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Articles by Jan Steele
Health threat for SW snowbirds-Valley fever is on the rise
Pat Schumacher thought he probably had cancer. In the spring of 2021, he was feeling tired and had a constant, unproductive cough. He felt sick enough that he left the group he was RVing with to get a scan at the VA hospital in Las Vegas—and was told there was a golf-ball-sized lump on a lung. “It was 100 degrees there so I headed home to Portland, OR, to get a biopsy, ready for bad news,” he said, Instead, the biopsy showed he had Valley fever.
An easy, affordable way to transform your RV into a cozy home
What’s the biggest impact you can make on your RV’s interior? What will make your lackluster RV house into your cozy RV home? RV decor! For me, it’s curtains, bedspreads and rugs. When I bought my one-year-old motorhome eight months ago, I immediately threw out the bedspread and shams. Yuck. The beige design was … I’m looking for a word here … insipid? I hated the curtains—more bland beige. But I had magic on my side—one of my best friends from high school is an expert seamstress.
RV Travel Newsletter for Sunday, October 29, 2023
Welcome to the RVtravel.com newsletter. Be sure to check out all our other RV-related newsletters. This is theabbreviated free edition of this newsletter. For the ad-free, full edition, please become a voluntary subscriber for a one-time donation of your choice.
What keeps holding tanks clear? Readers offer ideas
Did you read my story last Sunday about the “pyramid of poo” in my RV’s black tank? You know this is a hot topic of conversation among RVers. No sh*t! Read it here before continuing on. I received some good responses from readers who don’t agree with everything Kleen Tank literature says. Several swear by Dawn or Happy Camper. No one mentioned the products you find in an RV store aisle.
RV Travel Newsletter for Sunday, October 22, 2023
Welcome to the RVtravel.com newsletter. Be sure to check out all our other RV-related newsletters. This is theabbreviated free edition of this newsletter. For the ad-free, full edition, please become a voluntary subscriber for a one-time donation of your choice. Your support means a lot to us! October 22, 2023 Issue 1127 Free, abbreviated edition Cover story By Chuck Woodbury The little boy in the black and white photo below is me — 4-year-old me along with my mother, grandmother and little sister.
RV Travel Newsletter for Sunday, October 1, 2023
Welcome to the RVtravel.com newsletter. Be sure to check out all our other RV-related newsletters. This is theabbreviated free edition of this newsletter. For the ad-free, full edition, please become a voluntary subscriber for a one-time donation of your choice.
Insider look: RV mobile tech discusses work, most common RV problems, and much more
RV mobile techs are the heroes of our adventures—and misadventures—on the road. What would we do without them? A few weeks ago, I desperately needed the aid of one of those valiant road warriors. Later, a question popped into my head: What is the number one problem RV mobile techs fix? We asked you in a poll last week, and I also asked the few techs I could get to return my phone calls.
RV Travel Newsletter for Sunday, September 17, 2023
Welcome to the RVtravel.com newsletter. Be sure to check out all our other RV-related newsletters. This free edition of the newsletter is a shortened version of the full edition received by our paying member-subscribers. Please pledge your support (only if it is not a hardship on you) to receive the full edition. September 17, 2023 Issue 1122 Free, abbreviated edition FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK. Cover story By Chuck Woodbury Here I go again with a story that is not specifically about RVing.
I may be a 'worrier' RVer, but resilience keeps me truckin' on
I come from a long line of worriers—three generations on my mom’s side, with a few mental incapacities scattered on both sides—women only. So why would I choose the RV life? It really is not suited to worriers. After all, a coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man dies just once. But I am rooting for the cowards because they can be the secret heroes if they persist, overcoming odds, snatching victory from the jaws of … maybe not defeat, but fear. We should not confuse worriers with cowards.
When you think outside the 'conventional campsite' box, a whole new world awaits
Where is the strangest place you ever camped? When I was a kid growing up in the ‘60s, our summer trips in our Skamper pop-up trailer took us to some pretty sketchy places to camp overnight. We were on a budget, of course. Mom used to say it didn’t cost that much for us to hit the road because gas was something like 28 cents a gallon and we rarely ate out. I remember lots of bologna sandwiches! We probably camped for little to nothing. National Parks were wide open and free or a few dollars.
Do you lean forward while driving? That has got to stop!
Are you like me and catch yourself leaning into the steering wheel while driving? That is not a good thing! I talked to my physical therapist about it and he confirmed I was actually harming my body. “The biggest thing I would say when sitting or driving is to check your posture,” said Brandon Aubry, a clinic director for ATI Physical Therapy in my hometown of Joliet, IL. “Keep your shoulders back. Keep your lumbar position upright.
Florida's tiny Cedar Key will rise again after Hurricane Idalia's destruction
One of my favorite spots in Florida, the tiny town of Cedar Key, is digging its way out after being hit hard by Hurricane Idalia on Wednesday. This was the worst hurricane in 120 years, with a 6.8-foot storm surge on Wednesday morning during low tide. (It would have been worse if it had been high tide.) It’s been all over the news and got me thinking about how much I like Cedar Key and hope for its revival.
Norcold RV fridges keep failing-I'm done! New Amish fridge is a winner!
Two of my Norcold RV refrigerators have failed in the past year—one was 11 years old, the other was two years old. The first one I replaced with a Dometic—after fruitless months and dollars spent trying to fix it. That did not go well (the door handle kept breaking). (Let me just pause here and admit I was an idiot to get a whole new fridge when all I needed was a cooling unit.
Lonely on your solo journeys? Consider joining the Wandering Individuals Network
When I first hit the road eight years ago, I admit I didn’t have a plan beyond the first six months. I was focused on one quest—redo a trip from 1965. Then I wanted to see family, and hit some national parks—but then what? I found out that wandering alone is lonely. I saw all these happy couples chasing their dream and that made me feel even lonelier.
Why Moose and Elks lodges are the way to go for RVers
When I hit the road eight years ago, I stayed at a lot of Mom ‘n Pop campgrounds for about $20 a night—with electric. Those don’t really exist anymore. Then I joined an RV travel club, Wandering Individuals Network, and was told two things: Get solar. And join the Elks. (As in the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. Not the herds you see in the Northwest.) When you’re out on the road 365 nights a year you want the cheapest spot you can find.
RVing is my life-all my life
I was 10. Or 10 ½, as we liked to call it back then. It was the summer of 1965 and Dad was between jobs at the university and had six weeks off. We had camped before in our Scamp popup, but this trip would be different because of the length of the trip and the miles traveled. On June 23, six of us jumped on Route 66 in Normal, IL, with the goal of making it to California in 11 days. Our plan was to visit Grandma’s best friends in Lancaster, CA.
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