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Episode 100: Why Jennifer Had Her Doubts

| Updated Aug 10, 2016

This is the 100th episode of the Roadtreking RV Podcast and in it, Mike and Jennifer reflect on what they’ve learned in putting the hour-long program together each week. Jennifer shares a secret – namely, that she didn’t think it would last or be popular.  [spp-timestamp time=”1:30″]

As we look ahead to the next 100 episodes we feel very blessed in traveling North America by RV, seeing so much and meeting such interesting people.

Click the player to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details and resources and click the player below to start listening. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast.

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Michgan Governor Honors Roadtreking Podcast

snyderBesides well-wishes from listeners, we were very honored to receive a special tribute from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. honoring us for the 100th Episode of the Roadtreking RV Podcast.

Here's an excerpt from  the document:

“Through an informative and entertaining production, Mike and his wife Jennifer show the world the wit, wisdom and sense of adventure that many Michiganders share. Throughout history, our state's residents have led the nation in ingenuity, entrepreneurship and determination to succeed. With production of the 100th episode of Roadtreking, Mike has shown that steadfast commitment to success.

“In special tribute, therefore, this document is signed and dedicated to Mike Wendland as a symbol of appreciation for his work in journalism, and on the Roadtreking podcast as a true representative of the Pure Michigan spirit.”

Signed,

Rick Snyder
Governor

Jennifer and I were so honored to receive this and also want to thank Ari Adler, the governor's director of communication and a fellow Roadtreker, for making Gov. Snyder aware of the program. But to all of you who listen each week and have been so kind to us…. we are humbled and blessed that you choose to “put us in your ears” each week!

JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK

It’s the time of year that stargazers have been waiting for: the Perseid meteor shower. On the night of August 11th and the morning of August 12th, hundreds of tiny meteors will dart through Earth’s night sky, putting on a spectacular light show for late-night viewers. And those who stay up for the shower this year may be rewarded with a particularly special cosmic performance. Experts suspect there will be even more shooting stars than average in this year’s shower. [spp-timestamp time=”10:37″]

If you want to catch the Perseid meteor shower, the best time to start watching is after midnight local time. If you aren’t able to watch on the 11th, the shower may still be visible on the night of August 12th and the morning of the 13th. And remember, to see lights in the sky, you’ll want to get away from lights on Earth.

To learn more about the Perseids and other summer meteor showers, we’ll ut a link to Space.com’s Best Summer Meteor Showers Guide on our shownotes page at Roadtreking-dot-com-forward slash-100.

The tip of the week is brought to you by Good Sam, the world's most popular RV organization, now celebrating its 50th year.

LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK:

We had two questions this week from listeners about the Roadtrek Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL, the RV Mike and Jennifer use.[spp-timestamp time=”16:15″]

David wanted to know if there was a way to increase counter space, something Mike and Jennifer discouraged because it would do away with what they think is extremely useful – the large pantry in the CS.[spp-timestamp time=”17:08″]

And Listener Daryl likes the idea of an undermounted air conditioner, as Mike and Jennifer have, but he is concerned about getting it serviced. [spp-timestamp time=”21:14″] Mike and Jennifer note how the new undermounts from ProAir come on easy to access drawers that sort of drop down for easy access. And they share how impressed with were by ProAir, the maker of the undermount on their RV.

In email this week, we answer reader questions about:

Cell phone boosters  [spp-timestamp time=”26:50″]- Mike refers him to http://wilsonamplifiers.com/

Reader Vic passes along this tip about traveling with a dog [spp-timestamp time=”29:31″]:

Great newsletter this week as usual. In reference to your request for input while traveling with our pet. When we got our Nova Scotia Duck Toller, Daisy, from the breeder she asked us to promise that Daisy was in a crate while our van/car was moving.

Since she was a puppy, Daisy has traveled in her crate which we take on our 3- 4 month trips thru the United States. We have a sof-krate brand which has a metal frame but canvas  material with plenty of screening. We only place her in the crate when the van is in motion and she never complains and we never worry about a possible sudden stop and her becoming a projectile. Our SS Agile is smaller than yours and the nice thing about this crate is that it sits easily in the aisle when in use but flattens to the thickness of a pancake when folded.

It folds quickly and can be placed outside while camping without fear of getting wet. Hope the info is useful. Orvis sells the crate but we bought the identical crate on line thru another website for $60 dollars.

And reader Catrien asks [spp-timestamp time=”31:40″]: Good Day… I am wondering why I do not see anything in your news letters pertaining to dumping sites in Canada and US, especially for ones who cannot get camp sites and use the free stopping places, like Wal-Mart. — Mike refers them to the AllStays app.

Sponsoring this part of the podcast is Van City RV in St. Louis, and their Partner Dealerships Creston RV in Kalispell, Montana, and Wagon Trail RV in Las Vegas. Bringing You the largest Inventory of class B’s from three locations.

RV BASIC TRAINING

This week, we look at ways to improve fuel economy [spp-timestamp time=”35:20″]. Thanks to Mark Polk, of RVEducation101.com, and Kampgrounds of Amreica, for some suggesting some easy ways to get more miles from each Gallon of Fuel.

