RV Podcast - Stories From The Road

This week on our RV Podcast interview of the week, we're going to continue our series of talking to other YouTubers and other bloggers who are out there covering the RV lifestyle. And I'm really excited to bring on as our special guest this week - Traveling Robert. He'll share his story and you'll get to know more about him and how that all his wonderful video and RV stores have come about.  Also this week, RV News of the week, Your RV Lifestyle Questions, Tips and another great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. Show Notes for Episode #278 Jan 22 2020 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK What a whirlwind two weeks this has been for us! First our annual winter campout in the snow in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and, all last week, the huge Florida RV Supershow in Tampa.  We should be tired, but instead we are so energized by the enthusiastic encouragement we received at the show from so many people. At times, we couldn't walk more than 10 feet without being recognized and it was so much fun meeting our Fellow Travelers in person that it's a wonder we got any work done, what with all the visiting. We so enjoyed meeting and making so many new friends! Look for a video on the show this Saturday. Speaking of videos, we are starting to get very excited about our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel on YouTube! We are just over 2,000 people shy of having 100,000 subscribers! Having 100,000 subscribers is a really big deal in the YouTube world and it has been a goal we have been working for hard over the past few years. You can help us reach that goal by subscribing to the channel.PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR RV LIFESTYLE CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE.We are almost there! Please, if you haven't yet subscribed, please help us reach our goal. If you are already a subscriber... THANK YOU! And please tell a friend. 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 Norovirus to blame for 200 people sick with a stomach bug after visiting Yosemite Authorities believe they have discovered the source of a stomach illness that affected 200 people at Yosemite National Park recently: Norovirus. Norovirus is a stomach bug that causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and stomach aches and typically occurs with 12-48 hours of exposure. It is spread from contaminated foods and surfaces, and person to person contact. Most of the 200 Yosemite visitors became sick the first week of January. Nebraska state parks offering Valentine's Day specials to outdoor loving romanticsValentine's Day is going to be here before we know it. Romantics who love the outdoors, and will be in or near Nebraska this February may want to check out specials going on in the Nebraska state parks. The state park system is offering special rates for overnight stays at their cabins and other lodgings, complete with a variety of packages, including such things as a rose, chocolates, wine glasses and sparking juice. Some Michigan legislators want to petition National Park Service for limited moose hunt on Isle Royale Some Michigan legislators believe the answer to Isle Royale National Park's ever-growing moose population is a limited moose hunt. The National Park Service is in the process of transferring 30 wolves to the island to bring balance to the rising number of moose there, which are damaging the island's eco-system. Those pro-hunt legislators believe hunting permits could bring new revenue to the park and help with a moose overpopulation. Others caution the wolf relocation plan is just underway, and not enough time has passed to see what difference the wolves are making. White Sands, America's newest national park, is worth a visit Those interested in visiting America's newest national park, White Sands in New Mexico, may want to read this story to know better what to expect. Last year 600,000 people visited White Sands National Monument - what it was before it became the 62nd national park last month. And if former monuments that became national parks are any indication, the number of visitors is expected to rise significantly.  The park boasts breathtaking gypsum dunes, and was a national monument since 1933.   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 Here are the questions we answer this week: QUESTION: Do you use a drone in any video footage? If yes, then have you read the new FAA rules being proposed? It is a long read but whilst this is only in proposed status with comments being accepted by FAA until 3/2/2020, it looks like significant new rules will be implemented soon with major impact to those who use drones. I thought would be of interest to you both and to those who use documenting parts of their travels using drones properly. - Eric ANSWER: We share our thoughts. Follow this link for the FAA proposal: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/12/31/2019-28100/remote-identification-of-unmanned-aircraft-systems QUESTION: What navigation device do you bless while driving?  I have a 2019 LTV Wonder FTB which came with the Ford Sync 3 GPS but I was thinking of getting a Garmin for RV's.  ANSWER: We rely on the 1) Internal Nav system on the 2019 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2) Apple’s Car Play nav system displayed through the Mercedes in dash screen and 3) RV Trip Wizard - https://rvlifestyle.com/rvtripwizard Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK This week on our interview of the week, we're going to continue our series of talking to other YouTubers and other bloggers who are out there covering the RV lifestyle. And I'm really excited to bring on as our special guest this week, you know him as Traveling Robert. Now you're getting to know more about him and how that all came about. Traveling Roberts YouTube Channel us at https://www.youtube.com/user/TravelingRobert Traveling Robert’s Podcast is at https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL3d3dy50cmF2ZWxpbmdyb2JlcnQuY29tL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdC8&ved=0CAAQ4aUDahcKEwi4zPq465XnAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en Here’s a Video Version of the Interview:

Our guests this week are Tom and Patti Burkett, who share with us how they find all those fascinating off-the-beaten-path stories Show Notes for Episode #276 Jan. 15, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We’re recording this podcast at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We’re here for our annual winter camping trip, a gathering we've been doing now for seven years. Over 30 RVers from across the country joined us to hike, snowshoe, take photos and explore the beauty of the northwoods in winter. When this podcast is released, we should be in Tampa, Fl, where we'll be attending the Tampa RV Supershow. Every day from 2-3 PM, we'll be doing Meet and Greets at the Leisure Travel Vans display at the show. And on Thursday, Jan 16, from 5-9 PM, we'll be attending a big After Show party with other YouTube influencers and bloggers at the Wing House right near the fairgrounds. Please come by and say Hi. We'll have an invitation to the party to hand you, so look for us. When not at the LTV display, we'll be roaming the show shooting videos and reporting on what's new. 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 NEWS OF THE WEEK Glacier National Park is replacing signs that predicted its glaciers would be gone by 2020 The signs at Glacier National Park warning that its signature glaciers would be gone by 2020 are being changed. The signs in the Montana park were added more than a decade ago to reflect climate change forecasts at the time by the US Geological Survey. In 2017, the park was told by the agency that the complete melting off of the glaciers was no longer expected to take place so quickly due to changes in the forecast model. But tight maintenance budgets made it impossible for the park to immediately change the signs. The most prominent placards, at St. Mary Visitor Center, were changed last year. The park is still waiting for budget authorization to update signs at two other locations. But the glacier warning isn't being removed entirely. Instead, the new signs will say: "When they will completely disappear depends on how and when we act. One thing is consistent: the glaciers in the park are shrinking. 