Jump to content

Roadtrekingmike

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    669

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    17

Blog Entries posted by Roadtrekingmike

  1. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the most confusing aspects of buying an RV is the vast differences paid in sales tax and various licensing fees.
    And many states do what is called “double dipping,” charging full sales tax when you buy the vehicle, and then again charging you tax on the full purchase price of a new one when you you trade it in, ignoring the trade-in price.
    It doesn’t take a genius to know that it is patently unfair.
    In Michigan at least, that double dip tax is about to go away. State lawmakers are getting ready to send a big change in vehicle taxes to Governor Rick Snyder’s desk. The bills would cut the amount of sales tax people pay on cars, boats and recreational vehicles when they trade in another.
    Right now, the full purchase price is taxed. The legislation would gradually change that to eliminate the value of the trade-in from the full purchase price for taxes.
    But the taxing differences and inequities still abound, state-to-state.
    Montana, for example, is a state with no sales tax. And Montana law allows for a Montana corporation to register vehicles in the state. Thus, a whole cottage industry has built up that allows RV owners to avoid sales and use tax and often stiff registration fees in the owner’s home state. Thousands of RV owners around the country do this and dozens of Montana legal firms specialize in making it happen.
    Some states have sales taxes, others don’t. So what if you live in a state that does have an RV sales tax, but buy in one that doesn’t? That’s called a cross-state sale. And each state has different rules about cross-state sales. Sales on the trade-in differences also vary from place to place. Some states charge on the difference between the trade-in value and the original purchase price. Some on the full trade-in.
    But what if you full-time? At least a million RVers do full-time. But for taxation purposes, everyone has to have a legal domicile. But where? Many RVers choose a state with no income taxes and low taxes and fees on licensing and registration like South Dakota. Alas, that state has recently stated scrutinizing those who are RV full-timers – they call them “nomads” – but the process is still available. Here’s a site with some detailed info.
    All this is to say that given the cost of today’s RVs and the wide discrepancies on taxation and licensing fees, there’s a lot to consider when investing in an RV and the RV lifestyle.
    I’d love to hear how you have handled the domicile, tax and fee issues in your RVing life. Use comments below.

  2. Roadtrekingmike
    It’s time to head west to Wyoming and, eventually, Yellowstone National Park. And this year, instead of repeating past routes, I thought it would be fun to get your suggestions, to crowd source our trip by drawing on the collected wisdom of our readers.
    In other words, tell me where to go.
    Here are the particulars:
    ’ll be leaving Kalamazoo, Mich., about 9 AM Friday, June 14. I need to be in Gillette, Wyo., by mid afternoon Monday, June 18, for the annual Family Motor Coach Association Reunion and Motorhome Showcase. That’s about 1,230 miles.
    I don’t want to drive more than 400 miles a day, so there’s time to discover cool places, see great things, meet interesting people on the way that we can photograph, video and report about to you on this blog. I’m on the lookout for truly unique places and people. I’ve already written about the touristy things along the way on previous trips. The Corn Palace. Wall Drugs. We reported on the Badlands and Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore last year. So I’m looking to forgo those spots and travel off the beaten path this time. What are the stories along the way unique to the land?
    They can be a cool photo. A fun restaurant. A unique campground. A local character. An historic spot. I had an old editor once tell me decades ago that everyone has a story. My long journalism experience has told me that is indeed true. That’s also true of places. All you need to do is meet them. So make some introductions to me.
    Plot out the route and e-mail it to me (openmike@fmca.com) under the subject line “To Gillette.” You can use comments under this post to ask questions or share observations.
    As to where to spend the night on route, scenery trumps everything for us. We can boondock or hookup. I’d love your recommendations.
    We’ll leave Gillette late Friday, June 21, after I finish leading a seminar at the FMCA reunion. I’m planning on heading to Yellowstone again for a few days and then taking our time heading back so that we’re back in Michigan by the 30th. So if this group planning thing works on the way out, maybe we’ll crowd source the return trip, too.
    But for now, let’s collectively plan the route to Gillette. Tell me where to go, what to see, who to meet, where to overnight.
    For my part, I’ll try to take in as many of your tips as we can and then share what we find in daily reports here, as well as tweets and Facebook posts.
    To whoever comes up with the most detailed route and suggestions that we follow, I’ll let them pick out the item of their choice from The Roadtreking RV Store and then send it to them for free.
    I can’t wait to get your ideas. Send them to me at openmike@fmca.com and place "To Gillette" in the subject line.
    About the Author: Mike Wendland is a veteran journalist who travels the country in a Roadtrek Type B motorhome, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer, and their Norweigian elkhound, Tai. Mike is an FMCA member (F426141) and is FMCA's official on-the-road reporter. He enjoys camping (obviously), hiking, biking, fitness, photography, video editing and all things dealing with technology. His "PC MIke" technology segments are distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations. More from this author. Reach mike at openmike@fmca.com.
  3. Roadtrekingmike
    The RV life offers a lot of choices. From travel trailers, to fifth wheels to motorhomes, there is a vehicle to suit every style. And when it comes to motorhomes, there are essentially three choices – a big Type A (as long as 40+ feet, usually with multiple slides), a Type C (less than 30 but tall and wide, sometimes with slides) and a Type B, often called a camper van and anywhere from 20-25-feet or so in length.
    You may know them as Class A, C and B. The industry thought the term “Class” sounded to elitist so switched to the word Type instead. But either modifier is correct.
    Type Bs are probably the hottest selling segment of the motorized RV market these days.
    But is a Type B right for you? After more than two years of Type B travel and over 50,000 miles climbing mountains, visiting seashores, National Parks and wilderness areas all over North America, I have identified 10 reasons a Type B RV may be right for you.
    1) A Type B RV can go where pretty much where a car can go - A Type B is meant for getting you easily to wherever you want to go, be it a fast food parking lot off the freeway or a remote boondocking spot in the middle of a national forest or BLM lands far off the commercial grid. It is maneuverable and easy to drive yet has all the comforts of home. Which figures, because it is your home.
    2) A Type B RV is for those who like to tour – The bigger motorhomes are just that: Big. Very big. You need to be careful turning corners, changing lanes, going under things and once you get off the interstates, you will get the same looks a slow moving tractor does on a two lane in rural country. A Type B shares the road well with all vehicles, accelerates well, turns easily and doesn’t take up three car lengths of roadway.
    3) A Type B RV actually gets good fuel economy – My first Type B got 22 miles to a gallon. The heavier Roadtrek eTrek I’ve been driving this past year still averages 17-18 mpg. At $4 plus per gallon these days, the fuel savings over the bigger motothomes out there are considerable.
    4) A Type B RV can run errands as a second vehicle at home – I often use the eTrek as a second vehicle. Jennifer has our car. I drive the Roadtrek. Simple as can be.
    5) A Type B RV can stay parked in your driveway in most places – Neighborhood and home owner associations frown on Type A and Type Cs being parked in driveways. There’s not nearly the problem with Type Bs. I don’t have to store my RV in a lot, paying stiff monthly fees. Mine is right in my driveway, ready to take me across town or the country anytime I want.
    6) A Type B RV simplifies the traveling life – It is so easy to go in a Type B. You learn very quickly that you do not need nearly the “stuff” you thought you’d need. You take what you need and are surprised to discover that, other than food, a few changes of clothing and some elementary camping gear, you travel light. And that just feels so right. Free and easy down the road you’ll go. Seriously, I think of my RV every time I hear that Dierks Bentley song. “A pair of boots and a sack of clothes, free and easy down the road I go. Hangin’ memories on the high line poles, free and easy down the road I go.” Oops. Sorry about that.
    7) A Type B RV is for doers, not sitters – Nothing against Type A or Type C RVers but it’s been my experience that Type B owners are folks who don’t like sitting in one place very long. They are hikers, bikers, explorers and they tend to exemplify the slogan on the T-shirts and sweatshirts sold on the Roadtreking Store: Yeah, we have a small house. But we have a big yard. Type B RVers spend a lot of time outdoors.
    8) A Type B RV doesn’t require a lot of set-up and take down – It’s so easy to park in a camping spot. Even if you have to back in. Hooking up takes three minutes, tops. Same with unplugging and leaving. Leveling is seldom a problem. If it is, move a few feet. Try that in a Type A.
    9) A Type B RV is great for day trips and special events – Driving to visit relatives, attending a grandkid’s soccer game or parking along a parade route, there’s nothing like having your own bathroom on board, a fridge and microwave for snacks, or a place to charge computers, smartphones, camera batteries and the like. Because it drives so easy, it’s handy and easy to take non-camping outings.
    10) A Type B RV can serve as a guest bedroom in your driveway – Plug in an extension cord and your Type B can serve as a spare bedroom for guests, giving them – and you – privacy. I know of some Type B owners who use it as a dressing room while attending weddings or as a place to nap cranky kids. Because most Type Bs also have generators or coach batteries to provide power, the Type B is also a great refuge in a storm when the grid supplying your neighborhood is interrupted.
    Okay. Those are my top ten reasons why a Type B RV may be right for you. I’m sure we could come up with ten more reasons. In fact, current Type B owners, please feel free to add to this list under comments.
  4. Roadtrekingmike
    I have a serious bone to pick with whoever calls Michigan’s Upper Peninsula a paradise. Not this trip. This RV adventure was a battle of the bugs.
    And while it looks pretty out the window of the motor coach, venture outside and you are fair game for swarms of insects that see you as smorgasbord.
    The mosquitoes and biting black and stable flies of the Lake Superior region are the worst they’ve been in years. Locals blame it on the unusually wet spring and summer we’ve had this year.
    http://youtu.be/g-UkHfr85mA
    Indeed, the night before this video was shot in early July, the area in the western Upper Peninsula around Gogebic County, where we were staying in the Porcupine Mountain State Wilderness Area, got drenched with three inches of rain.
    That said, I came prepared. I had bug spray, fly strips and a clip-on contraption that runs a miniature fan for 12 hours on three AAA batteries and is supposed to emit a personal cloud of protective repellant.
    Jennifer also brought along Avon Skin So Soft and even some vanilla extract, as suggested by blog readers.
    Then she stayed inside the Roadtrek all afternoon, relaxing and reading while Tai and I tested all the bug and fly fighting tools.
    They didn’t work. Nary a one. We only caught a paltry half dozen flies with the strip.
    Tai’s nose is all swollen from mosquito bites and he is giving me very dirty looks.
  5. Roadtrekingmike
    The Beartooth Highway is one of the more spectacular drives you can take when touring in your RV out West, comparable to the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. It’s a 1930s WPA project that opened access to the Yellowstone region from the northeast, and an impressive engineering accomplishment.
    Fortunately for us, it’s still in good repair and easily traversable by all but the most anemic RVs – there are probably a few gas Class As that shouldn’t attempt it, but the rest of us can drive it easily.
    The eastern end of the Beartooth Highway is Red Lodge, MT, a 44 mile drive from I-90 coming down US 212 from Laurel, just west of Billings. Red Lodge is a nice little town with all the RV amenities – water and a dump station at the Chamber of Commerce, groceries at the IGA, gas, diesel and propane from multiple stations. Provision yourself well because the next significant amenities are when you come back out on I-90 in Livingston, MT, 175 miles away.
    OK, now that you’re all stocked up, get ready to climb. We’re going up onto the Beartooth Plateau, a 10,000-foot-high tableland overlooking the Yellowstone caldera. Trouble is, you’re at 5500 feet in Red Lodge. After a gently sloping approach up the valley, the switchbacks begin. Most of it is 25 or 30 miles an hour – feel free to take it slower. Turn off your air conditioner, and watch your coolant temperature and transmission temperature gauges. Five miles of switchbacks later, you’re rewarded with a view of the plateau.
    First thing you’ll notice is the snow. There’s snow up here – side-of-the-road snow, not up-on-the-mountains snow. I came up here in late June, and it’s all over the place. Even in August, there’s still snow you can easily walk to from the highway. The snowmelt feeds countless streams; most of the time you stop along the highway you can hear running water. The northern sides of the gentle hills on the plateau have snowbanks, each with a stream emerging from its base.
    The second thing you’ll notice is the thin, cold air. Atmospheric pressure is 70% of sea level, and it’s 20 degrees cooler up here in the summer than it is down in the Yellowstone River valley. Daytime highs are rarely above 70 degrees. Pace yourself if you plan any hikes, and watch out for signs of altitude sickness if you zoomed up here without acclimating.
    The first few miles of the plateau drive leading up to Beartooth Pass are still in Montana; I boondocked in a spur (Forest Service Road 2124) just before the state line, which is designated for dispersed camping. As you cross into Wyoming, you’re climbing – you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of Gardner Lake and Mirror Lake.
    In addition to the main lakes, the complex landforms up here create smaller lakes seemingly cantilevered out of the steep slopes. Every dip in the terrain up here holds water.
    bearstooth
    The Bear’s Tooth is a spire of granite viewable from the highway just before the pass. Native Americans named this range because of this feature, which does indeed look like an incisor of something you wouldn’t want to meet on the trail. The tooth and many of the other peaks are “horns” – glacially carved spires sharpened to impossibly steep points as glaciers slid around their sides during the numerous ice ages which shaped this region.
    At the top, Beartooth Pass itself has a pullout to stretch your legs and look around in all directions. East you can see the Bighorns, over 80 miles away, and south of you is a plateau covered with lakes. Fiona the Fearless Kitty had less esthetic interests – she wanted to snag a marmot. Marmots are chubby rodents who inhabit alpine regions and, as Fiona was soon to discover, always sit within feet of their burrow. No marmot on the menu for Fiona this time.
    West of the pass, the road descends steadily and you come down off the tundra and back into pine forests. Spectacular waterfalls dot the roadside, many with pullouts and paths leading up to them so you can get a closer look. The state line also marks the boundary between the Custer National Forest and Shoshone National Forest, which you are in now, and there are several well-maintained campgrounds along this stretch of the highway.
    Island Lake, Beartooth Lake, Crazy Creek, and Fox Creek range in elevation from 9,000 to 6,000 feet. Information on these is available on the Shoshone National Forest website. Fox Creek has electricity, for those of you not equipped for dry camping.
    Somewhat averse to organized camping and neighbors ourselves, right now we’re doing dispersed camping maybe eight miles east of the town of Cooke City, on the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River. Just pull off the road, pick a spot, and enjoy the wilderness. The sound of rushing water, the smell of the pine trees, and the song of the mountain bluebirds make this place a memorable stay in our exploration of the Beartooth area.
  6. Roadtrekingmike
    On top of the Bighorn Range in Wyoming is Medicine Mountain, desolate and nearly 10,000 feet high and only reachable during the warm summer months. And on top of it lies a mysterious and ancient Native American medicine wheel that precisely predicts certain astronomical events.
    This is not a casual walk. It is 1 1/2 miles from the parking lot to the medicine wheel. And 1 1/2 miles back down to the parking lot again. That’s a three-mile roundtrip hike, at altitude. The wind blows continually and very strong up here, seemingly from every direction.

