New Trend: From Campgrounds to RV Communities
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Welcome to the RV Podcast, episode 4 35.
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This week we talk about
a trend of turning RV
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campgrounds into RV communities.
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Well, hello everybody. I'm Mike Winland,
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and this is my lifelong traveling
companion and my bride Jennifer.
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And this is episode 4 35
of the RV podcast. And, uh,
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we've got a lot of RV news and tips
and all sorts of stuff, but, uh,
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we're gonna talk, uh, in a
minute or so in our interview,
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the week segment about this
trend we're seeing about how, uh,
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RV resorts and parks are turning into
RV communities. What's behind that?
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I think you'll find that
pretty interesting. But,
um, a week of travel for us.
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Yes, we're gonna take our Class C motor
home and go camping it for a few days.
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We're gonna go to the western side of the
state where we purchased our 10 acres,
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and it'll give us a
great chance to explore.
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And Beau is going to have
a blast exploring his land.
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I think. So Beau is, uh,
a dog born to wander.
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He is. But one of the things
that's neat is when he wanders,
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he wanders least free, uh, with
this spot, uh, satellite color.
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And there's one more week that you can
still get a chance to win. One of these.
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It sets up, I think, what they call
a geo fence
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uh, connected with a satellite.
This connects with a satellite.
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I'll even work through a tree
canopy. And, uh, with an app,
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we are able to draw a,
uh, sort of a map of a,
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of and a boundary. And if he
goes outside of that area,
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he gets a little correction,
a little vibration,
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and it really has given
us peace of mind. Anyway,
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we're giving an away last chance
to win, and you can do it free.
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It's absolutely free to win. Just
go to rv lifestyle.com/sweepstakes.
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So,
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I guess since I told about one of our
RVs that we're gonna use to go camping,
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I should mention our fifth wheel,
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which is on our Tennessee
property near Lynden, Tennessee.
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We've got five acres there.
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And the fifth wheel is just enjoying
not being in winter weather.
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down there, LA Lali Ridge, it's at the,
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actually at the Woodlands
at Buffalo River. And, uh,
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their commercials coming
right up. I should tell you,
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their next sale is coming up fairly soon.
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It's March 11th at the Woodlands
of, uh, at Buffalo River.
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We get down there,
usually it's been lately,
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it's about every month or month and
a half or so. Mm-hmm.
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And we're looking forward to going down.
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And especially since spring is
just around the corner for us.
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And it's gonna come a little earlier
down in Tennessee. What about mid-March?
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Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, for their March
sale, March 11th at the Woodlands,
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they'll probably have some
pretty good weather. And, uh,
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that's when we wanna get down there. We
get our first taste of spring and, uh,
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we'll enjoy it. All right,
we'll be right back.
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The interview of the week
coming up after this,
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tired of overcrowded campgrounds
and competing for reservations,
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paying high fees for sites while
ownership is an emerging trend in
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RVing that might be right for
you. It was for Jen and Meat.
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We bought some land
just west of Nashville,
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Tennessee in an incredible collection
of mountaintop RV properties called the
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Woodlands at Buffalo River.
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These are five to 62 acre properties
that allow RVs year round,
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starting at $79,900. And we loved it.
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The scenery is breathtaking and you can
own it outright. It's not a timeshare,
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it's your property your way. You can
landscape garden, bring your pets,
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build what you want to. There's high
speed internet and it's so private.
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It's a great place to make your home base.
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No more calling around for
reservations. Ready whenever you want.
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And they're selling these
properties. Buy appointment,
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five to 62 acres, $79,900.
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Financing big discounts available on
multi lot packages for information,
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visit my rv land.com, my rv land.com.
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All right, welcome back everybody.
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Time now for the RV Lifestyle interview
of the week. And, uh, this week, uh,
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we're gonna talk to the
owner of a RV community
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that we chanced upon as we were down
headed down into Florida in January.
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Uh, it's called the Ocala
North, uh, RV Resort.
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And we were very impressed with this.
So one thing, it was, it was fairly new.
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All the sites were big. There were a
lot of pull through sites there, I.
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Believe. 200.
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200. And, um, and there
was room to get in,
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which is unusual to find in
Florida. It was in a, um,
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in a really nice area in the middle of
horse country they call it up there.
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That's between Ocala and Gainesville.
And, um, as we got talking with the owner,
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he told us about another place
that he's about to open next year.
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And since then we have heard, uh,
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this is kind of a trend from
RV campground to RV resort now
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to RV community. And we
thought that, um, we actually,
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you were the ones who found, found
Sean and brought him over and, uh,
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thought it'd make a good interview. I.
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Thought he'd make an excellent
interview cuz number one,
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it really encourages me.
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And I know it encourages you when
you hear about new parks being built,
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and especially by somebody
who already has a park,
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cuz they know what they could
do better and what people want.
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So we're gonna show you a little bit
of what that place is like and, uh,
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give you an idea of this trend that's
dropping up around the country from RV
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campgrounds to RV communities.
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Our guest is Sean Sims
from Ocala North RV Resort.
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I think that the change has
been in the making for 10 years,
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but when Covid hit and everybody went
to working at home and remote working,
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that everything that was
important now to the community
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hadn't been created.
I e uh, the bathrooms,
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private bathrooms and showering
facilities in the, in the RVs, in, in,
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in the community. The RV always has it.
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But what we found with our business model
is that we give you private showers,
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walk into your own bathrooms. So,
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so when you go into our
bathhouses back in the old days,
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you should walk into a bathroom and
you could stand there with 10 people,
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not at our communities. You walk into
the bathroom, you have your own bathroom,
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you go into and close the door and
it's all your shower, walk in showers,
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full tile to wall to ceiling tile,
um, just absolutely great experience.
