Every spring and fall, Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park is the scene of a massive sockeye salmon run that draws dozens of magnificent brown bears. Thanks to a network of webcams, the bears are watched around the clock by tens of thousands across the world. In our interview of the week, we talk to a ranger at Katmai and learn more about the bears and what it’s like being there.

Plus, lots of your questions, RV News, RV Tips and a fun off the beaten path report from the Burketts

[spp-player]

Show Notes for Episode #205 August 15, 2018 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast:

WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK

MIKE

Greetings from the hot and humid Emerald Coast of Florida’s panhandle. This episode finds us on Okaloosa Island, overlooking the beautiful turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Last week we were on a family campout at Silver Lake Michigan and had a ball exploring the awesome Lake Michigan sand dunes there. We’ll have a full video on that coming our tomorrow on our RV Lifestyle You Tube Channel.  But now we’re in Florida. We’re down here through the end of the month. Catching some down time, catching up on some video editing and catching as many of our grandson Matthew’s high school football games in southwestern Georgia, which is a couple hour drive from our condo here on the Gulf.

JENNIFER

That’s right, school has started in the south and even though the temperatures are often pushing nearly 100 degrees at this time of the year in Georgia, the Friday Night Lights are shining again. This Friday is Matthew’s first game and we’ll be driving over to cheer him on. We hope to get to three of his games before we have to head up to Northern Ontario for our Roadtreking gathering next month at the Algonquin Provincial Park.

MIKE

And then we hit the road for a the very busy fall season for RV shows. We’ll start out in Hershey, PA at what is billed as America’s largest RV show. We’ll be doing meet and greets at the Erwin Hymer/Roadtrek display on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 16. We’ll also be visiting the Rad Power Bikes ebike display at Hershey on Saturday afternoon. Then we’re off next to RV Capital of the World, which is Elkhart, Indiana, where we’ll be meeting and greeting at Elkhart RV Open House. Elkhart-based RV firms account for more than 80% of industry shipments. The Elkhart Open House draws most major manufacturers, thousands of dealers and by most estimates, for as much as $2 billion in wholesale sales. So you can bet we’ll be there! After that, we’ll be in Los Angeles, attending the huge California RV Show on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7. Look us up there you West Coasties… we’ll be hanging around the Roadtrek/Hymer display area and Mike Thompson RV.

JENNIFER

I love RV shows. They are places where you can see every make and model RV in one place, allowing you to see different floorplans, walk around and see how they will fit with your RV Lifestyle and, of course, get good deals and trade ins. I like them because of all the other Rvers we meet and get to hang out with, picking up different tips from them and learning about places we should visit. I can’t wait for the shows. They’re great opportunities for learning.

MIKE

One quick announcement. If you haven’t been to our RV Lifestyle Merch Store yet, be sure to check out the new T-shirt designs we have added. We have a great line of men’s and women’s apparel that celebrate serendipity travel, boondocking and our small house, big yard lifestyle. Head over to http://rvlifestyle.com/shop to see the designs.

OK…now on to the news...

RV News of the week

JENNIFER

First it was Yosemite, now it’s Glacier National Park shut because of wildfires

California’s Yosemite National Park remained partially closed for the third week because of wildfires. But now in Montana parts of Glacier National Park have been shut down because of out of control fires. Lightning started the fire on the north side of Lake Macdonald over the weekend and now the entire side of a mountain seems to be on fire. Several buildings have been destroyed and parts of the park are under mandatory evacuations as firefighters try to contain the fire. EDIT EDIT EDIT There are also major fires in Yellowstone National Park that haveclosed some trails and Yosemite remains partially closed as well.

MIKE

Man charged with harassing Yellowstone bison plead not guilty; held behind bars until trial

Remember that guy who was arrested for taunting a bison at Yellowstone National Park earlier this month?  Well, he plead not guilty last week to five various charges at Grand Teton and Yellowstone, the most famous one for harassing wildlife. The judge decided Raymond Reinke is a flight risk and will hold him behind bars until his bench trial Aug. 23. The video of him yelling at a bison earlier this month went viral, upsetting wildlife lovers from around the world.

