Roadtrekingmike

We’re just back from a 1,100 mile RV trip that took us across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – in the wintertime. We headquartered our trip in Marquette, where we got a chance to take in all the excitement around the annual UP200 dog sled race, one of the nation’s premier such events, a qualifying race for Alaska’s famed Iditarod. I wrote about that the other day. We really fell in love with Marquette, a city of about 21,000 in the north central UP, right on the shores of Lake Superior. The town is the home of Northern Michigan University, has a first rate medical center and lots of great restaurants. Marquette also has the most accessible lakefront I’ve sever seen. And all around it are vast stretches of gorgeous wilderness. Everyone in Marquette seemingly loves the winter. They embrace it. Grown men and women wear snow pants and don’t feel the least self conscious. Nor does anyone worry about having hat hair. Marquette is an outdoor lover’s paradise. And from there, we set off to visit many of the places we reported on last summer. We were really curious about how the summertime beauty would look under a blanket of ice and snow. I wanted to see how feasible it was to RV in the wintertime. Turns out, as you can see in the video, it is very feasible. I even ran into another Roadtreking RVer, Gary Hennes, from suburban Minneapolis. He drove up to see the dog sled race in his 2006 Roadtrek RS Adventurous, accompanied by his 14-year-old grandson. Hennes routinely camps in the winter. He says it’s just as much fun as it is during the summertime. And we were also very curious to see what it would be like to spend the night in our new Roadtrek eTrek when it was so cold it. We did so, staying at the Tahquamenon Falls State Park, which keeps a handful of camping spots open all year. I’ll share that experience in a a story and video later this week.

MARQUETTE, MI – Winter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is not for warm weather sissies. In the town of Marquette, hard on the shore of Lake Superior, nearly 149 inches of snow falls each winter. That works out to nearly 12 and-a-half feet of snow. Up here, from late October to mid April, snowmobiles are seemingly as common as trucks. But all that snow also enables another form of transportation: Dog sleds. Each February, Marquette hosts one of the nation's premier dog sled races, the UP200, a challenging 240-mile course that winds its way through cedar and hardwood forests, across half frozen streams, ice covered lakes and rugged wilderness to the tiny town of Grand Marais far to the east, before returning by the same route. Thousands come to watch. And the event has become so popular that it has spawned two shorter races at the same time, the Midnight Run, a 15 mile route to a nearby town, and the Jackpine 30, which covers 30 miles. This year, the 24th running, drew teams from Maine, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Alaska. The UP200 is a qualifying race for the famed Iditarod in Alaska, the Ironman equivalent of the dog sled racing world. But besides the professional mushers, this region of the Upper Peninsula also has plenty of home grown teams. Up here, many year-round folks mush for the sheer love of the sport, and their dogs, which are typically Alaskan or Siberian Huskies or mixes of the two breeds. Just outside of Marquette in the town of Qwinn is Snowy Plains Kennel, run by veteran mushers Jim and Jackie Winkowski. The couple owns, trains and runs 28 dogs. Jackie has written a series of children's books on their pack and the sled dog racing culture. They also offer dog sled rides to tourists. We met Jackie as she was autographing her books at the Holiday Inn headquarters of the UP200 and she invited us out to her kennel, which mushers call a raœdog yard. “They’re like our kids,” she says of her pack. “There’s a bond there that’s hard to explain. But it’s all built on love. They love us. We love them. And they love to run.” Just tending to the pack of sled dogs takes about four hours each day, says Jim. Training, which begins in earnest in the early fall, easily takes another three or four hours on the days they hit the trails. “We love them,” he says. “They are made to run. It’s in their genes. It’s beautiful to see.” I told him I’d like to get some video of them in action. He hooked up a team… just like that. I sat in the sled as Jim mushed. It was exhilarating and exciting. I was amazed at how fast the dogs moved. Jim guessed we were doing about 15 miles an hour. The ride was jarring at times. I bounced high enough a couple of times that I thought I’d lose the camera. After our run, I wanted to do it all over again. I now understand why people mush. Our visit to Snowy Plains Kennel helped us appreciate the UP200 and understand how much the mushers and their dogs are bonded by their love of each other and the trail. Earlier that day, I got to meet most of the dogs close up during the vet check, as a team of local veterinarians checked each dog and certified that they were healthy enough to compete. Twelve dogs pull each sled during the UP200. The two shorter races have teams of six or eight dogs. None of the mushers do it for the money. This year's purse for the UP200 is $28,500, with $7,200 going to the first place team and the rest divided among the field. That's not a lot of money when you consider that dog food alone for a competitive team costs about $600 a month. Typically, the teams train four days a week, running 25 to 30 miles each time. It takes a special person to race dog sleds. Frank Moe, a former state legislator and well known Minnesota politician and outdoor advocate, was one of this year’s competitors. So was Zoya DeNure, a former international fashion model who now owns Crazy Dog Kennels in Alaska. The race is a great one for spectators. There are lots of spots to get close to the dogs. Towns along the route build big bonfires. Local churches bake pies and civic groups and mom and pop restaurants sell hot soup and sandwiches. Downtown Marquette had 8,000 lining the streets for the start of the race. Other towns on the route like Munising, Harvey, Chatham and Grand Marais also draw spectators. And it all happens outdoors. This year snow fell pretty much all along the route from the start Friday to the Sunday finish. It was also very cold. Temps dropped to minus five a few hours after the Friday night start. But the folks who come up here to watch and participate in dog sled racing aren't wusses. Jennifer and I? Well… let’s just say we found the cold and snow to be, ah… very refreshing. We drove our Roadtrek E-Trek and were delighted to be able to retreat to it and its warmth several times during the day as we watched the teams at various locations. We’re off over the weekend to follow the teams on the trail and to get more of a feeling for the UP wintertime lifestyle and how RVers can enjoy it.

http://youtu.be/tTDWY2plCBs It's a long way to Michigan's UP -- 450 miles from my house north of Detroit to Marquette, our destination for the big UP200 dog sled race this weekend. For me, besides the fun of this big event – a qualifier race for Alaska’s famed Idiatrod – it was also a chance to test out the new Roadtrek eTrek in the winter. One thing we learned. Plan on extra time at rest stops. Once people see the eTrek, they ask questions. And want a tour. At the Linwood Rest Stop, two brothers, Dave and Jerry Banks, walked all around the eTrek, looking it over. Finally, they knocked on the door and asked for a tour. Jennifer delights in showing it off and was only too happy to oblige. As we got back on the road and continued north on I-75, driving conditions began to deteriorate fast. North of Gaylord, a stiff crosswind started buffeting us. But the Mercedes Sprinter-based Roadtrek clung to the road better than my car would have. By the time we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, snow fog had set in. The bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, is over five miles long, separating Michigan's Lower Peninsula from the Upper Peninsula (the UP). Road conditions went from bad to worse. It's a good thing the speed limit in the UP is 55. In the winter, especially as lake effect snow blows in off Lake Superior, whiteouts can happen fast. There was some pretty dicey weather on state Highway 28 and as we rolled into Marquette about 8:30PM, I was glad to call it quits. We headed straight for the headquarters for the race, at the local Holiday Inn. We are not spending the night in the RV. Because it is winterized, there's no on board water. That means no showers. And since we have our travel writer hats on this weekend covering the race, we opted to get a room as we need to look sharp. Besides, no campgrounds are open up here this time of year and tonight's windchill is minus 8 degrees Fahrenheit. Before heading inside to edit ths piece, we took a stroll through the parking lot. Mushers had their sled dogs out for dinner and a little exercise. The dogs are all excited and anxious to pull. Mushers have come from all over North America to compete under some pretty grueling wilderness conditions. They’ll go 234 miles from Marquette east to Grand Marais and then back. They are pretty much all on their own out there. A couple years back, a musher and his team were lost after plunging through a partially fronzen lake. Ten to 14 inches of lake effect snow is predicted for parts of the course this weekend. We’ll use the eTrek to follow the course. It will be a warming house for us and a mobile production van as we shoot and edit our stories. For tonight, we parked the Roadtrek behind a snowbank , surrounded by sled dogs and snowmobiles. The race starts tomorrow night.

