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Digital RVer: It’s easy to make a photo album from your group’s photos

Chris Guld
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Digital RVer: It’s easy to make a photo album from your group’s photos

By Chris Guld, Geeks on Tour

Google Photos makes group albums easy

Using Google Photos, you can make an album and then invite people to contribute photos and comments to the album. Once they have done so, you will see their name appear in the corner of the photo thumbnail. It’s a great way to collect photos from everyone at an event or on a trip. Then you can even print a photo book of the results.

The only requirement is that they use Google Photos. If someone in your group doesn’t use Google Photos (why not?) they could email their photos to you and you could add them. The image above is a sample. A group of us from a dive club took a trip to Bimini and we all put our best photos into one shared album.

Create an album

  1. One person needs to start the album – they will be the owner.
  2. You can just create a regular album by
    – selecting a photo or two,
    – click the + at the upper right and choose Album (you could also choose “Shared Album” and it will prompt you to share at the end), and
    – give the album a name and click the check mark in upper left to finish.

Share the album

  1. Open the album created above and click the Share button.
  2. To share with a few people, just choose them from your contact list that displays, or search by entering their email addresses (this must be an email address for a Google account).
  3. You have the option to type a message where it says “Say something” then click the send button.
  4. To share with a lot of people, choose Create Link, then copy the link and paste it where your audience can see it, like in an email or a Facebook post.

Now the people you shared with can click the link or find the album in their Google Photos Sharing section. They can open the album, join it, and add their own photos. The key is the album option called “Collaboration.” This is on by default, you can see it by opening the album, clicking the 3-dot menu and then Options. This is all covered in chapters 8 & 9 of the Learn Google Photos 2020 book.

Chris Guld’s latest book on Google Photos is available on Amazon:

Printed Book (B&W)
Printed Book Color Edition
Kindle Edition

Chris Guld is President and Teacher-in-Chief at GeeksOnTour.com. She and her husband, Jim, produce a free weekly YouTube show called What Does This Button Do?  They have been Fulltime RVers, popular seminar presenters at RV Rallies, and regular contributors to RVTravel.com, for many years.

##RVT965

Is a trip with your RV on Route 66 on your bucket list?

Emily Woodbury
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Is a trip with your RV on Route 66 on your bucket list?

Ah, the open road, quirky roadside attractions, ol’ mom ‘n pop diners, saguaro-studded sunsets… doesn’t that sound nice? That’s Route 66, and it’s disappearing quickly. Is a trip with your RV on Route 66 on your bucket list?

Perhaps you’ve already done the trip, perhaps you’ve done it, but want to go back and do it again (or more, or another part of it), or perhaps it’s always been on your bucket list. Or, maybe you have no desire to do Route 66 at all.

What’s the verdict? Tell us below in the poll, and leave a comment too if you want advice, or want to offer advice about this wonderful, nostalgic piece of our country.

RV Daily Tips. Friday, September 11, 2020

Newsletter Editor
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27
RV Daily Tips. Friday, September 11, 2020

This newsletter is for intelligent, open-minded RVers. If you comment on an article, do it with respect for others. If not, you will be denied posting privileges.

Issue 1426
Welcome to another edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and living tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, tips on our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.

If you shop on Amazon, please click here to visit through our affiliate site (we get a little commission that way – and you don’t pay any extra). Thank you!

RV Advice: This Facebook group is a very helpful resource.

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Today’s thought

“We are all connected; To each other, biologically. To the earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe, atomically.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Make Your Bed Day!

On this day in history: 1789 – Alexander Hamilton is appointed the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.

Tip of the Day

“Keep-on-hand” items for RV repair work

By Russ and Tiña De Maris
If you’ve been on the road at all, you’ve experienced it: Something on your rig broke. You can’t always get help with the fixing – you need to do it yourself. Being prepared with a few tools and some of the essential “emergency supplies” can go a long way to making it easier. What should you have on hand? Here are some suggestions.

Do you have a tip? Submit it here.

A visit to Annie Oakley’s grave

Old West sharpshooter Annie Oakley was born just north of Greenville, Ohio, and lived her final days there. She’s buried alongside her husband, Frank Butler, in Brock cemetery, a short drive north of town just off U.S. route 127. RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury visited there and recorded this video, revealing his special “connection” with Annie, who is considered the first American female superstar. Read more and watch the video.

