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
    “How’d you end up doing this?”
    If I could have had a quarter for every time we’ve been asked that about our roadtreking.com RV blog we could buy another motorhome.
    But since enough people seem to be interested….Here’s how:
    This Roadtreking RV blog is a dream come true for me. Decades in the making, but now being lived out like one giant movie, seen through the wide expanse of my motorhome’s windshield as North America rolls on by. We can stop anytime, explore anywhere.
    And we do, sharing it with you.
    It’s all very much serendipity. Serendipity means a “happy accident” or “pleasant surprise,” something fun and useful and enjoyable that was discovered by happenstance along the way. That’s a perfect description of what we find every day in this new wandering life in a motorhome.
    This blog is entirely the work of me, Mike Wendland, who, with wife, Jennifer, bought a Roadtrek Class B motor home in early 2012 after years of dreaming. This blog is about seeing North America, enjoying our compact little motor home and then reporting the interesting stories about the people and places we come across.

    The goal is to share our Roadtreking life. I have to admit right at the start, I am not very mechanical. It took me an orientation session with my RV dealer to find out where the gas, ah, make that, diesel fueling point was on the vehicle. So this is not a blog aimed at tinkerers and mechanics.
    It’s about the RV lifestyle our motorhome allows and the great things to see and do out there on the open road.
    By background, I’m a journalist. I have to tell stories. I love meeting people, learning and seeing new things, enjoying God’s awesome creation. Taking pictures. Making videos. I’ve been doing this for more than three decades, for major newspapers, TV networks, radio stations and magazines. I’ve written six books. I’ve won 18 EMMY awards, honors from the Associated Press, Ohio State University and Wayne State University. I’ve reported from all over Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Central America.
    I used to travel so much as a journalist that one of my employers, the Detroit News, once took an ad out in a journalism trade magazine referring to me as “one of America’s most well-traveled reporters.”

    Much of that traveling was what we call “parachute journalism.” I’d fly in, cover the story and fly out, sometimes the same day, often using scenery and skylines as backdrops for my stand-up TV bits. I remembered so many times looking out at a mountain range or across some valley or in some small town or metropolis and longing to spend time, walk the streets, hike the trails, climb the hills, experience the sights and sounds and smells of a place. And, of course, meet the people. It seldom happened. There was always another story in another place on another deadline.
    Don’t get me wrong. I loved those journalism days. I had a front row, window seat to history. I covered Presidents and movie stars, CEOs and government leaders and even the Queen of England and a Pope. Those were heady days.
    But as I approached retirement age, I knew I missed a lot of stories out there over the years, stories about people, places and the things that make the U.S. and Canada such wonderful countries. The kind of good news and general interest stories hard-nosed editors and news directors tend to skip over in favor of the sensational and controversial. The world of big media today concentrates on strife and tragedy and bad news. It has little time for good news.
    In retirement, as my own boss, I decided I wanted to go back and actually see and experience the country and tell those good news stories that I am convinced people are really hungry for.
    A motorhome was my solution.
    So I got one and, with wife, and dog, we set out to meet people, discover places and take to the the road in a world of $4 plus a gallon and climbing fuel costs.PicsV
    The one work obligation I still have every week is with NBC-TV, where, since 1994, I report on personal technology. I’m known there as
    “PC Mike” and my reports are sent weekly to the NBC Newschannel service which distributes my “PC Mike” report to all 215 stations each week.
    That’s all possible because of a 4g mobile connection from Verizon Wireless. I use that connection to report, write and file my Roadtreking stories, post my videos and photos, update this blog and even send my edited “PC Mike” story to NBC each week, all from my motorhome as I travel North America discovering all the interesting people and places I didn’t have time to meet when I was a news reporter working for newspapers or TV stations. But technology, like the motorhome, is a big part of my life and being able to try out new tech toys and stay connected while on the road makes every day an adventure. You can read about my tech gear here.
    Right now, we’re traveling in a 2013 Roadtrek eTrek, an eco-friendly, solar-powered Class B motorhome built on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. We chose the eTrek because we love to “boondock,” to stay in remote places, off the commercial power grid, typically in natonal or state forests, National Parks or wilderness areas. The eTrek allows us to be self contained for long periods of time. rtetThere is no propane system or conventional generator. Heat comes from an industry-leading Webasto diesel powered combination water heater and furnace. Electrical power generation is provided by a 3,500-watt generator mounted to the van’s diesel engine that can charge eight dead auxiliary batteries in only 40 minutes. Supplemental power comes from a 240 watt solar charging system. All this reserve power is stored in eight 6 volt AGM batteries (1600 amp. hours) and distributed directly to 12 volt lights and appliances and through a 5,000-watt inverter to 110-volt appliances like the air conditioner, inductive stove, instant drinking water heater and convection/microwave oven. The system features surge protection, power monitoring, battery minder/balancer, and solar charge controller.
    We began this blog in March 2012. Our first year we covered 11,000 miles. Typically, we mark out a route, identify a few spots we want to be sure to visit and then take off, stopping when we want or find something that interests us. An old editor of mine once told me that “every person has a story to tell.” My journalism career has shown me that to be very true. It’s the same with most places. Places have stories, too. So we like to wander, chat up the people we meet, and start taking photos and videos. Usually, we return with more stories than we can do.
    We try to travel year round. This past winter, we drove the eTrek in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where we found a winter winter wonderland that most people never see. There was 28 inches of snow on the level ground and onc night, deep in the wilderness, it got down to four degrees below zero. It was an awesome experience. We slept snug and warm inside our eTrek and realized winter is no excuse to put the RV in storage. In the first six months of 2013, we racked up more than 16,000 miles of travel.
    Typically, we’re on the road two to three weeks every month. We’re not fulltimers. We need grandkid fixes. So we return to our Michigan home for at least a week or so every month.
    We also like to visit RV rallies and events. A highlight for us is the Family Motor Home Association reunion. In 2013, it will be in Gillette, WY. I am the official on-the-road reporter for the FMCA and author the Open Mike column each month in Family Motor Coach Magazine.
    Some people have looked at our schedule and the amount of material we produce and laugh. “I thought you retired,” they’ll say.
    As a matter of fact, I’m probably writing and reporting more now than I did when I was a fulltime employee of the various news outfits I’ve worked for over the years. But the difference is I’m my own boss and telling the stories I want to tell. That makes it not like a job at all.
    Truth is, though, that if I’m not careful, Roadtreking.com could become all-consuming. The blog has been growing so fast that we also started a weekly RV newsletter. We opened an online store for RV related clothing and accessories. Our Facebook Page is approaching 20,000 “Likes.” Slowly, we have picked up RV industry-related sponsors for all this and my son, Jeff, has pitched in to help run the “enterprise” so I can concentrate on traveling, content and reporting.
    I should point out that while Roadtrek Motorhomes is an advertiser on this blog and my newsletter and we have a warm and close relationship that has given me frequent access to company executives and the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, I am not an employee of Roadtrek. I am an independent journalist that happens to love the Class B motorhome lifestyle. The blog is a labor of love. It is all my own work, and even if I didn’t have any advertisers, I’d still be publishing it.
    Like I said, I have to tell stories. It’s in my DNA, I guess.
    For the record, Jennifer and I have been married for more than 40 years. Our brick and mortar home is in Oakland, MI. We have three grown children and six grandchildren. Our son, Scott, lives in southwest Georgia with his wife, Lauri, and four sons. Our daughter, Wendy, lives in suburban Detroit with husband, Dan, and two daughters; and son Jeff lives with wife, Aimee, in Kalamazoo, MI.
    Jennifer is a certified fitness instructor by occupation, specializing is water exercise. Besides journalism, we’ve both been very active at our church and have led in-depth Bible studies for many years. In addition to RVing, I enjoy bicycling, SCUBA diving, kayaking and fishing.
    One of the joys of doing all this is working with my wife, who now appears regularly with me in reporting our Roadtreking stories in the “How We Roll in our RV” series of reports that anser reader questions.. That’s not to say that there sometimes isn’t conflict. Jennifer insists on working out and exercising while on the road. We’re not talking campground strolls, bike rides and hikes – all of which we do. We’re talking hard core workouts. In a gym. A constant challenge for me in our travels is finding a health club or workout facility for Jennifer. I’ve learned that unless she gets in a workout three or four times a week, things in the confined space of our motorhome can get a bit strained.

