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RV Podcast #280: How to have Less Junk, More Journey

| Updated Feb 5, 2020

This week in the RV Podcast, we learn about having Less Junk and More Journey from Marissa and Nate, a young couple with a very popular YouTube channel who fulltime in their RV with their young children. It all started in an effort to declutter and downsize

Show Notes for Episode #280 Feb 5, 2020 of The RV Podcast:

WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK

 

RV Podcast #280: How to have Less Junk, More Journey 1This episode is coming to you from the road and it may sound a little different because we don’t have all our normal podcast gear with us. We made a very impromptu trip to Arizona this week and, because we flew out here we didn’t have room for all that equipment.

We borrowed an RV from a friend, though, and have had an awesome time boondocking in the desert, hiking and exploring… first at Quartzsite and later down south closer to Yuma in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

As we record this, we are in Tucson, attending an RV industry event called Dometic in the desert, attended by lots of industry folks and our fellow RV Lifestyle YouTube influencers. Dometic is a major player in the RV industry that innovates technology so RVers can go further and stay longer – that’s their motto  and they make everything, such as RV coolers and refrigerators,  toilets, air conditioning, heating, climate control devices, awnings, cooking and RV kitchen appliances…you name it they make it and they are planning even more, researching and developing improvements in lithium and solar energy products for RVers…and lots more.

Anyway, we’re here learning about some of those developments and hanging out with a lot of our friends who also do RV blogs, YouTube Channels and the like.

We should point out that out borrowed RV, after our desert boondocking, is in the parking lit and we and everyone else at this event are staying in the beautiful and five star luxury Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, which Dometic has taken over for this event. 

Talk about contrast. From the stark beauty of the desert to the luxury of a five star resort. Wjat an awesome week this has been.

This part of the podcast is brought to you by Dish Outdoors, which lets RVers pay as they go and watch HD satellite television from wherever they are camped with easy to set up gear made with the RVer in mind. Just go to https://rvlifestyle.com/dish for details on the service and special deal just for listeners of this podcast.

RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK

RV manufacturers who reply on parts manufactured in China watch for signs of supply chain delays 
As public health workers strive to contain the coronavirus, which first surfaced more than a month ago in China, the effects of keeping people home and closing shop have the RV industry bracing for a hit on its supply chain. Many RV manufacturers get parts from Chinese factories. But as Chinese officials tell people to stay home, and keep factories closed, many RV manufacturers are carefully watching the situation, wondering how factory delays, increased sickness, or mandatory quarantines could ripple through the supply lines and – possibly – a few months down the road, lead to production delays.

Are you planning to see Yosemite's “firefall” this month?
Have you heard about Yosemite National Park's “firefall”? The time to view it (February 14-27) is fast approaching, and park officials are putting in restrictions in anticipation of large crowds. For those unfamiliar, each winter – usually in February – when the sun is setting, its colors reflect on Horsetail Falls, which flows over El Capitan, making it look like bright orange lava is flowing down. This usually happens shortly before sunset, and has become a major tourist attraction. In anticipation of the crowds the National Park Service is requiring most visitors to park one and a half miles away and walk to the Fall. It is also recommending people bring flashlights and warm clothes for the walk back in the dark.

GM unveils new brake system for pick up trucks that enables trucks hauling a camper to stop faster

Those who camp by hauling a fifth wheel or other trailer with their pick-up truck might be interested in a story out last week about General Motors unveiling a new braking system that enables a pick-up hauling a trailer to stop faster. The breaks reduce the stopping distance by using GM's e-boost braking system. Some are saying that the new technology is so good and improves safety so much that it should be mandatory.

Coyote attacks woman cross country skiing at Yellowstone National Park 
A young coyote attacked a woman cross country skiing in Yellowstone National Park last week, coming up from behind and pulling her to the ground. Other people, in a snow coach, saw the scene and came to the woman's rescue, scaring the coyote away. The woman had puncture wounds to her head and arm, and officials later captured the coyote and it did not test positive for rabies. It is extremely unusual for a coyote to attack a human. Officials say when an animal is very hungry, as apparently this one was, is can happen. The coyote was later captured and euthanized.

 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  

LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

This week’s question comes from George, from Lakewood Washington:

There are a lot of RV shows this month and we are shopping for a new RV. My question is are the bargains at RV shows really that good? How about for trade-ins? Are we better shopping there or visiting a dealership?

We share our thoughts, bottom line being that usually the best prices CAN be found at RV shows.

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 the RV Podcast, we learn about having Less Junk and More Journey from Marissa and Nate, a young couple with a very popular YouTube channel who fulltime in their RV with their young children. It all started in an effort to declutter and downsize

Here’s a video version of the interview with extra material:

The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new  motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country

OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT   

RV Podcast #280: How to have Less Junk, More Journey 2BY TOM & PATTI BURKETT

When you leave Fort Worth, Texas on your way to Big Spring you’re likely to drive Interstate 20. Just past Sweetwater you’ll see a small airfield off to the north of the highway, and, if you know what’s there, you’ll exit and pull into the lot at Avenger Field.  This is the site of the National WASP WWII Museum, a collection that honors the contributions made to aviation by determined and courageous women flyers in that great and tragic war.

RV Podcast #280: How to have Less Junk, More Journey 3Avenger Field first served as a training center for British pilots, but shortly became the center for the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, and by 1943, was populated entirely by female trainees and a few male instructors.  More than 1800 passed through flight training here, and over a thousand of those earned their wings.  For the most part, women pilots were employed ferrying aircraft cross-country.  Despite repeated efforts by generals and senators, the women were not admitted to military service and, at the end of the war, returned to civilian life without benefits.

RV Podcast #280: How to have Less Junk, More Journey 4

The museum is great.  There’s a recreated dormitory where you can see what life was like for the trainees, along with letters home and some of the fashions and accessories of the day.  There are several aircraft on display, and a good collection of uniforms and flying gear.  Most prominent, though, is the story of the service itself, told with timelines, interviews, newspaper reports, and correspondence.  Although assignments, compensation, and recognition improved for these fliers as the war went on, the tireless efforts of founder Jackie Cochran and commanding General Hap Arnold did not win them military status.

One of the fun exhibits at the field is Fifinella.  This tiny winged woman was designed by Walt Disney for an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book The Gremlins.  The film was never made, but the WASPs asked Disney for permission to use her as their mascot, and he agreed.  She appears painted on airplane fuselages, enameled pins, and knitted into service patches on WASP uniforms.  Among the several planes on display are a UC-78 Bobcat and and a Texan AT-6.  You can hear an interview with WASP pilot Beverly Bessemeyer, one of several to tow targets behind her plane so ground troops could take target practice with live rounds.

RV Podcast #280: How to have Less Junk, More Journey 5

Whatever your age or outlook, the stories told here are inspiring and thought-provoking, and provide a glimpse into life during another age of our national development.  While you’re there, don’t miss seeing the Congressional Gold Medal, awarded to the service in 2010, and accompanied by an order that all remaining WASPs should receive full military benefits for their service.  On the ground or in the air, there are stories flying around out here, off the beaten path.

This part of the podcast is brought to you by Harvest Hosts  https://rvlifestyle.com/harvesthosts a network of farms, wineries, museums and attractions where RVers can stay overnight, for free. 

 

Mike Wendland

Published on 2020-02-05

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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