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 1427
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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RV Advice: Have a question for other RVers? This Facebook group is a very helpful resource.
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Today’s thought
“We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it. —Wendell Berry
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Eat a Hoagie Day!
On this day in history: 1984 – Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a gas balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean.
Did you see the news? Click here to read the latest issue of the Sunday News for RVers.
Tip of the Day
Getting along – Pointers for a great RV partnership
By Greg Illes
It is said that wherever your relationship is going, traveling together in an RV will take it there sooner. Here are some thoughts and pointers for traveling (and living) in close quarters with your loved one. Read more.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
RV Electricity – This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session
Driving over wires is a bad idea
Dear Mike,
While watching the news here in Northern California they were showing a RVer using his RV generator to power his and neighbors’ homes. There were power cords laying across the street and I’m not sure this happens but I would expect cars drive across the cords. I’m hoping the cords are the proper gauge for the load and distance. Bu it would seem to me to be a bad idea to have cords unprotected from car tires like that. Shouldn’t a cord cover of some sort be used? —Tom Hart
• Join Mike’s Facebook group, RV Electricity.
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
Should you box up your batteries?
If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, a battery in the box is worth at least two in the junk pile. Eh? If your rig doesn’t provide “inside storage” for your house batteries, leaving them out in the weather, unprotected, can be most unprofitable. A lot of older travel trailers have the house battery sit up near the hitch, well exposed to the elements. What could the problem be? Find out here.
Reader poll
How important is having a microwave oven in your RV?
Heat up your answer and tell us here.
NEW FACEBOOK GROUP: The future of RVing: Where is it headed?
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.
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS.
Be like Mike: Don’t forget the fuse!
Mike says: Your RV has both 120-volt AC electrical systems (like your house), plus 12-volt DC battery systems (like your car). If the power goes out, it could be a circuit breaker (like in your house) or a blown fuse (like in your car). Always carry spare fuses that fit your RV’s battery system. Confirm the exact type and size of fuses your RV needs, then get a set of replacements. Here’s one pack, but be sure to check what your RV actually uses before ordering it.
Quick Tip
Make your own RV step covers
To keep his RV step covers renewed, Ben Warren makes his own. Here’s how: “This can be done really inexpensively by purchasing a remnant of artificial turf and a small container of tent grommets at a big box store or Harbor Freight. The grommets come with all the tools you need except a hammer. I just punched three holes on each side of the measured piece of artificial turf and then installed the grommets and used nylon zip ties to attach them to the steps. This is cheap, and when they get dirty you can just spray them off with water. When they get worn out you can adjust them or just replace them as needed. I’ve had a set on my 5th wheel now for two years and still look great. Artificial turf comes in a variety of colors so that you can match the decor of your RV.” Thanks, Ben!
[Editor: Check out artificial turf on Amazon.]
Want to see something cute? Check out this hedgehog who goes camping. We guarantee you’ll smile!
Website of the day
American Fun Facts
Reader’s Digest has a great list of American fun facts you may not know! Plus, each fun fact links to another interesting article, so click here when you’re feeling curious and have some time to kill.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• See wild burros, gunfights and a historic stretch of Route 66.
• Another nomination for “longest RV”.
#931-1
Trivia
Think it’s hard to learn another language? Well, you’re right, but it’s also very hard to learn English. Try and explain to someone that every “c” in Pacific Ocean is pronounced differently. Hard, right? But yup, each “c” is said differently – the first with an “s” sound, the second as a harsh “ck” sound, and the third with a “sh” sound.
Give your phone or tablet a full-sized keyboard
How neat is this? This tiny, collapsible Bluetooth keyboard connects to your phone and tablet so you can type comfortably. The 5-ounce palm-sized keyboard can be folded into your pocket or backpack to carry around. All you have to do is press “Connect” to quickly pair with your devices. Check it out here.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“We are newbie full-time RVers. Our two beagles, Missy and Gretchen, have adapted to the 2019 Renegade Valencia 38RW very well. They like the window by the couch to watch the world.” —Ellen Lane
Send us a photo of your pet. Show the world how cute they are! Submit a photo and a short description here.
Leave here with a laugh
Reader Pat Gerard sent this haiku to us. Thanks, Pat! We got a big smile out of this.
Pat writes:
“Husband and I went grocery shopping,
with masks.
Came home, took off masks.
Brought home wrong husband.
Stay alert people.”
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 and special projects 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
This is becoming a very sad world we live in. It seems every thought you have, and express has to be so PC. What ever happened to live and let live. We don’t have to agree on everything, but we should agree to disagree, and not make it a political argument, that’s argument not debate….
