Issue 2394
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.
Today’s thought
“The press is the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man, and improving him as a rational, moral, and social being.” —Thomas Jefferson
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Water A Flower Day!
On this day in history: 1922 – The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
Tip of the day
22 uses for prescription medicine bottles in your RV
By Gail Marsh
Every thirty days. That’s how often I end up with an empty medicine bottle. Over time, all of these translucent, amber bottles pile up. If you have excess medicine bottles, you might check with your local recycling outlets to see if they accept the bottles. Our local recycling company does not recycle them. Neither will our pharmacy. So… what do I do with all of these bottles? I upcycle them!
Check out these nifty uses for medicine bottles. You’ll want to thoroughly clean both the outside and inside of the bottles before repurposing them. You can use contact paper or craft paper to decorate them, if you like. Then, let your creativity take charge.
Ask Dave
Replaced RV’s batteries but converter won’t charge them. Now what?
Dear Dave,
I upgraded my RV’s batteries from regular 24 series dual-purpose deep-cycle to 2 AGM 6V golf cart batteries, Rolls 220AH. I did not realize the turmoil this would cause. These batteries require a different charging voltage and charger, 14.7V, and, of course, my converter will only do 14.4. I am in the process of finding a converter that does AGM. I found one power max which is adjustable to 16.5, but it may not have the proper voltage for the other stages. Also, no alternator output will go to 14.7, so that is another issue. …
Read the rest of the question and Dave’s answer
RV walk-through
ECamper turns a Honda Element into a camper!
By Cheri Sicard
While walking around the campground at New Mexico’s Bandelier National Monument the other day, I noticed an unusual camper in a neighboring site. It was a pop-up built on top of a Honda Element. I immediately went online and looked up the “ECamper™” and sent the info to several friends who were looking for a small camper solution.
I later talked to the owner, a retired traveling nurse, who loves having a comfortable place to sleep and a few nice camping amenities.
Video of the Day
Buckhorn Camp: Free National Forest camping in Florida
By Cheri Sicard
In this video, we get a tour of the amazing free camping available at Buckhorn Camp in Florida’s Apalachicola National Forest. Like most videos from Living Our Dream Now (one of the winners of our 2024 RV video awards), Lou takes you through the campground so there will be no surprises and you will know what to expect in advance of visiting, especially handy for those in bigger rigs. In fact, Buckhorn Camp and the road in were both big rig friendly!
Featured article
Visit Tennessee’s incredible Treetop Skywalk for an unforgettable adventure
By Gail Marsh
I love squirrels. I enjoy watching them leap from treetop to treetop in our backyard or in the campgrounds we visit. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a squirrel’s view of the world and how it might feel to stroll through the treetops. You might well imagine my delight when I discovered the Tennessee Treetop Skywalk in Gatlinburg, TN. Read all about it here.
Reader Poll
Have you ever attended a major or minor league baseball game on your RV travels?
Quick tip
How hot are your wheel bearings?
Your axle wheel bearings will need occasional attention. Feel with your hand at the hub to check for one that may be running hotter than the rest. Note: If the bearing is adjusted too tight or is running without grease it can get VERY hot! You must pay immediate attention to a hot bearing. They will either need more grease or adjustment, but replacement may be necessary. This is an excellent application for an infrared thermometer, that will indicate the temperature of wherever it is pointed.
Website of the day
Leave Las Vegas to See the Most Beautiful Places in Nevada
Visiting Las Vegas and want to explore more of beautiful Nevada? This is the list for you!
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
Go fishing for marshmallows! We’re serious! Fine, you don’t believe us? Well, go fishing for hot dogs instead then! Here’s how.
And the survey says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 2,500 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 42 percent wish their RV’s bathroom were bigger.
• 40 percent say they’ve been stuck in their RV during a storm that was so bad they feared for their safety.
• 17 percent own an electric bicycle.
Recent poll: As of right now, how far in advance have you reserved a campsite?
Recipe of the day
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
by Nelda Carnley from Jack, AL
This creamy chicken and pesto pasta is an elegant and hearty dish. Bow-tie pasta and chunks of chicken are folded into a creamy pesto sauce. Diced zesty sun-dried tomatoes add pops of color. Flavorful and filling, this dish makes a great family night dinner. But it’s fancy enough for an elegant dinner party.
Trivia
Of the more than one million firefighters in the U.S., 65% are volunteers, according to data from the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC). Of the more than 29,000 fire departments across the country, almost 19,000 are run completely by volunteers.
Readers’ pets of the day
“Years ago, my traveling buddies were Greyhound rescues, Bella and Baxter. They loved camping, the many walks, and doing zoomies in the dog parks.” —Sharon Gelo-Nelson
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.
Leave here with a laugh
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RVtravel.com All Star Team
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Today’s thought “The press is the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man, and improving him as a rational, moral, and social being.” —Thomas Jefferson
Sadly, the Press is not what it used to be!
I think you beat everyone to the punch!
I used to enjoy the press when it was accountable for what it published.
At one time the press AND the media attempted to present FACTS! At one time NO ONE had heard the term “alternate facts”! At one time FACTS were DEBATED BETWEEN the parties, AND POLICY WAS ACHIEVED!!
And the parties worked together to get the job done, both side compromised to come up with the best solution. Now they look for things to hate each other for. Really tired of it all.
