From RVtravel.com: The common sense resource for RVers • Issue 2728
Today’s thought
“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” —Stephen Hawking
Need an excuse to celebrate? It’s opening day today for the giant Hershey RV Show, America’s largest RV show, held each September in Hershey, Pennsylvania. If you decide to go, buy your ticket ahead of time. They are not sold at the door. The show runs through the weekend.
On this day in history: 1846 – Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine.
Tip of the day
RV mods: Protect your headlights
By Greg Illes
As we prepared for our Alaska trip, we read many warnings about damage caused by flying rocks. Having traveled thousands of miles of dirt roads in the Desert Southwest, we are no strangers to road hazards. But this time, the hazards were to come from other vehicles tossing stones up off the roadway. How could we protect our RV’s headlights?
One of the most vulnerable spots on our coach is the quad headlight installation, which consists of expensive, and difficult-to-replace, Hella halogen units. Chipping or breaking one of these puppies would be inconvenient, at best. Fortunately, the solution was simple and inexpensive.
Ask Dave
Mold is throughout RV. Help!
Dear Dave,
Before purchasing our new-to-us RV, it was inspected by someone who has lived in/worked with RVs for decades. However, he/we didn’t know to take off the front panel of the air conditioner to check it. So, soon after the purchase, I discovered (in a very unhealthy, unpleasant way) that one of the air conditioners had black mold and that the mold spread throughout the RV covering all surfaces, as mold traveling through the air will do. (Not visible, but surely over every surface.) Continue reading.
WRITTEN BY OUR READERS!
Great new book for boondockers
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In the RV shop with Dustin
Quick RV shoe organizer idea: Keep your campsite tidy
Hey, RVers! Are you looking for a cool and practical way to keep your shoes organized outside your RV? We recently spotted a great idea in one of our Facebook groups—a fellow RVer used suction cup hooks and a shoe holder on the exterior side wall of their RV. This is a clever solution that keeps your shoes off the ground and out of the way while still being easily accessible. Check it out.
Article and video
Tour a cozy, enchanting Hobbit camper van
By Cheri Sicard
Just because you live in a van does not mean it needs to lack personality, as this video from New Jersey Outdoor Adventures illustrates. In it, we get a tour of Anthony’s unique camper van build that he calls the “Hobbit Van”. It’s amazing!
Featured article
Understanding everything about 12-volt house batteries
By Dave Solberg
This is Part 4 of Dave Solberg’s “Everything you need to know about RVing” series. Here, Dave looks at 12-volt house batteries and tells you just about everything you need to know. … Learn all about them here. [This is important information—whether it’s your first or your 101st RV trip.]
RANDOM RV THOUGHT: If you dream of spending all or a good part of your life traveling with an RV, but keep finding excuses why you can’t do it, then quit making excuses. The time will never be right. Meanwhile, time is passing. You could get sick or your spouse could get sick, and “bye, bye dream.” And don’t listen to your kids if they say, “Stay home.” Just tell them you will keep in contact and that you will swing by when you’re in their neighborhood.
Reader poll
Do you enjoy visiting caves?
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
• CURRENT WILDFIRE REPORT
• CURRENT SMOKE REPORT
Quick tip
Scheduled roof maintenance pays dividends
Having a schedule of physically inspecting your RV roof every six months is a good idea. Left unrepaired, roof tears or bad sealant around roof openings can let water get through, right down to that chintzy particle board or other roof substrate. Left long enough, water can infiltrate the sidewalls. Mold, mildew, and huge repair expenses are the only outcome. Get up there and clean the roof with mild soap and water. Some RVers apply a protectant, too. Check all the seals around vents, antennas, and end-caps.
Website of the day
Top 25 National Wildlife Refuges for Birding
Grab your camera and your binoculars and be prepared to be blown away by what you’ll see at these wildlife refuges across the U.S.
? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ?
Hehehe… Oh, wait… It really is on fire! Yep, we can relate. Moms, we bet you can, too!
Trivia
Feng shui experts explain that your bed facing a door (be it the main bedroom door or a balcony door) is bad luck because the door will “pull” your energy away from you as you sleep.
Readers’ pet of the day
“Miss Energy (Millie, Bernese Mountain Dog, almost age 2) resting and patrolling the campsite. She’s the only one who uses this table.” —Bonnie Pascucci
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
THIS MAP UPDATES TWICE A DAY
Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
Current fire and smoke map from AirNow
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In reference to the website of the day (NWRs) I grew up on Plum Island (Massachusetts) and played on sand dunes and rode bikes the entire length of the Parker River NWR. In those days the road was gravel and we could go all the way down and back and never see anyone else on the road. Last time I was there it was bumper to bumper and there are designated walkways through scrub brush to get to the beach and transversing sand dunes is prohibited. Reminds me of the adage “you can never go home again.” It is, however, still a beautiful place.
