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Roadtrekingmike

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  1. Roadtrekingmike
    I’ve messed around with some low end flying helicopters before and found them to be lots of fun. But I’ve just, gulp, added a big ticket item to my photographic and video arsenal of tools to be used while Roadtreking: A Phantom 2 drone.
    I’ll be using it for AVC, or aerial video cinematography. It’s really a flying machine, a quadricopter, with four opposing blades sending it up and our as far as a kilometer (3,240 feet) from where I’m standing with the controller.

    The unit I bought carries with it a GoPro Hero 3 camera to record high definition video and stills. It transmits those images back to a monitor attached to the controller on the ground so I can see what the GoPro sees from way up there. It also has a gimbal, which holds the camera level in flight, allowing those spectacular images to be steady and clear.
    I posted a short blurb on Facebook the other day that I got one and I received all sorts of unexpected interest from readers. So I put together the accompanying video. If you’re not interested in the technical stuff, just fast forward to the last couple of minutes to see the aerial video. It was a very gray and cold day in Michigan and those specs of white you see when it was way up there are snow flurries. It wasn’t snowing at ground level. But it was up there.
    I plan to use my Phantom 2 to supplement the regular videos and photos I do for this blog as we travel around the country reporting about the interesting people and places we find on the road as part of the small motorhome RV lifestyle. Can’t wait until I get somewhere with blue skies and sunshine.
    There are lots of these kind of quadricopters out there and I looked at several, finally deciding on the Phantom because it seems to be the most popular and affordable among professional photographers and filmmakers. There are several different Phantom models, all made in China by an outfit known as DJI. They are available through a worldwide network of dealers and hobby shops and also on Amazon.
    The entry-level model is the Phantom 1, which comes with a holder for the camera and the controller. Amazon sells it for $479. You need your own GoPro.
    There is also the Phantom 2 Vision, which sells for $1,208 on Amazon. It comes with it’s own camera.
    The unit I bought is the brand new Phantom 2, which, at $869 is said to be ready to fly. You provide the Go Pro Hero 3 camera, but it has the customized DJI Zenmuse H3-2D gimbal to hold it steady. The Phantom 2 only works with the Go Pro Hero 3. Previous versions don’t connect to it or fit the Zenmuse.
    Besides the GoPro and the Zenmuse gimbal. I added an FPV (First Person Video) system that lets me see what the camera sees via a special seven-inch color monitor that attaches to the controller. When the drone is out there past 1,000 feet or so, it’s often pretty hard to see it with the naked eye. That’s where FPV comes in handy.
    I have to warn you, despite the manufacturer’s claim that the Phantom 2 is ready to fly out of the box, it really isn’t. Assembling all this and getting it synchronized and tuned is not for the faint hearted. I hired a guy named Zac Davis, who just opened a business called drone-works.com in New York, to assemble and build up my system. Zac builds drone systems for police and fire agencies and really knows his stuff. He put everything together for me, making sure it worked just right. Then he talked me through on the phone on how to assemble it, update the software and firmware and set up and follow the proper pre-flight check list The extra setup and assembly fee he charged to get everything right was well worth it to me. If Zac’s website is not up and running when you check (he was just setting it up when I bought from him), you can reach him through Facebook or the DJI Owners group on Facebook, which is a great resource for more information about drones and the Phantom system.
    This is going to be a lot of fun. Thought Jennifer just shook her head and said something like “Boys and their toys,” when I came gushing in from my first flight to tell her about it, I must stress that this is not a toy. It takes lots of practice to fly it well and with confidence and because it has such a long range, you need to be very aware of your surroundings and what may be in its flight path or what is on the ground below. Thus, it should not be flown over crowds.
    Flying time is advertised at about 20 minutes. In the cold, and with the FPV system and the Zenmuse gimbal adding extra weight and battery drain, I got a little over 15 minutes of flight time. I have an extra battery so it’s pretty easy to bring it down, change out the batteries and send it up again.
    Some very cool safety features are built in. For example, I prefer flying mine in GPS mode. That means it locks in to as many as eight different satellites orbiting the earth. The Phantom “talks” to those satellites and thus knows its exact GPS position at all time. If the battery fails or the connection between the controller and the drone is interrupted, it is programmed to automatically fly right back to my location and safely land. There are advanced modes it can fly in as well, that offer more precise control to those who are experienced in its operation. My skill set isn’t there yet. I’m sticking with GPS mode.
    Practice makes perfect will be my motto for a few weeks.
    Everything stows away snug and secure and fits in the ToughCase XR2 padded case I bought from a company named Tradecraft. The case was made for the Phantom 1 system but a sharp knife let me adjust the case openings to fit the Phantom 2 gear.
    I’ll be taking it everywhere, so look for some fun video as we head out Roadtreking in 2014.

    My DJI Phanom 2 drone

    The first flight…the view over my house
  2. Roadtrekingmike
    I counted eight of them yesterday, four Class A motorhomes, 2 Fifth Wheels and two Travel Trailers, pushing the snow flurries around in their slipstream as they moved down the interstates near my Michigan home. Ands that was what I spotted while I was running a few weekend errands. Truth is, there’s a steady stream of recreational vehicles out there and they will continue to be on the move for the next couple weeks.
    Migrating Snowbirds. RVers fleeing the winter weather of the north for warmer temperatures down south. Most, probably, to Florida and the gulf states, some to the Southwest or Texas hill country.
    They’re really the second wave of snowbirds. The first departed in late October or early November. This current migration waited till Christmas so they could spend time with kids and grandkids. Happens every year about this time.
    Heck, I’ll be joining them in a week on our first trip of 2013, heading to cover some RV stories along the Great Snowbird Route that will end us in Tampa, FL on Jan 15 for the start of the huge Florida RV Supershow at the Florida State Fairgrounds. This is one of the nation’s biggest, big for the industry and big for consumers. I’ll do several video reports from there, as well as things we run across in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.

    But I’m making plans for lots more. From February 13-18, I want to try out cold – really cold – camping by heading to the wilds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to do a video report about the UP200, one of America’s premier 12-dog, mid-distance sled dog races thatdraws mushers from around the United States and Canada because it is a qualifying race for Alaska’s famed Iditarod.
    Then there are the rallies and special gatherings. I have two must-attends. The first is the anniversary rally in Branson, MO May 20-24 that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the founding of Roadtrek Motorhomes. The second is the Family Motor Coach Association’s Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase June 19 to 22, 2013, at CAM-PLEX in Gillette, Wyoming. And, heck, while I’m out there that far west, might as well swing around and visit Yellowstone National park, the Tetons and maybe a couple of other national parks.
    I want to find time to get to New England, too. That was on my 2012 bucket list but, well, you know, so many places, so little time. It’s a must visit this year.
    I devoted my January Open Mike column in Family Motor Coaching magazine writing about my top 10 RV resolutions for the year. They include things like the trips above, eating right and exercising on the road, seeing more of Canada and volunteering more.