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You can have your privacy
shave, do whatever you need
to do. Take your time. Um,
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and then the second thing
that we found that was super,
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super important is the internet.
Because everybody now is remote working.
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So they're doing their zoom,
they're doing their, uh, email,
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checking their emails. So
what we did was we bring,
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we brought fiber in to the
community and we spent a lot,
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we spent a lot of time
and we focused on that.
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And then we also catered to the client.
We brought back customer service.
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You know, we are open
seven days a week. Um,
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all the communities we have
are essentially located
in Florida, close to 75.
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So people can come in,
work for a month or two,
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enjoy beautiful weather in Florida.
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There's no better weather than Florida
weather. So they come here easy in,
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easy out, long pull throughs. And
that's just the secret. That's the,
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that's a recipe for success right there.
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So upping the quality of
the stay. Now this, uh,
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how many sites here in Ocala North?
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Ocala North RV Resort has,
uh, 3 85. And of the 3 85,
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we have 200 pull throughs and
they're 80, 90 feet long. So you can,
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you can stay attached, you can be
pulling, you can be pulling a trailer,
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you can be pulling a class a pull in
an Escalade and leave it all attached.
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Um, and then pull out the next day, hang
out a day or two or, or say six months.
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It's up.
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To you. But you've also, you've
put in a big dog park. How big are,
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how important are dog parks? An hour?
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So that's funny you
should say that. Um, we,
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we have a half acre dog park
now that was super popular,
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like lines of people wanting to get
in the mornings cuz it's so big.
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You just let your dogs go.
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That I sprinkled five more locations
in the community where you can let your
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dogs go. So there's actually
six locations now. You can, uh,
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have your own private area and you could
go to multiple parks spots in the park
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to, if some people are in one,
one area, you can go to another,
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you can get in the shade if
you wanna be in the shade,
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if you wanna be in the sun. So there's
six different locations total, uh,
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for the dogs. And you guys can
just do what you want there.
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And, and, uh, how many of these sites
these days were in Florida? So, uh,
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seasonable sites are a big deal.
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How many of of your sites do you
think are seasonal over here? Well.
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That, that's actually a
great problem that we have.
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And that's funny you asked
that and bring that up. Before,
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when I first got into industry,
it was predominantly snowbirds.
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Indiana, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania.
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They would be coming
down here in the winter.
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They would be doing
either four to six months.
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They would monopolize the community,
you'd be happy, it'd be great,
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but they would leave.
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And then all of a sudden you didn't
have nothing to do the rest of the year.
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But now since Covid, um,
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and the facil the infrastructure in
the communities as far as the internet,
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um, especially the internet,
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bringing in the really good internet
is a big deal because people can be
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remotely working. Engineers, people
that work in healthcare, coding nurses,
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they, they're looking for all this,
this stuff in the community now. And we,
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we give that to 'em.
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So that brings in a lot of people that
will stay here for eight, nine months,
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even year to year now. And
we're having a problem where we,
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as quick as we build them,
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they're filling up and now we're staying
full through the summer because we have
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traveling nurses, engineers, uh,
healthcare, uh, bridge workers,
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road construction companies that
guys are guys and girls are have,
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they're good paying jobs or staying in
the communities because of the apartments
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don't allow short-term leases.
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So a couple of, couple of changes
then since Covid, uh, one,
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uh, people have become more demanding.
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A hundred percent.
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They expect.
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Customer service the
internet seven days a.
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Week. You know, so many times you
go into a park, they're closed Yes.
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Or they call and they don't
answer the phone. Yes.
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Or you go in and the bathhouse is
filthy. Yes. Or it's sturdy. Yes. Uh,
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and then you try the internet and it's
a shared wifi connection that they get.
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Yes. Yes. Uh, do you still
do overnights at all?
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We do, absolutely.
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We'll do 20 to 30 overnights a day
every single day throughout the winter.
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Now, you know, there's a
whole lot of people who, uh,
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wanna get in this lifestyle
year after year after year.
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They wanna get in the lifestyle
and they wonder, they go,
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is it economically feasible
for me to be a seasonal
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renter? Now, I, I don't know
what your seasonal rates are,
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but it's a beautiful
facility you have here.
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What does the cost for
a seasonal South south?
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Well, like anything in life, it's
like going to Disney World, right?
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If you go to Disney World and
you spend three days there,
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it's gonna be a little bit more
expensive if you buy a year pass.
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So if you stay here year round, I
think it's like five 50 a month.
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Really.
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Year round. Now, if you wanna come
here in the middle of January,
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then it's gonna be a lot more expensive.
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It's gonna be probably double that just
for one month to stay here for a month.
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But that's still cheaper than really a
home in many places in the country if
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you're renting a home. Oh.
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Absolutely. The great thing about the
modern RV is that there's so much luxury.
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Some of 'em have side by side
refrigerators in them, you know,
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six and four and six burner stove
inside their walk-in showers.
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And that really what changed our
industry when they came out with the 40
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footers, the 45 footers, the with,
they have toy haulers that are,
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that are, um, you can sit
on the back of your coach.
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We have a patio on here. Patio, yeah.
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Yeah. There, there's
so much great luxuries.
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And that's why I encourage everybody
to come out to, to the big show,
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the big shows, whatever town you're in,
you're in Indiana, Kentucky, New York,
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California, Texas. Go
to the big super show,
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RV shows and just walk some of
these units and you'll be so amazed.