To add to your strange pronunciation examples, there is the famous word “ghoti.” The gh is pronounced as in “tough,” the o as in “women,” and the ti as in “nation.” Thus “ghoti” is pronounced “fish.”
That “haiku” is not a haiku. A haiku is a 3-line poem with syllable count of 5/7/5.
Missy and Gretchen look like 2 happy campers..
Today’s thought might be good in the sense of the Golden Rule. We do need to be considerate of others. But taken in a broad sense of all aspects of the world, it’s unrealistic. Couple of examples: What Californians do doesn’t necessarily fit Texas. What urban Californians believe is not compatible with rural Californians. Traveling to California, I saw that priorities of residents of California big cities are not compatible with residents of rural California. Many millennials might believe that everyone else should give them free college.
The thought of the day goes right along with “Getting along – Pointers for a great RV partnership” or ” Do onto others as you would want others to do onto you”
In our case,it is the difference between hunger and not!!!!!
Well, I think the thought of the day will go against some folks grain. Not what I would expect from the editorial staff.
Exactly what I thought as I read it. I choose not to conform to world values.
This is one of the 1st things the “editorial staff” asks of us …“This newsletter is for intelligent, open-minded RVers.” I applaud their forthright request for us to converse respectfully through these comments. If we can do it around the campground or RV park also we will all have more enriched lives.
I agree 100%
A comment on “Today’s thought”.
Who is Wendell Berry?
Here is the description of who Wendell Berry is according to Wikipedia:
Wendell Erdman Berry is an American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. He is an elected member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, a recipient of The National Humanities Medal, and the Jefferson Lecturer for 2012.
I normally read the Today’s thought and smile. Not on this one though. His thought is that we should live under a One World Order, as opposed to “America First”. He is a Globalist, environmental activist and a cultural critic. I understand that there are people that agree with him in this country. But there are more that disagree. I just wanted to get my point cross that we all do not agree with this particular “thought”! Thanks for listening.
I do not know who Wendell Berry is, nor do I need to know to appreciate his comment. I do not have to agree with everything he says to agree that we could live less selfishly and more considerately to what is good for the planet. How is that wrong?
I didn’t say if it was right or wrong. I simply stated that I do not agree with it. I am entitled to my opinion, just as you are entitled to yours. As long as we can have an intelligent, respectful, dialect, that in itself, makes me happy! Enjoy the rest of your day.
I think most would agree with the thought for the day. Myself, I agree with it wholeheartedly. We are all one people living on this marble spinning through the cosmos.
Glenn, I would agree, if I thought that the way you are expressing it, is the way it was intended by the author. I don’t, so I expressed that I did not agree with it. But thanks for being able to express your thoughts, without any animosity. Have a good one Glenn!
I’m sorry, but do we have to make everything so grandiose? I am not a globalist nor an activist, but I am trying to think more about how my actions and deeds affect others in the world. Example, I am redoing vegetation and garden for a summer lake cottage. I want it to look nice, but also provide soil protection and food for the natural bee population. Is that not “what’s good for the world”?
How about the camper who leaves his campfire burning while no one is around to watch it? A wind comes up, blows some embers and now we have a bigger fire and a bigger problem. This person did what “was best for him” with no regard to the world around him. After working to put out his action, am I not allowed to criticize him and then teach him that in a camping culture, we do not leave our fires burning.
And if you think about it, being a farmer is being an environmentalist. They have to protect the earth and feed the world.
Now I have said my piece and thanks for listening.
You are totally welcome to say whatever is on your mind. Have a great day!
Somehow the wishes for “have a great day” sound a bit insincere, although I could be wrong … but stay healthy and enjoy your day Ed.
I will enjoy the day and I was being sincere. Thanks Bill
What a wonderful comment Sharon. And some great examples. Thank you.
Isn’t it possible that there is something that is between America First (which I have observed is really, America to the exclusion of everyone else) and the totalitarian ‘One World Order’ you seem to be afraid of?
What ever happened to the old saw, ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’. Does it only work for trickle-down economics, but not the world we want to live in?
How about ‘Do unto others’?
I am saddened. History has given us pretty good lessons about isolationism. Without engagement with the rest of the world, America can’t be great.
Your last statement I agree with…USA has done more for the world than any other country on this planet, which has made America great. We have TWO floating hospitals that can be deployed to any where in the world. We have never fought a war where we have conquered to take over a territory, only to protect the people of those territories/countries. We have shared advances in medicines, technology and machinery to the entire world for decades and have brought relief to starving nations across the globe. But we cannot be a nation if we do not have borders and a limited government to enforce those borders. I think we have achieved something between America first and a One World Order, as you say.
