RV Lifestyle RV Podcast

We have a fun episode in store for you this week as we welcome Heath Padgett to the podcast. Many of you know Heath and his wife Alyssa, the hosts of the RV Entrepreneur Website, YouTube Channel and Podcast. Heath and Alyssa are a young couple who have traveled all over North America as a couple but, about six months ago, were blessed with the birth of a baby girl… Ellie. And now, they are RVing with an infant. Heath shares what that changes, compared to their previous traveling routines. And we talk about being an RV Entrepreneur and working remotely from the road. Also, we have lots of RV News, Tips, comments questions and another fun off-the-beaten-path report from the Burketts. But first my lifelong traveling companion and my bride…Jennifer. Show Notes for Episode #272 Dec. 11, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We are in Christmas mode here… hanging with family and friends, attending our grandkids Christmas recitals and concerts, getting the shopping done, the tree up and looking forward to the Big Day. Speaking of which, since Christmas and New Years’s Day both occur this year on Wednesday – our normal podcast release day – we will be taking off the 25th and January 1st from producing the podcast. So our last episode of the year will be next Wednesday, Dec. 18. And our next episode after that will be January 8. Also this week, we’re doing the finishing edits of our next 7 Day Adventure Guide ebook, which will cover Florida’s fabulous Gulf Coast. Barring unforeseen circumstances, it should be released next week. In fact I hope we can announce its availability on our Sunday night “Ask Us Anything” live broadcast on YouTube. If you’ve never caught us in that live Q&A show, just go to YouTube.com/RVLifestyle and subscribe. When you click the little bell icon, you will then be notified when we go live or have a new video to see. So the plan is to make it available after 7PM Sunday, to be officially announced on our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel. That way it will be able to help those snowbirds planning to head to Florida after the holidays. And just a heads up, our Seven Day Adventure Guide to the Gulf Coast will be followed in a few weeks with a Seven Day Adventure Guide to the Atlantic Coast… so we will soon have two guides out covering Florida. The Gulf Cast guide will be ready next week. So stay tuned! TO SEE ALL OUR CURRENT TRAVEL GUIDES AND E-BOOKS, CLICK HERE We hope you are enjoying this podcast. If so, will you help us get the word out? The best way to do that is to share a link to the RV Podcast by email or social media to friends who would benefit from all the RV travel information and advice we put out every week? Thanks for helping us get the word out about the RV Podcast! This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK Invasive species pose real problems to the national parks A report out last week said many of America's national parks are under a "deep and immediate threat," posed by non-native species, like rats, domesticated  cats and feral pigs. Since non-native species have no natural predator, they can breed and reproduce quickly, causing problems to the ecosystem of national parks. Whenever I read reports like this, I always think of the problem with Burmese boa constrictors in the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve (see story here of our visit a while back) but apparently there are all sorts of various critters causing all sorts of problems. Plans for New Year's Day? Why not take a hike? State parks throughout the country are planning First Day Hikes on New Year's Day - which believe it or not is less than a month away. The free,

Have you thought about extended RV warranties and how they can help you? This week, we talk about extended warranties for RVs. What parts break the most, how an extended warranty will hep save money and why December is the best time to get an extended warranty because prices will rise come Jan.1 and how some older models will become ineligible for coverage  after the New Year. Also this week, lots of RV News, your questions, an off the beaten path report and comments and much, much more. Show Notes for Episode #271 Dec. 4 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Our mobile podcast studio in the front lounge area of our new Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX This week finds us snug in our Michigan home for the holidays. We use this time to make all the annual checkups necessary with health professionals that we can't attend to when we're on the road. Plus we'll catch up with family and friends and plan out the next year of adventures. Our RV is sitting in the driveway. We had it winterized last week but that doesn’t mean we don’t use it. I drive it as a second vehicle and run errands with it when Jennifer is out and running around in the family car. And we also camp in it during the winter. In fact our annual winter campout at Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is coming up in a little over a month. We usually have two-and-a-half feet of snow on the ground for that gathering. It’s so much fun. I can’t wait. But mostly during December, we catch up on the things around the house that we couldn’t do while we were traveling. Even though we are gone for about eight months of the year, we keep our sticks and bricks home in Michigan. We have family nearby and it’s good to connect with them at this time of the year. This is a good time for us to remind the audience to