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Roadtrekingmike

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

    I ask a whole bunch of RV folks what’s on their bucket list There’s a very in depth interview of Campskunk, our Roadtreking Reporter fulltimer who shares his annual travel routes, how he and his wife, Sharon, cope in what is essentially a campervan, what they do, how much they spend on campgrounds and pretty much everything you’ve been wondering about the Campskunk boondocking method.
    I hope you enjoy it.
    Meantime, I invite you to be a part of it.
    I’d like to feature comments, questions and tips from readers on the Roadtreking RV Lifestyle Podcast. Will you help me ? Leave comments or questions below.
    Thanks, in advance!

    When you listen on your smartphone, here’s what it looks like.
  2. Roadtrekingmike
    There are few animals as universally popular and liked as much as the Florida Manatee. Yet there are few animals in more danger.
    The Florida Manatee, a large and slow moving aquatic animal, is protected by the federal Engangered Species Act of 1973, primarily because they are too big and slow to get out of the way of speedboats. As Florida’s boating population has exploded, the manatee has declined to an estimated statewide population today of under 5,000.
    They used to be everywhere. And despite gallant efforts by wildlife managers to protect it, each year there are fewer and fewer.
    But if you want to see one, perhaps the best bet in all of Florida is the Blue Springs State Park, in Orange City, FL, less than 45 minutes northwest of Orlando. Here, every winter from November to mid-April, a spit of water called the Blue Springs Run is filled with the gentle giants, often called sea cows. The Blue Springs Run flows into the St. Johns River and emanates from a deep underground spring that burps up crystal clear water that never varies from a temperature of 72 degrees.
    That’s what draws the manatees. Blue Spring is a designated Manatee Refuge and the winter home to a growing population of West Indian Manatees. Some years, as many as 350 of them have wintered in the run, which is only about a half mile long and 100 feet or so wide.
    For RVers, the state park has 51 large and private campsites, all with picnic tables, a firepit and full electric and water hookups.
    Jennifer and I found it a delight of a place. It is quiet and remote – there are signs warning about feeding the bears which are often seen in the park – and while the springs are a half mile walk away, a shaded walking path starts from right next to site 18 and takes you right to the boardwalk that parallels the Blue Spring Run.
    Towering old live oaks grow from the banks of the run with Spanish Moss dangling down right to the waters surface.
    Although they call it Blue Springs, it has a distinct green shade to it because of the algae in the area caused by agricultural runoff into the St. Johns River.
    The water is amazingly clear. Right from the boardwalk, you can see giant largemouth bass, longnose gar, channel catfish and more than 40 other species of fish cruising past.
    And then there are the manatees.
    On the day we visited, a ranger told us the morning count was 30. As the weather is warming up here in central Florida, the manatees are moving into the river and its tributaries. By the middle of March, they’ll mostly be gone and the river will open to swimmers, snorkelers and SCUBA divers.
    We spent several hours strolling the boardwalk and just watching the manatees. They are huge, 800 to 1,000 pounds and ten feet long. Some have grown to nearly 3,000 pounds. We were surprised to learn that they are a relative of the elephant. But when you study them up close, you can really see the resemblance. They are grayish brown in color and have thick, wrinkled skin on which there is often a growth of algae. Their front flippers help them steer, or sometimes crawl, through shallow water. They also have powerful, flat tails that help propel them through the water. Despite their small eyes and lack of outer ears, manatees are thought to see and hear quite well.
    Most of them bore deep scars on their backs from boat propellers.
    As if that wasn’t enough, the manatees are also being harassed by an invasive species -the sailfin catfish. These are the same exotic species that are used by fish hobbyists to clean the sides of their aquariums. How they ended up in Blue Springs Run isn’t known for sure but someone likely someone dumped them. The species thrive there and they are now all over the place. They fasten themselves to the backs of the manatees and try to eat the algae that grows on them.
    This drives the manatees nuts and they twist and roll trying to dislodge the parasitic hitchhikers. That means they burn more calories. Which means they need more food. And since there is nothing in Blue Springs Run they eat, that means they have to roam out into the St Johns River. The St Johns River in the wintertime is much colder than the springs and the prolonged exposure to cold endangers the manatees health.
    It’s the classic environmental domino effect.
    We sat and watched the manatees for an afternoon and part of the next morning. We could easily see them lying on the bottom of the Blue Springs Run. About every two to four minutes, they’d slowly rise. Just their nose, and only the nostrils at that, would break the surface. You’d hear them exhale, and then inhale, making a deep puffing sound. Then they’d drop down again.
    A couple of the manatees had calves with them, bringing smiles to all those watching.
    The Blue Springs State Park instantly became one of our favorite Florida memories. In summer, when the manatees are gone in large numbers and the springs turns into a giant swimming hole, it can get quite crowded. Even now, the campground is filled most weekends.
    But bookmark this or make a note of it. You’ll thank me once you visit it.
  3. Roadtrekingmike
    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
  4. Roadtrekingmike
    Yellowstone National Park is a captivating place. It grabs the soul and pulls us back year after year. At the top of every RVers bucket list, it is a place so majestic, so wild and big that it calls us to return, to explore, to get to know the diversity of its land and animals over and over again.
    Some RVers make annual pilgrimages. Some volunteer as workers or hire on as temporary employees at the various concessions and park businesses. Anything to spend as much time there as possible.
    A few, a very fortunate few, live there. Deby Dixon is one of those who – while technically not really living in the park year round – comes about as close as possible. She lives in and keeps her RV – a travel trailer – just outside the park gates and spends weeks at a time camping in the park in a tent. When she’s not camping, she drives in most every day.
    Deby is a former police officer now turned wildlife journalist and photographer. Jennifer and I met her this summer at Yellowstone, our second visit in a year to the park. We were camping at the Pebble Creek campground and hanging out in our Roadtrek, with the sliding door open, waiting for a black bear that had been browsing in a meadow directly across from us to step into better view. Alas, the bear instead headed back into the trees.
    But then Deby passed by on her way out of the campground. She stopped, backed up and came over to check out our Roadtrek. Jennifer had met her earlier and so the two chatted. I gave a quick tour of the Roadtrek, which Deby thought would make a great vehicle for her.
    She was camping a few spaces over in her tent.
    She had been in that tent for close to a month.
    This was in early July. When we returned home, I looked her up and have been a fan of her work ever since.
    Debby, injured on the job as a law enforcement officer up in North Carolina, took up photography to illustrate articles she was writing for various publications on national parks. She loves all the national parks and has visited and photographed many. The photo above is a self portrait taken last year at Mt. Baker, looking toward Mt. Schuksan in North Cascades National Park where she worked as a photography volunteer.
    Her love of the national park wilderness and the animals that live there started after a month-long camping trip to Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in 2009. The experience dramatically changed her life.
    “I no longer could stay home in the city,” she writes. ”I sold everything and moved into a 1970s model, 17-foot-travel trailer (since upgraded to a newer 21 foot trailer) and left on a journey to see the parks.”
    But since the fall of 2012, she’s been pretty much living at Yellowstone, writing about and photographing wildlife, especially the fragile wolf pack that hangs out in the Lamar Valley. She knows each wolf’s history, it’s parents and siblings and the story of its struggle to survive. You’ll learn all about that in our Q&A below.
    She keeps her travel trailer in Gardiner, at the park’s Northern entrances. Last winter, she rented an apartment there off season but made her way into the park every time she could all winter long.
    Since the snow melted, she’s spent a lot of time camping at Slough Creek or Pebble Creek, getting up most mornings at 4 AM and heading to her favorite vantage points in Lamar Valley in the northeast part of the park that is home to bison, black bears, grizzly bears, coyotes, badgers, otters, elk and wolves.
    She will typically stay out there till mid or late morning, return to camp to edit her photos, maybe answer some e-mail, work on her photography column for National Parks Traveler magazine and then update her Deby Dixon Photography Page and a new one, strictly about the Park, the Yellowstone Daily. By 5 PM or so, she’s back out in Lamar Valley, or wherever the animal action happens to be that day. Sometimes she will hike off to favorite spots to just sit and wait to see what animals show up. Often, she’s not back at camp until way after dark.
    Divorced, she has four grandchildren and two sons who live in Idaho. She travels and camps alone but has many friends at Yellowstone, fellow photographers and animal watchers. There’s a whole community of like-minded people who spend as much time as they can at the park. You’ll see them in the various pulloffs around the park’s perimeter roads, usually with spotting scopes. Most are equipped with their own two way business band radios that they use to share sightings and pass along tips about what animals are where.
