RV Lifestyle RV Podcast

This week in the RV Podcast Interview of the Week, we’ll hear from a group of RVers who will share their individual RV stories about how they got into the RV Lifestyle, what challenges they’ve had, and what the RV Lifestyle is really like. These are REAL RV stories from REAL RVers, unedited and I think you’ll find them very encouraging. Inspirational even. Whether you are a newbie RVer, someone just dreaming about getting an RV, or an experienced RVer for many years, I know you’re going to really enjoy these stories… coming up in just a few minutes. Also this week, we share lots of RV News of the week, answer your RV Lifestyle questions, and listen to another great off the beaten path report from Tom & Patti Burkett. You can listen to the podcast in the player below. And scroll down this page for shownotes that include links and resources about all the things we talk about. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Mike and Jennifer Wendland, hosts of the RV Podcast First, on the personal side, we want you to know that Jennifer and I have just launched special RV Lifestyle Supporter Communities on Facebook and on YouTube as a way for us to become more community-supported (instead of advertising-driven), to connect with you better, and to sharpen the focus of all our platforms to meet more of your needs. We won't change anything in the content we deliver each week. We'll continue to produce all that content as before, all free. These new members-only support communities are in addition to all the regular content we create each week. This new effort to build community support is a way for you to contribute to the channel and help support our work… And for us to give something extra back to you.  I realize, being a supporter is not for everyone. Not everyone has the means to do so. This won’t change a thing for you, we'll still do all the content you’re used to seeing from us, still free. But for those who do choose to support us, it will enable us to do more with our content and you’ll get some cool rewards in the process.  You’ll get members-only perks,  badges, and emojis that only supporters get that show up in our livestreams so we can give your questions priority answers and shoutouts. In addition, there will be discounts on RV products and services, member-only meetups around the country, and exclusive content in the form of members-only posts, photos and videos. CLICK HERE to learn about our YouTube Members-Only Community CLICK HERE to learn about our Facebook Members-Only Community This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer Listeners of the Podcast can get 10% off all purchases over $99. Just go to RVLifestyle.com/campingworld and you will see all the Camping word RV gear and accessories we like the most! Just use the discount code RVLIFESTYLE10. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK Raging wildfires lead California to close of ALL national forest land and 30 state parks All national forests are closed in California totaling more than 20 million acres because of the unprecedented fires devastating the state. About 30 state parks, including the Big Sur area along Highway 1, are also closed because of fire risks. With so many fires burning out of control in California, and much of the West for that matter, you may want to get an app to help you monitor police and fire activity for safety reasons. To learn more click here. Oregon officials also close national and state lands to camping, outdoor use, due to fires and smoke Oregon is another state facing devastating wildfires roaring all across the state. More than a million acres are burning, with many reported deaths. Not surprisingly, state and federal officials are also closing campgrounds and parks. Much of the land operated by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S Department of Agriculture, forestry, state parks, and national parks are either closed or camping is banned.  This includes Crater Lake National Park,

You surely have heard the term moochdocking by now, a variation on the boondocking trend that is so popular with RVers these days. While boondocking is typically off-grid camping in remote areas, moochdocking is camping – usually without hookups – in people’s driveways or the back of their property. This week, we’ll learn about a new website that will help you find places to inexpensively do some moochdocking, offering still another resource for RVers who want to avoid overcrowded and overpriced campgrounds. Also, this week on Episode 311 of the RV Podcast, we have lots of RV news, your questions, and a fun and entertaining off the beaten path report from Tom and Patti Burkett. You can listen to this episode of the RV Podcast in the player below. And scroll down this page for shownotes and a transcript of the interview, plus links and resources about all the things we talk about. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Mike and Jennifer Wendland, hosts of the RV Podcast and the RV Lifestyle Travel Blog We hope everyone had a fantastic Labor Day weekend. Many were camping. But, according to an informal survey of campers and campground hosts, we're hearing that more RVers than normal will continue camping through the rest of the month.  