Why every RVer needs a Bucket List

This week on the RV Podcast we meet a couple who tell us why every RVer should have a bucket list and how to make it come true. Ari and Jessi Adler, collectively known as the Trekers.org, tell us how, even with 9 to 5 jobs, they are making their amazingly ambitious bucket list come true. I think you’ll find them very inspiring. Also this week, RV news of the week including stories about: a very real murder mystery on the Alaskan Highway, more bad news for Roadtrek and how the tariff war is taking its toll on the RV industry. Plus tips, your RV Lifestyle questions and an off the Beaten Path report. So… thanks for putting us in your ears this week. Show Notes for Episode #252 July 24, 2019 of The RV Podcast; WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK We’re back from Nashville, TN and a great family vacation. We have some RV projects we’ll be doing over the next couple weeks to tweak and upgrade some components and Internet systems on our RV. We’re also having a ladder installed on the back. We’re working on or travel season for the rest of the year. We have trips planned to Ohio, Florida and Georgia (to take in some of our grandson’s high school football games). Plus in September we’ll be at the Hershey RV Show in Hershey, PA. In Ocober we’ll be in Elkhart, IN at RV Open House and later that month out to California where we’ll be attending the California RV Show in Pomona. It’s time to give a shout out to our podcast reviewer of the week…Rickg5555 gave us a wonderful five star review and this wonderful five-star review on iTunes: “Been listening for a long time. I have searched and tried all the other RV podcasts and this one is the only one I listen to every week. Mike and Jennifer cover a lot of topics for all types of RVers and campers with a focus on real world boondocking. Mike has a knack for the latest tech stuff to help inform his listeners on how to stay connected to the internet while cruising the country. One of the best parts of the podcast is his traveling reporters - they have the most creative stories from places ‘off the beaten path’.” Thank you, Rick. We so appreciated those kind words and your review. Those reviews and five star ratings really help us in getting the word out to the RV Community about the RV Podcast. And we invite you dear listener, to do the same. Please leave us a review and a rating on iTunes or Stitcher or TuneIn or Spotify of whatever app you listen to us on. We so appreciate the feedback and we read every one! RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK JENNIFER Real-life murder mystery on the Alaskan Highway In British Columbia and the Yukon, on parts of the Alaskan Highway very popular with RVers this time of year, Royal Canadian Mounted Police investigators are trying to solve the murders of a young Australian man and his American girlfriend last seen on the side of the highway next to their broken down camping van. Later, two teens on the same road were reported missing after their truck camper was found burning at a highway turnoff. A man’s body was later found nearby. No word yet on how that still unidentified man died, though the Mounties say he was murdered, too. But after first declaring the missing teens may have also met with foul play, the RCMP announced that the teens are now considered suspects in the murder of the couple. As you’d expect, the murders are causing lots of jitters among the RV community and tourists traveling the highway. MIKE About 2,000 Roadtreks issued recall notices by U.S. and Canadian agencies over second row seat safety concerns About 2,000 Erwin Hymer Group of North America Roadtreks, some dating as far back as 2013, are being recalled for safety concerns tied to the second row captain seat chair restrains, according to a Canadian story out last week. The four models affected are the CS Adventurous, RS Adventurous and E-Trek built between 2013-2019, and TS Adventurous built between 2013-2016. In the advent of a crash the second row seats may not provide adequate protection and owners are being urged not to use those seats until the issue is fixed. If owners want to make repairs to the seats so the vehicles are roadworthy, they may have to pay out of their own pocket. Rapido, the new owner of the Roadtrek brand, has indicated it will not honour any warranty claims for the recalled vehicles as part of its recent purchase agreement with the receiver. Hundreds of other Erwin Hymer Group North America RVs were recalled last fall. In November, Transport Canada issued a recall on eight 2018 models of the company's motorhomes after it was discovered the internal voltage regulator could damage the electrical system by overcharging the batteries; 57 Canadian vehicles were impacted, along with 172 in the U.S.One month earlier, 70 Canadian Roadtrek Zion motorhomes from 2015 to 2018 were recalled by Transport Canada after it was discovered the bolts that secured the sofa to the chassis could damage the rear brake lines and increase the risk of a crash. About 290 U.S. vehicles were also recalled. JENNIFER RV industry ties high tariffs from trade war with China to rising prices and slumping sales, article says An interesting article came out last week that connects some of the recent slump in RV sales to tariffs. The article discussed how many components of an RV, be it steel and aluminum to air compressors and appliances or tire rims and axles come from overseas and have been hit with high tariffs, raising costs. The article interviews RV executives who tie the tariffs to higher prices and a slump in sales. MIKE Dog lost for 11 days at Shenandoah National Park found by two hikers, reunited with family Two hikers in Shenandoah National Park ventured off the path just a bit and found - a lost dog named Max. The dog went missing July 4, and was found by the hikers nearly two weeks later hiding under a wild blackberry bush near water. The dog was scared and started growling at first so the hikers called park rangers who quickly came and took him off on a stretcher. Max lost about 10 pounds from the ordeal and was reunited with his family, who had posted posters of him throughout the park. JENNIFER Swarming bees force park officials to close popular overlook at Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park had to close its popular Keys View overlook last week because of swarming bees. Apparently when temperatures get extremely hot, as they did last week, the bees need water to cool their hive and will seek that from people carrying water bottles, condensation from car air conditioners, or even human sweat. By removing the people, the bees are forced to look elsewhere for moisture. The Keys View overlooks offers breathtaking views of the Coachella Valley and will remain closed until conditions change. MIKE 60-year-old woman camper found after four days lost in California national forest A California woman who went missing for four days in a remote area near Montenegro Spring California was found safe last week by rescuers. The 60-year-old woman and her husband were camping at the Grandview Campground in the Inyo National Forest. The husband left his wife and their 4-pound Yorkie-poo all of about 7 minutes to move their vehicle but when he returned, his wife and dog were gone. The woman told police she fled because a man with a knife appeared, grabbed her wrist and threatened to rape her and kill the dog. She successfully escaped the would-be rapist's wrist grab, and ran some 2 miles, escaping, but in flight became lost. She was found when rescuers heard the dog barking several days later. The woman, an experienced camper and hiker, lived off cactus and a water stream. 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 QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK Here’s a question that was recently posed on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group: It comes from one of the regulars there, Helen, in Iowa, and she is selling her 2017 Zion to get a new RV a little bigger so she and husband Dave can take grandkids with them on their RV adventures. Here’s her post about a strange request from a would-be buyer: We had a call from an interested party who wants us to drive 600 mi round trip to show her so she doesn’t have to drive all the way from Denver. She seems interested but has never driven one & does not have financing in place yet. She offered to pay gas. She also has extreme allergies & may be sensitive to any cleaners used etc. I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Would appreciate feedback. This post has received over 325 comments so far and the pretty much unanimous advice is… Don’t Do It! I answered it “NO this is not a good idea. You are the seller. She is just shopping. She's going to be nothing but problems if that's what she's asking you. Don't even think about it.” Our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group is a very lively place for RVers of all times to share trip photos and details, ask questions, get advice and connect with others. You can join it by going to https://rvlifestyle.com/facebook Here’s an email question we received from a listener named Don W: Hi Mike and Jennifer. Thanks for all your great videos and information. I have a question about the Unity FX. I'm sure I could have found my answer by searching but I want to reach out to you. Simple question, Will the Murphy-bed fold out without the slide out? I'm just thinking of times that we'll we parking for the night in places that prohibit slides from being extended, like most parking lots. Appreciate your opinion on this model No, the slide has to be extended for the Murphy Bed to be put down. 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.