please subscribe to us on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. Just go to iTunes, search for RV Podcast, and subscribe. It’s that easy. New episodes are released every Wednesday and subscribers always have it waiting for them. And don’t forget to leave us a review on iTunes so other RVers can learn about this podcast. We hope you are enjoying what you are hearing in this episode. If so, will you help us get the word out about this podcast? The best way to do that is to share a link to the RV Podcast by email or social media to friends who would benefit from all the RV travel information and advice we put out every week? Thanks for helping us get the word out about the RV Podcast! This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK Canada's Prince Albert National Park to permit Christmas tree harvesting to reduce wildfire threats Parks Canada has an interesting plan to reduce wildfire hazards in one town near Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan - Christmas tree harvesting. Anyone wishing to harvest a Christmas tree can apply for a free permit between Dec. 1-24, then choose a tree in a specific area, and carry it away. Spruce trees,  conifer, jack pine and balsam fir are apparently among the most flammable types of trees, so park officials are removing them for a section of the park with this method, creating an open green belt. Two children dead, one missing after heavy rainfall floods Arizona creek, submerging their RV Heavy rainfall is being blamed for flooding a creek in Arizona last weekend that swept away an RV, trapping two adults and seven children inside. Rescuers saved the two adults and four of the children, using a helicopter. Two children were later found dead, and as of this writing, a third was still missing. Apparently the RV was crossing a creek, got stuck, and by the time rescuers arrived,

This week finds us camped just a few dozen feet from the Atlantic Ocean, where the waves right now are pounding in with that delicious sound of the surf. Best sound in the world to fall asleep to! That's our campsite in the featured image above. We were extremely lucky to snag a beachside camping spot at the beautiful Gamble Rogers Memorial Recreation Area, about half way between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach.  Their highly desirable beachfront sites are usually booked a year in advance. But cancellations and early departures sometimes free up a spot and that's what we were lucky to grab for a few days. We've been traveling up and down both coasts of Florida these past few weeks, researching and taking photos for our next two 7-Day Adventure Guide ebooks. We will have two of them on Florida, one for the Gulf Coast and one for the Atlantic Coast. And we hope to get them both out in time for the tens of thousands of winter snowbird RVers who will be making their way the Sunshine State after the holidays. TO SEE OUR FIVE PUBLISHED 7-DAY RV ADVENTURE GUIDES, CLICK HERE! Meantime, we're posting updates and photos of our travels on Instagram. TO FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM CLICK HERE! This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK Committee that recommended bringing food trucks to national parks,  ending some senior discounts disbanded Remember how we told you about a federal advisory committee to the Department of Interior that recommended bringing food trucks to national parks, privatizing campgrounds, adding extensive WiFi, cutting senior discounts and more? Well, that committee has been disbanded. The committee was heavily criticized for its recommendations and for being stacked with members of the recreation industry that could potentially stand to profit. What will happen with those recommendations, however, is still not clear. Mexican cartels growing marijuana illegally in national forests causing severe damage to environment NPR in California had an interesting story last week on Mexican cartels using federal owned land in national forests to illegally grow marijuana - in huge quantities - using powerful insecticides and other chemicals, causing significant damage to the environment. One campsite recently discovered in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest had 3,000 pounds of trash that included discarded propane tanks, plastic irrigation pipes and an incredibly potent rodent poison. A law enforcement group is now forming to tackle this problem. Couple facing jail time and fines for temporarily living in an RV in their driveway after a house fire  A Mississippi couple could be facing fines and jail time for living in their driveway in an RV while fighting with their insurance company over a claim. The couple had an electrical fire last Christmas eve in their home, and were going back and forth with their insurance company to get funding to make repairs. The couple temporarily moved into an RV in their own driveway since their house wasn't ready for them to live in. But the couple's neighborhood association apparently does not permit RVs, and after someone complained, the couple is now facing jail time and fines if they don't move the RV. Woman buys old trailers and gives them a facelift worthy of the HGTV series "Fixer Upper" Have you ever seen those do-it-yourself camper rehabs on YouTube or Pinterest? A story out last week featured a woman who buys old camping trailers, guts, refurbishes and then sells them for a profit. The woman shares her secrets, and says she saves her profits for her kids future college costs or family trips. It is an interesting way to earn a little money,

