RV Camping at a Truck Stop

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- This week on the RV podcast,

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- The chain of love's travel
centers are opening up more

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and more of its truck stops
for dedicated RV camping.

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Not just overnighting,

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but multiple stays, multiple night stays.

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If that's what you want. Now,
we'll share the details of

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that in our interview
of the week coming up.

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- And what's up with this?

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Cracker Barrel is closing
some of its restaurants

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where RVs like to overnight

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- And just where can you
get the oil changed on your

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Class C motor homes?

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Our RV community weighs in
with some practical suggestions

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- And answering One of
our questions of the week

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will tell you just how strong the wind has

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to be to flip an rv.

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- All this bless the RV news of the week

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and much more coming up in
episode 4 94 of the RV Podcast.

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Hello everybody. I'm Mike Lan in.

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This is my lifelong traveling companion

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and my bride Jennifer.

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And, um, how are you?

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- I am doing fantastic.

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How could I be doing anything
other than fantastic when it

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is such a beautiful day?

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- It is a beautiful day

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and we have been so enjoying
watching springtime come

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to, uh, hero Lake, which is the lake

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and the back of our, uh, 10
acres of Michigan property.

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We have really enjoyed it,

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but there is a lot of drama there. Oh,

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- There's a lot of violence

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that goes on out there in nature.

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- Yeah, we watched, uh,
with Joy a uh, a couple

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of Sandhill cranes that made a nest there.

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And then, um, they were on it

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for like better part of a week.

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And then one night we were
woken up, I don't know, two

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or three in the morning with this

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ruckus going on from the Sandhill cranes.

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And we think a coyote got into their nest.

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- Could have been a raccoon,
could have been a number

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of things, but there was a lot
of noise coming from the pond

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- Then.

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They're not nesting
anymore. We still see them.

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They're still landing. And then, uh,

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we got really excited the other day.

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I think, uh, two, three
days ago we saw the first

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of the geese guzzling, uh, three

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of them swimming around
with their parents.

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But they seemed to have disappeared too.

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We have a lot of Canadian
Canada geese on our property,

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but, uh, I don't know what
happened to these little chicks,

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these little goslings.

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I hope there's fuzzballs
are still there.

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- People are gonna think we're crazy

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that we like Canadian geese,

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but they're not walking all over our yard.

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No doing what geese do

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because Bo won't have them
walk on our yard. They

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- Are out in the pond or
the lake and having fun.

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But, uh, we're we're thinking

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that maybe a big snapping turtle got 'em.

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'cause there are a number
of those out there.

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- So we get so excited by life

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and birth and .

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Then the reality, I guess

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- Of nature can be really cool. That comes

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- .

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- Yeah. Um, let's see what
else is, oh, the other big part

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of it is, and, and actually
we owe this to one of our

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followers here on, uh,
YouTube and our podcasts

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and, uh, our community.

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Uh, he's a physician and uh,
he sent me a really nice note

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'cause he's heard me talk before.

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I'm trying to get back
into, into good shape

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and it's been a long winter

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and like bear, I, I didn't, unlike a bear,

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I didn't lose all my weight
in hibernation this winter.

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And he recommended a book
he actually recommended, um,

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the book, um, undo it by, uh, Dean Ornish

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and, uh, his wife Anne.

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And it's, uh, it's a pretty good book.

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Talks about changing
lifestyles and de-stressing

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and all that sort of stuff.

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But it also, the biggest
lifestyle change is diet.

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And, um, presents a
pretty compelling argument

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for a plant-based diet.

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And we've never tried that before

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and it's going to be a challenge.

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Now, look, when I'm talking diets,

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everybody's got their own favorite,

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so don't send me your notes
that you how to eat carnivore

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or paleo or Mediterranean because you

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- Know, we
- Keto books on all that stuff.

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I got books on all of 'em. So, uh,

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- I gotta tell you, my favorite was Dr.

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Jason with 500 calories
a day. Yeah, .

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I was measuring out .

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- We did that for a while.
How long did I last on that?

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- Oh, you lost a whole
bunch of weight till

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- I about collapsed .

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- And then as soon as you went
off it, it all came back on.

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Yeah, and then we tried it
again, but not as wholeheartedly.

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So, um, I serve some kind of metal

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for all the different diets. I

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- Have tried them awful.

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- I have had to prepare
food and shop for and carry

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- Them.

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This would be challenging.
And I'm convinced

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that the evidence, I've read a ton,

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a ton more of literature.

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I've read literature on all

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of them 'cause I've tried all of them.

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So, but it's like religion
don't or politics don't try

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and convince me that yours is the best.

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But, um, for us, we're gonna try this.

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And I think we're on day two now.

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That's gonna be a challenge.

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I think, you know, I
think once you got into it

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and learned how to, how

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to cook more plant-based
meals, it would be easier.

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But, uh, in the book they
give you a bunch of recipes,

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they give you a bunch of
prepared things you can get

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to try it for a couple weeks.

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So we're gonna try that.
But anyway, wish us luck.

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You are doing Wish Me luck.

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- You are doing much
better on it than I am.

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And my incentive is I would
like to lose some weight.

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'cause it seems the older you get,

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the more pounds that you put on.

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And I'm not happy with what I'm weighing.

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But, um, the doctor scared
me when he said he wanted me

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to go on a statin and I'm just like,

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I don't wanna go on a statin.

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- Yeah, I don't want to go
to a statin either. So. Yep.

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Alright. Oh, enough of
that. Enough of that.

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The other thing we're doing is,
uh, we just had a great time

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with the recent series
we did on Class B RVs

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and the response was great.

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We're over 125,000 views of
those, uh, reviews so far.

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So we've heard you, many of
you have been writing us and,

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and emailing and messaging us
on the community saying, um,

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do some Class Cs do some class?

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A's some of you said we
should do some truck campers.

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Um, we, so we're gonna,
we're checking with it.

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The problem is, frankly,
is our loyalty is to you.

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So when we see these things,

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we're not gonna gloss over the
stuff that's wrong with them.

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And there are a lot of dealers

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and there's a lot of manufacturers
who expect it to be all,

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you know, um, all positive.

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And, you know, we're trying
to tell it like it really is.

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So there's, um, there's
some reluctance to that

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and whether this works out

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or not, we, we, we will,
we'll figure out a way to try

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and incorporate some
of those into our, uh,

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I suppose we could rent them,

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but that'd get pretty costly. That

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- Would get very
- Costly.

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Uh, but we'll see. They, they, you know,

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just like Nick over in, uh,

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sunshine State RV's down
in Florida was happy

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to let us borrow some of his Class Bs.

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We'll find somebody who will let us

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test out some. The question

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- Is, would Nick let us borrow him again?

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- , don't say it.

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Alright, we're gonna take a quick break

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and when we come back,
we've got the social

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media buzz of the week.

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So stay with us.

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The one thing that can
ruin a perfect RV trip is

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a bad mattress.

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And believe us, we know over
the years we've tried many

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and we have found them
all wanting until now.

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- Now we sleep on the RV
mattress by Brooklyn Bedding.

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Quite simply, it's the
best we've ever slept

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- On.

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We chose a queen size aurora
luxe medium firm mattress

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that arrived tightly rolled in a box.

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All we did was put it
on the bed, unroll it,

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and wait for it to recover
from the compression.

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Then we put on the
sheets and the bed covers

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and found we slept so well

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that we ordered another one for our home.

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- That's how comfortable it is.

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Our sleep is now so luxurious

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and deep that we can't imagine
using a different mattress.

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- Shipping is free. If you're disappointed

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with the current mattress
in your rv, you owe it

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to yourselves to try the RV
mattress by Brooklyn Bedding.

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- Brooklyn Bedding sends out all

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of their RV mattresses from
their own factory in Arizona.

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This means they're able

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to use premium materials at
a reasonable price for you.

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With no middleman bringing up the cost.

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- Make sure to check out
their Black Friday sale

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at the end of this month.

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It'll be their biggest deal of the year.

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Don't miss out on the
best sleep of your life.

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Visit rv mattress.com/rv lifestyle.

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We just heard about a
land offering out west

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for RVs in Arizona.

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They're selling five acre RV ranches,

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starting at only $49,900.

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The company offering it is affiliated

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with the people Jennifer

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and I bought our Tennessee property from.

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They do a great job. It looks amazing.

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It is at high elevation, so
you get cooler temperatures,

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big mountain views, juniper
trees, and green grasses.

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And it is near everything.

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The Grand Canyon Lake Havasu, Kingman,

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Flagstaff, and Sedona.

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It's a perfect place

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to have a home base to explore the west.

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And it is right off Famous Route 66.

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It's called Greenwood Ranches.

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And this is the second and
final section of the community.

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We met the sales manager, really nice guy.

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He bought a property for his RV

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and he's building a container home on it.

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Check out their website for a video tour

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and showing availability.

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It's pretty incredible.

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Visit the website to get details

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and set up a showing Arizona rv land.net.

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That's Arizona RV land.net.

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Well, welcome back everybody time now

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for the social media buzz.

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And we always say, if you really
wanna know what's happening

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in the RV world, listen to real RVs

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and you find them on our RV
lifestyle, uh, community at, uh,

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community dot rv lifestyle.com.

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Also, our Facebook group,

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which is pushing 400,000 members now.

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Uh, and that is where
you find the best tips,

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the best information.

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And, uh, our Wendy Boyer
keeps track of all of that.

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- And Wendy is going to
become an expert. .

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I mean, it's gonna be
pretty soon. Ask Wendy. Ask

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- Wendy.

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Yeah. Ask, ask Wendy anything.

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All right, here's Wendy with
this week's social media buzz.

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- Hi everybody. Over in our
RV lifestyle community general

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discussion space, there was
a recent post from Russell.

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He asked, where can I get an
oil change for a gas class C?

249
00:10:51,775 --> 00:10:54,315
He said he was new to having a Class C.

250
00:10:54,375 --> 00:10:55,595
He had always had a fifth wheel

251
00:10:55,595 --> 00:10:58,195
before he was traveling, not at home,

252
00:10:58,255 --> 00:10:59,435
so he couldn't do it himself.

253
00:10:59,695 --> 00:11:00,715
In fact, he was in Houston.

254
00:11:01,375 --> 00:11:04,715
He said he had, it's on
a Ford E four 50 chassis,

255
00:11:04,715 --> 00:11:07,075
but the Ford dealers wouldn't
do the oil change for him.

256
00:11:07,095 --> 00:11:08,595
And he just wondered if anyone in the

257
00:11:08,595 --> 00:11:09,755
group had a suggestion.