    Deby is well respected by the other photographers, and park rangers as well, even though she has no official connection with the parks service.
    “She’s a great photographer and she’s driven by a genuine love of the animals and the park,” the Pebble Creek campground host told me. “Everyone around here looks up to her. She is very dedicated. Has to be to keep the hours she keeps taking her pictures.”
    Over the past couple of years, her almost daily stories and photos have captivated thousands who have discovered her animal advocacy journalism and wildlife photography. You, I am sure, will be among them once you check out the links to her Facebook Pages.
    Here’s my Q & A with Deby:
    Q: Why is Yellowstone so important to you?
    A: Because Yellowstone is a massive and diverse eco-system that has everything in nature that one could want – from the high peaks and sub-alpine meadows to the rocky desert sage. There are wide-open spaces, meadows and valleys and thick evergreen and conifer forests, along with lakes, streams and creeks. And then there is the scary mystery of the thermal features that constantly capture my imagination. I mean, if Yellowstone blows, I will be amongst the first to go as lava fields and plumes of ash spread. And then there is the wildlife, their lives, their interactions and their untimely deaths. For a wildlife/nature photographer who likes to write stories, Yellowstone has almost everything. Everything except the Tetons reflected in the Snake River, another favorite national park just to the south of Yellowstone.
    Q: Why have wolves captured my heart?
    A: Over a year ago my son asked me what I knew about the wolves and what kinds of experiences I have had with them. At the time I had seen a collared black wolf cross the road in front of me in the Tetons and four wolves hunting elk on Willow Flats in Teton National Park. Before seeing the wolf hunt prey that day, I had been anti-hunting because I couldn’t stand to think of animals being killed in any way. However, while watching that hunt by the wolves, during which the elk rallied and saved a fawn but sacrificed a cow, I suddenly realized that this was the world the way it was intended to be.
    Food was put on this earth for all of us and if we all just took what we needed, like the animals do, then there would be plenty. Hunting was simply a way of gathering food. Unfortunately, my son hates wolves and he proceeded to fill me in about these “vicious” animals. So much of what he said did not ring true but I had no way of know that for sure and so I kept my mouth shut. But, the conversation with my son weighed heavy on my mind and in my heart and so when I got the opportunity to spend a winter in Gardiner, MT, next to Yellowstone, I made the learning about wolves my mission. My slate was clean and I was eager to find out what the truth was about wolves, even if that meant that my son was right. But, I got here, to Yellowstone, and found a difficult situation in that those naturalists who watch over wolves are not fond of photographers and so the opportunities to see and learn were few. And, unknown to me, the wolves were being hunted when they stepped outside of the park. In fact, Yellowstone wolves were being targeted to be killed. Both situations were baffling to me because, obviously the lives of the wolves were in danger while people who could advocate for them were being pushed away. My determination was great and I preserved in my goal to learn the truth about the wolves – did they kill for sport? Do wolves prey on people? Are they killing all of the elk? Where are the elk? Those questions and many more. I learned that most of what my son, and other wolf haters, believe is not true or is greatly exaggerated. And, in the three years I had been visiting Yellowstone, the changes in the eco-system that was once ravaged by thousands of elk standing around without fear of predation, were apparent. Plus, Yellowstone had more moose then had been around for a long time. But, the thing that got to me the most was that there were people in the world with so much hate in their hearts that they would target wolves that lived in a national park and brought research, education and viewing opportunities to millions of people. These wolves had touched many lives and people came to Yellowstone from all over the world in hopes of seeing them. The wolves rarely left the park and had no history of killing livestock at that time, yet hunters were using carcasses, urine and puppy calls to lure them across the national park border so that one man’s bullet could take one wolf away from millions.
    This, to me, was incomprehensible then and still is, nearly one year later. In the past year I have watched the loss of key wolves have a devastating effect on their family member’s, making them struggle to survive. I have had wolves stop only a few feet from me and look into my eyes and even had one appear on a cliff above my head, look at me and then lift her head to howl at the full moon. I have seen their struggles and felt their hearts. They are only trying to survive, just like you and I. I have stood and watched as researchers retrieved a female wolf’s body from the forest, after she was killed by other wolves, and seen puppies play. I haven’t seen it all in the wolf world, but I have seen a lot. Wolves have made me happy, sad and angry when they killed a favorite animal or a coyote’s pups. They are not perfect, but neither am I. The wolf hunt is on in Montana again, longer this year, basically allowing hunters to do whatever is necessary to kill a wolf. Once again wolf haters want to kill collared or favorite Yellowstone wolves and once again I don’t understand. The Montana government is pandering to a small group of loud, hateful people who don’t have their facts straight and I can’t understand why any government would condone that type of behavior. The problem is multi-layered because the watching of the wolves while in the park, and showing them to the public, has made the wolves accustomed to people and cars, making them easy targets for the hunters. Just recently my favorite wolf, the first one to look into my eyes, 820F, was killed in Jardine because she was bold around people and had no fear. She was not aggressive towards people but she was bold and was not easily hazed away. And so, because she was so habituated to humans, she was shot and killed, leaving behind two puppies. My heart was broken and it will be broken again, when other Yellowstone wolves are killed by hunters who want to take them away from the world. I believe that much can be done to change the future of the remaining Yellowstone wolves and so I photograph them whenever possible and share their stories with the world. I have turned wolf enthusiasts into avid wolf lovers, just by my photos and stories. And if I can continue doing that, one person at a time, then there might be hope that the wolves will survive long into the future. Because they belong to this earth.
    Q: How will you spend this winter?
    A: At the moment I plan to spend another winter in Gardiner where I will have access to the Northern section of Yellowstone on a daily basis. Just how that will happen is up in the air at this moment but there are a couple of options for me to consider. A little over two years ago I sold everything and purchased a small travel trailer so that I could spend my time at national parks. The trailer is not suitable for winter living and so I was able to find affordable, and wonderful, living accommodations for last winter but have been back in the trailer since April 15. When you met me I was camping in the park, in my tent, so that I could be closer to the wolves and be there to see the puppies when they finally emerged from the dens. I spent a month in the tent before returning to my trailer in Gardiner where I am now living. I hope to spend more time editing photos and writing stories for a couple of books that I hope to have completed towards the end of next year. In other words, this journey is expensive and I need to make it pay so that I can continue.
    Q: Do you get lonely out there?
    A: Yes, but not often. I do not have anyone at hand to tell the stories of my day, which is why Facebook and blogging is so important to me. For a number of years I didn’t blog and found that my stories were lost from memory because it is only in the re-telling or writing that they become a solid piece of history. If I go out into the wilderness and see five wolves playing but can’t share the moment with anyone, then it is lost. The magic is gone. With Facebook, I get to tell whoever wants to read about the wonders of Yellowstone or any other place that I happen to be visiting. There are times when I crave close companionship and a conversation but my life is over-flowing with wonderful adventures, along with photos to edit and stories to write. I have no time left at the end of the day and my lifestyle is not conducive to close relationships. I don’t even know what movies are playing or what the top ten songs are, so conversation would be limited to bears, elk, moose, wolves, etc. Still, I think that maybe someday the right person will come along. I have been single for over 20 years and while I don’t look for anyone, I haven’t given up.
    So there you go. Now you know Deby Dixon. Her Facebook Pages are:
    The Yellowstone Daily at facebook.com/TheYellowstoneDaily
    and …
    Deby Dixon Photography at facebook.com/debydixonphotography
  5. Roadtrekingmike
    Craters of the Moon is a U.S. National Monument and National Preserve in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho that is like no where else on earth, a volcanic wonderland that is easy and fun to explore in one of the weirdest landscapes you can find anywhere.
    And it’s perfect for Class B recreation vehicles.
    Craters of the Moon formed during eight major eruptive periods between 15,000 and 2000 years ago. Lava erupted from the Great Rift, a series of deep cracks that start near the visitor center and stretch 52 miles (84 km.) to the southeast. During this time the Craters of the Moon lava field grew to cover 618 square miles (1600 square km).

