Issue 1637
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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Page Contents
Today’s thought
“Smile at strangers and you just might change a life.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Fried Chicken Day!
On this day in history: 1942 – Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the “Secret Annexe” above her father’s office in an Amsterdam warehouse.
Tip of the Day
Corps of Engineers parks are RVer favorites
No matter where you do your RV camping in the U.S., there is a Corps of Engineers lake nearby or at least not too far away. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages more than 12 million acres of land and water, provides more than 30 percent of all recreation on federal lands. And, it is the largest provider of water-based recreation, with more than 25 million individuals visiting a Corps project at least once a year.
Hundreds of attractive campgrounds have been developed by the Corps at its projects and they are popular destinations for RVers. Corps campgrounds generally feature wide and comfortable sites suitable for any size RV, even the modern big rigs with several slideouts.
RV camping at Corps of Engineers lakes is usually very affordable and such a good buy that most people plan to stay long enough to take advantage of all the recreational opportunities at the project and to visit places of interest in the area.
Some of the best fishing spots in the country can be found at Corps of Engineers projects. Corps-managed campgrounds, noted for their tidy, spacious RV campsites and lovely lakeside settings, provide a great place for anglers to rest before and after fishing.
The best guidebook to Corps camping opportunities is RV Camping in Corps of Engineers Parks.
Yesterday’s tip of the day: Scout for the perfect boondocking site and claim it!
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new Airstream Flying Cloud 25FB with office. He writes, “I like what Airstream is doing with this floor plan. It’s a great compromise between living space and towability, and the option of the two bed-types makes it possible to get this in the layout you want.” Learn more.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the Forest River Flagstaff 28TSCSE pop-up trailer with front rack? If you missed it, you can read it here.
For previous RV reviews, click here.
Is this your RV?
If it’s yours and you can prove it to us (send a photo for comparison), tell us here by 9 p.m. Pacific time today, July 6, 2021. If it’s yours you’ll win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.
If this isn’t your RV, send us a photo of your RV here (if you haven’t already) for a chance to win in future issues.
Last week two readers claimed their $20 Amazon gift cards: Sarah Stranz of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, and Bruce Wallace of Wilsonville, Oregon.
We’ll have another photo in tomorrow’s RV Daily Tips Newsletter (sign up to receive an email alert so you don’t miss the issue or those that follow). Some of these photos are submitted by readers while others were taken by our editors and writers on their travels around the USA.
Motorhome sideswipes truck. Video captures it all. Ugly!
Watch as a Class A motorhome sideswipes a big rig truck on I-15 in Southern California. The truck had made an emergency stop before the crash occurred. The result is not pretty. Watch it here.
Yesterday’s featured article: Never buy an RV this way!
Reader poll
Do you have nightmares?
Don’t be scared! Tell us here.
Quick Tip
Simple ways to keep paper towels and TP from unrolling
If your paper towel holder is moored horizontally, you may find the roll unrolls itself as you motor down the highway. Here are a couple of suggestions: Wrap a bungee cord around the roll when you travel. Or use a spring-loaded clothes pin to pinch the roll end to the roll. Tony Gar adds: “To stop the paper towels in my wet bay from unrolling from vibrations and bumps, I first cut an old wash cloth in half, then I removed the towel holder. I then reinstalled the holder with the cut edge of the cloth under the edge. The cloth hanging across the towels exerts enough friction to hold the towels but still allows easy access to the towels. They don’t even unroll with the bay door open on a breezy day.” Thanks, Tony! And maybe the simplest solution comes from Wolfe Rose: “For paper towels or toilet paper, just squish the roll slightly eccentric. Voila, it doesn’t unroll until pulled.” Thanks, Wolfe!
????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
Forget about a lemonade stand – we want this!
Website of the day
10 Best: Amazing dog parks across the USA
Okay dog moms and dads, get ready to spoil your pups with this list of the top 10 dog parks across the country. Wow these sound nice!
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:
• 83 percent have never “camped” overnight in a Cracker Barrel parking lot
• 25 percent do not have a will
• 15 percent say they do not enjoy visiting “tourist traps” and stay far away from them
Recent poll: Do you plan to attend a fireworks celebration on July 4th? See how many other RVers did, or didn’t, see a fireworks show on Sunday.
Reusable Bamboo paper towels – good for the environment and wallet!
At first glance, you’d have no idea these weren’t regular paper towels – they look just like it! But these “paper” towels are made from bamboo and are 100% reusable. These washable towels are unbleached and chlorine-free with no added dyes or fragrances. One roll of these will replace almost 85 rolls of regular paper towels – wow! Buy a two-pack here for $14, and save money for months (even years!) to come.
