Roadtrekingmike

My Giant Permanent RV Bed One thing about full timing is that you have ample opportunities to evaluate the comfort of your RV’s sleeping arrangements. In our 2003 190 Popular with the dinette setup, we... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

A Visit to the RV Museum: When did Class Bs Start? Recently we spent nearly an entire day at the RV/MH Museum in Elkhart, IN, soaking up history of our favorite travel vehicle. They have on display over 35 recreational vehicles... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

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

Cool things seen at the Pomona RV show The 2014 Pomona RV show in California has lots to see. Here – in reverse order – are five things I thought were really cool when I visited last weekend. ... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

It’s time for Episode 3 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast. I continue to be overwhelmed by the positive reponse we’ve had to the first two episodes. I hope you enjoy thosn one even more. After you’ve listened, will you do me a favor? Please consider rating and gving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher. Notes for Episode #3 of Roadtreking – The RV Podcast: Episode released Oct. 15, 2014 OPENING DISCUSSION: We had an in-depth conversation about free places to stay overnight and how many communities are enacting anti-RV ordinances and regulations aimed at forcing RVers to stay in commercial campgrounds. I offer up two great resources for free overnight parking and free boondocking: Boondockers Welcome (link on site) http://boondockerswelcome.com Overnight RV Camping http://overnightrvparking.com/ Tell them Roadtreking sent you and you will get a special deal. Last week, we traveled south in our RV for a visit with our son’s family in SW Georgia. We do this several time a year to see the grandkids…and this time. we watched a couple of them play sports. You’ll meet meet two of my grandsons and they’ll tell you yet another reason why RVs are so handy… even if you don’t camp. Jennifer stops by to open our books, revealing our out of pocket costs on a typical RV trip. LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK: Listeners ask our experience with our Michelin LTXMS2 tires and, specifically, we talk about how they handle in the snow. RV NEWS OF THE WEEK: There’s a very tough new anti-RV law on the books in San Diego. Some 250 plus RVers have been hit with stiff fines for parking their RVs near beach access sites over the past couple of weeks TRAVELING TECH TIP: I talk about weather apps. You may not know it but most phones today automatically receive emergency weather alerts. Check your phone’s settings and notifications and you’ll see where to set them. It gets emergency alerts, but has to be turned on. Check with your carrier for specifics but when activated, you’ll get warnings automatically as the are issued. The system also sends out Amber alerts and, in dire emergencies, presidential warnings My favorite weather app is My Radar. It’s a free app for all the major mobile platforms. It displays animated weather radar around your current location, allowing you to quickly see what weather is coming your way. For $3.99 you can include weather warnings and alerts, complete with push notifications, to warn you of severe weather in your area. RV BUCKET LIST DESTINATION: The Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado INTERVIEW: Vanessa Fox, http://www.girlmeetsroad.com/, travels the country in a Roadtrek 170 Popular working from a different city every day. She shares how her adventures. Vanessa Fox travels the country in her Roadtrek Popular 170, working out of a different city each day.

Episode 3 of Roadtreking the RV Podcast It’s time for a new edition of Roadtreking- The RV Podcast. I continue to be overwhelmed by the positive response we’ve had to the first two episodes. I hope you... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Latest in Class B RVs on display at Pomona All the major Class B manufacturers are here at Pomona: Roadtrek, Pleasureway, Leisure Travel, Airstream, Sportsmobile, Winnebago. I walked through and sampled the models on display. Every manufacturer offers something... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Pomona RV Show I’ve been hanging out at the Pomona RV show here in sunny California. As with most trade shows, it’s stocked with the really cool, the really impressive, and the really... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Devils Tower My wife, Kris, came up with the idea of visiting Devil’s Tower in Wyoming while we were enjoying Custer State Park in South Dakota. The best thing about unstructured traveling... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

