RV Podcast Episode 206: See your campsite before you reserve it

Ever booked a campsite that sounded great when you read the description only to be very disappointed once you arrive? This week…coming up in our RV Interview of the Week, we’ll learn about a free service that lets you see photos and videos of campgrounds and even individual sites. Also this week, we answer a bunch of your RV-related questions, offer up some RV Tips and share some traveling technology tools to make your RV Lifestyle a little more fun and efficient. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #206 August 22, 2018 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK MIKE We’re still down on Okaloosa Island on the Florida panhandle’s Emerald Coast. We’ll be here another couple weeks, doing weekend tailgating trips to Georgia to watch our grandson, Matthew play high school football. JENNIFER Yup. School has been in session down south since early August. I don’t know how the kids play when the temperatures are in the 90’s and the humidity nearly matches. MIKE We have Bo with us. He stayed in the RV with the AC on last week while we attended Matthew’s first game. But they take football very seriously down here and whenever one of the teams scored a touchdown they fired off a canon… a canon!.... and they also launched fireworks at the beginning and end of the game. Bo is not a huge fan of fireworks or canon blasts! JENNIFER Nor does he like the heat and humidity. We take him out every morning and night for exercise. But even at 7 am, the temperature is in the mid-eighties. Same right after sunset. We visit dog parks in Fort Walton Beach and Destin FL but really have to watch him because with his Norwegian Elkhound double coat, he can overheat very easily. Most if the days he stays in our condo, soaking up the AC. MIKE Speaking of Bo and the heat and relying on AC, I’m anxiously awaiting a new pet safety temperature monitoring system that I’ll be installing in the RV this week. We have tried list of different systems over the years. But none are quite as reliable or a rugged as I would like. The new one is the most pricey one yet but I’ve come to the conclusion that you get what you pay for and when it comes to a pet safety in an RV bargain prices seldom bring satisfactory results. Those who subscribe to our RV Newsletter got a heads up about this system in an email over the weekend but for everyone else, I’ll show more in a video I’m planning for sometime next week. JENNIFER There’s a lot of continuing talk down here about the red tide. It has devasted Gulf of Mexico beaches in south Florida all summer and shows no signs of easing off. Several have asked us if the red tide is affecting the beaches up here in the Florida panhandle. It is not. There is no indication that it is moving north at all. There is a lot of sea grass or seaweed in the water up here this week but those are seasonal in nature and usually don’t last long. The red tide further south is horrendous. It’s been going on for 10 months now. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee said the red tide outbreak continues to occur on both coastal and inshore sites from Manatee to Collier counties, over 130 miles of coastline. MIKE The outbreaks have caused respiratory and other health problems in humans. It has also caused the massive kill off of marine wildlife. Over 100 tons of dead animals have washed on up beaches in the last few months, including 12 dolphins in the span of just one week. The current red tide began in October 2017 but has intensified in the last few months. Earlier this month, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in seven Florida counties, clearing the way for additional funding to assist with red tide cleanup. Here‘s the RV News of the Week: JENNIFER Glacier National Park evacuates areas as wildfires spread Fires again dominated the outdoors news last week, this time attention on Glacier National Park. The several small lightning fires that we told you about in last week's newsletter spread into roaring infernos this week. The Lake McDonald Lodge closed early for the 2018 season as evacuation orders were issued for parts of the park, including Lake McDonald Valley where Avalanche and Sprague Campgrounds are located. (Click here or here.) One the more terrifying videos to emerge was of a father and son, driving thru the flames trying to escape. (click here). Numerous new wildfires also happened in central Oregon Friday after a storm went through causing as many as 46 wildfires. To read more click here. MIKE Fire almost out, Yosemite National Park's air improves, more roads expected to open Meanwhile officials reported the Yosemite fire is 90 percent contained as of the weekend, with Highway 41 expected to open soon. Air quality around Yosemite that had reached hazardous levels is also improving. To read more click here. JENNIFER Have you seen this RV? If so, police want to know A RV dealer in St. George, Utah, is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of whomever stole a $118,000 rig out of its lot earlier this month. Nielson RV's surveillance cameras caught several suspicious people on its lot near the 2018 Ford Leprechaun Model 260 shortly before the camper was stolen, and turned the footage over to police. To see pictures of the vehicle, in case you've seen it out there, or to learn more click here. MIKE Researchers warn new tick blamed for spread of deadly Rocky Mountain spotted fever The spread of ticks and the deadly diseases they carry continued to make headlines last week as a study released in Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases warned a new species of tick is causing Rocky Mountain spotted fever to ravage parts of Mexico and all indications are it will spread to the U.S. Already some cases are being reported in Arizona. What makes this particularly troublesome is this type of tick is more likely to bite humans than others and this disease is causing deaths. To read a story on it click here. To watch to a recent interview we had on the RVPodcast with a top CDC expert about mosquitoes and ticks click here. To learn more about tick prevention from previous reports click here. JENNIFER Trump administration opposed turning Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore into national park A movement by Indiana's Republican and Democratic senators to turn the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore into the country's 61st national park met a formidable obstacle last week when a Trump administration representative told a Senate subcommittee it was against it. The representative said the 15,000 acre park on Lake Michigan did not meet the "size or amenity standards" associated with national parks. Proponents say they will continue to move forward. To read more, click here or here. This part of the program is brought to you by AllStays Pro, the best tool for RVers looking for places to camp; Harvest Hosts, a unique membership service that allows members to stay free overnight in wineries, farms and attractions across North America; and Overnight RV Parking, a subscription service that provides details for over 12,000 free or nearly free RV overnight parking locations. All three services offer greatly discounted rates to listeners of this podcast JENNIFER'S RV TIP OF THE WEEK When Mike and I were at Glacier National Park back in the beginning of summer at a Roadtrek gathering, many of us were in and out of one another's rigs, sharing those little things that make camping that much better. Well, one of the those little things is the Handi Hanger Trash bag holder. What is that you ask? It is a simple solution to having a trash bin. Recently I had a moment to look it up, and thought I would share what I learned with you. The Handi Hanger Trash bag holder is a plastic contraption that hangs on the inside of a cupboard door. The hanger holds those plastic grocery bags that seemingly every grocery store gives you and turns them into something useful, a trash bag! Using it is very simple. You simply attach the two arms to the inside cupboard with sticky tape or a screw. Then you take your plastic grocery bag and hang it over each arm. When you close the cupboard door you will not see your trash. It is that simple. I like this idea for several reasons. First, it provides a simple way to keep your trash out of sight and off the floor. Freeing up valuable floor space in a class B campervan RV - or really any kind of RV - is important, I think everyone can agree. Also it provides a useful purpose for those free plastic grocery bags. And, because your trash bag is now relatively small, it will encourage you to remove your trash from your rig regularly, eliminating odor. I found the Handi Hanger Trash Bag Holder on Amazon for less than $10. Be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox. I love hearing from you! Jennifer's tip of the week 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. To see our Rad Power Bikes in action, just click here. LISTENER RV QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Questions we answered this week: A listener installed a brand new water pump on his RV. It works but the pump never shuts off. There’s a lot you didn’t say. Such as does water come out the faucet when the pump is on? But either the pump is not doing its job or you have an air leak on the inlet side or you don’t have enough water in the fresh water tanks. There are some other things to check. Is there debris in the water filter?