    For her part, Jennifer has had to adjust to the unpredictability of my serendipity style. “Where are we going to spend the night,” she’ll ask? I seldom know. I am not one for making reservations. There are too many variables out there, places and people that make me spontaneously pull off the road and strike up conversations that could lead us to a totally unexpected delight of a story just around the bend.
    You can read and watch many of them here on the blog.
    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.
  2. Roadtrekingmike
    I get lots of questions and requests for suggestions and recommendations about the tech gear I use to capture and blog the reports I’m doing out on the road. I’m always adding various things, but here’s my latest update on the gear I like to take with me.
    My main video camera – I use the Canon XA20 Professional Video Camera. I love this camera. I got this in the fall of 2013 and have found it to be the perfect ”run-and-gun” camcorder, suitable for HD ENG work (Electronic News Gathering), event coverage, interviews, scenic shots, how-to-videos and documentary filmmaking. The camera features a 1/2.84″, 1920 x 1080 CMOS sensor that captures video at various frame rates up to 59.94p, including a 24p mode for a more cinematic feel. The integrated Canon 20x HD Optical zoom lens has a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 26.8 to 576mm and features an 8-bladed iris to render highlights in a more natural manner. It uses professional XLR audio inputs for two channel recording. I use an attached shotgun mic and a wireless mic on the two inputs.
    Back-up Video Cameras (Two) – GoPro Her03 + Black Edition video cameras . Waterproof, dustproof, HD and able to be strapped to anything from a helmet to the side of my Roadtrek, these cameras ges great wide angle perspectives great for action shots. There are lots of mounts. I have a helmet mount for biking and a suction cup mount for slapping on my motorhome or any flat surface. One of tjese cameras is dedicated to my drone, see below.
    Wireless Microphone System – Good sound is essential. I use the Sennheiser EW 100-ENG G2 Wireless Lavalier Microphone System, with BodyPack Transmitter,Plug-on Transmitter, Camera Receiver. This system is a workhouse for professional videographers and news crews. It provides video recording in the most varied recording situations, from as far as 100 feet. The ME 2 clip-on microphone is virtually invisible. The extremely small SK 100 G2 bodypack transmitter and the SKP 100 G2 plug-on transmitter as well as the EK 100 G2 camera receiver feature nine frequency banks with four directly accessible presets each.
    My main DSLR Camera – The Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP with an 18-135 mm lens. Awesome photos, great HD video. I bought this to do still and video but now use just for stills. Since this is a bit tricky to focus for video out in the boonies, I now use dedicated video and still cameras. This camera captures images with exceptional clarity and tonal range and offers more than enough resolution for big enlargements or crops. This first-class sensor features many of the same new technologies as used by professional Canon cameras to maximize each pixel’s light-gathering efficiency. Its APS-C size sensor creates an effective 1.6x field of view (compared to 35mm format).
    My secondary DSLR Camera – Lately, I’ve also added the new Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 50x Optical Zoom. I have been stunned at the capabilities of this camera and especially how clear and crisp that 50X zoom is in geting me up close to wildlife and nature shots. This is much lighter than the T3i and is seriously vying as my always-carry camera.
    Main lens – Because I like photographing wildlife – big, dangerous wildlife like wolves, moose, bison and bear – I need a good telephoto. But I don’t want to have to carry extra lenses. So I got the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras. This lens is amazingly compact and it works on everything from wide angles to telephoto.
    Bag for Cameras – After years of searching, I’ve found the perfect gear bag for my DSLR calera, videocamera, lenses, wireless mics and batteries. It also holds my 15-inch MacBook Pro. It’s the Kata PL Reporter Bag, model Pl-Rpt-30. The flap features quick release buckles for full opening or a quick top-access zipper opening for when quiet is necessary, like when you don’t want to disturb the wildlife you’re trying to photograph. The organizer pockets on the front will hold your small personal items like a wallet, passport etc. Carry comfortably with the padded shoulder strap or, when on the move, tuck the bag under your arm using the detachable handle strap.
    I also love my Mountainsmith Descent AT Recycled Camera Bag. It’s a backpack, er, make that a frontpack. It is held in place on your chest by a shoulder harness system. Cameras are always within easy reach but I have both hands free for balance and mobility. This can hold both my still and video cameras. Great for wilderness hikes.
    Computer – The MacBook Pro with Retina display. Quite simply, this is the finest computer I have ever owned. Mine is the 15-inch version, with the 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 processor. I have 16 GB of RAM and 750 GB of flash storage. Because there are no moving parts, the the solid state flash drive boots up remarkably fast. About 20 seconds does it.
    Video editing software – I use Final Cut Pro X. Fast, powerful, full featured and able to handle 1080p HD video without breaking a sweat.
    Portable hard drive – HD video files are huge. So I carry the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1TB external hard drive. I make files for each shoot, organize them on the FreeAgent and never worry about using up my MacBook Pro storage.
    Backup Power – There are so many things that depend on battery power. Cameras, smartphones, tablets, laptops. I bring the Mophie Powerstation XL with me on all trips. It charges anything that I have that has a USB connector.
    Laptop bag – The SwissGear SA1923 ScanSmart Backpack carries my computer, cables, wires, adapters, chargers, notebooks, pens, thumbdrives and more stuff than anyone would ever need. I’ve literally tried every bag out there. After years of searching, this is the best for me. Padded protection for my laptop, lots of extra compartments, quality zippers and seams, I will never use another.
    Smartphone – I use the iPhone 5S with 65 GB. I’ve had every iPhone since they came out and just keep coming back to them. Nothing is better. I’ve used many of the Android phones, of which I most like the Galaxy S 4 and the Note 3.
    Tablet – The iPad. The 4g Version 3 model. Great for apps on the road. Check my PC Mike NBC-TV reports for my favorite apps.
    My Network – Verizon Wireless. Verizon, I’ve found, offers the best and reliable nationwide coverage. I’ve had AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. None came close to Verizon in terms of coverage while on-the-road, offering 3 and 4g coverage and reliability. If no WiFi is available, I use the Verizon MiFi wireless modem to set up a 4g hotspot on the Verizon network. That lets me use my MacBook Pro for web updates, uploading photos and videos.
    Ham radio – I’m a long-time licensed amateur radio operator (K8ZRH) and I always have a rig with me. I travel with the ICOM IC-V85 two meter FM hand held transceiver and, permanently mounted, the Kenwood 144/440 MHz TM-V71A transceiver. I use amateur radio for emergency communications, weather monitoring and just plain chit-chatting with locals on their repeaters. I did a blog post on installing ham radio in an RV. I’m hoping to add an HF model some day soon.
    GPS gear – For my Roadtrek, I use the Rand McNally TripMaker RVND 7710. This has a seven inch screen and can be synced to a central site to reflect the latest in construction issues and detours. Made specifically for RVs with lots of RV-specifica data and Points of Interest (POI), it is the most accruate and easy-to-follow vehicle navigation system I’ve yet to use. For my long bicycle rides and off road exploring, I use the Garmin Edge 705. Though made specifically for cycling, it slips off the handlebars mount easily and can be carried in my pocket for hiking.
    My Drone – Lately, I’ve also been having a lot of fun with my own personal drone. It’s really not a drone in the sense of the military drones we keep hearing about but is a radio controlled quadricopter, the Phantom 2 with a Zenmuse H3-2D Gimbal that acts as a steadycam for the GoPro Hero 3 camera it carries. I use this for aerial shots to show scenic views and overhead perspectives of the places I blog about. I have an FPV (First Person Video) monitor attached to the flight controller that transmits back the image the camera is recording. The camera has a built in compass and GPS navigation control.
    Google Glass – I am one of the Google Glass Explorers, those Google invited in to experiment with its new wearable computer and am indeed experimenting with it in my Roadtreking reporting. The device is expected to go on sale in late spring 2014. Right now I use it primarily to record video and shoot still pictures. I did a review on Google Glass for my PC Mike blog and already have done a couple of videos with it for the blog and will do many more as the 2014 travel season gets underway. It has lots of apps that work with it, projecting information on a little screen right in front of your right eye. It’s connected to the Internet and uses your voice to open and close apps, share messages on social media, record messages and to answer questions you verbally ask it just as you would type them with a keyboard on the Google search engine.
    Clothing – I wear coats, shorts, jackets, vests, pants and shirts made by ScottEVest, an American maker of tech-enabled very high quality casual clothing that is known for having an abundance of pockets for all the tech gear one would want to carry around. The company started with a great photographer’s vest and for well over a decade, I proudly wore mine all over the world. Now, Scott Jordan, the guy behind the company, makes a whole line of mens and womens clothing. They are stylish and comfortable and perfect for all my gadgets and gizmos.
  3. Roadtrekingmike
    Lots of people have asked how I’m filing my Great Lakes Shoreline Tour reports and what tech gear I have on our Roadtrek Etrek.
    It was raining yesterday and we were stuck in cam so I did a short little video to show some of the gear I'm using.