Tarry gunk still evident on Gulf beaches More than two and a half years after the disastrous Deepwater oil spill by BP, tarry, gunky deposits of what appears to be dried oil are still all too evident on stretches of Northwest Florida gulfshore beaches. “This is atrocious,” reports RT Campskunk, a fulltiming RVer in a Roadtrek 190 from St. George Island, Florida. “It’s just a shame. These were the best beaches in the country. I was used to tar on the beaches out in Texas and Louisiana where all the wells are, but this is the first time I have seen it in Florida.” Campskunk walked long stretches of the beach around the Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park and found numerous clumps of the stuff. He took lots of photos like this one. That’s a quarter on top of the tarry deposit, to give us an idea of its size. You can see lots more of his photos on his Flickr photostream. Hurricane Isaac last fall was blamed for fresh oil deposits showing up in Louisiana But that doesn’t explain the ones Campskunk spotted this week. Some are four inches thick. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of the Interior said in September 2012 that an estimated 1 million gallons of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill were hiding in the underwater sediment off the coast of Louisiana. St. George Island is a 22-mile, thin barrier island in Northwest Florida, just southeast of Panama City near the Panhandle. Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road <a href="http://Roadtreking.com/tarry-gunk-still-evident-on-gulf-beaches/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tarry-gunk-still-evident-on-gulf-beaches">Source</a>

We're in the midst of prime time for RV shows. Starting in January and running until early March, dozens of RV shows are staged in cities across the country. Jennifer and I have attended a slew of them this year as we, along with tens of thousands of other RVers, await warmer weather. One thing you can expect to find at just about any RV show – besides motorhomes, travel-trailers, fifth-wheels and lots of salespeople to haggle with -- are exhibitors like campground operators, RV accessory makers and all sorts of other big and little things that enhance the RV experience. We put together this little video on some of the fun things we've stumbled across. Most of these clips are from two shows at the big RV Supershow in Tampa, Florida, in January and the Michigan Association from in early February. When you can't be out there RVing, attending an RV show just may be the next best thing. http://youtu.be/DapwHtEpiBM

http://youtu.be/ikwYoAmuQQk I love kayaking. But with a Class B campervan-style RV, there just isn’t enough storage room to take one along. At least that’s what I thought until I discovered the Sea Eagle inflatable Kayak. Facebook friends on our Roadtreking page alerted me to it and I’m planning to order one before spring. The one I’m looking at is the SeaEagle 330. It weighs just 26 lbs. and packs down small enough to fit in the “basement” of my Roadtrek Sprinter van, the storage space under the bed behind the rear doors. Others claim it can be stored inside, in one of the cabinets. As the video shows, it’s a rugged kayak able to hold two people or 500 lbs and yet easy enough to be carried and paddled by one. Teri and Ken Jones of California demo it in the above video. A foot pump inflates it. The 330 comes with two seats that others have suggested I upgrade for greater comfort. Since so many places we go to have nice kayak-friendly waterways nearby, I’m thinking that $319 for the deluxe package with the upgraded seats is not a bad investment. I”ll read you comments here before ordering so if anyone has some suggestions or has had experience with them, I’d love to get them!

This could be the first Type B motorhome ever Henry Fords 1937 House Car. They supposedly only build a handful of these each year. This one is on a 1937 Ford Pickup frame and was found in a private garage in Minnesota in the summer of 2001 with only 19,000 miles on it. A collector named Graham Thickins restored it to original and drivable condition. Check out this story by Thickins to see lots of photos and get the details but it had an all wood lined interior with a metal skin wrapped around it. The roof is wood framed with heavy, waterproofed canvas, Door frames are solid oak, as are the window frames. Heres a pdf of an 1993 story on it. Thickins took the photos and has since sold it to another collector. It looks really nice, doesnt it? Source

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There are fulltime RVers and then there is Campskunk. Most fulltimers travel in Type A motorhomes or Fifth Wheels. They also tow a car. And though their RVs are as long as many a subdivision house, they are still a rare breed, disposing of only what they can put in storage or pack in their 36, 40 or 43 foot long RV. They’re generally celebrated by the RV community, looked up to and envied for their independence and vagabond freedom. But imagine doing it in a 22-foot long Class B campervan. That’s what Campskunk has been doing for the past three years. With wife, Sharon and their Ragdoll cat, “Fiona the Fearless,” they live 24-x-7, 365 days a year in their 2003 Roadtrek Type B motorhome. Campskunk, of course, is not his real name. But he’s known to thousands in the RV community by that moniker, which comes from part of the couple’s joint email address that blends the first part of Sharon’s maiden name with his old nickname from the days he held a high profile state government job that had him doing a lot of quality control work that made him more than his share of enemies. That was before he retired in 2010, let his hair grow down to his waist, mothballed his sportcoats and literally burned his ties to set off on the road, living life a day at a time in the most beautiful places he could find. “I wore a coat and tie everyday,” he says of his former working life. “I was burning yard trash getting ready to leave the house and begin fulltiming in late July 2010, so I just took my ties and draped them over the burning pile, one by one. It was intensely satisfying to leave that part of my life behind.” He does keep one tie, one sportcoat and one pair of dress slacks in his RV for funerals, weddings and special occasions. But his typical wear is a T-shirt, jeans or shorts. That’s because he is always somewhere warm. Always. It’s his hard and fast traveling rule.”I consider it operator error if we end up in a place colder than 70 degrees,” he says. Full time living in such a small motorhome is not nearly as difficult as it sounds, he says. “It a matter of priorities and planning, Most of us just don’t need all the stuff we have. The more stuff, the less free we are to live the way we want to.” Campskunk is a regular on RV forums on Facebook and Yahoo!. He’s well respected as an expert tinkerer, someone who can fix anything, build anything and modify an RV for years of use. His Chevy-based Roadtrek has 120,000 miles. He thinks he can get another ten years of use out of it and hopes to take it to Europe after several more years of traveling across the U.S. Money is admittedly tight. He and Sharon meticulously budget. “Leaving aside all the regular non-fulltiming-related expenditures like car insurance and health insurance, etc, we originally budgeted $50 a day, or $1500 a month: $500 for fuel, $500 for groceries and spending money, and $500 for lodging/campground fees,” he says. ”Since we started fulltiming, fuel costs have averaged $346 per month and our campground costs have gone down to $1,776 for the last year, or $148 a month.” That’s because whenever possible, he chooses to boondock, staying in free or reduced rate non-commercial campgrounds, typically in state and national forests, coastal areas or pubic land. “In one memorable month the summer before last, we only spent $600 – camping was free and town was only 5 miles away, so no fuel costs. And there was nothing else to spend money on. We were up at 9,800 feet near Silverton, CO,” he says. Campskunk has become amazingly adept at finding spectacular boondocking spots. “I Google around,” he says, “The national forest service’s website is very hard to find stuff on, But there’s a book of all the national forest campsites in a book put out by Coleman. Find the ranger station, stop in and talk to them about dispersed camping – that’s the best. I also keep my eyes open when driving, and have literally stumbled into many great places. Know the state laws where you travel – you can park along the pacific coastal highway anywhere There are no local ordinances or signs prohibiting it for 8 hours in California and 12 hours in Oregon. I think you can stay for longer in Washington state – nobody’s ever up there. The best way to find overnight spots when you’re just traveling through and want to overnight near the highway is http://www.overnightrvparking.com/ It costs $25 a year for a subscription but you make your money back the first campground you avoid. It has up-to-date information on 10,000 free or very cheap overnight parking spots nationwide.” He’s totally wired with satellite Internet and commercial TV. “Sharon insisted that if we were going to really do this, she’d have her TV,” he says. “I needed the Internet. So we have two dishes.” He is solar powered and has a wind turbine that also helped top off the coach batteries in his RV. He did it all himself thanks to skills he honed in the 70′s when he worked as an automotive mechanic befofe heading back to school for the specialized education that got him his government job. There are unique challenges to fulltime RV living, he admits. “Challenges are anything that you can’t do electronically – get a prescription filled, get your new credit cards when the old ones expire, getting your new insurance cards, etc. We now have east and west coast dentists. The other doctor stuff is harder- we had to go to Mexico once to get one prescription filled when the logistics of getting it filled by regular means failed. There’s no ‘see you in three months’ when you’re a fulltimer. One really annoying thing is going into a different grocery store every week – you never learn where they put things, and the next place is always different.” Campskunk turned 60 last fall. He travels about 15,000 miles each year, making non-rushed loops around the country. Fulltime RVing is not for everyone, he is quick to point out. But it is doable. His best advice? “Just get out there and do it. You’ll get better at it after a year or two. We are still learning as we go. We’re poor but happy.” Source

