Using a tiny home as an RV

In this week's RV Podcast, we meet a couple who recently built a very unique tiny home and plan to visit all 48 states with it, using it as an RV.  They plan to stay in each state for a month.

You'll meet them in the podcast interview of the week, and see their amazing tiny house in an accompanying video on our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel.

Plus, also this week in episode 268, we have RV News of The Week, tips, audience questions and a great off the beaten path report from the Burketts.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:59 — 45.5MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | Email | TuneIn | RSS

Show Notes for Episode #268 Nov 13, 2019 of The RV Podcast:

WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK

MIKE
This week finds us on the road, traveling up and down the Gulf Coast of Florida working on one of the two 7-Day Adventuring Guides we are planning on the Sunshine State.

JENNIFER
We're moving from Pensacola down to Naples and the Everglades for the first book on Florida's west coast and then, in a week or so, will do our research on the east coast guide  that runs along the Atlantic shore from Jacksonville down to the keys.

MIKE
Our hope is to get these new titles out before the holidays for you snowbirders out there who'll be spending part of the winter of 2020 in Florida.

JENNIFER
We’re recording this podcast at one of our favorite RV Parks, the Ho Him RV Park located on a part of Florida called the Forgotten Coast.

MIKE
The Forgotten Coast is located on what’s known as the Big Bend part of the western Florida peninsula and it is a unique place in the Sunshine State, reminiscent of “Old Florida,” without lots of the commercialization and development that characterizes much of the rest of Florida.

JENNIFER
This area was absolutely devastated by Hurricane Michael a little over a year ago. The beachside town of Mexico Beach was almost wiped off the map. Literally. We spent some time there this week and we will show you what is happening there today in our Thursday YouTube video.

MIKE
We’re calling that video “A Road Trip to the Forgotten Coast” and we think you’ll find it very interesting and informative, not just the part about Mexico Beach but our whole trip down here.

JENNIFER
The best way to know about our videos is to subscribe to them on our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube. We will put a link to just how to subscribe in the shownotes for this episode. But we release new videos all the time and we’re always hearing from people who say they didn’t know about them.

MIKE
If you click the little bell icon when you subscribe to our YouTube Channel, you’ll be notified just as soon as a new video is published. So please subscribe. As we keep working hard producing videos on the RV Lifestyle, we want you to know we treasure each and every subscriber. So thanks in advance!

JENNIFER
To subscribe, just go HERE 

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

JENNIFER
Camping in South Dakota state parks will cost more starting Jan. 1
Before it was under consideration – now it is official. Camping in South Dakota state parks will cost more next year. Prime campsites will cost $26, preferred campsites will cost $23, modern campsites will cost $20 and tent only sites will cost $15. The new fees are expected to closer resemble how much it costs to run the campgrounds, and it is expected to bring in $3 million. The South Dakota park system is largely funded by user fees, and the state had not had a fee increase in five years.

MIKE
Man and woman arrested in Mexico for driving truck and camper belonging to couple murdered when camping
A man and a woman were arrested in Mexico last week driving the pick up truck and camping trailer belonging to a murdered New Hampshire couple. The New Hampshire couple,  James and Michelle Butler, were camping on the beach at Texas' South Padre Island when relatives reported them missing. The Butlers were later found buried near their campsite. The man and woman arrested in Mexico were driving their truck and camper, but had not been charged with their murder. The story was one we discussed at length last Sunday night and on our Facebook page as the Butlers were living the dream, traveling the country, camping, when this tragedy happened. Here are some good reminders on how to stay safe, especially when camping in more remote spots.
JENNIFER
Two separate deer hunts will close 17 Indiana State Parks for several days soon
If you are planning to do some camping in an Indiana state park in the next few weeks, be sure to check first. Seventeen of the state's parks will close Nov. 18-19 and Dec. 2-3 for deer hunts. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources sends in biologists to determine which of its parks need deer hunts for the health of plants and other animals. This year 17 parks were chosen and each will be closed during that time.
MIKE
Amendment added to federal bill to study how federal government is spending money on outdoor recreation
The RV Industry Association reported last week the U.S. Senate passed a spending bill that included an amendment to have the federal government study where spending on outdoor recreation was taking place and at what levels.  The RVIA is applauding the move, saying it is a first step toward creating a clear federal spending vision to support the outdoor recreation economy. Outdoor recreation supports 5.2 million jobs and contribute $778 billion in economic output, according to the story.