258
00:11:10,425 --> 00:11:12,835
Well, Bob and Roxy, they suggested he look

259
00:11:12,835 --> 00:11:15,955
for a semi repair shop
that does oil changes

260
00:11:16,255 --> 00:11:18,315
or try a place like a Flying J.

261
00:11:19,015 --> 00:11:22,235
And then Mark and Brenda, they
also suggested a semi repair

262
00:11:22,305 --> 00:11:25,235
shop and they actually
looked one up near Houston,

263
00:11:25,785 --> 00:11:28,235
went on the webpage to see
if it does oil changes,

264
00:11:28,815 --> 00:11:30,715
got the phone number and gave it

265
00:11:30,785 --> 00:11:31,995
through the group to Russell.

266
00:11:32,215 --> 00:11:34,315
And I just love that
'cause that just above

267
00:11:34,315 --> 00:11:36,795
and beyond kindness is
something I'm seeing over

268
00:11:36,795 --> 00:11:38,395
and over again in our new community.

269
00:11:38,775 --> 00:11:41,035
Um, and I hope that helped Russell.

270
00:11:41,105 --> 00:11:43,475
That was just so kind
to do all that legwork.

271
00:11:44,415 --> 00:11:47,035
Um, also in our RV lifestyle
community, I'd like

272
00:11:47,035 --> 00:11:48,595
to tell you about a post from Julie.

273
00:11:48,625 --> 00:11:50,955
This one appeared in our plumbing space.

274
00:11:51,535 --> 00:11:54,085
She said she has a 2023 Imagine

275
00:11:54,115 --> 00:11:56,045
with a Dometic 300 series toilet.

276
00:11:56,825 --> 00:12:00,245
And when they depressed,
the foot pedal a little bit

277
00:12:00,245 --> 00:12:03,605
to flush this tiny amount of
water appears on their floor.

278
00:12:03,945 --> 00:12:06,485
So she took it to the RV service
department at the dealer.

279
00:12:06,785 --> 00:12:09,325
And apparently the tech
worked on it, couldn't get it

280
00:12:09,325 --> 00:12:10,525
to duplicate at all,

281
00:12:11,025 --> 00:12:13,645
but of course the second
they got out there and home

282
00:12:13,665 --> 00:12:16,325
and tried it, the water was there.

283
00:12:16,505 --> 00:12:17,965
So the problem was not gone.

284
00:12:18,385 --> 00:12:19,885
So she just asked if anyone had

285
00:12:19,885 --> 00:12:21,045
any thoughts, what it might be.

286
00:12:21,835 --> 00:12:24,085
Well, Rita and Jeff, they
said that their valve used

287
00:12:24,085 --> 00:12:26,365
to drip like this and they
couldn't figure it out.

288
00:12:26,365 --> 00:12:29,365
So they kept a small cloth
under it to catch water.

289
00:12:29,425 --> 00:12:30,725
And that worked pretty well.

290
00:12:31,465 --> 00:12:34,445
Um, but then it turned out they had

291
00:12:34,445 --> 00:12:36,085
to replace the base for another reason.

292
00:12:36,185 --> 00:12:37,805
And when that replacement happened

293
00:12:37,805 --> 00:12:41,005
and a new valve came into
place, it didn't drip anymore.

294
00:12:41,505 --> 00:12:42,885
And same with Brendan Mark.

295
00:12:42,885 --> 00:12:44,885
They said they had to get
another foot pedal part,

296
00:12:44,905 --> 00:12:47,205
and when they replace
that, the drip went away.

297
00:12:47,345 --> 00:12:50,005
So hopefully those, uh,
tips can help Julie.

298
00:12:50,945 --> 00:12:53,845
And then meanwhile over in our
RV lifestyle Facebook group,

299
00:12:53,965 --> 00:12:56,445
I have to tell you about
this post, it just went wild.

300
00:12:56,905 --> 00:12:59,245
Um, it was a post from Matthew

301
00:12:59,625 --> 00:13:02,605
and it said the usual
progression of camping

302
00:13:03,195 --> 00:13:05,525
year five is our actual current setup.

303
00:13:05,905 --> 00:13:09,765
And so this progression
showed different pictures

304
00:13:09,765 --> 00:13:10,805
for each year you camp.

305
00:13:10,905 --> 00:13:13,085
So year one was a tent in the woods,

306
00:13:13,155 --> 00:13:14,725
real rustic with a picnic table.

307
00:13:15,195 --> 00:13:19,125
Year two was a pop-up. Year
three was a travel trailer.

308
00:13:19,395 --> 00:13:21,845
Year four was a fifth
wheel with a pickup truck.

309
00:13:22,465 --> 00:13:26,525
And year five was a semi
with a cabin trailer

310
00:13:27,025 --> 00:13:28,085
and a toy hauler.

311
00:13:28,625 --> 00:13:31,005
Um, people just love this progression

312
00:13:31,005 --> 00:13:32,805
picture and description.

313
00:13:33,065 --> 00:13:35,605
And uh, lots of people had
to say, I'm in year two.

314
00:13:35,785 --> 00:13:37,965
I'm in year four. You
know, skipped year three

315
00:13:37,965 --> 00:13:39,245
or, you know, it just went on and on.

316
00:13:39,245 --> 00:13:41,805
It was really fun to read.
And then several people were

317
00:13:42,205 --> 00:13:44,285
inspired and started
cheering their own posts

318
00:13:44,365 --> 00:13:45,485
of their progression.

319
00:13:45,905 --> 00:13:48,005
Um, what many were like Heidi's.

320
00:13:48,585 --> 00:13:49,805
And she showed a picture of her

321
00:13:49,805 --> 00:13:52,445
and her husband in a
tent that was year one,

322
00:13:52,505 --> 00:13:55,925
and then in a popup, and
then in a travel trailer,

323
00:13:56,145 --> 00:13:58,885
and then in a looked like
newer and nicer travel trailer.

324
00:13:59,505 --> 00:14:03,845
Um, and so it was again,
just, um, inspiring all types

325
00:14:03,845 --> 00:14:04,965
of people to reminisce

326
00:14:05,185 --> 00:14:07,645
and, uh, made me wonder
what is your progression?

327
00:14:08,265 --> 00:14:10,565
Um, but that's it for me this week.

328
00:14:10,845 --> 00:14:11,925
I am Wendy Boyer

329
00:14:11,945 --> 00:14:14,205
and I'll see you either
in our RV lifestyle

330
00:14:14,205 --> 00:14:15,685
community or Facebook group.

331
00:14:16,315 --> 00:14:19,245
- Well, after listening to all
that, that fun question of,

332
00:14:19,465 --> 00:14:23,645
uh, documenting, going from
a one to a five, going larger

333
00:14:23,755 --> 00:14:26,525
with your rigs all the time,
it made me think of us.

334
00:14:27,125 --> 00:14:29,005
'cause we started out with
a small travel trailer.

335
00:14:29,185 --> 00:14:31,765
You started out with tents,
. Oh, well, yeah.

336
00:14:31,905 --> 00:14:34,445
But a small travel trailer
that was with one child.

337
00:14:34,825 --> 00:14:37,885
And then we had a lapse
where we had two more kids.

338
00:14:37,885 --> 00:14:39,205
So we had three kids and a dog.

339
00:14:39,205 --> 00:14:42,005
And then we went to the
popup, went to a popup,

340
00:14:42,005 --> 00:14:43,445
and then the kids to a tent.

341
00:14:43,565 --> 00:14:45,125
'cause the kids left.
Kids didn't wanna camp.

342
00:14:45,145 --> 00:14:48,205
So we went to a tent and then
we went to, uh, class B's

343
00:14:48,265 --> 00:14:50,485
and then B Pluses, and then Class

344
00:14:50,705 --> 00:14:51,965
- C's and now Fifth Wheels.

345
00:14:51,965 --> 00:14:53,245
And who knows what's next.

346
00:14:53,545 --> 00:14:54,965
- So I think it's common. Yeah.

347
00:14:54,965 --> 00:14:56,805
You know, we're not the
only people that bounce

348
00:14:56,805 --> 00:14:59,165
around from one size to another size.

349
00:14:59,865 --> 00:15:03,845
And it's, uh, was just fun to
hear the different people say

350
00:15:03,845 --> 00:15:06,125
how they this one, that
one and this one. Yeah.

351
00:15:06,325 --> 00:15:08,365
- I think most our,
- Yeah, we change.

352
00:15:09,025 --> 00:15:11,325
- All right. When we come
back, we're gonna talk about

353
00:15:11,845 --> 00:15:13,085
a great place to stay.

354
00:15:13,745 --> 00:15:15,845
And there's more and
more places like this all

355
00:15:15,845 --> 00:15:17,605
around The country loves travel centers.

356
00:15:17,675 --> 00:15:18,845
Yeah, it's a truck stop.

357
00:15:19,505 --> 00:15:23,725
But, uh, they are increasingly
adding campgrounds, uh,

358
00:15:23,795 --> 00:15:25,165
full hookup camp sites

359
00:15:25,505 --> 00:15:27,485
and places where you can
do more than overnight.

360
00:15:27,505 --> 00:15:29,325
You can actually camp there for as long

361
00:15:29,325 --> 00:15:30,805
as I think two weeks or longer.

362
00:15:31,305 --> 00:15:32,845
Uh, you'll hear all the details coming

363
00:15:32,865 --> 00:15:34,085
up in the interview of the week.

364
00:15:35,205 --> 00:15:36,685
Jennifer and I bought some land near

365
00:15:36,685 --> 00:15:38,245
Nashville, Tennessee a while back.

366
00:15:38,745 --> 00:15:41,605
We got tired, crowded,
expensive campgrounds

367
00:15:41,785 --> 00:15:43,685
and worrying about reservations.

368
00:15:44,685 --> 00:15:47,365
Tennessee is a gorgeous
state with friendly people

369
00:15:47,785 --> 00:15:49,205
and it has been such a pleasure.

370
00:15:49,625 --> 00:15:53,325
The same developer has some
new property near us, close

371
00:15:53,345 --> 00:15:54,525
to the Natchez Trace

372
00:15:54,625 --> 00:15:58,365
and Buffalo River called
the Reserve At High Forest.

373
00:15:59,225 --> 00:16:01,325
Big properties, five to 41 acres.

374
00:16:01,465 --> 00:16:04,045
You can build a house, a cabin or rv.

375
00:16:04,045 --> 00:16:07,885
Year round prices start at only $89,900.

376
00:16:08,515 --> 00:16:12,085
Your property, your way 100% ownership.

377
00:16:12,705 --> 00:16:15,605
The scenery in this part of
Tennessee is breathtaking

378
00:16:16,105 --> 00:16:17,725
and the property is gorgeous.

379
00:16:18,185 --> 00:16:21,805
Garden landscape. Bring your
pets, build what you want.

380
00:16:22,155 --> 00:16:24,885
There's high speed fiber optic internet

381
00:16:25,025 --> 00:16:26,565
and it is so private.

382
00:16:27,365 --> 00:16:29,485
A great place to make your home base

383
00:16:29,855 --> 00:16:31,565
ready whenever you want it.

384
00:16:32,115 --> 00:16:36,125
Five to 41 acre properties from $89,900.

385
00:16:36,595 --> 00:16:38,445
There's even great financing.

386
00:16:38,895 --> 00:16:43,165
Check out the site and a
video tour@rvlands.net.

387
00:16:43,425 --> 00:16:45,445
That's RV lands.net.

388
00:16:46,255 --> 00:16:50,425
Welcome back time now for
the RV interview of the week.

389
00:16:51,205 --> 00:16:53,345
- And I just can't wait
to share this information

390
00:16:53,345 --> 00:16:55,265
with everybody 'cause this is exciting.

391
00:16:55,655 --> 00:16:58,625
- Many RVs need a place to
stop on a long road trip,

392
00:16:59,085 --> 00:17:02,025
and you don't wanna pay
stiff campground fees.

393
00:17:02,085 --> 00:17:05,585
You know, they're approaching
70 bucks a night at many

394
00:17:05,585 --> 00:17:07,825
of them now or more
when all you're seeking

395
00:17:07,845 --> 00:17:09,105
is a place to lay your heads.

396
00:17:09,645 --> 00:17:10,745
Uh, sometimes, you know,

397
00:17:10,745 --> 00:17:12,745
you can boondock in places like a Walmart

398
00:17:13,365 --> 00:17:16,625
or a Cracker Barrel, but
sometimes there are safety issues

399
00:17:16,845 --> 00:17:18,465
or you want some amenities like

400
00:17:18,905 --> 00:17:20,745
electricity. So what do you do?

401
00:17:21,455 --> 00:17:25,145
- Well, increasingly, uh,
loves travel trailers.

402
00:17:25,165 --> 00:17:28,985
Sp uh, spots are, uh, making campsites

403
00:17:29,525 --> 00:17:30,525
- Now.

404
00:17:30,525 --> 00:17:31,945
A lot of people associate
loves as a place to stop

405
00:17:31,945 --> 00:17:33,505
for fuel and food.

406
00:17:33,645 --> 00:17:34,825
And increasingly it is.

407
00:17:35,325 --> 00:17:37,985
But it's also a place now to camp with all

408
00:17:38,065 --> 00:17:39,505
of the amenities and more.

409
00:17:40,045 --> 00:17:42,065
Uh, I think you're gonna be amazed at, uh,

410
00:17:42,405 --> 00:17:46,225
how love has become
so, uh, in love

411
00:17:46,295 --> 00:17:47,665
with the RV community.

412
00:17:48,045 --> 00:17:50,765
And here to tell us about
is our guest, Jim Wheeler.

413
00:17:50,765 --> 00:17:52,205
He's the director of hospitality

414
00:17:52,265 --> 00:17:55,085
and RV operations for
Loves Travel Centers.

415
00:17:55,355 --> 00:17:57,485
Well, Jim, it is great to
have you on the program.

416
00:17:58,005 --> 00:18:02,605
I, uh, have, uh, watched with,
uh, great interest as, uh,

417
00:18:02,605 --> 00:18:04,965
loves, which is our
favorite fuel stop anyway,

418
00:18:04,985 --> 00:18:09,125
for our Big fifth Wheel has,
uh, embraced the RV lifestyle.

419
00:18:09,595 --> 00:18:13,845
Tell me how many love centers
now, do you have that cater,

420
00:18:14,105 --> 00:18:15,125
uh, to RVs?

421
00:18:16,195 --> 00:18:18,735
- Yes, uh, uh, you know, right now the,

422
00:18:18,735 --> 00:18:20,415
our Love's locations, we have,

423
00:18:20,415 --> 00:18:25,375
we have 640 locations nationwide
in about 43, 44 states

424
00:18:26,035 --> 00:18:28,735
now, as far as the RVs go, uh,

425
00:18:28,915 --> 00:18:32,375
we actually opened today our number 58,

426
00:18:32,555 --> 00:18:35,855
our 58th location in
Gulfport, Mississippi.

427
00:18:36,635 --> 00:18:40,655
Um, and then we, we have,
uh, we're in about 23 states

428
00:18:40,765 --> 00:18:43,015
with our, uh, RV stops.

429
00:18:43,035 --> 00:18:45,175
And by the end of the, this year, we'll,

430
00:18:45,175 --> 00:18:48,135
we'll go over, uh, 30 states. So yeah,

431
00:18:48,135 --> 00:18:50,015
- 30, 36 states.

432
00:18:50,315 --> 00:18:54,455
Uh, how, how many total sites
do you see in your plans

433
00:18:54,565 --> 00:18:56,775
that you'll have in a,
within the end of the year?

434
00:18:57,365 --> 00:19:00,575
- Yeah, it's, so going from 58 today, we,

435
00:19:00,715 --> 00:19:03,535
we should have at least 90 open,

436
00:19:04,115 --> 00:19:06,335
um, by the end of this year. So wrap.

437
00:19:06,675 --> 00:19:07,935
- So will that continue? Will

438
00:19:07,935 --> 00:19:09,375
that continue next year? Do you see?

439
00:19:09,955 --> 00:19:11,375
- You know, I, I think so.

440
00:19:11,775 --> 00:19:14,655
I think it will, you know,
so really this year we,

441
00:19:14,675 --> 00:19:16,935
we started the year
with about 50 locations

442
00:19:17,155 --> 00:19:18,975
and, uh, we'll open around 40

443
00:19:19,555 --> 00:19:24,135
and I think we have another 40
potentially to open next year

444
00:19:24,275 --> 00:19:27,255
as well as we, you know,
look at those, those, uh, uh,

445
00:19:27,315 --> 00:19:29,375
how many travel stops
we have out there. So,

446
00:19:29,725 --> 00:19:32,135
- Well, when you're driving
down the, uh, freeway,

447
00:19:32,395 --> 00:19:33,975
is there a way for people to know,

448
00:19:34,125 --> 00:19:35,735
besides going to your website,

449
00:19:35,835 --> 00:19:37,535
and we'll put a link to
that in the description,

450
00:19:37,995 --> 00:19:41,175
but is there a way for them
they see those loves billboards

451
00:19:41,175 --> 00:19:42,615
up on the road all the time?

452
00:19:43,075 --> 00:19:44,975
That's how I plan my fuel stops.

453
00:19:45,435 --> 00:19:47,655
And is there a way to
know from, from those,

454
00:19:47,835 --> 00:19:50,455
how do you know whether
they're it has RV facilities?

455
00:19:50,645 --> 00:19:51,975
- Yeah. Great. Great question.

456
00:19:52,115 --> 00:19:54,975
And, uh, so now really what
I wanna encourage everyone

457
00:19:54,975 --> 00:19:57,935
to do is to go to the app store

458
00:19:58,555 --> 00:20:01,015
and download the Loves Connect app.

459
00:20:01,635 --> 00:20:03,455
And that's gonna do a few things for you.

460
00:20:03,795 --> 00:20:07,775
One, it's gonna provide you
a 10 cent discount on fuel,

461
00:20:07,885 --> 00:20:10,575
whether that's gas or deal diesel fuel.

462
00:20:11,155 --> 00:20:14,015
Um, and then what you'll
also find on there, right on

463
00:20:14,015 --> 00:20:18,375
that first page, it'll have an
RV icon at the bottom of it.

464
00:20:19,155 --> 00:20:22,895
And if you push that IRV icon, it will

465
00:20:23,605 --> 00:20:25,215
show you all the locations.

466
00:20:25,225 --> 00:20:28,375
It'll show you a map so
you can get a sense of

467
00:20:28,375 --> 00:20:31,575
where you're at and maybe
where the closest one might be.

468
00:20:32,195 --> 00:20:34,575
Uh, but here's really, I think one

469
00:20:34,575 --> 00:20:37,095
of the unique things
about our locations in

470
00:20:37,095 --> 00:20:38,855
that app is you can go ahead

471
00:20:38,855 --> 00:20:41,855
and reserve the location right online.

472
00:20:42,475 --> 00:20:43,815
So you can go on there,

473
00:20:43,995 --> 00:20:47,015
you can make the
reservation when you arrive

474
00:20:47,275 --> 00:20:50,935
to the location, then what,
it'll send you an email

475
00:20:51,035 --> 00:20:53,095
and a text message after you reserve it.

476
00:20:53,095 --> 00:20:55,815
And once you arrive, you reply to that.

477
00:20:56,395 --> 00:20:59,615
And then what it will do
is it will turn on all the

478
00:20:59,615 --> 00:21:03,095
utilities for you at your
particular site so you don't have

479
00:21:03,095 --> 00:21:04,775
to go inside the store.

480
00:21:04,795 --> 00:21:07,015
Of course, we always love
you to go inside and,

481
00:21:07,315 --> 00:21:09,735
and, uh, uh, take
advantage of what we have

482
00:21:09,735 --> 00:21:11,615
to offer in there, but
you can go right on in.

483
00:21:11,615 --> 00:21:14,335
And if it's one of our larger
locations with the gate,

484
00:21:14,905 --> 00:21:17,135
it'll text and email you the gate code.

485
00:21:17,585 --> 00:21:20,055
It'll text and email you the restroom code

486
00:21:20,115 --> 00:21:22,095
so you can use the shower, um,

487
00:21:22,235 --> 00:21:24,015
or the laundry facility as well.

488
00:21:24,395 --> 00:21:26,215
We have at our larger locations.

489
00:21:26,715 --> 00:21:31,175
Um, and, uh, it also will
always send you a wifi password.

490
00:21:31,795 --> 00:21:35,135
So that can all happen
right there from that, uh,

491
00:21:35,225 --> 00:21:36,495
loves Connect app.

492
00:21:37,265 --> 00:21:40,215
- Would you describe, um,
what's included in these spots?

493
00:21:40,475 --> 00:21:44,335
Uh, what kind of amenities will
people have as they pull in?

494
00:21:44,685 --> 00:21:47,415
- Yeah. Um, and so we look at it, uh,

495
00:21:47,595 --> 00:21:51,255
we have two different
types of, of locations, uh,

496
00:21:51,365 --> 00:21:54,615
what we call our hookups,
which are smaller locations

497
00:21:54,615 --> 00:21:57,495
that are really right off
the travel stops there.

498
00:21:58,035 --> 00:22:01,375
Um, and you know, today we have, um,

499
00:22:01,995 --> 00:22:04,015
30 44 of those open.

500
00:22:04,075 --> 00:22:06,335
So we have 44 of the hookups open.

501
00:22:06,955 --> 00:22:10,535
Um, and then we have, uh, uh, 14

502
00:22:10,595 --> 00:22:12,695
of the larger locations open.

503
00:22:13,195 --> 00:22:14,895
Um, we call those stops.

504
00:22:14,955 --> 00:22:16,775
So if you kind of look at 'em and, and

505
00:22:16,975 --> 00:22:18,575
whenever you go on the app, it'll tell you

506
00:22:18,575 --> 00:22:19,815
everything that's included.

507
00:22:20,355 --> 00:22:23,495
But, you know, we're always
gonna have 30 50 amp power.

508
00:22:24,075 --> 00:22:27,735
Um, you know, typically almost
all of them will have, uh,

509
00:22:27,805 --> 00:22:31,175
potable water at each, uh, uh, uh, space.

510
00:22:31,715 --> 00:22:33,175
Um, and then, you know, most

511
00:22:33,175 --> 00:22:37,135
of 'em will still have like
individual RV dumps at,

512
00:22:37,275 --> 00:22:38,295
at each space.

513
00:22:38,835 --> 00:22:41,415
Um, of course we'll have the wifi now.

514
00:22:41,635 --> 00:22:46,175
Um, if we don't have an
a dump right there at

515
00:22:46,175 --> 00:22:48,815
that space, then we have a communal dump.

516
00:22:49,435 --> 00:22:52,975
And the price you pay,
uh, it's for overnight,

517
00:22:53,235 --> 00:22:56,455
it will give you the combination code on

518
00:22:56,595 --> 00:22:58,535
how you can u utilize the,

519
00:22:58,595 --> 00:23:00,335
the communal dump at that location.

520
00:23:00,885 --> 00:23:02,175
- Well, you thought that out.

521
00:23:02,205 --> 00:23:04,655
That is about as convenient as possible.

522
00:23:04,815 --> 00:23:08,415
I wish campgrounds were that,
uh, that easy to navigate.

523
00:23:08,605 --> 00:23:10,295
Yeah. Um, how much

524
00:23:10,295 --> 00:23:12,775
of these spots typically
cost, uh, per night?

525
00:23:12,775 --> 00:23:14,815
Does it vary, uh, between locations?

526
00:23:15,395 --> 00:23:16,775
- You know, it can vary.

527
00:23:16,935 --> 00:23:20,815
I would say most of them are
right around the mid $40 range.

528
00:23:21,155 --> 00:23:24,815
Um, is what it costs, uh,
to, to stay with us now.

529
00:23:25,155 --> 00:23:26,255
Um, you know, a lot

530
00:23:26,255 --> 00:23:29,495
of our smaller hookup
locations are mostly back ends,

531
00:23:29,715 --> 00:23:31,055
but we do have some of those

532
00:23:31,055 --> 00:23:32,455
with pull throughs in our larger

533
00:23:32,975 --> 00:23:35,895
locations will always have
pull through, um, spaces.

534
00:23:36,115 --> 00:23:39,015
So pull throughs will cost
a little bit more money, uh,

535
00:23:39,125 --> 00:23:41,895
than the backend, uh, spaces out there.

536
00:23:42,035 --> 00:23:45,565
And, and yeah, it can, you
know, depending on demand and,

537
00:23:45,905 --> 00:23:48,405
and, uh, at, at individual locations

538
00:23:48,665 --> 00:23:50,805
and, uh, you know, uh, timing

539
00:23:50,955 --> 00:23:53,125
that then prices can, can go up.

540
00:23:53,175 --> 00:23:55,605
It'll, it'll slightly
increase a little bit

541
00:23:56,025 --> 00:23:58,125
as the occupancy gets fuller.

542
00:23:59,145 --> 00:24:02,045
- Um, how hard is it to get these spots?

543
00:24:02,345 --> 00:24:06,645
Uh, do they typically sell
out every night or is it word

544
00:24:06,645 --> 00:24:07,645
- Spread enough?

545
00:24:07,645 --> 00:24:08,565
You know, I'll tell you, there are,

546
00:24:08,785 --> 00:24:11,645
our hookup locations
are, are very popular.

547
00:24:12,185 --> 00:24:14,045
Uh, all, all in all,
you know, we're still,

548
00:24:14,095 --> 00:24:15,325
we're still growing with it.

549
00:24:15,365 --> 00:24:18,085
I think this last week we ran up over 50%,

550
00:24:18,585 --> 00:24:20,645
but a number of locations filled up.

551
00:24:20,705 --> 00:24:22,925
You know, we had some boost a little bit

552
00:24:22,945 --> 00:24:24,045
too from the eclipse.

553
00:24:24,105 --> 00:24:27,885
We had some locations that, uh,
were, were in line with that

554
00:24:27,885 --> 00:24:30,045
and we did see a little
extra occupancy at some,

555
00:24:30,075 --> 00:24:31,245
some locations there.

556
00:24:31,385 --> 00:24:35,045
But yeah, they can, a lot of
'em will fill up, you know,

557
00:24:35,105 --> 00:24:37,725
and, and Florida was really
popular here over the winter

558
00:24:37,755 --> 00:24:39,605
time and we had two locations.

559
00:24:39,655 --> 00:24:42,725
We're adding more, but
those ones stay pretty full.

560
00:24:43,385 --> 00:24:45,405
- How do you, uh, choose a location?

561
00:24:45,545 --> 00:24:46,565
Do you kinda look at

562
00:24:46,655 --> 00:24:49,365
where our veers are going in particular?

563
00:24:50,575 --> 00:24:53,465
- Yeah, we, we do, we
try to look at a, a, a,

564
00:24:53,625 --> 00:24:54,665
a number of different things.

565
00:24:54,965 --> 00:24:56,705
Um, you know, one, and,

566
00:24:56,725 --> 00:24:58,945
and look, we're, we're
on the highway, right?

567
00:24:58,965 --> 00:25:00,265
All of our travel stops,

568
00:25:00,265 --> 00:25:02,505
so we're always gonna
put these in the next

569
00:25:02,525 --> 00:25:06,505
to a travel stop, um, uh,
where we have an existing one.

570
00:25:06,725 --> 00:25:08,705
So, you know, it is, um,

571
00:25:09,215 --> 00:25:12,385
what we find at the smaller
locations, those hookups,

572
00:25:12,765 --> 00:25:16,185
you know, they get, which we
haven't really found a bad spot

573
00:25:16,365 --> 00:25:18,665
yet, if, you know, if you've got 10

574
00:25:18,665 --> 00:25:21,705
or less spaces, um, uh, right off there.

575
00:25:21,895 --> 00:25:26,065
Because what we find those
really work well for is

576
00:25:26,335 --> 00:25:29,265
that traveler that is
heading to a destination

577
00:25:29,365 --> 00:25:30,385
and they wanna stop.

578
00:25:30,825 --> 00:25:32,585
A lot of 'em are coming
in later in the evening.

579
00:25:32,615 --> 00:25:34,305
They leave early in the morning.

580
00:25:35,125 --> 00:25:38,865
Um, and, uh, you know, they,
they find, you know, that,

581
00:25:38,865 --> 00:25:41,505
that's where I think that
is just, we hear a lot of

582
00:25:41,505 --> 00:25:43,585
that convenience factor
right off the highway.

583
00:25:44,175 --> 00:25:47,145
Usually we built these,
uh, trout where it's easier

584
00:25:47,245 --> 00:25:50,065
for an RV to maneuver
within our locations.

585
00:25:50,645 --> 00:25:54,025
And, uh, you know, the safety
aspect of it too, we hear,

586
00:25:54,415 --> 00:25:55,415
- Yeah.

587
00:25:55,415 --> 00:25:58,145
Is is it true that love's
travel centers are, uh,

588
00:25:58,145 --> 00:26:01,865
developing, uh, or have plans
to like do a full campground?

589
00:26:02,045 --> 00:26:03,825
Uh, we heard, for example,

590
00:26:03,825 --> 00:26:06,625
something on the way to
Yellowstone. Is that all?

591
00:26:06,735 --> 00:26:09,745
- Yeah, so those would be one
of our larger, we actually

592
00:26:09,855 --> 00:26:13,625
that, that hard in Montana is the location

593
00:26:13,625 --> 00:26:16,225
that's opening at, at the
end of April here in a couple

594
00:26:16,225 --> 00:26:17,745
of weeks we open Harden

595
00:26:18,325 --> 00:26:22,265
and, uh, it has 82 spaces,
you know, it'll be gated,

596
00:26:22,645 --> 00:26:26,705
so it will have a, uh, a
building with an office, uh,

597
00:26:27,105 --> 00:26:29,825
restroom, uh, uh, showers, laundry.

598
00:26:30,365 --> 00:26:32,945
And then what it also has is it has, um,

599
00:26:33,545 --> 00:26:34,905
a recreational area.

600
00:26:35,155 --> 00:26:39,625
We'll have a combination
pickleball, basketball court, um,

601
00:26:39,725 --> 00:26:42,465
you know, all these, we have
mostly pull through spaces,

602
00:26:42,635 --> 00:26:44,965
every picnic tables at every space.

603
00:26:45,465 --> 00:26:50,125
Um, uh, there, uh, we also
have a communal, uh, fire pit,

604
00:26:50,545 --> 00:26:52,605
uh, there of course we have a dog park.

605
00:26:53,065 --> 00:26:55,325
Uh, you know, and that's one
thing we have it all, you know,

606
00:26:55,325 --> 00:26:56,925
with the travel stops
at all the locations,

607
00:26:56,925 --> 00:26:58,645
but have a dedicated dog park there.

608
00:26:59,345 --> 00:27:02,085
Um, you know, we'll set
up corn bowl, uh, uh, uh,

609
00:27:02,085 --> 00:27:03,125
cornhole boards

610
00:27:03,225 --> 00:27:06,725
and, uh, we, we'll do
communal, uh, pavilions.

611
00:27:07,345 --> 00:27:09,685
And so, you know, with
those communal pavilions,

612
00:27:09,685 --> 00:27:12,285
we'll put in some gas
grills too. That lets, um,

613
00:27:12,865 --> 00:27:15,125
- Can you, can you make a reservation

614
00:27:15,125 --> 00:27:17,325
for more than one night
at any of these? Yeah,

615
00:27:17,465 --> 00:27:18,465
- No, absolutely.

616
00:27:18,465 --> 00:27:20,485
Really all of them. You can.

617
00:27:20,825 --> 00:27:23,405
And we do have discounts for weekly rates.

618
00:27:24,065 --> 00:27:26,885
Um, and we'll do, at
our larger facilities,

619
00:27:26,885 --> 00:27:29,605
we'll do some 28 day stay discounts.

620
00:27:29,625 --> 00:27:31,605
We don't really, at any one time,

621
00:27:31,785 --> 00:27:35,205
you can't book more than 28
days at a time at a location.

622
00:27:35,825 --> 00:27:40,125
Uh, but yeah, we, we'll, we'll
offer, um, uh, some weekly

623
00:27:40,385 --> 00:27:41,645
and, and, uh, yeah.

624
00:27:41,825 --> 00:27:44,525
And, and the larger ones, we'll
even have some 28 day stay.

625
00:27:44,785 --> 00:27:46,645
- Now of course these
are going to get more

626
00:27:46,745 --> 00:27:48,845
and more popular as words spread.

627
00:27:48,865 --> 00:27:52,085
So I kind of almost hate to
run this interview Jim ,

628
00:27:52,155 --> 00:27:56,645
because it's really, but
um, right now it sounds

629
00:27:57,195 --> 00:28:00,925
that you can almost get same day residency

630
00:28:00,945 --> 00:28:03,605
or same day occupancy as
you're driving down the road.

631
00:28:04,505 --> 00:28:08,005
But, uh, how far in advance
can you book these things,

632
00:28:08,385 --> 00:28:09,525
- If you We'll, to the planner?

633
00:28:09,775 --> 00:28:11,885
We'll, yeah, we'll let you
book up to a year in advance.

634
00:28:12,305 --> 00:28:16,005
Oh, really? Uh, so yeah, you
can go out there and, and yeah,

635
00:28:16,005 --> 00:28:17,405
and we do encourage,
you know, when you can,

636
00:28:17,425 --> 00:28:20,285
but that, you're right, most
people, we get, uh, a lot

637
00:28:20,285 --> 00:28:23,085
of this is day of people
are traveling again, they,

638
00:28:23,105 --> 00:28:24,645
you know, and that's what's convenient how

639
00:28:24,645 --> 00:28:27,605
however far I can get on
my destination, you know,

640
00:28:27,605 --> 00:28:29,365
where's the closest loves here

641
00:28:29,425 --> 00:28:32,645
and, you know, plant
planted out that way. So how

642
00:28:32,645 --> 00:28:35,085
- Did, how did you guys
get the ideas for this?

643
00:28:35,115 --> 00:28:36,805
When did it all, when did all this start?

644
00:28:37,225 --> 00:28:39,445
You know, uh, you've always
been friendly to RVs.

645
00:28:39,525 --> 00:28:41,525
I mean, it really is a must up I think.

646
00:28:41,675 --> 00:28:42,805
- Yeah, it is.

647
00:28:42,825 --> 00:28:44,725
You know, really it
started just, it was about,

648
00:28:44,725 --> 00:28:46,005
we're hitting three years now

649
00:28:46,005 --> 00:28:48,005
and that first year, by the end of 21,

650
00:28:48,005 --> 00:28:49,365
we had five locations open.

651
00:28:49,505 --> 00:28:54,405
But is really why this came
about for us is, you know,

652
00:28:54,625 --> 00:28:58,925
the really, the RV customer
is a hu has always been a

653
00:28:58,925 --> 00:29:00,245
big customer for love's.

654
00:29:00,245 --> 00:29:03,325
When you really look at what
we have, you know, the fuel,

655
00:29:03,825 --> 00:29:05,325
the propane, you know,

656
00:29:05,325 --> 00:29:07,645
we put in all the dog park loca there,

657
00:29:07,905 --> 00:29:10,805
but you've got the restaurants,
you've got the store,

658
00:29:11,265 --> 00:29:13,965
we have laundry facilities
in most of our loves.

659
00:29:14,105 --> 00:29:16,645
We have showers if
somebody doesn't, you know,

660
00:29:16,645 --> 00:29:18,725
so even our smaller hookup location

661
00:29:19,075 --> 00:29:21,805
that don't have everything
I talked about in Harden,

662
00:29:22,075 --> 00:29:23,925
they have that if you wanted to shower,

663
00:29:24,075 --> 00:29:25,565
there's that ability to do that.

664
00:29:25,985 --> 00:29:27,165
Or, uh, you know,

665
00:29:27,165 --> 00:29:30,285
laundry facilities if you
wanna get some laundry done.

666
00:29:30,465 --> 00:29:32,605
So I think what we just said is, Hey,

667
00:29:32,605 --> 00:29:34,845
this is an important customer of ours.

668
00:29:34,985 --> 00:29:38,125
How do we, um, you know,
better embrace the,

669
00:29:38,145 --> 00:29:39,285
the RV community.

670
00:29:39,935 --> 00:29:41,285
- Let's double back for a second

671
00:29:41,425 --> 00:29:44,925
and talk about that travel
app, which is available, uh,

672
00:29:45,035 --> 00:29:46,445
from the, uh, app stores.

673
00:29:47,065 --> 00:29:50,365
Did I hear you right that
there's a 10 cent fuel discount?

674
00:29:51,025 --> 00:29:53,965
- That's correct. 10 cents
off of gas or diesel.

675
00:29:54,665 --> 00:29:57,445
- Now does that apply to
like, I have a fifth wheel

676
00:29:57,665 --> 00:30:01,645
and the only place I can
really fill up at most, most

677
00:30:01,645 --> 00:30:04,685
of the loves is, um, you
know, with the big trucks, uh,

678
00:30:05,035 --> 00:30:06,285
does it apply there as well?

679
00:30:06,595 --> 00:30:07,885
- Yeah, thanks for asking that

680
00:30:07,885 --> 00:30:12,005
because no, unfortunately
that is on right now.

681
00:30:12,035 --> 00:30:14,965
It's only on the gas side
of the business there.

682
00:30:15,065 --> 00:30:16,685
So we do need to work on that.

683
00:30:17,385 --> 00:30:20,525
Um, and I think those are
things we're trying to look and,

684
00:30:20,545 --> 00:30:23,845
and in general, maybe there's
other, you know, offerings

685
00:30:23,915 --> 00:30:25,845
that, uh, we, we could reach out.

686
00:30:26,025 --> 00:30:27,645
Uh, you know, I'll, I'll tell you.

687
00:30:27,825 --> 00:30:31,325
Um, so we just did a
deal with Blue Compass.

688
00:30:32,025 --> 00:30:34,445
Um, and so what that's

689
00:30:34,445 --> 00:30:36,525
- An RV uh, business.

690
00:30:36,595 --> 00:30:39,445
It's a big, it's a national
chain that sells RVs. Yeah,

691
00:30:39,515 --> 00:30:40,515
- Yeah.

692
00:30:40,515 --> 00:30:42,445
Right. And so we've teamed up with them

693
00:30:42,825 --> 00:30:47,165
and, uh, so they have their
Blue Compass app that, you know,

694
00:30:47,165 --> 00:30:49,365
connects with our travel stops.

695
00:30:49,365 --> 00:30:52,525
And so when somebody buys a
new RV for the first year,

696
00:30:52,525 --> 00:30:54,205
they get their app free

697
00:30:55,025 --> 00:30:59,125
and with their app, what
you can get, uh, is you,

698
00:30:59,125 --> 00:31:02,325
there's a little more, you get
a 13 instead of a 10 cent gas

699
00:31:02,505 --> 00:31:05,455
and you get a 20 cents off of diesel,

700
00:31:05,955 --> 00:31:09,255
but you also get 50 cents off of propane.

701
00:31:09,835 --> 00:31:12,815
And if you're not staying
at one of our RV parks,

702
00:31:12,815 --> 00:31:14,135
but you're just wanna come

703
00:31:14,135 --> 00:31:18,055
and use our, uh, our dump
station, uh, then it will give you

704
00:31:18,125 --> 00:31:19,375
that for half price.

705
00:31:19,835 --> 00:31:21,135
And so, you know, we're kind

706
00:31:21,135 --> 00:31:24,015
of looking at some other things
we could potentially do down

707
00:31:24,015 --> 00:31:27,335
the road, but, you know, that's
it is we got the technology

708
00:31:27,435 --> 00:31:29,975
and that's all just
automated from an your phone,

709
00:31:29,975 --> 00:31:32,815
just like our fuel discount today. Well,

710
00:31:32,885 --> 00:31:34,975
- What a great, uh, addition to, uh,

711
00:31:35,395 --> 00:31:37,495
the travel agendas for RVs.

712
00:31:37,675 --> 00:31:39,975
Uh, I'm so excited to hear this

713
00:31:39,995 --> 00:31:42,015
and we're looking forward
to trying one out, Jim.

714
00:31:42,475 --> 00:31:44,735
We will send everybody to the app store

715
00:31:44,835 --> 00:31:47,055
and look for the Loves Travel Centers app.

716
00:31:47,555 --> 00:31:50,775
And, uh, Jim, I'll, I'll be
camping in one in the next, uh,

717
00:31:50,975 --> 00:31:53,415
month or so as we, uh,
set off for our spring

718
00:31:53,435 --> 00:31:54,455
and summer travel.

719
00:31:54,635 --> 00:31:56,935
So thanks for being a
guest on the podcast.

720
00:31:57,425 --> 00:31:58,895
- Great. Thank thanks for having me

721
00:31:58,895 --> 00:32:00,095
today. I really appreciate it.

722
00:32:00,735 --> 00:32:01,825
- That is pretty exciting.

723
00:32:02,125 --> 00:32:05,185
And, uh, I mean, some
of those sites, the one

724
00:32:05,185 --> 00:32:07,425
by Yellowstone is amazing. Whoa.

725
00:32:07,595 --> 00:32:09,105
- Maybe we can go there sometime,

726
00:32:09,385 --> 00:32:10,385
- I think.

727
00:32:10,385 --> 00:32:12,985
Yeah. Uh, and uh, uh,
they, as you heard, uh,

728
00:32:13,165 --> 00:32:15,465
as you heard 'em say, they're
gonna be doing more of 'em.

729
00:32:15,485 --> 00:32:17,305
So, um, it's a great alternative.

730
00:32:17,625 --> 00:32:19,745
- I think that's just awesome
that they're doing this

731
00:32:19,985 --> 00:32:23,305
'cause there's money to
be made in, uh, campsites.

732
00:32:23,305 --> 00:32:24,385
So there it is. Why not?

733
00:32:24,855 --> 00:32:28,785
- Alright, when we come
back the RV News of the week

734
00:32:29,905 --> 00:32:32,915
when we're asked what's the
most important modification we

735
00:32:32,915 --> 00:32:35,395
made to our rv, it's an easy answer.

736
00:32:35,815 --> 00:32:37,315
Battle borne batteries.

737
00:32:37,315 --> 00:32:41,285
Battle borne batteries are
quality, safe, reliable lithium

738
00:32:41,845 --> 00:32:43,285
batteries that allow us

739
00:32:43,545 --> 00:32:46,325
to stay out there off the grid longer.

740
00:32:46,875 --> 00:32:48,605
Lithium batteries charge faster.

741
00:32:48,835 --> 00:32:49,885
They charge fuller,

742
00:32:49,885 --> 00:32:52,005
they're longer lasting,
they're maintenance free.

743
00:32:52,345 --> 00:32:54,645
And battle borne batteries are protected

744
00:32:54,645 --> 00:32:57,085
by a 10 year guarantee.

745
00:32:57,825 --> 00:33:01,845
Now in our case, they just
dropped into the existing a GM

746
00:33:02,165 --> 00:33:04,445
batteries that we have and
they'll probably be the

747
00:33:04,445 --> 00:33:05,605
same on your rig too.

748
00:33:05,985 --> 00:33:09,845
Battle borne battery experts
can get those in your rig just

749
00:33:09,845 --> 00:33:11,125
like they did with ours.

750
00:33:11,125 --> 00:33:13,045
They can also match you
up with the right cabling,

751
00:33:13,045 --> 00:33:16,365
the inverter, the charger, the
solar controller, everything.

752
00:33:17,205 --> 00:33:20,165
Jennifer and I swear by
our battle borne batteries,

753
00:33:20,195 --> 00:33:23,205
they allow us to boondock off the grid.

754
00:33:23,455 --> 00:33:24,605
Check 'em out, go

755
00:33:24,605 --> 00:33:27,845
to rv lifestyle.com/lithium rv

756
00:33:27,845 --> 00:33:30,005
lifestyle.com/lithium.

757
00:33:31,675 --> 00:33:32,805
Welcome back everybody.

758
00:33:32,875 --> 00:33:36,605
Time now for the RV News of the week.

759
00:33:37,385 --> 00:33:40,325
- Now Cracker Barrel
has closed four location

760
00:33:40,945 --> 00:33:42,845
and they report revenue decline.

761
00:33:43,385 --> 00:33:46,805
And, uh, this is leading some
RVs to urge the community

762
00:33:46,825 --> 00:33:48,845
to eat more often at the chain.

763
00:33:49,245 --> 00:33:50,805
- I think that's a great piece of advice.

764
00:33:50,825 --> 00:33:52,725
We are big fans of Cracker Barrels.

765
00:33:52,945 --> 00:33:56,765
Um, but yeah, the, the reason why is, um,

766
00:33:56,955 --> 00:33:58,925
they've heard reports that the, uh,

767
00:33:59,725 --> 00:34:03,365
southern home cooking chain
is closing four stores now

768
00:34:03,365 --> 00:34:06,125
and they're experiencing
some declines in guests.

769
00:34:06,905 --> 00:34:10,005
Uh, they're closing two stores
in California and Sacramento

770
00:34:10,065 --> 00:34:13,245
and Santa Maria and one in Oregon.

771
00:34:14,025 --> 00:34:16,925
And that means now in Oregon
there the chain will have

772
00:34:17,025 --> 00:34:18,045
no stores in Oregon.

773
00:34:18,365 --> 00:34:20,085
'cause they closed three there last year.

774
00:34:20,515 --> 00:34:23,485
They're also closing one store
in Columbia, South Carolina.

775
00:34:23,985 --> 00:34:25,965
- No, South Carolina kind of surprises me.

776
00:34:25,995 --> 00:34:29,085
Yeah, I would think they would
eat Southern cooking there.

777
00:34:29,275 --> 00:34:31,525
Yeah. So, uh, that one surprises me.

778
00:34:32,285 --> 00:34:34,405
- Cracker Barrel has closed
10 locations in the fiscal

779
00:34:34,405 --> 00:34:36,165
years, 2023 and 24,

780
00:34:36,265 --> 00:34:40,205
but they still have 658 stores remaining.

781
00:34:40,705 --> 00:34:44,845
Uh, and they lost I think
not quite 2% of revenue, um,

782
00:34:45,105 --> 00:34:47,285
you know, last, uh, year
compared to the prior year.

783
00:34:47,305 --> 00:34:50,445
But, you know, it sounds
that the company's has a plan

784
00:34:50,825 --> 00:34:52,925
and, uh, you know, like everybody else,

785
00:34:52,925 --> 00:34:54,365
inflation is, is killing them.

786
00:34:54,545 --> 00:34:56,485
But our views are paying attention

787
00:34:56,805 --> 00:34:58,565
'cause they are really
nice places to stay.

788
00:34:59,405 --> 00:35:01,285
I like Cracker Roast
because I wake up in the

789
00:35:01,285 --> 00:35:02,365
morning and I know I have bacon.

790
00:35:02,725 --> 00:35:05,245
I can smell it waiting
for me. Right, sun. Yeah,

791
00:35:05,785 --> 00:35:06,785
- That's true.

792
00:35:06,945 --> 00:35:08,845
So they're launching a loyalty program.

793
00:35:09,165 --> 00:35:10,405
I wonder what that's gonna be like.

794
00:35:10,585 --> 00:35:12,845
And they're improving its marketing

795
00:35:12,865 --> 00:35:15,205
and focusing on guest experience.

796
00:35:15,865 --> 00:35:18,085
So they're they're aware
they're working on it.

797
00:35:18,305 --> 00:35:20,925
- Yep. And, and most Cracker
Barrel restaurants allow RVs

798
00:35:20,925 --> 00:35:22,005
to overnight in their parking lot.

799
00:35:22,025 --> 00:35:26,165
And the only places you can't
is, you know, in communities

800
00:35:26,165 --> 00:35:28,125
that prohibit such things.

801
00:35:28,305 --> 00:35:29,965
And uh, so when you can't,

802
00:35:29,965 --> 00:35:31,645
it's not a Cracker Barrel decision.

803
00:35:31,715 --> 00:35:33,805
It's usually because of local ordinances.

804
00:35:34,425 --> 00:35:36,045
And I don't wanna get going on that.

805
00:35:36,145 --> 00:35:37,370
But a reason there is a lot

806
00:35:37,370 --> 00:35:40,605
of those local ordinances
is same ones that places

807
00:35:40,605 --> 00:35:41,805
where you can't stay in Walmart.

808
00:35:42,365 --> 00:35:43,845
'cause Walmart welcomes our viewers,

809
00:35:44,145 --> 00:35:47,645
but the community, uh,
the local legislatures

810
00:35:47,745 --> 00:35:48,805
or the councils

811
00:35:48,825 --> 00:35:51,525
or the county commissions were pressured

812
00:35:51,525 --> 00:35:52,525
by campground owners.

813
00:35:52,665 --> 00:35:55,245
And there's all this model legislation

814
00:35:55,275 --> 00:35:58,205
that the Campground Association
pushed through on a lot

815
00:35:58,205 --> 00:36:00,245
of these smaller communities to make it

816
00:36:00,245 --> 00:36:03,125
so you can't overnight they
want you to go spend that, uh,

817
00:36:03,125 --> 00:36:05,525
70 bucks in a campground or something.

818
00:36:05,545 --> 00:36:07,725
But, so anyway, but most Cracker Barrels

819
00:36:07,725 --> 00:36:09,405
and I could get going on that all day.

820
00:36:09,605 --> 00:36:10,685
, most cracker barrels

821
00:36:10,705 --> 00:36:13,325
and most Walmarts, uh,
will let you stay for free.

822
00:36:13,585 --> 00:36:15,085
Always check with the manager.

823
00:36:15,625 --> 00:36:16,805
- And I think something else

824
00:36:17,185 --> 00:36:19,525
that's entered into the picture is, um,

825
00:36:20,125 --> 00:36:21,685
homeless population. Yeah,

826
00:36:21,795 --> 00:36:22,795
- Yeah.

827
00:36:22,795 --> 00:36:23,245
- You know, that kind of people

828
00:36:23,245 --> 00:36:24,725
- Go camping in ratty cars

829
00:36:24,945 --> 00:36:26,965
and that's, that's a problem
all over the country.

830
00:36:27,155 --> 00:36:29,085
Yeah. Anyway, if you're in Rve

831
00:36:29,145 --> 00:36:32,005
and if you do, uh,
overnight at the chain, uh,

832
00:36:32,025 --> 00:36:35,125
the expect expectation is that
you'll grab breakfast, uh,

833
00:36:35,225 --> 00:36:37,325
in the morning or dinner the night before.

834
00:36:37,945 --> 00:36:39,845
And that sounds like a, a great deal.

835
00:36:40,145 --> 00:36:41,525
Uh, we love staying at Cracker Barrel.

836
00:36:41,705 --> 00:36:43,165
- We do. It's a fun place to stay.

837
00:36:43,385 --> 00:36:46,405
- Yep. Uh, so keep it up. Cracker Barrel.

838
00:36:46,425 --> 00:36:48,445
We, we love you guys,
. We really do.

839
00:36:49,105 --> 00:36:50,605
Uh, alright, the next story.

840
00:36:50,905 --> 00:36:53,045
Uh, and this is interesting,
for those of you

841
00:36:53,145 --> 00:36:56,365
who might be visiting the, uh,
black Canyon of the Gunnison

842
00:36:56,385 --> 00:37:00,045
or Black Canyon of the Gunnison,
uh, out in Colorado, the,

843
00:37:00,065 --> 00:37:04,645
um, bridge over the Blue
Mesa reservoir has closed

844
00:37:04,955 --> 00:37:07,285
because a steel beam is cracked.

845
00:37:07,345 --> 00:37:10,365
And if you plan a camping
trip this summer to Colorado,

846
00:37:10,835 --> 00:37:13,805
make sure your route is,
uh, not affected by this,

847
00:37:13,915 --> 00:37:17,205
this bridge over the Blue
Mesa reservoirs on, uh, S 50.

848
00:37:18,065 --> 00:37:19,085
And what they found it

849
00:37:19,705 --> 00:37:20,705
- Big cracked.

850
00:37:20,705 --> 00:37:21,245
I would, yeah, it was a three

851
00:37:21,245 --> 00:37:23,485
to a four inch crack along a steel beam

852
00:37:23,485 --> 00:37:25,405
that was discovered on the bridge, uh,

853
00:37:26,075 --> 00:37:28,925
that connects the gunna sun to Mount

854
00:37:28,925 --> 00:37:29,925
- Rose.

855
00:37:29,925 --> 00:37:33,405
Yeah. And, um, there's an
alternative route, but

856
00:37:34,045 --> 00:37:35,445
- A 300 mile detour,

857
00:37:35,845 --> 00:37:38,925
- A 300 mile detour, and that
is likely to take you six

858
00:37:39,065 --> 00:37:40,885
or seven hours to drive.

859
00:37:41,825 --> 00:37:43,885
Um, so people planning
to visit Black Canyon

860
00:37:43,905 --> 00:37:44,965
and the Gunnison National Park,

861
00:37:44,965 --> 00:37:47,285
which is a really spectacular national

862
00:37:47,285 --> 00:37:48,365
park, we loved camping there.

863
00:37:48,365 --> 00:37:51,805
Mm-Hmm. , uh,
and, um, uh, you're gonna have

864
00:37:51,805 --> 00:37:54,125
to, um, that's the road
you take to get in there.

865
00:37:55,185 --> 00:37:57,025
Colorado Department of
Translation said they found

866
00:37:57,025 --> 00:38:01,425
that crack, um, on the Steel
Bridge inspection is that the,

867
00:38:01,425 --> 00:38:03,585
um, federal Highway
Administration requires.

868
00:38:03,605 --> 00:38:05,865
And they don't know how long
it's gonna take to fix it.

869
00:38:06,085 --> 00:38:09,505
So, um, we do have a
Colorado Adventure Guide

870
00:38:09,505 --> 00:38:11,905
that we should tell you, uh,
full of suggestions on what

871
00:38:11,905 --> 00:38:15,145
to see in Colorado and, uh,
what to do, where to camp.

872
00:38:15,285 --> 00:38:18,305
And we'll put a link
in the show notes, um,

873
00:38:18,515 --> 00:38:20,465
where you can read, you
can find that in all

874
00:38:20,465 --> 00:38:21,505
of our other travel books.

875
00:38:22,405 --> 00:38:24,185
- And, uh, this is a fun story.

876
00:38:24,595 --> 00:38:26,305
Jellystone Campgrounds Plan,

877
00:38:26,305 --> 00:38:28,905
special Mother's Day's activities. Yeah.

878
00:38:29,105 --> 00:38:30,225
- I love Jellystone Horse.

879
00:38:30,245 --> 00:38:33,385
We went to one, uh, at
the end of the, at the end

880
00:38:33,385 --> 00:38:36,045
of last camping season in
the fall and had a ball.

881
00:38:36,275 --> 00:38:37,765
It's a great family place.

882
00:38:38,115 --> 00:38:40,045
Well, now they're talking
about Mother's Day. Yeah.

883
00:38:40,045 --> 00:38:41,365
- So they, uh, checkout,

884
00:38:41,365 --> 00:38:43,605
they've got all different
things planned at

885
00:38:43,605 --> 00:38:44,765
different campgrounds.

886
00:38:45,345 --> 00:38:47,125
So, uh, it's gonna be fun. I

887
00:38:47,245 --> 00:38:48,245
- I I like it.

888
00:38:48,245 --> 00:38:49,805
It's kind of like what
the camping industry did

889
00:38:50,115 --> 00:38:52,765
with Halloween, uh, a few years ago.

890
00:38:53,445 --> 00:38:55,725
Somebody says, you know, let's
really stress camp Halloween.

891
00:38:55,745 --> 00:38:58,445
And it's now turned into
like all of October.

892
00:38:58,455 --> 00:39:00,805
Every weekend is booked
with all these campgrounds

893
00:39:00,805 --> 00:39:01,925
that have Halloween events.

894
00:39:01,955 --> 00:39:04,445
Well, they're looking for
other holidays they can do.

895
00:39:04,445 --> 00:39:05,845
And so they're picking Mother's Day

896
00:39:05,845 --> 00:39:06,645
and you know, they're gonna pick

897
00:39:06,645 --> 00:39:07,845
Father's Day. Well, I would

898
00:39:07,845 --> 00:39:08,485
- Hope so. Yeah.

899
00:39:08,665 --> 00:39:11,005
- So Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12th,

900
00:39:11,865 --> 00:39:14,285
and, uh, activities I'm sure vary by

901
00:39:14,645 --> 00:39:15,645
- Location.

902
00:39:15,645 --> 00:39:17,125
Oh yeah. The different
campgrounds, you know, like some

903
00:39:17,685 --> 00:39:21,285
locations they receive, uh,
free mo, uh, color changing,

904
00:39:21,575 --> 00:39:23,965
Jellystone Park, mom cup, ,

905
00:39:24,385 --> 00:39:27,605
and they've got everything
from dress like a mom contest,

906
00:39:28,245 --> 00:39:32,245
, special crafts,
tea and cookies, scavenger

907
00:39:32,245 --> 00:39:33,245
- Hunts.

908
00:39:33,245 --> 00:39:33,565
How do you dress just like a

909
00:39:33,565 --> 00:39:34,565
- Mom guess.

910
00:39:34,565 --> 00:39:36,725
I guess you'd both mother and

911
00:39:37,765 --> 00:39:40,645
- Daughter look alike or
- These days, who knows?

912
00:39:40,885 --> 00:39:42,165
. Oh yeah, alike. Who knows?

913
00:39:42,745 --> 00:39:44,565
But, um, dressed like a mom.

914
00:39:45,225 --> 00:39:46,845
- Tea and cookies.
- Tea and cookies.

915
00:39:46,955 --> 00:39:49,325
- Scavenger hunts,
- Massages.

916
00:39:49,325 --> 00:39:51,485
That sounds like hay rides, parades.

917
00:39:51,545 --> 00:39:52,925
And you know, they'll be creative.

918
00:39:52,925 --> 00:39:54,645
There'll be all kinds
of things happening at

919
00:39:54,645 --> 00:39:55,725
the Jellystone campgrounds.

920
00:39:55,725 --> 00:39:57,805
- Well, good for you,
Jellystone for having some fun.

921
00:39:58,425 --> 00:40:00,005
Uh, and one last story.

922
00:40:00,025 --> 00:40:02,965
We talked about this earlier
on, um, the La Chargers

923
00:40:02,965 --> 00:40:04,685
of course have a new coach

924
00:40:05,625 --> 00:40:08,205
and, uh, Jim Harborough, uh, when,

925
00:40:08,315 --> 00:40:10,485
when he first got the job,
he said that he wanted

926
00:40:10,505 --> 00:40:12,285
to take his RV out to California

927
00:40:12,305 --> 00:40:13,685
and actually live in his rv.

928
00:40:14,385 --> 00:40:17,805
And along with his offensive
coordinator, Greg Roman, uh,

929
00:40:17,855 --> 00:40:18,965
who's another big RV

930
00:40:18,965 --> 00:40:21,085
or so, they have spent the last couple

931
00:40:21,105 --> 00:40:25,285
of months living full-time RV
life in the Huntington Beach

932
00:40:25,425 --> 00:40:27,045
at a great little campground there.

933
00:40:27,825 --> 00:40:29,445
And, uh, we had hoped

934
00:40:29,445 --> 00:40:30,965
to actually go out and
visit them out there.

935
00:40:31,025 --> 00:40:33,765
But, uh, the team realized
that there's a lot

936
00:40:33,765 --> 00:40:35,045
of RVs who would be interested.

937
00:40:35,065 --> 00:40:38,285
So they did a video, uh, where Harbo

938
00:40:38,285 --> 00:40:40,365
and Roman talk up, you know, the RV life.

939
00:40:40,365 --> 00:40:41,725
They give a tour of their rigs

940
00:40:42,345 --> 00:40:45,285
and, uh, even settle their
campgrounds at the end

941
00:40:45,285 --> 00:40:46,685
of the day in a lawn chair

942
00:40:47,565 --> 00:40:49,205
enjoying a beer like most campers.

943
00:40:49,905 --> 00:40:51,645
Uh, Harbaugh by the way, makes

944
00:40:52,155 --> 00:40:55,525
- 16 million a year,
- 16 million

945
00:40:55,525 --> 00:40:56,565
- Million a year.

946
00:40:56,945 --> 00:40:59,165
- And uh, that's pretty amazing.

947
00:40:59,585 --> 00:41:03,005
Uh, he was, he says he
was inspired to, uh,

948
00:41:03,015 --> 00:41:06,765
spend more time in his RV by
the old TV show Rockford Files.

949
00:41:07,625 --> 00:41:11,125
And he has a quantum Thor, class C,

950
00:41:12,105 --> 00:41:14,605
and he is, uh, in that RV park, uh,

951
00:41:14,605 --> 00:41:16,725
across the street from
the Pacific Ocean. I

952
00:41:16,725 --> 00:41:17,725
- Mean, does it get any better than

953
00:41:17,725 --> 00:41:20,045
that across the street
from the Pacific Ocean?

954
00:41:20,745 --> 00:41:23,405
And boy, your RV is so much better.

955
00:41:23,665 --> 00:41:25,725
All of us out there with our RVs know it's

956
00:41:25,725 --> 00:41:27,085
so much better than a hotel room.

957
00:41:27,305 --> 00:41:28,805
- And that's what Harborough says.

958
00:41:28,985 --> 00:41:31,845
And uh, he even talks about
emptying the black tank.

959
00:41:32,025 --> 00:41:34,365
So we will put a link to that video.

960
00:41:34,905 --> 00:41:36,325
Uh, and it also has a tour.

961
00:41:36,505 --> 00:41:40,205
Uh, Roman, his offensive
coordinator has a 2019 Numar

962
00:41:40,635 --> 00:41:42,405
Ventana Class A

963
00:41:42,985 --> 00:41:45,925
and, uh, he's got the American
flag flying on the back

964
00:41:45,925 --> 00:41:47,845
with the Chargers flag just below it.

965
00:41:48,425 --> 00:41:51,285
And he also says the RV
life beats any hotel.

966
00:41:51,545 --> 00:41:54,925
So it was a great video and
uh, football fans will like it,

967
00:41:54,925 --> 00:41:56,485
but our viewers will
get a kick out it too.

968
00:41:56,755 --> 00:41:58,365
$16 million a year

969
00:41:58,365 --> 00:42:00,605
and he's chosen to live in a Class C

970
00:42:00,825 --> 00:42:01,965
RV for the past two months.

971
00:42:02,155 --> 00:42:03,965
- Well, when the family comes, he,

972
00:42:04,015 --> 00:42:05,365
he'll probably be moving on.

973
00:42:05,425 --> 00:42:06,725
- Yep. They're there, I think right now.