Many campgrounds are filled and others report being much busier than normal. With so many still working remotely, a lot of RVers figure why not work from the road. We’re planning a fall color RV getaway to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – right after Jennifer has a tooth pulled. Ouch! This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer Listeners of the Podcast can get 10% off all purchases over $99. Just go to RVLifestyle.com/campingworld and you will see all the Camping word RV gear and accessories we like the most! Just use the discount code RVLIFESTYLE10. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK More than 200 people were evacuated from a California campground, some with burn injuries, as a fast moving fire trapped campers More than 200 people in California trying to squeeze in a little camping over the Labor Day weekend had to be evacuated by military helicopters after a fast-moving wildfire came upon them, sending more than 20 to the hospital, at least two with critical injuries. The campers were near Mammoth Pool Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest in northcentral California. The fire started Friday night and by Saturday blocked the only exit to Mammoth Pool Reservoir, trapping the campers as fire spread on all sides. The National Guard sent helicopters in to rescue people, taking more than 200 to safety. One evacuee shot some terrifying video (click here) of what the campground looked like before he was rescued.  Wildfires have been a major problem in much of the West, and California especially is hard hit. Majority of Americans planned a road trip vacation Labor Day weekend If you decided to take a last minute road trip this weekend, turns out you were in the majority. Some 60 percent of all Americans planned to travel over the weekend, 88 percent by vehicle. Also the majority of those traveling headed out further from home than they did Memorial Day weekend. The stats come from a survey by Cars.com. The info collected was very similar to AAA reports, indicating 97 percent of all Americans were vacationing by vehicle this summer, and which corresponds to what we are hearing out there in the middle of the pandemic. Not too long ago we had YOU call in and tell us what it is like out there on the road. To hear that podcast click here. The Better Business Bureau urging RV shoppers to be aware of scams if shopping for used RV online If you are shopping for a used RV online, the Better Business Bureau has a warning: Beware of scams. As more people are shopping for an RV as a way to travel in the time of a pandemic, scammers are spotting an opportunity to make a quick dishonest buck by listing RVs for sale that do not exist. To avoid being scammed,

This week we learn about the 2021 Quartzsite RV Show, scheduled Jan. 16-24. This just may be the biggest RV show in the world, drawing from the estimated 750,000 to 1 million visitors (most in RVs) who flock to the tiny desert town every January. Our guest on the RV Podcast Interview of the Week is Kimmy King, producer for the 2021 Quartzsite RV Show. Plus we have lots of RV news, tips and travel ideas, including an off the beaten path report from the Burketts. You can listen to the podcast in the player below. And scroll down this page for shownotes. The question of the week about a 4 season RV is at 19:15 in, while the interview about the 2021 Quartzsite RV show is at 26:09  RV Podcast Show Notes for Episode #310, released Sept. 2, 2020: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Special Live Feed Friday at 3 PM ET on the 2021 Quartzsite RV Show We’re having fun doing live stream broadcasts simultaneously on all our platforms. We’ll have our next one coming up this Friday, Sept 4 at 3 PM Eastern Time and our special guest will be Kenny and Kimmy King, the producers of the giant 2021 Quartzsite RV Show. Kimmy will be our guest in the interview of the week in this episode of the RV Podcast. And in our live video stream Friday, she’ll be joined by her dad, Kenny. This will be a really fun broadcast and you will have an opportunity to ask them questions live. So if every you have had questions about boondocking in Quartzsite, about the biggest RV show in the world (that’s what their event has become) tune in live at 3 PM Friday Sept. 4 on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group, our RV Lifestyle Facebook Page and our RV Lifestyle YouTune Channel. Fall Camping Updates We’ve had some really fun discussions on the blog lately about fall camping. Just this week we have published articles on fall camping in the UP and our five favorite RV destinations around the country to see the fall colors. You can read them and much more at rvlifestyle.com RV service issues I have an update on the status of our RV issues. The inverter failure while on battery power that I taked about last week had a very easy solution. It was a blown fuse. The fuse that blew was a 150 amp fuse between the house batteries and the inverter. My service tech at Holland Motor Homes in Holland, MI said the reason why it blew is that someone put the wrong sized fuse in at the factory. It is supposed to have a 250 amp fuse. Not a 150 amp fuse. Problem solved. And my dealer even gave me a spare fuse if it should happen again. As to the Dometic three-way refrigerator door that keeps falling off there is bad news. The dealer says Dometic told themthere is a 70 day wait time for replacement parts. Since I talked about it on the podcast last week I have heard from several others who have the same problem with the door falling off. One said he grew so impatient with Dometic’s lack of service that he has replaced his fridge with a new one from a different company. We are considering the same thing. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer For a 10% discount on purchases over $99, use the discount code RVLIFESTYLE10. RV PODCAST RV NEWS OF THE WEEK Wild fires continue to cause havoc in West, California closes 34 state parks, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, Utah and more states affected Wildfires continued to devastate the West with 1.4 million acres burned, and more than 800 new wildfires between Aug. 15 and 29 in California alone. California closed at least 34 state parks because of fires, many will be closed indefinitely. Historic Little Basin Campground in California's Big Basin State Park was destroyed, with visitors evacuated in a rush last Tuesday just before the flames came through. But California is not alone. An 850-plus acre wildfire is in Yellowstone National Park, just three miles from Old Faithful. Oregon and Colorado are also especially hard hit, but fires are popping up in many western states.

Tired of noisy Walmarts and crowded CrackerBarrels for your overnight stops? Now you can do Overnight RV Parking at churches where it's quiet, secluded, and safe. This week in the RV podcast interview of the week, we learn all about Faithful Parking, a website that helps RVers find overnight RV parking at churches. Often those spots come with electric hookups, too. Plus we have RV News of the week, tips about getting rid of mice in an RV, and an off the beaten path report from the Burketts. You can listen to this episode of the RV Podcast on your favorite app or right below in the audio player.  The interview about Faithful Parking and RV parking at churches is about 25.32 in: Show Notes for Episode #308 Aug 19, 2020 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Mike & Jennifer Wendland, hosts of the RV Podcast. In Episode 308 we talk about RV parking at churches and a website called Faithful Parking, plus the RV news of the week, getting rid of mice in an RV and an off the beaten path travel report We’re on the road, headed to Southwest Michigan to explore some out of the way campgrounds located on some great little inland lakes. We’re also planning a visit to Elkhart, IN – the RV Capital of the World – to work on a little project based on one of Jennifer’s ideas. And we’re planning an extended trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We’ll be leaving after Labor Day and the crowds head back to school and work. Fall is our favorite time of the year up there and we plan to stay until first frost in October. CLICK HERE to read an article on 10 Spectacular Campgrounds in the UP This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer  Listeners of the Podcast can get 10% off all purchases over $99 with the code RVLIFESTYLE10 RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK Woman seriously injured by charging bison after getting too close to take a picture A woman was seriously injured by a bison last week after she got off her motorcycle, and approached a bison herd to photograph a mama and her calf. The woman was at Fort Custer State Park in South Dakota taking the picture when a different bison decided she was too close. The animal charged her, catching her belt on its horn, and flung her around before her pants fell off and she fell to the ground. After the animal retreated people rushed to help. The woman was flown to a hospital and had serious injuries. State park officials are reminding visitors to stay at least 100 feet away from bison. Custer State Park is one of our favorite parks to visit in the fall and the bison are part of the draw. To see our list, click here. Illegal boondockers near California's Big Sur leaving behind big mess With warm weather and totally booked campgrounds, officials near California's Big Sur have experienced problems with people illegally camping along Highway 1 over the past several weekends. More than 150 people illegally camped along Highway 1 in Monterey County last weekend, generally in turnouts. And they leave behind human waste, toilet paper, beer cans and coals from fires. Officials are closing several roads through Oct. 19 to stop the illegal boondocking. We are big fans of boondocking, but ALWAYS clean up after yourself, and check to see if boondocking is allowed before settling in for the night. For more boondocking tips click here or here. Colorado wild fire causing campground evacuations, road closures Wildfires in Colorado have burned part of the popular Chambers Lake campground. The fire was about 62 miles west of Fort Collins over the weekend and was burning primarily on Roosevelt National Forest Land. Several campgrounds in the upper Poudre Canyon have been evacuated, and some roads in the area are closed.  Federal land near some Utah national parks no longer available for lease for gas, oil exploration The Bureau of Land Management decided to take 86,000 acres in Utah off the table as potential oil and gas development sites.

