RV Lifestyle RV Podcast

One of the first accessories many RVers consider is a cellular booster, to help pull in cell phone signals for Internet connectivity when visiting remote places. That's what we talk about in the RV Podcast Interview of the Week. You'll meet Brett Beatty, the product manager for weboost, probably the leading company out there making cellular booster kits for RVers. Brett will tell us what a booster can and cannot do for you and he’ll share details on the company’s latest system aimed at the RV market. Plus, lots of your questions and comments, RV News, RV tips and a great of the neaten path report from the Burketts. But first my lifelong traveling companion and my bride, Jennifer. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE The fall RV Show season is officially underway. At the end of this podcast, tell you about all the RV shows around the country. It will be like this for a couple months ago and I hope you can attend one near you. JENNIFER This week Hershey, PA hosts the annual event they call "America's Largest RV Show." While it may or may not be the largest (a couple of other big shows claim to be larger), there is no doubt Hershey is HUGE. Mike and I will be there for several days. You might see us in different parts of the show Thursday and Friday as we work on various videos. If so, come say hello. We'll be posting lots of updates on and Facebook. And from 1-3PM Saturday, we'll be doing an official meet and greet at the Leisure Travel Vans display. So please come by and say hi. MIKE With so many people shopping for an RV and visiting shows this time of year, I want to suggest you check out our 70-plus page RV Buying Secrets ebook. It offers a step-by-step guide to buying what for many is the second most expensive purchase they will ever make after buying a house. For more information on our instantly available RV Buying Secrets ebook, click here - https://rvlifestyle.com/buy In the book, we share our experience in how to negotiate the best price, what salesperson "upsells" you should say no to, how to get the best insurance price and coverage, the hidden costs of buying an RV and lots of additional tips and tools to save you time and money and get the right RV for you at the right price. We know it will really help you buy wisely, whether you're purchasing a new unit off the lot or at an RV show, ordering one direct from the manufacturer or buying a used RV from a dealer or private seller. JENNIFER Before we turn to the news of the week, I have a great tip I want to pass along that came from one of our subscribers on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel.  A subscriber named Lucille saw on one of our videos the paper towel starting to unwind on the roll behind is. A good way to prevent that from happening, Lucille says, is to use a push pin in the paper towels. What a great tip Lucille! Thanks for sending that in! It was so simple yet practical that I in turn had to share it with our podcast audience. We’re Fellow Travelers in this RV Lifestyle and I love getting your tips! Keep them coming. A good way to do that is to phone them in on our Voicemail number… just call 586-372-6990. Again, that’s 586-372-6990. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Olympic National Park conducting more search and rescues this year, triggering reminder for visitors to be prepared Park rangers in Washington's Olympic National Park are trying to get a message out to visitors - if you come to visit, be sure you're prepared! Why the seemingly obvious message? This year there is a rise in search and rescues - 71 as of Labor Day, while typically there are 50 to 60 the entire year. The weather on the mountains often changes, so even if you are camping or just planning a short hike, be sure to bring navigational tools, sunscreen, warm clothes, food, water and first aid supplies. The story made me think of an interview we did some time back on hiking safety with a hiker from the West Coast. (To listen click here.