My local newspaper has gone down hill. When watching the news too many ads.
When the press gives embellishment and opinion, it is no longer news, it is entertainment.
Gone are the Walter Cronkite days and “that’s the way it is”.
Loved the photo of your greyhounds. We also had a greyhound we got from ReGAP (Retired Greyhounds AS Pets – retired, of course, from the racing circuit). He lived to be 16.
In the survey says, 42 percent wish their RV’s bathroom were bigger. My wife didn’t like the 1st TT’s bathroom I bought and wouldn’t let me buy the 3rd TT because the pictures of the bathroom looked too small.
Infrared thermometer and wheel bearings: My RV wheels have a decorative (and grime reducing) center cap. They are only removable when removing the tire. They also act as thermal insulators for the grease caps behind them.
If you have this type of wheel center cap, aim your thermometer at the wheel immediately adjacent to these caps. The reported temp won’t be wholly accurate, but you should be able to compare wheels and if one is noticeably hotter, odds are good that wheel has an issue.
If you have a trailer, use the infrared thermometer pointed at the sidewall of the rig to get ambient temperature, then at the hub to check how hot the bearings and axle assembly are running. It is not uncommon to have a 25+ increase while driving, especially on hot days. If the bearing is getting dry or working too hard due to excess weight, you will see a significant spike in temps and it needs to be addressed. If one side is hotter than the other and the sun is not directly on that side, it indicates that side has more weight and working harder. I also like to test the temp on the rotor to make sure the aux brake is not set too high.
Thanks David.
Is today’s thought also the “leave here with a laugh” segment? Present company excepted, of course
Turn the channel and read the news
Newscasters are mainly just talking heads.
There is truthful and legitimate news out there.
Alternative news is just that.
I miss Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley & Chet Huntley. Told the news & just the news. If I want an opinion I can ask for it, I don’t need some right wing or left wing leaning pretty face to tell me what they think.
Mainstream media just cannot be believed or trusted nowadays. Local news isn’t quite so bad.
Thank you, Emily, Diane, and Kim! 🙂 Today’s dogs looked so sweet lying so close together. 🙂 $33 to fish for hotdogs or marshmallows seems high. 🤔 I mostly eat both uncooked. 😉 Today’s funny was not for an inquiring mind. 😉 Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
One question and one comment. First, I have an infrared thermometer and wonder for wheel bearings how hot is too hot? and a comment on medicine bottles for sewing. Drill a small ( 1/16″) for dull, broken sewing machine needles.
When you get a message on the trucks DIC that says the trailer is disconnected and you get out and see smoke coming from the rear axle! Happened to me last year and I spent 5 hours waiting for one of my roadside services to find someone to come get me, they said they couldn’t find a flatbed to haul me. My sons friend, that was going to do the repair, also had a wrecker and they never contacted him. He didn’t know how they were going to get the TT on a flatbed! He took off the tire chained up the axle and followed me to his shop (22 miles) at 25 miles an hour. Had a new axle assembly on and me back on the road in a day and a half.
Today’s quote from Thomas Jefferson came from a letter he wrote to
Adamantios Coray, 31 October 1823 advising on a new gov’t in Greece. In it, he describes portions of our Bill of Rights.
“5. Freedom of the Press, subject only to liability for personal injuries. this formidable Censor of the public functionaries, by arraigning them at the tribunal of public opinion, produces reform peaceably, which must otherwise be done by revolution. it is also the best instrument for enlightening the mind of men, and improving him as a rational, moral, and social being”
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/98-01-02-3837
But, as stated in posts below, a press that skips truth is a problem:
“Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle. The real extent of this state of misinformation is known only to those who are in situations to confront facts within their knowledge with the lies of the day. … I will add, that the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods & errors.” -Thomas Jefferson, 1807
https://www.monticello.org/the-art-of-citizenship/the-vitality-of-a-free-press
💯 That’s for sure. Thanks, Mikal. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
How hot are your wheel bearings? First get rid of those rinky dink center caps on trailer wheels…all they do is keep the heat inside them preventing air to cool the hub. And use the proper grease on bearings…not the nasty grey stuff.
“The press
isshould be the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man, and improving him as a rational, moral, and social being.” —Thomas JeffersonI agree with your revision. However we are no longer Pressed, we are now UN-Pressed and some might be DE-Pressed.
Bella and Baxter are beautiful, I love the brindle pattern. I had a neighbor many years ago who had greyhounds she rescued from the race track… sweet dispositions but prone to paw and leg injuries because they love to run
Goodness that is a lot of leg on those pups! Bella & Baxter look very comfy & right at home. I have never been around a greyhound but I’ve heard they are wonderful dogs. So glad the racing of these wonderful animals is all but done for.
I drove by a volunteer fire station yesterday and was wondering if they have to go to fight a fire how do their employers handle that? This was a rural area with high fire danger and many wildfires in the 6 years I’ve lived here. Do they just fight the fires at the houses or the open lands also?
A military reservist when called up is paid by the government but they keep their civilian job and seniority. How are firefighters treated?
Today’s Laugh: I am sure that many had asked the manager “Why is the patio not open?” and he got tired of telling them, “Because it is closed.” People in the services industries should be the highest paid people in the world. They have to put up with the dumbest people in the world.