There are a lot of RV myths out there and one big one is that you can’t boondock in a big rig. This week, we dispel that bit of fake news by introducing you to two couples who not only boondock in big RVs, but both are thriving on it! Jason and Rae Miller are known as the Getaway Couple on their blog and YouTube community and they travel and boondock regularly in a huge Fifth Wheel. Mark and Julie Bennett, who publish the RV Love channel and blog and are authors of a very popular book on RVing, boondock in a huge Class A motorhome. We hear from both couples this week as they tell you about boondocking in a big rig, what are the challenges and more importantly just how they get those giant RVs down the road and off the grid. Both couples will teach you a lot! Plus, we have RV News of the week, your RV Lifestyle questions and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. You can listen to this episode of the Podcast on your favorite app or right below in the audio player. The interview about how to boondock in a big rig is about 20:37 in: Show Notes for Episode #302 July 8, 2020 of The RV Podcast: How to boondock in a Big Rig RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK Oregon now charging out-of-state residents more to camp at its campgrounds The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department now adds a surcharge to out-to-state residents wanting to use its campgrounds. The surcharge works out to about a 30 percent price hike, making a full-service campsite cost $42 for out-of-state residents (compared to the previous $33). Cost of a tent site will increase to $23 from $19 a night. The state hopes to raise $500,000 from the new fees to make up for lost revenue from when the campgrounds were closed earlier this year because of COVID-19. It also hopes to encourage people to stay closer to home. The surcharge will be applied to new reservations and first-come, first-served campers and will remain in place for the rest of this year. June RV and towable camper sales break the record Well, most of the numbers are in, and now it is official: More Americans than ever are giving the RV Lifestyle a try. The RV industry recorded the best sales month EVER last June, with a 16.5% increase over last year’s 41,699 total. And that doesn't even include numbers from the states of Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon and Vermont. Americans are really buying RVs and towables. The numbers support what we have been hearing for months. More and more people are camping as a result of COVID-19. To see more of what we've reported about camping changes this year click here. Peak viewing of the Perseid meteor showers will be Tuesday and Wednesday- don't miss it! The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to peak this week, and if you can get outside to watch, you don't want to miss it! Up to 100 shooting stars can be seen per hour during its peak. It should be visible all this week. A good strategy is to look up as late in the evening as possible, but before moon rises. The Perseid meteor show is visible every year when the earth drifts through a debris cloud left from a comet. To learn more click here or here.  To learn more about photographing the night sky, click here.  Vandals spray painting campers, campground signs with messages of "COVID-19" and "Go home" in British Columbia We saw reports last week out of British Columbia of people vandalizing camping trailers with the words "no camping" and "COVID-10". About two weeks ago a story was in the news from North Island Campground where someone spray painted "Go home" on a campground sign. In the latest report, the camping trailer targeted was not even being used. The border between Canada and America is closed for non-essential travel, like camping, and while it is possible to "sneak" in, we wanted to remind you again that not every community wants out-of-owners visitors.  In this summer of pandemic camping, remember to check ahead Because of a surge in COVID-19 cases,

