This week, we meet the Russos, Joe and Kait, a California couple in heir early thirties who quit their corporate jobs for a life of fulltime travel in an RV. We’ll hear their story, how it applies to you and the pros and cons of living in a van. Plus, lots of questions this week. Tech tips and a must-visit National Park that needs to be on your bucket list. Click the player below to Listen Now or scroll down through the show note details. When you see a time code hyperlink, you can click it to jump directly to that segment of the podcast. [spp-player] Show Notes for Episode #169 Dec. 6, 2017 of Roadtreking - The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK  [spp-timestamp time="1:43"] Mike and Jennifer We’re back home from Louisville and the big National RV Trade Show. We still have a couple of videos to do of interesting things we came across at the show. They’ll be up on our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube soon. We discussed two items in the news this week of strong interest to RVers: Canada will make admission for kids at National Parks free in 2018 Trump shrinks two National Monuments in Utah, drawing praise and criticism   This portion of the Podcast is brought to you by Campers Inn, the RVer’s trusted resource for over 50 years, the nation’s largest family-operated RV dealership with 19 locations and growing JENNIFER'S TIP OF THE WEEK Janine Pettit and Jennifer Wendland We met lots of interesting people at the RV Industry Trade Show last week in Louisville. One of our new friends is Janine Pettit, who has become an ambassador for what is called the Girl Camping Movement. Janine was a recent guest on Episode 165 and talked with Mike at length about solo women campers. But in Louisville, Janine and I got to talk about something that affects all of us. Unloading and cleaning our RVs after a trip. We recorded the conversation and you get to listen in at [spp-timestamp time="13:00 "] 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 LISTENER QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="18:18"] A listener named Darrell heard our podcast last week from Louisville where we talked about the lack of campground spaces caused by the booming RV sales. He raises a related and equally serious issue: The shameful state of disrepair that characterizes some campground. Listener Cheryl gave us some kind feedback about our recent video on our RV Lifestyle Channel on You Tube about our Top Ten Holiday Gift Suggestions for RVers. Carl from Pennsylvania is worried about fire safety and RV refrigerators David has a question about RVs and who does the repair on the various components of an RV Jean is a new RVer who want to know about using an RV bathroom in the winter after the RV has been winterized with antifreeze Sponsoring this part of the podcast is Van City RV  Bringing You the largest Inventory of class B’ RVs with locations St. Louis, Missouri; Las Vegas, Nevada; Kalispell, Montana and now… Colorado Springs, Colorado.. INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK [spp-timestamp time="36:05"] The Russos Joe and Kait Russo are travel writers and videographers who live, along with their dog Leo, full-time in a Class B RV - but it didn't used to be that way. For years the Russos, originally from California, worked in demanding jobs with a desire for adventure and travel but little vacation time to do it. In 2015 all that changed, when Joe and Kait dramatically downsized, quit their 9-to-5 jobs, and decided to hit the road in an RV.  Joe recently wrote a book about their decision called:  "Take Risks: One Couple's Journey to Quit Their Jobs and Hit the Open Road." RESOURCES The book: http://amzn.to/2jhOi46  Website: http://weretherussos.com YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/weretherussos The interview of the week is brought to you by SunshinestateRVs.com, where every new or used Roadtrek motorhome is delivered to the customer free, anywhere in the country TRAVELING TECH TIP [spp-timestamp time="54:23"] Steve Van Dinter By Steve Van Dinter Verizon Wireless I’m back this week with some more great gift ideas under $100. First up...home automation the easy way with the Wemo Mini Smart Plug. You can add wifi capabilities to anything that plugs in. This smart outlet connects to your home’s wifi network. Now, anything you plug in from your coffee pot to holiday lighting can be controlled via a smartphone app. And when paired with a Google Home or Mini, you can control via voice as well! Next...There’s no need to worry about running out of power when you’re packing the Kate Spade Slim Battery Bank. Its slim, sleek, design means it’ll fit in your purse or backpack with ease...not to mention it’s quite the attractive looking device. And with its built in lightning tip there are no connectors you have to worry about carrying around. Finally music to keep you going this holiday season courtesy of the Braven Stryde 360. Durability, sound quality and looks - this bluetooth speaker has it all. And its convenient size makes it easy to carry with you anywhere. It’s also dustproof, waterproof and shockproof so you don’t need to worry about the elements hurting it. And if a call comes in while using it, no need to pick up the phone. Thanks to built in noise-canceling microphones, you can have clear conversations even in a noisy environment. This part of the podcast is brought to you by Verizon, which operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 112 million retail connections nationwide. OFF THE BEATEN PATH REPORT -  Mesa Verde National park [spp-timestamp time="56:45"] The key attraction at Mesa Verde are the amazing archeological cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here between 600 to 1300 in structures built within caves and under outcroppings in cliffs. The ruins are the largest archaeological preserve in the United States, scattered across 81.4 square miles. The park was created  in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt and there are lots of spots to see them and even crawl through them. No one knows why the ancestral pueblo people settled here, in an arid and hot high desert. More mysteriously, no one knows why, after centuries of living here, they suddenly moved. But the sandstone dwellings are amazingly well preserved and the U.S. Forest Service does a great job The Morefield Campground at Mesa Verde National Park is nestled into a scenic canyon some four and a half miles off US 160 from the park entrance. With 267 sites, it seldom fills up. That's because all but 15 are for dry camping only and of the 15 with full hookups, none accomodate RVs over 45 feet in length. The Class A congestion that turns so many other campgrounds into “tinominium “complexes is refreshingly absent here. Each site has lots of space between its neighbors and native Gambel oaks, tall prairie grasses and wild flowers and make for a spectacular wooded canyon that abounds with wildlife. See photos and a review of the park at https://rvlifestyle.com/mesa-verde-national-park-great-for-boondocking/ This part of the podcast is sponsored by Steinbring Motorcoach, Roadtrek’s newest dealer and a third generation family business in Minnesota’s beautiful Chain of Lakes region built on quality motorhomes and excellent pricing and service. RV SHOWS THIS WEEKEND [spp-timestamp time="1:01:33"] 20th Annual Palm Springs Area RV Show & Sale Dec. 7-10 Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival Grounds Indo, CA Please Subscribe and Give Us a Rating and Review! Many listeners are asking how they can subscribe, review and rate the Roadtreking Podcast on iTunes. With a new podcast like this, those reviews and ratings are really important to be able to show well in the iTunes listings. So if you can, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave me your review. Here’s how: First, open up the iTunes app on your computer or mobile device. Click on Podcasts up on the top > From the iTunes Podcasts page, use the “Search Store” field up at the top right corner of the page. Type in Mike Wendland or Roadtreking RV Podcast. > Click on the logo image of the Roadtreking RV Podcast on the search return page > From there (see photo above), you can… 1) Subscribe 2) Choose and Click on a star (1-5) that reflects your rating. Five stars means you really like it, one star not so much. 3) Leave a written review. Thanks to all for the kind reviews we’ve received so far. That got us noticed by Apple/iTunes as “New and Noteworthy.” I appreciate every review! And remember, you can appear in future episodes. Ask a question or voice your comments about RV topics by clicking the Leave Voicemail tab on the right side of this page here at Roadtreking.com. You can then use the microphone on your computer to record your words.