In this week's RV Podcast, we meet a couple who recently built a very unique tiny home and plan to visit all 48 states with it, using it as an RV.  They plan to stay in each state for a month. You'll meet them in the podcast interview of the week, and see their amazing tiny house in an accompanying video on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel. Plus, also this week in episode 268, we have RV News of The Week, tips, audience questions and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #268 Nov 13, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE This week finds us on the road, traveling up and down the Gulf Coast of Florida working on one of the two 7-Day Adventuring Guides we are planning on the Sunshine State. JENNIFER We're moving from Pensacola down to Naples and the Everglades for the first book on Florida's west coast and then, in a week or so, will do our research on the east coast guide  that runs along the Atlantic shore from Jacksonville down to the keys. MIKE Our hope is to get these new titles out before the holidays for you snowbirders out there who'll be spending part of the winter of 2020 in Florida. JENNIFER We’re recording this podcast at one of our favorite RV Parks, the Ho Him RV Park located on a part of Florida called the Forgotten Coast. MIKE The Forgotten Coast is located on what’s known as the Big Bend part of the western Florida peninsula and it is a unique place in the Sunshine State, reminiscent of “Old Florida,” without lots of the commercialization and development that characterizes much of the rest of Florida. JENNIFER This area was absolutely devastated by Hurricane Michael a little over a year ago. The beachside town of Mexico Beach was almost wiped off the map. Literally. We spent some time there this week and we will show you what is happening there today in our Thursday YouTube video. MIKE We’re calling that video “A Road Trip to the Forgotten Coast” and we think you’ll find it very interesting and informative, not just the part about Mexico Beach but our whole trip down here. JENNIFER The best way to know about our videos is to subscribe to them on our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube. We will put a link to just how to subscribe in the shownotes for this episode. But we release new videos all the time and we’re always hearing from people who say they didn’t know about them. MIKE If you click the little bell icon when you subscribe to our YouTube Channel, you’ll be notified just as soon as a new video is published. So please subscribe. As we keep working hard producing videos on the RV Lifestyle, we want you to know we treasure each and every subscriber. So thanks in advance! JENNIFER To subscribe, just go HERE  This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Camping in South Dakota state parks will cost more starting Jan. 1 Before it was under consideration - now it is official. Camping in South Dakota state parks will cost more next year. Prime campsites will cost $26, preferred campsites will cost $23, modern campsites will cost $20 and tent only sites will cost $15. The new fees are expected to closer resemble how much it costs to run the campgrounds, and it is expected to bring in $3 million. The South Dakota park system is largely funded by user fees, and the state had not had a fee increase in five years. MIKE Man and woman arrested in Mexico for driving truck and camper belonging to couple murdered when camping A man and a woman were arrested in Mexico last week driving the pick up truck and camping trailer belonging to a murdered New Hampshire couple. The New Hampshire couple,

This week on the RV Podcast we learn one of the best kept secrets for finding free places to overnight, Boondockers Welcome, which offers some 2,000 locations across North America where RVers can stay for free! Show Notes for Episode #267 Nov. 6, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We share our travels, share a disturbing story about Bo after we picked him up at some pet sitters this past weekend, and update you on what’s happening in the RV world. This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Road construction coming to Yellowstone National Park beginning next summer Yellowstone National Park is planning to do $75 million worth of road repairs and maintenance beginning next year. Next summer the park will replace the Pelican Creek bridge, and visitors can expect delays along the East Entrance Road between Fishing Bridge and Indian Pond. Another lane is going to be added to the North entrance and buildings there will be replaced. The whole project is expected to take two years. MIKE Minnesota professor and students collect adult ticks in mobile lab at state park, analyzing within hours which carry diseases  All of us who love the outdoors, know the importance of using bug spray to protect yourself from ticks. So, it was with a keen interest that I read a story out last week from Minnesota about a professor and his students who spent some time collecting ticks from Ithaca State Park last August.. The professor and students bought a  mobile lab with them, and after collecting the ticks were able to analyze them in just a few hours and discover if the ticks carried diseases. They learned 25-30 percent of the adult ticks they collected carried Lyme. That is a sobering reminder to all of us about how important it is to protect yourself when in the woods. Click here to see a story we did with an expert on what to do. JENNIFER Woman lost in California national park found after spelling SOS with rocks A Mississippi woman reported missing after telling family member she was visiting a national park in California, was found last week after she spelled SOS with rocks.  