Yesterday’s featured article: Make sure your hike is a safe one

You may have missed these recent popular stories…

Reader poll

Is a trip with your RV on Route 66 on your bucket list?
Get your kicks and tell us here.

Quick Tip

Drive smart in gusty wind conditions

If a large tractor/trailer approaches and overtakes you while driving in some gusty wind conditions, try turning your wheel slightly toward the transport truck as they get even with you. This can help offset the effects of the wind force created by the truck, thus allowing you to maintain your straight-ahead driving position. Thanks to Ron Jones, AboutRVing.com.

For peace of mind, use a backflow preventer
Backflow happens when a fresh water system gets “cross-connected” with a source of bad water or other contaminants. You don’t want that! Prevent this from happening by using a backflow preventer. Here’s an affordable one. Use it and rest easier. (You can read more about backflow prevention here.)

Website of the day

TripSavvy
Whether you’re planning a trip or just want to learn a little about the world, TripSavvy is a great, easy-to-navigate website about all the cool things to see and do when you travel. Enjoy!

NEW FACEBOOK GROUP: RVing Wacky, Tacky America. This will be fun!

Clubs and useful organizations
PLEASE NOTE: We may receive an affiliate commission if you join any of these.

• Harvest Hosts: Stay free at farms, wineries and other scenic and peaceful locations for free. Save 15% on membership.
• AllStays: The best website for RVers! Your membership will become your RV-bible.
• Overnight RV parking. Directory of more than 14,000 locations where you can stay for free or nearly free with your RV. Modest membership fee.
• Boondockers Welcome. Stay at homes of RVers who welcome you in their driveways, yards, farmland or other space on their private property. Modest membership fee.
• Escapees. Best Club for RVers: All RVers welcome, no matter what type of RV, make or model.

Trivia

Here’s a cute fun fact for you: Penguins propose to their mates! Not only do penguins mate for life, but they also have a ritual to mark the occasion. Male Gentoo penguins hunt avidly for the smoothest, roundest pebble to present to their potential mates. If the female accepts his “proposal,” she adds the pebble to her nest and the two will breed. Male penguins have been known to fight over the most perfect pebbles!

*What’s the name for an “Average Joe” in Germany? Hint: It’s more fun to say than “Joe.” We told you yesterday.

Easily repair a tear in your RV’s awning
Left on their own, small vinyl RV awning tears can get bigger. Fixing a small tear in an area, barring a person’s physical limitations, is easy. You may already have what you need for a fix. It’s called “RV GOOP” and is made by the same outfit that developed “GOOP” for shoe repairs. Read more about repairing an awning tear here.

Readers’ Pets of the Day

“This is Cooper and Charlie. They keep a look-out for us when we are on the road.” —Lana Stahl

Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Saturday RV Travel newsletter.

Leave here with a laugh

Anyone else’s car getting three weeks to the gallon at the moment?

Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY!

Join us: Facebook • Twitter • YouTube • RVillage

See all of our many Facebook groups here.

Did you miss the latest RV Travel Newsletter? If so, read it here.
Oh, and if you missed the latest Sunday News for RVers, make sure to catch up here.

Become a Member!

This newsletter is brought to you Monday through Friday by RVtravel.com and is funded primarily through voluntary subscription contributions from our readers. Thank you! IF YOU APPRECIATE THIS NEWSLETTER and others from RVtravel.com, will you please consider pledging your support?  Learn more or contribute.

RV Daily Tips Staff

Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Social media director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.

This website utilizes some advertising services. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.

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.

Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.

This newsletter is copyright 2020 by RVtravel.com

Dollar stores that stock groceries are ideal for RV travel

Barry Zander
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27
Dollar stores that stock groceries are ideal for RV travel

By Barry Zander
When my wife and I discovered the grocery section in dollar stores, it was an “AHA!” moment. “These folks are selling food packaged for RV-size storage and refrigerators… And it’s $1!”

