America’s Original RV Newsletter. Since 2001
Issue 2882 • New issue every weekday
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Today’s thought
“No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” ―Theodore Roosevelt
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Look Up At The Sky Day!
On this day in history: 1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic and begins to sink.
Tip of the day
Why vinegar should be in your cleaning arsenal for RV maintenance
If you’re a clean-freak RVer, you want your rig to shine. Back in the sticks-n-bricks, you may have a lotion, notion, or potion for every conceivable cleaning need. The trouble is, having all those cleaning supplies takes up a lot of room—room your rig probably doesn’t have.
And the more stuff you carry, the more you push your net cargo capacity. So many cleaning supplies are a spendy proposition. Enter your pucker-up, space-and-money-saving friend, that humble jug of vinegar. Clean with vinegar!
The RVtravel.com newsletter is an “original,” says Google!
What is the longest continuously published newsletter about RV travel in the United States? Here’s what Google says: “The RV Travel Newsletter has been in continuous publication online since 2001… It is widely recognized as ‘America’s longest continuously published RVing newsletter’.” BE HISTORIC! SIGN UP!
Article and video
5 signs of a lemon RV
By Cheri Sicard
Are you shopping for a used RV? Watch the video below first. In it, Jacob Rigor, of Rigor RV Repair, shows five signs that an RV might be a lemon RV. Jacob emphasizes the utmost importance of getting a third-party RV inspection before you sign on the dotted line. But what if you could avoid paying for an inspection on an RV that’s clearly not worth it? That’s where this guide comes in. Jacob shares five easy-to-spot problems that can help you determine if an RV is even worth the cost of a full inspection.
Featured article
Feeling a little… grumpy… in the RV park showers
Cheri Sicard collected your stories, recalling the weirdest RVing encounter you’ve ever had. Frequent contributor Rod Andrew wrote in and sent us his own tale. It’s very weird all right… and a little grumpy… Read about Rod’s strangely “grumpy” encounter here.
Clean those dirty, cloudy, dim headlights!
Cloudy headlights make night driving harder. This easy, three-step headlight restoration kit clears away oxidation and restores headlights to like-new clarity in about 30 minutes, with no power tools required. A ceramic coating bonds to your headlights and protects them from UV damage for the long haul. A simple, satisfying fix for drivers who want safer, brighter nights on the road.
Ask Dave
How safe are RV ladders?
More recent popular tips for RVers:
- Simple RV gadgets that solve annoying camping problems
- The six critical photos you need to keep on your phone
- Road-ready gadgets that make RV life easier, especially for seniors
- 10 (more) ways you can use pool noodles while RVing
- The best (and worst) auto parts stores in America for RVers
Reader poll
How often do you use physical guide/travel books to plan your trips?
IT’S AMAZING AND TRUE! View and participate in more than 2,000 of our previous polls!
Quick tip
Air temperature and tire pressure
There’s a direct relationship between ambient air temperature and the pressure inside your tires. Here’s the rule-of-thumb: For every increase or decrease of air temperature by 10 degrees, there will be a corresponding increase or decrease of tire pressure by about 1 pound. If there’s a drastic change of temperature, check your tires when “cold” (not run in several hours, preferably in the morning), and adjust them to the recommended pressure. DON’T try to adjust tire pressure when they are hot.
Website of the day
10 of the best places for stargazing in the USA
Since it’s National Look Up At The Sky Day, we figured this website was a fitting option for today. Happy gazing, friends!
? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ?
Remember yesterday when you said you had that thing to do today… Yeah, what was it? What about that thing that’s going on tomorrow? Oh, dear. This will help. (And make you laugh.)
And the survey says…
We’ve polled RVtravel.com readers more than 5,000 times in recent years. Here are a few things we’ve learned about them:
• 13 percent say they chose their current RV to accommodate their pet.
• 92 percent say they do not like staying in RV parks with lots of planned activities.
