You can listen to the podcast in the player below or through your favorite Podcast app. Scroll down this page for shownotes and links and resources about all the things we talk about.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:47 — 25.7MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS
WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK
- We talk about the two RV shows being held this week… The Florida RV Supershow in Tampa and the big Quartzsite RV Show in Arizona. We also explain why we decided not to attend this year
- We share our winter campout experience up at Tahquamenon Falls in the Michigan UP this past weekend where the temperature dropped to 10 degrees
- We talk about Bo falling into a foot and a half of muck along a lake during a hike and why it's important to keep your eye on your pets when they are off-leash
This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer
RV PODCAST INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
This week the podcast interview is… with us! We’re going to share an interview that was done with us by Camping World. It’s part of a mini-documentary they did on us that was shot at our campsite at the Holland Michigan State Park last fall.
It aired nationwide last week on their Ultimate RV Show and we present it here for you on the podcast for those who missed it.
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 RV PODCAST REPORT FROM MONTANA
BY TOM & PATTI BURKETT
Oh,” said the lady on the other side of the table, “I’m so glad you picked that one! That cookie recipe won the blue ribbon at the State Fair eight years ago.”
It was late September, and the Rocky Mountain Front farmers market had pretty slim pickings—apples, Brussels sprouts, a bit of kale, and these jars of fine looking cookies.
Even though the season was clearly winding down, a dozen or more folks were gathered, chatting, around the coffee pot, whose long electric tail stretched to the municipal building across the lot.
A lot of us like to spend some time every now and then in Glacier National Park.
If you’re entering the park from the east side, the quickest way us up Interstate 15 and then across US 2 to East Glacier or up to Saint Mary.
We’re a hundred percent in favor of spending as much time as possible in the park, but, as is often the case, taking a less hurried route to get there can pay off.
Unless we’re in a big hurry or the weather is bad, we avoid the four lanes, opting instead for the almost-always-present older blue highway that goes through the center of town instead of bypassing it.
Such was the case as we made our way north toward Glacier along US 89, the original highway connecting Yellowstone to Glacier.
It’s a great road trip all on its own, starting in Flagstaff and winding north through a half dozen National Forests, past the Great Salt Lake, through the Teton Valley, and reposting the traveler at the edge of the Waterton International Peace Park on the US-Canadian border.
If you drive it right up here near Glacier, you’ll undoubtedly be stopped by the imposing brightly colored dinosaurs that greet visitors outside the Old Trail Museum in Choteau, Montana.
Sadly, the museum had closed for the season by the time we wandered through, but the dinosaurs and the other exhibits outside made it worth a look anyway, and that’s how we came across the farmers market, in a parking lot around the side.
Up here, way north of the Teton Park, the Teton River is dry much of the year, and droughts are not uncommon. Still, it’s a fertile and productive agricultural area that’s supported a strong community since its founding in the 1880s.
Among the things you’ll notice as you drive through are the school and county courthouse, both made of stone quarried from nearby Rattlesnake Butte. I wouldn’t have wanted that job.
As usual, we spent some time visiting with the folks gathered in the farm market lot and gleaned a few historical tidbits.
David Letterman owns a ranch a few miles out of town and was married at the attractive stone courthouse in 2009, but not before a local rancher had to pull their pickup truck out of the mud where he and his bride-to-be had gotten stuck on the way to the ceremony.
Outside of town, it’s possible to see traces of the old North Trail, which is the route of US 89. The trail has been in use for more than ten thousand years and is likely the route used by the first humans to cross the Bering land bridge to North America as they moved south.
Along the main street is a cluster of small houses, just alike, which the experienced eye will recognize as a 1930s area motor court.
Now the houses are individually owned, and some of them have been added to, but their origin is clear.
The next day we called the editor of the Choteau Acantha to inquire about them and was directed to nearby to the Skyline Retirement Lodge, where an old-timer was happy to tell us about the cabins built around a Texaco station and how he used to fill his bike tires there as a kid.
Choteau has a city park, where ten bucks will get you a tree-shaded campsite with water and restrooms in the warmer seasons.
Not too far away are an abundance of natural areas—two bird sanctuaries, the Freezeout Lake Wildlife Management area, Bean Lake, all with places to spend the night.
Whether it’s a late movie at the still-operating Roxy theater or an early morning cookie at the farmers market, life is good, and interesting, here in the foothills of Montana’s Rocky Mountains, just off the beaten path.
Ready to Plan an RV Trip? Here's the tool we use:
Planning an RV Trip has never been easier than with RV TripWizard. It is a comprehensive tool that Jennifer and I use whenever we are planning a trip. It works seamlessly with all our devices and gives us access to the info we need on where to stop, what camping is nearby and what we should do in an area.
Best of all, you can try it for free to see how it will fit into your trip planning process.
Looking for Expert RV Trip ideas and RV Travel suggestions?
We've written an entire library of RV Travel books that layout seven-day guided explorations of scenic areas of the US that we'’ve explored and think would make an excellent RV trip for you.
In each location, we provide a suggested route and itinerary (7 stops in each guide, one for each day of a week trip!) as well as links to multiple campgrounds and boondocking spots, local tips, and interesting things to do at each location.
You can hit everything in seven days, do a whirlwind weekend tour, or you can take your time and explore the area over a 2+ week period.
Planning an RV trip can be very time-consuming so that’s why we’ve done the research for you! Just take our guides and use them, we’re sure you’ll have an RV trip for the ages! Instant download. CLICK HERE for information on our RV Travel Guides
Comments are closed.
