Wednesday, January 22, 2020
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.
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Today’s thought
“We have forgotten how to be good guests, how to walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do.” —Barbara Ward
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Blonde Brownie Day!
Tip of the Day
Fire extinguisher placement tips
We travel in a motorhome which is typical in that the bedroom is in the rear and the exit door is in the front. The fire extinguisher is mounted by the exit door. I bought another fire extinguisher that I mounted next to the bed. If a fire is severe, then we will bail out of a bedroom window but for anything else, I would rather fight the fire on the way to the exit door. The prospect of climbing out the window and dropping six feet to the ground is something that I would rather avoid. I also keep a fire extinguisher in one of my storage bays. Thanks to Bill Olsen.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
RV moisture misery
Chris Dougherty, certified RV technician, received a question from a reader while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor, as follows: “Condensation forms inside both the wardrobe and the cabinets on my slide-outs only, not in any other storage compartment in my travel trailer when the temperature gets down to the lower 40s. Why is this and what can I do about it?” Read Chris’ response.
Yesterday’s featured article: High altitude fuel-up – low altitude engine knock
Keep road flares in the RV for emergency
You should always have road flares in your RV in case of an emergency. This pack of three bright, waterproof and shatterproof LED disks are perfect to keep tucked away. These bright lights can be seen from a mile away and can be used for traffic control, as a warning light or as a rescue beacon, and they can also be used for recreational activities such as camping and hiking. Learn more or order here.
Reader poll
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION.
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION.
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
• CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT.
• LATEST RV RECALLS.
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
Yikes. These were the most stolen vehicles of the year, and the states they were stolen in. Is your vehicle on the list?
Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the 50 states – brand-new for 2020. Essential reference.
California Camping: Moon Handbook guide profiles 1,400 campgrounds.
Best-selling printed directory of free and inexpensive campgrounds. Click.
Best RVing books as recommended by our editors: Click here.
Quick Tip
Fresher-smelling dirty laundry
Dirty laundry smell running you out of the rig between washings? Stick a laundry softener sheet in the pile to counter the odor. You can use the dryer sheet in the dryer when it comes time to dry the newly cleaned clothes.
Random RV Thought
‘Tis the season for RV shows from now through March. Here’s a money-saving tip for anyone who plans to attend a show. Using your favorite search engine, find the show’s website. Many offer a money-saving coupon on an admission ticket and offer lower prices certain days of the week. For a list of upcoming shows, click here.
Microwave cover collapses for easy storage
When heating your food you don’t want to spend 10 minutes later cleaning the splatters inside the microwave. Here’s the solution — and perfect for RVers: It pops down flat for easy storage. Lid perforations allow steam to escape to keep food moist. Doubles as a strainer, too! Learn more or order here.
Website of the day
Fix My Blinds
Just when you think there isn’t a website for everything…. If or when you have a problem with the RV’s blinds, check here for ideas about how to repair them.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• RV delivery driver tells workmanship horror stories.
• Couple confesses their RV buying mistakes. This video will make you mad.
• RV Shrink: RVing: Is it a magical mystery tour?
#885-1
Protect yourself and others from sharp edges of RV slideouts!
Cut your head just once on the corner of a sharp RV slideout and you’ll race out to buy a set of these so it never happens again! Camco’s Slide-Out Corner Guards offer a simple solution to the danger posed by sharp corners on RV slideouts. Simply place them on each exterior corner of the slide to provide a cushion zone. They’re made of advanced UV-stabilized resin for long life. Easy to install, no tools required. Learn more or order.
Trivia
The Earth weighs about 13,170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds. Since Earth is too big to be placed on a scale, scientists use mathematics and the laws of gravity to figure out Earth’s weight. —From Cool Cosmos, an IPAC website, and based on Government Sponsored Research.
What insect can only be found on two streets in New York City? This is fascinating! You’d know if you read yesterday’s issue.
Leave here with a laugh
Two pirates, Morty and Sol, meet
in a bar. Sol has a patch over one eye,
a hook for a hand, and a wooden peg leg. “Ye gads, matey,” says Morty. “What happened to ya?”
Sol says, “Me pirate ship was attacked, and a lucky shot lopped off me leg. So now I got me a wooden peg.”
“And yer hand?” asks Marty.
“When me ship sank, a shark bit me hand off. So now I got me a hook.”
“OK, but what’s with the eye patch?”
“I was standin’ on a dock, and the biggest seagull I ever saw poops right in me eye.”
“But ya don’t go blind from no seagull poop.”
“True,” says Sol. “But it was me first day with the hook.”
