Exotic Landmarks to Visit in the US While RVing

 

Traveling across the country means seeing some of the most stunning views, beautiful national parks, and most famous landmarks in the United States. But that’s not all! There are some unique places that will make your journey all the more special and fun.

Just remember to have all your RV supplies and parts ready so you can make any trek you take as seamless and enjoyable as possible.

Looking for something different to check out during your next trip? Here are some of the most exotic and unique landmarks in the United States to visit so you can plan your pit stops!

Area 51 - Lincoln County, Nevada

This spooky area is in the middle of the Nevada desert, a top-secret installation that is full of mystery. Little is known about what goes on inside Area 51 except that it’s something to do with government secrets. Maybe aliens? Alien abductions? Alien visitors? This is the site where the US Air Force studied experimental aircraft during the Cold War. But what’s going on here now?

Christmas Ghost Town - Santa Claus, Arizona

When you think of Christmas, you probably picture a snowy landscape but there is a town dedicated to Christmas in the middle of the Mojave Desert! The town was founded in 1937 in hopes of attracting people to the area but not even Jolly Saint Nick was enough. Now, the town has been all but abandoned. The Christmas spirit is still in the air despite the town’s apocalyptic appearance.

Mystery Spot - Santa Cruz, California

This gravitational anomaly that will have you questioning the laws of physics. The Mystery Spot was discovered in 1939 and has confused hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world. There are some theories behind the spot, including that metal was secretly buried under the earth or that there’s a spacecraft buried within the ground. Others believe there’s a hole in the ozone layer or a magma vortex. No matter what you believe, you’ll be entertained by this roadside attraction.

World’s Largest Objects - Casey, Illinois

This town may be small but it’s home to eight of the world’s largest objects. This includes a golf tee, a wind chime, and a rocking chair. A resident of the town, Jim Bolin, is the man behind the structures. He created the public art installation to bring in tourists, which seems to be working. The town now gets 500 visitors a day.

Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze - San Francisco, California

This trippy labyrinth is full of reflections, dead ends, and neon — and rave music. This crazy maze is located within a nondescript building on San Francisco’s Pier 39. It’s quite difficult to find your way through, but some people will challenge themselves by going back through it backwards once they complete it.

Definitely a fun destination if you’re looking for something exotic or different than the usual.

Dream House - Manhattan, New York

On the outside, this house is pretty discreet. But look for a black door with a white sign above it that says THE DREAM HOUSE. But it’s not your typical dream house with sprawling master bedrooms and an exquisite dining room. It’s instead a room full of sound waves that will entrance you and neon pink lights that will mesmerize you.

The Dream House was created in 1993 by a modern composer and a visual artist. The sound and light work together to create a whimsical experience as you traverse throughout the home, creating different pitches and visuals.

Mutter Museum - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This museum is full of oddities that aren’t for the faint of heart. You’ll see the skeleton of the tallest man to have ever lived, the fused bones of someone with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a collection of skulls, and the brain of Albert Einstein’s. Some other oddities worth checking out are the skeleton of conjoined twins, a corpse from the 1800s, and even a collection of thousands of objects removed from people’s throats.

Oz Park - Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln Park was a suffering neighborhood but the city decided to improve upon it by building Oz Park in honor of author L. Frank Baum, who lived in the area in the 1890s. The city has taken time to slowly transform the park into a magical land in honor of the Wizard of Oz, including statues, beautiful gardens, and even a playground called Dorothy’s Playlot. This beautiful area has become a safe, beautiful space for residents and tourists alike.

Lost Sea - Sweetwater, Tennessee

This is a stunning occurrence of nature that has to be seen to be believed. You’ll walk through a mile of cave to discover an underground lake, which you are able to ride on in a flat-bottom boat. You can even spend all night in the cave if you go on a tour, exploring even more of the tavern. This is the country’s largest underground lake, spanning four acres. You’ll see gigantic trout. And divers have also discovered a series of large rooms below the lake’s surface, filled entirely with water.

Singing Oak - New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is full of oddities and curiosities, but one that isn’t as known to tourists is the Singing Oak, also known as the Chime Tree. Wind chimes were hung throughout the giant tree by a local artist, Jim Hart, creating beautiful, serene melodies while you sit beneath its giant stretch of branches. You’ll find the tree in City Park, an escape from the heat and sun. You’ll find yourself entranced and delighted sitting under the Singing Oak.

Ready to take a journey to one of these unique landmarks? These spots can be destinations or pit stops depending on your travel plans.

To get ready for your next trip, check out our expansive list of RV supplies, parts, appliances, and accessories that we have available here in our store. Our wide RV product selection means that you can be prepared no matter how far you are traveling or how out of the way your destination is!