    There is little UV protection at such heights, so wear a hat and cover your skin. Carry water. The hike is climbs sharply. Even moderate exertion at such altitude can be stressful for your heart, so take frequent breaks.
    That’s easy to do because the scenery is breathtaking. There is nothing but wilderness to see in any direction.
    On the day we went, skies were bright blue, with big fluffy clouds. But mountain weather can change very fast and storms on Medicine Mountain can be fierce.
    Once you reach the top, you will find a small marker attesting to the mystery of the place and a walkway around the wheel, which is encircled by a fence.
    The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is an 80’ diameter wheel-like pattern made of stones. At the center of the circle is a doughnut-shaped pile of stones, a cairn, connected to the rim by 28 spoke-like lines of stones. Native Americans use this site regularly for religious purposes and special ceremonies called vision quests. Sometimes, Indians remain here for as long as four days, without food or water.
    The stone lines of this medicine wheel precisely point to where the Sun rises or sets on summer solstice and where certain important stars first rise at dawn after being behind the Sun.
    Some 80 different Indian Tribes hold ceremonies here and Indian prayer bags, pieces of cloth and other religious and ceremonial decorations are affixed to the rope fence.
    The wheel s part of a vast set of old Native American sites that document 7,000 years of their history in North America. The surface stones here are believed to be 700 years old. Beneath it are multiple layers of stones and rocks and because this site is sacred to Native Americans, no digging is allowed
    So no one is sure exactly how old this wheel is. Like Stonehenge, it has been built up by successive generations who added new features to the circle. Archaeologists suspect that the function and meaning of the medicine wheel changed over time, and it is doubtful that we will ever know what the original purpose was.
    There is no charge to visit the medicine wheel, though it sometimes closes to outsiders during Native American ceremonies.
    I can’t imaging a Class A making the climb, or finding a spot in the parking lot. It’s an easy ride for Class B RVs, and probably Class C motorhomes, too.
    The site is not easy to reach. The nearest town is Lovell, Wyoming, 33 miles to the east. The GPS coordinates ate Latitude: 44 degrees 49′ 32″ N.; longitude: 107 degrees 55′ 15″ W.
    During summer months, there are usually two National Park Service employees there, one at the parking lot, another on top. Besides preventing access during Native American ceremonies, they are delighted to answer questions. They also protect the site from artifact thieves.
    On top, visitors are asked to be quiet and respectful, as if in church.
  7. Roadtrekingmike
    I bet many reading this have not heard of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. It’s probably not on many RVer’s bucket list.
    It should be.
    Invariably, it is compared to its more famous Big Brother, the Grand Canyon. But while the Grand Canyon is deeper (6,000 feet at its greatest depth) and longer (277 miles), the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is an amazing tourist attraction for RVers that is often overlooked because it isn’t surrounded by highly commercialized parks and campgrounds that cater to big box Type A RVs.
    While there are a few campsites that have electricity along Loop B – where we stayed – there are no flush toilets and no water hooks and no dump stations in the national park.
    To get to the campground or the best canyon views, you have to drive a very steep mountain road off Highway 50 east of Montrose. There is no cell service, Wi-Fi or Internet – which for me meant that when I updated this blog each day I had to drive down the mountain almost into town to get a decent enough signal to upload my photos.
    But we were thrilled by our stay there.
    Black Canyon is incredibly deep and sheer, with plunging cliffs, soaring buttresses and a thundering river. At Warner Point, it’s deepest, it measures 2,722 feet. It stretches for 48 miles across southern Colorado, 14 miles of which are in the the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and six of which are easily accessible by a paved road along the southern rim. The steep walls shadow sunlight and the canyon walls appear dark, even black, hence the name.
    The National Park Service runs frequent programs during the day for visitors at many of the canyon overlooks, teaching about the geology and history of the place. At night, in a charming little amphitheater between the campground loops, they put on evening shows several times each week during the summer season. All six adults, two kids and three dogs in our group attended the “Predator or Prey” talk one night, learning that you can tell which of the two an animal is by the placement of the eyes.
    “Eyes on the side, they run and hide. Eyes in front, they hunt,” we learned.
    Our row was given a bear skull as an example to hold and pass around. Tai, our Norwegian Elkhoud, was dozing when it went by. He did a quick doubletake and leapt to his feet, his eyes bright with desire. Tai is a predator.
    Later, when all the dogs caught whiff of a mule deer nibbling on the scrub oak on the edge of the amphitheater, their classification as predators was triple confirmed.
    The mule deer were all over the campground, day and night, wandering from site to site, paying little mind to people or dogs. There are also bear in the area and bear proof food storage boxes are located by each site.
    The hiking was spectacular. Located right off the campground was the Rock Rim Trail, which has you walking along the very edge of the canyon. At 8,500 feet, even a couple mile hike can be exhausting, especially after mid morning when the temperatures begin to climb.
    At night, the high desert quickly gives off its heat and we all slept comfortably with just the windows open.
    All of us took turns using the car to drive the six mile access road and get out at the numerous overlooks, located from a few yards to 600 plus yards from the road. Each view was different, yet equally breathtaking, with the swift moving Gunnison River twisting and turning far below.
    The mountain road that takes you to the campground is steep but can handle every type of motorhome, including Class As. I saw several driving the rim road and making leisurely day trips out of the drive. The 88 camping sites on the south rim all have tables and fire circles with grill tops. The rangers do not recommend any RV over 35 feet in length. There are three loops for camping. Only Loop B has electric hookups, at $18 a night. All other spots are $12 a night.
    There are also 13 sites on the North Rim. But the south has the most accessible views of the canyon.
    The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is another reason why we so much appreciate out National Parks. If you plan an RV trip there, budget three days to fully explore it.
    You can actually float down parts of the Gunnison River on a ranger guided pontoon boat tour. To get there from the campground you make 45 minute drive down the East Access Road if you have a car. It’s a very steep drop in elevation so check with the ranger for the latest conditions. They do not recommend vehicles longer than 22 feet try that drive.
    If the boat tour appeals to you, but you want to drive your motorhome to the boarding spot, you need to get back down the mountain to Highway 50 and head about 30 miles east to milepost 130.
    We didn’t have tome for the boat trip this time.
    Notice I said this time.
    Jennifer and I want to return to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Its that cool. And next time, we’ll also see the canyon from below.
  8. Roadtrekingmike
    No matter where or how you roll, the one thing all RVers have in common is the way the RV lifestyle seems to bring people together - literally and figuratively. For snowbirds, full-timers, near full-timers like Jennifer and me or weekend campers, it's the sheer joy of getting out and meeting new people or simply spending quality time with your spouse or friends.
    For families with younger children or grandchildren, it means bonding time away from the distractions of day-to-day living, TV, video games, and iPods.
    Take Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi, for example. Together with their three children, the Puglisis spend almost 50 nights a year RVing with their children and say they have it down to a science by now. They document their adventures on the RV Family Travel Atlas blog and podcast and join us for episode 23 of the Roadtreking RV Lifestyle podcast with great lessons for parents and grandchildren who RV with childern.
    In this conversation we learn:
    How to have a balance between scheduled activities and “down time”
    Kids never get bored once they are out there, just introduce them to the outdoors
    Families/grandparents should splurge for kid-friendly campsites, with swimming pools, playgrounds and games
    Take your kids/grandkids on hikes, challenge them, use it to teach them about the nature and geography
    You are building amazing memories for your kids and grandkids that they will treasure their entire lives
    Have a campfire every night. It’s a great family bonding time
    Kids naturally will gravitate to outdoor activities over screen time in front of a TV or computer
    Recognize that things will go wrong but “we will get through this.” Learning that when things go wrong, we will solve the problem and then we’ll have great stories to tell makes for a well-adjusted kid.
    Each night at an RV park, a neighborhood springs up and kids need all of about five minutes to make friends with a pack of kids.