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
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Advertising 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
My ’97 T-bird’s plate is MTNMAMA, and my ’75 Suburban’s plate is MTNMOMA. The plate holders say, “I’d rather be in the mountains.” Good thing I own 18 gorgeous acres on a creek in the Cascades, an hour from my home. 😀 —Diane (aka Mountain Mama) at RVtravel.com
Our passenger car plate is ACOUPLE and the RV plate is A CUPLE.
Many times we have seen young couples taking a picture of themselves with our plate in the background. We do Relationship Seminars & Workshops for groups, (including RV Rallies) and one item on our standard introduction states “Our speakers are also licensed by the State of Washington as a couple”. We have been a married couple for 65 + years and dated for 4-1/2 years prior to that.
Regarding the plastic collapsible microwave cover: so instead of taking time to wipe out the microwave, now I get to include the cover with dirty dishes to be scrubbed & dried? No thanks. We put a paper plate over the dish being heated, with another one underneath. Use both until soiled, and then discard. Too simple, too cheap, too sensible, I guess.
My truck license plate is a veteran plate emblazoned with my Navy rank “EMCMSS”
I had a personalized plate on whatever vehicle I had from the mid-1960’s ’til 2011 – “Muffin”. When we retired, we went to one vehicle and I didn’t think Muffin would look right on an F-350 long bed crew cab, so didn’t renew it.
My plate has my amateur radio call sign
Firefighter on the truck, normal serially issued plates on the 5er.
My MH has vanity plates that say MSPIGGY and my toad has plates that say KERMIT, for MS Piggy and Kermit the Frog…
My personalized plate says I’m a “Veteran” not sure that counts
That counts for a lot, Craig. Thank you for your service! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
OK. Who managed to get the Earth on a scale?😁 How can this be fact checked????? How would you even begin to compute this with all the variables?
Good question, betty. So I looked it up and added a little more info to the trivia tidbit that Emily had put into the newsletter, as follows: “The Earth weighs about 13,170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds. Since Earth is too big to be placed on a scale, scientists use mathematics and the laws of gravity to figure out Earth’s weight. —From Cool Cosmos, an IPAC website, and based on Government Sponsored Research. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
1980 I finally got to get rid of a Travall {possibly the 1st of the SUV’s,} and van as our boys didn’t need us to haul Little league/scouts etc any more. We bought a Lincoln, a real car, for the 1st time in years..Licence plate JST4PAT. RV has a Snoopy dog dancing on it , not really a Vanity plate..it is a special interest plate.
License plate: Army vet plates.
The plate on our motorhome is TWOOFUS (there is only room for “two of us”)
re: tip of the day = fire extinguisher placement
I totally agree with the practice of having an extinguisher by the bed….I have a 20# there too. But I have to say do not hesitate to bail out of the widow, regardless – set you mind on this and do not resist. You might have an old mattress or something outside the exit and practice egress at home a few times……also having a blanket over the bottom of window helps. I have not been in a RV fire but I have been in an industrial fire and you will claw your way out in panic during a fire [I expended 3x 20# extinguishers to no avail and ended up smashing a window with the last one to climb/throw myself out. always plan for the worse, always.
Wanted plate for motor home to be same design as car, but my state would only issue that plate for motor home if paid for a personalized plate, so decided to personalize both.
My RV has ALLI CAT (for Allison Transmission and CAT Engine, and my toad, SONIC LT.
I do get questioned if I have a cat named ALLI, but no four legged ALLI on board.
My SUV has ASACUJ1. Refers to the Army unit I was assigned to during the Vietnam War.
TV has my ham radio call sign on it.
My RV has USAFA on it to honor the five (out of six) in my family who are presently active duty (I’m retired from the military) and are graduates of the United States Air Force Academy (youngest son plays football at USAFA)..
Daily tip is bizarre… put a stinky softener sheet in with clean laundry so it can be made stinky again — and also greasy and floral? No softener for me. Even less with a contaminated sheet! Why not wrap your sweaty socks in clean laundry directly?
The trivia is also misguided… weight is a measure of gravity due to mass. The number provided is what a twin mass of the earth would exert at sea level on another earth. Which isn’t possible app- you have to crush it into a black hole point-mass. So, a twin mass blackhole would weigh X at MSL… not as sexy sounding.
Yeah, what Wolfe said! Also, the earth weighs ‘nothing’ as there is no gravity in space. HA!
Stay cool
Don’t confuse gravity with weightlessness. People in orbit are just falling (due to gravity) around the earth. They keep missing the earth because of their forward motion. Gravity exists everywhere as it involves every bit of matter in the universe exerting a pull on every other bit of matter.
Don’t confuse weight with mass.
Wife
s car is EDMAR2, truck is supposed to be EDMAR1 but hasent been paid for yet. Trailer is permanent plate and cant be personalized. On yeah. We are Ed and Mary.