John and Terry O’Brien love old travel trailers. From their Silver Springs, FL home, the New York transplants did one up in the style of the Fifties a couple of years ago. It was so unique that the Travel Channel saw it at an RV show they were covering, did a feature on it and as a result, John received an offer he couldn’t refuse. So when they saw an old beat up old 1987 16-foot Casita travel trailer in a junkyard not long afterwards, they knew it was time for another restoration project. The old trailer they sold was was themed for the fifties. It just made sense – since they were married in 1961 – to make this one Sixties-styled. The result of their spectacular “Lost in the 60s” restoration. I caught up with them at the Florida RV Supershow, where they were showing off their creation as part of a group of restoration and old-RV enthusiasts called the “Tin Can Tourists.” They gave me a nifty little tour of their old trailer. I think you’ll agree when you see the video, this one was over the top. What’s next? They want to do an old trailer up in a Parrothead/Margarita theme honoring Jimmy Buffett’s contribution to the culture. How come they are so good at this? John’s hobby is restoring antique cars. Terry loves decorating. If you attend the big RV shows, look for them and the Tin Can Tourist group. You’ll enjoy the visit. Source

The bitter cold of the north keeps many RVers from using their motorhomes all year round. For many, their coaches sit in driveways, winterized and waiting for the thaw. I plan on taking my Class B to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in mid-February. I’ll probably go alone as my wife doesn’t like the idea of having to forgo showers while using it in the winter. While you can use it in the winter, you have to carry bottled water. And if you use the toilet, you have to”chase” it with antifreeze. No doubt about it. Winter RVing in the frozen north can be quite a hassle. I suspect lots of RVers are like me. They’d like to use their motorhomes if their units weren’t in danger of freezing up one they put water into it. Leisure Travel Vans and Triple E of Canada has an answer for those who want to RV year round. They’ve just introduced the 2013 Regency GT24MB that solves the problem of winter RVing. Fully insulated with thermal break walls, enclosed, insulated and heated tanks and dual thermopane windows the unit has a slide, a queen-sized Murphy bed, a 35K propane furnace and a stand up enclosed shower. It is a gas powered Type C built on a F450 Ford chassis and 24 feet long. Price for the base Regency GT in the U.S. ranges from $119,763 – $130,193. Dean Corrigal, LTV’s spokesman, does a detailed walk around in the video above. If I heard him right, there’s even a solar option. Source

I am a huge fan of the Webasto Dual Top RHA 100 diesel-powered combined air and water heater for the Roadtrek eTrek and, as an option, on other Roadtrek models. In terms of heat, it both heats up the inside of the coach and provides hot domestic water. The entire unit fits under the vehicle chassis, saving precious space inside. A small fuel line runs under the coach from the Mercedes engine up front to the Dual Top, mounted under the rear of the vehicle. Heat is pushed out through two air outlets. In my unit, they are directly beneath the rear sofa. When we make it into a bed, it’s like having heated sheets. The domestic water boiler on the Dual Top is connected directly to the fresh water tank and the hot water faucets. And it is whisper quiet. Though mounted underneath the sleeping area on the underside of the coach, a muffler connects to an outside exhaust pipe and, really, we don’t even hear it. Here’s a detailed description from Webasto on how the Dual Top works: When the unit is switched on the dosing pump feeds fuel from the vehicle’s fuel tank to the heater. Here the fuel is automatically ignited by means of a glow plug. If combustion does not occur immediately the unit automatically repeats the start-up procedure. In the combustion chamber a flame is lit which heats up the heat exchanger. The unit takes air in from outside of the vehicle for combustion purposes and the combusted exhaust air is discharged back outside. During heating, the integrated fan sucks in the air to be heated through the inlet and feeds it through the unit. As the air flows through the heat exchanger it is heated up and is then distributed through the outlet. The connected hot air ducting spreads the air evenly throughout the vehicle interior. Due to the unit’s separation of the combustion cycle from the heating cycle there is no quality impairment of the hot air. A temperature sensor constantly measures the interior temperature and adapts the heating level by automatically adjusting the amount of air passing through the unit. In this way, the temperature selected by the user is rapidly reached and maintained at a constant level. After the unit has been switched off, the combustion process is terminated in a controlled manner. For this purpose the unit briefly goes into re-run mode to cool itself down. It is then immediately ready for restarting. I really came to appreciate the Dual Top on my return from sunny Florida to frigid Michigan. On the way back north, we overnighted near Lexington, KY in mid-January. The heater is quiet and kept us toasty warm at 70 degrees despite a plunging temperature outside. I got worried the next morning when I saw ice caked on the underside of the heater. Oh oh, I thought. Instead of a problem, it was a very cool feature (pun intended) of the heater. It was protecting itself against the cold. The Dual Top is automatically programmed to empty its water supply if the temperature drops lower than 43 degrees Fahrenheit. It does that, by the way, even if it is off. That night in Lexington, it got down to 26. I had emptied the water from the fresh water tank and ran the inside faucets dry back in Georgia. But I still needed to get antifreeze into the eTrek. I stopped at one big RV dealer in Ohio and they weren’t very interested in helping as they were unfamiliar with the eTrek. So I drove home, where the thermometer dropped to three below zero overnight. I kept the Webasto heater running with forced air all night. The next day, I got it to my local Roadtrek dealer. There, sure enough, we found the water pipes frozen. In a heated garage, we waited for them to defrost. I cranked the Webasto up to help further warm the interior and, after a couple hours, we were able to get antifreeze through the system. Fortunately, there were no leaks. If the heater hadn’t kept the inside warm all night long, I’m sure those pipes would have burst. As it was, it is a reminder not to take anything for granted with the weather. I should have winterized in Georgia. But the incident has made me very appreciative of an excellent heater. All said, though, I’d rather be in Florida. Source

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

Our favorite features on 2013 model Type B motorhomes We spent most of the past week touring the 2013 edition of the Florida RV Supershow, arguably the nation’s biggest and best RV shows. Some 1,100 RVs spread out over 16 acres were on display this year from just about every RV manufacturer in North America. Since we concentrate our coverage on small motorhomes and Type B coaches in particular, we had lots of time to inspect the 2013 models from the leading Type B manufacturers. Jennifer and I saw the lineup from Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans, Great West Vans, Airstream and Roadtrek Motorhomes, as well as the new Ocean One model from Type B start-up manufacturer Advanced RV. The vans are beautiful, the interiors varied and the colors and options many. Here are a few of the top Type B trends we identified at the show, as well as some of the things we liked the most: Solar – Everyone s jumping on the solar option, as led by Roadtrek and its new eTrek Bigger Refrigerators – The fridges are getting bigger, 7 and 7.5 cubic feet will be common in 2013 Stainless appliances – The galleys are sparkling this year thanks to an abundance if stainless Heated floors – Hydronic heating is offered by several Type B manufacturers, heating the coach interiors, water tans, bathrooms and floors. Keurig coffee makers – This seems to be the choice for Type B coffee-making, typically on a slide out shelf Touch screen control centers – Advanced RV has the Silverlight flat panel touch screen. It’s expensve. But sales and RV industry folks we talked to said other manufacturers will be implementing other versionsof this technology, utilizing iPad and Droid tablets. The video above shows some of our favorites. Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road Source