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And they're affordable. You know,
you can get into something for 80,
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$90,000 I believe. Um, you know, we have
a little bit of inflation right now,
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but with a little bit of inflation,
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the economy will slow just a little bit
and maybe some of the prices may come
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down a little bit and you're
getting the benefit of that.
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So that could work out to your advantage.
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Well you got a great facility here.
You're building a new one. Yep. Next year.
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A second one down here in the same area.
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Yep. We're building, going right
down the street three miles at, uh,
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it's gonna be on uh, orange
Lake. It's Orange Lake RV Resort.
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It's gonna be approximately
500, uh, sites.
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It's gonna have 11,000
square foot clubhouse.
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It's gonna have four
independent bathhouses.
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It's gonna be state of the art.
Everything's gonna be brand new,
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it's gonna be gorgeous. And you guys
should check us out@orangelake.com or,
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00:12:51,890 --> 00:12:56,120
or Orange Lake on Facebook
or follow me or follow the.
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We'll, we'll be here next year. We'll
give it a, a quick try. Yeah. And, uh, we,
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we.
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And it's on the lake now. It's on the,
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I think Orange Lake is the top
five biggest lakes in Florida.
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It is absolutely amazing.
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So there's gonna be all kinds
of water stuff to do there.
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Just another experience
to Rvn. So it could be,
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it would be just another twist to it,
another another feature of amenities.
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You can't just get anywhere because
of the lake's gonna be there.
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00:13:20,650 --> 00:13:25,240
Awesome. Alright. Hey Sean, thanks for
taking time to talk to us about, uh,
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00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,800
the RV park industry and
the new emphasis on quality.
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Quality. Yes. Thanks, Sean. Over now.
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Well, we thanks Sean for that, uh,
interesting interview and, uh, the,
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the tour of, uh, the, uh,
Ocala North RV resort.
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And we look forward to seeing the new
one that he's gonna be building that on
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that lake coming up.
Um, you know, next year.
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I, I plan on going there
on our way to Tampa.
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Next year. Yeah. The time we go
back doing from the Tampa show.
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RV show.
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But what I was amazed at
is how inexpensive, uh,
seasonal lots are down there.
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If you,
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or even if you went year round and many
people do and they just keep their RVs
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in that warm weather rather than having
to, to winterize them. Uh, anyway. Well,
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we come back. New travel
tech. Stay with us.
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The one thing that can ruin a
perfect RV trip is a bad mattress.
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00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:13,920
And believe us,
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00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:18,440
we know over the years we've
tried many and found them all
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00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,400
wanting until now.
256
00:14:20,980 --> 00:14:24,960
Now we sleep on the RV
mattress by Brooklyn Bedding.
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00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,880
Quite simply, it's the
best we've ever slept on.
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00:14:28,010 --> 00:14:32,120
We chose a queen size aurora
luxe medium firm mattress.
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00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,520
And it arrived tightly rolled in a box.
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00:14:35,100 --> 00:14:40,080
All we did is put it on the bed and
roll it and wait for it to recover from
261
00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:40,640
the compression.
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00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:44,360
Oh, does this ever feel
comfy? It's so cushiony.
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00:14:44,550 --> 00:14:48,800
Then we put on the sheets and the bed
covers and we found ourselves ready to
264
00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:50,960
order another one for our home.
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00:14:51,750 --> 00:14:53,680
That's how comfortable it is.
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00:14:54,030 --> 00:14:57,880
That first night's sleep
was luxurious and deep,
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00:14:57,880 --> 00:14:59,480
and it's been like that ever since.
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00:14:59,660 --> 00:15:04,360
The RV Mattress by Brooklyn Bedding
comes with a 120 night sleep
269
00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,640
trial and a 10 year warranty.
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00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,960
Shipping is free if you're disappointed
with the current mattress in your rv.
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00:15:12,380 --> 00:15:17,120
You owe it to yourself to try the
RV mattress by Brooklyn Bedding.
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00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:21,560
Something else that's very
important is that Brooklyn Bedding
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00:15:21,740 --> 00:15:26,280
manufactures all their RV
mattresses in their own factory in
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00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:27,113
Arizona.
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00:15:27,190 --> 00:15:32,000
This means they're able to use premium
materials at a reasonable price
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00:15:32,100 --> 00:15:35,280
for you, with no middleman
bringing up the costs.
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00:15:35,380 --> 00:15:39,680
And right now, if you visit
rv mattress.com/rv lifestyle,
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00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:44,200
you'll get 20% off your mattress
with the Code RV Lifestyle.
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00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:44,880
Again,
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00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:49,680
use the promo code RV lifestyle for
20% off the cost of the RV mattress
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00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:51,040
by Brooklyn Bedding.
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00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:56,200
We're sure you'll be as thrilled with
your RV mattress by Brooklyn Bedding
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00:15:56,410 --> 00:15:57,680
as we are with ours.
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00:15:58,010 --> 00:16:01,840
It really is the most comfortable
mattress we've ever slept on.
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00:16:03,180 --> 00:16:06,360
Now it's time for the new travel
tech segment of our podcast.
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00:16:06,540 --> 00:16:11,320
And this is drawn from the pages
of new travel tech.com that is,
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00:16:11,490 --> 00:16:13,360
uh, our sister blog.
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00:16:13,780 --> 00:16:18,600
And it celebrates the many ways that
technology enhances the travel experience.
