Episode 87: Fleeing the Alberta Fires

You’ve no doubt heard of the horrific fires that have devastated the Canadian province of Alberta, forcing 88,000 people in the town of Fort McMurray to evacuate in a mad rush to escape the flames. In this episode of the podcast, we interview a young mom who escaped with her husband, toddler son and dogs in her RV. Their house was completely destroyed by the fires but thanks to their Fifth Wheel RV, the family is safe and has shelter in a lakefront RV park that has become a mobile refugee center for the evacuees. Also in this episode, we have lots of listener questions and tips, including news of a class action settlement over fire problems affecting a popular RV refrigerator. Plus a brand new segment called RV Basic Training , as well as some traveling tech tips and a great Off-The-Beaten-Path Report. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #87 May 11, 2016 of Roadtreking - The RV Lifestyle Podcast (click the time hyperlink to go directly to that part of the podcast): JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK – Occupied Campsite signs [spp-timestamp time="6:30"]One of the nice things about having a Class B motorhome is mobility. You don’t have to tow a car behind you when you set out on your RV adventures. And when you’re at a campground and you want to to do some sight-seeing or head into town for some shopping, you just unplug and take off. But what do you do about that campsite you are only temporarily vacating? How do you prevent newly arriving campers from thinking it’s available and taking your spot? What Mike and I do is put up a sign that says “Campsite if occupied.” It’s a bright red sign with white lettering and we push it into the dirt at the campsite. We got it at a campground we visited and we’ve since seen them in Camping World stores and at RV shows around the country. We’ve also seen people string rope across the campsite, or they leave their chairs or water hose and electrical cords behind. We don’t leave anything but the sign when we’re away for any length of time. Water hoses and electrical cords could easily be stolen. So far nobody has stolen our sign or tried to take our campsite. So it works! If you’d like something a little nicer and that is personalized, let me tell you about my friend Rhonda Phipps. Rhonda makes a customized campsite flag that has your names, hometown and even an embroidered drawing of your RV. Because they are personalized just for you, they are less likely to go missing when you’re away from the campsite. They’re made of durable nylon ripstop and measure 11 by 17 inches. Here’s a link to a video showing Rhonda’s work. Or go to www.trekingourway.com for ordering info. The tip of the week is brought to you by Good Sam, the world's most popular RV organization, now celebrating its 50th year. LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK: Ron checks in with two questions, one about where to install a spare tire on his Sprinter based RV and another about how to install a brush guard on the front… a question brought about by a recent run in with a deer. Mike refers him to SprinterWorld, an aftermarket shop for Sprinters. [spp-timestamp time="11:02"] Listener Tom alerts us to settlement of a class action lawsuit involving Norcold refrigerators, specifically the 1200 Series, N8 Series and N6 Series of gas absorption refrigerators typically installed in RVs, motorhomes, trailers and lots of boats. The issue involves a safety related defect in the cooling unit which, in certain circumstances, causes the boiler tubes to corrode and leak flammable gas, exposing owners and other users of the RVs to the risk of fire.  This was a $36 million settlement. Details are available at norcoldclassaction.com [spp-timestamp time="17:25"] Listener Kevin offers some tips on what to do in Nashville, besides the touristy honky tonk action [spp-timestamp time="20:35"] And listener Janet checks in to say how she appreciates information on traveling with dogs in an RV [spp-timestamp time="24:30"]