    I’ll do more and show the drone and some other gadgets and gizmos in future reports, but right now, here’s what was handy as I was shooting the report.
    The Wilson Sleek cell phone booster I use comes with a small magnetic mount antenna, a couple of inches long. I replaced it with a longer one I found on Amazon that I have up on the roof of our Roadtrek Etrek. See the picture below.
    By the way, all the gear you see here – with the exception of the MiFi card – is my own, purchased by me at full retail. Verizon, which is sponsoring the Great Lakes Shoreline tour and compensates me for reports that appear on their corporate blog, provided the Mifi card and covers my data fees.
    Good thing, too, because last month in Canada, I forgot to turn roaming data off and racked up $3,000 in wireless fees during a two-week stay. But that’s another story and a mistake I won’t make again.

    I replaced the Wilson Sleek cell phone antenna with a longer one, on the roof of the motorhome.
  4. Roadtrekingmike
    As we wait to set off on our next trip, I’m thinking about all the things I like about this new small motorhome lifestyle we have embraced.
    Waking up to sunlight streaming around the edges of the shades of our Roadtrek and the smell of that first cup of coffee brewing as I start the day.
    The first peek out the window at our surroundings. We boondock a lot so often, it’s wildlife I see. I love to sip that coffee and quietly watch the world wake up.
    The smell of bacon frying as I start to make breakfast on the picnic table outside.
    Taking Tai for his morning walk in a new campground or forest.
    Walking with Jennifer, exploring our surroundings, hand-in-hand
    Doing my morning blog work from a campchair next to the Roadtrek.
    Watching the landscape which unfolds like a high definition movie on the other side of the windshield as we head to our next destination.
    Changing our mind on route and stopping on a whim to spend the night at a spot we didn’t expect to find but looks inviting
    Quiet, two-lane state or county roads, the “Blue Highways” that let us see the small towns and farms and wide open spaces far off the hurried interstates.
    Finding a local “Mom and Pop” restaurant or market or local produce stand that lets us experience local and regional foods that aren’t pre-packaged, frozen or microwaved.
    Taking a nap in the middle of the day in our “look-at-the-sky” chairs outside the Roadtrek.
    Meeting new people who share our live of travel and the outdoors. Everybody has a story. Everybody has something to teach us.
    Watching a sunset from a new place.
    Seeing the clouds pass by in a bright blue sky, with some birds way up high coasting on the thermals. Or seeing the stars in a jet black sky far from big city light pollution. This is why we call our tilt-back chairs “look-at-the-sky” chairs.
    The smell of a campfire
    Watching the fire sitting next to Jennifer, with Tai behind us with his back to the fire. Not saying a word, just being together, content, relaxed and listening to the wood crackle and burn as it turns into a bed of hot red embers
    Hearing an owl late at night just before we drift off to sleep in our king sized bed atop the four inch mattress topper that makes it so comfortable.

    There you go. That’s my list. What would you add?
  5. Roadtrekingmike
    On this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for many things that have come our way since we embraced the world of RVing.
    I’m thankful in a new way for the awesomeness of God’s creation, for the many places we visited that I had never seen before. For the majesty of Yellowstone National Park, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets we witnessed in the Bighorn Mountains, the Pictured Rocks National Seashore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Emerald Coast of Florida’s panhandle, the sandhill country of Nebraska, the vastness of the prairie and the magnificent wildness of the eagles, elk, Grizzly bears, wolves, deer, wildfowl and woodland critters we have watched this year.
    I’m thankful to live in a country that gives us freedom to travel and has set aside vast tracts of carefully-protected wilderness for its citizens to enjoy.
    I’m thankful to new RVing friends we have met… Alan, Stu, Pam, Kristi, William, Alice, Robert, Ginny and those who share so much on our various Facebook groups. I’m thankful for the Family Motor Coach Association and especially Jerry Yeats, Pamela Kay, Robbin Gould for all they do for Motorhome owners including the annual reunion we had this summer in Indianapolis. I’m thankful to the Roadtrek International Chapter of the FMCA and new friends, ****, Frances, Tim, John and all those on the Cyberrally e-mail group, especially Jerry, from Livonia, who called me on my cellphone when I was stranded on the road in South Dakota to give me the advice that undid my operator error and got me traveling again.
    I’m thankful to Roadtrek itself and the men and women in the Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, factory who have welcomed me for my video work this year. Jim Hammill, the president, is unlike no other president of a big company I have ever met. He is accessible, refreshingly outspoken, brutally honest, always innovating, lots of fun and passionately committed to a product that is built on an unwavering quality standard and the loyaly of its dedicated customers. Vice President of Operations Howard Stratton and Engineering guru Jeff Stride have patiently shown me the manufacturing process and its commitment to live out the legacy of excellence of the founding Hennemeyer family.
    I’m thankful to all the readers who have embraced me as I have begun this blog and my social media work. Almost 31,000 now follow me on Twitter where I’m @roadtreking and over 2,000 have liked my Facebook Page at http://facebook.com/roadtreking They have encouraged, corrected, guided and welcomed me as they have offered story ideas and shared their RV adventures. Two of them, Les and Kathy, drove to an RV show I was visiting in Novi, MI this fall to meet me and give Jeniffer and I a gift. In all my years as a journalist, I never experienced such an affirming act of kindness related to my work.

