all excited about.

Read more

The craziest RV story we’ve ever heard…

We’ve heard a lot of crazy, insane, unbelievable stories around here (just read our RV Service Centers and Repairs Report column each week to see what we mean!). But this one takes the cake for the craziest RV story ever!

Claudia and Steven Sorensen detail what happened when their RV was stolen from their storage facility, recovered, towed, stolen again, towed again, then SOLD… and nobody ever told them.

Read it to believe it. Wow!

Click here to read

RV Service Centers and Repairs Report

RV techs calling newly-made RVs “Covid trailers” – “manufactured fast with little or no inspection”

In this column, we summarize some of your emails and comments regarding RV service centers and repairs. This week, Nanci Dixon relates a few of your ongoing RV service horror stories, including more reports of trouble getting warranty work done, more suggestions to get work done at locations other than an RV center, and another story about an RV reportedly being “used” by someone while in the shop. There are also several good reports about service received which was “above and beyond.” (Yay!)

Read more

Should homeless RVers observe the same rules as other RVers?

By Dave Helgeson
My wife and I prefer boondocking on public land. We sometimes find ourselves camping in the vicinity of those who are less fortunate than ourselves. I am referring to those who are considered homeless or unhoused residing in an RV as their last resort for shelter rather than choosing an RV as a primary residence by choice, like full-time RVers. Many homeless RVers have taken refuge on USFS or BLM land, as it is plentiful in the West with areas open to dispersed camping and not far from larger cities to obtain services. I have no issue with this if they keep a clean camp and abide by the regulations. Continue reading. What do you think?

Basic RV etiquette that isn’t always talked about, but makes all the difference

By Gail Marsh
We all learned the “magic words” as a kid. Do you want a piece of pie? What are the magic words? “Please” and “Thank you.” “Magic words” and other proper manners were taught to most of us as we grew up. In the spirit of “never stop learning new things,” I recently learned a few rules of etiquette about RVing that I hadn’t known before. Here they are.

What keeps RV holding tanks clear? Readers offer ideas

By Jan Steele
Did you read my story last Sunday about the “pyramid of poo” in my RV’s black tank? You know this is a hot topic of conversation among RVers. No sh*t! Read it here before continuing on. I received some good responses from readers who don’t agree with everything Kleen Tank literature says. Several swear by Dawn or Happy Camper. No one mentioned the products you find in an RV store aisle. Continue reading and see what other RVers are using.

Highlights from this week’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter

• Why you should carry an extra hose in your RV
• Tips for using RV forums, blogs, and social media
• Is maximum towing capacity just smoke and mirrors?
• How to get Amazon deliveries while RVing
• These affordable, effective devices will track your RV or other items if stolen

ENJOYING THIS NEWSLETTER? Then you’ll love our RV Daily Tips Newsletter! It’s filled with RV tips and tricks, RV maintenance advice, cool gadgets, trivia, a poll question, a joke, websites we love, recipes, and much more. Read the latest issues here then sign up here. Easy unsubscribe if you don’t like it (but we know that won’t happen).

RV Mistakes: Dumb things I have done while RVing. What are your stories?

By Nanci Dixon
In this new column, we will be sharing some of the not-so-brilliant things we, the RVtravel.com staff, and you, our readers, have done while RVing. We hope that in addition to a chuckle or two, we can learn from others’ RV mistakes and not make them ourselves! Continue reading.

World’s largest Lego travel trailer is sight to behold

This is not a little toy, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s a full-sized travel trailer made of Legos – yes, Legos, the same things that children worldwide use as toys. It’s certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest creation of its kind. Watch it being built in the short video below.

Scammers are getting creative. Know about these RV scams and be careful

By Janet Groene
With the explosive growth of RV travel comes the increase in RV travel scams, many of them borrowed from other travel industries such as hotels and cruising. Some are old, but many are so new to RV travel, and so high tech, they can be hard to recognize. Here are some new RV scams to watch for.

Reader Poll

Has a sewer valve or hose ever broken or malfunctioned while you were dumping?

Please let us know. After you click your response, you’ll see how others have responded. Feel free to leave a comment.

Tell us here

POPULAR POLL FROM THIS PAST WEEK
We asked: About what time do you most often go to bed at night? Wow! Almost 2,500 votes! Take a guess… Do you think the highest percentage of readers go to bed before 9 p.m.? Between 9–10 p.m.? Between 10–11 p.m.? Between 11 p.m.–12 a.m.? Or after midnight? You may be surprised. (We were!) Find out here.

Ask Dave

Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook”.

This past week’s questions that Dave answered:

• Is CheapHeat a good option during RV’s winter storage?
• Is a slide room awning a good idea? And my RV tires are delaminating!
• Can I just drain my on-demand water heater, or does it need RV antifreeze?
• My RV has a chassis recall. Chassis dealer won’t honor it; RV dealer can’t touch it. I feel like a ping pong ball!
• Which works best to insulate RV windows – shrink wrap or bubble wrap?

Click here to see more questions for Dave.

In the RV shop with Dustin

Preventing dump valve handles from coming loose in travel

By Dustin Simpson
I was recently asked by a customer about RV dump valve handles coming loose in travel. They wanted to know where they could get a replacement handle and how they could prevent it from coming loose again. … If the handle on your RV dump valve is loose, it’s essential to address the issue promptly to prevent any accidental openings or difficulties in operation. Here are steps you can take to secure a loose dump valve handle.

Read more.

THOUGHT FROM OUR READERS: “It’s too bad RV’s don’t get manufactured by aircraft manufacturers.” —Bob & Beth S.

