Gas vs Diesel for RVs and the one mistake you do NOT want to make
This week on the RV Podcast:
- Gas vs Diesel for RVs and the one mistake you do NOT want to make
- A Senate bill proposes selling federal land to lower the national debt. Some fierce opposition is trying to keep that land available for public use.
- In the Social Media Buzz this week, RVers were discussing Mayflies, also known as Fish Flies. When they hatch each summer around the Great Lakes, all we can say is keep your mouth shut unless you want some extra protein.
- All this plus your questions and Mike and Jen’s storytime coming up in Episode #552 of the RV Podcast
You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.
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We have some exciting news to share with you this week – we’ve added a new rig to our family! We’re thrilled to introduce our brand-new Embassy Cape Cod motorhome, which joins our beloved Montana Fifth Wheel.
While the Montana will continue to be our home base for tours and extended stays, the Embassy Cape Cod is going to open up a whole new world of adventure for us. This compact beauty is perfect for those off-the-beaten-path boondocking spots where our fifth wheel just can’t venture.
We can’t wait to explore more remote locations and discover hidden gems that were previously out of reach!
Mark your calendars for this Saturday, when we’ll be sharing a complete interior and exterior walkthrough of our new Embassy Cape Cod on our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel. You’ll get to see all the features that make this motorhome perfect for off-grid adventures, and we’ll share why we chose this particular model for our boondocking escapades.
RV NEWS OF THE WEEK
Epic Miscalculation: RV Rental Tries to Squeeze Through 7-Foot Tunnel, Fails Spectacularly
Let’s start the RV News of the week with a painful lesson on why it’s important to pay attention to road signs about overpasses and tunnels. An RV rental driver tried to squeeze through a downtown Tampa tunnel and got stuck – literally. The Cruise America rental almost made it, but couldn't quite squeeze through the 7-foot high clearance. Talk about every RVer's nightmare!
Public Lands on the Chopping Block: Unlikely coalition unites to oppose sell-off in proposed budget bill
The latest version of the U.S. Senate reconciliation budget bill includes the potential sale of more than 2 million acres of federally owned land in Western states to help provide housing and pay off the federal debt. For sale would be land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service that meets certain conditions. While some Republican senators have long argued for some federal land to be sold, other Republican and Democratic politicians have long opposed it. A diverse group of interests including hunters, environmentalists, and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Association (which the RV Industry Association is a part) are opposing this – arguing once the federal land is sold, it is gone forever.
Disaster Strikes Again: I-40 Near NC/TN Line Shut Down by Rockslide and Flooding
A section of Interstate 40 near the North Carolina/Tennessee line is expected to be closed for two weeks due to a rockslide and flooding caused by heavy rains last week. The slide happened near marker 450 and struck a section of the road that was wiped out by Tropical Storm Helene in Sept. 2024 and just reopened in March.
Camping World to US Senate: Help Americans Deduct RV Loan Interest and Hit the Open Road
Camping World is pushing for the U.S. Senate to support an RV loan interest deduction in the proposed legislation known as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” If it goes through, RV buyers could deduct up to $10,000 of RV loan interest per year from their taxable income for four years when purchasing an American-made RV. This would certainly help the RV industry, and we'll let you know if it goes through.
Zion Hiker Suffering Heat Injury Airlifted as Extreme Temps Grip Nation
A hiker at Zion National Park had to be airlifted to safety over the weekend after suffering heat-related injuries while exploring the national park. As this extreme heat wave rolls across most of the country east of the Rocky Mountains, be sure to drink lots of water and stay safe while camping and exploring.
RV CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK
We were at our big summer rally for the RV Lifestyle Community a couple of weeks ago when we learned that one of the couples on their way to us had experienced serious mechanical issues and would not be able to attend after all. Turns out they stopped at a fuel station and mistakenly put gasoline in their diesel fuel tank. It ruined their plans. They had to cancel their attendance at the rally, and they had to return home and leave their RV at a repair facility in a distant city for two weeks until it could be fixed.
This is not the first time we have heard of this. It even happened at another rally a few years ago to a couple heading to Michigan from California. It is a real easy mistake to make, as is putting DEF fluid into a diesel tank. Don't ask me how I know that…
As it turned out, also attending our summer rally earlier this month was a long-time automotive mechanic, a friend of ours who has decades of experience and lots of good advice. We sat down at a picnic table outside his RV and talked about some of the differences between gas and diesel RVs, specifically what can go wrong all too easily. Meet our mechanic friend Robert Einheuser.
SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ – Wendy Bowyer
Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.
Last week the buzz in our private online RVLifestyle Community centered on the after-glow of our amazing summer rally where more than 80 of us camped, hiked, kayaked, ate together and thoroughly explored the gorgeous Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. If you haven't seen our YouTube video on this gorgeous part of the country, you need to check it!
And in our RVLifestyle Facebook Group, so many conversations as summer camping season is in full force.
A post that caught my eye was from Karen, who wrote:
“At William. C. Sterling State Park in Monroe, MI. These buggers (mayflies) are a nuisance. They don't bite, but they stick to everything. We had no warning before coming here. Apparently this is prime hatching week. I am trying to think of it like cicadas. At least they are not noisy.”
You should have seen her pictures. Her rig was just completely covered with these things. There were so many, it looked like RV was spotted! It was disgusting.
Many people who live along the Great Lakes, especially near Lake Erie, have experience with mayflies or fish flies as they are also known, because typically in June they swarm. In fact, these swarms can be so thick, it can appear as if the ground is moving, and their swarms can even show up on weather radar!
The good news is they don't bite. Also they are not loud. They are a great food source for fish and birds and really are harmless. In fact, many RVer who love to fish said to hold on to them and use them for bait.
But still, – if you are going to be swarmed every time you step outside your RV, these bugs are going to ruin your camping trip.
Mayflies are attracted to lights, so if you don't want them to surround you, keep those porch lights off and minimize light use at the campground.
And they pose some other practical concerns.
Chris said: “Please be careful when driving at night. They fly toward the street lights and end up in a pile under them. Very slick when you go through.”
And Jason added: “They all die at about the same time and then their bodies pile up and stink as they rot. Pulled into a campground on the Great Lakes years ago and saw what looked like a cool camo paint job on an RV only to find out it was covered in Mayflies! The shores of the lakes were covered in waves of them dead.”
So even though they are harmless, they can ruin your camping trip. I can't imagine pulling up to a campground, ready for a little vacation time by the lake, and not knowing every inch of the group would be covered by these things.
So what to do?
Here are two suggestions. First, if you are considering booking at a campground in an area you are unfamiliar with, take the time to check reviews from the same general time of year in previous years. If there were problems with insect invasions at a certain time of year, likely someone reported it.
And second, if possible, call the campground and ask. Monroe, Michigan, may have a mayfly season, but other areas of the country have a black fly season or an Asian beetle season or any other variety of insect infestation. It never hurts to ask!
Meanwhile, now we all know about mayfly season along the shores of Lake Erie, but I sure hope Karen and her family were still able to enjoy their camping trip.
RV QUESTION OF THE WEEK
QUESTION: At what wind speed/gust would you bring your slides in while parked? – Sandy
ANSWER: There’s not a clear consensus on what wind speed is too much but, for us personally, we would strongly consider bringing the slides in our fifth wheel in when wind speeds reach sustained levels of around 35 mph, or gusts exceed 50 mph.
There are times when you may want to be more conservative. If you have slide toppers that flap a lot, I’d bring them in earlier. Same if you are parked crossways to the wind.
When in doubt, err on the side of caution—slides can always be re-extended when conditions improve.
MIKE & JEN’S STORYTIME
Why We Travel Alone
MIKE: Jen, remember when we used to post those daily maps showing where we'd be each night?
JENNIFER: You mean back when you thought being predictable was a good thing?
MIKE: I was trying to be helpful! But man, that couple from Ohio taught us a lesson we'll never forget.
JENNIFER: They were so determined to meet us during our Great Lakes tour. Following our blog posts, driving hundreds of miles to catch up with us.
MIKE: And every single time they showed up somewhere, we'd already moved on. It was like some kind of cosmic joke.
JENNIFER: The Facebook message was priceless though. “Where ARE you? You're not here!”
MIKE: And there we were, standing in the Jell-O Museum in Le Roy, New York, learning about how some carpenter invented wiggly dessert in 1845 and sold it for $450.
JENNIFER: A place we'd never even heard of until that morning when we saw a small roadside sign saying “Jello Museum, LeRoy, NY.”