    Besides the interview with the Puglisis, we take questions and comments from listeners about:
    Recommended RV-related audiobooks
    The Roadtreking Song of the Week submitted by the band Swift Creek
    Talk about getting all of that salt - regardless of source - off of your RV

    Plus we have tech tips, a bucket list destination of the week and a whole lot more.
    First Things First: Prayers for Living the RV Dream's Kathy Huggins
    We kick off the show with a special call to action - pray for Kathy Huggins from Living the RV Dream. Kathy and John Huggins were on the show last week.
    Kathy began complaining about severe abdominal pain Friday night, and she was transported to Thomas Hospital in Fairhope, Ala. Doctors there discovered a hernia which impeded blood flow to her upper intestines. Surgeons removed 95 percent of her small intestines.
    John Huggins told our friend Greg Gerber of RV Daily Report that Kathy is in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Thomas Hospital, and on ventilator support. When she is awake, she can recognize those around her and squeeze their hands, which he said is encouraging. Although she is expected to recover, the road ahead will require major adjustment on her part, John explained.
    “I don’t think either Kathy or I realized just how many lives we have touched,” said John. “The outpouring of support has been humbling and highly encouraging. We really, really appreciate everyone’s prayers and concern.”
    Check-in of the Week: Roadtreking Fan Jose from Spain
    A listener named Jose calls from Spain to check-in and let us that our fans definitely are not limited to the United States and Canada. Any other international fans out there? Record a quick message by clicking the tab on the right. We would love to hear from you!
    Roadtreking Song of the Week: "Wake Me Up to Drive" by Swift Creek
    Listener and Musician Kevin Brown, of Raleigh, N.C., leaves us a message in response to our recent and ongoing discussion over best songs to listen to while RVing. You can hear it on the podcast.
    He sent us a solo acoustic version of the song "Wake Me Up To Drive," which is performed by Kevin and the rest of his band, Swift Creek, in live shows. More information about Swift Creek can be found at http://www.swiftcreekmusic.com
    Question: How to Remove Salt from My RV?
    David asks about keeping salt off rigs when camping on oceanfront - or driving in the northern parts of the country where salt seems to be extremely common these days. We have some suggestions. Listener Comment: I Love the Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL!
    Listener Wendy calls in to show some love for our new Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL and asks how - and if - we are doing any kind of modifications to our new ride. Jennifer and I give an update.
    Book Recommendations: Great RV Books
    We've been talking a lot about audibooks lately. A listener calls in to suggest the following books for RVers:
    Living the Simple RV Life - by Sunny Skye about her adventures as a campground host
    Blue Highways - By William Least Heat-Moon about a journey into America along the blue two lane highways
    A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt is about a 2,100-mile walk along the Appalchian Trail