The woman's car was discovered in Sequoia National Park, and her SOS message was spotted by air three miles away. The woman had apparently gone on a hike and gotten lost. When she was found she was thirsty and hungry, but otherwise stable. MIKE Parks Canada officials are seeking "poop fairies" In one of the more ... let's say unusual ... stories out last week, Parks Canada is asking the public to help them scoop wolf poop on Vancouver Island's Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Officials are calling the volunteers "poop fairies" and will provide training and safety items like gloves and eyeglasses and GPS trackers. Officials hope the wolf scat will help them understand more about what the wolves eat and where they go to help officials reduce their contact with humans. JENNIFER RV catches fire in California, spreads to brush   An RV caught on fire in Oceanside, California, last weekend spreading to brush, and apparently one other vehicle before firefighters had it under control. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The RV fire was one of several I've seen in the news this past week, which got me thinking of the importance of fire safety. A while back we interviewed an expert on what you can do to reduce the likelihood of your RV accidentally catching ablaze. To learn more click here. 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 electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

This week in Episode 266 of the RV Podcast, we’ll meet Len and Sherrie Johnson, a remarkable California couple with quite a story to tell us, a story of a devastating injury from an airplane crash and a determination to embrace the RV Lifestyle afterwards despite the obstacles. You’ll be inspired by this couple! But also this week, lots of RV news, RV Tips and an off the beaten path report from the Burketts. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE This episode is being released on just before Halloween 2019 and it’s a time that many, or most of the campgrounds in the northern states and provinces have now pretty much shut down for the season. This is also the time for the first wave of the annual snowbird migration, when the frost and early snow flurries up north are sending tens of thousands of RVers flocking to southern states like Florida and Arizona. JENNIFER The second wave always happens right after Christmas as snowbird RVers who stayed home with family for the holidays head south to take advantage of those snowbird campground special seasonal rates, typically from Jan 1 through March 31. MIKE For those whose remain in the colder states, now is the time to make sure they winterize their RVs, draining out water and running antifreeze through the plumbing system. There are about as many ways to winterize an RV as their RVs but if you’re new to this, or maybe looking for some new ideas, head over to our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube, where we have put together a whole playlist of videos related to winterizing. CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE RV LIFESTYLE WINTERIZING PLAYLIST ON YOUTUBE While we’re talking about the YouTube Channel, lets remind everyone that the best way to stay up to date on our videos and special YouTube reports is to subscribe. And when you do subscribe, be sure to click the little bell icon you’ll see there on YouTube to be notified as soon as we post new material, which we do all throughout the week. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE RV LIFESTYLE CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE JENNIFER We are coming to you this week from Florida, where we’ll be until about Thanksgving time. Among other things, we’re using this time to travel Florida’s Gulf Coast, from pretty much Naples up through Tallahassee, doing research for one of our 7 Day Adventure Guides. We’re actually planning two of them on Florida – one on the gulf, or west coast; the other on the Atlantic, or east coast. We hope to have those guides ready right after the holidays and they’ll be joining our growing library of RV travel guides. MIKE We have five of those 7-Day Adventure Guides already available… for the Michigan Upper Peninsula, for Utah, Colorado, Yellowstone National Park and the Adirondacks. Plus we have a guide on boondocking and how to buy an RV. We hope to get the new Florida guides out right around the first of the new year. CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON OUR LIBRARY OF RV LIFESTYLE GUIDES JENNIFER Besides the research for our Florida RV travel guides, we’ve been traveling around in our RV, visiting small southern towns and digging into the history of how they got their names. We’ll have a video on it in a couple weeks but it was another reminder to me about how much better it is traveling off the interstate on two lane roads. We’ve also forced ourselves to slow down and take our time as we travel through those small towns. They all have a story to tell and there are always fascinating things to see and do. This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK MIKE Fears rise over fate of Missing RVers near Padre Island, TX As this episode was being reported the RV community was intensely following the disappearance of a New Hampshire cou...

