RV Podcast 243: Our complete guide to free or almost free camping

With the upcoming long Memorial Day weekend kicking off the 2019 camping season, a lot of RVers are going to be frustrated to discover no vacancy signs and if they do get a spot, overcrowded and expensive campgrounds that offer far from the idyllic getaway they hoped for. We can help. In this episode, you’ll hear how Jennifer and I prefer to camp as we present to you our complete guide of free or almost free camping, from overnight stays to full two-week vacations. And along the way you’ll hear from a variety of experts. We’ll have complete links to the places and services we describe in the shownotes on the rvlifestyle.com travel blog as well, so stay tuned… you’re going to get some great suggestions. Also this week, lots of RV News, your RV Lifestyle questions and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. But first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride… Jennifer. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER These are sure busy times for RVers, with the Memorial Day weekend now upon us and the summer camping season well underway. We’ve been traveling somewhere every week since we returned to Michigan a month or so ago. We had a wonderful time last week in northern Indiana in Amish country. MIKE We were down there for meetings with some potential new sponsors and we took the time to explore a little. There are lots of fun shopping opportunities, one of the biggest flea markets you’ll find anywhere in the town of Shipshewana and down-home delicious food. I confess, my healthy eating plan went out the window when I found the bakery at the Essen Haus in Middlebury and, in particular, a raspberry cream pie. JENNIFER But you are back eating healthy again and I’m proud of you. Little break and occasional indulgences are okay. But the key word is occasional. And you’ve been working out every day.  Which makes it not quite as bad when you give in to that raspberry cream pie which, I agree, was worth it. MIKE Speaking of working out, we want to give a shout out to our new partner, Anytime Fitness. We’ve just become sort of traveling ambassadors for this chain of health clubs, which as regular listeners know we have been using for years. There are more than 4,000 Anytime Fitness locations around the globe and besides group exercise classes, well maintained equipment and a friendly welcoming atmosphere for visiting RVers, they all have clean, individual bathrooms with showers and privacy, which is great when you’re boondocking. Your membership gets you in any of their clubs and we always can find one as we travel across North America. JENNIFER We’re working on a video that shows you how we use Anytime Fitness when we’re on the road. We stopped by the Portage, MI club last week. I did one a group class as Mike ran the camera. Hey, come to think of it, I didn’t see you working out that day! MIKE Somebody had to run the camera! And I did. I got on a spinning bike. JENNIFER That’s right. You did. Anyway, we’re glad to be partnered with Anytime Fitness. Exercise is vitally important to good health, especially as we age and especially when sitting behind the wheel of the RV for a long time as a lot of us will be doing now with the summer camping season in full swing Our 330 Rule T-Shirt, available at https://rvlifestyle.com/rule330 MIKE For the summer of 2019, we have a fun promotion we want all us us to participate in: Telling the world about the 330 Rule! Here’s how: By wearing our very cool new 330 Rule T-shirts. They are now printed and available. They are very comfy T-shirts with Rule 330 printed across the back, celebrating our favorite way of RV travel, which is driving no more than 330 miles in a single day and/or stopping by 3:30 pm local time. We want to see a picture of as many of you as possible wearing those shirts taken in your summer adventures. Take the photo and then post it on Instagram, using the hashtag #rvlifestylemike . It will be fun to see where everyone goes and to evangelize the RV Lifestyle of not rushing, enjoying the journey and connecting with others. We have these shirts in all sorts of colors, in mens and womens sizes. And we also have stickers, coffee mugs and other merch with the same theme. Rule 330 is the motto Jen and I have for this summer and we’re enjoying wearing ours and explaining it to anyone who asks. You can find the 330 shirts and merch at rvlifestyle.com/rule330. Again, be sure and take photos of you wearing them and post to Instagram with the hashtag #rvlifestylemike. JENNIFER Before we check the RV News of the week, two housekeeping notes: One, in this podcast we will mention a bunch of different resources, news stories and web links that will give you more information about the things we’re talking about. Whenever possible, we build in direct links to those topics on the shownotes page for this episode. You can find that at rvlifestyle.com/243 MIKE Also, you may have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Record number of motorists expected to travel this weekend for the unofficial start of summer  This Memorial Day weekend unofficially kicks off the summer travel season, and AAA predicts nearly 43 million Americans will be traveling, the second highest on record. Despite gas prices around $3 per gallon for regular, most will drive to their destination, according to AAA, with Thursday and Friday being the most heavily congested. MIKE Check out these campgrounds for beautiful but less crowded spots to camp in Utah this Memorial Day weekend Speaking of Memorial Day weekend, a story about breathtaking campgrounds in Utah caught my eye last week. The story by a Utah television station featured 10 camping spots that are breathtakingly gorgeous, but typically not crowded. At least one of the spots is also in our Southern Utah 7 Day Adventure Guide (for more info click here) that we issued last month.  JENNIFER Rangers reminding visitors to stay away from mother elk and their young  If you're heading to Yellowstone National Park anytime soon rangers are warning visitors to stay away from mother elks and their calves. Mother elk can become aggressive to anyone who gets too close. Last year two women were attacked by elk, and rangers this year are seeking to get the word out to stay far away - a good warning for anyone in wilderness areas near elk, or even moose, as we see reports of attacks each year when visitors get too close to moms and their young. MIKE Michigan representative introduces bill to give state residents first bids on state campground reservations which are increasingly hard to get We all know how hard it can be to get a camping reservation at a state park. A bill recently introduced in the Michigan state house would give Michigan residents a two week head start in making camping reservations, if it becomes law. The state representative who introduced the bill said he had heard from constituents who can't get a summer camping spot because reservations fill up six months ahead of time within minutes of becoming available. The interesting bill proposes giving state residents first dibs since state dollars help fund the campgrounds.JENNIFER Zip-line opens at West Virginia state park and thrills riders  A West Virginia state park recently opened nine zip lines for guests, continuing a trend we're seeing of state parks and campgrounds adding activities normally found in resorts. The Pipestem Resort State Park has 81 campsites and is located on  Bluestone River Gorge. In a story published in a local paper, a park worker talked about the importance of adding features to state parks to address requests of a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts.   This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping   LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Questions that came in this week… Hey Mike, been following for years. One question I have is did you and Jennifer have someone that made you want to start the rv lifestyle? Keep up the good work,safe travels.  R.P. We answer Several months ago you showed us the “ roll up” bed you use in your Roadtrek, What is the name of it? It’s called the RV Super Bag. Here's a video on the Super Bag. RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK MIKE This week we want to talk in our interview section about free or almost free camping. It’s no secret that many RV campgrounds now charge almost as much as some motels do. $50 a night is common. Some are even more. JENNIFER And it’s also no secret that RV campgrounds are very crowded. Many of the most popular, in state and national parks, require reservations six months to a year out. Across North America, full campgrounds, or very crowded campgrounds are pretty much the norm. MIKE First, we want to stay that we are not anti-campground. There are many we really like. It’s just that we prefer a little more elbow room when we camp than is offered by many campgrounds. And because we spend so much time on the road, saving money is important. JENNIFER So let’s start with our absolute favorite kind of camping – boondocking in state or national forests, BLM land and the like.  Some are in campgrounds, though they are typically small and most do not have hookups or anything but a picnic table and firepit. They may cost a few dollars. So you need to have enough battery and solar power and holding tanks to make you self-contained. But man, are these spots beautiful. MIKE For some expert advice on finding the perfect such boondocking spot,