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00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:23,560
And it's brought to you by Nomad Internet
Nomad Internet is now the exclusive
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00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:27,520
internet provider for us as we
are on the road and traveling.
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00:16:27,740 --> 00:16:31,440
And we have been very impressed
with Nomad interview internet.
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00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:35,640
We've been trying it for several
months now. Um, it is UNT throttled.
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00:16:35,810 --> 00:16:39,760
It is unlimited data.
Uh, it is high speed.
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00:16:40,010 --> 00:16:43,960
It works on that new
C-band system that, um, uh,
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00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:47,560
Verizon and uh, uh, I think at
and t's trying to make it come up.
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00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:52,480
But this is on the Verizon system are
with Nomad interview internet. And it,
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00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:54,360
uh, it has really been, uh, neat.
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00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:59,120
And one of the things that they just came
out with that I wanna show you is, uh,
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00:16:59,370 --> 00:17:04,120
is this, this is the air travel
bag and it's pretty cool.
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00:17:04,250 --> 00:17:06,800
It comes with, uh,
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00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:11,680
let's see if I can pull it outta here
and show you. It comes with a, um,
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00:17:11,830 --> 00:17:16,800
a battery that will
power the Nomad Air modem
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00:17:17,180 --> 00:17:21,880
for a week. And that is pretty amazing.
This is the battery. Isn't that cool?
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00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:24,440
See that thing that will go for a week?
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00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:29,080
And this is the modem that we
use right here, the Nomad Air.
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00:17:29,540 --> 00:17:33,720
And, uh, it's really neat. So you, uh,
particularly for Boone Dockers, uh,
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00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:37,640
if you don't have, uh, commercial power
or you're trying to conserve power,
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00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,800
this little bag, it's not very
big. Very easy handle. Anyway,
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00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:45,040
we're big fans of the Nomad
Inter internet and you can, uh,
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00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:49,800
learn more about it at
rv lifestyle.com/nomad rv
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00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:51,520
lifestyle.com/nomad.
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00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:52,320
I've gotta say,
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00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:56,120
I really appreciate that bag to keep
it safe because it seems like so many
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00:17:56,120 --> 00:17:58,640
things that are delicate that you
really wanna take good care of,
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00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:00,520
you don't have a good container for them.
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00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:03,480
So to get something that's
fairly expensive mm-hmm.
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00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,640
a bag for it, good idea.
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00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:10,000
Anyway, that's what we use for our
internet, uh, nomad internet. Uh,
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00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,200
and you can again, learn more
to score their website. Alright,
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00:18:13,490 --> 00:18:14,960
so what are we gonna talk about this week?
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00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:16,640
We're gonna talk about a weather.
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00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:18,360
App. Yes, we indeed are.
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00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:23,200
Now we know that there are a
gazillion weather apps out there,
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00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:24,960
and probably between the two of us,
325
00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:29,840
we have a dozen of them on
our smartphones and our,
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00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:31,040
uh, tablets. But the,
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00:18:31,140 --> 00:18:35,000
the one that we have been using now for
several years and that we wanna share
328
00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:39,000
now cause it just gets better and
better. It's called Weather Bug.
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00:18:39,530 --> 00:18:41,960
So if you wanna know
everything about the weather,
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00:18:42,130 --> 00:18:43,720
weather bug is what you need to.
331
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:45,720
Get. It's our main go-to weather app,
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00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:47,520
and then we'll kind of mess
around with some of the others.
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00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:52,440
But what I like about it is when
you launch a weather bug, uh,
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00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,480
it immediately displays the local weather,
335
00:18:55,800 --> 00:19:00,120
including the temperature and
the dew point and humidity,
336
00:19:00,250 --> 00:19:03,680
sunrise, sunset, uh, wind pressure,
337
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:08,320
any active weather alerts for your area.
And what what's neat about that is, um,
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00:19:08,390 --> 00:19:11,440
oftentimes we'll be driving
along and we'll say, oh gosh,
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00:19:11,460 --> 00:19:13,760
are we gonna get there before
dark? We're gonna get, so we,
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00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:15,480
we like to set up camp
before dark and it'll,
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00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:16,960
we always can find the local sunset.
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00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,280
And that's how Handy to know that's one
of the things that we like about it.
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00:19:20,620 --> 00:19:23,760
And also the toolbar that's at the bottom.
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00:19:23,940 --> 00:19:27,240
Yes. Uh, there's a toolbar at
the bottom. There's one, uh,
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00:19:27,590 --> 00:19:30,280
a couple of menu bars. But what is,
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00:19:30,790 --> 00:19:34,560
I think the best feature for
us is when you're traveling,
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00:19:34,930 --> 00:19:38,600
it always updates your
current weather. Uh,
348
00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:42,240
and so wherever you happen to be, right,
then that's the weather you're seeing.
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00:19:42,510 --> 00:19:47,200
That toolbar, uh, is, uh, along
the bottom is for radar and stuff,
350
00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:48,600
but there's also one on the top,
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00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:53,800
which lets you switch from the current
forecast to a, a more detailed,
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00:19:53,890 --> 00:19:54,723
uh, forecast.
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00:19:54,820 --> 00:19:56,760
And for anybody with allergies,
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00:19:56,790 --> 00:20:00,400
it's nice to have their app that lets
you know what the pollen count is.
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00:20:00,620 --> 00:20:04,800
Yes. Uh, WeatherBug works
on both iOS and on Android.
356
00:20:05,330 --> 00:20:10,040
It also works on your laptop or
your tablet as well. Uh, and, uh,
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00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:14,240
we think it's just a great app
to have, uh, give it a try. Um,
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00:20:14,310 --> 00:20:18,480
that's our, probably our go-to one.