Costco and Sam’s Club were forbidden shopping stops for us when we started full-timing. Only the biggest rigs can fit a 48-roll package of toilet paper in the storage bins, and we know of owners who gave away rolls rather than sacrifice under-the-floor space. Even standard food stores mainly sell packages that present storage problems, particularly for Class B and trailer refrigerators with mini-freezers.

When we swallowed our pride along the road to wander into a dollar store just to explore, we ventured into the back and, to our surprise, found an extensive grocery section. We had never experienced that before … but now, it seems every dollar store is giving over more and more precious space to foodstuffs.

What quickly caught our attention were the sizes of boxes, particularly in the frozen and cold units. They were relatively small, a sales gimmick I’m sure to appeal to budget-minded customers. But wait, isn’t small good if you’re making do with a 3- to 5-cubic-foot refrigerator?

There are, of course, suspicions that the food is on the verge of the expiration date, and that may have often been true 10 years ago, but it’s probably less likely now that food sales appear to be expanding. While we find unfamiliar store brands, national brands seem to make up a larger percentage of the products offered.

And what about cost? Since almost everything in most of the national dollar store chains is priced at $1.00, it’s obvious that there are winners and losers here. That’s when size may be the deciding factor.

What has really become impressive are the bins teeming with glistening fresh fruit and vegetables, obviously shined up to compete with supermarkets. In the early days of dollar-store food, if there was any produce, it was a meager selection. Last week, however, I went into a 99-Cents Only store to pick up kitchen sponges and walked out with two bags of fruit. Too cheap not to buy at a dollar each!

Frozen food & snacks — everything from soup to nuts

Canned goods are similar to the big-guys’ stores and are what you’d expect in a grocery that caters to those with limited resources. If you haven’t already been thinking “outside the grocery box,” it’s time to give it a try. In some rural communities, a dollar store (such as Dollar General) might just be your only option for groceries anyway.

##RVT965

The new face of COVID-19 litter. What do we do about it?

Nanci Dixon
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The new face of COVID-19 litter. What do we do about it?

By Nanci Dixon
The new face of litter is hitting the trails, parking lots and even the prismatic springs at Yellowstone National Park. Face masks, gloves, sanitizer bottles and disinfecting wipes are everywhere.

My husband and I were park hosts in Arizona at a major hiking area and found a lot of masks and wipes littering the ground even before the state mandated them. As we have moved further north we are finding even more litter in parking lots and on sidewalks. More people are wearing face masks now, and more states have mandated them. While sometimes I feel obligated to pick up trash, I draw the line at picking up potentially COVID-19 infested face masks or gloves without my own set of gloves. 

Seth, a Facebook user and member of the group RVing During the Pandemic, wrote: “We just got back from an 8,000-mile trip. Most places had around 50% using masks. Some higher, some lower. Of course, most of the masks we saw were left as litter. Such a shame … we counted 4 masks floating in the prismatic springs in Yellowstone. THEY WERE EVERYWHERE”

Lowe’s Home Improvement store parking lots must have been facing the same problem. They have tied disposal buckets to posts in hopes that people will dispose of masks and gloves to keep the area clean and prevent others from getting sick.

Reduce waste and reuse! Buy a reusable face mask here.

With no disposal bucket in sight, I have resorted to picking up litter and placing it on the floor of the back seat. I let gloves, disinfecting wipes and masks incubate for 24 hours and then toss in a garbage can. Soon, we will be returning to Arizona and we will be the ones picking up trash, including discarded face masks, wipes, gloves on the trails, sidewalks and parking lots as part of our volunteer job.

Please look for disposal buckets and trash cans and remember to discard those items properly, and recycle the sanitizer bottles when you can. Thank you for doing your part!

Related Stories

Masks required in 34 states. Are people wearing them?

What making face masks has taught me about life

##RVT965

“Keep-on-hand” items for RV repair work

RV Staff
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“Keep-on-hand” items for RV repair work

By Russ and Tiña De Maris
If you’ve been on the road at all, you’ve experienced it: Something on your rig broke. You can’t always get help with the fixing — you need to do it yourself. Being prepared with a few tools and some of the essential “emergency supplies” can go a long way to making it easier. What should you have on hand?