How to Help Build Your Own RV I was given a unique opportunity over the past few months. I had been hanging out at the Roadtrek factory last fall and this spring, and Jim Hammill the president... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Episode 2 This has been such a blast to do. I’m thrilled by the response from so many who listened to our first podcast. I have dozens more planned! This week, we have released two episodes, to get the ball rolling. Starting next week, a new podcast episode will post every Wednesday morning. Jennifer joins me in this episode to help answer some questions. Each episode of these podcasts comes as a direct result of our travels across North America in a small motorhome, reporting about the interesting people and places we meet. We offer RV and camping tips, tap into our network of Roadtreking reporters, review the latest in traveling technology and discover destinations you’ll want to put on your bucket list. Click the link above to hear Episode 2, then scroll down for the show notes and links to the things we discuss. We talk about why podcasts are so powerful and popular. And we discuss how to listen and subscribe. I suggest several apps. Apple’s iPhone and iPad have their own built in app. I also reccomend Stitcher, a free app that works on all platforms, Apple, Android, phones and tablets. More apps Podcast Addict is free and takes a simple approach to a podcast app. However, it makes up for this by having a lot of areas to navigate. As with all of the apps on this list, finding the podcasts we searched for was quick and easy. When adding podcasts, there’s quite a few options to choose from. You can search for them by name manually, add an RSS feed, browse by top podcastsand other stuff. All in all, it’s a great free podcast app if you’re strapped for cash. Pocket Casts is yet another solid Podcast app. Like Podcast Addict, this podcast aggregator lets people browse for a variety of options, including top audio, top video, featured, by network, and by category. It makes finding podcasts extremely easy. Once you’ve found what podcast you’re looking for, playing them is easy as ever, and you can even categorize your podcast subscriptions for better organization. You can even sign up for a Pocket Casts account and sync across devices so you don’t have to go hunting for your podcasts over and over again. It’s $3.99 well spent if you’re a podcast fan. Tablets — Flipboard is actually not so much a podcast app but an RSS app. Generally, people use Flipboard to gather and read news articles. However, one of the lesser known features of Flipboard is the ability to subscribe and listen to podcasts. This is great if you already use RSS to get news or if you already use Flipboard because it’s just a matter of subscribing to your podcasts. For those who may not have used it, Flipboard features a gorgeous, smooth interface and it’s generally considered one of the best news readers out there. To us, it’s one of the best podcast apps too and it’s also free. Again, you can subscribe to this podcast via at iTunes. Please choose and click the star rating for the podcast on iTunes and leave me a review. As we establish the show, those reviews and star ratings really help. The RSS link for the podcasts for you geeks who like to use it to locate podcasts is http://feeds.feedburner.com/roadtrekingpodcast. LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK: We answer two questions this week, phoned in through the “Leave a Voicemail” link on the right side of this page. RV NEWS OF THE WEEK: You won’t believe how busy the rangers were at the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago! TRAVELING TECH TIP: Review of the Logitech UE Mini Boom box. Here’s a video I did about it – http://pcmike.com/traveling-tech-tools-toys/ BUCKET LIST RV DESTINATION OF THE WEEK Florida’s Blue Springs State Park, best place to see manatees in the winter