    In regards to the later, I have already joined the Emergency Communications team my community’s local Homeland Security Department by installing an amateur radio station (I’m K8ZRH) in my Roadtrek e-Trek to assist in local emergencies and disasters. The e-Trek is perfect for such a role because it can totally power itself with a bank of eight AGM batteries, a rooftop solar array capable of putting out 240 watts, a 5000 watt inverter for 110 appliances and a diesel system that works as a generator to very quickly charge the system, it means that we can run everything we need â€" all the radio gear, plus heat, air conditioning, TV, DVD, the water pump, even the mircowave â€" for up to nine hours without having to start the engine to charge those batteries. That’s running everything, all at once.
    I also hope to meet many of my readers over the next year. Between this blog, our very active Facebook Page and the Roadtreking RV Newsletter, I have come to know many of you as friends and I hope that we can share a campfire this new year. Jennifer and I had no idea how this new RV lifestyle would influence our life. I’m a journalist at heart, I love telling stories and our RV takes us to people and places we never would encounter otherwise. But this blog and my other RV writing and video reporting have taken off so fast that we’re still a little breathless, happy and feeling very blessed.
    I can’t wait to see what 2013 brings.
    To all of you… Happy New Year! See you out there.
    Source
  3. Roadtrekingmike
    My RV as a Sag Wagon
    After my massage on Tuesday I drove out of San Diego in my cute little Roadtrek, due east towards Yuma, Arizona. It was a beautiful afternoon drive through the mountains...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  4. Roadtrekingmike
    This is only temporary. That’s what I keep telling myself when I look out in in my snowy Michigan driveway and instead of seeing our Roadtrek eTrek out there, we only see an igloo.
    Look for yourself at the accompanying photos, below.
    We got our first big snow over the weekend and while it indeed is looking a lot like Christmas, it just seems, well, wrong, to see the RV covered under all that white stuff.
    I snowblowed the driveway and then took some photos before I removed as much of the snow as I could. The top solar panels are covered in snow, so I doubt they are trickle charging. I will get up there with a ladder today and get them cleared off.
    I also went through the Radtrek and brought anything with a battery – like my clock and my outdoor/indoor thermometer and my walkie talkies – inside, where the cold won’t drain the batteries.
    Somehow, even with all that snow, I found beauty in the Roadtrek’s lines.
    I started the engine and the heater, warmed it up good and hung out in it for a few minutes.
    Soon, loyal eTrek, as soon as Christmas is over, we will hit the road to warmer climes.
    I promise.