So see it if you want to check.
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00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,560
It out. So don't forget weatherbug.com.
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00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:26,520
That's where you can find it. All right.
Thanks to, uh, new travel tech.com. Uh,
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00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:30,640
our sister blog that keeps track
all things technology and, uh,
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00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:35,440
weatherbug.com. That's our, uh, new travel
tech, uh, tip of the tip of the week.
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00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:39,960
We'll be back with the news of the week
after this. When we're in a road trip,
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00:20:40,050 --> 00:20:45,000
we always seem to find a way to
stop at a Camping World Center.
365
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:49,560
There are over 225 Camping World
locations across the country,
366
00:20:49,700 --> 00:20:54,520
and there's always one close by when we
need parts and accessories for our rv or
367
00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:58,280
just wanna shop. In fact, uh,
we have so much fun with, uh,
368
00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,280
camping World and as we talk
about it as one of our sponsors,
369
00:21:01,430 --> 00:21:06,360
they have agreed to offer
a 10% discount if you use
370
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:08,680
the coupon code RV Lifestyle 10.
371
00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:11,880
When you buy $99 or more in merchandise,
372
00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,720
you'll find everything you want from
outdoor furniture and appliances.
373
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,800
The ones you see us use in our videos
and we talk about here in the podcast,
374
00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,640
RV extras that include everything
from camping chairs to fire pits,
375
00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,160
electrical accessories, must have
gadgets. Check them all out. And again,
376
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:32,680
don't forget, use the coupon code RV
Lifestyle 10 when you visit camping
377
00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:34,120
world.com.
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00:21:35,450 --> 00:21:40,310
One of the most exciting developments
for RVs is happening out west in Arizona.
379
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:45,390
Western land in ranches is selling
five acre high elevation ranches.
380
00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:48,350
Just off the famous route 66,
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00:21:48,450 --> 00:21:52,190
the birthplace of the American
Road trip prices started only
382
00:21:52,190 --> 00:21:55,910
$39,900. And these are beautiful,
383
00:21:56,020 --> 00:22:00,510
secluded tracks of land surrounded
by majestic mountain ranges with
384
00:22:00,700 --> 00:22:05,550
sweeping valley views. The high elevation
is a unique microclimate as well,
385
00:22:05,550 --> 00:22:09,430
giving you cooler temperatures,
green grasses and tree cover,
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00:22:09,430 --> 00:22:11,430
making it unique for desert property.
387
00:22:11,450 --> 00:22:15,950
The community is in the center of it
all close to the best of the West Grand
388
00:22:15,950 --> 00:22:20,190
Canyon, Las Vegas, lake
Havasu, lake Mead Lake Mojave,
389
00:22:20,370 --> 00:22:24,590
the Colorado River, Flagstaff,
Sedona, and Historic Williams.
390
00:22:24,590 --> 00:22:28,270
If you're tired of crowded RV parks
and paying high fees for sites,
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00:22:28,580 --> 00:22:30,830
well ownership might be right for you.
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00:22:30,830 --> 00:22:35,230
This incredible collection of
mountaintop properties called Greenwood
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00:22:35,230 --> 00:22:38,550
Ranches hit the market
and it's selling out fast.
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00:22:38,630 --> 00:22:42,750
There is no hoa. You can build
a house, a cabin out buildings,
395
00:22:42,750 --> 00:22:47,510
or just rv, it's your property
your way. 100% ownership.
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00:22:47,590 --> 00:22:52,190
Visit the website to get details
and set up a showing Arizona rv
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00:22:52,190 --> 00:22:56,350
land.net. That's Arizona rv land.net.
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00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,670
Welcome back. And now it's time for the
news of the week. And Mike, you got.
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00:23:01,670 --> 00:23:05,190
The first story. Well, this is a, a topic
that we have been talking about a lot,
400
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:07,110
uh, over the last couple of years.
401
00:23:07,110 --> 00:23:10,790
And this is a problem that really
started with Covid and the big, uh,
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00:23:10,790 --> 00:23:15,790
rush to get campsite. And that's no
shows at, uh, state parks, actually,
403
00:23:15,790 --> 00:23:19,830
all of them like that. And what
happens is, is, um, selfish,
404
00:23:20,170 --> 00:23:25,070
can I say that Selfish people book
a site and they might go to book two
405
00:23:25,070 --> 00:23:27,950
or three different sites so they can
be sure they have a place to go that
406
00:23:27,950 --> 00:23:28,270
weekend,
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00:23:28,270 --> 00:23:32,870
or they'll book a week when only they
need two days and then they don't show up
408
00:23:33,130 --> 00:23:35,590
and therefore other people
can't use those sites.
409
00:23:35,850 --> 00:23:39,030
And we have been complaining about that
as you have been complaining about that
410
00:23:39,030 --> 00:23:43,510
for a long time. So now, uh, the news
of the week is, uh, in California,
411
00:23:44,140 --> 00:23:48,080
a state assemblywoman has
had enough of this also,
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00:23:48,140 --> 00:23:52,400
and she has introduced a bill
and that bill would penalize
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00:23:52,530 --> 00:23:56,560
campers who make a reservation
at a state owned campground.
414
00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:58,120
And then they don't ever show up.
415
00:23:58,180 --> 00:24:01,320
And the goal is to make it
easier to get a camping spot,
416
00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:05,640
but providing a reason for people to
cancel their reservation if they can no
417
00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,800
longer use it. Uh, it
frees up the camping spot.