This week, we have lots of RV news for you, plus an interview with one of the organizers of an event called Fulltime Freedom Week that brings together more than 30 top RVers to help teach you what you need yo totally embrace the RV Lifestyle, whether as a fulltimer or a successful vacation and weekend RVer. We also have a great off the beaten path report and a rundown on the major RV happenings this week. Show Notes for Episode #264 October 16, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We just returned from an awesome family getaway over a long weekend on Mackinac Island, where motorized vehicles like cars, trucks, motorcycles and RVs are not permitted. Walking, horse drawn carriages and bicycles are the way most people get around the 8.3 mile island and we had a ball. The weather was cool, brisk and a little rainy at times. High waves on Lake Huron washed over the road in a couple spots. But we rode bikes around and through the island, toured the attractions and had a ball. And yes, there were frequent fudge breaks (Mackinac Island is famous for fudge)! Look for a video in a couple weeks. As this podcast is being released, we expect to be on the road again, this time headed once again for Florida, by way of our grandson Matthew’s football games in southwest Georgia. We expect to attend as many as we can, hanging out at our condo on Okaloosa Island and also traveling Florida to do some research for some upcoming 7 day Adventure Guides we hope to publish right after the holidays. You can get info about the five we already have published at https://rvlifestyle.com/books This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Smoking banned on California state parks and beaches under new law  Planning to light up on a California beach? Better think again. Starting Jan. 1 smoking is banned in all California state parks and beaches in an effort to reduce wildfire risks, pollution and liter. The smoking ban includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, vaping devices “or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation.”  Makes me wonder what other states will be next. MIKE Committee recommends National Parks Service privatize campgrounds, limit senior discounts and more to raise money   An advisory committee is recommending the national park service privatize campgrounds in the national parks, limit senior citizen benefits and allow food trucks into the parks as a way to bring in new money. The committee said the campgrounds have outmoded infrastructure, and not enough funds to keep up with demands. The committee also wants to have senior discount blackout periods to bring in more money. You can bet this idea will stir up some heated debate! JENNIFER Keep your distance from the elk park service warns visitors in North Carolina and Tennessee The National Park Service is warning visitors to national parks in North Carolina and Tennessee to beware of elk. Elk were reintroduced to the area in 2001-2002 after over hunting and loss of habitat had eliminated them. But since their reintroduction, their numbers have grown significantly. The NPS last week urged visitors to keep their distance, because they have been know to be aggressive and charge when they feel threatened. MIKE Dog saves sleeping couple after fire breaks out in their travel trailer  A dog saved a couple who were asleep in their camper in the middle of the night when a fire broke out last weekend. The couple were camping in Pinellas Park, Florida, sound asleep, when their dog woke them up. The couple told officials they felt heat, looked around, saw the fire and were able to escape with their dog.