One of the biggest frustrations we hear from RVers is how difficult and expensive it is to find an RV camping spot, particularly without advance reservations. People are always surprised to learn that, very rarely do Jennifer and I make advance reservations. Yet we almost always find a great spot, whether boondocking or in a commercial or government run campground. Our guest in the interview of the week segment for this episode is Mark Koep, a fulltime RVer who travels with his family in a 44-foot RV. Mark seldom makes reservations either, even though finding spots for his big rig are more challenging than Jennifer and I experience. Mark runs an awesome and totally free website called Campgroundviews.com that makes it easy to find that perfect campsite… without advance reservations. I asked Mark to break it down for us, step-by-step, to show us just how it works. AZLso this week... lots of RV News… RV Lifestyle tips, Q&A and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #258 September 4, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We’re coming to you this week from the beautiful Emerald Coast in the Northwest Florida panhandle. We had a great meet and greet gathering Sunday in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The weather has been very hot and humid but very beautiful. We’re getting ready for the fall RV show season. It starts next week in Hershey, PA, where we’ll be attending what is billed as America’s Largest RV Show. We’ll be looking at all the new RVs and doing meet and greets. If you’re attending Hershey we’ll be hanging out with our friends at the Leisure Travel Vans display there so come by and say hello. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK MIKE Electric bikes now permitted on national park trails under new presidential order  Did you hear that electric bikes will soon be permitted on trails in the U.S. National Parks? Last week President Donald Trump signed an order permitting e-bikes to be classified the same as bicycles so they can go on every federal trail regular bikes use. E-bikes are bicycles that are powered by petals and a battery to assist people who are older, have a disability, or maybe would just like a little assistance with pedaling. The move was opposed by many hiking, horse-riding and other outdoor groups who are concerned the electric powered bikes would cause people to go too fast and fundamentally change the experience on the trails. Personally Jennifer and I have had Rad Power Bikes for some time and we really enjoy them. We use them as regular bicycles, and only use the assistance when we need a little help. Here is a video we did some time back explaining how the bikes work. JENNIFER Don't get caught speeding in Yosemite National Park's new wildlife protection zones If you're heading to Yosemite National Park this fall be on the lookout for signs marking wildlife protection zones. So far this year 11 bears have been hit by vehicles in the park. The zones were established to reduce collisions with wildlife, be it bears, butterflies, foxes, deer or other creatures. The wildlife protection zones will have a slower speed limit and officials will be strictly enforcing it in the hopes of preventing more loss of life. MIKE Article shows how the early days of RV camping began   A fun article looking at camping 100 years ago captured my attention last week. The article, complete with pictures, talked about "Tin Can Tourists" and the early days of RV traveling. It showed how when cars were new, the national parks didn't have official campgrounds. People could just drive in and set up camp wherever - even on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was a fun read and got me thinking back to the amazing display of early campers at the RV Hall of Fame and Museum. We did an article on it here, and highly recommend a visit. JENNIFER Water pipe break at Grand Canyon National Park places entire park, including campgrounds, on water conservation mode

It’s time for some straight talk: The RV Lifestyle is not as idyllic as you may dream it is. At times it can be quite frustrating. We surveyed our RV Podcast Community and in this episode, we’re going to tell you what bugs RVers the most and what can be done about it! Plus, we’ll talk about carrying a gun in an RV and whether it’s time to bring back CB Radio! Show Notes for Episode #257 Aug. 28, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Mike and Jennifer at the beach MIKE We’re coming to you this week from Okaloosa Island, on the beautiful Emerald Coast of Northwest Florida. This is our base for some wide-ranging travel across the Gulf States and into Southwest Georgia, where we will be catching several high school football games to watch our grandson, Matthew, Play. JENNIFER Yes, it is beautiful down here on the Emerald Coast. But it is also very hot and humid this time of year. The temperatures are in the 90’s and the humidity percentage pretty much matches it. The only place where you can get some relief is if you are on the beach. MIKE And that is exactly where we plan to be this Sunday, Sept. 1 for a meet and greet for our Fellow Travelers who are able to join us on the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We’ll meetup in the first parking lot of the National Seashore, heading west from the Navarre Beach bridge. Show up at 3PM and bring your beach chairs and whatever refreshments you want. We’ll hang out till 6PM when we do our weekly Ask Us Anything live stream on the YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel. Once that’s over, for those who want, we’ll head to a nearby restaurant for dinner. We love doing these meet and greets as we travel and we’ll have some RV Lifestyle stickers to give away and we’ll do tours