    I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. See you down the road.
    What are you thankful for this year? Let us know under comments.
  6. Roadtrekingmike
    Yellowstone National Park is one of our most favorite places to RV in all of North America. It draws us back and its sheer size and beauty is breathtaking.
    We couldn’t resist sharing the wildflowers with you. I don’t know the names of them. But I do know they are stunningly beautiful. I think you’ll agree.
    As macro as the place is, it is also meant to be seen on the micro level, close up.
    So it was on our most recent trip, which just happened to correspond to the height of the spring wildflower season. Every color of the palette was visible, in forests, meadows and sagebrush-steppe.
    http://youtu.be/_-IFQxwJmpQ
    The place was literally ablaze with wildflowers. We saw dozens of different varieties and colors. The National Park Service tells us that Yellowstone is home to more than 1,350 species. There is white mule’s-ears and phlox, yellow arrowleaf balsamroot, blue penstemon and lupine, and Indian paintbrush’s glorious reds and oranges. Magenta shooting stars, purple sugarbowls, delicate white woodland stars and leopard lilies So we missed a lot,
    We photographed as many as we saw, as you can see in the video.
  7. Roadtrekingmike
    There’s a dusting of snow on my RV
    The first accumulating snow of the season fell last night near my Michigan home and as I look out at my motorhome sitting on the driveway, I swear I hear it calling me to get out of town and get warm.
    Alas, as I look out, that’s all I can do. Look. I’m standing with the support of a walker. Five days ago, I had a total knee replacement.
    I picked this time for the surgery specifically because it is the least busy time for RVing. Although the first wave of snowbirds typically leave the Midwest and Northern states around Halloween, most wait until after Christmas. We’re the same. As much as we can’t wait to start touring again, Thanksgiving and Christmas are filled with family and we don’t want to be away from them.
    But that’s not to say that we don’t have places to go. I’d like to make the big RV industry show in Louisville the Monday after Thanksgiving. My surgeon is dubious about that. While three weeks is the normal time you’re housebound from this kind of surgery, such a long drive could cause lots of swelling. “We’ll see,” he says. Reminds me when my kids were young. I’d use that phrase to shut them up, never intending to let them do whatever it was they were asking.
    But by mid-December, says my doc, assuming no complications and that I’ve dutifully done my physical therapy, I should be good to go.
    We’ve got a major tour set, trying to visit the big RV areas in Florida, attending the Tampa RV show in mid-January, swinging across the Gulf States and then perhaps to Arizona via the Texas Hill Country. I will be back in Michigan in mid-February and will do some winter camping as I cover the Michigan UP200, an Iditarod qualifying dogsled race. Then New England in the spring, Branson in May, the Family Motor Coach Association reunion in Wyoming in June and the California-to-Oregon coast over the summer.
    What I’m looking for in all these places, of course, are stories of the people and places that make RVing so much fun. I’d welcome your suggestions. Where should we go? Who should we meet?
    Even though I’m temporarily hobbling with my new knee, I can’t wait to get going again.
    This RV travel bug has bit hard. Wanderlust is an addiction, isn;t it?
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road
    Source
  8. Roadtrekingmike
    Buying an RV is perhaps the second biggest purchase most of us will make next to our house. In some cases, with kids grown and newly retired from our jobs, it becomes our house as more and more people embrace the fulltiming style of a life on wheels.
    And these days, Type B RVs seem to be at the top of the motorhome popularity chart. Many who bought larger Type A or C motorhomes are downsizing, or “rightsizing,,” as some call it, for the more mobile and maneuverable Type B-style campervan motorhome.
    For one thing, new retirees are coming into the marketplace every day. And today’s retirees are generally healthier and more active than those who came before. The first baby boomers turned 65 three years ago. According to a Social Security agency report, over the next two decades, nearly 80 million Americans will become eligible for Social Security benefits, more than 10,000 per day.
    So, in considering a Type B, what questions should be asked?
    To find out, we crowd sourced the question, asking current Type B owners, members of our very active Roadtreking Facebook Group. They are the true experts, whose collective wisdom is more reliable and real world than any of the pie in the sky promises you;ll get from commission hungry RV salemen.
    Here, then, is the advice of current Type B owners. Feel free to use comments below to add yours. And then pass this post along to a friend who may be considering a B.
    I’ve slightly edited some of the more than 50 comments we received to weed out duplicate content or to add clarity. I’ve also edited out specific references to a particular make or model so the information is as unbiased as possible.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Karsten Askeland: One of my biggest disappointments was RV dealer service after the sale. Buyers need to do their research on the dealer and ask for references and/or recommendations.
    Linda Joesting Collins: Mercedes, Chevy model? Advantages and disadvantages.
    Karin Bless: I see a big distinction also in the personalities of RVers. I find it important to just go into many different units, look around and imagine yourself spending your time in there and with whom, too. Only after this the more technical questions can be answered, because the selection has narrowed down then.
    Nancy Kay: Dealer service quality and proximity are so important. One other question to ask yourself before purchase if you are not fulltiming is where are you going to park it? How big can it be to fit there? What about weathering in the snow and sunlight. Do you have HOA restrictions?
    Darlene Meier: First thing I look for is size of bed (#1) and storage (#2). It is especial important if you plan to spend several weeks or months living in a B. Do you plan to eat your meals in the B, eat out, or a combination of the two? We do the combination, so the size of the fridge is not as important to us.
    Lisa Gruner: Gas vs diesel. When we were looking, my husband was glad to see diesel, ceilings tall enough for him, the twin bed layout with the electric sofa in the back, and the bathroom. Those were his hot buttons. We walked through several You have to decide on your list of wants and must haves and be ready to compromise on some of it. Partly because down the road you’ll figure out some mods to fix it up and you’ll be glad you made your decision.
    Deborah Skinner: We were coming out of an Airstream trailer and rightsizing into a B. The primary issues for us were something where I could share the driving as I pretty much refused to drive when towing the trailer – a comfortable and spacious bed – and a usable galley with decent refrigerator space. My husband wanted the Mercedes diesel for mileage and safety features – so those were the only models we considered. We are also not yet retired – but within a few years we plan to spend quite a bit of time roaming and we wanted a nimble footprint for that.
    Stephanie Alexander: Match the floor plan and size of RV to your needs and of course pick reputation of manufacturer
    Eric Sondeen: Fuel econ, layout, ease-of-use, riding positions (strap into all seats and ride), fit/finish, Drive & Park & Back,
    John Spears: Talk to present class B owners and ask what they like about their class B. Then the most important question is, “what DON’T they like about it”? If you don’t know a class B owner, go to the nearest RV park or campground and look around. Most would be very happy to talk about their RV experiences. Determine how it’s going to be used to determine which model to consider. Gas or diesel considerations have pretty well been taken care of in the comments above. Diesel fuel is not hard to find, as most gas stations and convenience stores have diesel pumps these days. Read all the blog posts you can find from present owners. Those posts are a wealth of information, but remember a few of them may need to be taken with a grain of salt. If you ever read product reviews on the net, there always seems to be at least one really bad review when all the rest are really good.
    William Browne: How are you going to use the RV? Stay in one place for periods of time or on the road and its a place to sleep and eat. Do you really need a lot of storage or not.
    Laura Loschky Robinson: How easy to operate? (ex. awning, bed, swivel chairs, oven, dumping, hooking and unhooking at sites) How easy to drive and handling? (length for parking, towing, maneuvering, mountains, rain, snow) How complicated and costly is maintenance? Diesel vs. gas. Headroom, storage. Is it comfortable for sleeping, driving, bathing, sitting eating? Is it roomy for 2 (width and length) Kids? Pets? How do you clean it inside and out? Cost? New vs. used. Resale value, Mileage, Longevity? Is van good for full time, part time, weekends? Can you boondock- ex. solar, generators, satellite, boosters, etc.. Is dealer timely (in and out quickly for maintenance) professional, fair, near me? Is there a maintenance program?
    Leesa Mundell: One of the most important factors, in addition to everything already mentioned, is comfort/ease in driving. We are “goers” who rarely spend more than one night in the same place, thus we are on the road a lot. We both love driving our motorhome, and feel safe in all kinds of conditions and weather. We can drive and park it anywhere, and some of our ventures have put us into places that a much longer/taller/wider rig could not have gone. All the other options for us were personal preference. Do your research and then go drive your top choices on busy streets and the highway, lie in the bed (and if regularly traveling with another person-both of you lie down together…some bed sizes are not as comfortable or convenient for two as they appear) sit inside the restroom, explore all the functions and storage areas. Make the right match for your lifestyle and you will have years of enjoyment! Husband Jeff adds, the only question to ask is, “What is the rig that makes my wife happy?”
    Burton Hill: For us, it was the “what are you gonna do with it?” question that was #1. We travel to National Parks. We tour. We don’t spend days/weeks in one spot. “Small House, BIG Backyard!” sums it up for us perfectly.
    Bob Clark: In short – you need to figure out FIRST how you want to live your mobile life. Our thought process was … A’s are out – too big, too expensive and too limiting. C’s were out because they were poor on gas, IMHO ugly, and many hung out way too far in the back. Didn’t want a trailer because then you had a base camp to set up and return to and (in most cases) you need an expensive pickup to lug it and I’d never own a pickup anyway. That left a turtle! Everything on board, pick up and go wherever/whenever, reasonable mileage, easy (or NO) setup/teardown, minimalist. That seemed to fit OUR intended lifestyle perfectly. Decide today where to go tomorrow, spend a LOT of time in the parks, if we like where we are, we may stay several days or weeks, if not, move on.
    Michele Alexander: Ask yourself: Do I want to merely travel across this great country or do I want to experience it? I have noticed that the travelers in smaller RVs seem to spend more time outdoors. What appealed to us when we chose the Class B was its versatility:
    Go anywhere a car can go (ditto parking)
    No need to tow another vehicle
    Not just for travel – we use it for all kinds of outdoor activities and events in our home area – so handy to have a refrigerator and bathroom with you!