418
00:24:09,210 --> 00:24:13,120
So it's a matter of getting part of
your refund back or absolutely zero your
419
00:24:13,120 --> 00:24:17,680
refund back. And if you cancel numerous
times, you're not gonna be able to book.
420
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:18,210
Yeah.
421
00:24:18,210 --> 00:24:22,800
So this is gonna apply to 15,000
individual campsite if it passes in the
422
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:27,760
California State Park system. And,
uh, we're, we're hoping that this, uh,
423
00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,960
this really helps, uh, this and other
people will, will pick up on this. Uh,
424
00:24:32,250 --> 00:24:35,920
campers would get more of the reservation
if they canceled seven days in
425
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,000
advance. And like Jen says, uh,
426
00:24:38,100 --> 00:24:42,440
you lose more and more the closer it is
to cancellation date. I think that's a,
427
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:43,320
that's a pretty good.
428
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:44,520
Bill. Sounds like logical thing to.
429
00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,880
Do. Yeah. Maybe that'll solve
some of the problem. All right.
430
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:48,240
What do you got?
431
00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:52,960
So we've got another California story
because of all the rain that they've had
432
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:53,840
out in California,
433
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:58,560
all the drought that they've had now they
have rain and there's all those seeds
434
00:24:58,630 --> 00:25:02,680
from flowers, there's, uh,
super bloom going on out there.
435
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:07,600
All those seeds that were laying
dormant and now the rain has come and
436
00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:12,560
it's supposed to be like
overnight Absolutely beautiful
with the yellows and the
437
00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:13,880
purples and the white flowers.
438
00:25:14,180 --> 00:25:16,680
And, and when are they, we're gonna put a,
439
00:25:16,710 --> 00:25:20,760
a link in the description of
the show notes@rvlifestyle.com.
440
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,240
It'll kind of give you their projected
timeline, but coming right up.
441
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,920
They're expecting this, you know, very
soon in California, so pretty cool, um,
442
00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:33,880
federal officials have closed. You're
gonna find this interesting, uh,
443
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:38,320
the Giah wilderness, uh, for
the next week or so for, uh,
444
00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:42,640
to visitors because they're
going to begin a controlled hunt
445
00:25:43,380 --> 00:25:47,920
for feral cows.
you heard that right?
446
00:25:48,510 --> 00:25:53,480
Cows. The Giah Wind wilderness out
there in New Mexico is home to feral
447
00:25:53,590 --> 00:25:54,080
cows,
448
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,760
which apparently became rather aggressive
this past year to human visitors.
449
00:25:58,760 --> 00:25:59,320
And they've,
450
00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:03,680
they said they've harmed the environment
by grazing year round and trampling
451
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:08,200
down stream banks and that's caused
erosion and other issues. Uh,
452
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:12,360
they say there's about 150
of these wild feral cows.
453
00:26:12,470 --> 00:26:14,880
That doesn't sound like that
many need to do all this damage.
454
00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:18,800
Yeah. So they're gonna kill 'em.
They're gonna shoot 'em out. Uh,
455
00:26:18,870 --> 00:26:21,560
gunmen sounds really barbaric.
456
00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:26,160
Gunmen in helicopters will
shoot them dead between Thursday
457
00:26:26,460 --> 00:26:29,240
and Sunday of this week, uh,
458
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,480
leaving their bodies out
there to decompose. Uh.
459
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,720
I don't understand that part. I
I guess it's too hard to harvest.
460
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:37,160
Them. Oh, they're heavy. They're big.
461
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:41,520
I guess they'll leave their remains
out there unless they're near water or
462
00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:45,080
hiking trails or sensitive spots. But, uh,
463
00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:49,840
obviously there are some people in
the New Mexico legislator legislature
464
00:26:50,140 --> 00:26:53,600
who are opposed to this, a
cattleman association against it.
465
00:26:53,790 --> 00:26:55,960
Some environmentalists are against this,
466
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,440
and I imagine some RVers
after hearing this story,
467
00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:00,880
be against it. But, uh,
468
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:05,200
that's what federal officials are gonna
be doing this week and why part of the
469
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,840
giah winded wilderness
in New Mexico is closed.
470
00:27:09,570 --> 00:27:13,440
In a lot of states they hand out
permits and people get a license,
471
00:27:13,590 --> 00:27:15,640
like for deer hunting
and things. If you need.
472
00:27:15,710 --> 00:27:18,880
This just sounds like a lot of
expense flying around helicopters,
473
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:20,000
taking out cows.
474
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,160
Leaving dead cows lying around out there.
475
00:27:22,690 --> 00:27:25,560
Oh no, I don't understand. I don't
have all the information. I'm sure.
476
00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,520
We're talking with the federal government,
you know, never understand what.
477
00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:33,200
They do.
just around the corner. And so,
478
00:27:33,330 --> 00:27:36,200
uh, in fact, February 21st, isn't.
479
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,160
It? Yeah. Was this week? Is this
week. Mardi Gras week is this week.
480
00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:42,200
Yeah. And so many our veers in
Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi,
481
00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:44,720
who really take Mardi gra very seriously,
482
00:27:45,150 --> 00:27:48,520
this means just one thing
they take off, or rv, I mean,
483
00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:53,320
the weather's nice and Mardi Gras, who
can, who could not go camping. So, uh,
484
00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:57,840
many, uh, cities near the Gulf like
Lafayette and Louisiana and Mobile,
485
00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:02,720
Alabama have large numbers of little
RV villages that spring up along
486
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,920
the, the routes for parades.
