Issue 2160
Welcome to RV Travel’s Daily Tips Newsletter, where you’ll find helpful RV-related tips from the pros, travel advice, RV videos, product reviews and more. Please tell your friends about us. Published continuously since 2001.
Page Contents
Today’s thought
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Macaroni Day!
On this day in history: 1947 – Aliens landed near Roswell, New Mexico. At least that’s what some locals believe. But the government says, no, they were not aliens, just a weather balloon that crashed. Today, Roswell celebrates the historic day with a UFO museum and street lights shaped like aliens.
Tip of the Day
These are the home remedies we swear by for bug bite itching
By Gail Marsh
Love spending time outside? You bet! Nothing better, right? Well, except for the mosquitoes! I swear these pesky insects ring their dinner bells to alert all their friends the minute I step outside the RV. I’ve learned to liberally apply insect spray before hiking, picnicking, or any other extended outdoor activity. The thing is, I am in and out of the RV several times a day. And I don’t always remember to spray so I end up with bug bites.
Mosquito bites can be especially frustrating. These pesky insects take a sip of your blood and in exchange give you a bit of their saliva. A mosquito’s saliva contains certain proteins that cause your skin to itch and burn (a mild allergic reaction). My ongoing battle against these pests has driven me to find a variety of home remedies readily available to those of us “on the road.” These tips seem to work (most of the time) for me. Maybe they can help you, too.
Watch on YouTube • Watch on Facebook
Saturday, July 8, from 8-9 a.m. (Pacific Time)
Ask Dave
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook.”
My RV’s auto-level system doesn’t work. How do I recalibrate it?
Dear Dave,
My motorhome has an auto-level system. It always leaves the front end too low and I end up having to adjust it myself. How do you recalibrate the system so it truly does self-adjust? —Sam, 2020 Jayco Precept 31UL
Video of the day
Every cat owner should know these 6 signs of heat stroke in cats
By Cheri Sicard
It might seem like cats are more resilient than dogs when it comes to heat, but the truth is, cats too can suffer from heat stroke. If not treated in time, heat stroke in cats can be fatal, so it’s important to recognize the signs of heat stroke in cats.
The folks from AnimalWised produced the video below to help you recognize when your cat might be overheating, and how to treat this serious condition should it ever happen to your beloved fur baby.
Around the Campfire: A debate on campfires vs. open windows
By Gail Marsh
There’s been an ongoing discussion around the campfire for the past week. The “campfire vs. open windows feud” has potential to ruin two RVers’ camping experience. An RVer I’ll call “Campfires” likes to have a fire every evening. There’s another RV family that likes to keep their RV windows open. I’ll call them “Windows.” These two RVers are parked back-to-back in our campground. Windows’ RV sits downwind from Campfires’ RV. And there’s the problem.
Reader poll
Do you call your spouse or significant other “Honey”?
Quick Tip
Control trailer swerve
The most unusual aspects of trailer towing involve swerve control. When a swerve starts, the natural instinct is to apply the tow vehicle brakes, but that is the WORST thing to do. Slowing down will help, but not by using tow vehicle brakes! Apply the trailer brakes independently until the swerve is controlled before starting to brake the tow vehicle. Unless the swerve is severe, the trailer brakes will correct it without any other action. From Trailers & Fifth Wheels Made Easy
On this day last year…
- Tip: Here’s an easy, cheap trick to keep outdoor cords and chargers dry
- RV Review: Forest River Surveyor Legend 276BHLE—tall ceilings and neat storage
- Ask Dave: Why do I need supplemental brakes for a light toad?
- Recipe: Easy Healthy Inside-Out Burrito
Website of the day
10 Places To Visit Where You Can Always Beat The Heat In the U.S.
Are you hot? So are we. Let’s check out one or two of these cool places in the U.S., shall we?
Clubs and useful organizations
PLEASE NOTE: We may receive an affiliate commission if you join any of these.