  5. Roadtrekingmike
    We spent much of the weekend in Georgia at a soccer tournament one of my grandsons was playing in and found yet another use for our Roadtrek eTrek – as a place for the younger brothers and their friends to hang out in.
    It wasn’t planned. They just sort of took it over once they discovered how much fun it was. And between games, I became babysitter-in-chief.
    We went through four bags of popcorn. Pretty much a case of bottled water.
    We charged iPods and iPads and watched TV and the DVD. Oh yeah, the onboard bathroom came in pretty handy, too.
    My dog Tai loved the attention, getting pretty much non stop pets from kids – his favorite type of human.
    Several Moms and Dads from the team also poked their heads inside and were duly impressed. But I think what they liked most about it was they knew where their kids were.
    Me? Hey, kids are my favorite type of humans, too.
    http://vimeo.com/61458975
  6. Roadtrekingmike
    Naples, Florida is the crown jewel of Southwest Florida, a west gulf coast town known for upscale dining and shopping, designer golf courses, awesome boating and fishing and the best weather in a state that is built around tourism and sunny skies.
    It’s always 10 to 20 degrees warmer here than most other places in the Sunshine State.
    Our destination for this trip was the Naples Motorcoach Resort on U.S. 41 just east of Collier Boulevard. Highway 41, also known as the Tamiami Trail, leads to the Everglades, just a couple miles down the road. Collier Boulevard south leads to the Isles of Capri and Marco Island, for boating and fishing.
    This is a Class A resort only, We stayed there in our Class B under a special media exemption because we were doing some reporting about the place.
    So we were living in a B in a Class A world.
    But it gave me a chance to see what all the fuss was about Class A RVing and to realize that as much as we B owners criticize A owners for looking down their noses at their Class B cousins, I also was guilty of reverse discrimination, thinking, wrongly, that those in Class As were not really RVers at all. More on that later.
    We love the Naples area. We had been there many times before. When our kids were young, we rented condos on Marco Island for many years. And Jennifer and I have stayed in condos at Naples, too. But this was our first trip there in our RV.
    The attractions in the area are many.
    According to the Naples Historical Society, the area was long the hunting and fishing grounds of the home of the Caloosa Indians. It wasn’t until the 1860′s that the first white settlers, Roger Gordon and Joe Wiggins, arrived in the area. A river and two inlets still bear their names.
    Throughout the 1870s and ’80s, magazine and newspaper stories telling of the area’s mild climate and abundant fish and game likened it to the sunny Italian peninsula. The name Naples caught on when promoters described the bay as “surpassing the bay in Naples, Italy.”
    In 1887, a group of wealthy Kentuckians, led by Walter N. Haldeman, owner of the Louisville Courier-Journal, purchased virtually the entire town of Naples. One of the first improvements Haldeman and the Naples Company made was to build a pier 600 feet into the Gulf of Mexico. The unusual “T” shape allowed large ships to dock easily. Despite being destroyed and rebuilt three times, the pier’s “T” shape remains.
    Naples quickly gained a reputation as a winter resort. Social life revolved around the Naples Hotel, which played host to celebrities such as Rose Cleveland, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, Greta Garbo, Hedy Lamarr, and Gary Cooper. As the town of Naples went up, so did the price of property. The cost of a beachfront lot soon reached $125.
    In 1911, Barron G. Collier, who had made his fortune in streetcar advertising, visited nearby Useppa Island. He was so taken with the area that he bought over a million acres of untouched swampland – including most of Naples. Collier believed that Florida’s west coast could enjoy the same boom that the east coast was experiencing in the 1920′s; but first it was necessary to bring in road and railroads.
    Based on Collier’s promise to help build the Tamiami Trail, in 1923 the state legislature created Collier County, of which Naples is the county seat. Collier spent more than $1 million of his own money to construct the Tamiami Trail, which opened in 1926 as the only paved highway linking the state’s two largest cities – Tampa and Miami.
    Collier died before he could see his dream come true, but come true it did. Today, Naples enjoys unparalleled prosperity. And the area’s unrivaled sport fishing, hunting, boating, sun bathing, and beach combing attract people today just as it did a century ago.
    Downtown Naples is known for impressive shops and sidewalk cafes, chic bistros and gourmet delis that serve up lunch, snacks and pastries. Fine and casual dining options are available at the restaurants located on Naples’ fashionable Fifth Avenue South, Third Street South, and Bayfront. Dress well if you are heading downtown. This is high end, sophisticated shopping and the tourists here are well-heeled and look it.
    Parking downtown is hard to find for an automobile, even harder for a Class B RV.
    One must visit place is the historic Naples Pier, located on the Gulf of Mexico at the West end of 12th Avenue South. On-street parking is supplemented by a parking lot one block East, with additional parking at beach ends on the avenues to the north and south. It’s easier to park a car here, but still challenging to find space for a small RV.
    The Naples Pier is a favorite location for sightseers and fishermen with plenty of space to cast a line. It features restrooms, a concession stand with a covered eating area and beach supplies. Fishing from the pier does not require a fishing license, as the City of Naples has purchased a bulk fishing license for the pier. The beach at the pier also features volleyball nets, and is one of the best places to catch a spectacular Naples sunset.
    If fishing is your thing, you will want a license. I bought a seven day out of state license for $37.
    My brother-in-law is a snowbird and keeps a boat at the Isles of Capri Marina, at the southern end of Collier Boulevard. The Isles of Capri are adjacent to Marco Island and 20 minutes from Naples’ downtown. It is a waterfront community with canals and mangrove islands and backwater kayak trails that lead to the Marco River and the gulf. On it’s northern side it is surrounded by the the wetlands that are part of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Sanctuary.
    From the Isles of Capri Marina, we boated around the islands to the river and then out to the gulf where we anchored on a spit of sand and spent two great days fishing. In these waters where the river dumps into the gulf are all sorts of salt water fish, including shark, speckled trout, redfish, amberjack and, later in the summer, snook, tarpon and big game fish. Our target for this trip was one of the tastiest: Sheephead.
    We caught them on almost every other cast, most over the 12 inch keeper limit.
    We used our Roadtrek eTrek to drive all around Naples, the islands and the Everglades. Evenings, we spent back at the Naples Motorcoach Resort.
    It is a five star resort with beautiful, spacious lots, lush landscaping, a large manmade lake with a lighted fountain, three swimming pools, a full fitness center, a deluxe clubhouse with free breakfasts each morning and numerous activities for guests and owners every day.
    The basic lot sells for $99,000. Lakefront and the best locations are over $150,000. There are also rental spots available. They start at about $85 a night. Many spots cost as much or more than a four star hotel room does in many places.
    I admit, for a while, being in our little Class B made us feel like we were living in the slums. While our Roadtrek sells new for over $120,000, most of the Class A motorhomes around us start at four and five times that amount.
    Everyone was amazingly nice and polite to us, though there were several double takes when people saw that a Class B had been allowed in. But no one complained to us. And as we got to know the other RVers – the clubhouse has numerous meet and greet events, parties, receptions, games and social gatherings – we realized that these people are having a ball. We used to think that Class A folks just sat. While Class B owners did stuff. The people we met were not sitters.
    The majority were there for the winter season, arriving back in November or December, departing for their northern homes at the end of March or early April. But because they towed vehicles – Jeeps and small trucks seemed to be the most popular – they were able to range far and wide from the resort. They were hikers, bikers, golfers, fishers and – thanks to a creek that leads to the extensive canal system around the area – boaters.
    Towards the end of our stay, I found myself with a strong dose of Class A envy. These motorhomes are massive. They have king-size beds, huge bathrooms and roomy showers, full kitchens and home-sized refrigerators, washer-dryers and room to store and bring all the toys you could want.
    So I got to wondering… why couldn’t we drive a Class A and tow a Roadtrek?
    The idea of staying in a place like the Naples Motorcoach Resort for a winter season and then taking two and three day excursions around the area in our Roadtrek would truly be the best of both worlds. When summer gets too hot and sticky down there – about mid-April most years – we could pull up shop and head west to another spot… say the mountains or the west coast and stay there for the summer season, again ranging far and wide in the Roadtrek.
    Hmmm. That is my idea of fullt-iming!
  8. Roadtrekingmike
    The story of the American bison is one of the most sad and captivating episodes in U.S. history. Once thought to be limitless in number – an estimated 50 million ranged across North America before European settlement – they were hunted to near extinction in the late 1800’s. Greed by hunters and a calculated political effort to eliminate the food and main staple of the American Indian tribes were the reasons.
    From 50 million, the senseless slaughter left about 100 animals in the wild in the late 1800s.
    What happened to the bison is truly one of America’s most shameful stories. For non-native buffalo hunters they were the equivalent of a gold mine on four legs. This group hunted bison from trains and horseback for their tongues, hides, bones and little else. The tongue was, and still is considered a delicacy. Hides were prepared and shipped to the east and Europe for processing into leather. Remaining carcasses were, for the most part, left to rot. By the time nothing but bones remained, they too were gathered and shipped via rail to eastern destinations for processing into industrial carbon and fertilizer. By the 1890s with numbers nearing extinction, the bison "gold rush" was over.
    At the same time, the American government openly encouraged elimination of the Plains Indians’ primary food source, the bison. In so doing, the Indians would be forced into relatively small areas, or north into Canada. In either situation, food sources were either scarce or non-existent. The results were starvation, and high infant mortality amongst the Indian populations. In the end the west was open to European settlement and the start of the western beef industry.
    The past can’t be undone. Today, though nowhere near the nubers of the 19th century, the bison is no longer in danger of extinction. the total herd size is in the 500,000 range, about 250,000 of which are based in Canada. And in west central Montana, the National Bison Range has played an important role in the successful recovery of these magnificent animals.
    The fact that we can still see bison on the landscape is one of the finest accomplishments in the history of the National Wildlife Refuge System. President Theodore Roosevelt established the National Bison Range on May 23, 1908 when he signed legislation authorizing funds to purchase suitable land for the conservation of bison. It was the first time that Congress appropriated tax dollars to buy land specifically to conserve wildlife. The overall mission of the National Bison Range is to maintain a representative herd of bison, under reasonably natural conditions, to ensure the preservation of the species for continued public enjoyment.
    The original herd of bison released in 1909 was purchased with private money raised by the American Bison Society and then donated to the Refuge. Today, 350-500 bison call this refuge home.
    It is a great lace to visit. There are two loops that you can drive and see these magnificent animals, often also spotting the black bear, pronghorn antelope, mule deer and elk that share the 18,700 acre range. One loop, only five miles, is a flat gravel road that larger RVs could handle that goes by a bison display pasture. It takes abut a half hour.
    The best loop, though, is only for automobiles or Class B RVs under 30-feet in length. It is a hilly 19-mile, one-way gravel road with lots of switchbacks and 10% grades that gains 2,000 feet in altitude. There are two hiking trails along this route. The half-mile Bitterroot Trail and the one-mile High Point Trail provide spectacular overlooks of the prairie. Dogs, on a leash, are allowed.
    But the rest of this great preserve is off limits to hiking. Visitors must stay in their vehicles.Allow two to three hours for this route. And make sure you have your camera, as evidenced by the photos Jennifer and I took on our visit.
    The Range is one of the last intact publicly-owned inter-mountain native grasslands in the United States. The visitor’s center has a great display and lots of information.
    In general, the longer and steeper Red Sleep Mountain Drive is open from mid-May to early October with the shorter Winter Drive open the remainder of the season. The Visitor Center, with displays, restrooms and bookstore, is typically open daily from mid-May to early October but has limited hours during the winter season.
    The range is strategically located about mid-way between Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park, not far from Flathead Lake and a half hour or so north of Missoula in the southern tier of Montana’s Glacier Country. It overlooks one of the longest valleys in the region: the Bitterroot, nearly 100 miles long and 25 miles wide, bordered by the jagged peaks of the Bitterroot Mountains on the west and the rolling terrain of the Sapphire Mountains to the east,
    There’s no camping at the National Bison Range and the preserve closes at dark. Camping can be found around Missoula to the south and in some of the smaller communities near the range.