Yeah. And under Bridges.
487
00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:08,800
Yeah. We've seen this
ourselves. We did a video, uh,
488
00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,360
a couple years ago about Mardi
Gras around the Gulf Coast,
489
00:28:11,380 --> 00:28:13,400
and most people think
it's all in New Orleans.
490
00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:17,480
New Orleans is just the raunchiest one
491
00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,960
Mardi Gras events generally are
pretty family friendly and the,
492
00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:26,720
there's parades actually started few
weeks ago in all these communities along
493
00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:30,400
the South, south Gulf coast
there. And it's been fun to, uh,
494
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,080
it's really fun to watch
'em. We put a video link,
495
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,720
we'll put it in the show notes of what,
what it was like with us. But in Mobile,
496
00:28:36,770 --> 00:28:40,720
Alabama, uh, for like
over two decades now,
497
00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:44,800
people have been setting up what they
call RV City underneath a freeway
498
00:28:45,610 --> 00:28:48,840
as the town has prayed after
parade, these different civic clubs,
499
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,800
all sponsored parades, uh, and you
need to get a spot ahead of time.
500
00:28:54,530 --> 00:28:59,480
Uh, there's 118 spots out there.
Uh, we'll put links to all this and,
501
00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,720
uh, you'll see. But it's a lot of fun
if we've never been to Mardi Gras,
502
00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:06,880
not New Orleans, but along the, uh,
the coast there, um, check it out.
503
00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,680
It is pretty much a, a fun
thing. All right, last story.
504
00:29:10,830 --> 00:29:15,280
This is kind of a weird story and
I hope this is not a trend. Um,
505
00:29:15,650 --> 00:29:19,680
campers in Texas told us about this and
they're pretty sad to learn that the
506
00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:23,880
state is losing Fairfield Lake
State Park at the end of February
507
00:29:24,970 --> 00:29:26,120
because, uh,
508
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:31,000
the landowner sold the property to a
private developer who has plans to build
509
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,200
a gated multi-million
dollar housing community.
510
00:29:34,700 --> 00:29:36,920
You can't compete with that
kind of money for buying.
511
00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,080
The land. No. For about 50 years,
512
00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:42,920
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
has operated the state park and they
513
00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,840
leased it from a company called
Vista Corporation, Vistra,
514
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,200
which operated a coal plant
there previously. And, uh,
515
00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,760
the state invested 70
million over the years. Uh,
516
00:29:55,760 --> 00:30:00,160
they tried to buy it, but,
uh, Vista Corporation, uh,
517
00:30:00,230 --> 00:30:04,000
they went for the big bucks,
uh, parks located about, uh,
518
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,360
95 miles south of Dallas. So a lot
of Dallas people really liked it.
519
00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:09,080
It was very popular. Fishing and camping.
520
00:30:09,660 --> 00:30:13,400
Had 83,000 visitors last
year and now that's all gone.
521
00:30:13,830 --> 00:30:18,520
2,700 people already
reserved camping spots
522
00:30:18,540 --> 00:30:23,160
for this year, but that corporation,
because they took it away from the state,
523
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:25,200
has canceled them. Um,
524
00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,480
Texas has like 14 other parks on state.
525
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:28,680
Land.
526
00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,560
I mean that is so sad to hear and I betcha
all that money that was put into that
527
00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:32,840
land,
528
00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:37,680
they probably did a lot to clean it up
after what it was originally used for
529
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:38,200
the coal.
530
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:42,920
Yeah, I said state land, say they have
14 other spots on lease land. So yeah.
531
00:30:43,050 --> 00:30:43,400
Uh,
532
00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:47,360
hopefully the people they lease it to
don't change their mind like Vistra and
533
00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:51,080
sell out for the big bucks, but that's
a trend I hope doesn't continue.
534
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,400
But money wins, doesn't
it? Always. Alright,
535
00:30:54,770 --> 00:30:59,160
we come back RV questions of the week.
So please stay with us when we're asked.
536
00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:02,680
What's the most important
modification we made to our rv?
537
00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:06,000
It's an easy answer. Battleborn batteries.
538
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,520
Battle born batteries are quality, safe,
539
00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:13,560
reliable lithium batteries
that allow us to stay out there
540
00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:18,440
off the grid longer. Lithium batteries
charge faster, they charge fuller,
541
00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:19,520
they're longer lasting,
542
00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:24,480
they're maintenance free and born
batteries are protected by a 10
543
00:31:24,590 --> 00:31:27,360
year guarantee. Now in our case,
544
00:31:27,470 --> 00:31:32,360
they just dropped into the existing
AGM batteries that we have and
545
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,360
they'll probably be the
same on your rig too.
546
00:31:34,470 --> 00:31:39,360
Battle borne battery experts can get
those in your rig just like they did with
547
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,760
ours. They can also match you up
with the right cabling, the inverter,
548
00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,080
the charger, the solar
controller, everything.
549
00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:48,840
Jennifer and I swear by
our battle born batteries,
550
00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:52,840
they allow us to boondock
off the grid. Check them out,
551
00:31:52,970 --> 00:31:56,560
go to rv lifestyle.com/lithium rv
552
00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:58,680
lifestyle.com/lithium.
553
00:31:59,260 --> 00:32:01,720
Now it's time for the RV
questions of the week.
554
00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:05,120
And here is the first one from
Gary. And his question is,
555
00:32:05,170 --> 00:32:10,000
is it true that older
RVs older than 10 years
556
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,640
old, you can't park at
a lot of the uh, parks?