Understanding the Fundamentals of Towing a Trailer

 

It's important to get a firm grasp on the fundamentals before attempting to tow a trailer. No matter how much towing experience you have, it's vital that you always follow the most basic guidelines for safety. RVUpgrades is committed to educating our customers on the fundamentals of towing a trailer so that they may do so safely and with confidence.

Towing Capacity

When pulling a trailer, be sure you don't exceed the towing limit of your truck. If you want to know how much weight your truck can safely tow, you need to know its towing capacity. When you exceed your truck's towing capacity, you put yourself and others in danger in a number of ways.

When a truck is overloaded, the suspension and drivetrain components wear down faster, shortening the truck's lifespan. Towing a load that is too big for your truck can place unnecessary strain on the engine, which can wear it out and reduce its performance.

Also, overloading a truck might make it harder to control because of its worse handling and lessened stability. Overloading increases the strain on the brakes, which might cause them to fail and increase the risk of an accident.

When your truck is overloaded, the engine needs to work harder to pull the extra weight, which uses more fuel. Learning the towing capacity of your truck can help you avoid overloading it and other potential dangers.

Tow Lights

The usage of tow lights is recommended whenever a trailer is being towed, as they increase the vehicle's visibility and alert other drivers that a trailer is following close behind. You, your trailer, and other drivers will all benefit from tow lights in the following ways:

• Having tow lights installed on both the trailer and the towing vehicle improves both vehicles' visibility to other drivers on the road and lessens the likelihood of an accident.

• Tow lights make it obvious to other vehicles that a trailer is being pulled behind the car, which decreases the likelihood that a motorist may underestimate the length of the combination and raises the towing vehicle's profile in traffic.

• The usage of tow lights is mandated by law in many regions, and violators face fines and penalties if they are caught.

• Tow lights increase the safety of the towing combination as a whole by letting other drivers know the trailer is there. You may greatly improve your chances of avoiding accidents and having a more secure towing experience by installing tow lights on your trailer.

Hitch

If you want to attach a trailer to your car, you'll need a hitch designed for that purpose. If you plan on using your truck for towing, you'll want to invest in one of our sturdy weight distribution hitches to serve as the link between the two vehicles. The trailer's weight must be transferred securely from the hitch to the chassis of the towing vehicle.

The trailer's weight as well as any additional cargo must be supported by the hitch, which must be sufficiently strong to do so. A high-quality hitch will last through the wear and tear of towing.

Hitch compatibility is essential for a safe and sound connection between the towing vehicle and the trailer. Maintaining the physical connection between the trailer and the tow vehicle is essential, thus the hitch must be dependable and fully operational.

In addition to protecting the tow vehicle and trailer from damage, having one of our dependable brands of weight distribution hitch will help keep you and other motorists safe. Towing can become dangerous if the trailer comes unhitched from the tow vehicle.

Towing Mirrors

When you're hauling a trailer behind your vehicle, you need towing mirrors so you can keep an eye on the road and the space behind the trailer. The following are some of the ways in which a towing mirror improves road safety for you, your trailer, and other drivers:

• Towing mirrors allow the driver to see the whole length of the trailer and other vehicles around them, greatly improving visibility.

• Towing mirrors enhance the driver's field of vision so that they can see the whole length of the trailer and other cars on the road, allowing for safer lane changes and better distance estimation.

• Towing mirrors serve to decrease blind spots, letting the driver see the whole length of the towing combination and be aware of the presence of other vehicles.

• Using Towing mirrors is mandated by law in many places for cars that are longer than the legal limit, lowering the possibility of being fined or subject to other sanctions.

When you install towing mirrors on your towing vehicle, you'll have a better sight of the road and the area around the trailer, which will allow you to safely change lanes and reduce the likelihood of an accident.

Here at RVUpgrades, we know how crucial it is to have a firm grasp on the basics of trailer towing. Safe and pleasurable towing is possible when you follow the aforementioned procedures and stock your towing combination with the essential gear. Feel free to get in touch with us if you need any clarification on how hauling a trailer works.

RV Battery Maintenance: A Helpful Guide

 

All RVs have batteries, although not all RVs have the same type of batteries. More than likely, the most common types of RV batteries are flooded lead-acid and sealed-lead acid batteries. Each of these requires special maintenance to ensure optimal battery performance and extend battery life.

Flooded lead-acid batteries generally require the most maintenance. They must be charged frequently and even with regular charging, a phenomenon called “off-gassing” will occur, which will require you to refill the battery with distilled water (some owners use RV battery watering systems for this; see below).

Sealed lead-acid batteries, like gel and absorbed-glass mat (AGM) batteries, have a sealed cell that does not experience off-gassing and requires less maintenance than flooded lead-acid batteries do.