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    So there you go.
    Here’s a final tip from me:
    Visit a large RV show that has many different RVs on display. Go in and out of each one. Find out what differentiates each model from the others.
  9. Roadtrekingmike
    This year, I’m planning on winter camping
    We’re in early November now and while the ground is still bare, nighttime temps are regularly dropping to the upper 20′s in my part of Michigan. The leaves are all off the trees and snow can happen any day now.
    Out on the interstates, I see a steady stream of motorhomes, travel trailers and fifth wheels making their way south, to warmer climes.
    I hope to join them in Florida and the gulf states in January. For a few weeks.
    But I also hope to do some winter camping this year.
    It’s almost a sin in some RV circles to say this but… well… I like winter.
    I love snow. The more the better.
    And I want to head out there.
    My RV is winterized, but as Hank the tech who walked me through the winterizing process in this video explained, I can still use the RV. I can flush the toilet using antifreeze as a chaser. I can use the stove to cook. I’ll eat on paper plates so I don’t have to wash dirty dishes. I’ll bring along bottled water.
    There are a bunch of winter festivals, dogsled races, ice fishing contests, snowshoe hikes and the like to take in. A reader invited me to International Falls, MN, where, he says, he volunteers for a dogsled race that is a qualifier for the big Iditarod race up in Alaska. He says the temperature in some years has dipped to 30 below and he was toasty comfortable in his Roadtrek.
    Wonder where you keep your parkas and snow-soaked bots and gloves when you come in? Seems like there’d be quite a puddle.
    And I suppose camping facilities are a bit limited during winter.
    Any winter campers out there? How do you manage? I’d appreciate any and all tips. But winter camping is definitely going to be on my list of 2013 New Year resolutions.
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road
    Source
  10. Roadtrekingmike
    Time to re-winterize
    It got down to 21 degrees as we spent the night in Kentucky on the way back to Michigan from a brief January visit to Florida and some southern states.
    Guess it’s time to find some pink stuff and re-winterize. Sigh.
    That warmer weather down south sure was nice.
    Tai loved being out in the cold night air with the gusto that only a double coated Norwegian Elkhound can exhibit. I had trouble getting him to come inside for the night.
    We slept comfortably in our Roadtrek eTrek, with the amazingly efficient and quiet  Webasto diesel heater keeping the chill away. Since I have most of the water drained, I used the forced air setting instead of hot eater heat.
    We overnighted in the Kentucky Horse Park, where we stayed on the way down.
    We drove a total of 568 miles yesterday. I did 290 of them and I am so excited to report than Jen drove 278 miles.
    She loves driving the eTrek… she even drove through the mountains along the Northern Tennessee, southern Kentucky border… at night.
    Im thinking of stopping at the big Arbogast RV center north of Dayton to get my antifreeze.
    My next trip will be in a couple of weeks to even colder weather – the Michigan UP200 dogsled race in Marquette, MI. So last night was a good shakedown test of how warm we will be.
     
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


    Source
  11. Roadtrekingmike
    It’s been a long and busy week with two big road trips this past week – one in the Roadtrek eTrek to Kitchener, Ontario, and a visit to the Roadtrek factory for some video work, the other to Pittsburgh, Pa., on another video project. While the Kitchener trip was blessed with great weather, the Pittsburgh trip led to some very white knuckle driving on the way back home when we unexpectedly encountered near white-out conditions from Lake Erie effect snow squalls just est of Cleveland.
    It was a great reminder of how fast conditions can change when driving an interstate in the winter.
    We were on the Ohio Turnpike (Interstate-80), an hour from Pittsburgh headed back to Michigan. When we left it was sunny and 39 degrees, according to my in-dash thermometer. An hour later, like someone turned a switch, the temperature had dropped to 27 degrees and we noticed snow flurries. Within a mile, those snow flurries had turned into a fierce squall and in a couple more miles, the road was snow covered and slippery and visibility had dropped to a couple hundred yards.
    Yikes. The photo doesn’t do justice to how lousy visibility was.
    Twenty miles further down the Ohio Turnpike, the snow was gone and the road was clear.
    As we listened to radio reports, we heard of car crashes all over. Such are the dangers of those sudden snow squalls.
    Last year, coming back from a winter RV trip to Florida, we encountered a similar white-out north of Cincinnati on I-75. Traffic suddenly ground to a stop. I looked over on the southbound lanes and saw cars smashed and twisted everywhere. Over 100 vehicles had been involved. There were lots of injuries and a fatality.
    My top three rules for winter driving:
    1) Never drive faster than you can see. By that I mean that if you can only see a hundred yards up the road, you better not be going so fast that you can’t stop in 100 yards.
    2) Be aware of the road surface. If the snow is sticking, the pavement is slippery. There may be black ice covering the parts of the road where the surface shows through.
    3) In a whiteout, do NOT pull over to the shoulder of the road and wait it out there. Carefully move over in the slow lane and take the next exit to get off the interstate as soon as you can if you are the least bit apprehensive about your ability to control the vehicle.
    As our travels this week reminded us, like it or not, winter is here.
    Be careful out there!
  12. Roadtrekingmike
    Jennifer and I love watching things grow, planting them, tending to them and then – with our vegetable garden – picking them when they are fresh and ripe and enjoying them.
    We’ve planted a garden for many ears but the last two years, because of our travel schedule, we’ve returned home from RV trips to find it mostly shriveled up from lack of water or, unpicked, gone to seed.
    Nevertheless, there we were this week, getting the vegetable beds ready again, hoeing, weeding, improving the soil and planning it out.
    The peas and the new strawberries will be in by the weekend. The rest, a couple of weeks yet when the threat of frost at night has gone away.
    We’ll do it again this year, despite a travel schedule that will have us gone all but a few scattered days pretty much from June through September.
    There is something that is just plain right about planting and tending a garden. It is deeply satisfying, relaxing, good for the soul.
    But this year, we will enlist some friends and neighbors to water and tend to our garden while we’re gone.
    Starting in a few weeks, we have trips planned that will take us to the east coast, all all around the Great Lakes in the Midwest and then a big trip to the mountains and national parks of the west and the Northwest. The veggies I plant over the next couple weeks will be ready for harvesting while we’re still out on the road.
    But this year, we’ll ask friends and neighbors to harvest it as it ripens. Hopefully , we’ll find some ready for picking on our visits home between trips.
    I’ve seen RVers who travel with small pots of staked tomatoes.
    With the limited space in a Type B, I’m not sure how feasible that is.
    How abut you? Have you traveled with fresh and container-growing veggies? f so, how?

    This is my garden. We grow in raised beds behind a fence that keeps the deer out. I’ve been getting the dirt ready for planting this week.

    This is last year’s garden, just before we took off on a long trip to Colorado. Most of it was lost because of neglect.
  13. Roadtrekingmike
    We just turned 60,000 miles on our Roadtrek Etrek as we pulled into our Michigan driveway after our latest trip, which essentially was four months on the road through 21 states, taking us from Cape Cod on the Atlantic to the far Pacific Northwest. When you add the 15,000 miles we drove in our first RV – a 2006 RS Adventurous – that now gives us 75,000 miles under our collective wheels.
    We are no longer rookies.
    Indeed, we’ve learned a few things.
    And I’ve made some mistakes. But you’ll have to read to the end of this for my confessions.
    Granted, these are our own RV lessons. They’re personal, related to our style of travel. They may not be what you want.
    1) There is No Hurry – Okay, sometimes you really do have to be somewhere at a certain time but, in general, RV travel needs to be flexible. To enjoy it to the max, you need to be able to stop when you want, where you want. Setting an agenda, over-planning and plotting out stop-by-stop overnights is way too organized for us and causes us to miss the things you can’t find in a book or through online research, the things that just happen, like taking a road far off the interstate just because it looks interesting. It almost always is, unless it’s US 20 in Iowa. But hey, even that was worth driving because it gave me an example to cite as the word’s most boring drive.
    2) Don’t believe interstate exit signs – Pet peeve time. I owe US20 as the inspiration for this, too. A sign along the interstate says there is gas, in my case diesel, at the next exit. You take it. At the top of the exit ramp the sign again says diesel and points to the left. Great. Uh huh. That diesel is 5.4 miles away in town. Meaning a more than 10 mile time-wasting roundtrip. I have found the RoadNinja app the best tool for finding reliable fuel at exits. Interstate signs are a scam. I’m convinced the various state highway departments get kickbacks from local merchants to lure unsuspecting travelers off the road. Probably not true. But it helps to have someone to blame. Which directly leads me to the next lesson
    3) Stay off the Interstates – They are boring. You’re in a tunnel. Trapped on the concrete. Buffeted by trucks. Surrounded by eye-pollution in the form of roadside signs. Forced to drive at ridiculously fast speeds. Everything around you blurs by. The only food available at the exits is fast food which is invariably bad food. Sometimes, there is no choice. Around big cities, interstates help get you out of the congestion. But, generally, two-lane roads – the so-called blue highways – are always more interesting and get you closer to the places and people that make the RV life so enjoyable.
    4) Take less clothes – We use eBags. Jennifer has three pink ones. Girls always need more clothes. I take two blue ones. I dare not peek in hers. But for me, one bag is for underwear, socks and T-shirts – I pack five of each. The other is for an extra pair of shorts, a pair of jeans and three shirts. In our wardrobe I have on a hangar a dress pair of slacks, one dress shirt, one sweater, plus a rain jacket and a fleeced sweatshirt. Jennifer has the female equivalent in the wardrobe. Plus her three pink bags. We hit a laundrymat or pick a campground that has a washer and dryer about every five or six days.
    5) Good camp chairs are a must – When we first started, we used two collapsible and telescoping Pico chairs. They’re okay. Chief benefit was they break down small enough to fit in the rear storage under the rear sofa. But they really aren’t very comfortable. This year, we bought two of the gravity chairs that let you lie back and look at the sky. That’s what we call them. Our look-at-the-sky-chairs. They are inconvenient when it comes to traveling with them but so worth it when we want to relax somewhere. We store them folded up in the back, in the space between the rear sofa and the passenger side bench.