    We also have news on how you can get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/roadtreking. Audible offers over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. For listeners of the Roadtreking podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. To download your free audiobook today, go to audibletrial.com/roadtreking.
    RV News of the Week: Trucker Rescues Girl in RV
    Trucker rescues girl in RV from sex slavery (Read more)
    Park Model Camping in Arizona –Roadtreking Reporter JG Van’s tells us about park model RV resort living (Read more)
    RV Tech Tip of the Week: How to Get to Inbox Zero
    E-mail is the bane of our existence. We all get too much and it is too easy to get too bogged down in it. That’s where we can help. Let me show you a couple of helpful ways to cut through the clutter and make your inbox an efficient thing of beauty.
    A service called Sanebox does some pretty amazing things with your email. It filters it and arranges it in folders making it easy to unsubscribe to unwanted mail and even easier to organize, defer and categorize your mail based on how important it is. It works on all platforms and devices and gives you a free two week trial. After that, it’s $59 a year.
    If too many subscription emails and updates and group mailings are clogging your inbox, try Unroll, a really handy tool for any email account that lets you unsubscribe from all of that group mail with a single click. Or you can combine all your favorite subscriptions into one single email sent weekly or monthly. I was amazed at how many junk mailing I got and Unroll helped me zap dozens of them. It’s free, but they make you share on social media after five unsubscribes.
    You can learn about other cool ways to use mobile tech at http://roadtreking.com/vzw
    RV Bucket Destination List: Lake Superior Shoreline
    I talk about one of my favorite destinations - the Lake Superior Shoreline (Read more)
    Interview: Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi from RV Travel Family Atlas. Our conversation with Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi, who publish the RV Travel Family Atlas blog and podcast that deals with traveling with children.
    And, of course, many listeners are asking how they can subscribe, review and rate the Roadtreking Podcast on iTunes. With a new podcast like this, those reviews and ratings are really important to be able to show well in the iTunes listings. So if you can, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave me your review.
    Here’s how:

    First, open the iTunes app on your computer or mobile device. Click on Podcasts up on the top
    > From the iTunes Podcasts page, use the “Search Store” field up at the top right corner of the page. Type in Mike Wendland or Roadtreking RV Podcast.
    > Click on the logo image of the Roadtreking RV Podcast on the search return page
    > From there (see photo above), you can…
    1) Subscribe
    2) Choose and Click on a star (1-5) that reflects your rating. Five stars means you really like it, one star not so much.
    3) Leave a written review.
    Thanks to all for the kind reviews we’ve received so far. That got us noticed by Apple/iTunes as “New and Noteworthy.” I appreciate every review!
    And remember, you can appear in future episodes. Ask a question or voice your comments about RV topics by clicking the Leave Voicemail tab on the right side of this page here at Roadtreking.com. You can then use the microphone on your computer to record your words.
  9. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the places that has a special hold on me is the Everglades area of Florida, a wild, huge place filled with birds and wildlife as diverse as the flooded cypress and sawgrass prairies that make up the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States.
    Every time I’m in south Florida, I budget time for the glades. I’ve ridden my bicycle along an eight mile paved loop at Shark Valley, cruising yards past snoozing gators with their huge tooth filled mouths open to cool off. There are air boat rides, nature walks where you can actually get wet and wade in the swamp and fishing not to be believed.
    The winter dry season, which lasts from December to April, is the best time for wildlife viewing in the park. Weather conditions are generally pleasant during the winter and standing water levels are low, causing wildlife to congregate at central water locations. Shark Valley, the Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm, and Eco Pond in the Flamingo area are popular areas for viewing alligators, wading birds, and other wildlife. Boaters have additional access to wildlife viewing opportunities in Florida Bay and along the Gulf Coast.
    This trip, I devoted an afternoon to the Big Cypress National Preserve, a 729,000 acre part of the Everglades whose crystal clean freshwater plays a vital roe in the health of the entire ecosystem of south Florida. We drove a 24 mile loop road that runs south and east off Highway 41 at about mile marker 59.
    It’s a dirt and gravel road, well maintained but meant for slow travel. Bounded on both sides by trees, there are frequent drainage ditches and small open spots all along the route. It’s fine for Class B and Class C RVs. Too rough for a Class A. And once you commit, there are limited spots to turn around.
    Found here are dozens of species of mammals, birds, and reptiles unique to Florida’s climate. It is easy to view and appreciate Florida’s largest reptile, the American alligator, living here in its natural environment. They are in almost every water hole, all along the banks, even sunning themselves on the shoulder of the road. The birds are something else: Anhingas, egrets, wood storks and herons are found in plentiful numbers feeding, displaying courtship feathers, and nesting in and among the cypress trees.
    There’s a reason the speed limit is 25 miles an hour. Herons often launch from the trees and fly right across and over the road. Because of their bulk, it takes them some considerable wing power to get to altitude and if we had been traveling faster, we would have hit one several times.
    Occasionally, one can witness river otter, bobcats, black bear, and the endangered Florida panther on the Preserve’s back roads and trails. We didn’t see any panthers, but Route 41 is peppered with warning signs noting that panthers frequently cross the road.
    Not all the animals are native. In recent years, snakes from around the world have been turning up in and around Everglades National Park. Burmese pythons, one of the largest snake species on earth, are now known to be breeding in the park and spreading throughout south Florida. Over 2,000 pythons have been removed from the park and surrounding areas since 2002-likely representing only a fraction of the total population. The population of Burmese pythons presently established in the park is the result of accidental and/or intentional releases by pet owners. These introductions can have devastating consequences to our ecosystem. Burmese pythons have been found to feed on a wide variety of mammals and birds in the Everglades-even the occasional alligator! By preying on native wildlife, and competing with other native predators, pythons are seriously impacting the natural order of south Florida’s ecological communities. The continued proliferation of Burmese pythons-and the continued introduction of new foreign species-can further threaten many of the endangered plants and animals we’re working diligently to protect.
    These creatures reach 15-20 feet in length. We didn’t see one. Jennifer considers that good. Me, I would have liked to get my own photo instead of the Florida wildlife one used above.
    The trip we took on the scenic loop road makes for a delightful afternoon There’s a large visitors center for the Big Cypress National Preserve on US 41 that is well worth seeing.
    And there are numerous federal campgrounds right off 41 up and down 41 from Naples to Miami. Most have openings every day.
    yet! Love this place!!
  10. Roadtrekingmike
    The RV promotion industry may argue over bragging rights to what is the biggest show of the year but if you poll both dealers and fans, it becomes pretty clear that in terms of influence, size and excitement, the annual Florida RV Supershow this week at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa is the one that sets the tone for the entire RV year.
    The sponsoring Florida RV Trade Association proudly claim this show is not just the nation’s biggest – it’s the best.
    This is the show in which RV owners and shoppers can get their first look at the entire 2013 lineup from all the RV North American manufacturers. They are all here at this massive indoor and outdoor space, more than 1,100 RVs of every type and size, buffed, shined, decorated and on display for hands-on inspetion. In terms of the latest add-ons, mods and RV accessories, nearly 500 vendors are here also.
    An on-site camping Super Rally is sold out, with hundreds of RVers doing camping right at the show. Local campgrounds – and here in Florida, there’s seemingly one on every corner – are also filling up. New Fifth Wheels, Toy Haulers, Travel Trailers of every size and configuration, pop-ups, Type A, B and C motorhomes and everything in between are here, on display across 16 acres through Sunday. It is so big you really need two days to see it, especially when you throw in the entertainment and seminars. And that’s if you take the trolley that runs on a constant circuit. If you walk it, beter figure on three days.

    Advanced RV Ocean One model

    Roadtrek’s on display at show
    The theme this year is “Now is the Time,” meaning there has never been a better time to buy an RV as the industry has largely recovered from the economic downturn and deals have never been better.
    Today, Tuesday, is Industry Day. We are camping on the grounds and we’re going to try and concentrate mostly on Class B, small motorhomes, and the accessories that go with them. And all the big players are here: Roadtrek, Airstream, Winnebago, Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans and a newcomer making its debut, Advanced RV, a Type B RV startup based in Cleveland, Ohio that builds several models on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis.
    And it’s clear that the eco-themed Roadtrek eTrek, as well as its new CS camping series model, has struck a nerve with consumers and the other manufacturers as well. The two are displayed side-by-side along with every Roadtrek model around it.

    Leisure Travel Van’s Unity Model
    Both the eTrek with its all electric, solar power emphasis on camping unplugged and replying on a bank of either eight AGM batteries or three lithium batteries for extended power while boondocking out of commercial campgrounds, and the CS (for Camping Series) with its heated floors, extra large 7 cubic foot refrigerator, increased cabinets and inside storage space and the solar option, seemed to be the trendsetters among the other Class B makers.