Great West Vans Revamps 2013 Legend Lineup under New Ownership Canadian Type B RV maker Great West Vans was bought out last year by one of their suppliers and the new owner, Dave DeBraga, has big plans for the company’s Legend brand of Mercedes Sprinter models. DeBraga, the owner and new President of Great West Vans, was all over the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa in January, meeting customers and sharing his excitement for the luxury Legend series of Sprinters sold by the company, now based in Winnipeg, where DeBraga’s other company, the Sterling Group, is headquartered. That company builds doors, fiberglass components and running boards. DeBraga did an extended interview with us, outlining the revamped line of the Legend, Legend SE and Legend EX models, which includ redesigned interiors, new running boards and a streamlined appearance. The distinctive sliding slide screen door on GWVans, introduced by the previous owner, Martin H. Guertz, continues to be a hallmark of the line. Guertz sold the company to DeBraga when he retired last spring. DeBraga’s Sterling Group company used to supply Guertz. “I’m told some people buy these vans just because of that screen door,” smiled DeBraga. “Out whole emphasis is on technology and quality and those screens definitely qualify for that.” Also new for 2013 is a newly designed rear screen that is more integrated into the back doors. DeBraga also showed up a handicap ramp that will easily load wheelchairs into the vans. “There’s a big need for this,” he said. “We’re very proud to be offering this.” Great West Vans sell from around $115,000 to $133,000.”We think we’re right there in the sweet spot for Class B Sprinter motorhomes,” he said. Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road Source

Stroller Dogs: RVers love their dogs Find a group of RVers and you’ll find dogs. And you won’t have to look too hard to find some very pampered pooches. Long after many RVers have raised their own families, many are back pushing strollers. This time, instead of their own babies or grandkids, they’re pushing strollers with their new babies – dogs. RV shows draw huge crowds. From the inside exhibition space to the outdoor displays, it can get very congested at times and if you are accompanied by a creature with little legs…you need some help. Many of the folks I talked to had two dogs. Some three. Several said the main reason they travel in an RV is so they can bring their dogs with them. “Go to an RV show or rally and if there are 100 coaches there, 90 of them have dogs,” said one man I videoed. His wife had a harness around her shoulders and neck that held a dangling dog in a sling like contraption at her waist. For their part, the pups sure looked happy. Some had bows on their heads. A miniature poodle wore a Harley Davidson puppy-size T-shirt. Several had fancy collars with lots of doggie bling. I started taking stills and video after seeing dozens of stroller-pushing RVers at the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa. The video is above…photos below. We RVers sure love our dogs. At the very end of the still photos below is my 70-pound Norwegian Elkhound Tai. We brought him down with us but left him with the grandkids in Georgia while we were visiting the show. No way I’m pushing him in a stroller. He could pull me. Not a bad idea, come to think of it. He is a sort of sled dog, after all. Cats? Didn’t see a one. Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road Source

With the Mercedes Sprinter chassis still driving the big spike in Type B motorhome sales, RV manufacturers are continuing to innovate in design and options as they get ready for the 2013 RV season. At the big Florida RV Supershow in Tampa this January, most of the North America big Type B makers were showing off their new models front and center. We thought it would be helpful to take a look at the interiors of the leading Type B Sprinters. As you’ll see, despite the same space, there are big differences in how the various manufacturers are appointing and laying out their Sprinter models. In this video you’ll see Sprinter models from Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans, Great West Vans, Roadtrek Motorhomes and Airstream, Which features did you like? What do you wish your did see? Post under comments below … Source

Inside Advanced RV’s new Ocean One Type B Motorhome As a sure sign that the RV industry is bouncing back, a small Cleveland-based startup has introduced a high end Mercedes Sprinter motorhome that is targeting the extreme high end of the Type B market. It’s new Ocean One model. Set up with all the extras, it will retail for around $155,ooo, easily making it the most expensive Type B I’ve seen. Luxury features include a heated floor, heated captain’s chairs, a wine cabinet, lots of fine crafter wood cabinets, a 7.5 cubic foot refrigerator and up to four lithium batteries for extended boondocking camping. As such it is positioned closest to Roadtrek’s new eTrek and CS models and Airstream’s Interstate, which have many similar options. Most noticeable about the Ocean One is the distinctive panoramic design of the maple cabinets, which sweep around the interior in an unbroken line that is very pleasing to the eye. I met Mike Neundorfer, the CEO of Advanced RV and founder of the company, at the huge Florida RV Supershow in Tampa, where the Ocean One was officially introduced. Advanced RV says the unit will target only about 5% of the Sprinter RV market. Indeed, his whole company doesn’t expect to sell more than 50 of them a year. They sell direct, through their Advanced RV website. Build time for each unit is between 8- 12 weeks. Neundorfer is a businessman and owner of a comany that helps power plants control air pollution. Assisting him and offering insight into the RV business as a consultant is Mike Ellis, a former General Manager of Great West Vans. Neundorfer gave me a nice tour of the interior of the Ocean One. The video above takes you with me. Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road Source

The RV promotion industry may argue over bragging rights to what is the biggest show of the year but if you poll both dealers and fans, it becomes pretty clear that in terms of influence, size and excitement, the annual Florida RV Supershow this week at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa is the one that sets the tone for the entire RV year. The sponsoring Florida RV Trade Association proudly claim this show is not just the nation’s biggest – it’s the best. This is the show in which RV owners and shoppers can get their first look at the entire 2013 lineup from all the RV North American manufacturers. They are all here at this massive indoor and outdoor space, more than 1,100 RVs of every type and size, buffed, shined, decorated and on display for hands-on inspetion. In terms of the latest add-ons, mods and RV accessories, nearly 500 vendors are here also. An on-site camping Super Rally is sold out, with hundreds of RVers doing camping right at the show. Local campgrounds – and here in Florida, there’s seemingly one on every corner – are also filling up. New Fifth Wheels, Toy Haulers, Travel Trailers of every size and configuration, pop-ups, Type A, B and C motorhomes and everything in between are here, on display across 16 acres through Sunday. It is so big you really need two days to see it, especially when you throw in the entertainment and seminars. And that’s if you take the trolley that runs on a constant circuit. If you walk it, beter figure on three days. Advanced RV Ocean One model Roadtrek’s on display at show The theme this year is “Now is the Time,” meaning there has never been a better time to buy an RV as the industry has largely recovered from the economic downturn and deals have never been better. Today, Tuesday, is Industry Day. We are camping on the grounds and we’re going to try and concentrate mostly on Class B, small motorhomes, and the accessories that go with them. And all the big players are here: Roadtrek, Airstream, Winnebago, Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans and a newcomer making its debut, Advanced RV, a Type B RV startup based in Cleveland, Ohio that builds several models on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. And it’s clear that the eco-themed Roadtrek eTrek, as well as its new CS camping series model, has struck a nerve with consumers and the other manufacturers as well. The two are displayed side-by-side along with every Roadtrek model around it. Leisure Travel Van’s Unity Model Both the eTrek with its all electric, solar power emphasis on camping unplugged and replying on a bank of either eight AGM batteries or three lithium batteries for extended power while boondocking out of commercial campgrounds, and the CS (for Camping Series) with its heated floors, extra large 7 cubic foot refrigerator, increased cabinets and inside storage space and the solar option, seemed to be the trendsetters among the other Class B makers. Pleasure-Way Type Bs Advanced RV’s new Ocean One model, debuting here this week, seems to have picked right up on those Roadtrek innovations, including the heated floors and big fridge. Their Ocean One is extremely luxurious, coming with its own wine cabinet, heated seats, panoramic wood cabinets and a screen sliding door. We also got a chance to look up close and wander around inside the new 2013 Unity model by Leisure Travel Vans. This model has a Murphy Bed and slide-out mid van with a self contained shower and bathroom with vanity in the rear. Over the next few days, we’ll do detailed videos on several of the new models, interviews and special reports. If there’s anything you’d like me to find here and show you, just leave a comment. And if you are visiting the show and would like to see our eTrek, I’d love to meet you and give you a tour. We’re in spot #51. Source