Absolute essentials are screwdrivers of both the slotted and Phillips variety, in various sizes. Look around your rig, too, and see if the manufacturer has used specialized fittings that “normal” screwdrivers won’t fit. Clutch screws (which look like little bow-ties) and Torx (star shaped) aren’t uncommon. Wrenches are necessary, too, for tightening bolts. While you can maybe “get by” with a couple of adjustable Crescent wrenches, having combination wrenches that won’t slip off the nut and bang up your knuckles is a help. A hammer is a versatile tool, even though you’ll find few nails in most RVs. A sharp utility knife is invaluable. And don’t forget the lowly tape measure.

Some specialty items: A good tire pressure gauge — not a cheap, two-dollar “stick type” (although that’s better than nothing) — but a digital gauge is probably best. If you have dual tires, you’ll need the crow-foot tire gauge to be able to access all tire stems. Find them at truck stop convenience stores. A bottle of soapy-water solution is handy to check for LP leaks. Use a 50/50 liquid dish detergent and water solution either in a spray bottle or use a little paint brush to dab the solution on any suspect joints or cracks.

Electrical issues hit every RVer, so get an electrical multimeter. These devices measure both DC (battery) and AC (shore power) voltage and are invaluable for tracking down issues. If you’re willing to learn more about running down problems, look for one that measures current (amps), as well. While you’re dealing with electrics, get yourself a good wire cutter/stripper; and we highly recommend an electrical crimping tool along with an assortment of crimp fittings. While not critical, a pair of needle-nose pliers make electrical work much easier. Don’t forget a couple of rolls of electrical tape. Find out what sorts of fuses your RV (and tow vehicle) use, and carry spares. The same holds true for extra light bulbs or fluorescent tubes.

Also helpful to have on hand: Duct tape. Buy the best you can afford. “Gorilla tape” is really great. It sticks well and wears well. Get a short roll of Eternabond tape, too. This stuff will fix a tear on almost any type of RV roof, siding and other stuff, too. It’s pricier than duct tape, but duct tape won’t fix a roof leak. A short roll of “mending wire” or a coil of baling wire will help you “jury-rig” a variety of fixes. Teflon tape, from the plumbing supply area, will help you fix leaky pipe joints, and maybe even a roll of the “yellow” pipe tape for gas joints.

A rechargeable, cordless electric drill is at the top of our list for non-hand tools. We can drill holes, drive screws, even stir paint (with the right attachment). And we even keep a “corded” 3/8-inch electric drill on hand. With the right socket fitting, we use it to jack up and down our travel trailer stabilizer jacks. Works a whole lot faster than bending over and hand-cranking them, and then it’s always available when a big drill job comes along that’s too much for the cordless unit.

Where to keep it? Keeping screwdrivers, a utility knife and a tape measure in the “junk drawer” in the kitchen makes it easier for both of us to get what we often need in a hurry. For the regular repair guy, I find having two different tool bags useful. One keeps the heavy-duty repair tools like wrenches and assorted drivers together. The other is strictly “electrical,” with the voltmeter, specific electrical repair tools and supplies, and is nice for just grabbing and going to the “scene of the crime.”

Set yourself a budget, hit the stores and don’t forget pawn shops — they’re often a great place to pick up bargains that can help you make fixes on the road.

photo: RLHyde on flickr.com

##RVDT1426

Do you pay $2,007.50 a year for coffee? Here’s a breakdown of what you may be paying

Barry Zander
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Do you pay $2,007.50 a year for coffee? Here’s a breakdown of what you may be paying

By Barry Zander
Ever wonder how much you spend on coffee when on the road? There’s research you’ll find interesting … but probably won’t change your habits. If you make daily stops at fast-food restaurants around midmorning for a cup of coffee, there are benefits, but the cost might surprise you. We’ll break it down for you.

The coffee might be satisfactory, or you may just chalk it up to a good opportunity to get out and stretch. As far as the money, a comparison on the Time magazine blog site from recent research showed prices range from 3 cents a cup to $2.75. No mention was made about McDonald’s, an RV favorite for years because of parking availability, where a cup o’ Joe is $1.00 plus tax.