    Mossy wildflowers are growing out of the volcanic ash.
    And it’s still pretty active. Over the past 30 million years, this region has experienced extensive stretching. A recent example of these on-going forces was the 1983 Mount Borah earthquake. During that event the highest point in Idaho, Mount Borah, got a bit higher when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred across the base of the Lost River Range.
    As Jennifer and I toured the preserve, National Park Service rangers told us the volume of past eruptive events suggests that slightly over one cubic mile (4.2 cubic km.) of lava will be erupted during the next event. And that is expected within the next 1,000 years – relatively soon on the geologic time table.
    The park is very accessible to cars, small trucks and small RVs. A seven mile loop road takes you past all the major interest points, with comfortable walking trails everywhere.
    Here’s a video virtual tour:

    The area has numerous caves, but to enter them requires a permit from the visitor’s center. The permit is free and really a formality. They advise you that it’s treacherous footing getting down to the caves and that you should have a flashlight. If, however, you’ve recently been in a cave area where white nose syndrome has been prevalent among the bat population, they ask you to stay away from the caves at Craters of the Moon.

    Looking out from one of the lava caves at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve.
    White Nose Syndrome is is a poorly understood disease associated with the deaths of at least 5.7 million to 6.7 million North American bats in recent years and scientists are trying to halt its spread.
    There’s a nice first come, first server $10 a night campground at Craters of the Moon, right on the lava beds. The 51 sites sites are perfect for tents, Class B or Class C motorhomes but too small for big rigs, though there are a couple if sites one could squeeze into. There is fresh water and restrooms but no hookups, showers or waste water dump.

    There’s a nice campground with no hookups for $10 a night at Craters of the Moon that is perfect for small motorhomes.
    To get there, plan on driving two-lanes. Craters of the Moon is located 18 miles southwest of Arco, Idaho on Highway 20/26/93, 24 miles northeast of Carey, Idaho on Highway 20/26/93, 84 miles from Idaho Falls, and 90 miles from Twin Falls.
    Give yourself two to four hours to see it all, longer if you want to walk to the top of the cinder cone or check out the caves.

    It really does look like a moonscape.
  6. 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.
  7. Roadtrekingmike
    Another reason to RV: It saves money
    I knew RVing made a lot of sense for us as we travel about North America. It gives us freedom, mobility and we get to bring most of the comforts...
    Roadtreking : The RV Lifestyle Blog - Traveling North America in a small motorhome


    Source
  8. Roadtrekingmike
    All my life as a journalist- for more than three decades – I’ve been on deadline.
    The presses would roll, the red light on the studio camera would blink on and, that was it. I had to be ready. Done. No more time.
    So the clock ruled my days. I was single-mindedly focused on finishing, getting to press time or air time. Then, I could breathe a little… and get ready for the next day.
    It was a wild, crazy, fun, frustrating and high-adrenaline occupation and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.
    But last year, as I neared retirement age, I couldn’t help but get excited at the prospect of life NOT on deadline.
    That’s how I have been living the past 18 months.
    I have to admit, old habits are hard to put aside.
    “Why are we in such a hurry?” my wife Jennifer asked on our first multistate trip in our new Roadtrek back in the spring of 2012. I was 600 miles in on the first day and getting crabby. I wanted to make 800.
    “Because….,” I started to reply. Then I blanked. I couldn’t come up with a reason. I didn’t have to do 800 miles. In fact, there was no reason to be on the road as long as I had been that day. There was no deadline.
    That was the first lesson I learned on the first day of the first trip.
    It’s one I have to keep re-learning.
    There is no hurry. The journey is just as important as the destination. Getting there is, indeed, half the fun.
    The RV life is about being mobile, on the open road in our Class B motorhome. And it has taught me how to decompress.
    So many times in my journalism career, I’ve flown over the country, chasing some story, heading somewhere, fast, on deadline. I’d look down below from 35,000 feet and see a green and brown blur. Now, behind the wheel and on the ground in our Roadtrek, I’m discovering the beauty beneath the blur. It is a magnificent land and being on it, instead of above it, is both soothing and stimulating.
    I never thought I’d end up in an RV.
    But in so many ways, it’s been the perfect choice for Jennifer and me. Not only are we able to connect with each other, we’re meeting other people and learning things I never did standing in front of a camera using the land as a backdrop for my standup, or pushing a pencil in a reporter’s notebook.
    When you stop living on deadline, your eyes open wider.
    Life becomes an adventure of serendipity.
    Like the bit of history we picked up on a summer trip north to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the southern shore of lake Superior. Standing on a wilderness bluff next to a towering sand dune called the Log Slide, we learned that in the 1880’s lumberjacks slid 100-foot white pine logs down the dunes to the water, where they were gathered into huge booms and floated seven miles east to the town of Grand Marais.
    That sent us to that town and a delightful but seldom-visited little museum tucked away in a building once used as the post office. We spent an afternoon looking at old photographs and learning how Michigan’s lumber era was as lucrative as the California Gold Rush of the same era.
    In Gadsen, Alabama, we found a campground located on Black Creek and right next to the awesome 90-foot Noccalula Falls. There, instead of rushing back to the road the next morning, we lingered again over local history when we discovered the first statue of a person jumping off a cliff. The statue is of the Cherokee princess Noccalula who, according to local legend, plunged to her death after being ordered by her father to marry a man she didn’t love. It is made entirely of pennies collected from local school children in the mid-1960s.
    And on a trip back to our Michigan home from Florida, We decided to pull off the interstate and travel the two-laned US 127, which roughly parallels I-75 north through Tennessee and Kentucky, anywhere from 10 to 50 miles to the west. We leisurely made our way through scores of small, picturesque mountain communities and ended up at the Big Bone Lick State Park in northern Kentucky, about 35 miles south of Cincinnati. There we dug into America’s prehistoric past, learning about the bones of mammoths discovered there submerged in muck. President Thomas Jefferson has fossils found there in his personal collection.
    Those are just three examples about things I’d never have seen if I were still living on deadline. But because we were in our RV, staying right there, far from the look-alike chain hotels that cluster around the freeway interchanges, we were able to experience fascinating places that wouldn’t even have caused a blip on our GPS.
    Then there are the campfires and the people we meet sitting around them, the help and suggestions they give us about living in a motorhome. There are the bicycle rides on trails and roads we’d never ride if we weren’t able to haul our bikes on the back of our Roadtrek. And the special walks we take with our Norwegian Elkhound, Tai, who travels with us but would have to be left at home if we were hoteling it.
    We’ve driven 42,000 miles in our Class B RV since March of 2012 and living out this motorhome adventure.
    I may not be living on deadline anymore. But I’m still a journalist at heart, this time telling the stories I want to tell about people and places I’d never experience if I wasn’t out there in my RV.
    I look forward to meeting you down the road.

