Issue 2094
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
“It is not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity.” —Francis Bacon
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Burrito Day!
On this day in history: 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first people to reach the North Pole.
Tip of the Day
Boondocking: A comprehensive how-to guide for a great trip
By Nanci Dixon
Every camper needs a boondocking how-to guide. Boondocking is so underrated! Even among ardent campers, boondocking is often viewed as a last resort—an overnight stop when there is nowhere else to stay.
When I am talking with friends and family about my love of boondocking, I find that they generally underrate it. My sister and brother-in-law have heard me rave about Quartzsite, Arizona, so often that they decided to stop and look around on their way to California. The short drive-through certainly turned them off!
Boondocking has many definitions
Loosely speaking, boondocking is free camping without hookups, usually on federal or state land. The Bureau of Land Management has set aside areas where people can camp for free or at a minimal charge (use this wonderful book as your boondocking guide).
Continue reading this very thorough guide
NEW! RV Video Review
Look for Cheri’s new RV Video Reviews every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Tour the 2023 Grand Design Solitude 380FL 5th Wheel
By Cheri Sicard
The 2023 Grand Design Solitude 380FL 5th Wheel is designed for comfortable living. In fact, according to the video, this is the model that actor Al Pacino rolls in.
Take a virtual tour of this luxurious and roomy 5th wheel in the video below from Lazee Acres RV Sales.
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
My RV’s roof air is so noisy I can’t hear my husband 15 feet away!
Dear Dave,
First on my list is to thank you for ALL of your knowledge. I am wondering why my air conditioners are so loud in my unit and how I can quiet them down? When the air is on I can’t hear my husband talk 15’ away or watch television, for that matter. Help. Thank you. —Karen, 40’ 2021 Heartland Cyclone 3713 fifth wheel toy hauler
Video of the day
Buying cast iron: What to look for in a cast iron skillet
By Cheri Sicard
I know from our recent reader’s poll of RV kitchen essentials that many of you already carry a cast iron skillet in your rigs. And since they last forever, you probably won’t need a new one. But for the rest of you, the video below from Cowboy Kent Rollins on what to look for in a cast iron skillet will be invaluable. I strongly advise, don’t buy a cast iron skillet before watching it!
Focusing on an RV’s bells and whistles distracts from asking important questions
By Gail Marsh
Just like most folks at the gigantic regional RV show, we had stars in our eyes. Those stars blocked our view, I guess. Or at least they caused our common sense to blur a bit. How is it that when spending tens of thousands of dollars on an RV, our main concern is the bell-and-whistle items that honestly don’t add all that much to the actual RVing experience? Continue reading.
Reader poll
As far as your personal weight goes, would you rather… ?
Ever have trouble seeing our polls or find other missing info on our website? Click here, it might help.
Amazon Best Sellers. See what’s sizzlin’ hot today!
Quick Tip
Check and grease those locks!
Reader Owen Todd sent this in and we think it serves as a good reminder. “I just returned from a 3,500-mile road trip with my 18′ trailer. We had a flat on the truck after going through a construction site. No big deal, right? Wrong!! We had an awful time getting the key lock in the bumper out so we could insert the tool to lower the spare. It was fully caked with road gunk. If we’d been on the side of the road I don’t know what we would have done. It took an overnight soaking in WD-40 to get the key to turn in the tumbler. My advice is to make sure the lock works and grease it whenever you rotate, service, or otherwise have tire work done on the truck. And test it every once in a while.” Thank you, Owen!
On this day last year…
- Tip: The most drool-worthy, ooey-est, gooey-est, s’mores hacks (seriously, read this!)
- RV Review: 2022 Venture RV Sonic SN190VRB and my soapbox
- Ask Dave: Should I use tape on plastic water heater drain plug?
- Featured article: Tour an ice house RV. Camp on frozen lakes, catch fish!
- Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Dogs
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
We couldn’t pick just one (you’ll see why) but these could actually really come in handy! We’ll check ’em out.
Website of the day
7 Exhilarating Motorcycle Road Trips Around the U.S.
Did you know about 22 percent of our readers own a motorcycle? That’s quite a few of you! If you own one, check out these incredible drives to take with yours.
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:
• 6 percent admit to hating when they’re proven wrong in an argument.
• 52 percent do not eat sushi.
• 73 percent have seen, in person, Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser erupt.
Recent poll: How would you describe your personality?
Recipe of the Day
Crab Stuffed Deviled Eggs
by Lee Thayer from Nakhon Si Thammarat
Oh, these are not your ordinary deviled eggs. They’re super decadent. Crabmeat adds a nice texture to the filling. These deviled eggs are creamy and filled with crab. An easy recipe if you want to jazz up deviled eggs.