A lot of RVers are asking these days: How to find a campsite despite the crowds? The national news media has been filled with stories in recent weeks claiming that campgrounds are bursting at the seams across the country as people are taking up camping and RVing because they are afraid to take traditional vacations or stay in hotels, fly airplanes or deal with crowds in amusement parks and resorts. Believe it! This week in Episode 306 of the RV Podcast, we hear from real campers who tell us whether those gloom and doom stories are true. Yes, it’s summer, and campgrounds are always a bit crowded, especially on weekends and holidays. But this year, it’s way worse. That’s coming up in this week’s episode of the Podcast, as well as your RV questions and comments, RV News of the week, and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #306 August 5, 2020 of The RV Podcast: RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK Fewer Walmart stores permitting RVers to overnight in parking lot If you have been a RV fellow traveler for long, chances are you spent the night at a Walmart parking lot at least once. But finding a Walmart that allows RVers to sleep in their parking lot is getting harder.. Currently only 58 percent of the nation's Walmart stores allow campers to stay compared to 78 percent in 2010. Spending the night in a parking lot has been super popular with many RVers over the years. They get a free, easy place to overnight when they are on a road trip and do not need a full campground experience. Typically overnighters buy something from the Walmart and are gone first thing in the morning, so the store benefits, too. But the problem is more and more campers are not practicing basic etiquette. They are staying for more than one night, they are leaving their trash even sometimes human waste or dirty water behind. Homeless people are also using lots. The result is more and more Walmarts are banning the practice, often forced to do so by new zoning rules enacted by local governments. It’s another example on how a bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. Rangers at Zion National Park ask for help finding vandals who painted rocks blue Speaking of bad apples. I have a story about a really rotten apple. This is the type of story that makes my blood boil. Vandals at Zion National Park painted a large section of the sandstones in the northeast section of the park blue. Rangers are now asking the public's help in finding who did this. Bold blue squares and miscellaneous shapes - some three feet by three feet in size - are on the rock formations south of Wildcat Trailhead in the Kolob Terrace area. The area is believed to have painted around July 8. Officials say they are not sure they can remove the paint, and doing so will be costly. Family decides to move in an RV and homeschool from the road because of COVID-19 We've been reporting for years about road schooling (click here or  here), and for months about the rise in RV newbies and some challenges out there because of COVID-19 (click here). So, when we saw this story of a family that combines both, we had to share. The Tennessee family apparently decided to cope with the in-person schooling challenges COVID-19 caused by buying a large RV bus built on a Greyhound chassis, selling their possessions, and hitting the road. The family of seven plans to homeschool their five children while traveling the country, all while self-containing as best as possible and working remotely from the road. Man shoots himself in the leg at Rocky Mountain National Park after gun in his backpack accidentally fires A man visiting Rocky Mountain National Park accidentally shot himself in the leg with his own gun. The man had put a loaded gun into his backpack. When he took off his backpack and put it on a rock at Emerald Lake, the gun accidentally fired a round with the bullet lodging in his leg. Other visitors helped, providing first aid, and a rescue crew then took the man by ambulance t...