    Noccalula Falls near Gadsden, Ala. The statue commemorates a lovesick Indian maiden’s legendary plunge over the falls. The statue was made from pennies collected by schoolchildren.

    Jennifer and our dog, Tai, walk in a UP Michigan sunset along Lake Superior.
  9. Roadtrekingmike
    There’s a dusting of snow on my RV
    The first accumulating snow of the season fell last night near my Michigan home and as I look out at my motorhome sitting on the driveway, I swear I hear it calling me to get out of town and get warm.
    Alas, as I look out, that’s all I can do. Look. I’m standing with the support of a walker. Five days ago, I had a total knee replacement.
    I picked this time for the surgery specifically because it is the least busy time for RVing. Although the first wave of snowbirds typically leave the Midwest and Northern states around Halloween, most wait until after Christmas. We’re the same. As much as we can’t wait to start touring again, Thanksgiving and Christmas are filled with family and we don’t want to be away from them.
    But that’s not to say that we don’t have places to go. I’d like to make the big RV industry show in Louisville the Monday after Thanksgiving. My surgeon is dubious about that. While three weeks is the normal time you’re housebound from this kind of surgery, such a long drive could cause lots of swelling. “We’ll see,” he says. Reminds me when my kids were young. I’d use that phrase to shut them up, never intending to let them do whatever it was they were asking.
    But by mid-December, says my doc, assuming no complications and that I’ve dutifully done my physical therapy, I should be good to go.
    We’ve got a major tour set, trying to visit the big RV areas in Florida, attending the Tampa RV show in mid-January, swinging across the Gulf States and then perhaps to Arizona via the Texas Hill Country. I will be back in Michigan in mid-February and will do some winter camping as I cover the Michigan UP200, an Iditarod qualifying dogsled race. Then New England in the spring, Branson in May, the Family Motor Coach Association reunion in Wyoming in June and the California-to-Oregon coast over the summer.
    What I’m looking for in all these places, of course, are stories of the people and places that make RVing so much fun. I’d welcome your suggestions. Where should we go? Who should we meet?
    Even though I’m temporarily hobbling with my new knee, I can’t wait to get going again.
    This RV travel bug has bit hard. Wanderlust is an addiction, isn;t it?
    Roadtreking - A Journalist takes up the RV lifestyle - People and Places Encountered on the Open Road
    Source
  10. Roadtrekingmike
    Over the last week, I’ve been organizing the thousands of photos I’ve taken over the past few years and noticed that I have a pretty good collection of animal crossing signs.
    Like a lot of people, I love seeing wildlife while Roadtreking. Somehow, I started taking photos of them as we traveled.
    From there, well, it sort of evolved into all sorts of signs about critters … of all sorts.
    Since I had them all organized, I thought I’d put them together in this little slide show.
    I know. taking photos of critter crossing signs is a weird hobby.
    Do you do anything like that? Collect photos of certain things or themes?

  11. Roadtrekingmike
    A horrific, fiery crash along I-65 in Kentucky that claimed six lives has focused new attention on the need to be able to break through automotive safety glass to rescue people trapped in smashed cars.
    The six people who died were in an SUV from Marion, Wis., traveling north near Glendale. The vehicle caught fire after it was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer.
    Lynn and Roger Brucker, from Dayton, Ohio, were driving home in their Roadtrek van when the crash occurred behind them. They had slowed because of an accident ahead of them.
    You can see a photo of the crash scene and the Brucker’s Roadtrek in this USA Today story, which quoted Lynn. Lynn said her husband looked back and saw a fireball and parts from the crash flying in the air. They grabbed the Roadtrek fire extinguisher and went to the SUV to help those trapped inside. They used up the fire extinguisher and helped others rescue a 12-year-old boy, whom they took back to the Roadtrek for first-aid until he could be transported to a hospital.
    A 12-year-old girl was also rescued, puled out a partially broken window. But an intense blaze prevented the rest of the family from being rescued.
    “My question is this – if we had just had something to get the doors open and break windows if is possible no one would have died,” Lynn wrote on the Yahoo Roadtrek group hours after after the March 2 crash. “We had enough time to have pulled people out if we could have gotten the doors or more windows open.”
    Her posting prompted many to go online and but special tools that will shatter safety glass on trucks, autos and RVs. I’m one of them. I ordered a dozen of them, to give to my kids, their spouses and our grandsons who drive.
    Said one poster replying to Lynn: ”… tempered glass and can be very strong against a broadly dispersed impact … However, a very slight pinpoint strike will cause the entire window to disintegrate into small ‘cubes’ of glass that can be scooped up like the salt that is spread on sidewalks. The easiest tool to buy that will do that is an “automatic center punch” that costs less than $10 at Harbor Freight stores. There are also various “escape tools” that have a slot with a sharp blade to cut safety belts, and a sharp pointed hammer tip to accomplish the glass breakage ..”
    I went to Amazon and bought the ResQMe Car Escape Tool. They cost $9.95, attach to a keyring and offer a spring-loaded head that effortlessly smashes the vehicle’s side windows and a razor sharp blade that can slice through jammed seat belts. These devices used to be offered exclusively to fire, paramedic and police organizations, but are now available to the public.
    Lynn’s harrowing story has convinced me this is one tool I need to carry in all my vehicles.

    ResQMe Car Escape Tool
  12. Roadtrekingmike
    The 40th anniversary Roadtrek corporate rally is going on this week in Branson, MO, with more than 500 Roadtrek owners and 250 coaches gathered for a week’s worth of fun celebrating the four decades the very popular Class B motorhomes have been sold.
    Attenders from across the US and Canada were greeted with cloudy skies and heavy rain warnings on arrival Monday, but that didn’t deter many from taking advantage of a free Roadtrek wash organized by the company.
    Check the vanity license plate message – says it all, doesn’t it?
    Roadtrek President Jim Hammill, Sales Director Paul Cassidy and Chief Engineer Jeff Stride were all on hand, making the long trip to Branson from company headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
    Chris Deakens, Roadtrek’s tech support guru, answered questions and scheduled on-site technician visits for those who want some tweaking and easy repairs while in Branson.
    Every Roadrek model is parked here, with the oldest (a 1985) to the newest (a new CS Adventurous that just rolled off the assembly line late last week).
    There is food, with big communal breakfasts and dinners. There’s nightly entertainment at the campground, as well as a trip to one of the big shows this resort community n the Ozarks is famous for.
    For most though, visiting and hanging out seems to top the agenda.
    The ABC campground we’re staying at is very hilly. Most of us are doubled up with two to a site but since the sites are all pull-through, no one is complaining.
    The oldest Roadtrek we’ve seen so far … a 1985 model!
    Jennifer and I have been meeting people and giving tours of the eTrek. It’s been fun to put real in-person faces with the names we’ve been visiting with for months on our Facebook group. It’s hard to overstate how tight the Facebook Roadtreking friends have become. People keep using the word family to describe it and, indeed, watching us all hug and greet each other, you’d see why we feel that way.
    We also got a chance to visit with many members of the FMCA’s Roadtrek International Chapter, which wrapped up its 40th anniversary rally just as the corporate rally bagan. Many of the chapter members stayed over for the corporate gathering.
    Frances Griffin, the chapter president, told me about a song called “Three Little Windows” that was written by Roadtrek owner Mark Sickman. Mark took photos from his travels across the country and accompanied it with an original song named after the three up-top windows that are distinctive to each Roadtrek. You can see and hear his slideshow and music at http://threelittlewindows.com
    There was lots of excitement Monday night when a severe thunderstorm swept through the park. Thunder boomed and lighting crackled all around as wind flung driving rain that was horizontal at times. Several roadtrekers retreated to the basement of the campground office until it passed. But pass it did and the worst was but a memory by bedtime.
  13. Roadtrekingmike
    All the winter storm advisories, alerts, watches and warnings that we’ve had lately can be confusing.
    The National Weather Service does a great job of disseminating weather predictions but sometimes it can be hard to know just what is what.
    So, for your future reference, here’s a weather lingo tutorial.
    Weather watches
    A watch means conditions are right for dangerous weather. In other words, a “watch” means watch out for what the weather could do, be ready to act.
    For events that come and go quickly, such as severe thunderstorms, tornadoes or flash floods, a watch means that the odds are good for the dangerous weather, but it’s not yet happening.
    For longer-lived events, such as hurricanes or winter storms, a watch means that the storm isn’t an immediate threat.
    For either kind of event, a watch means you should keep up with the weather and be ready to act.