We were deep in the piney woods of Southwest Georgia, a half mile off a red dirt road, parked in a small clearing not far from our deer blind. It was the last weekend of Georgia’s months-long deer season and Matthew, who just took up hunting as any good Southern boy does, had invited me down. Since we were heading to the big Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa Jan.16-21, the hunting trip made for a perfect stopover. We were seriously boondocking. There was no power or sewer hookups, no cable TV, no “tinominium” campground that surrounded us with huge Type A motorhomes walling us in from the campsites next door. Just us. Me and my 10-year-old grandson, Matthew. in out new eTrek, the all-electric and solar powered new Sprinter campervan from Roadtrek Motorhomes. It was my first real test of the lasting power of the eight AGM batteries and the diesel alternator-generator that is supplemented by a 250 watt solar panel on the rooftop. We left Michigan three days before, overnighting in a commercial campground. But I was really anxious to see how the new eTrek performed on its own power system. Jennifer stayed back at my son’s house. So did Tai, our Norwegian Elkhound, who, we discovered earlier that day, had a tick affix its hungry little self near his ear. Tai wasn’t happy with the extraction process so we let hm stay with Jennifer. We think he met the tick at a rest area in Jellico, TN, where he visited some woods off a little dog walk to do his business. So there we were, Mathew and me in the woods, all camoed up and far from civilization. Coyotes howled at night, close by, too. So cool. I thought we’d be using the heater at night. Normally, it dips near freezing at night this time of year down here. Instead, thanks to an unseasonal heat wave that had the daytime temperatures near 80, we fired up the air conditioner. The mosquitoes were out already. The snakes were out of their dens, too, making us glad we had knee high boots. We didn’t even see a deer, but who cares? The eTrek was a luxurious deer camp for us. We had TV, DVD and a refrigerator filled with cold drinks. I was able to fill the water tanks, now that the risk of freezing is over. The eTrek has instant hot water and filtered cold. I was amazed how much I appreciated that, especially since the coffee maker I bought back in Michigan for the eTrek didn’t work. The instant hot made instant coffee. Not my favorite brew, but caffeine nevertheless. We had two minor glitches. The center faucet in the kitchen only trickles. I suspect there’s a valve somewhere I need to open. And the inductive stovetop doesn’t heat up. It turns on but when I put a pan on it, no heat develops and it soon turns itself off. I’ll ask the Roadtrek people I meet in Tampa if they have any ideas. Everything else worked better that I could ask. We ran off batteries for well over 30 hours. Lights, TV, the fridge, the AC during the day. Before we knocked the red dirt off our boots and headed home, the inverter showed I still had 12.7 volts of power. The eTrek was parked in my son’s driveway before and after the trip to the woods, I kept the battery on. The fridge ran continuously. There was no discernible battery drain. I think the solar charger really keeps those batteries topped off. Besides the impressive power system, I liked the ride in this Roadtrek. Although I had no problems with the ’06 RS-Adventurous I owned, this was the first Sprinter I have driven with dual wheels and I think it adds stability, particularly in crosswinds or when buffeted in the slipstream of a passing eighteen-wheeler. Jennifer drove two stints on the way down and said she, too, found it very easy to handle In terms of mileage as compared to my ’06 RS, the eTrek understandably fares not so well. The new eTrek is a six cylinder on a 3500 series frame. The ’06 is five cylinders on a 2500 frame. In the ’06, I routinely got between 20 and 21 miles per gallon. On the eTrek, my average so far is 17.65 mpg. There’s some signage promoting the blog on the back of the Roadtrek. I was surprised to have received two emails from folks who saw it on the drive down. One was interested in getting a Sprinter, the other was from a former Roadtrek owner who thought he’d like to get a new one. Monday, we head to Florida and Tampa. We’ll be at the Tampa Fairgrounds for several days, site of the RV SuperShow. Then I’ll be looking for a beach before heading back north to the cold…. although… there’s an invasion of giant Burmese python snakes near the Everglades. There are so many of the huge snakes that the state has declared a special python hunting season with a $1,500 prize for whoever gets the most pythons. Some estimate that nearly 150,000 pythons are living in the Florida Everglades. Officials say the Burmese pythons are eating wildlife and with no natural predator, the population is overwhelming. The Everglades have become crowded with the snakes and the pythons have started to move into nearby neighborhoods and campgrounds. Doesn’t that sound like a great story? I need to figure out how to convince Jennifer of that, Meanwhile, when I was at the Roadtrek factory a week ago, we had the eTrek up on a hoist and, in answer to several questions from readers, I shot this very sort video showing where those batteries are stored. Source

One of the things that so distinguishes an RV is its appearance and especially, the beauty of its paint job. All the manufacturers are working very hard to make their units stand out. To see what goes into painting an RV, we visited the Kitchener, Ontario, Canada factory of Roadtrek Motorhomes, the largest and best-sellingType B motothome manufacturer in North America. There, we are able to follow a unit through the painting process and video it all. It begins as the van is bought into the sanding booth right after the roof goes on. There, the seams are all bonded and any imperfections in the fiberglass body are sanded and puttied and meticulously corrected. This preparation work takes two workers up to 16 hours -- such is the insistence on quality. Next, the van is primed and masked. This is a two hour process, making sure only what should be painted is painted and providing a dust and dirt-free surface to paint. Then it’s time for the paint booth- ergonomically designed and employing the latest wet-on-wet painting technology to provide a baked-on finish just like your car. There are no hurried body-shop finishes here. Three different coats are applied: a sealer, the base coat and then the clear coat which makes the Roadtrek so beautiful. The painting stage takes another three hours. Finally, paint dried, it's a rubbed down. The van is cleaned and buffed for an automotive factory quality finish. All told, nearly 24 hours have gone into just the painting process of this Roadtrek. It's that attention to detail that many say makes the Roadtreks traveling works of art. Source

That’s because the brand-new miniature K-cup coffee maker I bought for our motorhome didn’t work this morning and I was all set to celebrate our first night in our new Roadtrek eTrek with a hot cup of coffee. Fortunately, the Kentucky Horse Park campground where we’re staying just off I-75 near Lexington, has a store and it was open, and they had plenty of coffee. Crisis averted. I had wanted to boondock on our first night to put the batteries and solar power features of this new motorhome to the test, but since we didn’t arrive here till 8 PM, we decided that because the park has the water turned off during winter and only offers electricity, we’d call this half-boondocking. I actually thought of just not using the electricity, but since we had to pay $23 for the spot and my wife’s ancestors came from Scotland she said “since we’re paying for it, we’ll use it.” Later, I saw they had primitive spots here. But we had already paid and settled in. There were a few others spending the night. I visited with a couple from Ohio headed to Florida for three months in their Type C while getting coffee. But we were pretty much alone in this very large, well maintained campground next to the Kentucky Horse Farm complex which, even in the winter, has several attractions open. We’re decided to save a tour of the barns and a look at the champion blue grass thoroughbreds for another time. We have an important date tomorrow at noon. We get to have lunch with two of our grandkids at their school in Albany, GA and have to be there by 11:30 AM. The biggest adjustment in our new motorhome is figuring out what goes where. In a Type B, storage space is at a minimum and we’re going to need a few days and maybe a couple of trips to get it down. I’m seriously thinking about getting a trunk-mounted storage box when we visit the Florida RV Supershow next week. Tai, our Norwegian Elkhound, immedialy adjusted and loved the long walk we took him on last night in an empty campground. The temperatures dipped into the upper twenties. The heater in the eTrek, which uses forced air or hot water, is magnificent. We were toasty warm all night and impressed by how quiet it is compared to the previous one. I have yet to put any water in the eTrek. I should be able to today as the forecast is for unseasonably warm weather, especially as we keep moving south. It’s time for breakfast, And maybe the horses. Later Source