Here it is, the first of what will be a weekly program: The Roadtreking RV Lifestyle Podcast. Episode 1 - Roadtreking the RV Lifestyle Podcast This has been a lot of fun to do. This is a show that celebrates the RV lifestyle. Whether you have in a Class B motorhome like the Roadtrek Jennifer and I travel in, a Class C, a Class A, a Fifth Wheel, a Pop-up, heck, even if you dry camp out of your car, or tent and are just thinking about getting an RV, this show is for you. We talk about the RV lifestyle – getting out there, enjoying God’s creation, meeting interesting people and places and sharing tips on keeping our RVs running right, looking good and using the right gear and technology to enhance our camping and RVing experience. We have two episodes up (Episode 1) and every week, there will be a brand new one! Please help spread the word and if you can, leave us a review on the iTunes podcast site. If you’re going to listen, please listen to them in order. We’ll be posting new episodes every Wednesday. I’ve built a podcast studio at home and a mobile one for our Roadtrek. Looking ahead, we’ll probably add a live video feed of the podcast, too. You can listen to the very first episode by clicking the play arrow below, then keep reading this post for the show notes and information that will help you if you are new to podcasts or are unsure how to make them a part of your routine. Why am I doing a podcast? Because it is fun, that’s why. It’s also perhaps the most personal medium out there. And, quietly, over the past year or so, it’s become huge. According to the Washington Post, podcast downloads passed the 1 billion mark last year and monthly podcast listeners now number 75 million per month. Podcasts have been around for a decade. They almost died three or four years ago. The New York Times and the Boston Globe abandoned most of their audio programming citing a lack of interest and revenue. But then things changed. First, the technology improved.. Apple built-in a Podcast app on its iPhones and iPads operating system. Android podcast apps also proliferated. Bluetooth is now part of every automotive and RV entertainment system. Faster Internet speeds and 4G LTE technology made downloading seamless and more and more people started abandoning traditional radio in favor of podcasts. In the last year alone, according to Fast Company Magazine, the amount of people listening to podcasts has gone up 25%. And people who podcast listen to an average of six podcasts a week. Apple says its mobile device users subscribed to one billion podcasts last year. Podcasts are so simple thanks to apps. And they make so much sense. So for an RV journalist like me – who just happens to love this stuff – it makes even more sense. Here’s a link to subscribe to the Roadtreking RV Lifestyle Podcast on iTunes: iTunes Podcasts - Roadtreking You can play this on your computer if you want by just clicking the little play arrow up at the top if this post. That’s fine if you want to sit in one spot and listen at your computer. But let me say right up front that’s not the best way to listen to podcasts. Where podcasts are meant to be heard is on your smartphone or tablet. Mobile devices are meant for podcasts. The apps let you subscribe to your favorite shows and then, whenever the show releases a new episode, the new show is automatically updated and listed on your app. If you want to listen, just hit play. So mobile podcasting listening is the driving force behind the crazy new popularity of podcasts. They let you listen as you do stuff. Listen as you drive. You can start it and stop it and resume it whenever you want. You can play it over Bluetooth through the vehicle speakers so everyone in the vehicle can listen. Or you can listen through earbuds. You can subscribe to this podcast and others you discover through the Apple podcast App or one of the Android apps. I also want to recommend a great app called Stitcher, which offers really quality podcasts for whatever platform your mobile device works on – be it Apple, Android or your computer. If you’re using an app, just search for Roadtreking – the RV Podcast. The app will find it. Then click “Subscribe.” If you’re on the geeky side and want the direct feed URL for our Roadtreking RV Lifestyle Podcast, it is http://rvpodcast.libsyn.com/rss. But get an app and use your mobile device. It simply couldn’t be any easier. In this first episode: I introduce myself to the audience and explain how a hard-nosed journalist became an RV travel writer Jennifer and I share some tips on how to get along in a small motorhome. I answer a reader question about setting up the bed in the Roadtrek (For sleeping, I recommend RV Superbags). I ask a whole bunch of RV folks what’s on their bucket list There’s a very in depth interview of Campskunk, our Roadtreking Reporter fulltimer who shares his annual travel routes, how he and his wife, Sharon, cope in what is essentially a campervan, what they do, how much they spend on campgrounds and pretty much everything you’ve been wondering about the Campskunk boondocking method. I hope you enjoy it. Meantime, I invite you to be a part of it. I’d like to feature comments, questions and tips from readers on the Roadtreking RV Lifestyle Podcast. Will you help me ? Leave comments or questions below. Thanks, in advance! When you listen on your smartphone, here’s what it looks like.

Essential Cooking Supplies for your RV We do not eat out a lot when traveling, and when the weather does not cooperate for cooking on the grill, or we are in need of restocking the refrigerator/freezer,... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Episode 2 of Roadtreking – The RV Lifestyle Podcast This has been such a blast to do. I’m thrilled by the response from so many who listened to our first podcast. I have dozens more planned! This week, we... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

A Dog’s Life Rambling Ruka Robinson here, on the road again, with my chauffeur/minion/BFF Laura. I love to travel and have already marked routes all the way to Idaho,Oregon, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Episode 1 – The Roadtreking RV Lifestyle Podcast Here it is, the first of what will be a weekly program: The Roadtreking RV Lifestyle Podcast. This has been a lot of fun to do. This is a show... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