5 free days you can visit a national park in 2020 One of the terrific things about the National Park Service — aside from its duty to serve as the caretaker of America’s greatest outdoor spaces — is the annual designation of five days during the course of the year that are free to the public. Those five days have been announced for 2020: 20:Martin Luther King Jr. Day April 18:First day of National Park Week (a weeklong celebration of all parks) 25:National Park Service birthday 26:National Public Lands Day 11:Veterans Day On these dates, you can visit any national park across the country without paying an entrance fee. NFL quarterback off to see the world in an RV While the rest of his NFL compatriots are off to Turks & Caicos to drink cocktails out of coconuts, Jaguars rookie Quarterback Gardner Minshew has found a different way to blow off steam this offseason. He’s on the open road traveling from Florida to California in a Class A Ace motorhome. He said the trip is to relax and recenter himself after a wildly successful rookie year that earned him enthusiastic fans all over the world. He’s asked those fans to send him places to visit, things to see using the hashtag #MilesWithMinshew on his Twitter account. She was wading through water at Everglades National Park. Then an alligator bit her An 18-year-old college student was bitten by an alligator while on a university nature hike in the Everglades.The teen’s professor led her and about 15 other students on a w very popular wet trail often used by hikers. As the party waded through the water, a gator bit the young woman’s lower right leg. She suffered a couple of puncture wounds and did not require hospitalization. Everglades National Park biologists have temporarily closed the trail as they evaluate the situation. There’s currently no set date for it to reopen. Visitors have about a one in 3.1 million chance of being significantly injured in an unprovoked gator attack, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In other words, you’re more likely to be struck by lightning, fatally wounded by fireworks or killed by a bee. Still, it’s a reminder to be alert when hiking anywhere in gator country. Stomach illness outbreak hits Yosemite National Park In Yosemite National Park, people are reportedly falling ill left and right with stomach flu-like symptoms. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, at least a dozen people have reported gastrointestinal symptoms, launching an investigation by The National Park Service and the U.S. Public Health Service into the origin of the illness. Federal officials said it was too early to identify the illness or where it might have come from. Federal officials were working with the operator of Yosemite’s many restaurants, snack shops and hotels to carry out an “extensive clean-up and disinfection” of food service areas in the area. No dining facilities have been closed. 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 Here’s a question that came via our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group: What’s the best cellphone coverage for those that RV a lot – Vicky Jo Here are a bunch of reviews from out group members - https://www.facebook.com/groups/roadtreking/permalink/1471871836305124/ And here’s a tip sent in by a listener named Joyce: Reference the Hot Hands hand warmers: They can be reused.  When they cool off, put them in a ziplock bag and squeeze the air out. Snack size bags are great!  I use a straw in a small area not completely closed to suck as much air as possible out, then pull the straw out and finish closing the bag.  When you are ready to use it again, just remove it & shake again to reactivate.  Great money saver. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK Our guests this week are Tom and Patti Burkett, who share with us how they find all those fascinating off-the-beaten-path stories. Here's a video version of the interview: Here's a transcript of the interview: Mike Wendland:           Well, if you've been following our podcast for a number of years, you know who our guests are this week. Tom and Patti Burkett. They've been doing the Off the Beaten Path with us for the past four years and have a huge following in and of their own, and we are going to make them our interview of the week this week. We're going to learn a little bit about them, how they travel and how you can find your own off the beaten path reports as well. Join us now as we welcome Tom and Patti. Introducer:                   Time now for the RV podcast interview of the week. Interesting, entertaining and helpful information about the RV lifestyle. Here's Mike with this week's interview. Mike Wendland:           Tom and Patti, we got you for our interview of the week this week. Wow. Does that mean I don't have an Off the Beaten Path report? Patti Burkett:                We might. Tom Burkett:                We'll have one ready to go about Trenary. You can use it or save it. Mike Wendland:           Okay, well- Patti Burkett:                We can talk about Trenary now. Mike Wendland:           Yeah, she just brought it up. People have no idea what you're talking about. We're at our winter camp out and Trenary is a small little town that you just found. You went out yesterday for, you said an hour or two and you came back just before dark, but you found a report, right? Tom Burkett:                Yes. We went to a, we went into town to the grocery store to pick up something we'd forgotten and a Patti found on the shelf there Trenary toast and you can- Patti Burkett:                well we knew about it from having been in the UP once before and it's, I don't know that we remembered exactly about it, but we saw the little bag, we bought some. It's kind of, it's sort of like biscotti, but it's made with toast and so it's twice baked and then that it's got cinnamon or cardamom or sometimes chocolate chips. Anyways, we said that made us pull out the map and figure out where Trenary was and we're not positive, whether it's Trenary or Trinary. Mike Wendland:           I think it's Ternary. Patti Burkett:                Trenary, okay. And so that we pulled out the map and it was like, "Well, it's only 76 miles from here." Tom Burkett:                And we had been there once before, but we thought, "Well we never did a report on that. If we go back, maybe we'll, we can have a little bit more conversation with the folks there and find out a little bit more about it." It's a Scandinavian thing. This toast from,

This week in the RV Podcast, we present the 2020 RV Bucket list. Each year at this time we ask our audience to call in and leave us a message about their RV travel plans for the New Year. And we have a lively assortment of them to play for you in the Interview of the Week segment, coming up. You’ll find it fascinating where other RVers want to go, and why. And, we’re sure, come up with some new travel ideas as suggested by our audience. Also, this week, RV News, tips, questions, comments and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts Show Notes for Episode #275 Jan. 7, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK The Holidays are over. We packed away the last of the Christmas decorations this weekend and now it's time to hit the road. From Wednesday-Sunday, we'll be camping in the snow at Tahquamenon Falls State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This is an annual event that we've been doing now for seven years. Over 40 RVers from across the country will be joining us to hike, snowshoe, take photos and explore the beauty of the northwoods in winter. The day after that event ends, we head to Tampa, Fl, where we'll spend from Jan. 14-18 attending the Tampa RV Supershow. Every day from 2-3 PM, we'll be doing Meet and Greets at the Leisure Travel Vans display at the show. And on Thursday, Jan 16, from 5-9 PM, we'll be attending a big After Show party with other YouTube influencers and bloggers at the Wing House right near the fairgrounds. Please come by and say Hi. We'll have an invitation to the party to hand you, so look for us. When not at the LTV display, we'll be roaming the show shooting videos and reporting on what's new. The after Show Party at the Wing House opens to the public at 6PM and is free. It promises to be really fun. Who will be there? Here’s the list: Mike and Jennifer Wendland, RV Lifestyle, www.rvlifestyle.com Peter Knize and John Sullivan, The RV Geeks, www.thervgeeks.com Jason and Rae Miller, Getaway Couple, www.getawaycouple.com Marc and Julie Bennett, RV Love, www.rvlove.com Anthony Nalli, Creator and host of The RVers, www.thervers.tv Kyle and Olivia Brady, Drivin’ and Vibin’, www.drivinvibin.com Tom and Caitlin Morton, Mortons on the Move, www.mortonsonthemove.com Nathan and Marissa Moss, Less Junk, More Journey, www.lessjunkmorejourney.com Come see us! 