The survey was based on standard, non-flavored coffee and included the cost of the coffee maker. It misses the convenience of brewing the coffee of your choice in your rig, which can mean instant or camp coffee (ground coffee made in a strainer with hot water poured over it), which we resort to when the campground quiet hours intrude on our awake hours.

What the very telling article succeeds in doing is to compare the cost per cup based on two cups per person per day and multiplying to show the annual cost. Here’s the gist of Time’s findings:

  • Mr. Coffee: $0.03 per cup
  • French press: $0.22 per cup
  • Keurig: $0.48 per cup
  • McDonald’s: $1.00 (I included this)
  • Nespresso: $1.10 per cup
  • Starbucks (plain cup of coffee): $2.75

Of course the “devil or angel is in the details.” A basic Keurig machine brews a cup at $0.48, which, again, includes the cost of the brewing machine. At two cups per day, the yearly cost (with machine) comes to $533.50. If you’re satisfied with your Mr. Coffee, it’s at the very low end of $0.03 per cup, which will set you back $45.90 a year, about the same as one cappuccino in a five-star hotel restaurant.

A French press cup costs $0.22 or $160.60 annually. We tried that for a while but were dissatisfied because the coffee got cold while it was brewing – a personal observation. After tasting a cup of Nespresso (pods cost $1.00 to $1.10 each), we bought a machine to fill the cabinet in our RV built for a vintage fat TV. At $1.10 per cup, our annual cost per person is $962.00.

Happily, we have a generator in our RV. Nowadays we look for a scenic spot to park, crank up the generator and have a pause that refreshes at $1.10 per cup – more than McDonald’s but consistently tastier. One caveat is when “no-generator hours” are later in the morning, we resort to Nescafe Instant or just camp coffee.

Finally, the one that you’ve been waiting for: the average price of a regular cup at one of Starbuck’s 30,000 outlets is $2.75, which varies greatly by location. That’s obviously for a standard cup of coffee, which probably doesn’t get requested often (another personal observation). That mounts up to $2,007.50 yearly!

Let’s be honest. Most coffee drinkers have their own taste preferences. Just look at the shelves of ground, whole-bean, instant, and favored bags and cans on supermarket shelves. Add in latte, cappuccino, espresso, sweetener, biscotti, on and on, and you’ll probably be able to justify continuing with the brands and restaurants you always use. The comparison authored by Samantha Rosen of Time brings in lots of alternatives, and she mentions that because of the work-from-home environment, the business is changing for coffee shops. No need to panic, though. The caffeine craze is sure to continue, along with the need to get out and stretch.

##RVT965

National Forests closed throughout California

Russ and Tiña De Maris
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National Forests closed throughout California

By Russ and Tiña De Maris

All of California’s U.S. National Forests closed in an unprecedented move toward safety. Earlier, eight of the Golden State forests were shut down. On Wednesday officials closed the last ten.

The National Forests closed as a measure labeled as “temporary.” Service officials will eyeball the situation on a daily basis. The newest closures on the list are:

  • Eldorado National Forest
  • Klamath National Forest
  • Lassen National Forest
  • Mendocino National Forest
  • Modoc National Forest
  • Six Rivers National Forest
  • Plumas National Forest
  • Shasta-Trinity National Forest
  • Tahoe National Forest
  • Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

A press release from the Forest Service’s Randy Moore said this: “These temporary closures are necessary to protect the public and our firefighters, and we will keep them in place until conditions improve and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely. I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these fires.” Moore is a regional forester.

A statewide closure of National Forests is unprecedented. But wildfires have been an increasing problem for both private and public landholders in California. In 2018, the tragic Camp Fire in Paradise, California, wiped out an entire town. Residents are still struggling to get their lives back. Just how this year’s fire season will go down in the record books is anyone’s guess. Still, a statewide closure of National Forests is mind-boggling.

Incidentally, those who ignore the closure to enter the forests will be subject to a fine of $5,000 and a possible six-month jail stint.

Related:

California wildfires are a warning to all of us

National Parks are getting hotter and drier, new study shows

##RVT965b

Newmar RV recalling motorhomes for instrument panel defect

Chuck Woodbury
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Newmar RV recalling motorhomes for instrument panel defect

Newmar Corporation (Newmar) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Essex and New Aire, 2019 Dutch Star, London Aire, Mountain Aire, and Ventana motorhomes. The instrument panel brightness cannot be adjusted, possibly causing glare when driving at night. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, “Control and Displays.”