    When a severe thunderstorm, tornado or flash flood watch is in effect, it means you should watch the sky for signs of dangerous weather. Sometimes a severe thunderstorm, a tornado or a flash flood happens so quickly that warnings can’t be issued in time. Many areas don’t have civil-defense sirens or other warning methods. People who live near streams that quickly reach flood levels should be ready to flee at the first signs of a flash flood.
    Hurricane or winter storm watches mean it’s time to prepare by stocking up on emergency supplies and making sure you know what to do if a warning is issued. For those who live near the ocean, a hurricane watch may mean it’s time to prepare for evacuation.
    Weather warnings
    A warning means that the dangerous weather is threatening the area.
    For severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and flash floods, a warning means the event is occurring. Since tornadoes are small – a half-mile wide tornado is considered huge – a tornado will miss many more buildings that it hits in the area warned.
    Still, a tornado warning means be ready to take shelter immediately if there are any indications a tornado is approaching. Severe thunderstorms are larger, maybe 10 or 15 miles across.
    A hurricane warning means either evacuate or move to safe shelter.
    A winter storm warning means it’s not safe to venture out. If traveling, head for the nearest shelter.
    How weather alerts are issued
    Before watches and warnings are issued, the National Weather Service, private forecasters, newspapers, radio and television normally try to alert the public to potential weather dangers.
    Often, forecasters begin issuing bulletins on hurricanes and winter storms three or four days before the storm hits.
    But forecasters can’t issue alerts for the danger of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and flash floods that far ahead. Usually, the Storm Prediction Center sends out alerts the day before dangerous weather is likely. Most television weathercasters highlight these alerts on the evening news the day before threatening weather.
    Weather radio
    A weather radio is one of the best ways to stay tuned-in to dangerous weather. These radios receive broadcasts from the National Weather Service. The broadcasts are from weather service offices.
    Broadcasts include ordinary forecasts of several kinds, including for boating, farming, traveling and outdoor recreation as well as general forecasts for the area.
    The stations immediately broadcast all watches and warnings. Some weather radios have a feature that turn on the radio automatically when a watch or warning is broadcast. Such “tone alert” weather radios are highly recommended for places where large numbers of people could be endangered by tornadoes or flash floods. These include schools, nursing homes, shopping center security offices, hospitals, and recreation areas such as swimming pools.
  14. Roadtrekingmike

    Top 5 RV Joys

    By Roadtrekingmike,

    On this Labor Day weekend, we’re in Southwest Georgia, after driving down from Michigan last week with some fun stops along the way. We plan to take our time going home, too, enjoying the freedom that our little Roadtrek eTrek RV gives us.
    After almost two years of this lifestyle, Jen and I are finding ourselves on the road more and more. We were at our Michigan sticks and bricks home for less than a week all August. We just turned 30,000 miles on the new eTrek we picked up in December!
    When we think back about the past two years, we can cite lots of things we enjoy about RVing. Here our our Top Five RV joys:
    1) We can go anywhere, anytime – Freedom is what the RV life is all about. It truly is our home on wheels. We have it loaded with clothes and essentials, pots, pans, bedding. We only need an hour or so to be packed and ready to head off. By now, we have everything down to a system. Packing, unpacking, setting up, tearing down.
    2) We have a small house but a big yard – That is the slogan on one of the T-shirts and sweatshirts we sell but it says it all so well. It’s like the whole country is our front yard. We can set up on seashores, rivers creeks, the mountains, the woods… it’s all ours to enjoy. We just open the sliding door to our Roadtrek and we are surrounded by nature. We tend to choose out of the way places off the commercial campground circuit. The most spectacular vistas are just out our windows. Our Roadtrek gives us a home with lots of acreage.
    3) We have found great new friends – From rallies, our Facebook groups, face to face meetings with readers and folks who have seen the interactive map on the blog chasing us down and showing where we just happen to be, Jennifer and I have so many new friends who share our love of adventure and the open road. The RV community has been the biggest surprise we’ve had. I think of Stu and Winona, Jim and Carolyn, Shari and Dave, Kristi, Tim and Carole, Dan, Kathy and Les, Laura, Steve, Ginny, Lisa and Bill, Tom, Laura and Ken, Bill and Karen, Cheryl, Alan, Robert and a whole bunch of other people who have come into our RVing lives this past year or so and we feel really blessed. Sharing the road with like-minded friends is such a joy.
    4) We have our own comfortable bed to sleep in – Honestly, we think we sleep better in our Roadtrek than just about any place else. Even home. Certainly hotel rooms. We need not worry about bed bugs, dirty rooms, mold or any of the other variables that make staying in hotels and motels so unpredictable. We prefer our own germs to stranger germs. Know what I mean?
    5) Our dog is always welcome – We’re not fanatics about our dog but we do like his company. That’s why we have a dog. And he adds to the joy of traveling. We don’t have to board him every time we go out of own. We can take him with us pretty much everyplace we go. Not always. There are times when we have a story to do or a place to vsit where we can’t take him when well leave him with friends or family. But generally speaking, where we go, Tai can go. That, we believe, is as it should be.
    Okay…those are our top five reasons why we like to RV.
    What would you add?
  15. Roadtrekingmike
    “Not all those who wander are lost,” so wrote J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings.
    It is so true when it comes to RVing. We love to meander, to take roads less traveled, off the Interstate. But even the Interstates are fun, especially out of urban areas.
    As Jennifer and I made our way west this week to attend the Family Motor Coach rally in Gillette, Wyo., we realized something about our wanderings:
    We love to drive.
    That is so weird for me to write because when I commuted to and from my job in Detroit from my suburban home for more than 30 years, I hated driving.
    But in our Roadtrek eTrek touring coach, I love to drive.
    So does Jennifer.
    We’ve tried to explain it to people. Their eyes sort of glaze over.
    So, we figured, maybe if we took them along, virtually, maybe they’d understand.
    So we made this little video that shows just why we love to drive our RV.
    http://youtu.be/k_mk96WXI8U
  16. Roadtrekingmike
    I love fall. The blue skies are more blue, the air smells clean and crisp and has no more of the sweltering heaviness of summer.
    But it also makes me a little sad because, living in a northern climate like Ido, the approaching cold weather means it’s time to curtail my travel.
    It means long stretches of RVing inactivity.
    Of watching snow accumulate on top of the Roadtrek.
    Of having to winterize it.
    Of sneaking out there, turning on the heat, and sitting in it, remembering the places we’ve visited, dreaming about the ones we will visit. Sometimes, I’ve been known to take a nap in my Roadtrek. In the driveway.
    It’s not that we don’t use it in the winter. We do. Just not as often as we do in warmer weather, when weekend and short trips are easy and the roads are not snow-covered and slippery. A few times each winter, we break loose and head south.
    Last year, I winterized the RV three times. We made winter trips to Florida, Alabama and Georgia and each time, when we returned from those warmer states, we had to pump antifreeze back through the system again before getting back to Michigan. Once, I worried the pipes froze when the temperatures took an unexpected sudden drop in Louisville, KY.
    They didn’t. But it was close.
    I’m planning on monthly trips this winter, too. We plan to again visit Georgia and Florida, maybe the Texas Hill Country and the desert southwest. And we will do some winter camping again, like we did last year when the temperature at Tahquamenon Falls dipped to minus eight degrees and there was 28 inches of snow on the ground!
    But those trips will not be as extensive or frequent as they’ve been since April, when we really began our travels in ernest.
    Its enough to make me want to move and find a new place with a heated garage. That would be nice, huh?
    I know this: I don’t want to stop Roadtreking for such a silly thing as winter.
  17. Roadtrekingmike
    If you like peace and quiet and lots of elbow room where you camp, you will not want to be on RV Row at the Kentucky Derby.
    But if a non-stop party is what you’re looking for, then the private parking lot right next to Churchill Downs is where you’ll want to be Kentucky Derby week.
    The parking lot is owned by Fred Stair and he rents RV spaces out for the Thursday-Sunday Derby weekend as the Captain’s Derby Parking, even providing water, a dump station and limited electricity. Cost is $650 for the the long weekend for units up to 28-feet long, $750 for bigger RVs with extra charges for slide outs and awnings. Fred parks them tight together, so tight, you may have to walk sideways if you are cutting between units.
    You can see in the accompanying video what it’s like.