    These gravity chairs take up a lot of room but are worth it.
    6) Follow the 230 rule – I had a fulltimer explain this to be early on. The 230 rule is “you stop when you have driven 230 miles or it’s 2:30 in the afternoon.” A variation is the 300 rule. No more than 300 miles or stop by 3:00PM. Regardless, the idea is get somewhere while it is still early enough to explore, chill, enjoy the place when you’re not wasted from driving mega miles. We are trying to adhere to that rule. In our early days, I looked at the daily driving mileage as a challenge. The more the better. I kept trying to set anther personal best. It’s 735 miles, by the way. Silly. Stupid, really. Is there anything worse than pulling into a campsite after dark? Less mileage and stopping early is our new mantra.
    7) Put away the bed – Granted, this is a personal preference. I know many Roadtrekers use the two single beds and leave them made as a bed everyday. We tried that but we prefer to sleep with the bed made up as a king. And every morning, we put it and the bedding away and make the back into a sofa again. It’s neater, gives us more space a place to eat, work on the computer and not feel cramped. The few times we’ve left it as a bed has made the coach feel way too small.
    8) Eat out often – Okay, here’s where we are way, way different than most Roadtrekers. But, again, this has worked best for us. For our style, not yours. I refuse to feel guilty about this: Most of the time, we eat in restaurants. We do fix breakfast in the Roadtrek, usually something simple like cereal and a banana. I carry a Keurig coffee maker and make two cups every morning. We usually pick up lunch at a restaurant and, about every other day, find a local place for dinner. When we do fix dinner in the Roadtrek, it’s simple and light, like grilled chicken strips over a salad. We use the Cuisinart Griddler for grilling and most of the cooking we do, instead of a charcoal or propane grill. The local restaurants really give you a feel for the people and place. It’s as much cultural as convenient. So we don’t fight it or feel shamed because we’re not carrying lots of frozen dishes and cooking every meal in the motorhome. We’re not full-timers, though the last four months have sure seemed like it at time. If we were, it would be different, I’m sure. But for now, we eat out. A lot.

    We cook on the Cuisinart Griddler.
    9) Winter is just as much fun as summer – We camp out in our Roadtrek all year round. Alas, we do have to winterize, living in Michigan as we do. But other than having to drink from bottled water and flush the toilet with antifreeze, it’s just as easy to RV in the winter as it is in the summer. Winter RVing is awesome. The crowds are gone, the snow makes everything beautiful and it is really, really fun. If you want to try it, drop me a note. We’re planning a winter camping trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in February and will invite a few winter camping newbies next year.
    10) Don’t make impulsive purchases – Here’s my confession time, where I mess up all the time. Case in point: Two folding bikes. I shelled out over $1200 to buy two Bike Friday folding bikes this summer when I saw them at a rally in Oregon. Big mistake. Yes, they are cool bikes. But, really, we didn’t need them. We have two full-sized bikes at home. If we will be using a bike a lot, I just need to put them on a bike rack attached to the rear hitch. I’m going to list the bikes on Craig’s List and make a promise to Jennifer to never again buy on impulse. I may also be listing the StowAway2 cargo box I bought this year (another $700 impulse buy.) Yes, it holds a lot of stuff. But we really don’t need a lot of stuff. The more we RV, the less we find we need to pack. Oh yeah, then there’s my drone. Another impulsive purchase. I’ve used the camera-equipped quadricopter fewer than a half dozen times on our trips. Maybe that will go on Craigs List, too.

    Wanna buy a cargo box, two folding bikes and a drone? Impulsive purchases all.
    So there you go ... my top 10 lessons learned. There were a lot of other things we’ve learned. But they tell me blog posts that have the phrase “top 10″ in them are read a lot more. Nobody would read “the 37 things we’ve learned…” So maybe I’ll do another list of my “top 10″ other lessons down the road. And another one after that.
    How about you? Use comments below to pass along the things unique to your RV style.
  14. Roadtrekingmike
    Top 10 RV Lessons learned after 75,000 miles
    We just turned 60,000 miles on our Roadtrek Etrek as we pulled into our Michigan driveway after our latest trip, which essentially was four months on the road through 21...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  15. Roadtrekingmike

    Top 5 RV Joys

    By Roadtrekingmike,

    On this Labor Day weekend, we’re in Southwest Georgia, after driving down from Michigan last week with some fun stops along the way. We plan to take our time going home, too, enjoying the freedom that our little Roadtrek eTrek RV gives us.
    After almost two years of this lifestyle, Jen and I are finding ourselves on the road more and more. We were at our Michigan sticks and bricks home for less than a week all August. We just turned 30,000 miles on the new eTrek we picked up in December!
    When we think back about the past two years, we can cite lots of things we enjoy about RVing. Here our our Top Five RV joys:
    1) We can go anywhere, anytime – Freedom is what the RV life is all about. It truly is our home on wheels. We have it loaded with clothes and essentials, pots, pans, bedding. We only need an hour or so to be packed and ready to head off. By now, we have everything down to a system. Packing, unpacking, setting up, tearing down.
    2) We have a small house but a big yard – That is the slogan on one of the T-shirts and sweatshirts we sell but it says it all so well. It’s like the whole country is our front yard. We can set up on seashores, rivers creeks, the mountains, the woods… it’s all ours to enjoy. We just open the sliding door to our Roadtrek and we are surrounded by nature. We tend to choose out of the way places off the commercial campground circuit. The most spectacular vistas are just out our windows. Our Roadtrek gives us a home with lots of acreage.
    3) We have found great new friends – From rallies, our Facebook groups, face to face meetings with readers and folks who have seen the interactive map on the blog chasing us down and showing where we just happen to be, Jennifer and I have so many new friends who share our love of adventure and the open road. The RV community has been the biggest surprise we’ve had. I think of Stu and Winona, Jim and Carolyn, Shari and Dave, Kristi, Tim and Carole, Dan, Kathy and Les, Laura, Steve, Ginny, Lisa and Bill, Tom, Laura and Ken, Bill and Karen, Cheryl, Alan, Robert and a whole bunch of other people who have come into our RVing lives this past year or so and we feel really blessed. Sharing the road with like-minded friends is such a joy.
    4) We have our own comfortable bed to sleep in – Honestly, we think we sleep better in our Roadtrek than just about any place else. Even home. Certainly hotel rooms. We need not worry about bed bugs, dirty rooms, mold or any of the other variables that make staying in hotels and motels so unpredictable. We prefer our own germs to stranger germs. Know what I mean?
    5) Our dog is always welcome – We’re not fanatics about our dog but we do like his company. That’s why we have a dog. And he adds to the joy of traveling. We don’t have to board him every time we go out of own. We can take him with us pretty much everyplace we go. Not always. There are times when we have a story to do or a place to vsit where we can’t take him when well leave him with friends or family. But generally speaking, where we go, Tai can go. That, we believe, is as it should be.
    Okay…those are our top five reasons why we like to RV.
    What would you add?
  16. Roadtrekingmike
    I came across this interesting You Tube video from a guy who calls himself “Master Luke.” It shows a 24-foot cargo trailer that he made into a totally solar-powered RV.
    The entire roof of the trailer is covered with solar panels - 3,130 watts worth of them.
    The Roadtrek eTrek we drive has a 5,000-watt inverter, a diesel generator and about 250 watts of solar power. But I reckon that we can get more practical RVing use out of our rig than he can with his. That diesel generator charges those batteries very fast and the 250-watt solar panels really help keep the batteries topped off. I suppose if stuck in the woods and the diesel tank runs dry, we’d be pretty limited after a few days but don’t see that as a very likely situation we would be encountering anytime soon.

