Issue 2074
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.
Today’s thought
“Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Meatball Day!
On this day in history: 1842 – The first documented discovery of gold in California occurs at Rancho San Francisco, six years before the California Gold Rush.
Tip of the Day
10 reasons why you need a wok in your RV kitchen
By Cheri Sicard
Woks are the most important cooking implement in traditional Chinese kitchens. But guess what? The large sloped-sided pans are also one of the best multi-tasking tools you can pack in your RV kitchen.
Of course, if you enjoy Chinese cooking, or stir-frying in general, using a wok is a given. But if you think outside the box, woks have a LOT more uses than that. This is because of their large size and also their distinctive sloping walls that allow you to move food around the cooking surface without it spilling over and making a mess.
Another benefit cooks will find is that the large wok cooking surface features two distinct temperature zones. Directly over the flame will be great for searing, quick-cooking, and other high-heat tasks. Use the sloping sides to keep foods cooking but at lower, gentler rates.
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 and writers 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.”
My Suburban water heater doesn’t work on 120-volt power. Does it need a second switch?
Dear Dave,
My Suburban water heater doesn’t work on shore power, or any other 120 power source. I made sure the switch was on at the water heater. I also verified I had power at the outlet that the water heater is plugged into and that it was actually plugged in. The only obvious thing I see is that there is no switch for the water heater to run off of 120 on my control panel. The only switch is for gas operation. Do I need the second switch? I looked on the Forest River website, but it’s of no help, and the dealer is backed up for months. Can you help?? —Kevin, 2021 East to West Della Terra 271BH
Big Rig RV owners! You need this!
If you aren’t carrying the 2023 Rand McNally Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas with you in your RV, you’re inviting trouble. This is the atlas that truckers rely on to plan their routes. It helps them get “there” the fastest while avoiding roads where they could get stuck with turns too tight or bridges too low to fit through without shaving off their roofs. Even if you have a GPS, this is an important resource! Learn more or order.
Watch yesterday’s Talkin’ RV Tech
Watch a replay of yesterday’s discussion of RV repair and maintenance by our experts Dave Solberg and Dustin Simpson. The program is streamed live every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time.
Video of the day
RV gadget game changer: Traeger portable grills
By Cheri Sicard
I was curious to watch this video from the Long Long Honeymoon about Traeger Portable Smoker Grills. That’s because quite a few people mentioned them in our poll about favorite RV cooking gadgets, although not enough to make the overall list. But those who mentioned this gadget LOVED it. I was intrigued as my only experience with Traeger was a HUGE patio model that would not have been practical in an RV.
If you’re not familiar with the brand, it was invented in the 1980s. What makes Traeger smokers so unique is their wood pellet fuel that comes in a variety of types, depending on your BBQ preference. This produces smoke and cooks the food over indirect heat—in other words, true barbecue.
A Scream-ing lesson in Norway: Don’t be afraid to explore; you never know what you’ll find
Chris Epting and his son visited Oslo, Norway, on their way to explore around an Arctic archipelago. He especially wanted to see the most famous local painting: Edvard Munch’s The Scream. Chris and his son then spent quite a busy and sometimes frustrating day tracking down the location which inspired Munch to paint this picture after sensing “an infinite scream passing through nature.” Read the thought-provoking lesson Chris learned during their adventure, here.
Reader poll
Have you ever had to take your RV into the shop because of a recall on it?
Quick Tip
It wasn’t me; I have proof!
When going into a new RV park, you should consider taking a cell phone photo of your site before you pull in. Take another cell phone photo when you leave the site. This will prevent unscrupulous RV park owners and managers from trying to say you damaged something on the site and they want you to pay for it! Believe me, they are out there!
Thanks for the tip, Jeffrey T.!
On this day last year…
- RV Review: Coachmen Apex Ultra-Lite 265RBSS
- Ask Dave: My microwave outlet is dead but all others are working. Why?
- Featured article: Does windchill affect RV water lines freezing when driving?
- Recipe: French Onion Meatball Sub
Website of the day
Forvo
Learn how to pronounce any (and they mean ANY) word in English or another language. This website is good to know about!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We love this so much we wouldn’t want to get it dirty! Why would we get something dirty? Well, you’ll see!
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:
• When asked if their RV kitchen is too big, too small, or just right, 70 percent answered “just right.” Nobody said “too big.”
• 71 percent say their propane furnace heats up their RV very fast.
• 8 percent never use curse words.
Recent poll: Will your next RV trip in the USA be to a destination east or west of the Mississippi River?