Recipe of the Day
Parm Crusted Chicken My Way
by Cassie, from Somewhere, PA
Wow, these are flavorful chicken breasts. We love the breading method. The crust fries up nice and crispy and keeps the meat juicy. One of the keys to the flavor is the brine. It moistens the chicken and adds flavor to the white meat. This is simple enough to make every day but good enough for a special occasion. Serve with a salad or simple side for a delicious dinner.
It’s National Fried Chicken Day so you might as well celebrate! Get the yummy recipe.
SEE YESTERDAY’S YUMMY RECIPE: Watermelon Summer Salad
Trivia
At 281 million square feet, Amazon.com’s warehouses cover an area about 60 percent the size of Manhattan. —Wall Street Journal
*Why were prisoners on Alcatraz allowed to take hot showers? You’ll find the answer in yesterday’s trivia.
Collapsible salad spinner is perfect for RV kitchen
Salad spinners tend to take up a lot of precious, limited RV kitchen space. This Prepworks spinner folds down almost flat, so you can keep it nice and organized. It’s got an easy-to-use crank handle, which quickly dries lettuce or other veggies. You can use the nicely designed outer bowl as a serving dish, so you’ve got two in one, and it’s dishwasher safe. No clean up! Learn more or order.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Lily is our 3-year-old, 85 lb. Airedale. She loves to travel, being the first one in, and waits patiently. She is the first one out when we arrive. She has to meet everyone to give them a sniff or lick, and she loves to play with others.” —Douglas Stevens
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. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
Leave here with a laugh
Me: “What’s the Wi-Fi password?” Bartender: “You need to buy a drink first.” Me: “OK, I’ll have a Coke.” Bartender: “Three dollars.” Me: “There you go. So what’s the Wi‑Fi password?” Bartender: “’youneedtobuyadrinkfirst.’ No spaces, all lowercase.” —Sylvia McClain
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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RVtravel.com Staff
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Managing editor: Mike Gast. Associate editor: Diane McGovern. Senior editors: Russ and Tiña De Maris. Senior writers: Nanci Dixon, Tony Barthel. Contributors: Mike Sokol, Gail Marsh, Roger Marble, Dave Helgeson, Janet Groene, Julianne Crane, Chris Guld, Machelle James, James Raia, Kate Doherty, J.R. Montigel, Clint Norrell, Randall Brink and Chris Epting. Podcast host and producer: Scott Linden. Special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Moderators: Gary Gilmore, Linda Brady. 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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Reusable bamboo paper to wipe just seems utterly disgusting. Nope I’m good, too extreme for me. It’s like in the early 80s using the WC in England and the toilet paper had a waxy coating “Nasty”. Always carried a roll of TP in back when traveling England.
I was given a package of these. I am still on the first 3 towels. They have been through the laundry just like dishcloths, but come out very stiff, not foldable. I can’t see treating them as disposable. To me, they are the same as cloth, which I prefer.
There are also no COE campgrounds in Colorado or Wyoming, and only two in New Mexico. Wish we did have some since their nightly camping rate for seniors is about 25% of the state park nightly rate at our COE-owned, but state-managed, campgrounds! We have definitely taken advantage of the Corps campgrounds in the surrounding states of New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
I can’t find any Corps of Engineers camping areas in Nevada. Not that we’re short of places to camp or boondock, but I looked for the sake of looking. Maybe I missed something somewhere in my search.
I think you’re correct, Tommy. I just did a quick search and this is what I found: “US Army Corps of Engineers – There are no USACE managed lakes in Nevada. Martis Creek Lake near Reno, Nevada, is listed on the USACE/COE information page for Nevada.” Here’s the link for Nevada, which includes a map that shows Martis Creek Lake: https://corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/visitors/states.cfm?state=NV And here’s the link for Martis Creek Lake, in case you’re interested: https://corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=L210750 Have a great day! 😀 –Diane
We found that Viva brand paper towels will not unroll unless you are pulling on them. They are very good quality and have a slightly fiberous texture that sticks gently to the adjacent towels by friction. Even strong wind against my open storage bay will not unroll them.
Anyone with Pets that is planning a trip to N. Carolina, you have to check out “Four Paws Kingdom”! It is an RV Park that is all about our furry family members. They have a Doggy Obstacle Course, they do Dog Training (for a fee), they have a pond for Dogs to swim and play. Trails. Fenced in Parks for running around with the other dogs. It is in Rutherfordton, N.C. Check it out! They also have some great RV spots!