This week in the RV Podcast, we hear what RV travel during COVID is like. RVers from across North America candidly share their experiences, what was open, what was closed, how welcome they were, and what it’s like trying to do the RV Lifestyle in these challenging times.  This week in our interview of the week segment we turned to our RV Lifestyle social media followers for their insight into RV travel during COVID as they encountered restrictions and shutdowns in various locations. There is lots of RV-related news to report. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK Congress passes Great American Outdoor Act which is expected to send much-needed money for national park maintenance Congress passed the Great American Outdoor Act last week, sending it to President Donald Trump's desk where he is expected to sign it. The bill will provide $900 million a year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It will also provide up to $6.5 billion over five years to help pay for the many maintenance needs of the nation's national parks. Look for more details out this week, when it is expected to be signed into law.  Campfire-caused wildfires on the rise in several places throughout country In several parts of the country, officials are reporting more campfire-caused wildfires than normal. In Maine, there has been a 170 percent increase in campfire-related wildfires this year compared to 2019. A campfire is also suspected as the cause of a wildfire near Clayton Beach in Washington's Larrabee State Park last week. And some places, like the Tahoe National Forest, are seeing an increase in illegal campfires causing officials to say they are responding to the second highest number of campfire-caused fires ever recorded. Too many people risking injury by jumping into posted Yellowstone waters, officials warn Yellowstone National Park urged visitors last week to stay out of the water. Apparently more people than normal are ignoring posted signs at Yellowstone and swimming in water where swimming is clearly prohibited. Park officials are reminding visitors the signs are there for a reason. Some Yellowstone water is boiling - in 2016 a man is believed to have literally dissolved after trying to soak in a prohibited thermal area. And in other places the water is extremely frigid - a literal snow melt. Other times people are told not to go in because the water is infested with organisms that will make them sick. As always, if the sign says stay out - we advise you to stay out.  West Virginia police arrest two men connected to international RV theft ring West Virginia police arrested two men involved in an international RV theft ring last week. The men were arrested for stealing two stolen camping trailers. Police also found two other stolen camping trailers abandoned by their drivers. The thieves are part of an international crime ring that steals RVs and campers in southeastern states then ships them to Mexico and other foreign countries. In this summer of pandemic camping, remember to check ahead We have an update on what is open and what is closed. As of today, July 29, 2020, 91 percent of the campsites listed by Campendium are now open, with New Mexico remaining the only state park campground system closed. But according to Campendium, which is doing an excellent job keeping track of things, many other popular spots throughout the country remain closed because of COVID-19. Theodore Roosevelt National Park campgrounds are closed, for instance, as are Point Reyes National Seashore campsites, Mount Rainer National Park campgrounds, Navajo Nation Tribal Parks and many other spots. As always this year, things are fluid. We recommend checking before heading out and be sure to listen to our interview of the week coming up in which you will hear from numerous RVers exactly what RV travel during COVID is like. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium elec...

In this jampacked 302nd Episode of the RV Podcast: We’ll learn about a handy RV toll road pass. We’ll also share the most important questions you should ask when taking possession of a new RV and we’ll report the RV News of the week during these very challenging times. Here’s a player to the audio version of this RV Podcast episode. You can also listen to the RV Podcast on your favorite podcast app.  A full article with links, transcripts, photos, and other resources follows: Show Notes for Episode #302 July 8, 2020 of The RV Podcast WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK   Mike and Jennifer Hi Fellow Travelers and welcome to Episode 302 of the RV Podcast. And we have a lot of ground to cover this week. So I want to remind you that you can follow a text version of this podcast, with all the links and resources we share, on our shownotes page on our RV Lifestyle Travel Blog at rvlifestyle.com/302.. just go there.rvlifestyle.com/302 and you’ll find a full outline and transcript. First off, let me welcome back my lifelong traveling companion, the bride of my youth and my cohost.. .Jennifer. We share the latest… Jen is on the mend, though still has to watch talking too much so she doesn’t cough We were tested and we do not have COVID-19. We learned that doctors are seeing a spike in blood pressure problems they blame on the COVID disruptions – the Three S’s of too much Salt, too much Stress and not enough Sleep. We are taking time setting up the new RV Travel plans are still up in the air as renewed shutdowns, cancellations and hints of travel restrictions are once again bringing disruption to everyone’s RV Lifestyle On a positive note, we are very excited to report that we finally have our RV Lifestyle OFFICIAL Pinterest account up and running! For those of you who LOVE Pinterest - please Follow us and Share our posts about the RV Lifestyle. You can find us at https://www.pinterest.com/rvlifestylemike/ AND we are starting to create Pinterest-ready images over on our blog so when you Pin from our site the images are BIG