of our RV. And you can meet Bo, too! JENNIFER Speaking of meet and greets, we’re a little over a month away from America’s largest RV Show in Hershey, PA, and once again, Mike and I will be there. The show runs Sept. 11-15 and we will be doing a meet and greet from noon on Saturday Sept. 14. We’ll be hanging out in the Leisure Travel Vans Display area and we’ll do a special live YouTube broadcast from there about 3PM. So if you’re coming to Hershey, please come and say hello! MIKE For those of you on the west coast who can’t come east to Hershey, look for us at the California RV Show in Fontana, California October 4-13. We’ll be doing meet and greets there throughout the day on Saturday October 5, opening weekend of this big two week show. JENNIFER And while we’re talking about get togethers, maybe we should talk about one more: Our annual Winter Campout in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at the beautiful Tahquamenon Falls State Park. We just booked the dates -January 9-12, 2020. This will be the sixth year we have gathered up there to play in the snow and hang together in the beautiful UP. MIKE 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 site you booked. All communication, announcements, etc as we get close to the date will be done through that group. JENNIFER Those are just some of the events and things we have planned over the next several months. There’s also the Elkhart Open House, in Elkhart, Indiana in late September. That’s a closed event for industry members but since so many new RVs are being shown, we always try and get down there to do a couple of reports for you. Elkhart, of course, is the RV Capital of the World, where the vast majority of RVs are built and where many of the major suppliers and parts companies are located. MIKE Then there is Matthew’s football movie,

Welcome to another edition of the RV  Podcast. And this week, in our interview of the week segment, we’ll learn the cold hard facts about financing an RV, what’s needed, how to get a good interest rate, how not to get burned by owing more than it’s worth. Plus, we have lots of RV news this week from across North America, your RV Lifestyle questions, our RV tips and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #256 August 21, 2019 of The RV Podcast;  WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER We’re just back from an awesome stay at Chautauqua Lakeside, a very unique summer resort on the shore of Lake Erie in Ohio, located on the Marblehead Peninsula halfway between Toledo and Cleveland. We stayed in their campground and were kept busy attending music concerts, enjoying the fitness facilities, taking in lots of organized programs and activities, hiking and strolling "Ohio's Most Beautiful Mile" along lakeshore the beautiful grounds that were bursting with brightly colored flowers of every shape, size and species. On Thursday, look for a full video of this very unique place on our YouTube RV Lifestyle Channel at https://youtube.com/rvlifestyle MIKE We’re hitting the road right after this podcast is published, headed down to the hot and humid weather of Southwest Georgia. We’ll be in Albany, GA Friday night to watch our grandson Matthew play the season’s first high school football game of the season. Matthew is in his senior year at Deerfield Windsor and like I have done for my two sons, and Matthew’s older brother Nick, who graduated a couple years ago, I’ll be doing a movie on his senior team’s season. That’s a lot of work and though we have to do some coast-to-coast RV show travel over the next couple of months, we hope to make most of those Friday night games. In between, we’ll be hanging out on the beach at our condo on Okaloosa Island on the Florida Panhandles Emerald Coast. JENNIFER As we plan out the stories and blog posts and videos we’ll be creating over the next few months, we’ve been asking our social media followers to share what's the #1 challenge you are having right now with the RV Lifestyle? And we have had dozens and dozens of replies. MIKE We wanted to give you the same opportunity and then build a whole episode of this podcast around your relies, answering and offering tips as we go. So, to you loyal podcast audience… what's the #1 challenge you are having right now with the RV Lifestyle? We want you to phone it in our RV Lifestyle voice mail at 586-372-6990… just tell us your #1 challenge or RV frustration… 586-372-6990. JENNIFER We’ve had some great responses already, ranging from not having enough time to travel because of work… to having to wait until retirement…. To overcrowded and full campgrounds…. To a lack of timely service from RV dealers…. To dealing with mice in the RV… managing space… storing food. All sorts of things. So let us know. We want to help you manage those challenges. We can’t wait to hear your response. MIKE So what’s your #1 RV Lifestyle challenge right now, Jennifer? JENNIFER Dealing with Bo when we have to be away from the RV and can’t take him with us, like this coming Friday when we’ll be attending Matthew’s football game? We’ll be camped at a campground in Albany, GA and we know it will be very hot and humid. We’ll have the air conditioner on but what if there’s a power failure? MIKE That’s a legitimate concern. We use a temperature monitor called RVPetSafety that will send me a text alert as soon as the temperature reaches a prescribed level. This is a wonderful tool we’ve been using for over a year. It really gives peace of mind when leaving your pet back at the RV. Here's a link to RVPetSafety that explains how it works. If you do buy, be sure to use the coupon code rvlifestyle to get a 10% discount. If people prefer having a human watch over their dog, they can use Rover.com to find pet sitters nearby.

