Wednesday, March 25, 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
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” —Margaret Atwood
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is Manatee Appreciation Day!
Coronavirus Updates for RVers
Coronavirus Updates for RVers
Because so much is happening, and so fast, we are separating our daily coronavirus news updates into its own file.
There is so much interest now on how the virus is impacting our lives as RVers, our staff is devoting more time to keeping you informed of critical matters that affect how you use and travel with your RV.
Read today’s coronavirus news updates for RVers.
New Facebook Group: How the coronavirus is impacting RVers. Learn about park closings, cancelled rallies and RV shows — and more. Your input requested.
If you are a member of an RV club or are affiliated with an RV-related event would you please let us know if its gatherings, meetings, etc., are cancelled or postponed because of the coronavirus? We’ll pass along the info to our readers. We appreciate any news related to RVing that’s being affected by the virus. Please submit it here. Thank you!
Tip of the Day
Dealing with dust storms on the RV road
By Jim Twamley
My grandfather told me about the Dust Bowl days when lack of soil conservation combined with a severe drought caused half of Texas, Oklahoma, and much of the Midwest to blow away. It wasn’t uncommon to see massive clouds of dust blowing across the land. The famous American journalist Ernie Pyle reported on these storms and how they enveloped everything, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. Continue reading.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
WiFi endoscope lets you peep where your eyes won’t go
Ever wondered what the inside of your black water tank looked like? Is that “tank blaster” really doing the job? You can’t just eyeball the inside of the tank – or can you? With a flexible endoscope, you can run a tiny camera down for a “look around,” and get an eyeful of information on your tablet or phone. It’s pretty handy to have in the RV so check it out here.
RV Mods: Upholstery foam sagging? Give it the bum’s rush!
One area where RV manufacturers save on a few bucks is in the quality of foam rubber in cushions. After a few years, you might want to replace the foam. This doesn’t necessarily require hiring an upholstery professional — in many cases, you can do it for less yourself! Learn how here. Your tush (and your pocketbook) will thank you.
Yesterday’s featured article: Conservation: An RV dry camping key
Reader poll
Readers tell us
How stimulating is your life? Find out what you and fellow RVers said here.
ADVERTISEMENT
Be like Mike! Use this 3-light and digital voltage tester!
Mike Sokol says: “I found this nifty tester online and have been using it in a variety of voltage checking situations. It performs all of the 3-light tests for outlet polarity, open ground, open neutral, etc., as well as being a 3-digit digital voltage indicator. In addition, it performs a standard 5 mA GFCI safety test – which you should be performing on all of your GFCI outlets once a month (or at least once a camping season).” Read more about it here.
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.
Quick Tip
Check the drip tube in the back of your fridge
It’s a good idea to occasionally take a peek in the back of your RV refrigerator. They have a drip tube that channels off water from condensation. Sometimes this tube leads to a drip container (often near the chimney) that evaporates off this water; others may “port” the water out of the rig harmlessly. In any event, if the tube gets loose and starts dripping water onto your RV framework, it can lead to damaging rot.
Random RV Thought
Always keep a few hard-boiled eggs in the fridge. They’re good for a quick snack — lots of protein.
If you don’t have a first-aid kit, now is the time to buy one. Don’t be without one in your home or RV!
Website of the day
Bon Appetit’s best comfort food recipes
We could all use a little comfort right now. Here is Bon Appetit’s list of their best comfort food recipes. Trust us, you’ll need a napkin to wipe up all the drool.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• RV renovation tips to get you started.
• Changes in relationship concerning to couple now full-time RVing.
• What’s your RV’s “suit size”?
#899-1
Trivia
If you’re out of toilet paper, head to Green Bay, Wisconsin. Green Bay is known as the toilet paper capital of the world because the first “splinter-free” toilet paper was produced there in the early 1900s. By 1920, the mill was the world’s largest producer of bath tissue.
Which state consumes the most alcohol? We told you in yesterday’s issue.
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.)
Leave here with a laugh
A health tip from George Bliss, especially as we’re sheltering in place:
As seniors we need to exercise more. I started with a 5-pound potato sack in each hand, extended my arms to the side and did 10 lifts. Next I went to 10-pound potato sacks, then 20 pound, then 30 pound. After one week of doing this I put a potato in each of the sacks. —Thanks, George!
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.
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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
That drip tube on the Dometic is really something to watch. It is a cheezy plastic tube that can easily be pulled out from the Refrig as well as disintegrating in your hands from age and sun. I watch it carefully and change it often so there is no water accumulation around the electronics.