    Drive slow. They walk right out in front of you and often like to hold staring contest with nice looking RVs.

    Pronghorn antelope

    The Bitterroot Trail leads to a spectacular overlook.

    Educational display outside the visitors center

    The deer and the antelope do indeed play on the range with the buffalo. This young pronghorn found some sweet grass.

    Elk are also common throughout the range. Elk drop their impressive antlers each year to grow new ones. This display of a bunch of dropped antlers is at the visitor center and is a common decorative piece you’ll see throughout the west.
  9. Roadtrekingmike
    I’ve spent much of the past two months using my spare time to study photography, though online courses, books and some classroom work. I also, gulp, bought a professional grade camera and have been learning its ins and out, too. All this in preparation for our RV visits to various National Parks across the country.
    This year, I’m going to concentrate even more out there on photography, spurred on by the annual photo contest sponsored by the National Park Foundation.
    The photo accompanying this post was the just-announced winner of the 2013 contest, which brought in more than 20,000 entries. It’s from Courtney Kotewa and it is of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which I will visit in mid June. She lives in southern Michugan took the photo last summer during a family vacation. Second place is also from lake Superior. It is of the ice caves that formed along the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore this past winter and was taken by Michael DeWitt. He’s is from Ashland, WI, not far from the Apostle Islands. We plan to visit the Apostle Island National Lakeshore in late June
    After that we head west. To Glacier. Yellowstone. The Canyonlands and more. In the fall, the Great Smoky Mountains National park is on the planned trip list. So is another visit to Everglades National Park.
    I’ve been browsing this year’s winners. I can’t wait to get out there.
    A complete list of 2013 winners and their photos are available for viewing at www.nationalparks.org/photowinners.
    The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, is the main sponsor of the annual contest, which encourages amateur photographers to explore the nation’s federal lands and share their experiences by capturing and submitting their favorite shots. The winning picture may also be featured on the annual Federal Recreational Lands Pass.
    The 2014 contest is well under way. Photos must be taken from Jan. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2014.
    The grand prize for the winning image is $10,000, followed by $5,000 and $3,000 for second and third place, in addition to outdoor gear provided by Celestron, hotel packages courtesy of Historic Hotels of America, and an annual Federal Recreational Lands Pass. There are also prizes for fan favorites and the following six category winners:
    Adventure and Outdoor Recreation
    Historical and Cultural
    Scenic, Seasons, and Landscapes
    Let’s Move Outside
    Wildlife
    Night Skies (a new category for the 2014 contest)

    Share the Experience is the official photo contest of America’s national parks and federal recreation lands. The 2014 contest is sponsored by the National Park Foundation, ACTIVE Network, and Celestron in partnership with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and Recreation.gov. The contest entries showcase the more than 500 million acres of federal lands and draws entries from all across the United States.
    Bookmark this post. To enter a photo for this year’s contest, go to: http://www.sharetheexperience.org/
    See you out there …
  10. Roadtrekingmike
    Roadtrek Motorhomes has released a new all-season, solar-powered 40th Anniversary edition of it’s 190 Popular coach that features a redesigned, higher interior and a stunning Mocha Steel tri-coat paint job that looks like diamonds have been embedded into the finish.
    Roadtrek President Jim Hammill says the new model, revealed to attendees at the corporate anniversary rally in Branson, MO, continues a trend towards green energy use and extended dry camping through solar power. Pricing information and optional packages will be available at Roadtrek dealers throughout North America in early June.
    http://youtu.be/zvojBhs_ljI
    The new model has 10 gallons of extra fresh water capacity and special tanks that do away with the need for winterization if the unit is plugged in or the engine is running.
    The solar power, with a 3,000 watt inverter, assures that users will be able to stay for extended periods of times in remote places far from commercial campgrounds. The rooftop solar panels generate 210 watts of power to four batteries. Roadtrek also added a new engine generator to the unit for extra power off the grid.
    The Popular 190 model joins two Sprinter Roadtrek models introduced late last year that use solar – the RS Adventurous eTrek and the RS Adventurous CS (for Camping Series). Earlier this year, the corporation announced that it would be able to retrofit solar on many earlier units already sold.
    Early reaction to the Popular 190 was favorable. “It’s a beauty,” said Cheryl Gregorie. “I love the fact that it doesn’t need winterizing.”
    “I love the bling of the color scheme,” said Shari Groendyk, of Portage, MI.
    “The fact that we don’t have to winterize is huge for those of us in cold climates,” said William Browne, of Spring Lake, Mich.
    The interior, with a larger bathroom and new bamboo cabinets in the interior, also drew praise from many. It is three inches taller than earlier 190 Populars.
    “This is how we’ll move into the next 40 years of our history,” said Hammill. “We will lead the Class B industry in technology and innovation.”
    About the Author: Mike Wendland is a veteran journalist who travels the country in a Roadtrek Type B motorhome, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer, and their Norweigian elkhound, Tai. Mike is an FMCA member (F426141) and is FMCA's official on-the-road reporter. He enjoys camping (obviously), hiking, biking, fitness, photography, video editing and all things dealing with technology. His "PC MIke" technology segments are distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations. More from this author. Reach mike at openmike@fmca.com.
  11. Roadtrekingmike
    Apps. There are so many apps that empower our smartphones and tablets to do new and creative things that it’s almost impossible to keep up with them. This week, I have three new apps that you may have missed that you will surely want to add to your RVing collection.
    The coolest photo enhancing app I’ve seen in a long time is Instagram’s new Hyperlapse, a very nifty little download that lets you create very smooth and fun time lapse videos. It takes a clip you shot on your iPhone, stabilizes it and stiches together a polished time lapse video that you can share. No need for a tripod. Handhold your shots and watch the app make it look like it was shot by a pro. You can play it back at up to 12 times the speed it was captured in, the time lapse video I made from a recent trip to the old western town of Deadwood, South Dakota. Sorry folks, right now this app is only for Apple devices. Cost is 99-cents.