EDITOR’s NOTE: I don’t normally accept guest posts. But I have made an exception for Graham Gibbs. Graham is from Ottawa and the following post is excerpted from a 5,800-word article he sent me. I think you will enjoy it. It is still very long but I think he captures wonderfully the fun of Roadtreking and the joy of packing and planning. I think you will enjoy this! By GRAHAM GIBBS Special to Roadtreking.com I have been inspired to spend time at my keyboard documenting our Roadtrek experiences by FMCA On-the-Road RV Reporter Mike's adventures with his wife Jennifer and their Norwegian Elkhound Tai. Like Mike and Jennifer, my wife Jay and I are RV newbies having only undertaken four trips for a total of 80 days on the road during the past two summers (2011 and 2012). While I am not a journalist, like Mike, I am not a stranger to writing. As the Canadian Space Agency's representative to the United States, based in Washington DC, for twenty-two years I wrote more reports than I care to think about! I have also authored a published book and numerous peer reviewed papers. Also, I find writing to be very therapeutic. My guess is that as a retired journalist Mike also cannot shed the writing bug! We left Washington DC and returned to Canada (Ottawa) in August 2010 but our RV story started some five years before. We hope that like Mike's experiences, ours may be useful for fellow RVers and Roadtrekers in particular. Know What You Want In the interests of full disclosure I should point out that we have been tent campers for many years but as we looked towards our retirement we began to realize that the Therm-a-Rest® mattresses would have to be replaced by something much thicker if we wanted pain free sleeping. Also, we figured we had earned the right to be off-the-ground during our retirement years! So, we got serious about our dream to own an RV. We thought long and hard about the type of RV we wanted, and might be able to afford. As tenters by nature we wanted the ability to drive on by-ways and in towns, camp just about anywhere, and we did not want to tow a car (or a Harley â€" though I fantasized about having one!). When tent camping we rather sympathized with those folks in their big rigs that as often as not had to park cheek-to-jowl while we were camped in seclusion. For these and other reasons a Type B campervan was our choice. Now came the hard part. What did we want in the way of facilities in our campervan? #1 was an inside toilet, as 60+ year olds no need to explain why! Obviously we wanted the usual stuff like fridge, stove, sink etc. We did not want to have to climb over each other in the night, to use the “facilityâ€, so a bed that was oriented long ways was important. Also, we envisaged long trips when we might want to go to the theatre in dressier clothes, so a wardrobe was on our list. We were not that fussy about being able to sleep more than the two of us as long as we could transport two to three more folks e.g. the grandkids who would sleep in tents. At the time we thought a built-in shower would be nice. Interestingly, we are yet to use the shower in our campervan. With our priorities more-or-less itemized we began our research. This entailed going to RV shows and wandering around campgrounds. Recall all this was now some six years ago. We were in no hurry to invest in a campervan; we needed to save-up the money anyway, but wanted one by the time I retired. We finally settled on about three models. One day while driving on US Freeway 95 we saw a Roadtrek (one of the models on our short list but until then we had not seen inside one) and followed it into a Rest Area. The owners were more than happy to show us around -- we were hooked. I sent away for the brochure and DVD. To my pleasant surprise, as a Canadian, it was then that I found out the Roadtrek was a Canadian conversion. We looked at all the models and settled on the 190-Popular. Then it was a few years of saving and continuous searching for a secondhand Roadtrek that we could afford and was in good condition. As I mentioned earlier we returned to Canada in August 2010 with the view to my retiring early in 2012, by which time I would be 67 years old and it would definitely be time to sleep off-the-ground! We kept looking, as did a local dealer, for the Roadtrek of our dreams. On a Wednesday in April 2011 I just happened to Google "Used Roadtrek" and came upon a site I had not used before. And there she was, a 2004 190-Popular owned since new by Margot, an elderly widow. I was on the phone and exchanging emails with Margot’s granddaughter for the rest of the week. On Sunday with great excitement and anticipation Jay and I took the Greyhound bus to Toronto then another bus to Acton west of Toronto en-route to Kitchener. We were pretty sure we would buy the vehicle so there was no need to go in our own car. To cut the story short, we viewed, wiggled underneath and test drove the Roadtrek Sunday afternoon. That evening in the hotel restaurant we celebrated the end of our search and the beginning of our Roadtrek adventures. Monday morning we concluded the sale and licensing then drove the Roadtrek to the service centre that Margot had used, for some instruction on the Roadtrek’s systems. Then as the proud new owners we drove home to Ottawa. In the summer of 2011 we took off on our first excursion, a two weeks trip, oblivious to how unfamiliar we were with the Roadtrek's systems! In retrospect we should have undertaken a shorter, local shake-down trip first. Even what have now become simple tasks were difficult the first time out. For example upon arriving at our first campground we decided to put out the awning â€" something we had not done before. Even with the not-so-helpful owner’s manual we struggled (and cursed) to release the awning vertical posts from their stowed position. I should confess that the lack of clarity in the manual might have been compounded because Jay and I were grumpy having driven too far in one day, another lesson. Our campsite essentials include: A large outdoor matt -At first we thought this might be an optional item but it soon became obvious it was essential. The matt provides a nice clean sitting area by the Roadtrek whether or not we have the awning out. Folding camp chairs - We are still using the low level folding chairs we used when tent camping. They let you stick your legs out and provide some exercise getting in and out! But I have my eye on the folding Pico chair, though expensive they appear to be extremely well made. As with all things you get what you pay for and if you are off on a multi-week/month RV tour you should have quality items. Screen house/tent - Since Jay is particularly allergic to mosquitoes, no-see-ums and the like, we bought a good quality camping screen house. It has sides that can be rolled down and a ground sheet that can be fitted so it can be used as a tent (for the grandkids). To our surprise we have only used it a couple of times when we were on the shores of the Upper Saint Lawrence River but I am sure when we venture across Canada (and back across the US) for three plus months this summer (2013) it will have plenty of use. The screen house/tent is stored in the rear compartment and its poles in the side compartment. Tarp - When we were tent campers we put up a large orange tarp which being orange is bright a cheery. It uses six telescopic poles and a ridge pole across its width at the middle, ten guy ropes (two at right angles at each of the corner poles and one for each of the centre poles) and twenty pegs (I double peg guy ropes). We prefer the tarp (all parts were bought separately and I make my own guy ropes) to the screen house and put it up over the campsite table for any stays of two days or longer. Two-person (two kiddies really) inflatable canoe - This is our one quirky item. As an ex Brit Jay likes to take baths so I bought a cheap inflatable canoe that I can fill up with warm water so Jay can have a bath. It hasn't been used yet but is in the back storage compartment just in case! Plastic table cloth - Just because you are camping there is no need to rough it. We use a table cloth (with hold-down clips), arrange a centre piece with local rocks and wild flowers and even use serviettes when we eat – very civilized! Small collapsible (coffee) table. This sits between our outdoor camping chairs to keep stuff off the ground! Propane Stove - Since we do most cooking outside we carry a portable two burner camping stove. So far I have not bothered to connect the stove to the Roadtrek's propane system preferring the flexibility of small propane bottles. They last 2 to 3 days on average which at around $5 each is not too extravagant. Tools - One toolbox for all the hand tools you may need. Check out all the Roadtrek's systems and your campsite essentials that you might need to repair/adjust when on the road. Note for example the hot water tank drain plug that needs a socket and extension rod to reach. On our last trip we had something of an emergency when one of the Roadtrek stove burner knobs stuck in the open position. We had to turn off the propane at the main tank and open all doors and windows to avoid a catastrophe. I was able to dismantle the stove to expose the mechanism but lacked a very small socket to undo the stuck knob. Fortunately we found an RV Centre not too far away and they fixed the problem which was caused by a build-up of corrosion. I have added a suitable wrench to my toolbox in case we have a repeat of the problem. Bits and Pieces - I use two plastic tool boxes (approx. 20ins x 10ins x 10ins) for campsite bits and pieces. One contains extra propane bottles, spare rope, folding shovel, small axe and other stuff that is not used regularly. The other box contains those items that might be needed at each stop. It is stored where it is easily accessible in the rear stowage compartment. I bring this out and put it at one end of the campsite table. This box contains; large camping/hunting knife, fish filleting knife, clothes line, clothes pegs (in a bag), three propane bottles, candles, old jam jar (used as a candle holder), mini propane lamp and replacement gauze filaments, fire lighters (why bother with kindling!), matches, flashlight handheld (one is also in the Roadtrek) and headlamp, garbage bags, brush (for sweeping the campsite table), two decks of playing cards, barbeque fork and spatula, and a trivet. Pegs and Guy Ropes - I have two see-through net bags with a zipper (available at any decent camping store) to store the guy ropes (I make my own which are more robust than the thin twine guy ropes that seem to come with tents etc. these days) and pegs. I have another smaller bag to store four steel pegs (like long nails) and the mallet. The steel pegs are to hold down the awning posts. Spare Key - We learned the hard way! Usually we both have camper keys hanging from a lanyard around our necks since for reasons unknown our Roadtrek sometimes self-locks. Having been caught out twice, without our keys, we now have a spare key hidden outside. Large Towel and Rubber Gloves - I keep these in the long compartment on the driver’s side and within easy reach. The towel serves mostly as a kneeling mat when emptying, with rubber gloves on, the black and grey tanks. Miscellaneous - Miscellaneous for us include; monopole for the camera or binoculars (I have missed too many wildlife shots setting up a tripod), hand pump (for bikes and inflatable toys), Bouls (French lawn game), day pack (I have a LL Bean Classic Continental Rucksack), two hiking poles (one for each of us), and leveling blocks – we sleep so much better if we are not rolling to one side or the other!. A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place When we moved from Washington DC to Ottawa we learned from our moving van driver the moving man's mantra "If it don't shake, it don't break." The same of course is true for campervan storage. Jay makes full use of dish drying-up towels, rubberized matting on shelves etc. to ensure our cutlery, dishes, pans, glassware etc. not only do not break but do not produce an annoying rattle when we are underway. For our clothes we each have a nylon and see-through net bag with zipper. Both are approximately 6 inches diameter x 24 inches long (670 cu ins/11 litres). We find these bags better than canvas or stiffer fabric bags since they easily fit (squish) into the compartments above the rear bed on the left and right sides. Our rule is if you cannot get all your clothes and spare towels in one compartment you have got too much. The exceptions are rain gear, anorak and (optional) dressier jackets that go in the wardrobe (with the wine in a six bottle bag!). We have found that it is best to roll up all clothing for packing. This way you get more in and they don't crease. We use the drawer under the passenger seat (by the side door) for shoes. We have found that Crocks are ideal for campsites. External storage is Graham's domain. In the long compartment on the driver’s side I store: the poles for the tarp and screen house, water hose, a power extension cord (and electrical socket adapter), collapsible rake (to clean the campsite when necessary), 2 bags of pegs and guy ropes for the tarp, 1 bag with the metal pegs for the awning poles and a mallet, external shower hose and head, towel (to kneel on when draining the tanks) and a pair of gauntlet style rubber gloves, the barbeque vegetable and cooking baskets, and awning winding pole. The built-in power cord lies on top of this lot. Everything else under Campsite Essentials fit into the rear compartment, except the folding chairs (which travel on the bed), day pack, and the camera monopole which needs to be handy. I found the storage of the awning winding pole and ridge pole in the rear compartment of the Popular-190 to be inconvenient. They kept falling out of their stowage clips and took up space. I now keep the winding pole in the side compartment and I place the ridge pole diagonally across the back and cushioned by the outdoor matt (which stores right across the back). Know Your Pace Our first trip was two weeks on the Whale Route on the north shore of the upper Saint Lawrence River between Tadoussac and Baie-Comeau. The Whale Route seems to be one of Canada's Best Kept Secrets. During our time there I spotted perhaps only three vehicles with out-of-Province plates. I suppose we should be grateful it is not better known outside Quebec, and so is not over-crowded, but those who have not been are missing a gem. We arrived at our first scheduled stop, a KOA campground outside of Quebec City some 200 miles from Ottawa, grumpy!! Lesson # 1: Pace yourselves. In the summer of 2012 we spent 6+ weeks in the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It was a wonderful trip where we hugged the coasts, avoided main highways but we came to realize how essential it is to know your pace. When I had been on camping vacations in the Maritimes with Diving Club buddies some forty-years ago we always booked our campground. So, fearing that campgrounds might be full I booked all the campgrounds for the first four weeks of our trip. While this worked reasonably well we learned four lessons: campgrounds do not seem to fill-up to capacity so the need to book ahead is questionable, booking ahead removes schedule flexibility, it is not always easy to anticipate road conditions and all stops, and campgrounds do not always fit the description the owners have provided. One at the Head of Saint Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia was so awful we checked out early and forfeited three days of pre-payment. In sum, for our trip across Canada (and back across the US) in the summer of 2013 we will not book campgrounds but call ahead en-route. In getting to know your pace certain things need to be taken into account for example do you prefer to stay away from main highways, what speed to you drive, do you stop to visit museums and so forth? Jay and I share interests which include geography/scenery of all types but with a penchant for coastal routes (we are ex Brits where the sea is never far away), flora and fauna (more Jay's passion), learning about the culture and history of the region we are visiting, art and music, museums of various types, walks (versus strenuous hikes -- those days seem to be behind us!), salt and fresh water and mountains, shopping in farmers markets and the like. Our preferences are to avoid main highways, drive at 50mph/80kmh or slower (which often means pulling over to let vehicles pass), make unscheduled stops (we are touring after all), stop for a picnic lunch. On our Maritimes trip we found that for many legs we were averaging about 100 to 120 miles per day i.e. much less than we thought we would cover, and we really did not want to be behind the wheel for more than five hours each day with four being preferable. Though of course there were days which were longer. We also found that after 2 to 3 days of one-night stops and driving we were ready for a longer break of two or more nights/days with only local sightseeing. Know What is Expected of You Two people, no matter how compatible, can expect some tension when living in a Type B RV for an extended period of time. We have gravitated to specific tasks so we are not tripping over each other. For example I do most of the campsite set-up chores (though setting up the tarp or screen house is a two-person job) while Jay converts the interior from our driving mode to camping mode. And, the same when we are de-camping. We leave the rear bed made-up all the time we are travelling -- it is just not worth the hassle converting it every day and in any event it is then always available for an afternoon nap! Since we do most things outside we have a cooler, water container, and washing up bucket that travel on the floor and then occupy the campsite table seat when we are parked. By having our own known tasks, setting-up and packing-up is pretty efficient. We can usually be settled in within 30 minutes of arriving at a campsite, unless the tarp or screen house is erected then it might take 60 minutes before we can sit down and relax with a cup of tea, if we have arrived early enough, or straight to Happy Hour if later! I would also add that giving your travelling companion her or his own time and space when needed is important. We also have found that sharing laptops/iPADs and e-readers does not work so well so we have our own! Despite how all this may sound I am a lucky guy since my spouse is also my best friend so surviving in a Type B is not hard. Planning Your Trip RV touring is perhaps one activity where Plan your work and work your plan does not or should not apply. Jay and I are masters at going to Plan B or C even D, to take advantage of some unexpected special interest such as an off-the-beaten-path gold-mine museum in the middle of Nova Scotia. That said you should not set off without at least a notional route, knowledge of potential campgrounds, places of interest, and note when events might be taking place. I am still learning but making progress with trip planning. For our trips so far I have prepared a detailed daily itinerary with the route, mileage, and notations for bookings made and places of interest to visit. What I am learning is that the approach for each trip might be different and will depend on the distance to be travelled, number of potential stops and schedule constraints. But, I am leaning towards trip plans that are not quite as detailed or fixed, at least not on a daily basis. When we went along the Whale Route on the Upper Saint Lawrence we had in mind that we might take the ferry across the river, from Baie-Comeau at the northern end of our planned route, to the South Shore for our return. However, when we got to the region we realized that the Saguenay Fjord, west of Tadoussac (at the beginning of the Whale Route), would be worth seeing in its entirety. So having spent some 8 days between Tadoussac and Baie-Comeau we re-traced our steps and then spent 3 delightful days touring all the way around the Saguenay Fjord. The first four weeks of our Maritimes was all planned and worked well since we knew we wanted to hug the coast of Nova Scotia. But we were not sure how we would feel after our first month away in the Roadtrek so after Cape Breton our plans were open. After a month we were still in no hurry to return home "one of the privileges of retirement life" so we continued around the coast of Nova Scotia and then much of the coast of New Brunswick as we pointed ourselves more-or-less in the direction of home. For our North America trip this summer (2013) we decided we would spend some two months crossing Canada (many just wiz across in ten days â€" bad idea) and a month returning across northern US (after a stop to visit our daughter in Portland, Oregon). To be on the safe side we have not booked anything early in the fall that might force us to return before we are ready. I am planning this trip in a somewhat less detailed fashion than I have for previous trips. I began with MapQuest since it is a route planning tool I am very familiar with and I am pretty familiar with Canada. I tackled one Province at a time and chose the slightly more northern route (old Trans-Canada) so as to avoid as much as possible the busier southern Trans-Canada highway. The route will take us back-country from Ottawa to North Bay and along the shores of Lake Superior, then to Winnipeg in Manitoba, to Saskatoon in Saskatchewan and on to Edmonton, Alberta. We want to see the famous dinosaur fossil park and museum which is south of Calgary so we will head south from Edmonton then west to Banff and spend time in the Rockies between Banff and Jasper. After some research I found a back-country route from Jasper to British Columbia which will allow us to approach Vancouver from the north. From there we go to Vancouver Island. Then head south to the US. Having roughed out the route I checked the websites for all the towns we will travel through to see what would be interesting to visit and what events might be taking place, so we can try to manage our arrival accordingly. I have put these web-links in the plan so I can easily access them when we are on our way. I also checked out all the National and Provincial Parks on our route. For this trip we will not make any campground reservations in advance since we do not want to be tied to a schedule or even the route in case we hear about something really interesting that is not too much of a diversion. I have typed all this up and now have our cross-Canada itinerary, with Province by Province over view maps, all contained in just 18 pages, plus a one page grand Overview including schedule and cost estimates (see samples below). I have subscribed to RV Trip Wizardâ„¢ ( https://www.rvtripwizard.com/) so my next task will be to overlay our planned route to get the additional information that the App has to offer. Once the Canadian portion is done I will work on the return route through the US. All this will be loaded onto my iPAD so as to minimize the paperwork to be carried â€" though we are old enough to like to have paper or laminated maps handy! Well that is what we have learned so far. We have much more to learn to derive the full benefit from our Roadtreking but I think we have made a good start. Regardless of your personal preferences and interests things that you might consider are: Know what you want in an RV. This will be based on where you want to go and want you want to do. It will also be dictated by establishing your priorities for your living space. Know your vehicle and its systems. We recommend that you do not learn-on-the road! Read the Manual, operate all the systems in your drive-way, seek advice, and make your first trip a local shake-down trip. Establish your Campsite Essentials. That is what you cannot do without to make your adventure pleasurable, and pack 'em! Ensure you that there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. You will have more time for fun if you are not forever searching for something or trying to squeeze it in somewhere. Pack the same way every time. Know your pace. You and your travelling companion(s) will get grumpy, stressed or tired (or all three) if you try to follow an over crammed schedule, drive too far for comfort, drive faster to make up for lost time, and don't stop to enjoy those special places of interest. Share the workload. You and your travelling companion(s) will benefit if the work is shared with each doing what each is most capable of doing, and keep the same work shares so each knows what is expected of him or her. Plan your trip. But perhaps do not over-plan! Write a Trip Report. Not for everyone perhaps but give it a try you might be surprised at what an enriching experience it is and how it adds to the post-trip pleasure. Happy Roadtreking Graham Source

