RV Podcast: A new kind of Workcamper

This week in Episode 250 of the RV Podcast, you’ll meet our friend Joe Raetano, a computer scientist and a new kind of workcamper, who shares with us how commuting to his high tech North Carolina job in his RV and then staying in it during the week saves him lots of money and yet still provides all the comforts of home. He calls it his "mobile condo" Joe is our featured guest in the interview of the week segment… but we also have lots of RV News, tips, answers to your questions and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts. But first, my lifelong traveling companion and my bride…Jennifer Show Notes for Episode #250 July 10, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK JENNIFER - We hit the road this week, headed south through Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, exploring our way across the heartland in our RV as we eventually hit the Nashville area, where we will meet up with our three grown kids and all eight grandkids for a weeklong family vacation. We also want to give a shoutout to our reviewer of the week…Trish-Northeast who left us this wonderful five-star review on iTunes, which she headlined as “Don’t Leave Home Without it! “I'm hooked on this podcast no doubt about it. Listen to Mike & Jennifer as I walk my laps around the outdoor high school track and enjoy every minute of it. Have learned so much with the many guests and shared experiences. Thank you both. We’re buying our first RV this summer and can’t wait to get out there. Keep doing all you do, Mike & Jen” Thank you, Trish. We so appreciated those kind words and your review. And we invite you dear listener, to do the same. Please leave us a review and a rating on iTunes or Sticher or whatever app you listen to us on. We so appreciate the feedback and we read every one! RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK One killed, several injured in two different lightning related incidents last July 4th Lightning injured several people enjoying outside activities in at least two different parts of the country on July 4th. In two incidences lightning hit a tree and the people who were standing nearby were either killed or seriously injured by the electrical field created by the hit. One incident happened in a state park in Maryland and the other in South Carolina. Last year we interviewed a lightning expert who described how campers and hikers are two of the most at risk groups for lightning strikes, and he provided tips on how to stay safe when lightning is in your area. To learn more click here. MIKE BLM considers overnight restrictions as boondockers tear up fragile landscape, leave human waste behind We love to boondock, and one of the best places to do it is on federally owned Bureau of Land Management lands near national parks. The landscape is beautiful, there are little to no people around and it is free. But, as camping off the grid becomes more popular problems are arising, and the BLM iwill likely start getting more involved in some areas. A story out last week highlighted issues of boondockers killing rare wildflowers by driving over and uprooting them, and leaving behind human waste improperly disposed near Moab in Utah. JENNIFER America's new national park, Indiana Dunes, experiencing increase in visitors and many saying it is worth the trip Indiana Dunes National Park on the shores of Lake Michigan is seeing an increase in visitors this season as more people come to see America's newest national park. The park became the nation's 61st national park earlier this year, and while we have written about it before, wanted to share this story because it does a great job of describing what is there. We’ll link to the story in the shownotes for this episode at rvlifestyle.com/250 and if you haven’t yet visited the Dunes…put it on your bucket list. MIKE So how did Utah's gorgeous Dead Horse State Park get its name? Sometimes when Jen and I are traveling across the country, we run into a spot with such an unusual name you know there is a story there, but sometimes that story has been lost. So it was with Dead Horse State Park, which we visited earlier this year in Utah. (click here to see the report). The park is incredibly beautiful, some say the most beautiful in the country, and this story we found explores three legends in how the park received its most unusual name. JENNIFER Couple hiking in park call 911 and climb tree to escape what they thought was a feral pig Anyone who enjoys the outdoors can probably relate to hearing a sound out in the middle of no where, and letting your imagination get the best of you. Apparently that is what happened to a man and woman hiking after dark in a park in Texas when the couple thought they heard the grunting of a feral pig. The couple, in a panic, climbed a tree, called 911, and when officers arrived learned the couple learned the grunting feral pig they feared was actually .... cars passing on rumble strips on a road just outside their view. MIKE RV News Shorts, Tips, and Reviews Yellowstone National Park's Steamboat Geyser on track to set record in eruptions Several national parks are battling dry summer conditions and extra protections going into place to prevent wild fires South Carolina news report shares tips on how to avoid being scammed when buying a used RV off of Craig's list This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes,an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping LISTENER RV LIFESTYLE QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Q: Loved your videos on YouTube and are going to add your Adirondack trips to our bucket list. Can you please tell us the device and app that you use that monitors the temperature of your RV for Bo? We are purchasing a B and will need to monitor the temp in our RV for our two babies. Thanks! - Jules REPLY: Using a temperature monitor that’s connected to an app on our phone is a huge relief if we have to leave Bo in the rig for a short time period. Even with fans going and the AC on, we all know that those things can heat up FAST. The RV Pet Safety Temperature Monitor uses cell service and can notify you by text and email alert if the internal temp of your RV starts to get dangerously high. While on the spendy side, this device delivers on consistency with battery backup and real-time temp reporting. All-in-all, the peace of mind that Bo will be alright if we leave him for a bit is what really makes this for us. Now the pricing on this is a little tricky but bear with me. The device is one price and on-going support is another. You can pay the on-going support monthly or yearly. Just for you, we arranged a major discount on these monitors. Actual price: Monthly – $249/ device + $15/month (pay as you go) Yearly – $369 ($249+$120 for subscription) With the discount codes for RV Lifestyle viewers: Monthly – $199/ device + $15/month (pay as you go) Yearly – $299 ($179+$120 for subscription) RV Lifestyle Discount Codes: Use RVLS50 for the monthly subscription ($50 discount) Use RVLS70 for the yearly subscription ($70 discount) Go to https://rvpetsafety.com/pricing/ for more info and don't forget to use our affiliate link coupon codes for the discounts Here's a video that shows the RC Pet Safety device in action. The RV Pet Safety device is demonstrated about 7:10 into the video. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing. If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990. If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. 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. Check them out at https://rvlifestyle.com/lithium RV INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK This week in Episode 250 of the RV Podcast, you meet our friend Joe Raetano, a computer scientist and a new kind of workcamper, who shares with us this week how commuting to his high tech North Carolina job in his RV and then staying in it during the week saves him lots of money and ye still provides all the comforts of home. Here's a transcript of the interview: Mike Wendland: Well, driving around right now in his RV is our friend Joe Raetano. Joe, how are you? Joe Raetano: Great, Mike. How are you? Mike Wendland: I'm doing great. You're out on the road, I can hear the road noise behind you. It's kind of fun to help you break the monotony of the road as you share all about being this new kind of work camper. I mentioned earlier in the podcast about how many people are living in RVs, and working in places like Silicon Valley and the high tech regions of San Francisco in California. But it's kind of a trend across the country. Work camping is not, as we said, a job where people are cleaning out fire pits or doing temporary work at Amazon. Joe, why don't you tell everybody what you do, and where you're working? And then we'll get into the questions on how your RV plays into all of that. Joe Raetano: Okay. So I'm a computer scientist. I'm currently working on my PhD from the University of Tennessee. I've completed all my classroom and residency requirements, and I'm really in dissertation research mode. And I was recruited to Duke Energy. They have a new Innovation Center, and they're doing some research in my area that I'm currently working on. My home is currently in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and I travel back and forth to Charlotte, North Carolina, to Duke Energy's Innovation Center.