    Free for Apple and Android mobile gizmos is another cool app called Cabin. This app sets up a private mobile network for families and friends that lets you assign reminders, track locations, and chat with your loved ones. This would be great for keeping in touch with family as you're on the road. It’s a closed group, available to only those you invite. You can share photos, audio, and notes; keep a running list of To-Do’s, tasks and important dates; and even pinpoint exactly where everyone is, in real time.
    Once more new app for Apple users: Wandering Weather. Enter in your starting location and your destination and it will help pick the route and the best time to leave to have the best traveling weather. Very cool.
  12. Roadtrekingmike
    New Apps that RVers Will Enjoy
    Apps. There are so many apps that empower our smartphones and tablets to do new and creative things that it’s almost impossible to keep up with them.  This week, I...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  13. Roadtrekingmike
    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.
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  14. Roadtrekingmike
    Roadtrek Motorhome’s new e-Trek is now showing up in dealer showrooms across North America and I just may be the very first consumer to take possession.
    Or so Chad Neff of American RV in Grand Rapids told me as he handed over the keys to Jennifer and I. Tai, our Norwegian Elkhound, had already ensconced himself inside.

    My trek for the eTrek began in September when I went to the Roadtrek factory in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada to do a video news story on the new model, built on the Mercedes Sprinter frame. It’s 22 feet nine inches long and nine feet five inches tall on a 170-inch wheelbase.

    At heart, Jennifer and I are boondockers. We prefer camping deep in the woods, away from crowded campgrounds. Because the eTrek can totally power itself with a bank of eight AGM batteries, a rooftop solar array capable of putting out 240 watts, a 5000 watt inverter for 110 appliances and a diesel system that works as a generator to very quickly charge the system, it means that we can run everything we need – heat, air conditioning, TV, DVD, the water pump, even the mircowave – for up to nine hours without having to start the engine to charge those batteries. That’s running everything, all at once. In real conditions, that doesn’t happen.
    “You can totally charge everything by just running the engine for 20 minutes to a half hour,” said Howard Stratton, Roadtrek’s vice president of operations when we visited the factory this past monday to work on a video about other Roadtrek developments.
    How is that possible? The eTrek utilizes a 3500W generator/alternator mounted to the van's diesel engine that can charge eight dead auxiliary batteries in only 40 minutes.
    There are two optons we did not get: an 100W EFOY methanol fuel cell generator and three lithium ion batteries that would save weight over the eight AGM batteries.
    While there, we saw the Roadtrek assembly crew putting the finishing touches on the unit we would get three days later through our dealer in Grand Rapids.

    I wish I could give you all a full shake down review on the eTrek. But it is wintertime and as we left Grand Rapids to drive back to our suburban Detroit home, we were being chased by a huge winter storm named Draco, which deluged parts of the Midwest and northern Michigan with up to 20 inches of snow.
    Our 155-mile trip was in pretty stiff winds. Immediately I notice how well it handled. The 2006 Roadtrek RS that I traded in (it’s available at American RV) has single rear wheels. The eTrek, like later model Sprinters, has dualies. I’m not sure if that was why it seemed to be more stable or it was just that new RV love affair I had going. We returned home around dark and by morning, we had two inches of snow on the ground.
    Hmmm. Do solar panels charge when covered in snow?
    I took the eTrek out for my last-minute Christmas shopping errands. The roads were slick in spots but I found it handled well and had no tendency to skid on the icy spots. All that weight helps, I guess. The eTrek’s weight, not mine.
    I spent time this afternoon running everything I could as I familiarized myself with switches. The heat, pushed out through the air conditioning unit in the ceiling, warmed it to a pretty comfortable 63 degrees after an hour’s use. Outside, it was about 25 degrees, with a very stiff wind making the wind chill much less. We’ll see how it heats with that unit in some further tests. Because there is no propane, the usual forced air heater than ran on propane is absent on the eTrek.
    I did not use the water pump or the instant hot feature. It hasn’t been winterized yet but since those systems are dry, I was told not to worry. I’m thinking I may want to put some antifreeze in the traps anyway.
    I’ve got a lot more inside putzing to do so I can be sure I know where everything is and how it works. We leave for Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida right after the first of the year, so full tests are coming shortly.
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  15. Roadtrekingmike
    “Not all those who wander are lost."
    -- J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings.
    We love that quote because we love to meander, to take roads less traveled, off the Interstate. And as we are starting our Great Lakes Shoreline Tour that will take us 3,500 miles across eight states along the shorelines of all five Great Lakes, we are reminded again about the absolute joy of slow exploration.
    We’ve tried to explain it to non-RV people. Their eyes sort of glaze over. But you understand, don’t you?
    When we first began our motorhome adventure two years ago, I was so focused on arriving at our destination that I missed the adventure and thrill of getting there. I drove mega-mileage, 400, 500, even 600 miles a day. I’d arrive exhausted, cranky and wanting nothing but sleep. I guess that’s part of the newbie’s RVing education, learning to slow down.
    Now, it’s hard to get us out of an area.
    Even as I write this, in the tiny town of Geneva, Ohio, the heart of Ohio’s wine country, we have found so many things to see.
    Ohio? Wine?
    You better believe it. Parts of this area look like the Napa Valley in California. Really.
    It’s raining again. It has rained for the last four days. But no problem. There are wineries to tour, small town attractions. Winding roads. The local drug store has a long, old-fashioned soda fountain bar. I’m going to go see if I can get a cherry phosphate.
    We’ve traveled the U.S. shoreline of Lake Ontario and are now following Lake Erie. We’ll end this leg of the tour at the mouth of the Detroit River, the lake’s source, make our way home for the Father’s Day weekend and then pick it up again Tuesday with Lake Huron, starting in Port Huron, MI.
    Our first official report from the tour will be next week, sharing photos and videos here, as well as on the Verizon Wirelsss blog and the Pure Michigan blog. We’ll also tweet and post in Facebook and social media with #VZGreatLakes and #vzwmidwest.
    Let me know what you think we should see. We’ll probably avoid most of the big tourist attractions that everyone knows about. We want to highlight the surprises and little gems that delight and surprise.
    Let us know.