and beautiful. Thank you for supporting a fun way for people to find us and what we have to offer RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK Woman gored by Yellowstone bison after getting too close for a picture A woman was gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park last week after she got too close to the massive animal while taking its picture. The woman, from California, was tossed 10-15 feet in the air, and when she stood, was attacked again. She was taking the picture near her Bridge Bay Campground campsite, and ended up being flown to a hospital for treatment. The woman was reportedly within 10 feet of the animal, causing it to feel threatened. When a wild bison feels threatened it will snort, paw the ground, bob its head, lift its tail. Rangers recommend visitors stay at least 25 feet away. California RV Show the latest big show to cancel because of COVID-19 The California RV Show is the latest casualty of COVID-19 cancelations, with organizers announcing several days ago that the show, which typically runs in early October, is off. The California RV Show is one of our favorites, attracting about 45,000 visitors. Click here to see our review of last year's show and why it is so important to the industry and consumers.. Woman taking pictures at Grand Canyon slips, falls to her death An Arizona woman fell to her death at the Grand Canyon last weekend. The woman, 59, was off trail, when she slipped and fell 100 feet while taking pictures. The woman was near Mather Point.  Three people hospitalized with severe injuries after their campfire exploded Three people were hospitalized with severe burns, including a 7-year-old, after their campfire exploded last Saturday night in Ontario, Canada. Apparently a propane cylinder was buried in their campfire pit, and it exploded when a campfire was set, causing severe injuries to those around it. The three were camping near the town of Perth.

This week on the RV Podcast, we give you inside tips on how to sell your RV. Don't get low balled from a dealer that offers to buy it or take it in as a trade-in. Sell it yourself! We did and the process couldn't have gone more smoothly. And in the process, we learned a lot that literally saved us tens of thousands of dollars when it came time to sell our RV so we could buy a new one. This week in Episode 301 of the RV Podcast, we share our personal experience in selling our RV (we did so just last week), introduce you to the couple who bought it, hear from a dealer and learn from an expert at RV Trader how to sell your RV and get the most for your used RVs. Here's a player to the audio version of this RV Podcast episode on how to sell your RV. You can also listen to the RV Podcast on your favorite podcast app.  A full article with links, transcripts, photos, and other resources follows: BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT HOW TO SELL YOUR RV...TWO PROGRAMMING NOTES First a couple of RV Podcast programming notes. I (MIKE) am doing this episode solo this week as Jennifer, my lifelong traveling and the bride of my youth, is feeling a bit under the weather this week and thus, won’t be able to handle her normal co-hosting duties. We’re hoping she’s back next week feeling much better. Secondly, from popular demand, we’re rearranging the order of the various segments of the RV Podcast. We’ll move our Interview of the Week segment up towards the top of each episode, to more quickly get to the key theme of each podcast. The other regular sections will follow the interview. RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK - How to sell your RV And this week, that theme is how to sell your RV... yourself, instead if trading it in or selling it outright to an RV dealer. As regular listeners know, Jennifer and I bought a brand-new RV last week - a 2021 Wonder Rear Twin Model from Leisure Travel Vans. In the weeks ahead, we’ll be talking a lot about why we changed RVs, why we chose the Ford Transit vs the Mercedes Sprinter chassis and showing videos and photos and doing a full review and walkthrough on the RVLifestyle.com travel blog. We have so much content about that new Wonder to show you that it will take lots of articles and videos. But this week on the RV Podcast and in this article on the RVLifestyle.com travel blog, we talk about how to sell your RV yourself, which we just did with the 2019 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FXa that we have owned for the past year and a half. We change RVs a lot. I want to know as much as possible how the different models handle. Their strengths and weaknesses, so I can speak from experience in our videos and blog articles. There were lots of reasons why we chose the Wonder on the Ford Transit chassis and I have a whole article coming out on that in a could of days. Beware of being low-balled! But obviously, to buy a new one, we had to sell our old one. We thought of simply trading it in at a dealer or selling it to them outright. Many advertise that they are desperate for used RVs and are paying "premium rates" or "top dollar for your trade." When I checked with a couple of dealers who advertise that, it didn’t take long to realize that top dollar to a dealer was not reflective of what our  RV is really worth. The dealers quite simply low balled us. They offered wholesale prices. In our case, almost $30,000 LESS than what we actually sold it for ourselves. Dealers make big money on trade-ins. By low, sell high. You can’t blame them. But you also can blame us in saying no way. Tip #1 on how to sell your RV - Do your research There is no Kelly Blue Book prices for RVs. But there is something called the NADA RV Guide which stands for the National Automotive Dealers Association. But the NADA Guides – which cover automobiles, motorcycles, boats, classic cars, manufactured homes and RVs – is actually owned by JD Power. They just bought the use of the NADA logo and name for marketing purposes because NADA is well known.