I’ve been an amateur (ham) radio operator for decades, My call is K8ZRH and there was a time when I was obsessed with the hobby, so caught up in making contacts with every state in the nation, every country in the world, that I stayed up all hours of the night tracking DX (distant) stations, Eventually, to keep peace in my marriage, I backed off and, for the past ten years or so, have been pretty much inactive. Today, there’s an amateur radio transceiver installed in my RV. Not a CB radio, though that might also come in handy. You need to be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate an amateur radio station. You can learn about that here. You do not need a license for a CB. Amateur radio is much more. Here’s how the American Radio Relay League describes it: “Most of the time, it’s the most fun you can have with a radio. It’s a way to talk with people around the world, or even orbiting the world; to send e-mail without any sort of internet connection and to keep in touch with friends across town or across the country. But it is called the “Amateur Radio Service” because it also has a serious face. It’s a very important emergency communications system too. When cell phones, regular phones, the internet and other systems are down or overloaded, Amateur Radio still gets the message through. Radio amateurs, often called "hams," enjoy radio technology as a hobby -- that's the fun part. But it’s also a service -- a vital service that has saved lives again and again when regular communication systems failed.” Anyway, my foray back into amateur radio came about after volunteering for the communications team that is part of my county’s Department of Homeland Security. My all electric, solar powered Roadtrek eTrek is a perfect vehicle to use in times of emergency and now, with the radio, I’m able to provide emergency communications with my own power supply when called up. But I will also be able to have use of the radio as we travel the county. The wife’s condition I had to agree to in installing the radio was that it had to be neat. No wires and ugly installation. No holes in anything. The photos show the results. I’m pretty happy. And it meet’s Jennifer’s approval. The rig is a dual-bander (144/440MHz) Kenwood TM-V71A, I chose that rig because I generally like Kenwood two-way radios from my past experiences and this unit in particular has a detachable control head. I had to pick up an extension cable but I was able to locate the radio itself in an out of the way place hidden from view on a storage shelf above the driver’s seat. The control head, with the connecting cable hidden behind the trim, was Velcro-ed on a perfect spot just below and to the right of the steering wheel. I made no holes in the dash. The industrial strength Velcro I used can hold 10 pounds. I doubt the control head weighs more than 8 ounces. The radio itself is also Velcro-ed in place on the shelf so it doesn’t slide around. The power connection is direct to one of the eTrek’s eight AGM batteries, accessed through an access panel located under-the-carpeting in the cab part of the van. The were were duct taped in place as they ran across the floor. For an antenna I again had to choose neatness. The non metal body of the Roadtrek makes getting a ground or using a traditional magnetic mount difficult. So I selected the Larsen KG-2/70-CX-PL on glass antenna. Again, I snaked the antenna wire behind the trim to a place where it could reach the top right window on the second row passenger’s seat. The antenna, on a sticky pad, adheres to the outside of the glass while a coupler on the inside sticks to the glass exactly opposite for a very adequate inductive connection. By the way, I’ve found that using a putty knife is a very simple way to gently pust wires and cable behing trim coverings. Use plastic ties under the dash to keep any wires from dangling down or showing themselves. I get a solid SWR (hams will know what this means) of about 1.6 to 1.9 to one across most of the bands, more than acceptable. All of the local repeaters are full-quieting, meaning I’m receiving and transmitting well. So there you go. I’m now K8ZRH mobile. My first add-on mod for my new eTrek. Source

