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Issue 1437
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!
Today’s thought
“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” —Sydney J. Harris
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Good Neighbor Day!
On this day in history: 1928 – Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
Did you see the news? Click here to read the latest issue of the Sunday News for RVers.
Tip of the Day
Tips for Interstate highway RV driving
By Ray Burr, Love Your RV
The right lane is your friend. There are many advantages to staying in the far right lane: It’s where the slower traffic like your RV is expected to be; you can see better behind you using the driver’s side mirror; in an emergency the shoulder is right there for a pull-over. Here are several great tips to keep you safe on the Interstate. Maybe you’ll learn something new; otherwise, these will be good reminders.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
RV Electricity – This week’s J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session
Dogbone adapter confusion cleared up – Part 1
Dear Readers,
I’ve had several postings this week over on my RVelectricity Facebook group about dogbone adapters. No, these are not the bones that you actually feed your dog. But you’ll see below that they sort of resemble the cartoon version of a big juicy bone any cartoon dog would love.
In the RV world these are AC power adapters that allow you to plug your 50-amp shore power RV into a 30- or 15-amp pedestal outlet. Or you can go the other way ’round and plug your 30-amp shore power RV into a 50-amp pedestal outlet. Continue reading.
• Join Mike’s Facebook group, RV Electricity.
• Read more of Mike’s articles here.
RVer’s campsite railroad keeps passersby smiling
Jim Crowhurst’s garden railroad at the Thousand Trails preserve in La Conner, Washington, always puts a smile on the faces of other campers who pass by. Here’s a three-minute video tour of his layout, as told in Jim’s words.
Do you yearn to take a road trip on Route 66? Much of the historic highway is still there and can be driven with any size RV. If the Mother Road is on your bucket list, you might want to join our Facebook Group, RVing Route 66. You might also like RVing the Back Roads.
Reader poll
Do you walk or jog regularly for exercise?
Stop for a water break and tell us 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.
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS.
Quick Tip
Merging onto a freeway or passing other vehicles with an RV
You will have slower acceleration when you enter a freeway, so you will need more space. Remember that freeway traffic has the right-of-way, so you must look for gaps large enough to accommodate your vehicle(s). You also need more space when passing other vehicles. Judging how much space you will need takes practice. If you don’t allow enough space and time to complete a pass, you may need to swerve quickly into another lane. This could result in a skidding, over-steering, swaying, or fishtailing trailer. —From California DMV
Website of the day
Hydration Calculator
Camelbak has put together this easy-to-use calculator to tell you how much water you should be drinking while active. The calculator uses your height, weight, age and gender to determine how much water you’ll need.
Popular articles you may have missed at RVtravel.com
• RV Tire Safety: Do not unnecessarily bleed off high air pressure
• Is reusable toilet paper a good idea in your RV?
• RV Doctor: How to adjust a Lippert slideout
#933-1
Trivia
The world’s population has more than doubled since John F. Kennedy was president. Back when he was president between 1961–1963, the world population was between 3 billion and 3.3 billion. As of May 2019, the world population was estimated to be 7.6 billion. That means the world’s population has more than doubled in about 60 years. The United Nations says that by 2050, the population will reach 9.8 billion.
Be like Mike: Don’t forget the fuse!
Mike Sokol 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.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Our 2 yr. old Shih Tzu on guard duty at the camper window with her favorite ball.” —Alan Householder
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
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.
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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
The freeway traffic has the right of way…except in Texas!!
I never drive in the far right lane going through cities. Those often turn into exit only without a lot of warning, especially in construction areas, and the traffic to your left is too heavy and/or won’t let you over. I pick a middle lane and stay there until it eventually becomes the right lane outside of town.
That is such a good point.
Same here,especially in cities like Albuquerque ! 😎
Re:Tips for Interstate highway RV driving – –
Agree with all the tips given – except about staying in the right Lane. Depends on the highway itself and how many total lanes it has. But have found that especially if my direction has 3+ lanes to NEVER stay in the RH lane. Instead will stay in the 2nd lane over to avoid:
* incoming traffic merging from the right – there are very few drivers who know that the primary purpose of their merge lane is to get up to the speed of the traffic in the RH lane they are trying to merge into. Way too many times I have had people jump in front of me (when I am in the RH lane) from the merging lane going only 30 – 40 mph – while the traffic already on the highway speed of is going 60+ mph.
* people already on the hwy cutting into my lane right in front of me and slamming on their brakes while trying to make their exit ramp.
Also the worst blind spot I have when driving my Class A is my RH front corner – right where some mergers lurk.
One problem with merging is that many on-ramps are too short. (Some in Texas are especially short away from major cities.) By the time I’ve straightened out enough that I can see freeway traffic in my rearview mirror, the merge lane is ending. The worst are merge lanes where I’m headed uphill.
The second problem is packs of trucks running bumper to bumper and they can’t move over because of traffic in the center lane. There’s lots of on-ramps without shoulders so there’s nowhere to go. This occurs most often in cities so I try to avoid traveling through cities even in off peak times.
I’m surprised there’s not a lot more accidents at on-ramps. The thing that doesn’t make sense is that the driver on the freeway has a much better view of the entire situation than the driver that’s merging. I think the laws are backwards re: merging. (Although, I understand that in the event of an accident the driver that had the last best chance of preventing it is at fault.)
When I was stationed in Texas, I found the driving laws to be that Freeway traffic had to yield to the traffic merging from the on-ramps. That was the opposite of what I grew up with in Washington State. I thought it made a lot more sense though.