This week we get the inside secrets about RV dealers…how much they should be willing to discount, how much your brand new RV depreciates the moment you drive it out of the lot, why it can sometimes be so hard to find good service and what upsells they’ll try to talk you into like extended warranties and insurance you should reject. Our guest is the straight-taking Bob Zagami of the New England RV Dealers Association and you will not want to miss his interview on the RV Podcast this week. Also this week, your questions, RV News, tips and another great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. But first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride…Jennifer Show Notes for Episode #255 Sept 12, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK This week’s show comes to you from the Holly State Recreation Area near Holly, MI Besides camping in Holly, we also traveled across Michigan to Holland Motorhomes where we met some other RVers and did some modifications to our Leisure Travel Favs Unity. This week, we plan to leave Holly and head to Lakeside Ohio, a long established resort and conference center right on the shores of lake Erie on the Marblehead Peninsua. We also want to give a shoutout to our reviewer of the week…Keithafer who left us this wonderful five-star review on iTunes: “We currently are not RV owners; however, we are in the process of considering an RV lifestyle. There are, of course, a great many things to learn. Even though we had a travel trailer many moons ago, a lot has changed in the industry. The RV podcast has helped me to approach this with a broader perspective. I thought I had in mind what I wanted to do, but their style has got me thinking. There are several things about this particular show. First, the show is that it is well rounded. It is a combination of news, interviews, places to visit, industry trends, and so much more. They pack it with excellent information that is also entertaining. I'm often listening, and then, the podcast is over! Second, he is not over-advertised. I like their commitment to keeping a healthy balance of sponsorship and information for the listener. Third, they seem very personable, and Mike and Jennifer work well together in the podcast. I like their honesty and family orientation. There are a lot of podcasts that I have found on RV living, but this one I look forward to the next weekly episode. I'm hoping someday, my wife, and I will get a chance to meet them in person. They also have a YouTube channel and website that adds to the overall learning experience.” Thank you, Keithaver. We so appreciated those kind words and your review. And we invite you dear listener, to do the same. Please leave us a review and a rating on iTunes or Stitcher or whatever app you listen to us on. We so appreciate the feedback and we read every one!  RV NEWS OF THE WEEK  JENNIFER Grandma never saw the ocean or mountains, so her grandson set out to show her A story captured the hearts of many who saw it last week about a grandson - in his late 30s - taking his grandma - in her late 80s - camping in all 61 national parks so she can see the world. The grandmother has been a widow for 20 years, worked minimum wage jobs, and never saw much of the country - which was a regret. So her grandson set out to turn that around, seeing the country's national parks. MIKE Family tent camping in southern Arizona fight off bobcat as it attacked 4-year-old girl  A bobcat attacked a 4-year-old girl camping with her family in southern Arizona last week. When the girl's family heard her screams, they all ran to help and were also attacked as the fought the animal off. Officials came out to try to trap the animal but were unsuccessful. Fifteen people ended up being treated for rabies as a precaution and the wildcat, as of this writing, was still on the loose.  JENNIFER Park service has a message: Don't pet the bison  Don't pet wild bison. Seems obvious, right? But apparently it is not.

Staying connected on the road is right at the top of every RVers must have list. But choosing the best system and then navigating all the different price points can be a real challenge. This week we learn about a rooftop solution called Togo that combines a wi fi extender and a 4g cellular connection at what – at least right now – seems to be the best priced system available for RVers. Also this week, RV news you can use, tips, comments and your questions, plus another great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. But first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride… Jennifer. Show Notes for Episode #254. Aug. 7, 2019 of The RV Podcast;  WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We update the audience on what’s new with us and our travels.. A planned trip to install a ladder to the back of our RV A planned trip to a Lake Erie campground retreat Planned trips to Georgia to watch a grandson play high school football RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK  JENNIFER Look for falling meteors this week in dark night sky One of our favorite things about camping is gazing out at the night sky. And this week is going to be a big one for stargazers, as the Perseid meteor shower, which typically produces 100 meteors per hour, is underway. This year the shower peaks August 12-13 when the moon will be particularly bright, limiting sightings. That means the best time to start looking is right now, with the show typically beginning after midnight. If you want to try to photograph the stars or showers, check out this post we did a while back. MIKE Driving slowly in the left lane? If you are in Minnesota, you now may get a ticket for $125 We all have seen it. People in their RV, maybe towing a car, driving slowly along the freeway -- in the left lane. Other drivers do it, too, of course, but we’ve too many RVers hogging that left lane for all its worth. This always makes me cringe. While I understand the complexities of dealing with merging traffic in the right lane, the left lane really is for passing, and when RVers stay in this lane, well, it gets people mad and gives all of us a bad name. Apparently I am not the only one concerned about this because starting August 1 anyone driving too slowly in the left lane in Minnesota can get a traffic ticket for $125. We expect to see other states follow suit with similar laws.  JENNIFER Camper trailer used so 6-year-old boy with cancer could travel stolen - then found after news report  A Texas family was celebrating last weekend after a camping trailer stolen from their driveway was recovered after a local news channel reported their story, and a viewer recognized the trailer the next day and called police. The trailer was something the Texas family purchased so their 6-year-old son, who was fighting cancer, could travel with them without excessive germ exposure from other people. The family was heartbroken when it was taken, especially because they did not have it insured.  The thieves had broken a window, trashed the inside, and taken some things out, but the family was happy it was recovered and working on fixing it up so they could hit the road soon. MIKE Officials close Cape Cod beaches over weekend because of too many great white sharks  If you're heading to Cape Cod any time soon don't be surprised if the beach is closed. The reason? Great White sharks! Officials report there have been more than 150 shark sightings since June, with 20 sightings just off the cape last week alone. Shark reports are much higher than normal, with higher water levels and more seal spottings to blame. But the presence of great whites is a serious concern. Last year a man died after being attacked by a shark off Cape Cod.  JENNIFER Three people in separate incidents slip and fall near waterfalls at Yosemite National Park, with one person dyingA tourist died and two other people became seriously injured in three separate incidents last week after slipping and falling near waterfalls at Yosemite Na...