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 Camping reservations for Canada's national parks unroll this month If you are planning on camping in one of Canada's beautiful national parks this summer, the reservation system will open in waves throughout this month. A handful opened last Friday. Others, like Jasper and Banff open this week, and others like Prince Edward Island, open January 20. For a complete list of when reservations open for each national park click here. When to catch the most amazing astronomical sightings of 2020   If you are like Jen and me and enjoy star gazing when camping, then you may be interested in this article. It covers the many things astronomy lovers can expect in 2020, such as when the super moons will arrive (first one is Feb. 9), when the various meteor shows appear and more. If you want to take pictures of the night skies, we had a podcast on this some time back that may be helpful. Click here to check it out. Ohio national park leases land to 10 farms - only such arrangement in the U.S. We've all heard about the financial struggles facing America's national parks and likely most have heard of the decline in small, mom-and-pop run farms. So, it was with interest we read a story last weekend on how one national park in Ohio is using farming as a way to help. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park, about 20 miles south of Cleveland, leases 10 farms on its land to independent farmers as a way of producing revenue and protecting small farms. The farmers need to live in pre-existing buildings and follow strict sustainable farming practices. In return they get a 60 year lease on the land, and can live in a national park. Kentucky state park offering eagle tour packages in January, early February If you love bald eagles, and plan to be anywhere near Kentucky in January or early February, you may want to check out Kentucky state parks Eagle Watch Weekend packages. Kentucky state parks have been offering eagle spotting tours by naturalists for some 40 years. The park has various tour options that include tickets for the watch, lodging and more. 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 Hello, Mike and Jennifer happy 2022 to you and your many listeners. My name is Gerhard. We've enjoyed your podcast from the beginning and I've listened to most podcast over the years. Question. My wife and I have fifty years of RVing behind us and I want to downsize to a real travelling unit. You have owned both length Sprinters before going to a B-Plus or a C-Class. My wife and I for a long time have been considering a new Sprinter, either the 177 regular or extended length versions. We want to hear your and Jennifer’s feelings with parking situations on both lengths. We would like to Extra Storage in the back on the long unit, but worry about parking. Thanks. Please keep your interesting and valuable broadcast coming you two are doing a great service to all our views particulars newbies. Hi, Jennifer, and Mike. Becky and I love your podcast each week and they've been very helpful to us as we have an all diesel, 2016 Winnebago View. We enjoy boondocking tailgate SEC football games. Usually from Thursday night to Sunday. But my question revolves around the laws around being able to see your tag on the rear of the RV. Sometimes we carry two bites on the back hitch. And also if we don't have the hitch back there we make carry a Cargo Carrier back there with extra chairs or coolers. So what is the law regarding a clear view of your tag on the back of your RV? Can we move the tag up higher on the back of the RV, in clear view. Any ideas in that regard? Thanks a lot, bye now. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK This week in the RV Podcast, we present the 2020 RV Bucketlist. Each year at this time we ask our audience to call in and leave us a message about their RV travel plans for the New Year. And we have a lively assortment of them to play for you in the Interview of the Week segment, coming up. You’ll find it fascinating where other RVers want to go, and why. And, we’re sure, come up with some new travel ideas as suggested by our audience. (Listeners share their 2020 RV Bucket list) The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new  motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT    Patti and Tom Burkett By Tom & Patti Burkett At least as far as we’ve discovered, it’s hard to find good boon docking spots in the northeast USA if you’re south of Maine.  Harvest Hosts has improved that situation, but pickings are still slim.  We were happy to find that some of the Pennsylvania state forests offer dispersed camping if you have a few days lead time to make arrangements.  We found this out when we were looking for a camping spot near the Delaware Water Gap.  Commercial campgrounds up in that area are pricey and, at least in season, hard to get into. It was probably freecampsites.net where we found out about these spots.  Like the dispersed campsites in national forests, they can be a bit of a chore to locate until you’ve been there once.  This particular campsite was located along a road that got progressively narrower and more rutted as it emerged from a residential area and made its way into the forest.  By the time we arrived it was getting dark.  We had a map, something like the vehicle use maps provide by the national forests, but less detailed, and we had a description of the site.  The woman in the state forest office had told us it was marked with a little sign showing a picnic table. There were the additional landmarks of a fire lookout tower and a small stream, both of which were useless in the pitch blackness that had descended as we wound our way deeper into the trees.  After about thirty minutes of turning around, backtracking, backing up, and scanning the roadside with a flashlight, we did find the site and the sign, set back among the shrubs along the road.  We were exhausted, and on our very first trip in the new (to us) class B camper.  We flopped into bed exhausted. In the morning we discovered several things.  First, it was really a pretty good campsite, with a fire ring and picnic table, and at the edge of a lovely woods.

Welcome to another edition of the RV  Podcast - Your Guide to Freedom and Fun through RV Travel.  This week we meet a remarkable woman, Carolyn Rose of the YouTube Channel Carolyn’s RV Life. Carolyn left a big corporate job in the city for a life mostly spent in the boonies, traveling alone in her RV, to follow her dreams. Carolyn is our Interview of the Week on this 274th episode of the RV podcast, being released on Jan 1, 2020, the first day of a new year and a new decade. So Happy New Year Fellow Travelers and welcome to our New Year’s Day edition of the podcast. Besides the interview, we have RV News, your questions, and much more. But right now, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride…Jennifer.  WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We took last week off for Christmas and have had a great Holiday season with family. Yesterday we traveled to Frankenmuth, MI, home of Bronner’s famous Christmas Wonderland. It was surprisingly crowded even though Christmas was last week and they don’t discount their decorations because they are open 361 days a year, closed only on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter. We’re getting ready for our annual winter campout in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula next week, where we’ll gather with several dozen RV Lifestyle Fellow Travelers. And the day after we get back from the UP, we head to Tampa, FL to spend a week at the Tampa RV Supershow. We’ll be doing Meet and Greets every day during the show from 2-3PM Eastern Time at the Leisure Travel Vans display. On Thursday Jan. 16, we’ll be at a big party that everyone is invited to that is held at the Wing House right near the Fairgrounds. We’ll put info in the shownotes for this episode at rvlifestyle.com/274 On Friday we’ll be at the Islamorada Restaurant at Bass World in nearby Brandon to meet with a group of Leisure Travel Van owners. They call their club the Flamingoes. And every day during the show we’ll be roaming the fairgrounds doing stories. If you see be sure to introduce yourself! 