    Jennifer and I were on assignment for Verizon Wireless, covering the Derby itself and we kept hearing people talking about free beer and the party going in the parking lot adjacent to Churchill Grounds. When we heard it was called RV Row, we had to check it out.
    We met a guy from Chicago who was celebrating his wife’s 50th anniversary on RV Row. He brought his own coach and rented four trailers. In all, he had 23 guests on RV Row.
    We met the Milwaukee guys who ran the Home Stretch Bar, a fixture on RV Row for more than 40 years. “Our Dad’s started this a generation ago,” said Joel Papp, one of the organizers. They set up a bar and serve up free drinks pretty much all day and all night from in front of their RV, from the Thursday before the Derby right on till when the RVs break camp and head home on Sunday.rvrow2
    We shot a bunch of pictures and did the video and said goodbye. Our Roadtrek was parked across town, 12 miles away, in a very quiet hotel parking lot.
    RV Row was a fun place to visit. I just wouldn’t want to live there.
  18. Roadtrekingmike
    When blog reader Harry Salt sent me these spectacular photos (see below), I just knew I had to share them.
    They are from the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, now under way in New Mexico.
    Harry was part of two RV groups that attended – a Class B group and a Roadtrek group.
    “The festival goes thru Oct 13,” writes Salt. “After Oct 7 some of the group went on a ’walkabout’ for about 30 days. Supposed to have been at National Parks and Monuments but now they are improvising. It will end Early November at the 49er Death Valley Encampment.”
    Attendees were from Massachusetts to Alaska and Harry says there were 58 Roadtreks, one Krystal, one Chateau. Eleven were Sprinter brands. He tried to get them all in the photos but would have needed a much wider lens.
    What makes the skies so blue and Salt’s photos so spectacular is why the event is held this time of the year. This is the 42nd time that the Balloon Fiesta has filled Albuquerque’s crystal blue skies. The Balloon Fiesta is still the premier international ballooning event, powered by the perfect October climate and a phenomenon called the “Albuquerque Box,” (a combination of weather patterns and geographic landscape, the box allows balloonists to control and even retrace their adventure).
    It’s held at Balloon Fiesta Park. The 200 acres of grass and booths are filled with balloons and vendors selling everything from traditional New Mexican food to balloon memorabilia. Each year balloon teams from around the world participate in the event and news coverage originates from more than 50 countries. It has become the most photographed event in the world.
    You may have missed the first weekend but this event really goes on every day. The breathtaking mass ascensions featuring waves of hot air balloons will fill Albuquerque’s morning skies this coming weekend, too.
    I gotts do this smoeday. You, too? Thanks Harry, for sending the photos.
  19. Roadtrekingmike
    Our Roadtrek Etrek now has its sea legs.
    Sometimes, to really appreciate something, you have to immerse yourself in it.
    So it was with Lake Michigan as we’ve been traveling around the Great Lakes Region these past several weeks on our Verizon Great Lakes Shoreline Roadtreking tour.
    No, we didn’t go swimming in it. The heavy ice up this past winter has left it and the other four Great lakes, abnormally cold. And normal is cold. This summer, it is really cold.
    So instead of getting wet in the lake, we crossed it.

    Bright and early on a recent Wednesday morning, our Roadtrek Etrek motorhome backed aboard the SS Badger, the largest car ferry steamship in the Great Lakes, measuring over 410 feet and able to hold 180 vehicles and 600 passengers.
    We took the 8:30 a.m. crossing, arriving the night before and boondocking in the Roadtrek in the carferry parking lot in Ludington.
    On the day we crossed, it was about half full. The ferryboat line suggests you call ahead to let them know you’re coming, especially if you are traveling in an RV. Size is not a problem. They seldom run out of room. They just like to know what to expect. On the day we crossed, there were Class A, Class C and Class B motorhomes aboard. There was even a huge truck semi-tractor trailer combo.
    We had Tai with us. Dogs are not allowed on the upper deck passenger areas. There are kennels for pets down in the vehicle parking area but most people chose to do what we did, crack a window and leave their pets in their vehicle. Tai slept soundly in the Roadtrek. There’s a fresh sea breeze down there so heat is not an issue.
    Our route traveled 60 miles in a straight line across Lake Michigan from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI. Passengers sped their time doing all sorts of things. On nice days, they sun themselves on the forward deck. Inside, the ship offers bingo, movies, a arcade, TV and even satellite Internet Wi-Fi.
    Jennifer and I were given a bow to stern tour of the big ship – in consideration to be a National Historic Landmark.
    In the engine room, the massive steam engines run so smooth you can balance a nickel on them.
    To really appreciate the size of Lake Michigan, you need to be in the middle of it. It fills the horizon, as far as you can see in any direction, the only Great Lake entirely within the United States, touching the borders of four states.
    We even had a stateroom aboard the Badger. I grabbed an hour long nap as the big ship cut across two and three foot waves. I slept like a baby, rocked gently by the ship.
    The trip took four hours from shore to shore, four relaxing, stress-free, very enjoyable hours.
    How much does it cost to cross? Check out the schedules and fares page for the Badger. Our Roadtrek was considered a van. That’s $132 for a round trip. We elected for one-way as we did some exploring down the Wisconsin coast and hit Illinois and Indiana. The one-way cost is $66. Bigger Class C and Cass A RVs are usually priced by the foot, $5.95 per foot one way, $11.90 a foot round trip. That’s the same rate for passengers – $66 one-way. Seniors get a slight break at $62.
    There’s no charge for pets.
    The ship itself has a rich history.
    Today, it is the only coal-fired steamship in operation in the United States and has a unique propulsion system that has been designated as a national mechanical engineering landmark. It entered service in 1953, designed specifically to handle the rough conditions that it would likely encounter during year ’round sailing on Lake Michigan.
    Built primarily to transport railroad freight cars, but with lots of passenger accommodations, the Badger reigned as Queen of the Lakes during the car ferries’ Golden Era in the late Fifties, with Manitowoc, Milwaukee, and Kewaunee as her Wisconsin ports of call. By the Seventies, changing railroad economics were condemning other car ferries to mothballs or the scrap yard. With little railroad freight business left, and without ever tapping into the opportunity to serve the needs of the vacation traveler, the Badger sailed from Wisconsin to Ludington and tied up for the last time in November 1990 – signaling the end of the century-old tradition of car ferry service on Lake Michigan.
    The demise of the car ferries was devastating to the communities they had served. It seemed that the magic of these wonderful ships would only live in memory, never to be experienced by future generations. However, in 1991, an entrepreneur named Charles Conrad committed his own financial resources to reinvent the S.S. Badger to carry leisure passengers and their vehicles.
    Since then, this legend of the Great Lakes has delighted a whole new generation of people, allowing them to experience a bit of history that almost slipped away while cruising to fun destinations on both sides of Lake Michigan. The S.S. Badger now sails daily between Manitowoc, Wisconsin and Ludington, Michigan from mid-May through mid-October.