Trivia
Yellowstone National Park preserves more than 10,000 hydrothermal features, including more than 500 geysers — about half of all known geysers and the largest concentration of active geysers in the world!
*Which U.S. lake has more shorelines than California’s coast? Take a guess, then see if you’re right by finding the answer in yesterday’s trivia.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Here is a photo of Ruby ‘driving’ my Roadtrek. She is a rescue and part Border Collie (smartest dog) and probably could drive it if she had opposable thumbs!” —Pamela Forman
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Sunday 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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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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LHWAL- pretty funny. Sad thing is, we’re just about there…
Thank you for posting the photo of my dear Ruby!
Several brands of roof AC units come with very noisy fan blades. I know Tiffin and Winnebago rigs have the problem. There is a retro fit blade that is much quieter. Call the AC mfg. and ask about the quiet blades. They will know what you mean. The original blades have rounded edges, while the new quiet design have a sharp pointed end on the blades. Replacement consists of removing the old blade held on with one nut and installing the new one. They used to sell them at cost because of known noise issue—not sure if they still do.
Good for Ruby! She checks her slides before pulling out. Smart and beautiful pup! TY 4 Sharing and giving us a SMILE!
Ruby is a doll! Anytime a dog has Border Collie blood they are cute and very smart!
Quick tip don’t put grease in a lock, if you thought it was hard before grease will attract more dirt. Use a dry lube, graffiti or WD40 dry lube.
Graphite not graffiti
Here and I thought the graffiti was some kind of political statement! LOL
My thoughts exactly! Other than graffiti! 😉 Darned spell checkers! 🙂
Yellowstone is a ticking time bomb. Hopefully, the massive eruption ‘scientists’ warn us about won’t happen in our lifetime, but it WILL happen. Scary prospect.
I’d rather go to Yellowstone everyday of the week than San Francisco or New York….Much rather be around nature than human creation….
Spot on, Dan. San Fran and NY are both sewers these days, as are many more big cities. I’ve been to Yellowstone twice and enjoyed it both times. But both times were a long time ago – before it turned into the zoo it seems to be now Way too many people for my aging tolerance level. 🙂
I’d rather be in Yellowstone for the eruption than the cesspool by the bay for lunch. Safer.
That would be a toss-up, cancel.
Good morning, Tommy (and Cancelproof). That’s funny how you shortened his name to “cancel.” He and I have an understanding, and he knows that I (“Big Sister”) am watching his comments (along with everyone else’s comments). So he’s generally on his best behavior. But he signed a particular (fitting) comment “Cancelproof-ish” one time. I got a kick out of that! You both have a great day! 😀 –Diane aka Big Sister aka Mountain Mama (my favorite handle)
Pretty sure it won’t happen in my lifetime according to the scientists; I will continue to visit the Park every couple weeks with the exclusion of May through mid Sept. to avoid hordes of people. Living 80 mi from both the N and W entrances provides many opportunities to enjoy this magnificent Park. In the winter the road between Mammoth, WY and Cooke City, MT is plowed and open… the Lamar Valley is wonderful during any season! We visit the rest of the Park in the winter by way of snow coach; the Park is transformed with steam, snow & wildlife you probably won’t see in the summer. You should give Yellowstone a try in the winter, Tommy.
Living that close to the park makes visiting easy. Coming from Reno in the winter is off my list of things to do. Utah and Wyoming in winter can be pure hell if you get caught in some of that famous winter adventure called road closures. It’s a shame because I can imagine how breathtaking the snowed-in park must be. Maybe I should spend a winter at YOUR house, Cee. 😉😁
I am so grateful to live where I live and then get in the MH to travel south when I can’t take anymore winter. I understand about staying off the road when it gets dicey; I wait for 3 non-storm days in a row before I leave here in Jan or Feb because I want the roadways bare. And if bad weather is in front of me I will lay over for as long as it takes. Trading houses is an interesting idea!
The laugh of the day reminds me of Bennett Buggies (in Canada) or Hoover Buggies (in the US) back in the Great Depression. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennett_buggy.
Since I am a motorcycle rider, i enjoyed the article about the rides. However, there are great rides in almost every state. The Smoky Mountain Parkway in TN, along with the Tail of the Dragon and Cherohola Skyway. Route 6 in northern PA from Ohio to New York and the many roads in the Adirondacks in NY. Especially 9 N from Saratoga Springs, up past Lake George and Lake Champlain and back down through Vermont.
Don’t forget Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. And yes……Route 100 in Vermont…..one of the top 10 scenic roads in America.