From RVtravel.com: The common sense resource for RVers since 2001 • Issue 2777
Today’s thought
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Princess Day! Ladies, it’s time to celebrate your true princess selves!
On this day in history: 1963 – The first push-button telephone goes into service.
Tip of the day
Is it safe to camp beneath trees during a windstorm?
By J.R. Montigel
Many of us have endured a stormy night camping in a dense forest with high winds whipping tree branches above every which way. Our imaginations can run wild with thoughts of a big branch or a tree trunk itself blowing down on our RV—and us!
Are our fears justified? The answer is probably “sometimes.” Every year, falling limbs and tree failures damage RVs and injure people in campgrounds. And it’s not just in violent storms. It doesn’t take much wind to take a tree or its branches down. Continue reading.
Article and video
Do not eat these poisonous berries
By Cheri Sicard
Picture a hungry hiker spotting a bush full of ripe berries and thinking, “That has to be safe.” In many cases, it is not. Many wild berries look juicy and harmless, yet a small handful of poisonous berries can send someone to the hospital or worse. Here, Alfie from Alfie Aesthetics walks us through the key features of 30 common poisonous wild berries, based on real plants people meet while hiking, camping, or walking the dog.
Featured article
I’ve got those post-RV trip blues. Do you?
By Gail Marsh
RV vacations—those glorious times when we hit the pause button on our hectic lives, bask in relaxation and create treasured memories. But what happens when the vacation ends, the RV is back in storage, and we return to our regular routines? Enter the post-vacation blues. Continue reading.
Makes a great gift!
Bacon without all the grease!
This incredible microwave bacon cooker is loved (we mean REALLY loved) by everyone (look at those reviews!). It doesn’t cook in the fat, so it’s much healthier but still has that great taste. It reduces fat up to 35 percent, which means you can justify eating 35 percent more bacon! It’s easy to use and dishwasher-safe. Learn more or order.
Ask Dave
Heat from RV furnace reaches 195 degrees at the closest vent. Is this too hot?
Read Dave’s troubleshooting advice.
Reader poll
Rate yourself from 1–5: How well do you back up your RV?
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…
- RV review: 2025 Keystone Arcadia 292SLRL—the same but different
- Ask Dave: All GFCI outlets work; why did 4 on other side quit working?
- Article & video: Awesome and unusual RV gear you and your rig need
- Featured article: See RV crash test into wall at 40 mph. It’s scary!
? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ?
Ladies, you’re going to go absolutely cluckin’ nuts for these! Oh, we HAVE to have these for the big day! We’d use these all month, actually! Once you click, you’ll see a bunch of other options, too—they’re all great!
Website of the day
The 50 Best Luxury RV Parks in the U.S.
This list from Outdoorsy is giving us some serious wanderlust. Have you been to any of them? Do you agree and think they’re the most luxurious?
Dog owners: Watch out!
We saw this post on our RVing with Dogs Facebook group from user Dolores Haisler. This is important advice! Click to enlarge.
And the survey says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers close to 5,000 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 52 percent believe that scientists will find evidence of life on Mars (either previously or currently) within the next five years.
• 47 percent prefer dark chocolate, while 29 percent prefer milk chocolate. Only 5 percent prefer white, and 18 percent can’t choose—they like them all equally.
• 50 percent say they were 15 or younger when they got their first romantic kiss.
Recent poll: Do you keep your RV stocked year-round or empty it after every trip?
Trivia
Salt was so valuable in ancient Rome that soldiers were often paid with it. When a soldier wasn’t doing his job well enough, they would say, “He’s not worth his salt.”
Fix roof leaks and extend your RV roof another 18-20 years with the ONLY liquid butyl rubber in the world
RV Roof Magic’s unique solvent-based drying process allows for a chemical bond not found in other RV sealants. That is why it never needs a primer and only one coat. We offer a 10-year warranty. Apply RV Roof Magic to all roofs except silicone and PVC. Over 30 years of history of success. Visit our site for our monthly special!
Try a new sweet potato recipe for your Thanksgiving table
Everyone loves sweet potatoes on the Thanksgiving table, but why not try a new recipe this year? We’ve got a little bit of everything here, including a dessert, so check these out and see what you think. They look pretty darn good to us!
Readers’ pets of the day
“JJ, on the left, and Luke (ages 7 and 4) are rescues from Snow Capped Shepherd Rescue in Colorado. JJ’s our one-eyed monster, having lost an eye to an infection at three months old. Luke was a stray in Carlsbad, NM. Both are named for Marvel characters. Both like to RV. Luke sleeps between us in our Sprinter. JJ lounges on the couch, and both are tethered with harnesses while traveling. No, we don’t have any dog hair in our RV …….. hahahaha!” —Gary Machholz
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. No blurry photos, please! Please do not submit your photo more than once. Thanks!
FREE IS GOOD! A state highway (SR 20) runs through Washington state’s North Cascades National Park, so it’s free to visit. Even if you don’t leave the main road, you’ll still witness some of America’s most jaw-dropping alpine beauty.
Leave here with a laugh
What do you call a pony with a cough?
A little horse!
Today’s weather forecast across the nation
THIS MAP UPDATES TWICE A DAY
Visit Current National Radar Weather Map
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RVtravel.com All-Star Team
Click here for information about our staff and how to contact us.
I’m not on Facebook however, the clip posted on the dog tags getting g caught in the rv floor vents caught my attention. One solution to is to purchase MAGNETIC VENT COVERS”. They are available at many home improvement center & on-line. You can cut to fit! If your vents are not metal use velcro! The also prevent dog hair, and small objects from falling in. Just remember to remove when vents are in use! Hope this helps
My own furnace was serviced by 2 4” flexible ducts and there were 2 unused 4” knockouts that were not used. Very hot so I used 4” flexible and added 2 more outlets and the heat went WAY down
The Manufacturers only use the minimum. Pipe and fittings cost money and I added a filter that in 4 other rv’s never had a filter
Hi. Ms. Sicard’s article was not very helpful in that only common names for the plants were used. Common names are often times very regional and can be terribly misleading. Next time, please do the appropriate research and provide the scientific names for the plants along with their regional “common name”. Photos would be very useful as well and there should be lots of stock photos available of the plants in question.
The Video does provide the scientific names under the common names. Check your library or university for still shots.
Loved the picture of the two GSDs! Tugged at my heart strings because we traveled the U.S. and Canada with our two during the 90s.
What are GSDs?
Hi, Gary. German Shepherd dogs? I love ’em, whatever they are! Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
JJ & Luke are gorgeous thank you for rescuing. As to the dog hair it’s just extra glitter! Keep on camping.