    Here’s one of those gems we discovered this week. This cow is out front of the Jell-O museum in Le Roy, N.Y. And, yes, there really is such a place. More later.
  16. Roadtrekingmike
    Off The Beaten Path: Meat Cove
    “Don’t miss Meat Cove!†It was a beautiful fall day on Prince Edward Island. We were talking to a couple who were full-timers in their Roadtrek. We were headed to...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  17. Roadtrekingmike
    I didn’t know what to expect when I pulled into Okeechobee, Fla., but I can defiately say that I didn’t expect it to remind me of West Texas, right down to the city calling itself ”Cow Town.” But this is a western style town in the middle of the sunshine state, it’s dry and windy and surrounded by wide open spaces and lots and lots of cows. Rodeos are a big deal here and the name of the best local restaurant tells you what the local culture revolves around. It’s simply called “The Cowboy.”
    In July, they have a big cattle drive – right down main streets of town. There are rodeos all year around.
    Okeechobee, with a population of just under 6,000, is located smack in the middle of south Florida, about equal distance from both coasts and hard up against the western shoreline of Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in Florida and the seventh largest in the United States. But locals stress another claim to fame about “The Lake,” as everyone around her refers to it. It is the largest freshwater lake completely within a single one of the lower 48 states.
    The word Okeechobee in the tongue of the Seminoles who first settled here, means “big water.” It gets its water from the Kissimmee River, which links Okeechobee to Lake Kissimmee, some 60 miles to the west.
    Tourism has most been limited to fishermen – - the lake is also known as the speckled perch capital of the U.S. - and rodeo fans who come for the many Cow Town events, especially the big one in July. But a new RV resort here is bringing in lots of new seasonal snowbirds and passing travelers. That’s what led us here, a chance to visit the Silver Palms RV Resort, located a half mile from Lake Okeechobee on the town’s eastern limits. We came here from Naples, where we stayed at a sister resort, the Naples Motorcoach Resort. Both parks are owned by Sunland RV Resorts, which operate high end RV resorts in California and Bay Harbor, Mich.
    There are a couple of older RV parks in the Okeechobee area, and a KOA Resort park right across the street, but the Silver Palms caters to owners who buy a lot as well as renters. Overnight rentals start with a 40 by 70 foot spot on the grass with a concrete pad for $35 a night. Silver Palms is a master planned, gated community. Lot ownership starts at $55,000 and runs to $80,000, depending on size and location. An aggressive expansion will soon give the place well over 300 lots and a major footprint on the local economy, which has been clearly struggling, as evidenced by lots of shuttered businesses. There’s also a paucity of the traditional Florida tourist places like fancy restaurants and bistros and upscale shopping.
    This is the cow country out here and if touristy hustle and bustle is what you seek, better head elsewhere.
    If, however, you are looking to slow down, chill out, warm up and enjoy an area where the attraction is fresh air and lots of social activities with your RVing neighbors, this may be your diamond in the rough.
    What the town may lack in activities, the RV resort more than makes up for in planned parties, events and gatherings around the swimming pool, clubhouse and members lounge area. On the week we were there, there was an old car show on Sunday, Margarita Monday – with free drinks and nachos from 2-4PM, a Mardis Gras parade and potluck party with free hurricanes on Tuesday and a boat tour of the lake on Wednesday. There are also poolside lunches three days a week and a big Saturday night dinner party.
    And every day, starting early in the morning and going till dark, there are pickleball games. Pickleball, a racquet sport which combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis and is played on outdoor courts, is reputed to be the fastest growing sport on America. The folks here take their pickleball very seriously but are always glad to explain it to a newcomer and offer newbie tips.
    These people may like to party. But they are also pretty fit.
    There are water exercise classes, line dancing lessons, a fitness center and fishing around several manmade lakes that are stocked with largemouth bass, some reputed to be in the 10 pound range.
    The RVs include everything but trailers and popups. There are Class A, B, and C motorhomes as well as lots of Fifth Wheels. The more deluxe lots have pavers and owners can decorate them how they like. Many have installed tiki huts and small cabanas that hold washer and dryers or are an extra sleeping room for guests. A lot of the residents also have their own golf carts. Some have scooters. Everyone seems to ride a bike, which they use to drive to the community trash container, located at a remote end of the resort.
    Again reminding me of Texas were the sound of cattle several times a day. A pasture borders the north end of the park and the black angus grazing there add to the bucolic, laid back vibes. A wetlands preserve borders the south end of the property.
    We hung out at the pool on the days we were there. One morning, I borrowed a bike and rode a dozen miles or so along the Florida Trail, also known as the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Built atop the 35-foot high dike that surrounds the lake and protects the nearby community from flooding, this trail runs for over 110 miles. It’s pancake flat and offers beautiful views of the lake and surrounding wetlands.
    The weather here is usually among the warmest in Florida. Because of the flat ranch land around here, there is almost always a breeze. During our visit the first part of March, the daily temperatures were in the low eighties every day.
    We found the town and area to be refreshingly unlike any other place we’ve visited in Florida. It’s a great spot to relax. The residents I got to know during our stay here said they never intended to end up here but that the quieter pace of life and the friendliness of the people at Silver Palms kept them coming back, year after year.
    Occupancy of the resort seemed pretty close to 90% or so, hence the expansion project. The whole complex is extremely well maintained and the rest rooms and showers are spotless.
    Besides the many on site activities, the lake and the 110-mile bike trail were my favorite things to take in during our time and enough to bring me back someday. Below are some photos of the lake to show you what I mean. Our guide was Captain John Campbell, who has fished Okeechobee for more than half a century. He regularly takes folks out from the Silver Palms RV Resort and likes to weave in local history and information about wildlife as he takes them to the best fishing spots.
  18. Roadtrekingmike
    Happy New Year!
    Like many we’ve been reflecting a lot on the places we’ve been and the people we met in 2013. We’ve even drawn up a tentative travel schedule of our planned travel destinations for the new year.
    But I’ve also come up with some new goals, above and beyond the specifics of where and when we’ll go. I call it my Roadtreking self improvement list.
    Here are the things I want to learn or do better with in 2014:
    1) Stop, look and listen more – Last year was a crazy year, travel wise. We covered over 35,000 miles in our Roadtrek eTrek, criss-crossing North America. While we loved every mile, I have to conceded that we missed a lot. Sometimes I was so focused on where I was headed that I missed things I should have noticed where I was at. I want to slow down, stay longer and more throughly investigate the places we visit. There is no hurry.
    2) Take more and better photos – I think I’ll take a photo class this new year. I want to learn more about light and composition and wildlife photography. Same with video and video editing. Most of my skills I picked up as a television and newspaper reporter., on deadline, covering time sensitive news stories. I want to follow along and learn from some of the amazing photographers I’ve met this year. And I want to tell more stories with stills.
    3) Read and learn more about the history of the places we visit – Every town has a local history book at the library, a local historian who we can contact to understand what makes the locale unique. The places we visit all have a story to tell and coming to understand that story and use it in enriching the stories I’m telling will be part of my journalistic due diligence this year.
    4) Eat better and exercise more – Travel can wreak havoc on our health. We will prepare more of our meals from fresh, healthy whole foods and local veggies and produce in our RV kitchenthis year, instead if eating out. We will avoid at all costs fast food from the chains. I will bring bicycles with us on our trips and we will cycle, hike, kayak and workout in some way every day, no matter where we are, doing something to be physically active to work up a fat-burning sweat.
    5) Do more RV mods and maintenance – Inspired by Roadtreking friends like Campskunk and Roger and Lynn Brucker, I will learn more about simple mechanical and fix-it ways I can keep our RV running great. I will also look at ways to maximize interior space through DIY projects. Along with these, I will learn more about how the various components work and what I can do to make them keep working.
    How about you? What are your RV goals for 2014?
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    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