By Tom & Patti Burkett RV Podcast Off the Beaten Path Reporters This spring our rhubarb plant went out of control.  It sprouted three huge flowering stalks which bent from their own weight and then grew sideways and then up again reminding us of nothing so much as Audrey 2 from the Little Shop of Horrors.  “Feed me!” we imagined her saying as we passed close by.   So Patti got out the clippers and lopped off her offending parts, then most of the leaves (from which she mad rhubarb pudding cake, one of my favorites) and now the plant looks tame indeed. There really are, though, as I’m sure you know, meat-eating plants out there off the beaten path!  The Burketts audio version of this article can be heard on Episode 299 of the RV Podcast. Click the player below and fast forward to about 48:27 to hear them:  Most of the carnivorous plants subsist on insects, but they do score an occasional worm, small frog, or even an unwary lizard.  You go, plants!  These carnivorous plants are specialized for growing in low nitrogen soil.  Inasmuch as nitrogen is a primary plant nutrient, what the soil lacks is gathered from the surrounding area by attractive nectar and aromas.  You can find pitcher plants in any bog around North America, tucked among the sphagnum moss and lady’s slippers. Off the Beaten Path to the world of flesh-eating plants The Burketts take us off the beaten path in this RV Podcast report about man-eating plants But if you want to get a good look at the stars of the meat-eating plant world, you’ll have to head off the beaten path to the Carolinas on the east coast or California and Oregon in the west.   The Cape Fear area of North Carolina is in the heart of flytrap country, and it was here that Stanley Rehder grew up, first helping his grandmother sell flowers from her yard to visitors on their way to a nearby cemetery and, later, at his father’s wholesale and retail florist business.  He earned a degree in horticulture from NC State University. Stanley fell in love with carnivorous plants and spent his career studying and promoting them.  He appeared on “Good Morning, America”, and "That’s Incredible,” and was interviewed by Barbara Walters on the “Today” show, always with plant in hand to explain its unique features.   He found a boggy off the beaten path area behind a local elementary school and began to transplant and culture his favorite specimens.   When Rehder passed away in 2012, the area was designated as a preserve in his name. When you’re driving US 17 (one of our favorite off the beaten path broads) along the East coast, turn off on Independence Boulevard in Wilmington, North Carolina and drive a few blocks south to the Piney Ridge Nature Preserve.   A paved path and boardwalk will take you back into the garden, where a surprising variety of plants grow in the bog, and some are cultivated in planters right on the boardwalk so visitors can have an up-close and personal look.   Carolina Beach State Park, a few miles south, also has a flytrap trail that winds through a bog with many pitcher plants and bladderworts.  Off the beaten path carnivorous plants out west There's another off the beaten path spot to observe more meat-eating plants just north of Florence, Oregon. Look for the Darlingtonia wayside stop, where a paved trail will take you into a bog where you can see the cobra plant, which looks just like its namesake, waving above the peat.   Stanley, the flytrap man we talked about above, may be gone, but thanks to his effort and foresight, we can all have a look at some rare and beautiful (if just a touch scary) plants, out here.... off the beaten path. Subscribe to the RV Podcast on your favorite app downloaded from the app store. New episodes come out every week! Get more off the beaten path RV travel ideas, tips, news, and perks! Each Monday we publish our RV Lifestyle Newsletter, where we share weekly articles about RV travel that inspire and inform. As soon as you sign up,