    But, the installation in this video is very impressive and I think it shows how solar is getting more and more viable for many. I think of applying what he has done in this video to a cabin out in the middle of the Michigan Upper Peninsula woods.
    And being off-grid is, well, just very cool.
    What are your thoughts on this setup?
    Here’s a second more in depth video he did on micro inverters, which he briefly shows in the above video.

  17. Roadtrekingmike
    If I had known ahead of time how high some of these mountains out here in Colorado really were, I’m not sure I would have decided to tow a travel trailer on our Great Roadtreking Family Vacation of 2013.
    But now that I’m here and have climbed those super steep grades and come down them with brakes nearly smoking, I’m glad I did.
    I’m towing a 21-foot-long AmerLite travel trailer that we bought just for this trip from American RV in Grand Rapids, MI. It weighs 2,780 pounds. Empty. With supplies and gear for my daughter, Wendy; son-on-law, Dan, and granddaughters Hua Hua and Rachel and Charlie the Goldendoodle (he weighs 75 pounds), we’ve probably added another 200-300 pounds to the towing weight.
    The Roadtrek eTrek on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis is rated for 5,000 pounds towing weight.
    It has pulled that trailer up and down mountains all over Colorado. We’ve towed that trailer to 0ver 9,500 feet. The pictures accompanying this post were taken while we were coming down from the mountains at the Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado the other day.
    The biggest effect towing a travel trailer has on our Roadtrek is mileage. The normal 17-18 mpg I get with the eTrek has been cut to between 10-12 mpg, This now after more than 2,000 miles of travel.
    Pulling up a typical mountain grade of 7 to 8%, I’m lucky to get my speed up no more than 45 to 50 mph. Going down, I shift the gears down and use the engine to help brake, as well as the brakes on the trailer, tied to my Sprinter brakes by a brake controller.
    On super steep grades, on a couple of occasions we have had had to let those brakes cool down by pulling over to the road at the bottom of a descent to let them cool off.
    So far, it’s been no problem at all. We still have to get home, so I am sure there will be more to write about towing a trailer with a Roadtrek on the remaining 2,000 miles back.
    Right now, we’re spending several days at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. That’s about 8,500 feet in elevation.
    But at the midway point in our family vacation, this has been a ball. My son Jeff and his wife Aimee are following us in a Roadtrek SS Ideal. We’ve picked up lots of curious looks from people seeing two Roadtreks and a travel trailer in a caravan.
    But the funniest moment came when a fellow camper, spotting us in the campground in our matching Roadtrek windbreakers, asked: “Are you guys in some sort of gang or something?”
    Oh yeah. We are. A Roadtreking gang.

    Sticking the camera outside the driver’s side window from our Roadtrek
    eTrek ... click on the image and you can see part of the trailer we’re towing and Jeff and Aimee in
    the Roadtrek SS Ideal in the background. And behind them, in our Honda
    Pilot, is my daughter and her family.
  18. Roadtrekingmike

    Travels with Tai

    By Roadtrekingmike,

    So far this year, Tai has had his hackles raised by a wolf in northeastern Minnesota, been terrorized by a Chihuahua and yesterday in Alabama, he came snout to snout with a horse. But when we arrived at Pogo’s pre Mardi Gras “Smokin’ on the Bayou” Roadtrek gathering in Gautier, MS, he seemed rather indifferent to all the excitement of a dozen plus Roadtrekers coming together. Instead, he opted to just hang out on the rug outside his Roadtrek. Alone, if you don’t mind.
    His breed is known for its independence, the breeeders we have met over the years have told us. Tai is our Third Norwegian Elkhound and I think they use independent as a euphemism for stubborn. Tai definitely saunters to the beat of his own drum. In fact, that’s just what he did yesterday when a large group of us, along with four dogs had congregated on Laura Robinson’s campsite around the corner from our spot here at Shepard State Park: Tai snubbed them all and sauntered home, choosing to park his double-coated, curly-tailed butt outside our eTrek.
    He did stop along the way to visit Ellie and Phil and Kathy and Les, where he was the only dog and got some serious pets. Maybe he just needed a rest.
    Later, after we all caravanned over to a local restaurant and came back to start a bonfire at Laura’s, I tried to take Tai down there. He refused to go, stopping in the middle of the road at the end of his leash. I could have forced him of corse. But why bother. He wanted to go back to his own Roadtrek, where he promptly went inside and to sleep.
    I’d say he was exhausted from the 1,050 mile trip down here from Michigan. But he slept the entire way, so that can’t be it. And I know he’s healthy. He had his annual checkup at the Vet just this past Monday.
    We often wonder how much he enjoys our Roadtreking adventures and debate whether it would be best to leave him with relatives. That is, in fact, what we will do after this weekend. We’ll leave him at my son’s home in Georgia as Jen and I head down to Florida for a couple of stories. The temperature down towards Naples where we are headed will be in the 80′s and Tai is still in full winter coat. That, we think, is too warm for him.
    Dog experts I’ve talked to tell me dogs like routine and familiarity and assure me he’d rather be with us, his own people. Tai seems to have bonded well with the Roadtrek and indeed, perks up his ears when I ask him, “wanna go in the Roadtrek?”
    So I guess we should count our blessings that Tai is a low maintenance dog.

    Tai at our Shepard State Park site in Gautier, Miss.
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    Like a lot of RVers, I’ve been reviewing memories and photographs this winter. That’s what we do during the down time: Go back and look at our photos and thus get excited by the places we’ll be going once the weather arms up.
    If you’re like me, I bet you have a lot of photos of your RV. We take pictures of them in the places they take us.
    That got me thinking about pulling a bunch of them and putting them together in a slide show.
    So, here’s about 100 of them, taken all over North America over the past year – a year which had us drive close to 40,000 miles.
    I tried to make sure each photo shows the eTrek. Some have scenic backgrounds. Other not so much. But the eTrek is the star – front and center of every photo.
    Putting this montage together got me excited. I cant wait to see what 2014 has in store.
    Hope you enjoy this, too.

  20. Roadtrekingmike
    Travels with the eTrek: A photo montage
    Like a lot of RVers, I’ve been reviewing memories and photographs over the past couple of years. That’s what we do during the down time: Go back and look at...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  21. Roadtrekingmike
    We’ve been riding hard up I75 today, trying to get to our southeastern Michigan home before yet another big winter snowstorm dumps another predicted foot.
    All the way north, traffic has been unusually heavy in both directions. Lots of other northbounders are returning from long holiday breaks. The southbounders seem downright frantic, fleeing the cold. I’m fighting a strong urge not to turn around.
    Early afternoon, I did an mobile phone interview from the road with the Internet adviser show on WJR Radio in Detroit. The guys asked me abuit my roadreking life and how I use technology to blog and stay connected as I post stories via the Internet.
    In northern Kentucky at Exit 154 we met up with Mike and Marsha Neundorfer of Advanced RV, a Type B motorhome manufacturer that builds luxury custom-designed coaches on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. We ate at a Mexican restaurant and spent two-and-a-half hours talking RVs. The Neuendorfers are on their way to Florida and the big RV Supershow in Tampa next week.
    They were driving a 2014 Ocean One coach, equipped with a state-of-the-art suspension system built by a Dutch company called VB-Airsuspension. It supposedly provides a smoother, more stable ride and increased safety compared with the Sprinter stock suspension and is already installed on 10,000 Sprinters in Europe.
    Mike and Marsha said this was their first road test of the system and they said, based on therir drive so far down from the company headquarters near Cleveland, they were very impressed with how easy it made the ride, particularly for anyone who would choose to stretch out in the back for a nap while someone else drives.
    We toured their unit and they toured our 2013 Roadtrek eTrek and we had a throughly delightful visit, reminding Jennifer and I again how the Class B motorhome community shares a special camaraderie made possible by the versatility and mobility our our touring coaches.
    Eventually the Neuendorfers headed off towards the Florida sun and we resumed our journey north into gathering dark clouds.
    This latest storm is expected to hit tonight. We’re hoping we are safe in the driveway before conditions get dicey. Guess that means no leisurely stop for dinner. We’ll make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as we keep pushing north.
    Glad we had that Mexican lunch.
  22. Roadtrekingmike
    Staying in touch while RVing is a challenge we all face. And a key tool many of us end up acquiring is a data card that lets us set up our own Wi-Fi networks to connect our various tablets and computers to the Internet.
    True, many of today’s tablets and smartphones have a feature that will let you do that without the need for special card. But a special data card adds, in my view, more convenience. It can be plugged in and kept somewhere in the RV and be always charged, always ready and not pull down the battery on the other devices.
    All of the various wireless providers have them and they are branded under various names. I happen to use the MiFi card on the Verizon Wireless Network, also referred to as a Jetpack. I’ve tried other providers but it has been my experience that Verizon has the most reliable connections nationwide.
    The MIFi is one of several gadgets they sell that creates your own wireless network. It is essentially a wireless router that acts as mobile Wi-Fi hotspots. MiFi stands for “My Wi-Fi” and it can provide Internet access for up to ten devices at a distance up to 30 feet. I’ve shared before how it is the primary way I update this blog and our Facebook pages and the RV newsletter while we are traveling across North America.
    But since so many of you have written to ask about the monthly price, I thought I’d do this brief little post that explains data usage and the costs associated with the card.
    With Verizon – and this is pretty much true of the other providers – you first need to get the device. Verizon has a couple MiFi/Jetpack models that are free with a two-year contract, and some newer ones with longer battery life that cost up to $49. That’s a one time fee, should you choose to purchase one of the newer models.
    So that’s step one, get a contact for it and get the device.
    Now come the fees. It all starts with $20 a month fee to add the MiFi/Jetpack to what they call a Share Everything account.
    This is on top of whatever you are paying for cellular service each month.
    Then you add the cost of your sharable data, or the data the card or router will be pumping to your devices on your hot spot network.
    4GB is $30 a month
    6GB is $40 a month
    8 GB is $50 a month
    10 GB is $60 a month
    12 GB is $70 a month
    Plans go all the way up to 30 GB for $185
    But how do you know how much data you need? There is a special tool that you can access to help you estimate the tier of data you should purchase. Click HERE to get the online data calculator. You enter in some information on how you’ll be using the Internet and it helps you come up with the best plan. Once you select a plan, you can adjust it up or down anytime, but it’s best to use it for a month use to see the patterns.
    I asked Michelle Gilbert, Verizon’s Public Relations Manager for Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky Region, to help come up with some examples. Here’s what she reports:
    5 GB of usage is equivalent to:
    25 emails per day
    Viewing 5 web pages per day
    Streaming 60 minutes of music per day
    Streaming 10 minutes of lower quality videos per day.
    Uploading and/or downloading 2 photos per day
    12 GB of usage is equivalent to:
    50 emails per day
    Viewing 25 web pages per day
    Streaming 60 minutes of music per day
    Streaming 30 minutes of lower quality videos per day.
    Uploading and/or downloading 2 photos per day
    Clearly, streaming video and music takes up the most bandwidth.
    These data plans are relatively new. There used to be a flat fee unlimited plan you could get. Those were the good old days, before so many discovered their usefulness.. This summer, when I was at a huge RV rally in Gillette, WY, my computer showed I was in the range of 14 other Verizon data cards.
    You can experiment with the online calculator and come up with your own usage but generally, I would suggest RVers start with a 4GB or 6GB plan. That means $50 or $60 a month will be added to your cell phone bill. But that’s the cost of being connected and not having to put up with the always-bad free WiFi we encounter at most campgrounds.
    Is it worth it? That’s for you to determine. For me… that’s a big 10-4!
  23. Roadtrekingmike
    Upgrading your RV to solar power
    Advances in power management and solar power have made big news in the RV world of late, especially with the new eTrek and CS-Adventurous models built on the Mercedes Sprinter chasis by Roadtrek Motorhomes. New and efficient power control and management systems have put these advanced new Class B motorhomes on many a wish list [...]
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road


    <a href="http://Roadtreking.com/upgrading-your-rv-to-solar-power/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=upgrading-your-rv-to-solar-power">Source</a>
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    Summer travel and vacation is upon us and as many of us hit the road, we’re sharing our travel with friends and families. Many of you know I also am a techology correspondent for the 215 NBC-TV Newschannel affiliate stations across the country.
    I do a weekly “PC MIke” Tech feature for the network and, these days, I am usually doing it from the back of my Roadtrek Etrek as we travel the country.
    In this week’s report, I featured three apps and Internet services that can map and track your travel routes.
    In this digital age, instead of postcards, more and more of us are posting real-time maps, photos, video and travel reports.

    The video above is from this week’s PC Mike segment. It features three ways apps and the Internet can help you share your traveling adventures.
    For iPhone and iPad users, check out the free Track My Tour app and website. You start a route and through the app, add updates as you travel. It grabs your GPS location from your device and displays it, and your comments and the photos you take on an interactive map.
    I’m doing one right now as I tour of the Great Lakes region. The app is free, though there is an upgraded version that lets you have some extra features. If you want to follow along, .. Click here to TrackMyTour!
    Meanwhile, here are sme other similar tech tools you may want to try for your RV travels.
    Check My Tour is a similar app, geared towards cyclists and motorcycle trips, though it will also work with regular roadtrips. It is for Apple devices but also Android smartphones.
    Then there’s My Trip Journal. This allows you to set up your own travel blog website. It maps your routes and lets you write reports and updates and allows you to have a travel journal that can be viewed by whoever you share it with.
    By the way, I also am a big user of Twitter as we travel. I live tweet from the road as we travel. If you use Twitter, you can follow me @roadtreking or send me a tweet with the hashtag #roadtreking.
  25. Roadtrekingmike
    I’m at the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada for the next two weeks shooting and producing a film to be called The Making of a Roadtrek.
    This is a project I’ve wanted to do for two years and, with the company’s blessings, I am now be documenting the creation of a Roadtrek.
    We began filming Tuesday morning as a brand-new but stripped-down Mercedes Sprinter was driven into the factory for what will be about a 10-day build. The model I am following through the assembly process will become a brand new Roadtrek CS Adventurous.
    Here is what it looked like this morning:

    First it was stripped. Then it was cut.
    Stripping involves removing many of the stock Mercedes trim items that will soon be replaced by Roadtrek’s custom trim, finishes and coverings. The cutting involves just what the name implies ... cutting out the holes and vents in the chassis that will allow for for the conversion of a Sprinter van into an Roadtrek motorhome with its own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, air conditioning unit and all the appliances and entertainment features that make a van a home.
    The precision and skill of Roadtrek’s technicians are pretty amazing. The two guys who handled the initial stripping and cutting processes have been with the company for 25 years and 19 years respectively. They are truly craftsmen and as I watched them begin turning a stark, empty van into someone’s dream luxury RV, I appreciated anew the quality and experience that goes into each motorhome made in the very busy Kitchener factory.
    Out front of the factory is a “Help Wanted” sign. The RV boom is in full swing and Roadtreks are the top sellers in the Type B motorhome market in North America. Every day, anywhere from seven to nine new motorhomes roll off the assembly line and head out the factory for delivery to customers all across North America. The company refuses to skimp on quality and despite growing demand, each unit is built with precision and care. That attention to detail can’t be rushed.
    I’m using four cameras for this project. In fact, even my drone with a GoPro camera attached was put up in the air for some outdoor video on Day One. I’d really like to fly the drone up inside the factory. That would be some pretty cool video. Not sure, though, whether we can get clearance for that, at least not while everyone’s working. But that would be a great shot.
    I don’t want to scoop myself and give away the contents of the completed film in bits and pieces so I don’t know whether Ill do many more blog posts until the entire film is finished and ready for you to see. Once the CS Adventurous we’re documenting is built, it will take me some time to edit the entire project but I’m hoping it will be ready to see sometime mid-summer.
    Meantime, I will occasionally post various still images on our Facebook Group as the assembly process continues.

    Seven nearly-completed Roadtreks lined up for various quality control and finishing work checks. How many different Roadtrek models can you identify?
×
×
  • Create New...