This part of the podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 15 locations on the East Coast 

RV NEWS OF THE WEEK:

Three stories this week: [spp-timestamp time=”43:22″]

This is what a bear did to a trailer in northern Ontario last week
This is what a bear did to a trailer in northern Ontario last week

Bear Rips open side of Travel Trailer

Yellowstone Bans all Backcountry Campfires

NatGeo launches Free Website to Print Topographic Maps

This portion of the podcast is brought to you by Alde  the only name in heat that you need to know for your RV

TRAVELING TECH TIP:

Verizon's Steve Van Dinter reports…[spp-timestamp time=”50:05″]

Last week we started talking about some great apps for back to school season. But I didn’t get a chance to mention all of my favorites so I thought we’d continue this week with a few more. So grab your pen and paper or ask Google or Siri to remind you of the following because they’re all free for Android and iOS devices.

BRAINSCAPE

First up…flashcards are helpful not just for improving math skills, but foreign language, history facts…pretty much anything you can think of.

But making them out of paper can take time and they’re not always the easiest to carry around.

Thanks to an app called brainscape, you can create and review flashcards from any internet-connected device.

Simply sign up for a free account and then choose from a list of already-created flashcards based on a topic area…or make your own.

In addition to text you can add images and even multimedia!

And they’re super portable and don’t take up any space…so there’s no excuse for not using them.

CAMSCANNER



Next…there can be times when you are working on a paper and need to scan in a document or image.

But scanners aren’t always around when you need them or you may not have access at home at all.

Thankfully if you have a smartphone or tablet you’re all set thanks to a free app called camscanner.

Fire up the app and it uses your device’s built in camera to take a picture of a document or image. It’ll automatically crop that photo or document, enhance it and then allow you to share it as a pdf or jpg.

And it works great for parents as well…allowing you to scan business cards and have them automatically added as contacts!

What will they think of next?

This podcast is brought to you by Verizon, which operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 112 million retail connections nationwide.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT

This part of the podcast is brought to you by AllStays – the Internets #1 RV and camping app since 2010

Reader Larry Daniel, known on our Facebook Group as Ozarks Photo, sends along an off the beaten path report from Oregon [spp-timestamp time=”55:12″] – the Alfred A Loeb State Park and Campground

Larry's campsite
Larry's campsite

After spending a night on the Oregon beach we drove into Brookings to get my favorite Starbucks. And a few groceries.

Then we decided to do a little exploring to find a place for mittens to take Marilyn for his walk. Anytime mittens is outside our Roadtrek he has Maryland on a leash. He decides where they're going!

First we went to the city park. They were having a music festival and there was no parking to be found and we figured that mittens might not enjoy the music.

We saw on the map there was a campground and Park about 8 miles east of Brookings so we decided to explore a little more. Well off the beaten track we discovered the Alford a Loeb state park and campground. There was a large open area tt Mariln felt mittens would enjoy walking. As she was finishing her exploration of the area with mittens a nice couple walked by and commented on the cat on a leash and admired our new Roadtrek. They said they had just walked out of the campground and noticed that their favorite spot was open. They encouraged us to register for that spot and enjoy the campground. We decided to give it a try and are happy that we did. They have electric so we could watch a DVD that we had not viewed and enjoyed a couple of games of Skip Bo. We liked the spot so well we decided to spend another night.

If any of your members are in the area they may want to check out the Alfred a Loeb state park and campground. They have 45 electrical sites, three cabins and it is located on the Chetco River.

This part of the podcast brought to you by RadPower Bikes (www.RadPowerBikes.com_… an electric bike manufacturer offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Mention Roadtreking to save $75

Remember, if you would like to have your voice heard and be a part of the podcast, you can record a Voice Mail message by clicking the right hand button on the roadtreking.com website.

Please Subscribe and Give Us a Rating and Review!

Many listeners are asking how they can subscribe, review and rate the Roadtreking Podcast on iTunes. With a new podcast like this, those reviews and ratings are really important to be able to show well in the iTunes listings. So if you can, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave me your review.

Here’s how:

How to subscribe, rate and review a podcast

First, open up the iTunes app on your computer or mobile device. Click on Podcasts up on the top
> From the iTunes Podcasts page, use the “Search Store” field up at the top right corner of the page. Type in Mike Wendland or Roadtreking RV Podcast.
> Click on the logo image of the Roadtreking RV Podcast on the search return page
> From there (see photo above), you can…

1) Subscribe

2) Choose and Click on a star (1-5) that reflects your rating. Five stars means you really like it, one star not so much.

3) Leave a written review.

Thanks to all for the kind reviews we’ve received so far. That got us noticed by Apple/iTunes as “New and Noteworthy.” I appreciate every review!

And remember, you can appear in future episodes. Ask a question or voice your comments about RV topics by clicking the Leave Voicemail tab on the right side of this page here at Roadtreking.com. You can then use the microphone on your computer to record your words.

Mike Wendland

Published on 2016-08-10

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

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