    Pleasure-Way Type Bs
    Advanced RV’s new Ocean One model, debuting here this week, seems to have picked right up on those Roadtrek innovations, including the heated floors and big fridge. Their Ocean One is extremely luxurious, coming with its own wine cabinet, heated seats, panoramic wood cabinets and a screen sliding door.
    We also got a chance to look up close and wander around inside the new 2013 Unity model by Leisure Travel Vans. This model has a Murphy Bed and slide-out mid van with a self contained shower and bathroom with vanity in the rear.
    Over the next few days, we’ll do detailed videos on several of the new models, interviews and special reports. If there’s anything you’d like me to find here and show you, just leave a comment.
    And if you are visiting the show and would like to see our eTrek, I’d love to meet you and give you a tour. We’re in spot #51.
    Source
  11. Roadtrekingmike
    Every place, it seems, has its own ghosts and mysteries. So it is just north of the tiny Upper Peninsula town of Watersmeet where, for generations, people have gathered at the end of a gravel road to watch some mystery lights.
    The lights appear nightly, year round near a crossroads community called Paulding. The first reported sightings were back in the 1960s and various investigations have been inconclusive, though a university team from a Michigan Technological University claimed the lights were from cars on a distant road and that they seemed to grow brighter and closer because of refraction. The Syfy Channel did its own paranormal investigation and said they could not find a scientific explanation.

    Whatever, the Paulding Light is fraught with many different legends, the most popular appears to be the death of a railroad brakeman. The legend states that the valley once contained railroad tracks and the light is the lantern of the brakeman who was killed while attempting to stop an oncoming train from colliding with railway cars stopped on the tracks. Another story claims the light is the ghost of a slain mail courier, while another says that it is the ghost of an Indian dancing on the power lines that run through the valley.
    There’s even an official US Forest Service marker at the site marking the spot. The light typically becomes visible an hour or so after sunset.
    I spent an entire night there a few years back on assignment for the Detroit Free Press, meeting people who had come from a wide region of Northwestern Michigan and Eastern Wisconsin and interviewing local people.
    Check out the video and you can see the lights yourself…. and what I think they are.
    There’s lots of RV camping nearby in state and federal forests.

  12. Roadtrekingmike
    We’re about to set off on a 3,500-mile trip that will take us farther than if we drove across country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. And although we till visit eight states, we will never really leave the Midwest.
    We’ll be driving much of the U.S. shorelines that touches the five Great Lakes.
    I’ve wanted to do this trip for years.
    ow, thanks to Verizon Wireless and in partnership with Pure Michigan, we’re about to set off, starting from the Lake Ontario shoreline near Otswego, NY, and then making our way to Lake Erie and Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan; continuing in Michigan along the shorelines of Lakes Huron, Superior and Michigan, and also visiting Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and Illinois where Lake Michigan also shapes a vibrant coastline lifestyle.
    We’ll travel in our Roadtrek Erek motorhome, Jennifer and me and our Norwegian Elkhound, Tai, breaking the route into 10 different segments, and writing about the interesting people and places we encounter, sharing our reports, photos and videos here, as well as on the Verizon Wirelsss blog and the Pure Michigan blog. We’ll also tweet and post in Facebook and social media.
    The cool thing about this is, other than a general rote that will take us close to the Great lakes shorelines, we have no plans, no schedules, no firm appointments.
    This will be totally serendipity. We’ll stop whenever something catches our eye, talk to people, learn about the places we visit and try to document the amazing beauty, recreational opportunities, shoreline lifestyle and significance of the Great Lakes. Because of technology – that’s where Verizon comes in – I’ll be totally wired and connected the entire route, able to post pretty much from wherever we are, no matter how isolated or remote.
    If we were to drive the shoreline of the entire Great Lakes where they touch Canada and the U.S., it would be an amazingly long trip. We can’t, do that, of course, because some spots have no roads. But if we could, it would be a near 10,000 mile trip.
    The significance of the Great Lakes is staggering. According to the Great Lakes Information Network, an informational clearing house on the Great Lakes group supported by U.S. and Canadian governmental agencies and various civic-minded organizations,the five lakes contain:
    One-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water (only the polar ice caps and Lake Baikal in Siberia contain more); 95 percent of the U.S. supply; 84 percent of the surface water supply in North America. Spread evenly across the continental U.S., the Great Lakes would submerge the country under about 9.5 feet of water.
    More than 94,000 square miles/244,000 square kilometres of water (larger than the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined, or about 23 percent of the province of Ontario). About 295,000 square miles/767,000 square kilometres in the watershed (the area where all the rivers and streams drain into the lakes).
    The Great Lakes shoreline is equal to almost 44 percent of the circumference of the earth, and Michigan’s Great Lakes coast totals 3,288 mi/5,294 km, more coastline than any state but Alaska.

    As we travel, we’ll camp in our Roadtrek, sometimes find hotels and B & B’s, sample local food, attend festivals, meet and profile the locals and soak as much in as possible. We plan to do all this in a month’s time.
    Got any ideas or suggestions? Use the contact form to send them in.
    And if you happen to see us out there, honk, wave or come say Hi.
    The adventure starts Thursday, June 12.

  13. Roadtrekingmike
    Oh, boy. There goes the schedule.
    With 10 segments due on our Verizon Wireless Tour of the Great Lakes shoreline across eight states, I have a pretty ambitious travel schedule.
    We were doing all right until we crossed over the Big Mac Bridge into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula following the Lake Huron shoreline. But then we were seduced by the wide open spaces, the sparkling blue water, the big freighters and clean, fresh lake air.
    Instead of sticking to the schedule, we tossed the planning aside and ended up staying over for a few extra and unscheduled days.
    Oh. One other thing. My estimate that the tour would cover about 3,500 miles when it was all done is way short of what it will actually be.
    It looks like our meanderings and following sometimes obscure shoreline roads will make this trip closer to 4,500 miles when we finish.
    But right now, who cares? This is one of the best trips we’ve ever taken in our Roadtrek Etrek and following a timetable with so many delightful surprises around every shoreline bend seems, well, almost sacrilegious.
    There’s a different feel to the Lake Huron shoreline as soon as you cross over the UP. It is quieter, more protected and it calls the visitor to sit and stay a little longer, just gazing out at its island-studded waters.
    Just check out this video above you’ll see what I mean.

    Those islands you see as soon as you start to round the shoreline in the Eastern Upper Peninsula on state highway 134 past St. Ignace are known as Les Cheneaux Islands.
    They consist of three dozen small islands located just offshore, islands perfect for fishing, and exploring, especially by kayak, where quiet coves and sheltered bays beckon the adventurer.
    They stretch through the waterfront communities of Hessel and Cedarville, almost to the far eastern end of the lake where it is fed by the St. Mary’s River in Detour Village.
    Jesse Hadley runs a small shop in Hessel that specializes in eco-tours of Les Cheneaux Islands. She’s passionate about sharing it…but also protecting it.
    “A lot of people don’t know about these islands,” she said. “Most of the people who live around here have families who have been here for generations. We’re all a little protective of them. They are so unique and beautiful and the water and sky are unlike no place else in the Great Lakes region.”
    In Detour Village, we stopped by the small museum in Detour, dedicated to the area’s rich history as the northern starting point of the big lake.
    And then we followed the river northwest to Saulte Ste. Marie, We camped right on the broad river bank, at the Soo Locks Campground. We planned on just a night. But we became so mesmerized at watching the huge lake freighters go by that we spent three nights.
    “It’s so relaxing up here,” said Linda Grant, of Lexington, KY, who with husband, Bill, has been coming to the Soo Locks Campground each summer for more than three decades. “Down in Kentucky it’s 92. Up here it’s very nice with the cool breeze off the water.”
    The Locks are where Lake Superior meets Lake Huron.
    It was there we said goodbye to Huron, whose Michigan shoreline had us travel more than 500 miles from Port Huron and get ready for our next Lake – Superior.
    Look for the first part of that trip in our next report from the Great Lakes Shoreline Tour.
    Meantime, if you’d like to follow the tour and keep up with our route, check out the embedded map on the right hand column of this page. If you click on the map it will open full screen. Then you can click the waypoints and see a photo and where we are and what we’re seeing.

    Jennifer and me and Tai watching freighters from our spot at the Soo Locks Campground in Saulte Ste Marie, Mich.

    Les Cheneaux Islands along Lake Huron’s northern shore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

    Those big freighters go by day and night.
  14. Roadtrekingmike
    I always knew I was lucky to live in Michigan, the very heart of the Great Lakes. But until I started this drive along the shoreline of all five Great Lakes, I didn’t realize how fortunate I truly am to call this area home.
    I also didn’t realize how interconnected they are. From a hydrological standpoint, they are all intermingled and pretty much part of one system. The water that passes the rocky northern Superior shore in Minnesota eventually makes its way to the sandy bluffs of Lake Ontario in upstate New York.