This week on the RV Podcast we meet a couple who tell us why every RVer should have a bucket list and how to make it come true. Ari and Jessi Adler, collectively known as the Trekers.org, tell us how, even with 9 to 5 jobs, they are making their amazingly ambitious bucket list come true. I think you’ll find them very inspiring. Also this week, RV news of the week including stories about: a very real murder mystery on the Alaskan Highway, more bad news for Roadtrek and how the tariff war is taking its toll on the RV industry. Plus tips, your RV Lifestyle questions and an off the Beaten Path report. So… thanks for putting us in your ears this week. Show Notes for Episode #252 July 24, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We’re back from Nashville, TN and a great family vacation. We have some RV projects we’ll be doing over the next couple weeks to tweak and upgrade some components and Internet systems on our RV. We’re also having a ladder installed on the back. We’re working on or travel season for the rest of the year. We have trips planned to Ohio, Florida and Georgia (to take in some of our grandson’s high school football games). Plus in September we’ll be at the Hershey RV Show in Hershey, PA. In Ocober we’ll be in Elkhart, IN at RV Open House and later that month out to California where we’ll be attending the California RV Show in Pomona. It’s time to give a shout out to our podcast reviewer of the week…Rickg5555 gave us a wonderful five star review and this wonderful five-star review on iTunes: “Been listening for a long time. I have searched and tried all the other RV podcasts and this one is the only one I listen to every week. Mike and Jennifer cover a lot of topics for all types of RVers and campers with a focus on real world boondocking. Mike has a knack for the latest tech stuff to help inform his listeners on how to stay connected to the internet while cruising the country. One of the best parts of the podcast is his traveling reporters - they have the most creative stories from places ‘off the beaten path’.” Thank you, Rick. We so appreciated those kind words and your review. Those reviews and five star ratings really help us in getting the word out to the RV Community about the RV Podcast. And we invite you dear listener, to do the same. Please leave us a review and a rating on iTunes or Stitcher or TuneIn or Spotify of whatever app you listen to us on. We so appreciate the feedback and we read every one! RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Real-life murder mystery on the Alaskan Highway In British Columbia and the Yukon, on parts of the Alaskan Highway very popular with RVers this time of year, Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators are trying to solve the murders of a young Australian man and his American girlfriend last seen on the side of the highway next to their broken down camping van. Later, two teens on the same road were reported missing after their truck camper was found burning at a highway turnoff. A man’s body was later found nearby. No word yet on how that still unidentified man died, though the Mounties say he was murdered, too. But after first declaring the missing teens may have also met with foul play, the RCMP announced that the teens are now considered suspects in the murder of the couple.  As you’d expect, the murders are causing lots of jitters among the RV community and tourists traveling the highway. MIKE About 2,000 Roadtreks issued recall notices by U.S. and Canadian agencies over second row seat safety concerns   About 2,000 Erwin Hymer Group of North America Roadtreks, some dating as far back as 2013, are being recalled for safety concerns tied to the second row captain seat chair restrains, according to a Canadian story out last week. The four models affected are the CS Adventurous, RS Adventurous and E-Trek built between 2013-2019, and TS Adventurous built between 2013-2016. In the advent of a crash the second row seats may no...

