Tuesday, March 31, 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
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Clams On The Half Shell Day!
Coronavirus Updates for RVers
Coronavirus Updates for RVersBecause 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!
RV Life in a Coronavirus World: “Mr. President, please open our campgrounds!”
We have asked RVtravel.com readers to tell us how they are adapting to life these days. Here is Montgomery’s story.
Tip of the Day
Level your rig like a pro – without messing up your suspension
By Greg Illes
For most RVers leveling seems pretty straightforward. The most difficult thing seems to be getting that pesky bubble centered in the level. This is challenging when using leveling ramps or blocks, but less so when using leveling jacks.
But there are some nuances to leveling and they’re worth understanding. Leveling actually consists of two distinct components, front-to-back and side-to-side. These have very different needs and caveats. Continue reading.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
The rude couple in the campsite next door…
From Chuck’s Roadside Journal: Sometimes you run into the perfect storm. I am not talking about running into one on the ocean, but in an RV park. It happened to me in Kingman, Arizona. Continue reading.
Yesterday’s featured article: What don’t you know about the Grand Canyon?
Reader poll
Quick Tip
Scraping bottom when exiting a parking lot?
If your RV bumper scrapes when entering or exiting a parking lot or other driveway, try taking the exit with your rig at an angle rather than straight on. Still no help? You may want to add skid wheels to the back of your trailer. Two types: bolt on and weld on. The former sometimes tear off, so the added hassle of finding a welding shop may be worth the trouble.
Hold the door open, will ya?
Reader Cliff Thomson recommended this product and we think it’s a great idea. Here’s what he wrote: “We got tired of the hook breaking on our front door and on the front cargo door on our fifth wheel. So we bought two magnetic door holders from Amazon. Last week the door stayed open in a 35 mph wind. Since the magnet is spring-loaded a push will release it.”
A good place to store earrings while on the road
Gail of RVtravel.com has a tip that will help you store and find your earrings while RVing. Watch the video
Random RV Thought
If you have a sweet tooth and are trying to cut down on calories, be sure there is no candy anywhere in your RV so you won’t be tempted.
The funniest sign for your RV (and a best-seller with RVtravel.com readers!). Click here to laugh.
Website of the day
Forest Service and other government agency volunteer positions
Hundreds of volunteer opportunities with the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and other government agencies, including campground hosts, wilderness ranger, boat launch hosts, facility maintenance, trailhead naturalist, interpreter and educator, and tons 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:
• 11 percent have seen a ghost
• 17 percent receive more than 50 emails a day
• 24 percent say it’s not important that a campsite have a concrete pad
Recent poll: How is the stock of inventory in your local grocery stores? Tell us here.
Trivia
In 1939, American author Ernest Vincent Wright published the 50,000-word novel Gadsby without using the letter “e” in the entire book. Not even once. It’s important to note that the letter “e” is the most commonly used letter in the English language.
How many items does the average U.S. household contain?
A.) 150,000
B.) 300,000
C.) 500,000
Hint: We told you yesterday.
Leave here with a laugh
Tried calling the tinnitus helpline. No answer … just kept ringing.
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
For traveling I have stored my earrings in an old film cannister for many decades!
The “leveling” tips could be more helpful if trailers were also considered, not just motorhomes.
Same principles
My leveling usually involves pressing the right button on either the hydraulic system or the pneumatic system. I only use blocks when the soil seems soft and I don’t want the jacks to sink in. For the scraping issue, I raise or override my ride height by 3″ temporarily, and no more scraping. Cooking from scratch involves using frozen or canned veggies when possible and the tinnitus joke was funny, if we could all just laugh at things they don’t seem to get us down so much…
Levelling a 5th side to side – driving a wheel up on to a ramp until level. If this leaves the other wheel off the ground, in the air so not supporting any weight, does this damage suspension? Same question for a motorhome with tag axle.
No idea bout the suspension but you are overloading the tire that is carrying the load. Same is true for dual wheels
When I pull my Class A motorhome into my home driveway the bottom metal piece scrapes along the pavement. The coach itself does not scrape just the metal piece. I remember someone mentioning to me once that you should not weld anything onto a Class A motorhome. Is that true? Also, I already pull into my driveway on an angle but it still scrapes. Any ideas on what I can install on my coach or place down on the pavement to avoid it scraping?
Do you have air suspension? Can you temporarily over-ride the height by increasing air pressure?
My impression of “from scratch” means you’d raise and slaughter the chicken, pick your vegetables and grind the corn. Far from getting items out of the fridge and cooking them.
All of my jewelry is stored in tackle box inserts that have movable dividers
Your joke for the day is not funny. I have tinnitus in both of my ears and it is not funny!!
I’m sorry, M. Will. I have it also (for many years), and it is very annoying. But I found some humor in it anyway. I certainly didn’t mean to upset anyone. 🙁 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Geez…has everyone turned into a snow flake these days? Why is it that everyone reflexes into being offended. It’s a joke…not an attack on your tinnitus condition….where is your sense of humor?
Thanks, Mitch. (She wrote as her ears were, as always, ringing away.) 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I have tinnitus really bad. VA rated. In fact, they are buzzin’ up a storm this minute. As for you, you need to lighten up!!!! I bet you weren’t raised in the South?
Yep. My ears are still ringing — day and night. Fact of life. Stay healthy, Barry. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Cook real food, No fast food!!
I keep my earrings in a plastic ice cube tray which then fits in my drawer next to my bed.
Funniest sign for your RV, Sounds great, they say the size is 12″X6″X.03″, if thats so the the RV that its pictured on is only 7′ long & 3′ high, must be a fake picture!
My cooking from scratch involves making a salad with many fresh veggies and fruits then topping it with salmon, chicken, ham or beef. I hate cooking but do it 3 or 4 times a month. I prefer salads. Actually I could just stand at the fridge and graze.
RANDOM THOUGHT: Do not get in-between me and my candy!!!
Camping in a small rig next to the monster RV’s, finding their stuff stored in your campsite, because you have all this empty space.
Remind them who’s space it is and MOVE IT!
I woke up one morning to find my table piled high with stuff from the Class A next door. They had filled up their table so came around the RV to my site and put the rest on mine. Then they left for the day.
More stuff for you to sell on Ebay!
Right? that stuff would have been mine.
I’m a newbe, and would like to read the article on leveling when you get the link fixed.
You can find that on You Tube. I have found a lot of helpful stuff on You Tube especially with the winterizing and those weight distribution arms.
Go to YouTube. All kinds of info on leveling an RV.
Sorry about that, Mike. We accidentally had the article scheduled to publish in the wrong year…we got ahead of ourselves! We fixed it, so it should be working fine for you now. –Emily, RVtravel.com
I never use “Scratch”. I’ve seen bags of it at Wal-Mart and it doesn’t look very tasty. ; ) ; )
The leveling your rigs didn’t come thru. But after 40 some years I have it figured out.
Have also had rude people next to me. Just part of life.
Sorry, Gary. It got scheduled for the wrong year (by me!). Emily fixed it this morning. 😯 —Diane at RVtravel.com
We cannot eat large meals in the evening. I cook (from scratch), our large meal for lunch, but usually make enough for more than one meal. Extras become the next day’s meal or are frozen for another time. We don’t like to waste food and if I don’t have to be cooking but can reheat, then we have more time for other things— like hiking or biking or kayaking. A stash of home precooked meals work nicely for traveling.