    And until I started out in our Roadtrek Etrek motorhome moving west from near Cape Vincent, NY, I was unaware of the amazing diversity of the land, the history, culture, economic import, beauty and recreational opportunities that make the Great Lakes the largest system of fresh, surface water on Earth, containing 84% of the U.S. fresh water supply and 21% of the entire planet’s supply.
    Our first leg took us from the eastern end of Lake Ontario in New York, on to Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and Ohio, north into Michigan and the start of the lake on the shores of the Lake Erie Metro Park, at the mouth of the Detroit River. Total distance was 702 miles.
    We were plagued by cloudy skies and intermittent rain most of the way. I used my 4g LTE Verizon connection – something we had pretty much the whole route – to scout for nearby attractions.
    Our first discovery was in Le Roy, NY, a half-hour from our campsite at the Lakeview State Park on the shores of Lake Ontario. Why Le Roy? Because that is where we found the Jell-O Museum and Gallery, an absolutely fascinating place that chronicles and celebrates America’s most famous desert.
    In 1897, Pearle Wait, a carpenter in Le Roy, experimented and came up with a fruit flavored dessert which his wife, May, named Jell-O. He tried to market his product but he lacked the capital and the experience. In 1899 he sold his formula for the sum of $450.
    The Jell-O Museum and Galley documents how the Jell-O’s success is a tribute to marketing and advertising. In 1904, a three-inch ad costing $336 in the Ladies Home Journal launched the printed portion of the campaign, and the first of the Jell-O “best seller” recipes rolled off the presses. In some years, as many as 15 million booklets were distributed. Noted artists such as Rose O’Neill, Maxfield Parrish, Coles Phillips, Norman Rockwell, Linn Ball, and Angus MacDonald made Jell-O a household word with their colored illustrations.
    Salesmen, well-trained, well groomed, well versed in the art of selling went out in “spanking rigs, drawn by beautiful horses” into the roads, byroads, fairs, country gatherings, church socials, and parties to advertise their product. First came team-drawn wagons, to be followed by smart auto-cars. Pictures, posters, and billboards over the American landscape, as well as magazine, carried the Jell-O Girl and the then six delicious flavors into the American home.
    Eventually, Jell-O was bought by General Foods and moved away from Le Roy. But the museum, staffed by local folk, is a delightful place of Americana nostalgia.
    We moved from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.
    In Erie, PA, we spend a drizzly afternoon touring the 11-mile long, 3,200-acre sandy Presque Isle State Park, located on a peninsula that arches into Lake Erie. Besides numerous beaches, picnic areas and bike trails, the park boasts the Perry Monument, a 101 foot structure located at the eastern end of Presque Isle dedicated to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who defeated the British fleet in the War of 1912.
    Standing next to Misery Bay – so named by the men of Perry’s naval squadron, who wintered here 1813-1814 after the crucial Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813 – the monument reminds us that if Perry hadn’t won, much of the Midwest would now likely be Canada.
    Further east into Ohio we overnighted on the shoreline at the Geneva State Park. In town, we visited the original old-fashioned soda fountain at the local drugstore where I had an early morning root beer float, the perfect way to start the day.
    We were headed back west when Jennifer did an Internet search (that 4g LTE Verizon network and our Mi-Fi card in the Roadtrek is better than a travel guide) where we discovered that the area has over 17 covered bridges and more than a dozen local wineries.
    The glaciated soil along the Grand River was laid there as the Great Lakes were being formed and is perfect for great grape production. At the Harpersfield Vineyard and Winery, we chatted up the winemaker himself and learned that the estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines there are among the finest in North America.
    Then it was on to Vermilion, Ohio, where we attended the town’s annual Festival of the Fish, a weekend event boat parades, races, pageants, contests, food, entertainment, markets. We wanted to stick around for the fireworks but stiff winds blowing off the lake had postponed them for a day.
    While there, we met Christopher Gillcrist, executive director of the newly opened Great Lakes Historical Society Museum in Toledo. Gillcrest is a wealth of information about the Great Lakes and it’s importance.
    From there, it was back west and then, at the state border, up along the coast into Michigan, where the entire stretch of the lake from the Detroit River mouth south to Monroe and Toledo is one of the probably the most prolific walleye fisheries on the continent.
    Alas, the stiff winds following the storm front kept most boats in harbor during our visit.
    Standing on the shore, watching the Detroit River empty into the lake it formed so many eons ago, we realized all that water in front of us originated from the upper lakes.
    After a quick weekend home for Father’s Day, we looked forward to the next week 00when we would resume the shoreline tour – at the end of Lake Huron in Port Huron.
    Be sure and send along your tips on what we should see. You can Tweet me using the #VZGreatlakes, #Roadtreking and #PureMichigan hashtags.

    The native American’s who first lived on the shores of Lake Ontario in what is now upstate New York called it “the land of the shining water.”

    The Jello Museum and Gallery in Le Roy, N.Y.

    Our Lake Erie shoreline campsite at Geneva State Park in Ohio
  15. Roadtrekingmike
    Who says small motorhomes are only made for small vacations?
    In an effort to prove that the small motorhome lifestyle is very conductive to large family vacations, I’ll be turning a summer road trip into an RV caravan that my family and I are calling the “Great Roadtreking Family Vacation of 2013”
    It’s set to kick off Saturday, August 3, 2013. The road trip will consist of six adults, two kids and three dogs and we will travel through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
    What will be a first on this RV trip for me and Jennifer, is that they we will use our 2012 Roadtrek eTrek to tow a 21-foot long 2014 Gulf Stream AmeriLite Super Lite travel trailer we just purchased from American RV in Grand Rapids, MI. A real advantage to the Roadtrek is that it is small enough to travel to remote destinations, but it is also powerful enough to pull behind a trailer for a larger family vacation.
    Our daughter, Wendy Bowyer, son-in-law Dan Bowyer and two granddaughters, Hua Hua, 10, and Rachel, 7 will be calling the Gulf Stream trailer home for the nest three weeks
    Following behind in a 2010 Roadtrek we borrowed from Roadtrek friends will be our son, Jeff and his wife Aimee. Jeff is a website developer and helps to manage this Roadtreking blog. He’ll be assisting in posting videos, photos and daily accounts of the trip for blog readers and social media sites.
    “There are a lot of people who travel in Roadtreks who wish they could take their whole family,” says American RV General Manager Chad Neff, of Grand Raids, MI, who sold us the travel trailer. “But they forget that a Roadtrek , can tow a full-fledged travel trailer. They can easily pull 5,000 pounds. That means Roadtrek owners can take another family with them.”
    The idea of pulling a travel trailer came about when Jim Hammill, Roadtrek’s president, told me that if I wanted to show the country to family, I should tow a travel trailer.
    I never thought I’d be buying a travel trailer. Originally, I planned to rent one. But when I called American RV, they offered me such a good deal on a brand new one that I couldn’t resist. Besides my two granddaughters, I have four grandsons down in Georgia. I can take them along on other trips. As I checked around, I was amazed how today’s travel trailers are so amazingly lightweight. The unit we bought weighs just 2,800 pounds and will sleep up to five people.
    I just hook up and go. Our Roadtrek is perfect for my wife and I and the dog but we always wished we could take the family. Now we can.
    Some of the specific destinations the Roadtreking vacation tour will include are Colorado Springs, Mesa Verde National Park, Telluride, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado River State park and the Rocky Mountain National Park. We’re also keeping a few days open for any sites that they learn about on the way or from recommendations from the readers of the this blog.
    Our travel trailer purchase coincides with a huge boom in RV sales across North America as retiring baby boomers and young families discover the freedom of recreational vehicle travel. Through the midway point of 2013, RV wholesale shipments tracked by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association climbed to 174,871 units – a 12.8 percent increase from the same point in 2012.
    Shipments in motorhomes jumped from 14,576 units in June 2012 to 19,425 units in June 2013. Even towable trailers grew from 140,412 units to 155,446 units, a 10.7 percent bump.
    I’ll have a video later this week that shows off the travel trailer. And daily reports from The Great Roadtreking Family Vacation of 2013 will start Friday.
  16. Roadtrekingmike
    The highs and the lows of the RV market
    While at the  recent Pomona, CA show, I decided to explore the limits of the RV market.  Specifically, to find the most expensive and the cheapest trailer and coach. Elite...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  17. Roadtrekingmike
    If any of you have been to the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada for a tour, you would have an idea of what it takes to build a Roadtrek, how busy the manufacturing floor is and how passionate everyone there is about the product.
    For those who have not been able to make the trip (and we highly recommend that you do), we are happy to present a video tour for you on what it takes to build the #1 selling Class B Motorhome in North America.

    Jennifer and I spent two weeks in Kitchener, documenting the process every step of the way. We put the drone up for aerial photos and used three cameras (including a time lapse camera) to get shots in, around, under and above the entire conversion of a bare nose, stripped-down van into a fully-equipped cutting edge Class B motorhome.
    Along the way, we met many of the 260 Roadtrek employes and learned that the average start-to-finish time is a little over six days. The one we followed, because of some options, took nine days.
    Every Roadtrek is built with passion, pride, quality, technology and just pure love of the product, check out the video to get a glimpse of how it all comes together.
    We finished this project even prouder to drive a Roadtrek.
    We hope you enjoy the video!