JENNIFER

Three men face criminal charges for approaching bears at Alaska park; taking selfie

Speaking of people caught on video doing foolish things, did you hear about about the man who waded into the river at Brooks Falls at Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve to take a selfie in front of bears hunting fish? Apparently the man and two friends went into a restricted area and one was caught on the park's bearcam, a webcam that shows live footage 24/7 of the bears hunting salmon, watched by thousands from all around the world. Park rules prohibit people from getting close to the bears and one man was recorded on the bearcam wading into the water to take a selfie. Their actions endanger not just the humans but also the bears, park officials said in a statement. Be sure and stay tuned for our interview of the week with a ranger up at Katmai, coming up in just a few minutes.

MIKE

Class B RV wholesale shipments rise while others down from 2017

Class B Campervan sales continue to lead the RV industry, according to wholesale recreational vehicle shipment statistics released by the RV Industry Association.  As of June 2018,   Class B shipments were up 33.8 percent, while shipments for Class As were down 26.7 percent, Class Cs down 20.7 percent and all travel trailers down 8.5 percent.

JENNIFER

Minnesota Health officials continue to investigate parasite caused sickness at campground, 72 now sick

The Minnesota Department of Health says 72 people and counting became sick from a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea-related symptoms while staying at the Shades of Sherwood Campground in Zumbrota. A large number of those sick only swam in a man-made pond at the site, though some only swam in the swimming pool and others only in a river. The campground's owners closed the pond to swimmers and treated the swimming pool and health officials are continuing to ask visitors to contact them as they investigate.

This part of the program is brought to you by AllStays Pro, the best tool for RVers looking for places to camp, boondock or stay free overnight. Go to http://rvlifestyle.com/allstays for more info.

 JENNIFER'S RV TIP OF THE WEEK

Last week while we were camping with two of our three kids and their families, my daughter in law Aimee was asking me about our clothesline. She didn't bring one with her, and it made me realize that something we never camp without may be a new idea for others. So, I'd like to tell you all about our clothesline, and why we never leave home without it!

We use a 100 foot line made with cotton on the outside and a synthetic fiber on the inside. This is really important, we have found, because the cotton outside makes tying and untying knots easy, while the synthetic inside helps reduce line sag, which can become a problem with an all cotton rope.

We also make sure our rope is at least 100 feet long because we want to be sure it's long enough to reach between two trees, and that seems to be a sufficient length. We have found 200 feet is too much, and then the extra rope ends up being in the way.

So what do we hang from the rope? anything that is wet! We hang our towels and washcloths, dishtowels, bathing suits, beach towels. We found that hanging wet items outside in the sun really speeds up the drying process. But, even if the item is not completely dry, it is very important to bring it in at night because the morning dew can really set the drying process back a few hours. I learned that the hard way when I accidentally left my beach towel outside last week. When i went to pick it up in the morning it was more wet then than it was before I went to bed!

Another important details to to be sure to hang the rope high. If you hang it too low, you may accidentally run into it when you are walking around camp, and your towels may end up dragging against the ground.

You can find a clothes line everywhere - Walmart, grocery stores, hardware stores and of course Amazon. A good quality one tends to run around $20-$25. I found a quarter-inch, 100 foot, cotton outside synthetic inside rope on Amazon selling for $23. I will leave a link to it on the shownotes in case that is helpful.

And be sure to send me your tips and suggestions for the RV lifestyle. You can use the “Leave Voicemail” link at Roadtreking.com. Just click it and then use the built-in microphone on your computer or mobile devise to record a message to me. You can do it over as many times as you want, until you are satisfied. And then you just click a button and it comes right to my email inbox.

I love hearing from you!

Jennifer's tip of the week 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  To see our Rad Power Bikes in action, just click here. Visit WWW.RADPOWERBIKES.COM

RV QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

Tom is a fifth wheeler who wants to know if we will he having a Roadtreking gathering at Glacier National Park next year. The answer is….