There’s never enough room. That’s the first thing about RVing we all think when we start RVing, isn’t it? But there really is. No matter what size RV we have, we all want to bring too much stuff. Once we discover that, it’s a little easier to pack the essentials. Still, some times, you need a little more storage space. That’s why we recently replaced one of the two back seats with a custom sized armoire. It is a perfect match with the rest of the wooden cabinets inside our Roadtrek eTrek. And it even comes with a pull out table that lets us replace the front table that attaches to a pole that fits into a hole in the floor. Jennifer shows it off in this week’s edition of “How We Roll” as I show how I pack the “basement.” Here’s our video:

Spontaneous Roadtreking We’re the traveling trio- Olga, Laura and Ruka. Olga (stands for Old Ladies Get Aound) is my comfy-ever-ready-super-cool-traveling machine that makes me feel a little bit like Dr. Who?, because... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Here’s your chance to try out winter camping Announcing, the first annual Winter Wonderland Roadtreking No Rules Rally, to be held Jan 23-25 at the very snowy Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Last time I camped there that time... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Campskunk’s back on the road in a new RV After many long months, I was finally able to give my captors the slip and am now safely across the border at Port Huron and proceed west a few miles... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

In the Black Hills: Custer State Park Custer State Park was our favorite spot when traveling the Black Hills of South Dakota. If you want to see an abundance of wildlife along with great scenery, this is... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Apps to help you find fall colors The annual fall foliage show is now underway as trees across North America begin turning color. I have some online resources available that can make your fall color RV travels... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

I love getting reader mail and I do my best to answer them. But lately, as the fall RV RV shows start getting underway and lots of people are thinking about purchasing a motorhome and more new people are discovering this blog, the questions are somewhat the same. So I thought I’d share here the answer to the one question we get asked the most. Q: WHAT WOULD YOU AND YOUR WIFE DO DIFFERENTLY IN BUYING AN RV NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A WHILE? A: The short answer is…nothing. We now have about 75,000 miles of Roadtreking travel under our tires since March of 2012. We’ve traveled in two Roadtreks, Our first was a 2006 RS Adventurous. The one we currently drive is a 2013 Roadtrek eTrek. We did a lot of checking around about what vehicle we wanted and settling on a Roadtrek was very easy. It’s the best-selling Type B in North America. Has been for many years. It has the largest dealer network of Type Bs. It’s resale value is tremendous. It’s quality reputation is stellar. So we knew right away that Roadtrek would be our choice. The rest was easy, too. We wanted a tall interior so we could easily walk around inside and settled on the Sprinter. When a used one was about to become available at a local dealer, we put money down sight unseen to have first refusal. We didn’t refuse. That said, I do have one regret. I wish we had bought months before. I spent too much time wondering if I could afford it. The truth is, as my friend Yan Seiner says when he faced the same issue, I could not afford to do it. The clock is ticking. I want every moment of the time have left to count. Jim Hammill, the Roadtrek President, has a very powerful illustration that brings this home. He says take out a tape measure. Ask yourself how long you think you will live. Say it’s 90. Then ask, how many years will you be healthy enough to enjoy RV traveling. Say the answer to that is 85. Put your finger on the 85 inch mark. Now put another finger on your current age. The length of time between those numbers is how much time you have left. Look at those numbers from one to your current age. They went by pretty fast, didn’t they? Now look at the numbers between 85 and your current age. There really is no time to waste. We all have a bucket list. Jennifer and I are filling ours. We just wish we had started earlier, because now that we’re Roadtreking, we keep adding to it as we see what an incredible world is out there just waiting to be explored.

How we Roll in our RV – Budgeting for a long trip and odor control In this edition of “How We Roll,” Jennifer answers a question about budgeting and how much it costs us to take a typical week to 10 day trip. In these... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source

Our most-asked Roadtreking Question I love getting reader mail and I do my best to answer them. But lately, as the fall RV RV shows start getting underway and lots of people are thinking... Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome Source