Recipe of the Day
Salisbury Steak Meatballs
by Liz Lanza from Centerville, PA
Definitely add these Salisbury steak meatballs to your dinner rotation. Thanks to onion soup mix and Italian bread crumbs, the meatballs have a nice savory flavor. After simmering in the Crock Pot, the gravy becomes nice and thick. It is great over egg noodles. The flavor combinations are perfect in this recipe with minimal ingredients. Serve with a veggie on the side and this is an easy dinner option.
Trivia
The rise of airline travel led to the invention of luggage on wheels. In 1970, Bernard Sadow was stuck in customs with heavy luggage after returning from a vacation in Aruba. While he was standing in line, he watched as a worker moved heavy equipment on a wheeled platform. At that moment, Sadow realized luggage should be on wheels too. Soon after, and after a few different design prototypes, he was pitching his “rolling luggage” to Macy’s.
*Are there more or fewer ATM machines today than in 2019? And why? The answer is in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Molly will be 12 in April. She still acts like a little puppy running, playing, and loves to play with other dogs. She absolutely loves people. As we are walking along, I tell her ‘Car’ and I point at the car and she will immediately sit down and wait for the car. People going by get a big kick out of that. She’s always afraid that we’re gonna leave her behind, so I’m sending a picture of what she does when we get ready to leave.” —Sharain Jones
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!
Pet owners: Here are a few excellent resources to find a veterinarian while on the road. Keep this handy!
Keep insects and bird nests out of your RV furnace this spring!
Wasps, mud daubers, birds and rodents pose a serious threat to the furnace on your RV. They can enter through the furnace vents. Their nests can interfere with air flow and cause serious damage. Camco’s flying insect RV furnace screen fits Duo-therm and Suburban furnace vents. Camco offers several furnace screens so check which one will fit your vent. Learn more or order.
Leave here with a laugh
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If you want to have a wonderful day, send $10, $50 or $100 to a local food bank. Millions of our fellow citizens, including little kids, are going hungry. If you have ever considered donating, now is the time. You will feel so good if you contribute — helping people less fortunate than you go to bed without the pain of an empty stomach. Find a local food bank here.
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
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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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Quick Tip – I’ve done that and have some pictures with the camp host stand where the issue is. On check out they stated it looked like I clipped the pedestal I pulled up the picture with the acquiring host and said I think not what do you think. Got quiet fast and drove off never hearing from anyone on the issue again. And it was not great camp ground only stayed 2 out of 5 days.
Even more important than taking pictures of your site before and after is taking pictures of your power meter before and after. There’s an RV park in St. George, UT who’ll really rip you off if you can’t prove otherwise.
Oh Molly is so precious and sweet, beautiful loving dogs make life better😃🐶
Have to say AMEN to Brian! Had a Dachshund that did that because we moved so much! The boxes came out and you had to make sure she wasn’t IN one LOL! Dogs make our lives so much better!!
Just like the California Gold Rush, the first gold strike in what became Colorado was by Lewis Ralston in 1850 on, naturally, Ralston Creek in the current Denver suburb of Arvada. But the strike that led the “59ers” heading for “Pikes Peak or Bust!” wasn’t until 1858 by the William Greene Russell party on Cherry Creek and Little Dry Creek in the Denver area.
Just say; Billy you have to Chill now!! about 3hrs, later it hits me & I do!! That is usually when I have Ticked Off Myself!!
Forvo and correct pronunciation… I am sure the site will help you with correct pronunciation for the chosen language; but sincerely doubt it will handle all LOCAL pronunciations. In my opinion, Texans take great pride in deliberately mispronouncing words – probably so they can readily identify the lifelong residents from the newbies. In some locales, the same word is pronounced differently depending on the context – name of a town versus a road name.
After six years as a “Winter Texan” (not a snowbird), I am still learning… 🙂
After 75 years as a born-here Texan, I’m still learning!! Move to a different area of Texas and the same spelling is pronounced differently than it was where you moved from LOL!!
Molly is adorable! 😀
I never thought of calm down quite so like it before. I guess I need to re evaluate how I calm down when in the midst of a major crisis.
NOW CALM DOWN!
Never!
Ditto
I AM CALM!!! YOU CALM DOWN!!!
😆 Hi, Cancelproof. That reminds me of my neighbor a couple of months ago. He was having a knee replaced and had a couple of prescriptions to take the morning of surgery. His wife handed him one of the pills and he asked, “What’s that for?” She replied that it was to calm him down before surgery. “I DON’T NEED ANYTHING TO CALM ME DOWN!!!!” 🙄 😆 Have a great day. 😀 -Diane