557
00:32:14,620 --> 00:32:17,480
Yes. Um, technically that is true,
558
00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:22,600
although in our experience it's
not very often enforced unless the
559
00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:26,600
RV is in, you know, poor condition
and has a lot of, you know,
560
00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:31,080
obvious defects and looks to
kind of be on its last legs. Um,
561
00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:35,440
parks have that rule because they then
have, they can say, well, that's right,
562
00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:36,360
and the rules, uh,
563
00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:40,800
they can exclude rigs that in
their mind it would reflect poorly
564
00:32:41,090 --> 00:32:45,800
on the appearance of the park.
And, uh, we've heard of some, uh,
565
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,800
who would require would-be renters who
have something older than 10 years to
566
00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:54,120
send in a photo of their RV
so they can check it out. Um,
567
00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:58,760
there are some RV parks that
don't allow any Class Bs,
568
00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:03,560
no matter how new it is or how old
it is. Uh, no camper vans, class Bs,
569
00:33:04,130 --> 00:33:08,880
um, others are for class
A motor coaches only. So,
570
00:33:08,940 --> 00:33:13,080
you know, generally speaking, I think
though, uh, at most campgrounds,
571
00:33:13,210 --> 00:33:17,960
if your RV is well maintained, if
it's clean, good mechanical condition,
572
00:33:18,340 --> 00:33:22,560
you know, I think you'll be fine.
But, um, they do have that rule and,
573
00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:25,160
and sometimes they do enforce it. Uh,
574
00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,480
fortunately I think that's a minority
of cases, but they do have that.
575
00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:30,120
Rule and I can see why they do.
576
00:33:30,150 --> 00:33:33,560
Yeah, I mean I, you know, there
are some out, you know, every,
577
00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:36,480
you gotta have a rule for the
exceptions, right? Yes. So, and,
578
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:38,360
and it's usually an exception. I.
579
00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:42,840
Mean, we have seen RVs out there with
wood boarding up windows and, you.
580
00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:43,280
Know, oh my.
581
00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:44,760
Gosh, with looked in pretty rough shape.
582
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:48,760
With the body tied together with duct
tape and, you know, that's what they,
583
00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:49,480
they're trying to.
584
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:50,840
Avoid some. That's what they're, yeah.
585
00:33:50,970 --> 00:33:55,320
So if, if you don't do that, you should
be okay. All right. Here's one that, uh,
586
00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,440
is for you Jennifer, and it's
from Megan. And Megan says,
587
00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:01,920
what do you use for a
vacuum cleaner in your rv?
588
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,640
It always looks so clean and sparkling
in your videos and I've heard you talk
589
00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,080
about vacuuming it before
and after your trips.
590
00:34:08,350 --> 00:34:08,840
Well,
591
00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:12,120
I used to use just a plain old whisk
broom and then decided that was much too
592
00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:17,120
much labor
little shark, uh, vacuum that I love.
593
00:34:17,190 --> 00:34:22,000
It's easy to detach if I wanna use
it as a hand vacuum or attach the
594
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:26,680
bottom so that I can do carpet. And,
uh, I use that thing all the time.
595
00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:28,720
It picks up sand easily. In fact,
596
00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:33,040
I like it so much that we bought a second
one because we have one in the fifth
597
00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:35,320
wheel and one in our other and the.
598
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:36,720
Motor home. Yeah. And
I think the thing that,
599
00:34:36,720 --> 00:34:39,960
and we use it sometimes as the clear
clean out our truck or our vehicles Yeah.
600
00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:43,080
Really picks up bow hair very
well too. Mm-hmm.
601
00:34:43,260 --> 00:34:46,600
the actual model number we
have, it's a cordless one. Um,
602
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,600
they have make a whole bunch of different
models and I think ours costs like 130
603
00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:51,280
bucks or so,
604
00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:55,920
but it's the Shark IX 1 41 Pet
605
00:34:56,070 --> 00:34:59,680
cordless Shark vacuum,
that's the Amazon name.
606
00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:03,200
And we'll put a Amazon
affiliate link, uh, uh,
607
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:05,080
in the show notes if you
want to see the one we.
608
00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:08,160
Have. And for those of
you who don't read, uh,
609
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:11,520
the manual that comes with it
real well when, if you buy that,
610
00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:15,360
there's a couple little filters that
you have to take out regularly and rinse
611
00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:17,400
out and wash and that way it'll work.
612
00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:20,880
Otherwise it'll get clogged up with
dust and you won't like it at all. You,
613
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:21,400
you don't like.
614
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:23,320
This vacuum. It's really easy cuz uh,
615
00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:27,200
all the stuff kind of goes into this dust
bowl and then you just put that over,
616
00:35:27,300 --> 00:35:28,200
you know, some,
617
00:35:28,350 --> 00:35:31,560
a garbage bag or something and you just
lift it and it just empties right out.
618
00:35:31,740 --> 00:35:33,480
But you do wanna check.
619
00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:33,760
Those.
620
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,640
Filters. I clean the filters
as in any vacuum. Let's see.
621
00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:39,000
Shark IX 1 41 again,
622
00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:43,280
we'll put a link@rvlifestyle.com in the
show notes for you so you can find that.
623
00:35:43,460 --> 00:35:45,640
All right, that's the
podcast for this week.
624
00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:49,960
If you have a comment or if you have a
question, we would love to hear from you.
625
00:35:50,180 --> 00:35:54,440
Our private email is Mike
and jen@rvlifestyle.com.
626
00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:55,400
Happy.
627
00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:55,920
Trails.