Bob P,
I haven’t seen or checked what you referred to in Obamacare on assisted suicide, but it doesn’t surprise me. When Covid started surfacing (and still) they started putting the worse cases of Covid in nursing homes with the most vulnerable people there are, the elderly. My personal feeling is that we (elderly) are considered disposable, so putting Covid patients in nursing homes with us solves two problems at once. I have no idea who makes these decisions, but I feel they are quietly thinning the “herd”. I hope I am wrong.
Why are products like Bowl Sparkle permitted to advertise on this site – I looked at a number of review sites and reviews are horrible / I was looking for affect on seals and other plumbing system parts – I bet NEVER seen a product rated so uniformslly low — what a disservice !
Sorry, Howard. That’s not one of our usual advertisers. Some of the ads you see are “auto-inserted” by Google, which generally delivers them based on an RVer’s interests, and most of the ads are related to RVing. It is impossible for us to see all those ads ourselves. They “cycle through” and can even be directed to different audiences throughout the U.S. But for anyone else who sees that ad and your comment, that will be a good heads-up for them. Thanks! -—Diane at RVtravel.com
You are correct. If he recently searched on Google for a similar product, this is the kind of ad he’ll see. I am not seeing that ad.
Thanks, Cecilia. Sometimes it’s difficult for us to tell what’s going on with ads in our newsletters — until we hear from a disgruntled reader for “advertising” stuff we’ve sometimes never even heard of before. Take care. 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Howard, you might also note that it’s possible to have some control over the ads you see depending on which browser you’re using.
In Chrome, for example:
A similar ability is available in most major browsers, but probably not in the same location.
Thanks for the great tip, Bob! 🙂 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Tip of the day: in most states it’s the law that unless you are passing slower traffic you are required to drive in the right lane. Few people do but eventually police will start enforcing the laws. FL was the first state to do this because of all the senior drivers who get into the left lane driving 48 mph and causing traffic problems, but even FL does not enforce it yet.
JFK was president from January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 (not 1960-1965) when he was assassinated in Dallas, TX by Lee Harvey Oswald
Thank you for the history lesson, since history and geography are rarely taught in school anymore we are seeing the results in this trivia.
Thank you, Bob and Gary. It’s been corrected. OY! 😯 —Diane at RVtravel.com
The only drawback to staying in the right lane is having to make decisions for inept drivers who can’t seem to manage a safe merge at the on ramps.
Run over them, they’ll break out the dictionary and learn what merge means, when I was driving semi-truck I sent many down the shoulder because I couldn’t move over and it was too late to brake.
Me too, Bob. And, it’s the ‘mergers’ job to speed up or slow down to safely merge. If you slow down, and THEY slow down, pretty soon you’re both almost stopped, creating an even BIGGER safety issue!
Loved the train video! Thank you.
I think the most important news in this edition is the Population Explosion. Overpopulation is the greatest crisis we face. it causes climate change, famine, water shortages, migration problems, traffic congestion, housing shortages, and more.
China solved that problem back in 1979 when they made it illegal to have more than 1 child. Now they find that was not a good idea because they’re short handed on soldiers, which is good for the rest of the world, but now they are encouraging massive breeding. At least it will take another generation to build their military strength up. Another example of politicians not thinking their decision through.
In addition, since boys were preferred, there aren’t a lot of females leading to a lot of bachelors.
What was posted about accessing a multi lane highway may be true for California but is false for my home province of Ontario, as the vehicle accessing the highway has 1 the responsibility of getting up to speed to merge safely, and 2 any vehicle approaching this merging lane MuST give way to the merging vehicle. It is a very grey area as to merging speeds as tractor trailers have a harder time getting up to speed than cars but people don’t give enough room as the new norm is I have the right of way even though common sense dictates differently.
In Maine the merging vehicle does not have the right of way and must yield
Throughout the U.S. merge means you get up to speed to match the flow of traffic and MERGE into it. Another reason not to go to a foreign country because I’d run over a bunch of people if I’m expected to give way to them coming onto the highway.
According to “Ontario.ca” you are wrong! I live in Ontario and I have never heard or seen such a law. As stated if it is safe to do so the vehicle in the right lane”As a common courtesy” should only move to a left lane only when safe to do so to permit the merging vehicle space.
I looked at Camelback’s Hydration Monitor and found that it’s age slide bar only went up to 62. Guess they don’t think we exercise after reaching that ancient (?) milestone.
Went to 65+ when I tried it. Evidently those 65 and those in their 70’s, 80’s, 90’s all the same.
Guess not…also… I didn’t feel like converting liters to ounces. We use ounces, pints, quarts and gallons here in the USA. Sorry Canada and Mexico.
Guessing it’s in liters because the Camelbak is. Funny, soda converted wayback as an industry (1, 2 liter Coke), but no other industry followed. I remember being in grade school and being told the entire country was changing over…just never happened.
Not all of Canada uses gallons.
I didn’t get my newsletter either.
Didn’t get my newsletter delivered in my email this morning. Had to go to your website to read today’s issue.
Never received your newsletter today. Had to go to your site to read it. And yes, I checked my junk folder. Hope all is well.
Same thing happened to me… was surprised as that is the one piece of email I actually enjoy…
Didn’t get mine either. And I really look forward to it. Hopefully whatever went wrong will be fixed shortly.
Neither did I.
I smiled at “Today’s Leave Here With A Laugh”. We were stationed at Naples, Italy, from May ’88 – May ’92. One of the Italian residents in our “parco” (small housing development) actually had a full-grown Bengal Tiger in their yard.