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 People breaking rules and getting close to Yellowstone wolf pups being blamed their deathSad news out of Yellowstone National Park last week for all wolf lovers. Two wolf pups died after being struck by a car back in November. Officials said the pups’ death was tied to them losing their fear of humans. Park officials did their best to keep people away from the wolves - closing off the area around their den, requiring people stay 100 yards away when they left their den, hazing them to scare them of roads and people, and so on. But people kept breaking the rules and getting close for pictures. After losing their fear of humans, the pups kept getting too close to roads, which ultimately,  park officials said, led to them being hit by a vehicle and dying. New Mexico's White Sands National Monument is now White Sands National Park  It's now official: America has a new national park. Last Friday New Mexico's White Sands National Monument became White Sands National Park. This brings the number of national parks to 62. White Sands became a national monument in 1933 and plans were underway for years to turn the unique spot, home to the world's largest gypsum dune field, into a national park for some time. Officials hope the designation will help the local economy. French paper runs feature on Roadtrek After driving a Roadtrek for years, we have promised to keep our readers informed as best we can when we see or hear any news on the brand. Well, last week a French publication ran a story saying 70 employees were hired by Rapido are currently producing camper vans. Roadtrek is now owned by a French company called Rapido, which bought the brand and an Ontario, Canada, factory earlier this year when the company was in bankruptcy court. The entire article was in French, and seemed to be more a feature on how Rapido is now the only European RV company on North American soil. It said Rapido plans to produce 400-500 Roadtreks next year on Fiat Ducato, Mercedes Sprinter and soon the Ford chassis. If you want to check it out, click here.  The original male wolf on Michigan's Isle Royale National Park killed by new wolves brought to park We have shared here the National Parks work to increase the wolf population at Michigan's Isle Royale National Park by taking wolves from neighboring states and Ontario and moving them to the remote island. The process has been difficult. Some wolves died in the transport. One escaped the island when Lake Superior froze and went to Minnesota. And now, just out this week, the lone, 12-year-old male wolf born on the island was killed by the new wolves. Whereabouts of the lone 10-year-old female born on the island is unknown. Also killed by other wolves is a female recently brought over. Apparently there are now eight male and seven female wolves. The animals which were recently brought over have collars, and officials say they are living close to one another, but have not formed a new pack. The new wolves were brought to the island to hunt moose whose population has grown out of control, wrecking the eco-system. Story examines appeal of VanLife this past decade No one would argue that camper van living has hit the mainstream among outdoor enthusiasts, with many of us enjoying going off grid, boondocking, and experiencing the freedom of getting out there. That is why we read with interest a story looking at how the lifestyle caught on this last decade, studying the role social media and millennials played in particular. We bought our first camper van - a used Roadtrek - in early 2012 and started a blog and living the lifestyle then. (click here to read our story.) We can also attest to the growing trend breathing new life in the RV industry, but our experience for these past eight-plus years is the lifestyle attracts people of a certain mindset, seeking freedom and adventure, more so than people of only a certain generation. What do you think?  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 I follow your YouTube videos and I have a question for you, I am thinking about buying a RV and I noticed that you don't tow a car. Will your Class B MH tow a car? I can imagine that after getting setup in a park and then realizing the you need something from the grocery store, what then? I am toying between a 5th wheel and a medium size MH. If you can give me any insight, I would appreciate it. Thanks. Harold, Texas My wife and I have been enjoying your channel and content.  Emails too.  We currently have a bumper pull and when we purchased it a couple of years ago we were on the fence between a B+ or C Sprinter and perhaps an older ford van style C or B.  But I already owned a truck and decided a bumper pull was our best option.  Additionally my nephew owns a diesel repair business in Washington State and at the time (2016/17 I think) he strongly advised us against the Sprinter because he felt there were far too many issues as they began hitting the 60K miles and above.  My question to you is have you put those kind of miles on a previous unit, have you experienced or heard of people experiencing issues, specifically emissions, injectors and electrical related gremlins, and lastly are you aware of Mercedes/Sprinter addressing these types of issues in later model years?  We’re beginning to think that perhaps the Class b/b+/c is the way we want to go once again and am leery of the Sprinter.  I have no inside knowledge of the Ford Chassis either.  Any advice experience you have would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you, Brian. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK This week we meet a remarkable woman, Carolyn Rose of the YouTube Channel Carolyn’s RV Life. Carolyn left a big corporate job in the city for a life mostly spent in the boonies, traveling alone in her RV, to follow her dreams. Freecampsites.net is the website Carolyn uses as a guide to find her own boondocking spots. Here’s a Video Version of the Interview.  The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new  motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country  OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT    Patti and Tom Burkett By Tom & Patti Burkett Ed Galloway was born in Wisconsin, but his story really begins in Oklahoma.  As a young man skilled in woodworking and blacksmithing, he got a job at Sand Springs Home outside Tulsa.  The home was founded by Charles Page as a refuge for orphans and children whose parents couldn’t take care of them, and the home itself is a story for another episode, but Ed came here to teach skilled trades to the young men living here.  At the age of 57,

Our guests in RV Podcast Episode 273 are Marc and Trish of Keep Your Daydream (see https://keepyourdaydream.com) who share the joys and challenges of RV Life with teenagers. We talk about education on the road, earning an income as a fulltime RV traveler and getting along, having fun and experiencing all the joys that come from the RV Lifestyle. We love this couple and are sure after listening to this interview and watching the video version of our conversation as well…you will too! Plus, your comments, questions, RV News and tips. Notes for Episode #273 Dec. 18, 2019 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER Here we are a week before Christmas. Can you believe it? How time flies! I’ve been baking Christmas cookies the past couple of days and spent the last few hours decorating them with our daughter, Wendy and out two granddaughters Hua Hua and Rachel. MIKE How many did you decorate? I can’t believe how many you guys turned out. I’ll have to put a photo on the shownotes page. But man, they will be hard for me to resist! JENNIFER The secret is having just one… or maybe two. MIKE Dozen? JENNIFER You know!!! Meanwhile, though, we better let everyone know about the schedule. This episode is being released Wednesday December 18. Since we release our podcasts on Wednesday and next Wednesday is Christmas Day, we want you to know we will still be here with the podcast. MIKE In fact we will have a great interview with you next week with Carolyn Rose, of Carolyn’s RV Life, a very popular YouTube channel that chronicles Carolyn’s RV boondocking adventures. She’ll talk about RVing when you are all alone, a solo traveler. You will really enjoy meeting her and will not want to miss this episode!We also will have a podcast the following Wednesday, too--- January 1, New Year’s Day. JENNIFER And for the New Year’s Day podcast, need your help for that podcast. We need you to call in our voicemail number and share your 2020 Bucket List plans for us. Tell us where you want to go in your RV next year and why. You can share as much or as little as you want but we need to hear from you. We’ll edit all the voicemail responses together and Jennifer and share them as master RV Lifestyle 2020 Bucket List. Now to make that episode come together, we really, really need your help. The number to call to leave a message is 586-372-6990.  