I also monitor my refrig temp with an external digital screen that has a sensor placed in the refrig.
I noticed the temperature was getting too cold so the veggies would freeze out. I called Dometic and it was suggested the thermistor was the problem so I bought a new thermistor from Ebay. It was easy to replace myself saving me mucho bucks. But it also is a weird creature, Actually, the one I replaced was probably good. It was just the placement level on the coils that determines the temp. The probe is inside a plastic slide that is snapped on one of the coils in the refrig. To make the the temperature colder or warmer you push the slider up for colder and down the coil for warmer.
Weird?? Can anyone explain that? Can you guys write an article on this?
Right now, your body is fighting off hundreds, thousands, or maybe hundreds
of thousands of viral and bacterial infections, all of which are unseen. To
rant and rave or be fearful about a single, fictional “threat” hyped by
the media for profit reflects your ignorance, confusion, fear…or all
three.
Coronavirus is akin to the flu virus and the common cold. It was
discovered in the 1930s. Today, most every animal and human is carrying it,
usually in the nose.
Hey, “other” Chuck. Tell that to our Chuck, who has lost a friend to COVID-19 and another very dear friend is in the hospital at this moment fighting for his life. That is not media hype! Those are facts! 😡 —Diane at RVtravel.com
There are yet to be vaccines or antiviral drugs to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections. MANY strains of it, and like mentioned, the common cold has NEVER been stopped, so do NOT think they will find a vaccine for this one (COVID-19), why would it be any different? All cold ‘remedy’ manufactures would lose billions so there is no interest in producing a cure. My pet peeve is alcoholism and obesity have taken millions and no rush to find a ‘cure’ for that either.
Virus…..our daughter has all the systems except the fever for 8 days now. No meds or testing because there is no fever. A neighbor has all the systems with a 101 fever for a week now. No testing because the fever isn’t high enough…her doctor gave her “z-pack”. Her husband was told to come to work. I don’t get it.
For the poll question. We know 4 personally (2 families). Both have 1 family member that works in a hospital. I’m not quite sure what you consider an acquaintance, but we know 3 more that have it also but they are friends/family of friends/family of ours. Things in common, all are home and not in the hospitals. Also all the cases are considered mild/moderate. They all have said, “if this is what they call mild, they are glad they are not the patients in the hospitals and the patients have their empathy for them and wish them a full recovery”. They all have said it does not feel like the Flu, unless you had the Flu, Bronchitis and Pneumonia all at the same time. It also started off mild and continued to add more symptoms and the fever was hard to break. All are still home and have not been cleared yet as recovered. Age groups…late 20’s-early 60’s. They are also from 2 different states.
Your poll question today is a little misleading. Since we haven’t done extensive testing for Covid-19 in this country, those who answered “no” really have no idea whether they know anyone with the virus. They’re currently predicting that for every one diagnosed, there are probably 10 who are infected but are not yet showing symptoms.
Trivia:
I grew up in Washington and had never heard of Green Bay so I looked it up on my map. Not in WA.
There is a Washington Island on Lake Michigan to the NW of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
So where is that toilet paper??
Sorry, cee. You’re correct — it’s in Wisconsin. It’s been corrected. When I’m proofing for typos, etc., I need to remember to not take folks’ word for stuff like this when they put it into the newsletters. Once in awhile something “major” slips by me. 😯 But you’ll rarely see an extra space between sentences. 😉 —Diane at RVtravel.com
LOL
Leave here with a laugh
Couldn.t stop laughing I can see myself sitting in the kitchen or RV doing the same thing. I think I may use toilet paper instead so as to not strain my arm muscles. (LOL)
I have a drain camera but it has it’s own screw and will not hook to my smart phone. Have used it a couple of time and works good for the size and price.
Website of the day definitely got me salivating!
People who are looking for a good travel trailer check out “Trailmanor”, they fit in small spots, very roomy, low profile, no wind resistance, don’t need a big truck to tow it, the Amish make them in South Dakota and they have easy do it yourself winterization. I love mine. I’m staying in mine right now in my driveway, just to keep my spirits up during this trying time, plus it gives me a chance to see what I need to add or get rid of if there is a camping season this year. I made a fire ring outside and building a bonfire at night to sit by under the stars. I’ll grow grass back later. Trailmanor are the best kept secret on the market. Check them out.
You got me with the potato sack joke 😉 Good one.