This week, we talk to RV salesman who has become a celebrity video star with a huge following you’d never have expected from the first video shot almost a decade ago He is Dean Corrigal, from Leisure Travel Vans, who shares with us how he became a YouTube star in his own right and therefore the most popular RV Salesman in all of North America We have lots of RV News for you, answer your questions, share some RV tips and trips, including a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #263 October 9, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We're just back from the California RV Show, held at the California Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. We met so many of our followers and really enjoyed this show, the biggest in the West. Look for a full video on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel this Thursday. This week we head up to Mackinac Island n a short family vacation. This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Growing popularity of Glacier National Park triggering new plans to manage crowds  Long time readers know we love Glacier National Park, so it was with great interest we read a story out last week about the Park Service's concern in how to deal with the growing popularity of the park. Nearly 3.5 million people visit the park each year, which is three times the population of Montana. The growing crowds are causing extreme gridlock, parking lot congestion, and many other challenges. One of the options under consideration is a shuttle system. Glacier is one of our favorite national parks, with wildlife and views that are spectacular. To get a glimpse of what makes it so special, see one of our videos of a gathering we held at Glacier here. MIKE Man severely burned after falling into hot spring near Yellowstone's Old Faithful geyser  A man was severely burned at Yellowstone National Park last week after he fell into a hot spring at the Old Faithful geyser. The man told rangers he went for a walk after dark without a flashlight and fell into the thermal water. But rangers found the man's shoe, hat and a beer can and footprints leading to and from the geyser. The matter is now being investigated and the man is recovering at a local hospital. JENNIFER Park service seeks to know why so many wolves relocated to Isle Royale die We have shared with you before the year-plus effort by the National Park Service to repopulate remote Isle Royale National Park in Michigan's upper peninsula with wolves. The island is overrun with moose, which are wreaking havoc on its ecosystem, and its once thriving wolf population which used to keep them in check is dying out, down to just one male and one female, both aging. But as the park service has captured and released wolves from Minnesota, Michigan and Ontario, Canada, on the island, three have died shortly after their release and one walked across the frozen ice to return to the mainland last winter. This interesting article explores what scientists are doing to try to determine why. MIKE Man dies at Idaho campground after fifth wheel falls on him  A 71-year-old man died last week in an Idaho campground when his RV fell on top of him. The man was jacking up his fifth wheel trailer when it fell on top of him, trapping him underneath. Others at the campground freed the man and started CPR until first responders arrived. He died at the scene. The man was camping at the Snake River RV Park and Campground. JENNIFER Wildfires in New Mexico's Carson National Forest burning near El Rito Wildfires in New Mexico last week were reported near the El Rito Campground in the Carson National Forest and were still burning as of this...

This week we talk about the RV industry’s efforts to do something about its biggest scandal… the unacceptable 21-day delay average to get an RV repaired at an RV dealership or service center. There is and has been a desperate need for trained RV technicians. But with the opening of a special training facility last week in Elkhart Indiana, we finally have some good news to talk about that will mean that you as an RV owner will soon be able to get your RV serviced in an acceptable amount of time. Plus, RV News of the Week, your RV Lifestyle questions, Tips and a great off the beaten path report. Show Notes for Episode #262 Oct. 2, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE We’re just back from a very busy week at the annual RV Dealers Open House week in Elkhart, IN. We have a full and complete video of the show waiting for you on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel JENNIFER This week finds us headed to the California RV Show. This is an awesome show, the biggest on the west coast and one of the biggest in the nation. It will be held at the Auto Club Speedway, in Fontana, CA. MIKE This is a new and larger facility for this amazing show and it offers free parking now, instead of the $15 parking fee there used to be at its previous location in Pomona. Jennifer and I will be there that this weekend and we’ll be doing meetups Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4 and 5. You can get tickets and learn more at https://www.californiarvshow.org/  JENNIFER Friday and Saturday afternoon, from 1:30-4PM, we'll be hanging out at the Leisure Travel Vans Display. From 11am-1PM Saturday, we'll also be at the Camp California/Campground Views display area. The rest of the time, we'll be wandering about shooting videos. We look forward to meeting you! MIKE We realize that everyone can’t attend the California show. But we are in the heart of the RV show season this fall and there ar a whole bunch. At then end of this podcast we will have the RV calendar of events that lists what’s coming this weekend across the country…and of course we have links to them all on the shownotes at rvlifestyle.com/261. But RV shows are the best way to find the perfect RV or get ideas on how you and equip and accessorize yours. Plus they are just a lot of fun. JENNIFER Can you believe it is October already? It’s my favorite month. I love the bright colors of the trees, especially in Northern Michigan where we’ll be heading right after we return from California. In the upper Midwest, we can have either beautiful Indian summer or freezing rain and snow flurries. So we’re hoping for Indian summer. MIKE Did you notice that last weekend in Montana, our favorite part of Glacier National park near the Many Glaciers are received four feet of snow? That is early. And on our early morning walks with Bo, we’re seeing lots of wooly bear caterpillars, which have the reputation of being able to forecast the coming winter weather. Whether this is fact or folklore, we don’t know, but supposedly the wider the rusty brown sections there are, the milder the coming winter will be. The more black there is, the more severe the winter. The ones I’ve seen have way, way more black. JENNIFER I suppose this is a good time to remind everyone of our upcoming annual winter campout at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The dates are January 9-12, 2020 and already, we have 40 brave souls signed up to come and play in the snow with us. MIKE This will be the sixth year we have gathered up there in the beautiful UP. This is an informal gathering, which means you have to make your own reservations with the Michigan DNR. Go to their website at https://midnrreservations.com/. Book the dates you want (some of us are coming Thursday, some are even staying over to Monday). After you make your reservation, be sure to join our special winter campout Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1697339513886451/and introduce yourself and tell us what...