MIKE It’s just like leaving a message on any answering machine. Just call that number and tell us 1) What’s on your 2020 RV Bucket List and, 2) Why it’s on your list. Don’t worry, if you make a mistake, just start over. We’ll give the messages an edit if needed so you soon good. But to dedicate an episode to a Bucket List like this means we need you to call yours in. Again, that voicemail number is 586-372-6990.  Please call! JENNIFER Meanwhile, we are so excited to announce that our latest Seven Day Adventure Guide is done and you can download it instantly for just $7! MIKE It's a Guide to Florida's Gulf Coast from the Gulf Islands National Seashore to Naples and you can get it right now for $7 by Clicking Here! JENNIFER This digital guide (ebook) is written as a seven-day exploration of Florida’s Gulf Coast with a suggested route and itinerary, links to multiple campgrounds and boondocking sites, and the best spots to see along the way. MIKE You can hit everything in seven days, do a whirlwind weekend tour, or you can take your time and explore the area over a few weeks. JENNIFER We have worked really hard on this to get this RV guide book out for all you Snow Birds who will be heading to the Sunshine State right after the holidays. MIKE A second one on Florida's Atlantic Coast will be coming after the New Year!  Details and a peek at the contents are available at https://rvlifestyle.com/flgulfcoast Please share this with your RVing friends. JENNIFER Also, if you still have RVing friends on your Christmas list but don't know what to get them, let us suggest a Gift Card to our RV Lifestyle shop. MIKE They can get any of our ebooks and adventure guides as well as RV Lifestyle apparel and accessories. It's instantly available and redeemable for everything in the store. Check it out at https://rvlifestyle.com/giftcard 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 Black bear hops on car stopped in traffic - video of encounter goes viral Did you see the video that went viral over the weekend of a bear jumping on a car in California? The woman who shot it was on her way to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park when she ran into a long line of cars. She stopped, and saw a bear saunter over to the car in front of her and hop onto its trunk - before getting scared by something and jumping off. The animal was a black bear and, according to park officials, when bears learn humans have food, they will look in cars for it. Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident. Check out this RV designed to take family of 8 through Australian outback luxury   We ran into a story out last week about a family of eight who built a two story RV on a military grade truck base that would permit them to go explore the Australian outback. The story has pictures of this luxurious mammoth RV that was so fun to see we had to share here. While I am not sure how many people would ever be able to afford - or even want - such a vehicle, it was interesting to read about the automated button that turns the truck-like RV from a one story to a two story vehicle, the lithium batteries recharged by solar panels, a first floor lounge that sits 10, a clothes washer accessible from outside, and much more. Tornado knocks RV to its side at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park  A tornado blew through Florida's east coast Saturday, rolling over an RV at Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park. A woman, who was inside the RV, said she felt the RV shaking, then rocking, and then the 110 mile per hour winds pushed the RV on to its side when she was inside. Fortunately, the woman was able to crawl out the front windshield and run to the shower/restroom area for safety. Hers was the only one to flip to its side, though other campers said it felt like a roller coaster in their RVs. Mike and I were just at Gamble Rogers (click here) and absolutely loved the park. It is right on the ocean and we are so thankful to hear no one was seriously hurt. MIKE Will New Mexico's White Sands National Monument be the next national park? New Mexico's White Sands National Monument took a step closer to becoming a National Park last week after the U.S. House passed a measure that included language to help make that happen. A senator from New Mexico is among those who would like to tap into the lucrative outdoor tourism industry, believing a national park designation would help the local economy. The White Sands area is home to the largest gypsum dune field in the world and is a location Jennifer and I have wanted to visit for some time. JENNIFER Come count the birds this Saturday at California's Death Valley National Park  Death Valley National Park is inviting bird enthusiasts to come on out this Saturday (Dec. 21) to help park officials count birds. The official Christmas Bird Count will begin at 7 am and no experience is necessary and the park will providing training. The bird count is one of many going on at various locations throughout the country this week. To learn if one is near you visit the Audubon Christmas Bird count site 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 Questions we received this week via email… QUESTION: I am one of thousands that started following you when you owned a Roadtrek like we do I realize you no longer endorse Roadtrek esp since they no longer exist but as one of your loyal readers can you keep us up to date on Roadtrek’s new owners? For example how do we contact them on our own? I am sure thousands of your supporters would appreciate any info you have thru your RV trade show inside info at minimum Regards, Vic W ANSWER: I have no new information except their website is open and you can contact them through it. Supposedly, they are slowly starting production again, working mostly on chassis they had on hand before the bankruptcy and shutdown last January. I’m told they are finishing a couple new models each week but the new owners have not announced anything on what has happened over the past several months except they were hoping to hire a workforce and get things moving again. You can reach the new owners on the Roadtrek website at https://roadtrk.com  I’ll look for them in Tampa at the RV Supershow there next month and update you on what I see and learn. QUESTION:  My dealer says all RV manufacturers are now experiencing major difficulties getting new Sprinters from Mercedes Benz. I know this was a problem last year but this is supposedly something new. Can you confirm? Tom, Grand Rapids, MI ANSWER: Yes, I am hearing the same thing and, yes, this is something new And it is a major hit on all small RV manufacturers who have orders waiting or want to build on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz chassis. Bottom line is all production of 2020 Mercedes Benz Sprinters in North Americas has ceased and no new Sprinter diesel vans or cutaway chassis are being released. The problem is caused by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency which has told Mercedes it needs to recertify all its 2020 models to make sure they meet ESPA emission control standards.  There’s no problem with the engine, which is identical to the 2019 Sprinter,

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, guided hikes will be offered in parks in all 50 states, and are part of a program seeking to connect exercise and nature. First Day Hikes started 25 years ago in Massachusetts and has grown. The idea sounds like a wonderful way to kick off a new year. Woman driving under the influence gets RV stuck in Taco Bell drive through  We've all most likely heard stories of someone having a craving for a particular type of fast food late at night. Well, a 56-year-woman in Washington REALLY must have wanted some Taco Bell when she drove her RV the wrong way into the fast food restaurant's drive through, and then got stuck very late one night. Police arrived and charged her with driving under the influence. Group files lawsuit to block e-bikes from national parks Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility along with three other conservation groups filed a lawsuit last week to block an August order allowing e-bikes in national parks, among other things. E-bikes, such as what Jennifer and I use (click here) are regular bicycles that provide motorized pedal assist when the biker is tired, going up hill, or just wants a little help. The lawsuit is concerned about the speed e-bike users could have while on bike trails and the impact that will have on others using those trails. Canada's British Columbia gets new computer program to manage camping reservations Canada's British Columbia is putting into place a new, online reservation system that sounds very interesting. If you call for a camping reservation and all of the spots are full, the system will allow you to get notified if something opens up and will show you nearby campgrounds that have openings. The system will also have options like buying firewood, or even ice, on line before you arrive. British Columbia has about 10,700 campsites, about 55 percent accept reservations. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, a electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Before we get to the email questions, here’s a voice message left us by our friend Tom Burkett in regards to a story we reported in last week’s episode about an RV Toll Pass that is supposedly good on most of the nation’s toll roads. Tom has what he says is a much less expensive solution to the problem of all those toll roads requiring different passes fr their systems. (Play Tom’s message..suggesting the North Carolina Quick Pass) Email from Deborah: Hello Mike, Jennifer and Bo. First want to say Bless you for putting out such great content on youtube. My husband found you during a rough patch of chemo about 2 years ago. He has done OK since completion. We first started watching because he could still "get out and about" by watching your videos. He loves Bo and looks for him every video. We are now in the past dreaming- now planning stage to get a rig.  There will be 3 adult size folks (son is 17 and will remain living with us as adult.) The class B choices are few for sleeping 3 adults 5-7, 5-10, and 6-1. Hope to see you out on the road Email from Rosemarie: We can't figure out a good solution to Sat TV and Internet. Is there a unit that does both? We have a new 2019 Holiday Rambler Admiral and are scared to death about choosing a not so great product only to have to reinstall another one.Do we really need one unit for internet and one for Sat TV? Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK Time now to welcome Heath Padgett to the interview of the week segment. 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. We also have a video version of this Interview, showing lots of photos and images from Heath and Alyssa’s travels. You can see that on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel or in the shownotes for this episode at RVLifestyle.com/272 Here's a video of the interview, with photos: Here’s a transcript of the interview, with links: Mike Wendland:           Well, joining us right now is Heath Padgett. Good day, Heath. How are you doing? Heath Padgett:              Good morning, Mike. Yeah, I'm doing great. Thanks for having me again. Mike Wendland:           We're recording this bright and early for both of us. It turns out we're both early risers, so this is good. Right? Heath Padgett:              I'm early riser as a default, even if I wasn't before because now I have a six-month-old daughter, and so you have to just be up when she's up. Mike Wendland:           Yeah. I'm going to jump in today. Do you have a morning routine? Do you get up regularly every morning? I've always found that's the best way to get the day done. Heath Padgett:              I would say that, anybody probably who has went through the newborn process,

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, the RV was completely submerged in water. The family was visiting relatives for a family reunion Thanksgiving weekend. New RV Toll Pass to work on toll roads throughout the country For those of us who like to travel the country, but get frustrated with the ever-growing areas with toll roads, a story we saw over the weekend on a new RV Toll Pass may be of interest. The RV Toll Pass apparently will offer nationwide coverage under a single account. Sounds like the new pass is designed for RV travelers, allowing those who use it to only activate it for the months they are on the road, and the toll rates will be discounted from cash rates. To learn more click here. No more minimum stay for Louisiana state park campers  If you are planning to do some camping at a Louisiana state park, you will soon have a little more flexibility. Reservations during the week will no longer be subject to a minimum stay starting Dec. 9. Louisiana has 21 state parks and officials hope this will give visitors greater flexibility when making reservations. Vermont state parks offering creative camping gift packages Vermont is offering some creative gifts for outdoor enthusiasts who like exploring the Green Mountain state. Vermont State Parks has created gift packages that include passes for visiting a park, camping in a park and more. For example for $99 a person could purchase a gift basket which includes two nights of tent, lean-to or RV camping in a state park, a coupon for a free armload of firewood, two Vermont State Parks wine tumblers, and an LED lantern. It looks like a creative way to bring in a little money for the state park, and give a unique gift. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping   LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Here are the questions we answer on the podcast, phoned in on our 586-872-6990 Voice Mali message line: QUESTION: Hi Mike, this is Jim from Chicago, Illinois suburbs. My wife and I really enjoy your podcasts and videos and we have a question. I noticed on your one of your recent videos that your leisure travel van is a licensed in New Mexico, and just wondering the the reasoning behind this. We're in the process of getting a new class C and looking for maybe an alternative ways of licensing and titling. So appreciate any insights. You might have. Thank you. QUESTION: Hey, Mike, and Jennifer. How are you guys doing? This is Chris from Pennsylvania. My wife and I just this year got our very first travel trailer and we absolutely love it. I also picked up an inverter generator. I got a question though. And this is kind of a sticky situation obviously not at night time. But can you please speak to proper etiquette when running your generator? Is it okay to do it around noon time first thing in the morning and early evening. Like I said, obviously not overnight when you're going to disturb people. But when is it proper and when is it not proper to run your generator if it's not specified by the campground or even if you're in a free camping like a BLA area like that. Okay. Thank you guys love the podcast Happy Thanksgiving. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK As the year comes to an end, many have their RVs in storage for the year. If that’s you, and you have or are thinking about getting an extended warranty for your RV, there are some things you need to take into consideration before Jan. 1. First, you may want to have your RV inspected now by an extended warranty representative to protect you against the things that often go wrong when an RV goes out of storage in the spring. Second, if you have a unit that will be 20 years old next year, or a travel trailer that will be 15 years old, if you don’t get that extended warranty before the end of the year, it will not be eligible for coverage. Third, prices are going up. If you renew or activate that extended warranty before Jan. 1, you’ll get a lower rate. To help us sort through all this we have invited Staci Ritchie-Roman of Wholesale Warranties to come on the podcast and help us understand the ins and outs of extended warranties and why December is the month you should take action. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WHOLESALE WARRANTIES, CLICK OUR AFFILIATE LINK AT https://rvlifestyle.com/warranty Here’s a transcript of the interview with Staci: Mike Wendland:           Joining us right now from San Diego, Staci Ritchie-Roman from Wholesale Warranties. Staci, how are you? Staci Ritchie:Roman:     I am doing wonderful. Thank you so much for having me. How are you doing? Mike Wendland:           I am doing awesome. You know, this is such a great lifestyle, this RV lifestyle, how can you not? Well, let me start. It's the end of the year and everybody I know is very busy come December it's just crazy time, but if someone has an extended warranty, or is thinking about getting one why is this time of year a must time for them to do some serious checking before the first of the year? Staci Ritchie:Roman:     Sure. So the big thing that changes at the first of every year is that your model year on your RV is considered one year older. When that happens,