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  20. Roadtrekingmike
    For the better part of four decades, there is one place that has lured Jennifer and me back again and again, multiple times each year: Mackinac Island, located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
    It’s a place where motor vehicles are prohibited and where RVs must be left on the mainland at the passenger ferry docks. On the island, the only transportation available is by walking, riding bicycles or by horse. Just 3.8 square miles in size, most of the place is a State Park and the hundreds of thousands of of tourists who visit each year come mostly during the summer, most visiting just for the day, although many others stay overnight at the island’s beautifully restored Victorian-styled hotels, luxury resorts and charming bed and breakfasts.
    Mackinac Island has the distinction of being the second officially protected park by the federal government. In 1872 the Congress designated Yellowstone America’s first national park. In 1875 portions of federal land on Mackinac Island were given similar protection. This ensured the preservation of most of the natural limestone formations such as Skull Cave, Arch Rock and Sugar Loaf. Twenty years later, when the last U.S. army soldiers left Fort Mackinac, all federal land, including the fort, became Michigan’s first state park. The newly appointed Park Commission limited all private development in the park and required leaseholders to maintain the distinctive Victorian architecture of their bluff cottages. In recent years the historical sites and fort buildings such as the Officers’ Stone Quarters have been restored to their original condition and brought to life through dioramas, period settings, guided tours and reenactments for the benefit of the thousands of summer visitors.
    We usually overnight. We love the Grand Hotel, at the start of the western bluff, dubbed “America’s Summer Place” and consistently voted one of the top resort hotels in the world. It’s a place where you still must dress up for dinner. There’s High Tea in the lobby most afternoons and the hotel’s massive front porch overlooking the Straits is one of the most pleasant places you’ll find anywhere.
    We also like Mission Point, a sprawling resort on the island’s eastern end.
    What do we do there? We bike and hike. If it rains, we hole up in our room and read and nap.
    It truly is a place to get away from it all.
    There are lots of places to camp in and around the gateway cities of Mackinaw City on the lower peninsula side, and St. Ignace on the UP side. Our favorite mainland overnight spots are both state parks: Wilderness State Park west of Mackinaw City, and Straits State Park in St. Ignace. There are three ferry boat lines serving the island. We like Star Lines because their boats make the eight mile crossing to Mackinac Island in about 18 minutes, much faster than the other lines.
    You can see from the photos why we like the place so much.
    Here’s some history and details from the Mackinac Island website:
    It was the Victorians who made Mackinac Island one of the nation’s most favored summer resorts. In the post-Civil War industrial age and before automobiles, vacationers traveled by large lake excursion boats from Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit to the cooler climes of Mackinac Island. They danced to Strauss’ waltzes, listened to Sousa’s stirring marches, dined on whitefish and strolled along the broad decks. To accommodate overnight guests boat and railroad companies built summer hotels, such as the Grand Hotel in the late 19th century. Victorians, like travelers everywhere, shopped for souvenirs, and Mackinac shops supplied them.
    In the 1890’s wealthy Midwestern industrialists who wanted to spent more than a few nights on Mackinac built their own summer cottages on the east and west bluffs. Soon a social life including tennis, hiking, bicycling, examining the local natural wonders, and at the turn of the century, golf at on the new Wawashkamo Golf Course.
    Location has determined much of Mackinac Island’s history. Eleven thousand years ago in prehistoric times, not long after the retreat of the last glacier, aboriginal natives stood on the mainland shore, looked out over the Straits between two newly formed great lakes and saw an island with unusually high bluffs. They thought it resembled a large reptile and called it mish-la-mack-in-naw or big turtle. When they explored it, they marveled at its unusual natural limestone formations and buried their dead in the Island’s caves.
    French-Canadian courieur de bois Jean Nicolet is believed to be the first white man to see Mackinac during his explorations on behalf of Samuel de Champlain, governor of Canada, in 1634.
    The Jesuit Jacques Marquette preached to the Straits Indians in 1671 and soon after the area became the most important French western fur trade site. After the British acquired the Straits following the French and Indian War, the English Major Patrick Sinclair chose those high bluffs for the site of his Fort Mackinac in 1780.
    The Americans never threatened the British fort during the American Revolution and following the revolution obtained the Straits area by treaty. However, problems with the British in nearby Canada led to the War of 1812. In July of 1812 a British force landed secretly on the far north end of Mackinac Island and forced the United States to surrender Fort Mackinac in the first engagement of that conflict. There were no casualties.
    In 1814 the Americans attempted to regain the Island by also approaching from the north, but failed to defeat the British who in the meantime had fortified the high ground behind Fort Mackinac. The British and Americans fought the battle in the vicinity of the present day site of the Wawashkamo Golf Course. The British fortification was renamed Fort Holmes in honor of Major Andrew Hunter Holmes, a young American officer who died in the conflict. In 1815 the Island was restored once again to the Americans by treaty.
    After the War of 1812 Mackinac Island became the center of John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company. For the next thirty years the German immigrant provided beaver pelts for the beaver hats so favored by contemporary Jane Austen’s dashing young men.
    In 1822 Fort Mackinac’s post surgeon William Beaumont saved the life of Alexis St. Martin after an accidental shotgun blast tore a hole in the young voyageur’s stomach. When the hole never completely healed, the physician observed first hand what happens when food is digested in the stomach. His published experiments made medical history.
    In the 1860s Mackinac Island processed barrels of whitefish and lake trout destined for eastern markets. Each spring local Irish fishermen, coopers, net makers and dray men cleaned, salted, dried and packed the succulent fish which were carried on lake boats to Canadian and New York markets. This thriving industry replaced Astor’s diminishing fur trade which had now moved to the northwest states.
    Is romance in your soul? Welcome to Mackinac Island. It was inevitable that 19th century writers would discover the Island’s charm, but even before the written word, Indian legends were part of its history. For many native Americans Arch Rock was created when a beautiful Indian maiden’s tears washed away the limestone bluff as she waited in vain for her lover to return.
    In the 1820s a young army lieutenant on a tour of duty at Fort Mackinac sat on the porch of the Officers’ Stone Quarters and composed beautiful letters to his wife revealing his loneliness and love for her. During the Civil War, John C. Pemberton, now a general, commanded a Confederate army in Tennessee and had the dubious distinction of surrendering Vicksburg to U.S. Grant.
    New England poet Henry Longfellow based his long narrative poem, in part, on written accounts of Henry R. Schoolcraft, an Indian agent who recorded information on Indian legends and culture while residing at Mackinac’s Indian Dormitory during the 1830s.
    Edward Everett Hale wrote his”Man Without a Country” while sitting on the porch of the Mission House.
    In the late 1880s Constance Fenimore Woolson, a popular novelist and close friend of Henry James, wrote her best-known book, Anne, which is the story of a young girl and her exciting adventures on Mackinac Island. Anne’s Tablet on the Fort bluff commemorates Woolson, as does nearby Anne Cottage.
    Mark Twain, on an international tour to recoup his fortunes, visited Mackinac during July 1895 and lectured at Grand Hotel. According to his memoirs, Twain was paid $345 for this speaking engagement.
    In 1946 after World War II MGM filmed a romantic tale of lost and found love called, This Time for Keeps starring the famous swimmer Esther Williams and Jimmy Durante.
    In 1979 the Grand was again the setting for a romantic fantasy called Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Each fall the hotel hosts a reunion of fans enchanted by the movie. But love is celebrated by ordinary folks, too. Each Saturday from June to September the island hosts several weddings.
    Though most resorts and hotels shut down during the winter, there is always at least one hotel open. The Arnold Line ferry only runs from St. Ignace during the beginning of the winter season. They run a daily schedule to the island until the Straits freeze over. Flights to the island from the Mackinac County Airport in St. Ignace are available through Great Lakes Air for $21 one way per person.
    If it’s a really cold winter and the straits are frozen over, brave locals mark an “ice bridge” with Christmas trees from St. Ignace to the island and traverse it all winter long by snowmobiles.
  21. Roadtrekingmike
    Our love affair with Mackinac Island
    For the better part of four decades, there is one place that has lured Jennifer and me back again and again, multiple times each year: Mackinac Island, located in Lake...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