    At the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
  18. Roadtrekingmike
    The Making of a Roadtrek: The Movie
    If  any of you have been to the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada for a tour, you would have an idea of what it takes to build a Roadtrek,...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    There are few animals as universally popular and liked as much as the Florida Manatee. Yet there are few animals in more danger.
    The Florida Manatee, a large and slow moving aquatic animal, is protected by the federal Engangered Species Act of 1973, primarily because they are too big and slow to get out of the way of speedboats. As Florida’s boating population has exploded, the manatee has declined to an estimated statewide population today of under 5,000.
    They used to be everywhere. And despite gallant efforts by wildlife managers to protect it, each year there are fewer and fewer.
    But if you want to see one, perhaps the best bet in all of Florida is the Blue Springs State Park, in Orange City, FL, less than 45 minutes northwest of Orlando. Here, every winter from November to mid-April, a spit of water called the Blue Springs Run is filled with the gentle giants, often called sea cows. The Blue Springs Run flows into the St. Johns River and emanates from a deep underground spring that burps up crystal clear water that never varies from a temperature of 72 degrees.
    That’s what draws the manatees. Blue Spring is a designated Manatee Refuge and the winter home to a growing population of West Indian Manatees. Some years, as many as 350 of them have wintered in the run, which is only about a half mile long and 100 feet or so wide.
    For RVers, the state park has 51 large and private campsites, all with picnic tables, a firepit and full electric and water hookups.
    Jennifer and I found it a delight of a place. It is quiet and remote – there are signs warning about feeding the bears which are often seen in the park – and while the springs are a half mile walk away, a shaded walking path starts from right next to site 18 and takes you right to the boardwalk that parallels the Blue Spring Run.
    Towering old live oaks grow from the banks of the run with Spanish Moss dangling down right to the waters surface.
    Although they call it Blue Springs, it has a distinct green shade to it because of the algae in the area caused by agricultural runoff into the St. Johns River.
    The water is amazingly clear. Right from the boardwalk, you can see giant largemouth bass, longnose gar, channel catfish and more than 40 other species of fish cruising past.
    And then there are the manatees.
    On the day we visited, a ranger told us the morning count was 30. As the weather is warming up here in central Florida, the manatees are moving into the river and its tributaries. By the middle of March, they’ll mostly be gone and the river will open to swimmers, snorkelers and SCUBA divers.
    We spent several hours strolling the boardwalk and just watching the manatees. They are huge, 800 to 1,000 pounds and ten feet long. Some have grown to nearly 3,000 pounds. We were surprised to learn that they are a relative of the elephant. But when you study them up close, you can really see the resemblance. They are grayish brown in color and have thick, wrinkled skin on which there is often a growth of algae. Their front flippers help them steer, or sometimes crawl, through shallow water. They also have powerful, flat tails that help propel them through the water. Despite their small eyes and lack of outer ears, manatees are thought to see and hear quite well.
    Most of them bore deep scars on their backs from boat propellers.
    As if that wasn’t enough, the manatees are also being harassed by an invasive species -the sailfin catfish. These are the same exotic species that are used by fish hobbyists to clean the sides of their aquariums. How they ended up in Blue Springs Run isn’t known for sure but someone likely someone dumped them. The species thrive there and they are now all over the place. They fasten themselves to the backs of the manatees and try to eat the algae that grows on them.
    This drives the manatees nuts and they twist and roll trying to dislodge the parasitic hitchhikers. That means they burn more calories. Which means they need more food. And since there is nothing in Blue Springs Run they eat, that means they have to roam out into the St Johns River. The St Johns River in the wintertime is much colder than the springs and the prolonged exposure to cold endangers the manatees health.
    It’s the classic environmental domino effect.
    We sat and watched the manatees for an afternoon and part of the next morning. We could easily see them lying on the bottom of the Blue Springs Run. About every two to four minutes, they’d slowly rise. Just their nose, and only the nostrils at that, would break the surface. You’d hear them exhale, and then inhale, making a deep puffing sound. Then they’d drop down again.
    A couple of the manatees had calves with them, bringing smiles to all those watching.
    The Blue Springs State Park instantly became one of our favorite Florida memories. In summer, when the manatees are gone in large numbers and the springs turns into a giant swimming hole, it can get quite crowded. Even now, the campground is filled most weekends.
    But bookmark this or make a note of it. You’ll thank me once you visit it.
  20. Roadtrekingmike
    The Mysteries of the RV Water Pump
    Water pumps in Class B RVs, or pretty much all RVs for that matter, are just about the same. The basic design was developed back in the middle Cretaceous and...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  21. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the great joys of traveling North America in an RV is the way it connects you to history and the people and places that have shaped us. So it was for us when we came to a historic site along the famed Natchez Trace where American explorer, soldier, and public administrator Meriwether Lewis – best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with William Clark – met his death on October 11, 1809 under highly suspicious circumstances.
    He was 35 years old at the time, and his death by two gunshots remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time. Was it suicide or murder?
    The Natchez Trace Parkway is administered by the National Park Service and it has a Meriwether Lewis Memorial on the site where the famed explorer died.
    The Trace itself, meanwhile, is a meandering two-lane 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history. It’s worth an RV trip all by itself. Give yourself a week to fully explore. Stretching from Natchez, MS to just south of Nashville Tenn., it was an interstate before there were interstates, used by American Indians, settlers, bandits, fur traders and armies. The Old Trace played an important role in American history.
    Today, visitors can enjoy not only a scenic drive but also hiking, biking, horseback riding, and lots of camping spots all along the Trace.
    There are lots of scenic pullouts but the one that captivated us the most was the Meriwether Lewis site. You’ll find it just off the Trace Parkway, south of Nashville, southwest of Columbia and east of Hohenwald, Tenn.
    The memorial site occupies a 900-acre tract that contains Lewis’ grave, a monument that the State of Tennessee erected in 1848, a “reasonable facsimile” of the Grinder’s Stand tavern/inn that the CCC built in the 1930s, and other visitor use facilities, including restrooms, a picnic area, hiking trails, and a beautifully wooded no-fee campground with 31 no-hookup sites.
    I’d suggest overnighting there. You can still hike parts of the old Trace and easily imagine what it was like back when Lewis met his fate there.
    That facsimile of the tavern now contains a great interpretive center that lets you review the highlights of the famed explorer’s life, look at photos and review eyewitness statements and official reports that document the bizarre circumstances of his death.
    If you start your research on the site itself, you’ll have first hand information to the basic facts:
    After the Lewis and Clark expedition concluded, then President Thomas Jefferson – a close friend of Lewis – rewarded Lewis with the governorship of the Upper Louisiana Territory. As the presidency changed, so did politics. Several of the bills that Lewis submitted to the Department of War for payment were questioned, leaving Lewis personally liable for those bills.
    So, on the last trip of his young life, Lewis set out from St. Louis (the capital of the Upper Louisiana Territory) toward Washington to defend them.
    Part of Lewis’ route took him along a portion of the Natchez Trace. During the early morning of Oct. 11, while staying in Grinder’s Stand, Lewis died of gunshot wounds. The evidence that exists leads most historians to conclude that Lewis’ wounds were self-inflicted, and many who knew Lewis believed he had committed suicide. Some accounts dated 1848 and later suggest that Lewis may have been murdered.
    As an old investigative reporter, I read all the statements on display at the museum from those who were with him. There were major holes and inconsistencies. It seemed as if Lewis was behaving irrationally at the Inn. But the account of the shooting left me scratching my head.
    For one thing, he was shot twice. Lewis was an expert marksman. He was shot once in the head, once in the chest. And he apparently had some unexplained knife wounds.
    Obviously, I am not alone in being skeptical of the suicide ruling. Lewis and Clark historians and devotees have debated for decades about what caused it. Was it suicide? Was it murder? Was it assassination? Various theories have been bandied about, but there continues to be no consensus.
    The descendants of Lewis have asked the Park service to exhume his remains. In 2009, they sent up a website called “Solve the Mystery” to garner support. It has not been updated since late that year.
    The reason the case is so puzzling is because it has officially been ruled a suicide and, later, a murder.
    The suicide verdict came very fast after talking with those at the Inn the night he was shot.
    Some 39 years later, though, his body was exhumed and a local coroners jury determined it appeared to be a murder.
    Here are some of the reasons many think it was murder, as reported in website called Criminal Element:

    Perhaps the best and most objective pieces I have read on this came from the Smithsonian Magazine and features an interview with a descendant of the explorer.