Glare can reduce the driver’s visibility of the road, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Newmar will notify owners, and dealers will update the software and processor, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 25, 2020. Owners may contact Newmar customer service at 1-800-731-8300.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).

* * *
While you may not own one of these RVs, if you know someone who does be sure to tell them. RVtravel.com posts recall notices like this as they are issued. Read all recent ones by clicking here.

Not signed up for the free RVtravel.com weekend newsletters? Published online since 2001. Sign up here.

Bears are hungry now, like “four-legged walking stomachs”

Chuck Woodbury
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2
Bears are hungry now, like “four-legged walking stomachs”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) issued a news release this week about increased bear activity in its parks. The advice applies to anyone in “bear country” and that includes RVers in campgrounds. The number of bears in parks is expected to grow rapidly in coming days as bears are now in hyperphagia, the period when bruins are preparing for hibernation and spend up to 20 hours a day on the hunt for 20,000 or more daily calories.

“Most of the reports involve bears trying to access human food sources and as we enter this fall period of hyper bruin activity,” CPW reported, urging residents and others to remove attractants to reduce conflicts and keep you and the bears safe.

“As fall approaches, people can think of bears as basically a four-legged walking stomach,” said District Wildlife Manager (DWM) Joe Nicholson out of the Evergreen district. “They are biologically driven to pack on calories in preparation for winter and they spend increasing time looking for the most efficient way to do so. Residents must realize it is their responsibility to secure their trash, remove other food attractants such as bird feeders, and protect backyard livestock with appropriate electric fencing to avoid conflicts that arise from attracting bears to homes.”

Drought conditions and other factors that may influence the availability of natural food crops for bears varies across the state, as does the behavior of people when it relates to human-bear interactions. Those all play a role in the bear activity that we see annually.

TIPS TO KEEP BEARS AWAY
– Don’t leave pet food or stock feed outside.
– Bird feeders are a major source of bear/human conflicts. If you must have bird feeders: clean up beneath them every day, bring them in at night, and hang them high so that they’re completely inaccessible to bears.
– Do not attract other wildlife by feeding them, such as deer, turkeys or small mammals.
– Bears have good memories and will return to places they’ve found food.
– Allow grills to burn for a couple of minutes after cooking to burn off grease and to eliminate odors. Clean the grill after each use.
– Clean up thoroughly after picnics. Don’t allow food odors to linger.
– Lock your doors when you’re away and at night.
– Keep windows closed when you’re not at home.
– Do not keep food in your vehicle; roll up windows and lock the doors of your vehicles.
– When car-camping, secure all food and coolers in a locked vehicle after you’ve eaten.
– Keep a clean camp, whether you’re in a campground or in the back-country.
– When camping in the back-country, hang food 100 feet or more from campsite; don’t bring any food into your tent.
– Talk to your neighbors and kids about being bear aware.

##RVT965

RV travels the highway with slideout extended. Dangerous?

Chuck Woodbury
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RV travels the highway with slideout extended. Dangerous?

When we saw this photo, we cringed. How can this be safe? How can this be legal?

We wondered why anyone would travel this way. Isn’t this dangerous? The slide is only about halfway out. Will it continue to extend?

One woman noted this had happened to her. “Our slide motor broke a tooth off a gear and then the slide just slid out as we rounded a corner. Luckily we were not on the highway and could pull over. We put 2×4’s on four corners inside until we got to a safe place.”

Another wrote: “I realize this isn’t very safe, but maybe, just maybe he’s trying to get to a place to have it fixed?”

Another person suggested that perhaps the RVer was headed to a repair shop. Another one noted “Hope he doesn’t go through a toll plaza.” Yet another one speculated, “I wonder if maybe they couldn’t get it to pull in all the way and decided to just go with it.”

Heaven knows this is something that most RVers with slideouts have worried about or even experienced. It’s not uncommon to hear about an RVer who realized an hour before checkout time that his or her slide wouldn’t retract. And they couldn’t stay because the park was booked solid for later that day, and that included their own site.