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  22. Roadtrekingmike
    I love getting reader mail and I do my best to answer them. But lately, as a new RV season gets 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 60,000 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.
  23. Roadtrekingmike
    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.
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    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


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  25. Roadtrekingmike
    Seven minutes is all it took for our RV to be burglarized, to lose $12,000 and counting worth of equipment – just about everything of value inside the motorhome except the dog.
    Yes, just seven minutes.
    That’s all it took for the bad guys to come into our space, take our stuff.
    We know it was only seven minutes, too, from our dash cam recording most of it.
    But as Jennifer points out, what they physically took are only things. The stuff is just that – stuff.
    And, yes, it isn’t fun, but it is life and when things like this happen, you have two choices: bury your head in the sand or learn from it and move on.
    So we move on.
    We WILL continue with our trip out west along Route 66. We WILL continue with our Roadtreking podcasts.
    First Things First: Roadtreking RV Burglarized in Illinois
    It happened just across the Mississippi River – from St. Louis in Collinsville, Ill. – when we stopped for dinner about 6:15 p.m. at a restaurant in a busy shopping mall off Interstate-55. It was a pretty upscale mall too, with lots of well known stores and restaurants and traffic.
    While we were inside eating, at least two thieves somehow gained entry to our Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL and, in about seven minutes took more than $12,000 worth of electronic gear from our rig – including all of the video and still cameras and most of the mobile podcasting studio gear I had taken for the trip.
    Police blamed gangs from nearby East St. Louis. A guy towing a U-Haul who also stopped for dinner and parked a few spaces down was also hit. They smashed a window out to gain entry to his vehicle and also took a computer.
    It turns out, though, that my dash cam may have captured an image of one of the thieves who looked to be casing our RV. A “person of interest” can be clearly seen on the dash cam peering in the front.
    Seconds before he walked out of sight, someone entered from the side and was joined by an accomplice. I’ve given the evidence over to police. They would like to identify and talk to the person seen here.

    The video showed this man walking back and forth, peering inside and then disappearing off to the left, seconds after someone entered the vehicle from that direction. Under his left arm he is carrying what appears to be a hammer or some sort of burglary tool.
    Alas, because the dash cam pointed outward, we did not get an image of the thieves who were inside. The dash cam did record some of their audio. They can be heard talking nicely to Tai, who, knowing him, was probably delighted by the company.
    The inside was totally ransacked. Every cupboard was opened and all the contents strewn about. You can hear the thieves delighting over the laptops. “What’s this,” one of them asked, followed by the sounds of things falling to the floor.
    I can’t begin to describe how incredibly sad it is to hear these lowlifes talking so casually about the things they were finding and stealing. They laughed and sounded totally at ease. In Jennifer’s tote bag were some personal items, things of absolutely no value or meaning to the thieves, but things that were meaningful to her.
    Both of our laptops, an iPad, chargers, my professional video camera, my high end Canon 5D Mark III DSLR camera with a memory card full of Route 66 photos, my multichannel podcast mixing board, a Rand McNally GPS, a portable printer and all sorts of cables and stuff like a backpack, Jennifer’s tote bag and even my shower soap, shampoo and deodorant were taken.
    When we came back out from the restaurant about 7:03 PM, the thieves were gone and Tai looked stressed. He knew stuff wasn’t supposed to be tossed all over the RV. Fortunately, the thieves did not hurt him. As I mentioned, they can be heard talking soothingly to him as they stole our stuff.
    After police took our report, I went to a nearby Best Buy and bought a replacement computer. I stayed up all night, first configuring it and then, account by account, changing passwords on my email accounts, my credit card companies, my bank and other personally sensitive information. Then I did it all for Jennifer. Then we called our accountant and bank to alert them to be on the alert for suspicious activity.
    Fortunately, all my computer info was encrypted and backed up with strong security measures. But it’s better to take no chances, hence an all-nighter. I am too old to pull an all-nighter.
    I also am glad I have a Mac. I used Apple’s”Find My Mac” service to first see if I could locate the stolen laptop. It didn’t show but I clicked the “notify me if found” box, which, as soon as it goes online, will send me a map of its location. I also send an erase command which will wipe the had disk and lock the machine so it can not be used. This is a great service and well worth the cost of buying Apple.
    Tips: Lessons Learned from the Roadtreking RV Break-In
    We suspect that thieves are using technology to transmit radio signals that mimic the unlock signals transmitted by key fobs.
    If so, that would explain why there was no sign of forced entry. Because as we left the vehicle, as normal, Jennifer asked if I had locked it. I distinctly remember walking to the side passenger window, pushing the lock button on the key fob, and seeing and hearing the inside locks depress.
    Almost as frustrating an experience of being robbed is the runaround I’m now getting from my insurance carrier. The claims investigator who called me back said because there was no forced entry evidence, they probably won’t pay.
    The company I used specializes in insuring recreational vehicles. But if they deny my claim, they are going to literally have a very unhappy camper on their case.
    The rationale suggested by the claims agent is simply unacceptable. These thieves illegally entered our home. The RV is our home. They violated that home and stole from us. Now, the insurance agency is hinting it will do the same thing by not paying.
    We’ll see what happens as the claim works its way up, but I urge all of you to carefully check your policies.
    Inventory the items you take with you and make sure you are adequately covered by a reputable agency.
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