• 68 percent take a daily multi-vitamin.
Recent poll: Would you support surcharges for out-of-state or foreign campers at busy parks?
WORTH A STOP: A half-hour southwest of Austin, Texas, the quaint town of Kyle has earned the nickname the “Pie Capital of Texas” for its popular restaurant, the Texas Pie Company. The owner’s popular family recipes range from savory pot pies and chicken tetrazzini casserole to sweets like peanut butter mousse, lemon chess, chocolate fudge, coconut cream, Almond Joy, and pecan pie bars.
Trivia
Rubber modified asphalt (RMA) is a mixture of recycled ground tire rubber and asphalt. RMA is a promising end-of-life market for the 270 million recycled tires generated annually in the U.S., as each lane mile paved with RMA uses up to 2,000 recycled tires.
Readers’ pet of the day
“Dolly (age 10) came to us from the SPCA when she was about 2. Once we moved into our RV (about 4-1/2 years ago), she blossomed! She loves the fact that she has so many windows to look out of every day. We can tell if she is following something as she jumps from window to window.” —Barbara Wyatt
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 and please do not submit your pet more than once. Thanks!
HAVE A CAT LIKE DOLLY WHO LIKES TO WINDOW-WATCH? They need this! It’s the best!
FREE IS GOOD! Free from Proven Winners™, the 2026 Gardener’s Idea Book—everything to know about every type of gardening. By mail or online.
Leave here with a laugh
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
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Dolly looks so majestic. I’m glad she loves RVing and has many windows to keep track of the comings and goings in the campground.
We have cats we travel with and enjoy watching them respond to the things they see,
My 2 favorite stargazing locations are Big Bend National Park and the Arizona desert. I had never seen so many stars in my life!
Not RV-related, but that is the main thing I miss about sea duty in the Navy. You don’t really grasp how small we really are until you are in the middle of the Pacific on a cloudless night.
I am trying to find the article about the book called (A Walk in the Woods). I can’t remember the authors name and I want to purchase that book.
Bill Bryson. It was also made into a 2015 movie with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.
I like the movie, but the book was better. A really good read.
An internet search found it all over. Just type “Book A walk in the woods” into your search engine.
We were at Big Bend NP a few years ago and I agree 100%! Total dark sky, and it was just majestic! What a NP!🇨🇦
I am trying to find the article about the book (A Walk in the Woods). I want to purchase that book but I can’t remember the author’s name.
An internet search found it all over. Just type “Book A walk in the woods” into your search engine.
Dolly is gorgeous and obviously a great window watcher. Thank you for rescuing, always better to adopt than shop! Keep on camping.
The tip on tire pressure saying one pound per 10 degrees is only accruate if talking “lower” pressure tires.
If I’ve understood my education from Roger’s excellent tire education seminars, the real rule of thumb is 2% change in pressure for each 10°F change in temp.
So, if you have motorhome tires set at 100 psi, for example, they are changing 2# for 10°F…double what the tip says!
Correct Mikal. The “1 psi” info comes from older posts about passenger car tires, which generally spec 32 to 38 Psi cold. Even Tire Rack corrected their post on PSI vs Temperature a few years ago after I pointed out the actual science in THIS post.
My wife enjoyed reading the shower story about Grumpy.
That’s probably a good thing, since you wrote it.😉 Thanks again for the fun story, Rod. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
The article about using recycled tires rang a bell
New York DOT uses crushed glass in their mix. Not only does it help with recycling unusable glass, it makes the road slightly reflective.
We noticed this on I87 north of Albany. The roadway had a blue tint at night.
They also tested plastics, like disposable water bottles.
I too have heard interesting voices in the men’s shower room. Once is was two women sharing a shower as the women’s bathroom was dirty while the men’s room was clean. The other gal was “boyish”, and the guys did not notice she was a girl so she didn’t speak.
Beautiful cat where do you store the cat box?