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

QUESTION: First, thank you for your channel. Y'all offer such helpful information. My husband and I are going full-time sometime next year and are searching for a Unity Twin Bed. We're actually going to tour one today in Ft. Worth, Texas. It's a 2020. I'm hoping to get your advice on negotiating price. My understanding is that LTV's aren't discounted much off of MSRP due to supply and demand but any information or advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Additionally, I have questions about boondocking with the Unity. My husband and I love to explore hiking trails and plan to stay in locations for several days at a time and hike that area, maybe even do some backpacking trips.I hike the entire Appalachian Trail in 2018 with my best friend and am forever changed – hence the big life change to fulltime RVing.  In your opinion, is the Unity a good option for the lifestyle I'm referring to? My concerns are with power and water storage capabilities. We are newbies to this whole Rving thing so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Additionally, are we crazy to buy new? We're hoping it would mean less repairs and better resale (if we decide to sell down the road) value. Thoughts?

Again, thank you so much for all the great work you and your wife put in to your YouTube channel, pod casts, emails, etc. I'm a subscriber and y'all have been so helpful…and entertaining. 🙂

Sincere thanks,
Stacey

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

The tiny home movement is sweeping the country.

But most tiny homes are used as permanent residences.

Not so with our guests this week – Robert and Julia of tinylivinglivinglarge.com, a very innovate couple who built an amazing tiny home that they plan to use as an RV. Be sure and watch the YouTube video version of this interview on our show notes page as we have lots of photos and video showing you what this tiny home looks like.

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   

By Tom and Patti Burkett

Across the USA, in cities and small towns, in churchyards and seemingly in the middle of nowhere, you can find shrines.  Some are a simple cross with plastic flowers by the road to mark the death of a loved one, some are built to honor heroes—military or otherwise—and some are inspired by deep religious faith.  In our experience, the latter seem to be the most elaborate, often the work of years or even a lifetime.  One such extraordinary tribute can be found in the town of Jasper, Indiana.

The Providence Home was established here by the Order of the Sons of Divine Providence, a religious order dedicated to helping the less fortunate, and for many years served the elderly population of the area.  Young Phillip Ottavi was living in Messina, Italy when an earthquake collapsed his home, killing his parents.  After becoming a priest, Ottavi realized that his feelings about stones, resulting from the tragedy in his mouth, were keeping him from honoring all of God’s creation, and set about building a grotto to heal that relationship.

He began his work on the site of an unused handball court at the Providence Home in 1954, using geodes, a rock form plentiful in southern Indiana.  These rock spheres, often filled with crystals, were a perfect medium for the gracious structure he intended to build.  The priest kept up his work for more than fifteen years, eventually creating a shrine that covered four city blocks.  Much of it has been overtaken by construction in the intervening years, but the striking central rock structure remains.

The Mother of God shrine and the St. Joseph shrine face each other across a paved a decorated courtyard.  The arching structures of the memorials are made up of thousands of geodes set in concrete.  Many of them are open, revealing the crystals inside, and on a sunny day they glitter like jewels.  Various smaller shrines dot the courtyard, and there are several marble statues that were commissioned and imported from Italy to complete the project.  Just recently, the Friends of the Grotto had made a new statue that had weathered to poor condition.

An interesting place to see, for its unique construction, it’s also a calming spot to sit for a while and contemplate the marvels that simple people are moved to build in response to deep beliefs.  We’ve encountered several such spaces.  Some are similar to this, like the Grotto of Redemption in West Bend.  Others, like Our Lady of La Leche in St, Augustine, include actual chapels, and some are truly grand, like the White Dove of The Desert, a mission cathedral in Tucson.

While you’re out here on the road, keep an eye open for spaces that someone has carved out for contemplation.  They often have a special feel to them and reward your quiet attention with a sense of calm and a renewed spirit.  And you might come across a fellow traveler or two, maybe even us, out here off the beaten path.

RV CALENDAR OF EVENTS

• November 14-17, West Palm Beach RV Show, South Florida Fairgrounds, West Palm Beach, FL
• November 15-17, Great American RV Show-Conyers, Georgia International Horse Park, Conyers, GA
• November 16-17, Sand, Water & RV Expo, Lake Havasu State Park, Lake Havasu, AZ

Comments are closed.