.This week we learn all about RV Renting School, which is a way to earn money with your RV -  so much money, in fact that your RV can actually pay for itself. We’ll talk about the ins and outs of renting your RV, choosing insurance, wear and tear and why this option is a great choice for many. Show Notes for Episode #261 Sept. 25, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK This episode of the podcast was recorded on location at RV Dealer Open House in Elkhart Indiana. We shared the background of the event, the things we’ve seen and how, once it ends on Thursday, RV dealer Open House will have seen almost $2 billion worth of business written for the 2020 season. Our Opening segment is sponsored by Dish Outdoors, which lets you take HD satellite TV in your RV. To get more information and a special discount, go to our special link – https://rvlifestyle.com/dish RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER If you're planning to camp this fall during peak color, be sure to check out this website Fall has officially arrived, and so has fall color in parts of the country. Several websites exist to help you track fall color nationally, so you can plan your fall camping during the times when color is at its peak. Several places in the country are already starting to see substantial color such as Michigan's upper peninsula, northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and certain pockets of Idaho, Colorado, and other high altitude locations out west. Click the link in the headline above. MIKE Check out this list of "can't miss" hikes at each of the 61 U.S. national parks For those of you who love to hike in the national parks, an article out last week highlighted one author's "can't miss" hikes in all 61 of the U.S. national parks. Some of the hikes are a simple 1.5 mile loop, like the one suggested for Badlands National Park, or two miles recommended at Canyonlands, but others are much more intense. For example, the article recommends a 23-mile one way hike at Bryce Canyon in Utah, or a 11.5 mile loop at Yosemite. Jennifer and I have favorite hikes at some of national parks that did not make this list. Here is our favorite hike at Yellowstone. JENNIFER South Dakota considering raising its state campground costs to bring in new revenue to repair state parks damaged by flooding South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission is considering raising the fees it charges for camping and entering its parks as it faces $8 million in flood damage costs. Floods have ravaged the state this year, and its parks system has needed to down trees, fix shorted electrical pedestals and washed out roads and campsites. Under the proposed changes, the daily park entrance fee would rise from $6 to $8, and camping fees would increase to $20 per night for modern campgrounds, $15 for tent only sites. The fees are among several increased costs under consideration that state officials estimate would bring in about $3 million in additional revenue annually. A decision on the proposal is expected by early October. MKE Visit a national park for free this Saturday, and maybe join a volunteer project  If you find yourself near a national park this Saturday, Sept. 28, be sure to drop in because the price of admission is free. Every fourth Saturday in September the national parks waive admission in honor of National Public Lands Day. Many of the national parks will also have volunteer projects going on that day, though the price of admission is waived whether you are entering to volunteer or just enjoy the land. JENNIFER Tour bus filled with Chinese tourists crashes outside Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park, causing 4 fatalities A bus full of tourists from China crashed outside Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah last weekend, killing four and critically injuring five others. The bus crash happened about 3.5 miles outside the park, and apparently the bus driver may have over corrected, after drifting a bit, causing the bus to roll.