Should you join an RV club?

This week we talk about RV Clubs and why you may want to consider joining one. We talk about their many benefits, including their efforts to help us find and preserve free overnight places to camp by promoting a Good Neighbor policy. Our guests are the people who run one of the most popular and active such organizations, Travis and Melanie Carr of the Escapees and Xcapers RV Clubs. RV clubs serve as a network of like-minded folks, offering support, encouragement, adventure and fun, usually with special perks and discounts for its members.  I think you’ll enjoy meeting the Carrs in the interview of the week segment, coming up in just a few minutes. But also this week, we’ll update you on our activities, share the RV News if the weeks, answer some of your questions and get another great off the beaten oath report from our friends the Burketts. But first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride… Jennifer. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Jennifer overlooking the Ausable River in the Adirondacks JENNIFER -We are in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains of New York, where we plan to spend a couple weeks taking photos and video and researching things to do and places to stay for another of our Seven Day Adventure Guides. MIKE - Look for it later this summer. We arrived here Sunday after spending the past several days near Montreal, Quebec, attending a rally put on by the French-speaking Leisure Travel Vans club of Quebec. Although neither of us speak French, club members made us feel very welcome and we had a wonderful time meeting folks and touring their RVs.  Jennifer and Mike peaking at the Quebec rally JENNIFER -Many of those attending spoke English as well and when Jen and I gave a little talk to the group they provided a translator. We've attended many rallies and gatherings over the years but this was one of the best organized such events e have ever seen. We had a ball! RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK MIKE Grand Canyon National Park set to receive designation for promoting dark sky  Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park has been working for years to reduce its light pollution and apparently it has paid off, as it is about to become an official International Dark Sky Park. The International Dark Sky Association promotes reducing light pollution so people can see the stars in all their glory, and recognizes certain spots throughout the country and even world  that do this. I highly recommend finding a Dark Sky spot near you. Jen and I had members of this organization on our podcast a while back. To learn more and hear that podcast, click here. JENNIFER Campers urged to stay below 4,000 feet in New York's Adirondacks to protect alpine zone If you are heading to the Adirondacks, where Mike and I are this week, be sure to keep all your boondocking below 4,000 feet elevation. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is advising people against camping above 4,000 feet in the High Peaks and is ticketing those who do not follow these guidelines. The agency is trying to keep campers out so plants in the fragile Alpine zone won't be trampled,. contributing to soil erosion. MIKE Writer describes his love affair with state parks, offering beautiful places to camp often inexpensively  When Jen and I are somewhere new to an area and hear there is a state or provincial (if we are in Canada) campground nearby, we often check it out. State campgrounds are usually in beautiful locations and are relatively inexpensive. So when I read an article recently in the New York Times by a writer who tells of traveling the country and searching out previously unknown gems in each state, we had to share. JENNIFER Stopping to view bears along a stretch of highway near Canada's Jasper National Park not allowed If you're heading to Canada's Jasper National Park anytime soon, there is now a no stopping rule along highway 16. The reason is so many bears feed along the highway this time of year,