Never fought a war to conquer and take over a territory? This whole nation was built upon the conquest of the indigenous people to take over the land and all its resources. Wow.
you are mistaken sir…this was not a country and this was not a nation…at the time. WOW …let me ask you a question. If the western Europeans would have sailed here, met the indigenous people and said oh no, we will respect their “area” (because they had no government) and left. What do you think would have happened?
Not sure where you interpreted my comment to mean we should be “isolationists”. I reread my comment and no where do I see I said that. But of course, someone like yourself would take it upon yourself to tell me what I meant.
I said “America first”!
That doesn’t mean to ignore the rest of the world. It simply means that before we clean up the backyards of other countries, we need to put ours back in shape. Agree with me, don’t agree with me, that is your choice. But I needed to correct your misinterpretation of what I said!
Here is more around “Today’s thought”, from Good Reads.
Ed, wondering how you know more people disagree with the thought of the day? Please enlighten us with your insight of why you disagree? I’m wondering if you know something the rest of us should be more aware of? How did you come to the conclusion that Berry’s thoughts are based on a “One World Order”? Enquiring minds want to engage in a respectful conversation!
Trump was elected in 2016 and will be re elected in 2020.
Thanks for asking.
I never said that more people disagreed with the thought of the day. I said that more people disagree with a one world order. That is evident by who won the last presidential election.
I am Always open to a thoughtful, respectful conversation.
Ed, with respect, you haven’t answered Les’s question, and I too, am curious where you concluded that the Berry quote somehow meant a “one world order”, whatever that means? My take, given he was a prominent naturalist, is he means the natural world such as soil, air, water and us humans that depend on it. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks
Ellen, with respect, I will answer that for you.
“We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it”.
Let’s take the first sentence: What “is” good for the USA, IS actually, good for the rest of the world. When we are successful, as a Nation, we are in turn, able to help the rest of the world more, due to our success at home! If we fail, as a Nation, we will be unable to help anyone, let alone ourselves!
Continued below.
Continued from above.
He says “We have been wrong”! But does not point out what we are doing that is wrong. He says “We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for us”. He doesn’t explain what he means and as an American, I honestly believe in America first and then help the rest of the world.
I believe that the USA, the most successful and free Nation in the world, knows what is good for the rest of the world and acts accordingly. We, as a country, do NOT have to change our way of life to what the rest of the world is doing. If they were doing so great, they wouldn’t need our help, would they?
I hope this clarifies my position. Have a good evening.
The person who won the votes of the people is not the current occupant of the position of President of the USA. Sorry, but facts are facts, and no amount of Electoral College baloney will change that! Meanwhile the RV experience is in great peril because of the electoral college in my opinion. Witness privatization of NFS Campground management, allowing resource extraction in OUR National Parks and Recreation areas and this ridiculous “for private profit” camp reservation scheme to name just a very few that have a negative effect on the RV community.
And of course, you will blame the President for anything and everything that you perceive is wrong with the world.
You may not like the the electoral college but it was instituted to prevent large States like New York and California from deciding the fate of the “rest” of the country.
Too bad for you that you don’t like it. We do!
So don’t give me that Balogna that the rightful person isn’t in the White House.
You may answer this response if you choose to do so but I am done responding to people like you that basically are incapable of a respectful conversation.
The electoral college has/had little to do with New York or California.
https://time.com/4558510/electoral-college-history-slavery/
There is no reason we should not be able to have a popular vote for President.
Whatever you say……
Hey Chuck and your talented staff. I have an idea. This past weekend at a camp out I had mentioned your website and neither had heard of you. (Hard to believe). So I told them about your website. Would it be possible for your staff to create a printable sheet with the web address and other contact info like Harvest Hosts has. Cut outs bussiness card size so that we could hand them out when we come across some one who could benefit from joining.
I’ll bet your staff could get really creative. Anyways,just an idea to make it easier to spread the word instead of trying to write it down on tp. Talked Mike Sokol up too. Maybe something he could do as well. With all the newbies out there, help will be needed. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I witnessed. Thanks for caring about RVers.
I agree with the idea of having a printable sheet. So many times I suggest the newsletter and write it down. I have even thought about making up cards to pass around. The information presented in this publication was a game changer for our RV experience and I want others to know about it!
Great Ideas! Those of us with printers could help RV Travel and make these up ourselves. I’ll do it and consider it part of my membership donation.
Thanks for the great idea, Stephen. We appreciate it! And we appreciate your spreading the word about us, even if it is on tp. 😆 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Helped a single elderly lady a week ago at our campground. She’s a newbie who just acquired a small fiberglass trailer. I also told her about your publication and grabbed my little notepad in my glove box and gave her the website information and told her to make sure she signed up for the newbie newsletter.