Welcome to the Thanksgiving 2019 episode of the RV Podcast, released on Thanksgiving Eve, one of the busiest travel days for ALL Americans - not just RVers - and a time to be with friends and family. Us, too! We just drove back to Michigan to be with family for Thanksgiving like so many this time of the year, there are more to-dos than there are hours in the day. And for that reason, this will be an abbreviated version of the podcast because we know many of you have other things to do this week than tune into our typical hour long podcast. Because after Thanksgiving is Black Friday weekend, the busiest shopping days of the year. So, this week, we’re going to respect your schedule and ours and make this a brief one. Speaking of Black Friday, just a quick mention here that we’re having a 40% off sale of our various RV Lifestyle digital guides. It is only good to Dec. 1, but if you’re listening to this episode close to its release date of Nov. 27, 2019,  go to: https://shop.rvlifestyle.com/collections/digital-guides and from now until Sunday, Dec 1st, you can get 40% off any of our premium guides using the discount code: BFTAKE40. Our first stop this week when we got back to Michigan was the town of Holland, on the west side of the state where we had our RV winterized. We shot a visit of the process and we’ll release that this weekend on our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube. We’ve done a lot of different winterization videos over the years on the different ways various RVs we have owned are winterized but this was the first time we winterized our Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX model so we thought we’d add it to the channel as well. While the general process is pretty much the same for all RVs there are always some differences. Things are located in different parts. Plumbing knobs have to be turned just so. Filters removed. Things like that. So while I think the video will be helpful to all RV owners, we though we’d show what’s involved in winterizing our Leisure Travel Vans unit. I used to always feel bad when it was time to winterize because for so many, it means the end of camping until spring. But not us. We camp year-round on our RV, even in the snow. Besides, we’ll be back to warm temperatures down south again right after the New Year winter campout up at Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. So then it will be time to do another video ion how to de-winterize our RV. 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 President Trump to send national park rangers to patrol Mexico-U.S. border after Democrats refuse to provide funding for more border agents  National Park rangers will be patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border to fight illegal immigration and drug traffickers under a new order by President Donald Trump. Trump made the order after the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives refused to fund his border security plan. Trump says the extra manpower is needed to respond to a record number of illegal migrants. But Democrats criticized Trump for taking national park rangers away from national parks, which are already underfunded. New York state campgrounds set new record in visitors for 2019   A new record for campground attendance was set for New York state campgrounds in 2019. The announcement was made by Governor Andrew Cuomo last weekend, citing 680,533 campground visitors in 2019 compared to 663,953 in 2018. Jen and I were among those campground visitors New York's upstate area and found it absolutely beautiful. To see a recap of our travels, click here. Skip Black Friday shopping and have an outdoor adventure on #OptOutside Friday  Have you seen the hashtag #OptOutside yet? Many state parks throughout the country are offering free admission Nov. 29, providing a Green alternative to Black Friday shopping. Sponsored by retailer REI co-op, the goal of the day is to get people outside taking a walk, cleaning up a green space, or doing some other outdoor activity versas being inside buying things. REI is closed Nov. 29, yet still paying its employees. And it is encouraging others to get outside, too. We love the idea of enjoying the fresh air and having an adventure, and saw hikes and special events at parks and locations throughout the country - too numerous to list. Here is a few of what one state has planned, and here is the REI site that has a few more spots - but not the complete list. Black Friday sales to offer discounts for some iconic national park lodges Speaking of Black Friday, for those of you who like national parks but prefer to stay in a lodge, you may be interested in a story we saw about Black Friday sales on lodge stays at Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yellowstone and Zion national parks. Xanterra, the company which which operates many of the lodges for the park service, will offer sales on the room prices this Friday and Monday for those who book for certain times of the year. Montana latest state considering raising some state fees to better reflect actual costs Montana is the latest state seeking public input about raising its campground, dumping, state park entrance and other fees.  The new fees would raise the cost of dumping from $4 to $5, entrance fees to state parks would rise, as would the cost of some tours, and camp wood. The fees would bring in an estimated $200,000 in new revenue to help Montana run its state park system. For more info 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 Via our Voicemail Number at 586-372-6990 QUESTION: Hi Mike, this is Davis from Davis Tandy and Buster. So I have the question on automatic generator starter. I was really watching Dean the other night and having seen this before the automatic generator is actually these can be linked to your thermostat and even set it up not just for low voltage on your batteries. But also for the thermostat preparing to kick on to work the air conditioner. So I think that allows you to get away with either no inverter or small inverter something much smaller than be required to run a air conditioner. Anyway, I was wondering if you could investigate that for me cuz I'm thinking about installing something like that next year. I'd like to see some information on it first. Appreciate it. Really. Enjoy your videos. Thank you. Bye. ANSWER: We checked into this with Dean Corrigal of Leisure Travel Vans and here’s the scoop on your question, Davis: On the 2020 model year Unity’s,  when you order the optional L.P. generator you get Auto Generator Start (AGS) which allows you to: 1) Set the A/C temperature in the motor home, once the temperature inside of the motorhome goes above the desired temperature, the generator will automatically come on and cool down the motorhome back to the desired temperature. 2) The AGS can also be set for low battery voltage, so if the “House” batteries get too low the generator will automatically come on and charge up the “House” batteries. AGS is an Onan part and can be bought form any Onan/Cummings dealer. You may still want have an inverter to run electrical inside of the motorhome at night, when you are not allowed to have your generator running during quiet time. You need at least a 2,000 watt inverter for your microwave. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK At this time of the program we usually interview someone from the RV community about various RV Lifestyle topics. But this week in honor of Thanksgiving, we thought we’d take a few minutes to tell you some of the things related to our travels this past year that we are most thankful for. We’re thankful for all the wonderful things we saw as we traveled across North America visiting so many beautiful areas. I think of two parks in particular – Dead Horse Canyon in the area around Moab, Utah, and Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area on the Atlantic Ocean north of Daytona Beach. We’re thankful to Harvest Hosts and all the wineries, farms and attractions we stayed at free this year. It’s hard to pick a favorite but the Alpaca Farm in New Mexico, the Alligator Ranch in Mississippi and the Heron Hill winery in New York’s Finger Lakes area top the list. We are thankful for the 2019 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX we bought in March. Since then we have driven almost 21,000 wonderful miles and it has been near flawless, with not a single major issue at all, despite driving it long and hard on many times as we moved across North America. Along those same lines, we’re thankful for Ryan and Mike Elias, Dean Corrigal and Don Klassen of Leisure Travel Vans and our various sponsors like Nick and Craig from Sunshine State RVs, Ty Collins of Rad Power Bikes, Sean and Denis from Battle Born Batteries and all the folks from Dish Outdoors.