Nonetheless, all RV batteries will benefit from routine charging (or maintenance through a trickle charge), cleaning, and other TLC. Here’s what you need to know.

Keeping the Terminals Clean

Regardless of the type of battery you have, keeping the terminals clean is very important. Clean terminals can establish a more secure electrical connection which in turn ensures efficient discharge.

Over time, battery terminals will corrode, especially around the positive (red) terminal. If you notice any white, blue, or brownish flaky deposits around your battery’s terminals, clean it off right away.

To clean battery terminals, you don’t actually have to remove them from their mounts. You can simply disconnect the battery, and use a battery cleaning solution or make your own. Some guides suggest using a paste of baking soda and water.

You can use a commercially available battery terminal scrubber, or a brass or steel brush, along with this solution, to scrub your terminals clean.

After you’ve cleaned the corrosion off the terminals, it’s time to focus on the connections and leads. Clean these in the same manner, with the same solution, then wipe down the battery, terminals, connections and leads before allowing them to dry thoroughly.

Once the battery, terminals, and all connections are completely dry, you can reconnect the battery.

Keeping your RV’s battery clean of corrosion is one of the easiest things you can do to improve battery life and establish secure electrical connections. Also, dirty terminals can potentially cause shorts that prevent you from running the RV; so keep your terminals clean!

Watering Your Battery: When (and Why) an RV Battery Watering System Is Necessary

Flooded lead-acid batteries will also need to be watered periodically to counteract the off-gassing that naturally occurs. Some use an RV battery watering system for this.

Over time, the process of charging your flooded lead-acid batteries will cause some of the water contained in the battery to boil off, which will expose the lead plates.

This will adversely affect battery lifespan and performance; if the electrolyte level is not maintained it will cause serious damage to your battery.

Periodically, you need to check your RV battery’s electrolyte levels and replenish them as indicated. An RV battery watering system can streamline the process and improve safety.

Consider an RV battery watering system like the Flow-Rite Qwik-Fill Single Battery Watering System, which is faster and safer than conventional filling methods.

The Qwik-Fill System installs and fills in minutes, and contains a single fill tube (operated by a hand pump), which enables you to fill only the low cells, without overfilling. The system enables you to easily reach batteries and refill them without removing a cap.

It also works great with distilled water containers, improving the convenience of the system.

Note: sealed lead acid batteries, like AGM batteries, do not need to be watered.

Note: never use tap water to water your RV batteries. Tap water contains dissolved minerals that will damage your battery. Use distilled water only.

Properly Storing the RV Battery

Proper storage of RV batteries is also something that some RV owners overlook. Storing a battery properly can help improve its performance and extend its lifespan.

Also, if you have to winterize your RV, it’s a good idea to store the battery separately from the RV.

To store your battery properly, disconnect the terminals and remove the battery from its housing, then clean the battery and terminals.

Before storing, fully recharge and refill the battery. Then, store it in a cool, dry, place, preferably somewhere that will remain above freezing for the duration of the winter. (Extreme cold weakens batteries.)

Every month, check your battery’s charge. If it has fallen below 75%, recharge and refill it again.

Come spring, simply check the charge, recharge and refill as necessary, reinstall the battery in the RV, and get going!

Other Helpful Tips to Extend the Life of Your RV’s Battery

Maintaining a healthy charge, keeping your terminals clean, watering your RV batteries, and storing the battery properly are only some of the things you can do to safeguard battery health. We have a few more helpful tips.

Never allow your battery to remain discharged. When the battery’s charge falls below 80%, a process called sulfation occurs. Sulfation refers to the formation of small crystals on the battery’s lead plates, and the process becomes more severe as the battery charge level drops. To prevent this from occurring, check your battery’s charge periodically and recharge and refill the battery whenever the charge drops below 75% - whether you are storing the battery or not.

Never allow your battery voltage to fall below 12V. For 12V batteries (for which a full charge voltage is about 12.7V) a 12V reading indicates a discharge rate of nearly 50%.

Also, if you can help it, try to avoid deeply discharging the battery. A battery that is discharged to 50% and then recharged will last substantially longer than a battery that is discharge to 40% or 30% before it is recharged.

When watering your RV batteries, water after charging, not before. Keep in mind that extremely hot temperatures, like cold temperatures, can damage batteries. When it is extremely hot, you will need to be more diligent about checking the water levels in your flooded lead-acid batteries.

Be conscientious of parasitic loads that can drain the RV battery over time. These include electronic refrigerator systems, charging stations, TVs, lights, GPS systems, and other electronic systems. When not using them, switch them off to prevent parasitic battery drain.

Hopefully you found these tips for RV battery maintenance helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at 866-332-7881.