I guess the next campers won’t be able to use that picnic table either – not a lot different than laying your stinky slinky over the table to dry…What an adorable dog…not.
If you want to use the picnic table, carry a cover. That way, you don’t have to worry about bird poop, insects, etc. either. Also, the dog is adorable.
Good luck getting dog hair and fleas off that tablecloth…Don’t complain, then, when the table is used to drain your dump hose. Tablecloth will cover that up, too.
I have zero concern for fleas since they don’t hang around on tabletops. Hair and other debris washes right off my vinyl tablecloth with a good spray of antibacterial cleaner followed by wiping. I suspect the table has more yucky stuff from nature (birds, squirrels) than from dogs, so if you are squeamish, you probably should bring your own table. Problem solved. 🤷♀️ Note that my dogs don’t get on picnic tables but I don’t care if others do since I take measures to cover the table before using since I don’t know what was on it prior to us occupying the site.
And that is why the discussion a day or so ago was about using picnic table covers. Nobody would know what was ever on the table. As far as the dog not being adorable?
I think she is and I am sure a lot of other people do as well. Apparently, you are not a dog person.
I totally agree! A good reason to ALWAYS have a picnic tablecloth. That’s as bad as putting little Foo-Foo in a grocery cart while you are shopping — yuck !!!
John S. I agree. So many picnic tables that are even unfit to sit on or you’ll get dirty pants or a sliver up your…. no need to spell that one out. I have a plastic type folding table that I know what’s been on its surface and it wipes clean and it’s a lot lighter to move around than many in the campgrounds.
RE: Hershey RV Show. Let me get this straight. They charge people to be sold to? Got it!
If I want to attend the entire show it will cost $60 per person. None for me thanks. @@
Last RV show I attended (paid entrance) I had to drive through major metro traffic, find and pay for a parking spot. I only did it to get some information. The swarms of sales people and their managers were useless. I knew more than they did about the availability of RV products and how they worked. Took me 90 minutes to find a true factory rep who knew and could put me in touch with someone to replace my oddly sized OEM furniture. Everyone else tried to sell me stuff that would not fit. Or just blew me off.
As recalls of new Rv’s are an everyday thing should teams of technicians be available to inspect units at Rv shows for potential customers?
This is the first year that we have to winterize our motorhome and I have AGM batteries. My question is, do I have to remove them or will they be able to take the freezing cold weather? I have a solar panel to keep them charged but I’m worried about the cold.
They will be fine. Just keep them charged. A multi-stage charger is best.
I live in Minnesota and we can and have had temps to -40°F. My motorhome is in a non-heated garage on my property. I usually get many years out of my AGM batteries. Last ones were 12 years old before I needed to replace them. The current Marine AGM battery in my boat is still going strong after seven years.
We, too, can hit minus 40. C of F minus 40 is minus 40. When around Arizona people they can’t understand how cold that is. My wife tells them to take off all their clothes, get wet all over, stand in a walk-in freezer with a fan blowing on them and it’s colder than that. No offence to the lovely people of Arizona but that kind of cold is hard to explain.
Literally takes your breath away, at least for a few moments.
So the feng shui thing, what is considered the bed “facing” the door…foot, head or side?
Foot.
Outside of readers of this newsletter, I think today’s Quick Tip about RV roof maintenance falls on deaf ears and sightless eyes. Aside from people amazed to see me on the roof of our trailer every year, thinking our unit must be a real lemon, I have yet to see anyone doing any exterior maintenance on their trailers. And there are quite a few for a small town.
I agree, Jim. I wash the roof on any RVs I’ve owned twice annually by hand while thoroughly inspecting all sealants.
The majority of RVs I see have filthy roofs and in winter I see many seasonals in RV parks uncovered and even some with the slideouts extended and covered in heavy snow (not being used). Probably why I also see so many delaminated sidewalls.
I was interested in that little radio device pictured, so I went to the site and browsed through about 70 other items to try to find it. It’s just click bait and doesn’t exist.
Hi, Drew. I don’t see any radio device in the newsletter, so I assume it was an auto-inserted ad, which we didn’t put in. Sorry. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
After Millie has been on the table, who knows what is left behind, for the unsuspecting campers that will be using the table. A little common sense please.
Thank you, Emily and Diane! Great picture of Millie, Bonnie! I hope that you have many wonderful trips together. Have a great day and safe travels!
Leave here with a laughI love it. Thanks…Lol