    The SS Badger is 412 feet long and can handle any sized RV.

  20. Roadtrekingmike
    In this episode of our How We Roll in our RV series, we answer reader questions about taking care of our home while we’re off RVing and how we like the Roadtrek eTrek.
    The first question came from Roger Bohnke who asks:
    Q: Maybe a question for your How We Roll series… Mike and Jen, I’ve been wondering how you take care of your house while you two are on all these wonderful long trips? Do you live in a townhouse or condo you can just lock up and walk away from? We want to travel a lot when we retire, but not full time. Though we love our house and yard, I’m considering a move to lessen the hassle factor. I can see yard services, security, etc. adding a big cost to our travel budget. Of course, moving isn’t cheap either!
    Love your site and your wonderful videos. Thanks for all you do! – Roger

    The second question was from Tim Lynch:
    Q: Really enjoy your site and videos. If I’ve got it right, you had an Adventurous before your eTrek. I’m leaning toward an eTrek for myself, but wonder if the added weight of all those batteries affects performance on the road or fuel mileage. Are there any other differences, pro or con, that you’ve seen between the two?
    The name of the home security system that Jennifer mentions in this episode is SimpliSafe. I did a video report about it a few months back. Here’s a link to that story: Protecting Your Sticks-and-Bricks House While You're RVing.
    Meanwhile, if you have a question you’d like Jennifer and me to answer in an upcoming episode of this regular series, just drop us a note at openmike@fmca.com.
  21. Roadtrekingmike
    One of the main reasons people buy RVs is because they like to travel with their dogs.
    But the fact is, not all places are dog friendly. If you want to bring your pooch along, you need to make some adjustments.
    On our big Roadtreking Family Vacation of 2013 out west, we traveled with six adults, two kids and three dogs.
    You need to understand, our dogs are big dogs. Their heads are the size of most other RVers pets. The lightest among them is my Norwegian Elkhound, Tai. He weighs 70 pounds. Next was my daughter Wendy’s Goldendoodle, Charlie, at 75 pounds. Then came my son Jeff’s part St Barnard and husky, Sequoia, who weighs 120 pounds.
    We went everywhere we wanted to go but we encountered several places – usually in National Parks – where dogs were not allowed. That required some dog juggling. One of us would usually volunteer to get dog duty, staying back at the camp or in the RV watching the dogs while the others went sightseeing.
    Most typically, dogs are not allowed on hiking trails that would put them near wildlife. Dogs are naturally protective of their people. So are animals of their young. If a dog spots a mama bear on a hike, its’s going to bark and growl. That only antagonizes the bear. So you can see why the Park Service has that rule.
    Still, there were several places, even a couple of trails, where dogs could go. They can be walked around the campsites, on the main roads and in parking lots and we never were at a loss about where to walk the dogs.
    Most beaches prohibit dogs. Most, but not all. We have found several beaches in our travels with Tai this year where dogs are allowed near the water. Usually, if you ask around at the campground, you’ll learn that almost every community has a no leash dog park, often with water access for the pups to play.
    The dogs are also people magnets. Almost everywhere we went on our family vacation, people flocked to meet the dogs.
    Not everyone likes dogs, however. At Rocky Mountain National Park, my daughter had Charlie on a leash at one of the overlooks, where dogs are permitted. A loud mouthed woman in a passing car rolled down the window and screamed at the top of her lungs, “No dogs allowed.” That was not true. Dogs are allowed in most of the public areas, just not on the backwoods hiking trails.
    It is easy to understand why some people are upset about seeing dogs. Just look around at the ground in rest areas and campgrounds and you’ll see the reason. Dog poop. Inconsiderate dog owners – slobs – who refuse to pick up their pet’s waste. We always travel with a plastic bag in our pockets and we always clean up after our dogs. But so many pet owners don’t. And that gives all dogs a bad name.
    We also always keep our dogs on leashes or, at the campground, tied on ropes. Sequoia and Tai are pretty calm. But they will gladly chase a deer if it passes by. Charlie is a barker and there were many times when we put him in time out because he was too excited by all the people walking past. We also kept him inside my daughter’s trailer until late morning, so he didn’t wake other campers with his excited yips and barks.
    The sun is a big issue for dogs. They sweat only through their mouths and they always need shade. At camp, even on cloudy days, we extended awnings to give them a cool place, always with a bowl of water close by. Tai and Charlie liked to hang out under the trailer. Sequoia preferred the shade of a tree. Dogs are social animals and they like to be around their people, their pack.
    We also used the Roadtrek as a big dog kennel. Our 24-foot eTrek is fine for Jennifer and me and Tai. But add Sequoia and Charlie and the aisle got pretty crowded. The dogs didn’t mind because the air conditioning kept things comfortable. We never left an animal in the Roadtrek without a human tender. Can you imagine how horribly hot and dangerous it would be inside an RV if the AC stopped working?
    Dogs are also prohibited from most stores and buildings. When shopping, we’d leave the dogs with one person for a few minutes. Then someone else would change places, so we all could shop and the dogs always had a human with them.
    Like people, dogs need breaks from long driving down the interstate. But be aware of where you walk them in rest areas. Dogs are often prohibited in picnic areas, again, because of the inconsiderate actions of those who don’t clean up after their animals.
    Be careful where you walk them. In the west and south, poisoness snakes are often in the underbrush just past the green grass. Ticks are also a problem in spring and early summer. In February, Tai picked up two ticks from a five minute walk in a per exercise area at a rest stop along I-75 in Tennessee.
    Those are some of my observations after a couple of seasons of RVing with dogs. How about you? What tips can you suggest? Use comments below.
  22. Roadtrekingmike
    Please do not call it a rally. There was no itinerary. No organized programs. And no nametags.
    We all made our own reservations and the only coordinated planning was letting the word out on our Roadtreking Facebook Group that a bunch of us were going to meet on a particular weekend at a particular campground in Michigan.
    It was more fun than any of us expected and a great example that great RVing times can be spontaneous and as easy as just showing up and getting together.
    In all 10 coaches pulled into the Addison Oaks Campground in Oakland County, Michigan. We had 20 people show up, from Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, New York and Ontario, Canada.
    Many of us knew each other from either Facebook or the Roadtrek rally in May in Branson, MO.
    So in that sense, this gathering was more of a reunion than a rally. Maybe a better word is rendezvous. Whatever it was, it was very good.
    We mostly just chilled, forming a huge circle of chairs in the shade of a willow tree. On Saturday afternoon, a half dozen or so headed into nearby Rochester, MI to take advantage of a Farmer’s Market and a gourmet food shop. We all brought our own food, but shared a dish at dinnertime.
    At a time when there is so much polarization in our culture, our group was warm, welcoming and harmonious, despite the fact that we are all over the place politically. Some were conservative, others liberal. Some were religious or spiritual, others agnostic. Those differences were not important. What bound us together was our love for travel, particularly travel in small motorhomes.
    One couple was on their very first camping trip in their new motorhome. Another couple had covered over 20,000 miles in their Roadtrek Class B coach just since January.
    We laughed a lot and shared stories of our adventures and just hung out together. One of our friends, Lisa Gruner from Huntsville, AL, was recovering from a knee replacement surgery. So since she couldn’t be physically in our circle, we Skyped her from our circle of chairs.
    But what amazed me the most was what we learned about each other when we visited around the campfire. In our midst were nature photographers, boaters, a model train hobbyist, a couple of golfers, a knitter, a basket weaver, a fitness fanatic, Scuba divers, cyclists, fishing lure makers, a family liaison volunteer for a U.S. Marine battalion in Afghanistan, a master gardener, a beekeeper and a very busy community volunteer.
    And that’s what hit me about this group: Though we ranged in age from the mid-50s to near 70, some were retired, others still working, everyone was extremely active and connected. And that’s why we all chose our Class B small motorhomes. Because we like to be on the move and on the go once we get wherever we’re going, hiking, kayaking, exploring.
    Except for this weekend. This weekend was a time to enjoy each other’s company.
    I came away with three takeaways from this weekend.
    1 – RV gatherings need not be complicated. Just announce a time and place and people will come. You can send emails, post to Facebook or pick up the phone and call people but that’s about as organized as you have to be. I’d say 20 people is about as big as you want. Any larger and it will be hard to get to know everyone.
    2 – Social media is great. But nothing is as fulfilling as connecting with people as real face time. There is something very satisfying about getting to know someone shoulder to shoulder.
    3 – We are all much too busy. Even when we RV, we spend a lot of time rushing from place to place, sight to sight, campsite to campsite. Sometimes, it’s very good to just stop, sit and chat for a spell.
    That’s what 20 of us did this weekend. I didn’t know everyone when we first met Friday night. But when we all returned to our homes Sunday, we left as very special friends.
    I’m betting there will be a reunion of our reunion.
  23. Roadtrekingmike
    As part of our blogging, we now have the ability to do live videos and interviews with folks of interest to the Roadtreking world. With that, we can answer questions, too.
    The videos are broadcast as live events on the Net, but also available for later playback on demand from You Tube.
    The first one I did was this week with my friends Jim and Chris Guld of Geeks on Tour fame. Many of you have met the Gulds as they’ve taught technoogy at various RV gatherings around the country.
    Today, while the Gulds were attending and teaching at a rally in Kissimmee, FL for about 200 members of the Roadtrek International chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association, they got me online from my Michigan home and we did a Q&A session with the audience.