This week on the RV Podcast we hear from Joe Russo, who with wife Kait creates the popular  We’re the Russos YouTube Channel and blog. Joe has just written his second book, Tales from the Open Road, and in this episode of the RV Podcast, he drops by to share some of their adventures and misadventures. Show Notes for Episode #251 July 17, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK   JENNIFER - As this episode is released, we are in the Nashville, TN area on a family vacation. We’re spending a week in a rented house outside of Nashville with our three grown children, their spouses and our eight grandkids. We’re just hanging out together and touring the area. We rented a house in the horse country near Franklin and among our planned activities, taking in the historic Grand Ole Opry. MIKE – We’re really trying to make this a true vacation, too, meaning we’re cutting back on work as much as we can. Bo is with us and we drove the RV down and will take our time heading home, doing some wandering and exploring. I’m sure will chase down a couple of travel stories as we slowly head north. JENNIFER If anyone is looking for an excuse to go camping and get outsides, I can help. Just 20 minutes a day spent in nature can help reduce stress hormone levels, according to a new study by University of Michigan researchers. It concluded that an efficient "nature pill" — 20 to 30 minutes walking, sitting or completing a physical activity outside or interacting with nature — can reduce health issues such as chronic stress, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease and weight. I like that. A “nature pill.” A great reason to go RVing! MIKE A very good idea. It’s that time in the podcast where we want to give a shoutout to our reviewer of the week, whose screen name is MLV55… who left us this wonderful five-star review on iTunes: “I have listened to several different podcasts on RV'ing and this by far is the best one. It is very professionally done with great tips and ideas for everyone no matter what size RV you own. We are in the research and planning phases of buying a class A motorhome and have found what we have learned from Mike and Jennifer's podcasts to be very valuable. Plus, the sound like really nice people and are a pleasure to listen to. Mike and Jennifer, keep up the great work! Thank you, MLV55. We so appreciated those kind words and your review. And we invite you dear listener, to do the same. Please leave us a review and a rating on iTunes or Stitcher or whatever app you listen to us on. We so appreciate the feedback and we read every one!  RV NEWS OF THE WEEK   JENNIFER Disabled can now hike Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park with special “Track Chair” Trails through Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore can be steep or sandy -- but people who require hiking mobility assistance can now rent a motorized chair with treaded tracks to get around. The fact that the chair has tracks rather than wheels makes rougher terrain much more accessible. The program is run by volunteer group Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, which wants everyone to be able to experience the park's natural beauty. The group says the program is the first of its kind at a national park. The group currently has one chair that is available through reservations, but it is hoping to buy another one later this summer for children. The chairs are pretty pricey, with the first one costing more than $13,000. However, it's free for visitors to use and can carry up to 350 pounds. Since the program launched in June, the group has had more than a dozen visitors use it Volunteers try to do one run in the morning and one in the afternoon, allowing for the chair to be recharged between sessions. MIKE Should we close some National Parks so others can survive? We’ve reported extensively here about overcrowding in the National Parks as well as a woefully long backlog in maintenance and basic repairs.

This week in Episode 250 of the RV Podcast, you’ll meet our friend Joe Raetano, a computer scientist and a new kind of workcamper, who shares with us how commuting to his high tech North Carolina job in his RV and then staying in it during the week saves him lots of money and yet still provides all the comforts of home. He calls it his "mobile condo" Joe is our featured guest in the interview of the week segment… but we also have lots of RV News, tips, answers to your questions and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. But first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride…Jennifer Show Notes for Episode #250  July 10, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER - We hit the road this week, headed south through Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, exploring our way across the heartland in our RV as we eventually hit the Nashville area, where we will meet up with our three grown kids and all eight grandkids for a weeklong family vacation. We also want to give a shoutout to our reviewer of the week…Trish-Northeast who left us this wonderful five-star review on iTunes, which she headlined as “Don’t Leave Home Without it! “I'm hooked on this podcast no doubt about it. Listen to Mike & Jennifer as I walk my laps around the outdoor high school track and enjoy every minute of it. Have learned so much with the many guests and shared experiences. Thank you both. We’re buying our first RV this summer and can’t wait to get out there. Keep doing all you do, Mike & Jen” Thank you, Trish. We so appreciated those kind words and your review. And we invite you dear listener, to do the same. Please leave us a review and a rating on iTunes or Sticher or whatever app you listen to us on. We so appreciate the feedback and we read every one!  RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK One killed, several injured in two different lightning related incidents last July 4th Lightning injured several people enjoying outside activities in at least two different parts of the country on July 4th. In two incidences lightning hit a tree and the people who were standing nearby were either killed or seriously injured by the electrical field created by the hit. One incident happened in a state park in Maryland and the other in South Carolina. Last year we interviewed a lightning expert who described how campers and hikers are two of the most at risk groups for lightning strikes, and he provided tips on how to stay safe when lightning is in your area. To learn more click here. MIKE BLM considers overnight restrictions as boondockers tear up fragile landscape, leave human waste behind We love to boondock, and one of the best places to do it is on federally owned Bureau of Land Management lands near national parks. The landscape is beautiful, there are little to no people around and it is free. But, as camping off the grid becomes more popular problems are arising, and the BLM iwill likely start getting more involved in some areas. A story out last week highlighted issues of boondockers killing rare wildflowers by driving over and uprooting them, and leaving behind human waste improperly disposed near Moab in Utah. JENNIFER America's new national park, Indiana Dunes, experiencing increase in visitors and many saying it is worth the trip Indiana Dunes National Park on the shores of Lake Michigan is seeing an increase in visitors this season as more people come to see America's newest national park. The park became the nation's 61st national park earlier this year, and while we have written about it before, wanted to share this story because it does a great job of describing what is there. We’ll link to the story in the shownotes for this episode at rvlifestyle.com/250 and if you haven’t yet visited the Dunes…put it on your bucket list. MIKE So how did Utah's gorgeous Dead Horse State Park get its name?   Sometimes when Jen and I are traveling across the country, we run into a spot with such an unusual name you know...

How much time do you spend planning an RV route? Can you trust the campground reviews you find online? Could you use some practical help in not driving too far and coming up with a comprehensive map and route that will take all the hassle out of trip planning? And do you want to save money doing so? If you could use some help in any of those areas, then stay tuned because in our interview of the week, we’ll talk about a tool Jennifer and I just used on a long trip that even allowed us to keep to our 330 Rule for RV travel. Plus, lots of RV news, your RV Lifestyle questions, and off the beaten path report from the Burketts and much more. Show Notes for Episode #248 June 26,2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Jennifer, Mike and Bo on a hike last week in the Adirondack Mountains MIKE - We’re back now from a big trip out east, mostly in and around the Adirondack Park region of upstate New York, with a couple of days in the Finger Lakes district and then down to what has been voted the best state park in America – Letchworth State Park south of Buffalo (I was one of the travel writer judges for the USA contest that so designated Letchworth, by the way). Much of our travels and discoveries will be fully detailed in a soon-coming Seven Day Adventure Guide to the Adirondacks. And we’ll also have a couple of YouTube videos coming, too. JENNIFER - The park itself is immense, bigger in size than greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined.  It was created in 1892 by the State of New York to protect the land from too much lumbering and clear cutting. It is a constitutionally protected “Forever Wild” area. Of the Adirondack Park’s 6 million acres, 2.6 million acres are owned by New York State. The remaining 3.4 million acres are privately owned. MIKE - As such, the Adirondack Region is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. It is also home to 105 towns and villages. There is often a misperception that the Adirondack Park is a national or state park, yet the region’s mix of public and private land allows for conservation and civilization to thrive. JENNIFER - We were out in the Adirondacks to get lots of photos and information for one of our Seven Day Adventure Guide books. We hope to have it finished in several weeks and it will join a growing library of these guides that will eventually cover every region we can think of that will be of interest to RVers in North America. MIKE - We have four of our Seven Day Adventure Guides already published with many more planned. Also we want to point out that our Beginner's Guide to Boondockingand our How to Buy an RV books are very helpful for newbies and those looking to get a new RV. We now have a special page with information on all our guides and books at https://rvlifestyle.com/books  Please check them out and share the link on social media with your friends. JENNIFER - But besides the upcoming book, the best way to tell you about this area is with video and Mike is putting together an epic one of all the sights and sounds we experienced in this magnificent state. Look for it Thursday on the RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube. In fact, there’s so much to see and do there that we think it will take two videos to adequately tell the story, one this week and one next. MIKE – We also want to give a shout out to a listener named Lily who left us this great review of the podcast on iTunes. Says Lili: “Love this RV podcast! One of a handful I listen to regularly and the only RV podcast I listen to regularly. The information is great for all kinds of RV'ers. So many helpful tips, links, and information. And best of all, it's FREE! Thanks Mike and Jennifer, for all your efforts! I travel for work a lot and look forward to each episode!" Please remember to rate and review the show on iTunes or your favorite app. It really helps new listeners find us. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK