RV Podcast 305: What RV travel during COVID is REALLY like

This week in the RV Podcast, we hear what RV travel during COVID is like. RVers from across North America candidly share their experiences, what was open, what was closed, how welcome they were, and what it’s like trying to do the RV Lifestyle in these challenging times. This week in our interview of the week segment we turned to our RV Lifestyle social media followers for their insight into RV travel during COVID as they encountered restrictions and shutdowns in various locations. There is lots of RV-related news to report. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK Congress passes Great American Outdoor Act which is expected to send much-needed money for national park maintenance Congress passed the Great American Outdoor Act last week, sending it to President Donald Trump's desk where he is expected to sign it. The bill will provide $900 million a year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It will also provide up to $6.5 billion over five years to help pay for the many maintenance needs of the nation's national parks. Look for more details out this week, when it is expected to be signed into law. Campfire-caused wildfires on the rise in several places throughout country In several parts of the country, officials are reporting more campfire-caused wildfires than normal. In Maine, there has been a 170 percent increase in campfire-related wildfires this year compared to 2019. A campfire is also suspected as the cause of a wildfire near Clayton Beach in Washington's Larrabee State Park last week. And some places, like the Tahoe National Forest, are seeing an increase in illegal campfires causing officials to say they are responding to the second highest number of campfire-caused fires ever recorded. Too many people risking injury by jumping into posted Yellowstone waters, officials warn Yellowstone National Park urged visitors last week to stay out of the water. Apparently more people than normal are ignoring posted signs at Yellowstone and swimming in water where swimming is clearly prohibited. Park officials are reminding visitors the signs are there for a reason. Some Yellowstone water is boiling - in 2016 a man is believed to have literally dissolved after trying to soak in a prohibited thermal area. And in other places the water is extremely frigid - a literal snow melt. Other times people are told not to go in because the water is infested with organisms that will make them sick. As always, if the sign says stay out - we advise you to stay out. West Virginia police arrest two men connected to international RV theft ring West Virginia police arrested two men involved in an international RV theft ring last week. The men were arrested for stealing two stolen camping trailers. Police also found two other stolen camping trailers abandoned by their drivers. The thieves are part of an international crime ring that steals RVs and campers in southeastern states then ships them to Mexico and other foreign countries. In this summer of pandemic camping, remember to check ahead We have an update on what is open and what is closed. As of today, July 29, 2020, 91 percent of the campsites listed by Campendium are now open, with New Mexico remaining the only state park campground system closed. But according to Campendium, which is doing an excellent job keeping track of things, many other popular spots throughout the country remain closed because of COVID-19. Theodore Roosevelt National Park campgrounds are closed, for instance, as are Point Reyes National Seashore campsites, Mount Rainer National Park campgrounds, Navajo Nation Tribal Parks and many other spots. As always this year, things are fluid. We recommend checking before heading out and be sure to listen to our interview of the week coming up in which you will hear from numerous RVers exactly what RV travel during COVID is like. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping RV PODCAST QUESTION OF THE WEEK This question comes from Heather and was posted on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group: QUESTION: What is the app called that will scan for campsites that open up? ANSWER: The website is called Yes You Camp and is at https://www.yesyoucamp.com/ The site claims that 92% of their users are able to get reservations at sold-out campgrounds. I’m a bit skeptical of that. Just spot testing some of the more popular campgrounds we like didn’t even bring them up in the notification box to check for availability. Basically you are supposed to enter the details of where and when you want to camp, and the service, which claims to be constantly scanning camp space availability, says it will send you a text when there is a cancellation or a site opens up. It is then up to you to swoop in and make a reservation. Like we said when we recently tried to get into two of the Michigan Upper Peninsula campgrounds we like – the Munising Tourist Park on Lake Superior and the Straits State Park in St. Ignace – the site showed them in the initial listings but had no way to sign up for an alert or even discover availability. I tried the same thing with the Kentucky Horse Park Campground in Lexington, KY and it didn’t even display in the listings. These are all extremely popular campgrounds. If this Yes You Camp service was really helpful, you’d expect it to work as advertised. Heather’s question on our Facebook RV Lifestyle Group brought several answers from our members. Melanie wrote: “Point is I will verify availability with the source instead of 3rd party programs/companies that may be outdated, behind, Mark, though, said he has used Yes We Camp and “ it has helped us get sites on several occasions.”’ Bottom line… try it if you want. But based on our experience, don’t count on it being 100% accurate. Again, it’s https://www.yesyoucamp.com/ This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV. Get in touch with Battle Born to find out what lithium batteries and an upgraded energy management system can add to your RV Lifestyle. RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK - RV travel during COVID This week in the RV Podcast, we hear from real RVers who have traveled all over the U.S. and Canada over the past five months. They tell us what RV travel during COVID is really like. They’ll candidly share their experiences, what was open, what was closed, how welcome they were, and what it’s like trying to do the RV Lifestyle in these challenging times. We asked our social media followers to update us on real conditions and what follows is a compilation of their reports of what they encountered as they have crisscrossed North America. Here's the transcript: What RV Travel during COVID is like in Michigan Hi Mike. Hi, Jen and Bo, this is PJ. I am from mid-Michigan. I have been traveling mostly around Michigan in the last couple of months. I would say I really started the bulk of my travels in late April. I‘ve been taking day trips to Cadillac Alpena Traverse City Frankfurt, St. Joseph and on, and so forth. I've been to Mackinac Island twice. Everything is pretty much open right now. Businesses are encouraging social distancing. Everyone is requiring you to wear a mask. Now I have had no issues traveling nor have I had any health concerns and I am just you know, continuing to enjoy Michigan. I think it is perfectly safe to get out and travel right now as long as you take precautions. So, I would definitely encourage your audience, as long as they're being safe. The road is wide open again. I can only speak for Michigan. But the road is wide open. What RV Travel during COVID is like around Rocky Mountain National Park Hi. This is Alan and Nancy from Eastern Nebraska. We just spent four days at the Stillwater campground near Rocky Mountain National Park. It's a US Forest Service Campground with very spacious, nice sites with a great view of the lake down below and easy access to Rocky Mountain National Park. We made the reservation in February before the pandemic and so we decided to go ahead and use it. The campground was fine. The restrooms were open, but there were no showers. We spent about two days touring Rocky Mountain National Park in the afternoon and evening. I n order to enter the park you need a reservation. The campgrounds inside the park were closed. But even if you wanted to drive on Trail Ridge Road, you still need a reservation. Those reservations had to be made online. If you don't have a reservation, you can't get in. What was great about the experience is that we saw fewer vehicles in the park. At times we felt we had the entire park to ourselves. The only crowds we saw were when there was an animal like a moose or an elk on the side of the road and there was like a group of cars and people with their cameras and binoculars trying to see it. It was just a good experience and the nearby town of Grand Lake was pretty busy. We didn't really do any shopping we just stayed at the campground and visited the park. Overall, it was good experience. Hope this helps. What RV Travel during COVID is like in Florida Mike, this is Richard and Deborah from Spring Hill, Florida. We stayed at a couple of state parks since COVID had started. The parks are very good about leaving the material outside, social distancing, and wearing masks. So we've had a very positive experience. Hope this helps, bye-bye. What RV Travel during COVID is like in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota Hello Mike and Jien. My name is Harold. I'm from Colorado. We just got back from a trip up towards Glacier National Park. We experienced a lot of rest stops that were closed. We were rebuffed at Glacier when we were there, but waited in line and were turned around saying the park was full. We had to come back later,