    It was pretty funny, really. The first eight and a half minutes or so were spent trying to figure out how to broadcast my audio to the group without feedback loops. They had the image projected up on a screen but the echo and feedback loops that they were getting looked like they’d scuttle it all for a few minutes.
    After the event was recorded, Chris went in and edited out most of the sound issues.
    For Jim eventually got it going as as Chris walked the floor, we took some questions and answers from the audience.
    It ended up going 36 minutes.
    I’m very excited about Google’s Hangout On Air technology and will be using it regularly on the blog from now on.
    In fact, an hour after finishing with Chris and Jim, I set up my own Hangout On Air event and got our buddy Campskunk on to talk about fulltiming in a Class B van.
    Look for that video report tomorrow. And to get notice of these, you might want to get a Google + account. I use the email ocsmike@gmail on Google +. Add me to your circle and then you will know when we’re doing these. You;ll have the ability to ask questions during live events. And everything we do will archive so they can be embedded into blog posts like this.
    Hope you enjoy this!
  24. Roadtrekingmike
    I have a serious bone to pick with whoever calls Michigan’s Upper Peninsula a paradise. Not this trip. This RV adventure was a battle of the bugs.
    And while it looks pretty out the window of the motor coach, venture outside and you are fair game for swarms of insects that see you as smorgasbord.
    The mosquitoes and biting black and stable flies of the Lake Superior region are the worst they’ve been in years. Locals blame it on the unusually wet spring and summer we’ve had this year.
    http://youtu.be/g-UkHfr85mA
    Indeed, the night before this video was shot in early July, the area in the western Upper Peninsula around Gogebic County, where we were staying in the Porcupine Mountain State Wilderness Area, got drenched with three inches of rain.
    That said, I came prepared. I had bug spray, fly strips and a clip-on contraption that runs a miniature fan for 12 hours on three AAA batteries and is supposed to emit a personal cloud of protective repellant.
    Jennifer also brought along Avon Skin So Soft and even some vanilla extract, as suggested by blog readers.
    Then she stayed inside the Roadtrek all afternoon, relaxing and reading while Tai and I tested all the bug and fly fighting tools.
    They didn’t work. Nary a one. We only caught a paltry half dozen flies with the strip.
    Tai’s nose is all swollen from mosquito bites and he is giving me very dirty looks.
  25. Roadtrekingmike
    It’s time to head west to Wyoming and, eventually, Yellowstone National Park. And this year, instead of repeating past routes, I thought it would be fun to get your suggestions, to crowd source our trip by drawing on the collected wisdom of our readers.
    In other words, tell me where to go.
    Here are the particulars:
    ’ll be leaving Kalamazoo, Mich., about 9 AM Friday, June 14. I need to be in Gillette, Wyo., by mid afternoon Monday, June 18, for the annual Family Motor Coach Association Reunion and Motorhome Showcase. That’s about 1,230 miles.
    I don’t want to drive more than 400 miles a day, so there’s time to discover cool places, see great things, meet interesting people on the way that we can photograph, video and report about to you on this blog. I’m on the lookout for truly unique places and people. I’ve already written about the touristy things along the way on previous trips. The Corn Palace. Wall Drugs. We reported on the Badlands and Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore last year. So I’m looking to forgo those spots and travel off the beaten path this time. What are the stories along the way unique to the land?
    They can be a cool photo. A fun restaurant. A unique campground. A local character. An historic spot. I had an old editor once tell me decades ago that everyone has a story. My long journalism experience has told me that is indeed true. That’s also true of places. All you need to do is meet them. So make some introductions to me.
    Plot out the route and e-mail it to me (openmike@fmca.com) under the subject line “To Gillette.” You can use comments under this post to ask questions or share observations.
    As to where to spend the night on route, scenery trumps everything for us. We can boondock or hookup. I’d love your recommendations.
    We’ll leave Gillette late Friday, June 21, after I finish leading a seminar at the FMCA reunion. I’m planning on heading to Yellowstone again for a few days and then taking our time heading back so that we’re back in Michigan by the 30th. So if this group planning thing works on the way out, maybe we’ll crowd source the return trip, too.
    But for now, let’s collectively plan the route to Gillette. Tell me where to go, what to see, who to meet, where to overnight.
    For my part, I’ll try to take in as many of your tips as we can and then share what we find in daily reports here, as well as tweets and Facebook posts.
    To whoever comes up with the most detailed route and suggestions that we follow, I’ll let them pick out the item of their choice from The Roadtreking RV Store and then send it to them for free.
    I can’t wait to get your ideas. Send them to me at openmike@fmca.com and place "To Gillette" in the subject line.
    About the Author: Mike Wendland is a veteran journalist who travels the country in a Roadtrek Type B motorhome, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer, and their Norweigian elkhound, Tai. Mike is an FMCA member (F426141) and is FMCA's official on-the-road reporter. He enjoys camping (obviously), hiking, biking, fitness, photography, video editing and all things dealing with technology. His "PC MIke" technology segments are distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations. More from this author. Reach mike at openmike@fmca.com.
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