Issue 1839
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, product reviews and more. Thanks for joining us. Please tell your friends about us.
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Today’s thought
“Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Gardening Day! Did you know you can grow a “bumper garden” on your RV? It’s true!
On this day in history: 1902 – James Cash Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
Tip of the Day
Just what does a road grade sign mean?
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Get out of the flat country and hit the hills, sooner or later you’ll find a sign warning of a “steep grade,” often associated with a percentage number. Road grades seem mysterious at first, but really are simple.
Simply put, road grade is the amount of rise or drop over a given distance. A 5% grade means over 100 feet, the road will rise or fall 5 feet. In real-life terms, a sign reading, “5% downgrade next 4 miles” indicates that you’ll lose 1,056 feet in altitude over the 4 miles of run. Here’s the math: 5,280 feet (per mile) X 4 miles = 21,120 feet X .05 (5% grade) = 1,056.
Today’s RV review…
Northwood Arctic Fox Grand Ronde 32-5M fifth wheel
Tony writes, “Overall this is no lightweight rig. It’s very solidly built and has a lot of little details that show that the folks at Northwoods actually use their products and are proud of them. When friends listen to me and actually buy one of these or a Lance or Rockwood/Flagstaff rig, it’s always nice to hear back how much they like the way they’re put together. And that’s saying a lot in the world of RVs.”
For previous RV reviews, click here.
CONTEST! Is this your RV?
Win a $25 Amazon gift certificate if today’s RV photo shows your rig
Every day we post a photo of an RV either submitted by its owner or by our editors as they move about the country.
Click here to see if your RV made it into today’s issue.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook” as well as the Managing Editor of the RV Repair Club.
Did my rig come from the factory properly weight balanced?
Dear Dave,
Is it safe to assume that my 2018 Coachmen Freelander Elite 23-foot motorhome left the factory well-balanced? And when loading, what is correct balance? I mean, similar weight on each wheel? Or rear wheels heavier than front? Or what? —Judith
Find 12,000-year-old pictographs at this Texas campground
Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site is a magical destination just east of El Paso, Texas. It’s named for the rock depressions, the tanks, that have held life-sustaining rainwater in the high desert for thousands of years. The Tanks created an oasis for wildlife, vegetation and native peoples. Read more about this fascinating, and calorie-burning, location here.
Reader poll
How much of your RV’s floor is covered with wall-to-wall carpet?
Quick Tip
Expanded showering opportunities
Got a BIG family or lots of traveling companions? You may find that the RV shower and associated gray water holding tank just aren’t big enough for the whole mob. Consider picking up a “solar shower” system. Heated by the sun and used outdoors, it’s great for showering down after a swim.
????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
These are the best ones of these we’ve ever seen! We’ve seen others like it, but these are BY FAR the best!! There’s no way you won’t want these!
Website of the day
40 Best Photo Editing Apps in 2022 (Free & Paid)
If you’re a photographer and want to step up your editing game (hey, even if you’re not a photographer!), check out this list. We’re going to try some of these out!
Did you miss yesterday’s Full-Time RVer Newsletter? If so, read it here.
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:
• 26 percent never use an alarm clock to wake up.
• 41 percent have never had a flat tire on their RV.
• 28 percent always wear slippers around their house or RV.
Recent poll: Are you known as someone who “arrives on time”?
Recipe of the Day
Ginger Ale – Honey Mustard Glazed Ham
by Tiffany Ash from Woodburn, IN
The glaze on this recipe is sweet, tangy and delicious! This would be perfect for your holiday ham… it will be a big hit with guests!
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Trivia
The number of gas stations in the U.S. has been declining. In 1994, there were 202,800 gas stations across the nation, but by 2012 the number was down to 156,065. The decline can be attributed to cars getting more miles per gallon, thus needing less gas, as well as new stations adding many more pumps. The decline is also due to supermarkets, big-box stores and others using cheap gas outside to draw customers inside.
*What was Sea World originally designed to be? If you don’t know, find out in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Hannah is an 11-year-old rescued Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who loves going camping and hanging out in her own camp chair. She just can’t get enough of being outside with me, starting at dawn and going till dark.” —Greg Smith
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
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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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Road grades? Have not driven in Montana. We ended up with road grades that would say 12% and yeah, it was like being on a roller coaster. We could see the drop and let me tell you I will never forget those. Glad I am not planning a trip to Montana any time soon. As for the pet photo? That reminds me of our one dog who loved doing that.
@ Greg Smith, we would love to have you and your Cavalier join us on the friendliest Facebook group, “Camping Cavaliers”! Just answer the questions to join.
Anywhere you can purchase gas is a gas station so why not count those at Costco, Walmart and such? Service station/Garages are almost nonexistent for the reason stated by others here. In agricultural areas, the providers of fuels and fertilizers can survive because they have the bulk deliveries as well as the on-site sales. They’re often the only gas station in small towns and their C-Stores do well for the same reason.
Notes to myself, print this, put in trailer.
note to self….send to husband who does more then half of that list.
Hannah is such a cutie. More important to me, she’s also a rescue. I continue to try and encourage friends looking for a new full breed furkid to check rescues, even going so far as to leave your contact info with a rescue to reach out if they take in a preferred breed. In many areas, you can even find specific breed rescue organizations (e.g. Labrador, greyhound, etc.). It may take a little bit of patience, but it is so worthwhile.
Loved laugh of the day…sent it on to bunches of old folks like me
Yep; Too Funny & True!! So K.I.S.S. & sent it to my self after I wrote in my “Get Smart” Journal…………
Most of the smaller gas stations were also “service” stations, where you could get repairs done on your vehicle, tires replaced, oil changes, etc.
With the complexity of newer vehicles, these places were forced to close. Special tools an diagnostic equipment were too costly for the average mechanic. Selling gas at these places didn’t generate enough money for them to remain open.
Number 7 made me laugh out loud in the Laugh of the day.
Yep, me too!
Every thing on the TO DO list I Have done myself. Especially the glasses. And don’t forget misplacing your house/car key’s in the front door and the ignition of the RV.
One of the major reasons for gas stations closing and declining is the E.P.A. stricter requirements for in ground gas tanks. First it was triple wall tanks and now they must be totally enclosed in concrete. The extreme cost of these required upgrades were well above the ability of single owner stations to afford and beyond what they could recover in sales.
“I’m from the GovT, and I’m here to help you.”
Yep, federal mandates are killing off the small entrepreneurs. Gas stations are but one example.
I agree the government goes overboard too much. With fuel tanks it was a case of the owners not maintaining the tanks and putting fuel in the groundwater. The few ruin it for the many. Don’t forget that the BIG boys love to see the little people go under!
Bill…exactly what I was going to comment! The trivia writer completely missed this critical point.
In my small town, right off a major four-lane…Hwy 61 along the Mississippi…meaning LOTS of cars needing fuel, the owner needed to close when it came time to replace tanks due to the extreme cost to comply. Now, no one wants fuels leaking into the ground, but many times government regs are crushing vs adequate to ensure certain goals are met.
Unfortunately, it’s becoming harder and harder for any small business to make it.
Agree that various safety and pollution regulations can be difficult and expensive to comply with. However I have no idea how to write regulations that only big companies have to comply with while ensuring that the small stations do not have gas leaking into the ground water that we all drink.
Gov’t normally does one size fits all. Risk based assessment may show a triple walled tank is adequate for smaller tanks storing less fuel. I don’t know that for sure, but I also wonder how much it was studied or understood. Do big oil tanker ships require triple hulls encased in cement??? 😉
They’ve made it near impossible for a small-time beekeeper, too!