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, and Jennifer says the fresh look she puts on the camper renovations reminds her of Joanna Gaines from Waco, TX. (To see a video of a trip we made to Waco, click here.) Wealthy entrepreneur buying up land to create new, privately funded national park in Montana There was an interesting story out of Montana last week about a super wealthy ex-Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is creating a 3.2 MILLION acre privately-funded wildlife reserve called American Prairie Reserve in eastern Montana. The park will be free to the public and has the goal of rebuilding the Great Plains to the way it was before white settlers arrived. To do this the entrepreneur and other rich donors are buying up ranches and replacing cattle with bison, bringing the land back to the way it once was. The whole project has its fans and detractors. Many ranch owners, who have ranched the land for generations, see the preserve as a threat to their way of life. EDIT EDIT. EDIT EDIT 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 . Surprise! The holidays are coming even earlier this year and RAD POWER BIKES IS starting THEIR Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale NOW, and goes until every 2019 ebike is gone. Visit RadPowerBikes.com LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK  Via our Voicemail number at 586-372-6990: QUESTION: Hi, Mike, and Jennifer. We've been our RVing for a couple of years. We camped in a pop up when the kids were young, but we have never winter camped and I hear you talking about it a lot, but I've learned about camping and winterizing the RV in the winter and camping, but I wondered what kind of activities you do while you're camping in the winter. I'm more of an indoor person in the winter, but I'm open to new ideas, especially since we've been RVing and would love to hear some ideas about winter camping. Thanks. ANSWER: We hike, explore, take photos, snowshoe, cross country ski and have raging campfires. We love winter camping. Want to try? Come join our annual winter campground this January in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where there’s usually two and a half feet of snow on the ground. Don’t worry, there’s electric hookups at each site. You can get details from our special Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1697339513886451/ Via e-mail: Our friends travel with their fresh water tank full and we never do.. I want to fill our tank but am leery of what it will do to our mileage. Plus I worry about roadside water sources or even campground water sources even though we currently use campground sources for water for showers only we don't  even like our own household water. ANSWER: We take bottled drinking water/ Fir the fresh water fill, we use a filter for the water. Bring your own drinking water. Remember, a gallon of water weighs 8>34 pounds. So, say you have a 30 gallon fresh water tank. That means traveling with a full tank of water adds 250 pounds to your Grpss Vehicle Weight rating, or the actual weight of the fully loaded vehicle or trailer, including all cargo, fluids, passengers, and optional equipment Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK RVers share the lifestyle benefits… RVer:                            My name is Arielle and a lot of it is just seeing the country and we've I've cross country in a car and it's not the same as actually seeing it and experiencing it. We've got so many beautiful national parks throughout this country that I want to see it in person. Mike Wendland:           And why an RV? RVer:                            You can go into the park and spend several days as opposed to staying at a Marriott or a Hilton outside of the park and having to go in and fight the crowds for parking when you're already inside the national parks. It's actually experiencing it when people, I've already gone home and going into the park and experiencing the evening and early hours in the morning when the animals are coming out and possibly a bear or a deer coming through the campground. That would be fascinating to see. Jen Wendland:              You spend the night there like you say, and you wake up in the morning with the first light and the fog and the animals and everything or the evening. That's I think when the animals, cause you haven't done this yet. RVer:                            I haven't done this yet. Jen Wendland:              In the evening. That's when you're more apt to have the bison come to your campground and that is so much fun. That is so exciting. RVer:                            See that's what I want to experience because right now I'm in a car. I go in, I go in with the crowds and then I have to leave before sunset with the crowds and I don't get to stay in the park and experience what it's really like inside the park. Jen Wendland:              You're going to love it. RVer:                            I certainly hope so. Jen Wendland:              You will. RVer Barbara                Ken and Barbara Longeway can visit relatives that are located all over the country and not have to be in a camp ground because several of them live in places that are nowhere near a camp ground.

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,  James and Michelle Butler, were camping on the beach at Texas' South Padre Island when relatives reported them missing. The Butlers were later found buried near their campsite. The man and woman arrested in Mexico were driving their truck and camper, but had not been charged with their murder. The story was one we discussed at length last Sunday night and on our Facebook page as the Butlers were living the dream, traveling the country, camping, when this tragedy happened. Here are some good reminders on how to stay safe, especially when camping in more remote spots. JENNIFER Two separate deer hunts will close 17 Indiana State Parks for several days soon If you are planning to do some camping in an Indiana state park in the next few weeks, be sure to check first. Seventeen of the state's parks will close Nov. 18-19 and Dec. 2-3 for deer hunts. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources sends in biologists to determine which of its parks need deer hunts for the health of plants and other animals. This year 17 parks were chosen and each will be closed during that time. MIKE Amendment added to federal bill to study how federal government is spending money on outdoor recreation The RV Industry Association reported last week the U.S. Senate passed a spending bill that included an amendment to have the federal government study where spending on outdoor recreation was taking place and at what levels.  The RVIA is applauding the move, saying it is a first step toward creating a clear federal spending vision to support the outdoor recreation economy. Outdoor recreation supports 5.2 million jobs and contribute $778 billion in economic output, according to the story. 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 QUESTION: First, thank you for your channel. Y'all offer such helpful information. My husband and I are going full-time sometime next year and are searching for a Unity Twin Bed. We're actually going to tour one today in Ft. Worth, Texas. It's a 2020. I'm hoping to get your advice on negotiating price. My understanding is that LTV's aren't discounted much off of MSRP due to supply and demand but any information or advice you have would be greatly appreciated. Additionally, I have questions about boondocking with the Unity. My husband and I love to explore hiking trails and plan to stay in locations for several days at a time and hike that area, maybe even do some backpacking trips.I hike the entire Appalachian Trail in 2018 with my best friend and am forever changed - hence the big life change to fulltime RVing.  In your opinion, is the Unity a good option for the lifestyle I'm referring to? My concerns are with power and water storage capabilities. We are newbies to this whole Rving thing so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Additionally, are we crazy to buy new? We're hoping it would mean less repairs and better resale (if we decide to sell down the road) value. Thoughts? Again, thank you so much for all the great work you and your wife put in to your YouTube channel, pod casts, emails, etc. I'm a subscriber and y'all have been so helpful...and entertaining. :) Sincere thanks, Stacey Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK The tiny home movement is sweeping the country. But most tiny homes are used as permanent residences. Not so with our guests this week - Robert and Julia of tinylivinglivinglarge.com, a very innovate couple who built an amazing tiny home that they plan to use as an RV. Be sure and watch the YouTube video version of this interview on our show notes page as we have lots of photos and video showing you what this tiny home looks like. The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new  motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT    Patti and Tom Burkett By Tom and Patti Burkett Across the USA, in cities and small towns, in churchyards and seemingly in the middle of nowhere, you can find shrines.  Some are a simple cross with plastic flowers by the road to mark the death of a loved one, some are built to honor heroes—military or otherwise—and some are inspired by deep religious faith.  In our experience, the latter seem to be the most elaborate, often the work of years or even a lifetime.  One such extraordinary tribute can be found in the town of Jasper, Indiana. The Providence Home was established here by the Order of the Sons of Divine Providence, a religious order dedicated to helping the less fortunate, and for many years served the elderly population of the area.  Young Phillip Ottavi was living in Messina, Italy when an earthquake collapsed his home, killing his parents.  After becoming a priest, Ottavi realized that his feelings about stones, resulting from the tragedy in his mouth, were keeping him from honoring all of God’s creation, and set about building a grotto to heal that relationship. He began his work on the site of an unused handball court at the Providence Home in 1954, using geodes, a rock form plentiful in southern Indiana.  These rock spheres,