Sprinter RV lineup joined by new Roadtrek CS Adventurous A major reason for the huge spike in Class B motorhome sales over the past year or so is the Mercedes Sprinter, a rugged and flexible van that offers RV makers all sorts of customization opportunities. Roadtrek Motorhomes is about to introduce a new full sized Sprinter model, joining its popular RS Adventurous and the new all-electric, solar powered eTrek. For 2013, there’s a third model – the CS Adventurous… CS for Camping Series. And what this new model does is offer up some new optional features that can also be added to the other two Roadtrek Sprinter models, just as some of the eTrek’s options can be mixed and matched on the RS and CS, like the solar panels and heavy duty battery array. But the CS has some very innovative new features that immediately make it a standout: They include: A redesigned galley with greatly expanded storage space A new seven cubic foot refrigerator/freezer, moved to the front, opposite the sliding door with the microwave mounted above Hideaway sink with flip up faucet Heated floors Heated bathroom A flip down wide screen TV located midcoach A heated sofa.rear bed and front captain’s chairs Pull out, sliding rear table for laptops, etc We got a sneak preview of the new CS during a recent tour of the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada from Howard Stratton, Roadtrek’s Vice President. The new Roadtrek CS will be introduced at some of the big RV shows starting with the Florida RV Supershow in Tampa in mid-January. Dealers will be able to take orders on Roadtrek Sprinter models that offer all its optional features by spring. Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road Source