Issue 2493
Today’s thought
“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it isn’t open.” —Frank Zappa
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Sports Day! Don’t like sports? Maybe you can celebrate National Fossil Day instead!
On this day in history: 1846 – William T. G. Morton administers ether anesthesia during a surgical operation.
Tip of the day
Level makes trailer re-hitching easy
By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Folks who tow travel trailers and fifth wheels often struggle with hooking back up after setting up their trailer for livability. The problem is this: You unhitch and level the trailer. When it’s time to hitch up again, getting the front of the trailer to the right height to hitch up can be a pain in the neck. Well, here’s just the thing to make trailer re-hitching easy!
Ask Dave
Why are 2026 model year RVs available already?
By Dave Solberg
Dear Dave,
I see several companies advertising 2026 model year RVs. How can that be when we still have three months left in 2024? —Several RVtravel.com readers and RV dealers Read Dave’s interesting answer.
See Dave present his very instructive (not to mention entertaining) RVing seminars at the Myrtle Beach (SC) RV Show at the Convention Center on October 18–20. You’ll learn a lot!
In the RV shop with Dustin
Gadget makes RV battery maintenance EASY!
By Dustin Simpson
Join me in the video below as I show you how to use this battery filler for easy RV battery maintenance. Maintaining the distilled water in your RV battery has never been simpler!
This 2-quart battery filler design has been around for years and offers a convenient spring-loaded filler valve that helps keep any shop, garage, or workplace clean. Continue reading.
Quit struggling with hose and cable hookups at the campsite
Are you tired of struggling to hook up your coax cables, water hoses and other connections when you arrive at your campsite? It’s a snap with Cable and Hose Grips from J Wright Concepts. Save time and frustration! Life is too short to hassle with the little stuff! Learn more or order.
Video of the day
Genius upcycled DIY soap or sponge dish
By Cheri Sicard
In the short video below from DIY Be Happy, you’ll find an easy-to-make DIY soap dish, or soap and sponge dish, you can make for your RV. It’s functional, lightweight, and uses otherwise discarded materials. What more can a crafty DIYer want? Check this out.
Featured article
“Hurry Sickness” is a real thing that I struggle with
By Nanci Dixon
I just realized that I have spent almost all of my adult life hurrying. I have concentrated on getting from one place to another, doing one thing and then the next. Always checking off a to-do list on paper or in my head. Our RV trips have been the same, even after retirement. Rushing from one stop to the next stop, racing through one national park after another. Checking them off my list. Hurrying against what? Continue reading. Can you relate?
Reader poll
Have you stayed in an Airbnb rental in the last year?
Helpful resources
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
• ROAD AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NATION
• WEATHER ALERTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
• LATEST RV RECALLS
• DIRECTORY OF RV PARKS WITH STORM SHELTERS
• THE BEST RV TRIP PLANNER APPS AND TOOLS
• CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT
• CURRENT SMOKE REPORT
Did you buy a lemon RV? Here’s more about RV lemons and lawyers who will represent you if you need help.
Quick tip
Banish RV slideout squeaks
Annoyed by a squeaky slideout? That sound can be as irritating as nails on a chalkboard. To silence it, extend the slideout and check the support arms for any wear marks—these are likely the main culprits. Use spray-on dry lube to coat the wear marks, then wipe off the excess with a clean cloth. Dry lubes are better than wet ones because they attract less dust and dirt. Also, if your slideout has “teeth,” give those a quick spray too. Finally, ensure the squeak isn’t from the seal rubbing against the sidewall—clean and wax the sidewalls to reduce friction. You can get the 3-In-One Dry Lube on Amazon.
On this day last year…
- Tip: 11 uses for Windex while RVing that don’t involve cleaning glass
- Ask Dave: Should I add RV antifreeze to freshwater tank for our trip south through freezing temps?
- RV review: 2024 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 260FKDS – closets!
- In the RV shop with Dustin: What is under my RV’s J-metal?
- Video: Smart DC to DC charging for RV lithium batteries
- Featured article: Here’s how to better organize your RV. It’ll make a huge difference
Website of the day
Explore Fall: Fall Foliage Map
Type in your location on this map and it will show you exactly where you are on the fall color spectrum—Low color? Peak color? Past peak? This is handy to see where you’re headed, too.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
They’re getting very creative with these things these days (there are even ones with cheese! and wine! and whiskey!), but this one is extra creative. And you’ll let your creative juices flow while working on it. Kids will love it, but you’ll have fun with it too. We know it.
Recipes of the day
5 lasagna recipes with a twist
Lasagna is instant happiness. It just is. We can’t explain it, and we bet you can’t either. It’s as comforting as a hug. These five lasagna recipes all have a twist—one is made with meatballs, another is filled with a spinach artichoke dip, one is Mexican, one is made with yummy vodka sauce, and one is even low-carb and healthy! Dinner is served!
Trivia
And speaking of lasagna… The word “lasagna” originated from ancient Greece’s “laganon,” flat dough, and was adopted by the Romans, who layered it with meat and sauce. The dish became famous in Italy during the Middle Ages with layers of pasta, meat ragù, béchamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Regions added their own twists; for example, southern Italy favored tomato sauce and ricotta. Lasagna is also one of the earliest documented pasta dishes, with a recipe found in the 14th-century cookbook Liber de Coquina, which notably did not include tomatoes, as they had not yet reached Europe.
Readers’ pets of the day
“These guys go with us everywhere we go, except on hikes where they don’t allow the dogs. But we don’t go without them, so we pick a different trail. They are good hikers. They are Labradoodles. Amber, the white one, was 87 lbs., and Blake was 60 lbs.” —Bob Ruby
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. No blurry photos and 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
Today’s weather forecast across the nation
Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
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Leave here with a laugh…another reason to avoid fast food junk places.
Funniest laugh EVER!
Laugh. Sad but true. Lot’s of reports of different things ending up in food.
I am so done with hurricanes. Glad we are almost out the season. Can’t wait to see if maybe it will be quieter next year. Good luck everyone. Heard FEMA bailed on NC and the army has come in to clean up and rebuild infrastructure. Need new leadership.
FEMA didn’t bail. They were in hiding. The workers feared for their lives when so called militia’s started patrolling the areas. They were threatened with harm. These militia people weren’t even local residents, but outsiders looking for trouble.
One big problem was the back to back mass destruction of the hurricanes in multiple areas.
I live in Pennsylvania and we sent hundreds of utility and aid workers into NC, and then Florida. No one could have predicted the mass devastation. What ‘leader’ do you think they were loyal to?
What happened to personal responsibility.
Maybe when the House of Representatives decides to fully fund FEMA they may have the resources to assist people when natural disasters happen. Oh I forgot “they” can control the weather
Maybe when our own government decides to spend the money on our own citizens rather than sending billions to terrorist countries, we would have the money needed to help our own.
Could this picture of McDonald’s be an AI creation. Why is the store in sand. Or is it on a beach?
Thank you, RV Travel! That is quite a crew you have there, Bob Ruby! I hope that you have many great hikes together. The mystery product puzzles me. My nephew had Legos and they gave him an outlet to be creative by building things his mind imagined. These days Legos seem to merely be three-dimensional puzzles. Granted, that takes some brain-power and patience, but seems to do nothing to inspire creativity. The funny seems odd. Did a Mike lose a finger in an industrial accident that swept through the news recently? Have a great weekend and safe travels! 🙂