With gas prices low and the National Parks Service celebrating it's 100th anniversary in 2016 with special events, there's never been a better time for RVers to visit a National Park. But what to see? In what order?

We talk about that a lot this week with Rob Bignell, author oa=f a new book called the Best Sights in America's National Parks. Rob offers some bucket list suggestions and shares his favorite sites, as well a suggested trip RVers should take this year.

That's just one of many interesting things in this week's podcast.

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Complete showotes for Episode 69 of Roadtreking: the RV Travel Podcast:

Sleeping in an RV Vs Sleeping in a Hotel Room

We begin with a discussion between Mike and Jennifer on their first excursion of the winter, an a lesson they learned about why sleeping in an RV is often much more preferable than staying in a hotel room.[spp-timestamp time="4:08"]

And we offer an invitation to join us for a Jan 23-25 winter campout at Tahquamenon Falls.[spp-timestamp time="5:50"]

Jennifer's Tip of the Week - Trekking Poles

Like all RVers, we love to explore. And the best way to explore as we travel around North America, is by hiking. And so one of our Christmas presents to each other this year was something that will make that hiking and exploring a little esier on our knees and joints – Trekking poles. [spp-timestamp time="6:54"]

Trekking poles, like ski poles, allow your arms to help propel you forward and upward. Whether walking on flat ground or up steep hills, poles can help to reduce the impact on your legs, knees, ankles, and feet. This is especially true when going downhill.

In fact, I came across a 1999 study in The Journal of Sports Medicine that found that trekking poles can reduce compressive force on the knees by up to 25 percent.

Besides that, trekking poles and the two extra two points of contact they provide significantly increases your traction on slippery surfaces like mud, snow, and loose rock.

I found a whole bunch of reasons why trekkling poles are such a good thing to have in a n article by a website called Outdoor Gear Lab. We’ll link to it in the shownotes so you can check them out yourself.

So, what poles to buy? They start at around $20. And they go up to over $200.

Like anything, you get what you pay for but we knew we wanted good ones. We visited our local REI store and tried out several. We checked out the grips. They come in rubber, cork and foam. Some were comfortable, some not so much. Some poles are for women, some for men. They come in three sections, or two. Some twist lock – not so good, we learned – others have secure locking tabs.

Some are aluminum. Some are carbon. Carbon is lighter and tougher and that’s what we eventually chose, paging about $125 for a set.

We will link to a whole bunch of them at Amazon for you to check out. But we do recommend you do what we did…. Go to an outdoor store and try them in your hands. That’s the best way to assure you’re getting a set that is comfortable.

We’ll also link in the shownotes page to a helpful guide we read from REI on how to choose the right set of hiking poles.

Questions and Answers

We take listener questions about:

Do we have an itinerary for our planned trip out west? [spp-timestamp time="10:07"]

What's our experience with Roadtrek's solar power and lithium ion batteries?[spp-timestamp time="14:20"]

What should you know about winter camping in an RV? [spp-timestamp time="18:58"]

RV News of the Week

Gas princes are likely to remain the same or drop even lower in 2016, says the AAA[spp-timestamp time="23:46"]

The "Python Challenge" hunt for giant snakes starts Jan. 16 at the Everglades National Park [spp-timestamp time="26:06"]

RV Calendar

There are lots and lots of RV shows this weekend. [spp-timestamp time="28:36"]Here's the full list - http://www.rvia.org/?esid=rvshows&all=1

Off The Beaten Path - Pioneer Village in Nebraska

Tom and Patti Burkett report on Pioneer Village in Nebraska.