974
00:42:06,785 --> 00:42:09,645
And so he's uh, he's
probably gonna have to put

975
00:42:09,805 --> 00:42:10,805
that RV in storage.

976
00:42:11,065 --> 00:42:13,885
So, alright, when we come
back, we've got a couple

977
00:42:13,885 --> 00:42:16,685
of great RV questions of the
week that you'll wanna catch.

978
00:42:16,785 --> 00:42:18,765
So stay with us. Are you ready

979
00:42:18,825 --> 00:42:22,285
to embark on an unforgettable
adventure in your rv?

980
00:42:22,985 --> 00:42:26,525
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981
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983
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984
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985
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986
00:42:39,345 --> 00:42:41,285
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987
00:42:41,505 --> 00:42:44,045
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to discover along the way

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00:42:56,435 --> 00:42:59,085
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994
00:43:04,545 --> 00:43:08,205
of Utah, the enchanting
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995
00:43:08,865 --> 00:43:12,885
the tranquil Great Lakes
region, the pristine wilderness

996
00:43:12,885 --> 00:43:14,165
of the Adirondacks.

997
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We've even done a captivating
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998
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Unforgettable adventures are waiting.

1015
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Welcome back time now for
the RV Questions of the week.

1016
00:44:15,345 --> 00:44:16,885
And we love to get your questions.

1017
00:44:16,885 --> 00:44:19,045
We love to get your comments.
You can always reach us at

1018
00:44:19,045 --> 00:44:23,325
Mike and jen@rvlifestyle.com.
You got your first question?

1019
00:44:23,575 --> 00:44:27,205
- First question. I just got
a weather alert about a red

1020
00:44:27,275 --> 00:44:29,645
flag warning for the
area we're traveling to.

1021
00:44:30,455 --> 00:44:32,615
We're in Texas, far from the coast,

1022
00:44:32,915 --> 00:44:35,535
aren't red flag warnings about riptides

1023
00:44:35,675 --> 00:44:37,415
and dangerous water conditions?

1024
00:44:38,155 --> 00:44:39,495
- And that's from Marsha.

1025
00:44:40,195 --> 00:44:43,135
And yes, Marsha, you're
thinking about the red flags

1026
00:44:43,135 --> 00:44:45,215
that lifeguards fly at the beach.

1027
00:44:45,875 --> 00:44:49,135
And I I I think we can see
the confusion there, um,

1028
00:44:49,565 --> 00:44:52,055
because the red flag in the
beach means don't go in the

1029
00:44:52,055 --> 00:44:54,735
water, but there is a red flag warning

1030
00:44:54,735 --> 00:44:56,335
that comes from the weather service

1031
00:44:56,635 --> 00:44:58,215
and it's completely different.

1032
00:44:58,765 --> 00:45:01,135
What it means when you hear that is that

1033
00:45:01,655 --> 00:45:05,375
critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now

1034
00:45:05,435 --> 00:45:09,615
or they will shortly, uh, the
combination of strong winds,

1035
00:45:10,075 --> 00:45:14,175
um, low relative humidity,
warm temperatures contribute

1036
00:45:14,235 --> 00:45:16,175
to extreme fire behavior.

1037
00:45:16,795 --> 00:45:19,335
So when you hear that red
flag warning you're in

1038
00:45:19,545 --> 00:45:20,815
means you should be careful.

1039
00:45:21,645 --> 00:45:23,615
- Yeah. Extremely
careful with any activity

1040
00:45:23,615 --> 00:45:28,255
that could potentially lead to
a wildfire camping outdoors.

1041
00:45:29,035 --> 00:45:31,175
You know, you got your
grills, you've got the

1042
00:45:31,785 --> 00:45:33,615
smoky materials, chainsaws

1043
00:45:33,795 --> 00:45:36,895
and all terrain vehicles
all have the potential

1044
00:45:36,895 --> 00:45:38,895
to throw a spark and ignite a dangerous

1045
00:45:38,895 --> 00:45:39,935
and destructive fire.

1046
00:45:39,995 --> 00:45:41,775
So you've gotta be extra careful. Yeah.

1047
00:45:42,355 --> 00:45:45,255
- So that, speaking of
high winds, uh, something

1048
00:45:45,255 --> 00:45:48,695
that happens a lot in the
early spring, uh, that leads us

1049
00:45:48,715 --> 00:45:51,095
to our second question. This week

1050
00:45:51,825 --> 00:45:53,455
- We've been told to expect a lot

1051
00:45:53,455 --> 00:45:57,455
of heavy winds near Armillo,
Texas where we are headed

1052
00:45:57,515 --> 00:46:00,055
for a few days to tour
the Palo Duro Canyon.

1053
00:46:00,855 --> 00:46:05,215
A fellow RV said we should
probably pull in the slides from

1054
00:46:05,215 --> 00:46:08,455
our grand design fifth wheel
when we're going hiking

1055
00:46:08,555 --> 00:46:10,415
for the day and away from the campsite.

1056
00:46:10,475 --> 00:46:12,215
What's your advice? And that's from Keith.

1057
00:46:12,555 --> 00:46:15,735
- Boy, we, we remember
Amarillo, the, the locals say

1058
00:46:15,735 --> 00:46:18,095
that it's blowing dirt
, which it does.

1059
00:46:18,565 --> 00:46:22,615
It's known for almost always being windy.

1060
00:46:23,115 --> 00:46:25,895
And I I remember one night we were in, um,

1061
00:46:26,535 --> 00:46:31,135
a class B at the time and we
were really tossed around.

1062
00:46:31,405 --> 00:46:33,055
- Yeah. We kept thinking, should we get up

1063
00:46:33,075 --> 00:46:35,135
and go to the cement restrooms?

1064
00:46:35,415 --> 00:46:36,775
I mean, do we stay in this RV

1065
00:46:36,775 --> 00:46:38,575
or do we get up and go someplace?

1066
00:46:38,775 --> 00:46:40,335
I mean, we were rocking like, and,

1067
00:46:40,555 --> 00:46:43,975
- And and I, yeah, I I was
really convinced that, you know,

1068
00:46:43,975 --> 00:46:46,695
we missed a, a tornado
warning or something.

1069
00:46:46,715 --> 00:46:48,295
But no, it was just normal weather.

1070
00:46:48,395 --> 00:46:51,215
And uh, when we, uh, when we got up, uh,

1071
00:46:51,215 --> 00:46:52,735
the locals just kinda laughed this

1072
00:46:52,735 --> 00:46:53,775
and said, you should see it

1073
00:46:53,775 --> 00:46:54,895
when it was really windy. But yeah,

1074
00:46:54,925 --> 00:46:57,095
- They weren't concerned
at all that, yeah.

1075
00:46:57,535 --> 00:46:59,535
Considered us outsiders, which we were.

1076
00:47:00,315 --> 00:47:03,895
- But there is some wisdom
in pulling in the slides when

1077
00:47:03,895 --> 00:47:06,975
there are really high winds
and you, you're not around.

1078
00:47:07,075 --> 00:47:10,735
And by high winds, I mean 40 miles above

1079
00:47:10,955 --> 00:47:14,055
or more for, you know,
extended periods of time.

1080
00:47:14,235 --> 00:47:16,415
Not just a gust, but
extended periods of time.

1081
00:47:17,235 --> 00:47:19,095
Now that wouldn't flip your rv,

1082
00:47:19,395 --> 00:47:21,175
but it can add a lot of stress

1083
00:47:21,195 --> 00:47:23,495
to the slide mechanisms if they're being

1084
00:47:23,495 --> 00:47:24,695
buffeted around a lot.

1085
00:47:25,195 --> 00:47:28,015
Um, particularly the cables,
they could fray a little bit.

1086
00:47:28,635 --> 00:47:32,045
Uh, and by the way, I
googled what it would take

1087
00:47:32,145 --> 00:47:33,245
to flip an RV

1088
00:47:33,825 --> 00:47:36,685
and I came up with an answer
that refers to a study called,

1089
00:47:37,385 --> 00:47:40,605
um, wind Speeds Required
to Upset Vehicles.

1090
00:47:40,665 --> 00:47:42,845
And it's by, uh, a couple of

1091
00:47:43,365 --> 00:47:47,325
researchers from Kent State
University and they had a study

1092
00:47:47,625 --> 00:47:48,925
and it said that you would need

1093
00:47:49,475 --> 00:47:53,725
hurricane force winds in
excess of 91 miles per hour

1094
00:47:54,305 --> 00:47:58,045
to flip even the least stable rv.

1095
00:47:58,425 --> 00:48:00,765
So I don't think you have
to worry about it flipping.

1096
00:48:01,105 --> 00:48:03,685
Uh, I'm sure there's always
exceptions to that, you know,

1097
00:48:04,035 --> 00:48:05,885
wind funnels and all sorts of stuff.

1098
00:48:06,065 --> 00:48:08,685
But, uh, but a good idea
to bring in your slides

1099
00:48:09,185 --> 00:48:11,685
- And it goes without
saying awnings .

1100
00:48:11,685 --> 00:48:13,845
- Oh yeah. Don't ever
leave your awnings up.

1101
00:48:14,405 --> 00:48:17,565
I would not e even if you're
in the rv, it's a nice day

1102
00:48:17,565 --> 00:48:18,885
with nice night when you go to bed,

1103
00:48:19,115 --> 00:48:21,285
pull in your awnings, uh, you don't know.

1104
00:48:21,405 --> 00:48:22,525
'cause wind can come up like that

1105
00:48:22,525 --> 00:48:25,325
and we hear all these
stories of shredded RVs

1106
00:48:25,625 --> 00:48:26,885
- And when you go for a hike,

1107
00:48:27,385 --> 00:48:28,385
- You know, even for a little while.

1108
00:48:28,555 --> 00:48:31,565
- Yeah. 'cause you don't
know the local terrain,

1109
00:48:31,825 --> 00:48:33,125
you know the winds and everything.

1110
00:48:33,465 --> 00:48:35,325
It is just take care of your awning

1111
00:48:35,485 --> 00:48:37,205
'cause it's such a hassle to fix 'em.

1112
00:48:37,555 --> 00:48:39,525
- Alright, that's the
podcast for this week.

1113
00:48:39,785 --> 00:48:41,005
Um, thank you guys so much Rash.

1114
00:48:41,065 --> 00:48:43,205
We love getting your
questions, your comments.

1115
00:48:43,335 --> 00:48:46,005
Again, our personal email address is Mike

1116
00:48:46,345 --> 00:48:49,965
and jen@uhrvlifestyle.com.

1117
00:48:50,655 --> 00:48:51,565
- Happy trails.