Video of the day

Check out the annual Halloween vintage trailer rally in Tennessee

By Cheri Sicard
Every October at David Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone, Tennessee, the Smoky Mountain Vintage Campers group holds a rally. If you are a vintage trailer fan you might want to put future Halloween vintage trailer rallies on your calendar. In the meantime, the video below from the team at Camping Therapy will show you some of the highlights from last year’s rally. What follows is a lot of vintage trailer eye candy in the form of a slide show of rally participants.

Click here to watch

Travel Destinations

The beautiful Grand Canyon National Park: A guide for RVers

By Dale Wade
This segment of Nature’s Highways needs to address the elephant in the room… the Grand Canyon. In 2022, Grand Canyon National Park came in second as the most visited park in the U.S. (4.7 million), just edging out Zion but way behind Great Smoky Mountains. The area’s numbers are impressive. Through the 1.2 million acres, the Colorado River carved the canyon 277 miles long, 18 miles at its widest, and over one mile deep.

Click here to read why this is so popular

 NEW! RVing with Harvest Hosts

Blast off with Harvest Hosts: Stay at these 3 great aviation and space museums

By Cheri Sicard
Come along as we count down to adventure and education at three terrific aviation and space museums where you can spend the night in your RV as a Harvest Hosts member. … A lot of RVers stubbornly hang on to the misconception that Harvest Hosts is all about wineries, but that’s only a small part of the variety of experiences awaiting Harvest Host members. This week’s picks featuring three great stops for space and aviation buffs of all ages make terrific examples.

Click here to read

Ghost Town Trails

Berlin, Nevada – Ghost town with ancient marine creatures

By Dave Helgeson
Berlin, Nevada, is the featured ghostly place of this month’s edition of Ghost Town Trails. Like last month’s entry of Rhyolite, NV, it is a great stop for snowbirds heading south for the winter. A paved road takes you most of the way to the old townsite, plus there is an onsite campground for those that dare spend the night. This sounds perfect for Halloween.

RV Tire Safety

Regarding tires, what is an RLOF? And why should you care?

By Roger Marble
“RLOF” is the short-hand abbreviation tire engineers use for a tire with a Run-Low Flex failure. In the past, this was one of the most common conditions found in tires submitted by customers for adjustment. Read what causes these and why they’re not actually “blowouts”.

Did you miss yesterday’s Latest News for RVers?

If so, stories you missed:

• RVer warns: Just because you have a reservation doesn’t mean a park can’t change the price last-minute!
• Grand Design RV to begin manufacturing motorhomes
• Congress fails to halt BLM proposal that imperils boondocking
• Love’s growing RV park network ready for holiday travel
• Gas prices could drop 9 percent by end of year
• Developer wants to turn prison yard into an RV park

… and much more

Read it here | Back issues

From Johnny Robot, our A.I. staff writer

Fake Dr. Seuss writes about RV breakdowns

As he does most weeks, our publisher Chuck Woodbury offers up an article written using artificial intelligence. Today, he asked the free A.I. platform ChatGPT to “write a 200 word poem in Dr. Seuss style in first person about a man who complains that every time he takes a trip in his motorhome something breaks. He is beside himself. And not to mention that he can never find somewhere to get the problems fixed.” Read the poem that was spit out by a “robot” in 20 seconds.

Recipe of the Day

Halloween Crunch

by Elizabeth Lancaster from Naples, TX

Want a fun snack mix for Halloween? Well, this is festive and has a nice mix of flavors and textures. The salty popcorn and peanuts are a tasty contrast to the sweet candy corn and chocolate candies. We loved the candy corn. They’re slightly chewy compared to the crunchiness of the mix. Fun for a movie night or on Halloween.

Get the recipe here

Readers’ Pet of the Day

“We picked Reba up on July 8th @ramboboxers. They held her another month to get all but the rabies vaxes done. (So grateful.) She is very smart, full of energy, and as loving as they come.” —Kelly Sleeper

• RVing with Dogs group on Facebook. You’ll love it.

Brain Teaser

Can you find the only jack-o’-lantern without a nose? Click the image to enlarge.

(Answer below.)

Do you have a brain teaser you think we should use? Send it to us here.

Don’t kill yourself or loved ones out of ignorance
• If you ever feel a shock when touching your RV, take action. Otherwise, you could kill yourself or loved ones.
• If you blow a front tire, do this. The result could be a disaster if you follow your instincts.

Trivia

St. Augustine, Florida, a little less than an hour south of Jacksonville, is the oldest city in America. Founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, it’s the longest continually inhabited European city founded in the U.S.

Have you ever visited St. Augustine?

Sunday funny

Resources

Best Club for RVers: Escapees. Click here to learn more or join. Endorsed by RVtravel.com.

What does financing an RV for 20 years REALLY mean?
In case you missed this article the first time around, here it is again. Important! Click here.

Stuck with a lemon RV? Contact Ron Burdge, America’s premier RV lemon law attorney.

The Best RV Trip Planner Apps and Tools. Everything you need to help plan your trip is here.

Did you miss last week’s RV Travel?

Read it here | Back issues

Brain teaser answer:

Roadskill
The ongoing adventures of Earl and Burl Squirrel, from the mind of RVtravel.com friend R.L. Crabb.

RVtravel.com All Star Team

Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Gail Marsh, Dave Solberg and Cheri Sicard. Contributors: Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, J.R. Montigel, Randall Brink, Dustin Simpson, Dale Wade, Jan Steele and Tony Barthel. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen. Artificial Intelligence (AI) contributors: Johnny Robot and Milly MacWilly. Canine mascots: Archie and Astor “the Disaster”

Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.

RVtravel.com is a participant in many affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of the potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.

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