Regarding people I know with coronavirus, do Prince Charles and Rand Paul count? Not exactly close friends but…
I’m sure you meant Green Bay Wisconsin not Washington. The old Northern Paper Co. I believe in those days TP wasn’t bleached white.
You’re correct, Thomas. Sorry about that. It slipped by this proofreader. I’m usually just looking for smaller typos, and “assume” the info writers put in the newsletters is accurate. I keep forgetting you should never assume anything. 😯 —Diane at RVtravel.com
The alcohol stat is likely misleading. My wife grew up in Maine with many relatives still residing in New England. Every surrounding state that borders New Hampshire floods their no tax beverage centers on a daily basis and takes it home to Mass, Vermont , Maine, Connecticut, etc. So I’m guessing that the 4.7 gallons per capita is likely much lower for actual Granite Staters!
Winnebago has shut down their plant in Forest City, IA. Workers will receive 2 weeks pay.
Second day in a row with no Daily Tips in my Inbox. Anybody else?
Maybe your inbox has COVID-19??
No problem for me I get them every morning 7 days a week.
Considering that obesity kills 800 people a day in this country, maybe instead of posting recipes for food that will exacerbate the problem a site with tips on losing weight, healthy eating and ways to use what you have on hand so you aren’t going to the supermarket more often than absolutely necessary would be appropriate. This would be a good time for those whose weight is unhealthy to practice reducing their intake and establishing an exercise routine.
Lisa brilliant piece – I agree with you completely.
If there’s a more dire health situation killing in greater numbers throughout the world than obesity I don’t know what does. No pandemic – I ask why? Obesity knows no boundary, no race, no creed, no religion, nothing – it is truly a world wide human problem., killing or severely affecting quality of life of millions on planet earth annually.
Take note of all the health related problems resultant from obesity. Oh the agony!!
This completely controllable curse of human existence is a real time worldwide curse & is definitely visually predominate in the land of plenty on both sides of our common border (we’re in Canada)
To mitigate this from our situation, (neither my lady nor I are obese), we decided as of January 2019 not only to severely restrict the “bad” foods ( not eliminate but restrict – ya gotta have some fun -right?) but to limit our caloric intact each day – she – 1500 calories, me 2000.
Since then I’ve returned to the weight I left high school in, (1966) and she although not achieving the same has lost 41 lbs, is really looking and feeling good.
We still enjoy our wine (600 calories/bottle) and cheese, but now that’s a treat, not a staple. In our world there’s only one way to beat the fat bug and that’s not to use the body as a storehouse for fuel you are unable to burn off.
Restrict your calorie intake and get out from behind the Coors and the big screen, and you’ll stand a really good chance of fighting off the annual bug of the year, that since 2000 seems to dominate the headlines.
The article was about Comfort Food, not nutritional food. RVTravel would welcome your article on “losing weight, healthy eating and ways to use what you have on hand”.
cee, if you are referring to my little rant – reread if you’re one who wants to lose weigh!, Eat less, (keep to 2000 calories per day – easy peasy) and exercise lots.
No cost, no books to pick from the thousands telling how, and you’ll amaze your fiends within a few months.
Nothing more to add, except perhaps use “comfort food” sparingly, not as a main diet like most do – thus OBESITY – and an early departure. Happy trails.
I replied to Lisa Cantrell, not you.
Yes, cee, it was about comfort food but I always question what is so “comforting” about food that will only cause someone with or prone to obesity to suffer. Additionally, I questioned the advisability of posting a list of recipes for “comfort food” when a good 35% of the country is obese.
Like I suggested, write a nutritional article and submit it to RVTravel. There is more to living a well round life than tofu and kale.
“…a well round life…” Denial is not just in the Middle East, eh?
Just like liquor stores are considered “essential businesses” now, the effects of withdrawals would cause more problems. Keep eating/drinking, no problem. :-/
“Stop liking what I don’t like!”
Thank You Cee.
I’m not sure about that trivia bit this morning. As I sit here self-quarantining about 40 miles south of Green Bay, Wisconsin, neither Google nor my Rand-McNally road map shows a city named Green Bay in Washington State.
You and your research are correct, Ron. This proofreader needs to learn to not take for granted what writers put in the newsletters. But I’m usually more focused on the little nitpicky stuff, like an extra space between sentences, and sometimes miss the bigger stuff. Sorry. 😯 —Diane at RVtravel.com
All Delaware State Parks including the campgrounds are closed as of March 24 through May 15. I had made a reservation online two weeks ago for Delaware Seashore State Park, for arrival on March 30. I received notice yesterday that all state park reservations have been canceled through May 15.