What would you do? Would you drive with a slide partially extended to get to another campsite or a repair shop in such a situation? We invite your comments.

##RVT965

RV Daily Tips. Thursday, September 10, 2020

Newsletter Editor
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19
RV Daily Tips. Thursday, September 10, 2020

This newsletter is for intelligent, open-minded RVers. If you comment on an article, do it with respect for others. If not, you will be denied posting privileges.

Issue 1425
Welcome to another edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and living tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, tips on our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.

If you shop on Amazon, please click here to visit through our affiliate site (we get a little commission that way – and you don’t pay any extra). Thank you!

[activecampaign form=34]

Today’s thought

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” — Eckhart Tolle

Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National TV Dinner Day!

On this day in history: 1846 – Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine.

Tip of the Day

Be kind to your transmission for its long and happy life

By Greg Illes
Most of us check our transmission fluid now and then (don’t we?). Some of us even have it changed every once in awhile. But aside from that, what else is there to do with a typical automatic transmission other than drive it – and hope it keeps on working?

There are actually some very proactive things that can be done to give your transmission the best possible chance for a long and happy life. Find out what you can do here.

Do you have a tip? Submit it here.

Make sure your hike is a safe one

Some time back a 59-year-old woman went missing in a Northern California state park before she was found six days later. She had fallen from an unmarked trail into a ravine. She was uninjured but could not climb out of the ravine – she could only wait, hoping to be rescued. If you like to go out wandering where there is no one else, what can you do to protect yourself from becoming lost or injured and maybe never making it back to civilization? Here are important safety tips from Boondock Bob Difley (who admits he has been lost in the desert but eventually found his way out).

Yesterday’s featured article: Manufacturers can make getting RV parts difficult

Reader poll

How often do you spend the night in a casino parking lot or RV park?
Take a gamble and respond here.

Quick Tip

Transport full LP tanks properly

Long-time RVtravel.com reader and frequent tip and/or joke contributor George Bliss passes along this LP cylinder safety reminder: Portable propane cylinders are equipped with a safety valve that allows excess pressure to be “blown off” relatively harmlessly. Trouble is, some RVers want to transport full cylinders lying down – not upright. The safety valve is designed to vent gaseous LP — not liquid. If the tank should develop excess pressure while on its side, the safety valve may be blocked by the liquid LP and, instead of venting, the pressure may continue to build to the point of a potential explosion. ALWAYS transport LP cylinders in the same orientation as they were designed to be used — vertical tanks upright and those rare horizontal tanks lying down. Thanks, George, for the refresher.

Website of the day

Love Your RV
Full-timer Ray takes you along on his RVing journey. You’ll find great tips about the lifestyle on this website, as well as his favorite RVing products, DIY projects and more.

And the Survey Says…

We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 1,500 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:

• If they won a million-dollar lotto, 16 percent of people would use the money to travel
• 48 percent would rather shower in the morning than at night
• 25 percent have a birthday in the fall, sometime between September and November (Happy Birthday!)

Recent poll: Is the ongoing pandemic weighing on you emotionally?

Trivia

Meet someone who seems like an “Average Joe” in Germany? Folks there call “Average Joes” “Otto Normalverbraucher,” which translates to “Otto normal consumer.” Now that’s a fun one to say!

*Yesterday we told you what the very first flavor of potato chip was. Can you guess? Find out here in the trivia section. 

Readers’ Pet of the Day

“Willow on her way to meet Mik (a horse).” —Ken Jensen

Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Saturday RV Travel newsletter.

Strengthen your hands, fingers and forearms
Here’s a great, easy way to build up the strength in your hands, fingers or forearms. Perfect for RVers. If you suffer from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or tennis elbow this is for you. It’s also great for simply building up the strength of your grip. This is a best seller and costs about $9. Learn more or order.

Leave here with a laugh

Q: Why couldn’t the green pepper practice archery?
A: Because it didn’t habanero.

Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY!

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RV Daily Tips Staff

Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Social media director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.

This website utilizes some advertising services. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.

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.

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This newsletter is copyright 2020 by RVtravel.com

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