Issue 2494
Today’s thought
“Road trips are the equivalent of human wings. Ask me to go on one, anywhere, and we’ll stop in every small town and learn the history and stories, feel the ground, and capture the spirit.” —Victoria Erickson
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Pasta Day!
On this day in history: 1918 – American actress Rita Hayworth, whose portrayal of seductresses helped earn her the nickname “The Love Goddess,” was born.
Tip of the day
You can do way more with leaf blowers than you think! Here are 6 other ways to use them
By Gail Marsh
If you think leaf blowers are just for blowing leaves into piles to easily pick up, you’re wrong! We originally packed our leaf blower into our RV’s basement for a work-camping job. It didn’t take long to discover many other handy ways that the leaf blower helped us as we traveled in our RV.
Here are a few ideas for more ways to use leaf blowers:
• The leaf blower easily gets rid of small sticks, leaves, and other debris on top of the slide-outs. We use the blower each time we retract our slides. The same goes for the awning. A quick blast of the leaf blower and dust, spider webs, and more are gone! Ditto for your outside patio mat and/or toy hauler deck. A leaf blower works much easier (and quicker) than a broom.
RV walk-through
Tour a beautifully restored 1948 Spartan Manor trailer—It’s a showstopper!
By Cheri Sicard
They don’t make ‘em like this anymore! (But boy, I wish they did.) The team from BossaNova Life is taking us on a walk-through of this classic vintage Spartan trailer in the video below. The trailer is only 25 feet in length, but it sure appears larger. The owners, Booger and Sugar (you can’t make that up), polished the outside, but the interior is close to its original condition. Check this beauty out.
Ask Dave
Gear on RV’s slide room mechanism has stripped twice. Can I adjust it?
By Dave Solberg
Dear Dave,
Is there a way to set the stop limits on the RV’s slide out with compartments below that has a rack and pinion slide mechanism? I keep stripping the forward gear by leaving the in button depressed too long when bringing the slide out in. It’s very tricky to release the in button at just the right time to seal the outside seals yet don’t strip the gear. —Will, 2017 Winnebago Sightseer 33C Read Dave’s answer.
Watch Dave present his very educational (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!
Video of the day
Amazing and inexpensive DIY wooden truck camper
By Cheri Sicard
You must see the amazing craftsmanship in the DIY wooden truck camper built by the creative and industrious David Rule (very funny/charismatic guy with 430K subscribers, 34M views). In the video below (with 4.3M views), young David takes us along on a condensed journey of building his functional and artistic wood truck camper. Click here.
Featured article
Remember this critical item when RVing with your dog
By Gail Marsh
Kibble? Check! Leash? Check! Dog bed? Check! All set? Nope! Don’t forget this one essential item when RVing with dogs. Friends of ours love to take their dog when they RV. They never had any problems—until last week, that is. Continue reading this important message.
Never lose your glasses or sunglasses again—always keep them nearby
This glasses holder clips to your car or RV’s visor so they’re always easily accessible to you. The glasses clip is closed with a magnet, holding it strong enough so that it won’t ever fall out, but is still easy enough to open with one hand. If you find yourself losing your glasses often, or have a hard time keeping them organized, this is for you. We love this! Learn more or order.
Reader poll
Do you ever stop to walk around random cemeteries on your RV travels?
Quick tip
RV showering alternatives
For some RVers, showering in their rig isn’t always practical. Here are alternatives:
- Membership gyms – Get access to chains like Planet Fitness for as little as $15/month.
- Public recreation centers – Many have pools and offer day passes for showers and amenities.
- National parks – Showers are open to all visitors, not just campers. Bring quarters for a hot, private shower.
- Truck stops – They offer clean, private showers with towels. A bit pricey, but worth it for endless hot water.
On this day last year…
- Ask Dave: RV generator won’t stay on. Replaced the battery, but could it be a fuse?
- RV walk-through: Tour the 2024 Tiffin Wayfarer 25 LW diesel Class C motorhome
- Video: What we can learn from RV accidents. Don’t make these mistakes!
- Featured article: Shirley Wallace and her amazing two-story trailer
Website of the day
Ghost Tours of New Mexico
If you’ve never been on a ghost (or haunted) tour, you’re missing out! They’re fun and you learn a lot of history! Here are some of the most popular tours in New Mexico.
?? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??
What’s green, and talks, and is one of the all-time stupidest yet creative gag gifts in the history of mankind? We nominate this. If you have a sense of humor, you will love this. If you are among the 12.3% of humans who are humorless, you will be angry with us for wasting your time learning its identity.
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:
• If a location didn’t have internet access of any kind, 17 percent would not stay for more than one night.
• For those who have an RV with an outdoor TV, 43 percent say they never use it.
• 17 percent are terrified of heights.
Recent poll: Should campgrounds/RV parks have a ‘lights-out’ rule?
Trivia
The longest hiccupping spree on record lasted 68 years! A man named Charles Osborne started hiccupping in 1922 and didn’t stop until 1990, hiccupping an estimated 430 million times during his lifetime.
Readers’ pet of the day
“Java Bean and Latte Lu (Lab/Goldendoodle and Aussiedoodle). These girls love each other and are best of friends. They are both under two. Where one is the other will always be close by. This photo is a great example of their friendship. Here they are at Thanksgiving, watching over the campground.” —Jeanne Jandt
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
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RVtravel.com All-Star Team
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Laugh of the day! That just made a lot of dogs mad.
We frequently stop at random cemeteries as we travel across the US…..the wife is on “Find A Grave” website coupled with her genealogy interests, and I find a plethora of geocaches in cemeteries!! Lot of history to be found residing there!
Geocaching will take you to all manner of places you would never know even existed!
Java Bean and Latte Lu- what a great pair of traveling companions! Don
My mother and I on our camping trips or day trips would stop at old cemeteries and just wonder what their lives were like before they died. As for pets and traveling? I keep an emergency bag in the car at all times. Everything together, leash, dog food, water and yes pet records. Everything in case we have to leave quickly. With two geriatric dogs it has come in handy.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! Your pack is adorable, Jeanne! I hope that you have many trips together. The mystery product was a groaner. I must have left my sense of humor somewhere. Have a great weekend and safe travels! 🙂