MIKE: That was all we needed. “There’s a Jello Museum?” you asked. “This we have to see.” So off we drove. We probably passed that Ohio couple on the highway while they were driving to where we HAD been.
JENNIFER: It's funny, but it also perfectly explains why we can't travel with other people.
MIKE: Right? We've been doing this for almost 15 years now, 350,000 miles under our wheels, and we've finally figured out our style.
JENNIFER: Serendipity style, as you like to call it.
MIKE: When that sign said “Jell-O Museum,” that was it. Decision made. Off we went, probably leaving those poor folks setting up camp chairs waiting for us.
JENNIFER: And that's exactly why we travel alone. Other people want schedules, itineraries, plans.
MIKE: Remember my original idea to bicycle the whole Great Lakes tour? Three months, 50-75 miles a day, you following in the RV?
JENNIFER: Thank goodness you came to your senses. Though even doing it in one month, we still managed to hit all five Great Lakes because we could change direction whenever we wanted.
MIKE: That's the beauty of it. We see a lighthouse, we stop. We hear about a ferry, we take it. Someone mentions a winery, we're there.
JENNIFER: But imagine trying to do that with another couple. “Oh, we can't stop at the cheese factory, we promised Bob and Sue we'd meet them at the campground by five.”
MIKE: Or worse, “Bob wants to spend three hours at every museum reading every single plaque.”
JENNIFER: While Sue complains that her feet hurt and she just wants to sit in the RV.
MIKE: That's exactly what would happen. And we'd miss all the good stuff, all the unexpected discoveries.
JENNIFER: Like that stretch of highway in South Dakota decorated with giant roadside statues of birds.
MIKE: Or that random roadside stand in Minnesota where we bought the best pie we've ever tasted.
JENNIFER: Those moments only happen when you're free to follow your curiosity wherever it leads.
MIKE: And when you don't have to negotiate every decision with other people.
JENNIFER: Plus, let's be honest, we move fast. Especially when we're on a mission like that Great Lakes tour.
MIKE: We had to! We only gave ourselves a month because we also wanted to do the Lewis and Clark trail that same year.
JENNIFER: Most people would think we're crazy, trying to cover 3,500 miles in thirty days.
MIKE: But we did it because we could make decisions instantly. No committees, no group discussions.
JENNIFER: Just pure, spontaneous exploration.
MIKE: That's why we stopped posting those daily maps. You can't plan serendipity.
JENNIFER: And you definitely can't schedule it around other people's vacation time.
MIKE: The funniest part is, that Ohio couple ended up having a better trip because they couldn't find us.
JENNIFER: They started discovering their own places instead of just following our breadcrumbs.
MIKE: Which proves the point. The best adventures happen when you throw away the map and trust your instincts.
JENNIFER: But you can only do that when you're traveling with someone who shares your sense of adventure.
MIKE: And your willingness to eat gas station hot dogs because you decided to take a detour that added six hours to your day.
JENNIFER: Or sleep in a Walmart parking lot because that weird roadside attraction took longer than expected.
MIKE: Exactly. We're compatible travel partners because we're both willing to embrace the chaos.
JENNIFER: Most people aren't. They want predictability, comfort, scheduled meal times.
MIKE: Nothing wrong with that, but it's just not our style.
JENNIFER: Our style is “Hey, there's a sign for a submarine museum, want to check it out?”
MIKE: And the answer is always yes.
JENNIFER: Always yes. That's why we travel alone, Mike. Because serendipity doesn't wait for consensus.
MORAL: True adventure requires the freedom to change course at a moment's notice – something that's only possible when everyone in the group shares the same spontaneous spirit, or better yet, when you travel with just the person who knows that “yes” is always the right answer to unexpected discoveries.
MIKE: By the way, that 3,500 mile Great Lakes Shoreline Tour became one of our favorite RV Travel Guides. We’ll put a link to it in the description below.
Mike and Jennifer's Ultimate Michigan and Great Lakes Bundle – THREE ebooks
This bundle contains our ever-popular Michigan Upper Peninsula 7-Stop Adventure Guide PLUS the NEW LOWER Michigan Adventure Guide PLUS the US Side Tour of the Great Lakes! This ULTIMATE Bundle will help you keep enjoying Michigan and the Great Lakes for years!
