RVs for MDs RVers are helping front line doctors and medical personnel fighting the COVID-19 pandemic by donating their RVs to those health care workers to give them a safe place to hang out without infecting their family. In our interview of the week you’ll learn about RV4MDs, an awesome Facebook group that is helping provide RVs for those health care workers. Show Notes for Episode #289 April 8, 2020 of The RV Podcast: WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK It's another week of being hunkered down for all of us. We have so much bad news it there that we want to remind everyone that this national crisis that so overshadows our lives right now will come to an end. We may not yet know when but we will be able to travel again and we choose to think of our many plans being delayed, not denied... postponed not canceled. We announced over the weekend that Bo, our Norwegian Elkhound, now has his own Instagram Page. You can follow his adventures @bothervelkhound on Instagram. Or go to his page directly at https://instagram.com/bothervelkhound. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram, too. We're sharing several times during the day and can be followed at https://instagram.com/rvlifestylemike. RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK Many current and 100 new hosts at Boondockers Welcome providing a place for full-timers, snowbirds, to stay One hundred new hosts joined Boondockers Welcome in March to help full-timers and snow birds find a safe place to stay. Many of the new and current hosts in the U.S. and Canada are also extending the amount of time campers can stay on their private property to help people hunker down during the pandemic. Boondockers Welcome is a web platform that lets members arrange overnight stays with hosts for typically one to five nights.  For more information check out our special link at rvlifestyle.com/boondockerswelcome. click here.  Tucson area sheriff deputies seeing a large increase in distress calls as more people hit the trails unprepared Everyone’s anxious to get outdoors for exercise during these days of social isolation but in Pima County near Tucson, emergency officials are seeing a huge spike in distress calls from hikers hitting the trails without taking basic safety measures. Search and Rescue deputies have answered 17 such calls in the last two weeks, a time frame in which they’d normally see half a dozen or so cases. That’s roughly a 100% increase in call volume, a strain on emergency responders. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says the increase may be due to more novice hikers venturing out at a time many are off work with limited recreation options during the COVID 19 pandemic. The best way to avoid trouble out there is to carry enough water, about one liter for each hour of hiking, bring along a fully charged cell phone. And be sure to let someone know where you’re going and when you expect to return. Bears are starting to wake from hibernation in Georgia, Maryland, elsewhere Across North America, bears are waking up, coming out of hibernation, and looking for food. BearWise is an education program developed by bear biologists from each of the 15 state wildlife agencies that make up the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The program, anchored by the website www.bearwise.org, offers lots of tips. And we urge you if you plan to get some outdoor exercise in bear country, that you check out their advice. Most states close campgrounds, numbers constantly changing Most states have now closed their campgrounds, as COVID-19 continues to spread across the continent. Most recently this week… Texas. The Governor has closed all Texas State Parks effective April 7th. Most ocean beaches across the country are closed. Fewer and fewer national parks are open. Instead of listing every state here that may be out of date when you see it, We want to again direct you to the folks at Campendium. They have compiled a list of what RV parks and services are open that provides a goo...