• Harvest Hosts: Stay free at farms, wineries and other scenic and peaceful locations for free. Save 15% on membership.
• AllStays: The best website for RVers! Your membership will become your RV-bible.
• Boondockers Welcome: Stay at homes of RVers who welcome you in their driveways, yards, farmland or other space on their private property. Modest membership fee.
• Escapees: Best Club for RVers: All RVers welcome, no matter what type of RV, make or model.
• RV LIFE Trip Wizard: Make your RV road trip planning easier than ever.
Recipe of the Day
Chicken With Strawberry Sauce
by Jenny Roberts from Knockemstiff, OH
We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this chicken with strawberry sauce. While the ingredients are unusual, both sweet and savory, they are delicious together. These chicken breasts would make a nice summer dinner served over rice. Or, slice and top a green salad.
Trivia
Next time you’re in New York City’s Central Park, look at the lampposts. On each of the park’s 1,600 cast iron lampposts, there is a four-digit code. The first two digits are the closest cross street (like 79 for 79th Street, for example) and the last two digits tell you which side of the park you are closer to, the east or west side. Even numbers mean you’re closer to the east side, and odd numbers closer the west.
*Which state gets the most speeding tickets? And what about the least? Yesterday’s trivia tells you.
Readers’ Pets of the Day
“Noah, Paislee, Brynlee, Sillee, and Jeb love camping. After a walk on the trails they love to relax outside or nap in the RV.” —Cathy Consla
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!
• RVing with Dogs group on Facebook. You’ll love it.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Oh, come on! It doesn’t get crueler than this! This would be absolute torture (but pretty funny if you were the one watching…).
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 News for RVers, make sure to catch up here.
If you shop at Amazon.com we’d appreciate you using this link. We get an itty bitty commission if you buy something, but they add up and help us pay our bills (most importantly our hard-working writers!).
Contact information
Editor: Emily Woodbury
CONTACT US
Editorial (all but news): editor@rvtravel.com
Editorial (news): chuck@rvtravel.com
Help desk: Contact us.
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.
RVtravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Regardless of this potential revenue, unless stated otherwise, we only recommend products or services we believe provide value to our readers.
Mail us at 9792 Edmonds Way, #265, Edmonds, WA 98020.
This newsletter is copyright 2023 by RV Travel LLC.
Thank you, Emily! To follow-on to some comments made below/earlier, there are two service techs that we have known and used for years. The default of both is to address me as “Mr. Davis,” despite repeated requests to address me as “Neal,” given how long we have known each other. Normally I begin by addressing each by their first name. If they respond with “Mr. Davis,” then I immediately switch to addressing them as “Mr. [last name].” We continue in that vein until they relent and use “Neal.”
I have yet to make that strawberry cobbler I saw a while back. Might be nice to have a strawberry nite? I loved that turkey bacon wrap with blueberry I saw some time ago. Yum. Me thinks it is dinner time.
Noah, Paislee, Brynlee, Sillee, and Jeb… sweet looking crew!
In a way, the laugh of the day is a sad reminder that common sense isn’t common anymore.
Kind of goes with the warning on a hair dryer “Do not use in the shower”
Or the “Do Not Eat” warnings on the side of the moisture prevention packets.
You can call me almost anything you want to as long as it isn’t “late for supper”
During a series of radiation treatments my Dr. would refer to me as Mr….. I suggested to him that he stop calling me Mister or I would start calling him Dennis! (His first name). I know he was being respectful and courteous but it made me feel old and like a stranger – during this critical time. I much prefer an informal, friendly contact in most dealings. (Even as an officer, I guess it feels good to get away from the rigid formalities of the military).
I call my wife “deary”. After watching a show, the person that used that term was basically saying “Be careful what you ask for”.
Tho I’m not from the south, I do tend to call others hon and dear. I don’t like to be called Mam, tho know it’s showing respect, but it makes me feel old. 🤣
Yes ma’am, I like being called Sir as I am old.