    Apparently, there will be no exhumation.
    Since Lewis is buried in a national park, the National Park Service must approve. They refused the request in 1998, citing possible disturbance to the bodies of more than 100 pioneers buried nearby. In 2008 the Department of the Interior approved the exhumation, but that decision was rescinded in 2010 upon policy review, and the Department stated that its last decision is final.
    See why this is such a fascinating place to visit?
    Just another one of the fascinating places we have discovered as we’ve traveled the country in our motorhome.
  22. Roadtrekingmike
    The Nav-6: SUV/Minivan/RV and more
    Of all the different Roadtrek models out there, one of the most distinctive is the new NAV-6, an SUV that can be used as an RV.
    It’s really category-defying. A luxury SUV on the Nissan 2500 frame, it is expertly tricked out by Roadtrek with a built in kitchenette, complete with microwave, refrigerator, TV and sink with hot and cold running water. The NAV-6 has a roof that rises to make it big enough to walk around in without bumping your head. It’s also able to sleep five people. Oh yeah, it can tow up to 9,000 pounds.
    Jennifer and I visited the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and took it out for a spin. We had a lot of fun making our video as we drove firm the countryside to the city and back again.
    There is nothing on the road like this vehicle.
    “This is perfect for active families,” said Roadtrek President Jim Hammill. “It can haul kids to soccer games, be used for tailgating, running around town as a second vehicle or as an RV for a long weekend.”
    At Nissan dealers, it’s marketed as the NAV-6. At Roadtrek dealers, it’s the N6-Active.
    Howard Stratton, Roadtrek’s Vice President of Operations, says the NAV-6 is a game-changer built around the many different needs of active families. “Our purpose was to build true utility into this vehicle to support our customers busy life-styles,” he said.
    The unit we tested was set up for six passengers. But it’s available for seating for seven in three rows of seats. It’s just over 20 feet long, 7 feet, 10 in high and can fit in most garages -  a big plus.
    Two of the rows convert to a bed with plenty of room for two adults. An upper bunk setup can sleep two kids. And the front seats can be configured into a single bed.
    There are plugs and adapters everywhere for computers, iPads, video games.
    Just inside the rear doors is an external use hand-held shower head with hose. It’s handy for many things such as washing off caked on mud, dirty shoes, muddy paws, cleaning fish or  washing off sand and salt at the beach.
    Tables can be put in place up front or in the rear.  Or both. They’re perfect for card games, conversation, picnics.
    We see the NAV-6 as a home base while taking the kids to soccer games, the family to sporting events, the beach or on long road trips to vacation getaways. Chill out and take a nap or get out of the weather, fix your own meals, charge your i-devices.
    It’s a very innovative vehicle.
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


    Source
  23. Roadtrekingmike
    The Original RV – The Covered Wagon
    We RVers have our heritage and it really starts on Interstate 80 in Nebraska, America's heartland.
    That’s where the Great Platte River Trail became the Oregon Trail.
    This was the pioneer route that linked east to west.
    And today, spanning the interstate near the mid-Nebraska town of Kearney, is a must stop for tourists and especially RVers…the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument
    Of all the places we’ve been to, this is one of the most amazing and fascinating historic displays we’ve seen anywhere. Admission is $12 and a bargain at that price. The monument is built literally across the interstate, spanning north the west and east bound lanes. Visitors walk above and across the interstate inside a covered archway, watching an interactive multimedia display that documents the first RV â€" the covered wagon which opened up the country.
    It’s hard to believe how difficult this migration must have been, or how big it was.
    But From 1843 to 1869, the archway folks tell us, nearly half a million men, women and children rode and walked the trails to the West Coast. The distance was vast, the prairie endless, the sky overwhelming and the mountains and wildlife were unlike anything they had ever seen.
    As the early settlers established their homesteads, following roughly their same route came the railroads, and then automobiles on the Lincoln Highway, America’s first transcontinental road; I-80, the nation’s first interstate.
    Mark down the archway as a must visit as you visit in a different sort of covered wagon… the RV.
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road
    Source
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    It has happened again. This time in Alabama at a campground near the Talladega Speedway. Craig Franklin Morgan, 46, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Morgan and his wife, Jami Allison Morgan, 38, were discovered unresponsive by friends who went into their RV at the South Campground outside the track.
    Jami Morgan was unconscious and was airlifted to a nearby Hospital, where she remained in critical condition and unconscious Monday morning.
    Police said the carbon monoxide apparently leaked from the exhaust system of the family’s RV.
    Talladega County Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore told myfoxal.com that the couple’s RV had a broken exhaust pipe on its generator, which ran all night Friday. When the Morgans didn’t come out Saturday morning, friends went looking for them.
    Carbon Monoxide is an invisible, odorless, and deadly gas, produced by the partial combustion of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. Carbon monoxide is the number one cause of poisoning deaths each year.
    Almost all of today’s RVs come with carbon monoxide monitors. But they can, and do malfunction. Thus, as a matter of routine, you should test the carbon monoxide detector every time you use the RV If they have batteries, replace them at least once a year, twice if the unit is exposed to extreme cold. A good tip is to change the batteries when when you change clocks for daylight savings time.
    The sad thing is that many deaths occur when the victim is asleep. If their detection monitor is not working, or if they don’t have one, they just stop breathing.
    There are symptoms that are noticeable when awake. They are similar to the flu, but without a fever. They also may include.
    Dizziness
    Vomiting
    Nausea
    Muscular twitching
    Intense headache
    Throbbing in the temples
    Weakness and sleepiness
    Inability to think coherently

    Here is some more advice specific to RVs, as suggested by the website Carbon Monoxide Kills:
    Inspect your RV’s chassis and generator exhaust system regularly, at least before each outing and after bottoming out or any other incident that could cause damage.

    Inspect the RV for openings in the floor or sidewalls. If you locate a hole, seal it with a silicone adhesive or have it repaired before using your generator again.

    Inspect windows, door seals, and weather strips to ensure that they are sealing properly.

    Yellow flames in propane-burning appliances such as coach heaters, stoves, ovens, and water heaters usually indicate a lack of oxygen. Determine the cause of this condition and correct it immediately.

    If applicable, have your built-in vacuum cleaner checked to make sure it does not exhaust under the underside of your RV. Have the system changed if it does.

    Do not operate your generator if the exhaust system is damaged in any way or if an unusual noise is present.

    Park your RV so that the exhaust may easily dissipate away from the vehicle. Do not park next to high grass or weeds, snowbanks, buildings, or other obstructions that might prevent exhaust gases from dissipating as they should.

    Keep in mind that shifting winds may cause exhaust to blow away from the coach one moment and under the coach the next.

    When stopping for long periods of time, be aware of other vehicles around you, such as tractor-trailers at rest stops, that may have their engines and refrigerators running.

    Do not sleep with the generator operating.

    Leave a roof vent open anytime the generator is running, even during the winter.

    If you do not feel well, do not be fooled into thinking that it is because you have been driving too long, you ate too much, or you are suffering from motion sickness. Shut off the generator and step outside for some fresh air just to be sure.


  25. Roadtrekingmike
    We’re on a we’re-so-tired-of-winter search for spring.
    It has not been easy. It took almost 800 miles, heading straight down I-75 from our Michigan home.
    At the Wal-Mart parking lot where we spent the first night in Findlay, Ohio, we parked next to a pile of snow. The overnight temps were in the upper 20s. This was our first time at a Wal-Mart. Except for a couple of big trucks, we were pretty much alone. It was not particularly scenic and there was lots of traffic noise. “You don’t need an alarm clock to get up when you camp at Wal-Mart,” noted Jennifer as we rolled up the blinds and got ready to take off at daybreak the next morning. Still when you are just stopping to sleep and hitting the road early the next day, it sure beats a $30 campground fee.
    As we set off, I noted there was still some rooftop ice and snow on top of our RV. Winter was still clinging to us. It finally melted shortly after we crossed over into Kentucky.Wal-Mart
    But as we moved south through Tennessee, the mountains were still snow coated. A late winter storm earlier in the week had hit the area with a half-foot of snow. Miniature waterfalls were frozen into long icicles along the sheer rock face where it had been carved off for the road.
    Finally, south of Knoxville, the snow was gone from the ground. But the temperatures were barely above 40.
    In Georgia, by late afternoon, they warmed to the low 50′s.
    And this morning, on a walk around the Red Top Mountain State Park about 45 miles north of Atlanta, we found the first official sign of spring.
    A lone daffodil, poking up between some pine seedlings, a few hundred feet from our camp spot.
    This is a beautiful state park, 12,000 acres that wrap around Lake Allatoona. The camping spots are spacious, shaded by tall pines. The rocky lakeshore is inviting. We’d stay longer is we didn’t have some things scheduled for the next couple of days.
    The Roadtrek eTrek has been plenty warm at night. We can’t believe how well we sleep in it.
    We are now heading to a couple other spots in Georgia, to visit with family and celebrate a son’s birthday. Then, next week, Florida.
    But we are de-winterizing the RV, confident now, we’re headed in the right direction.
    South.
×
×
  • Create New...