Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America and the closet thing possible to being the "official" sport of RVing. In this episode of Roadtreking: The RV Podcast, we interview Rusty Howes of pickleballchannel.com, the premier media outlet of the entire sport. who explains how RVers have been largely responsible for driving the sport of Pickleball to its huge popularity/ But that's just part of a jam-packed peisode filled with RV news, Traveling Tech Tips, an Off-the-Beaten-Path Report and much more. [spp-player] Complete shownotes for Episode 67: Jennifer's Tip of the Week: Freeze-Dried SurvivalFoood makes for great and easy meals! In her tip of the Week, Jennifer shares a tip on how prepared, packaged freeze dried food - survival meals - are a very handy addition to an RV pantry, assuring quality food when its too late or too far to stock up at the supermarket. [spp-timestamp time="5:27"] We like the Mountain House brand a lot. They are very lightweight and very easy to store.  We use the :Just in Case" Bucket that [rovides two people with three meals a day for three days. Here's the link to Amazon - http://amzn.to/1V2yYDo Listener Question: Finding a folding mattress for the front of a Roadtrek We offer suggestions to a listener looking for an affordable folding bed that fits across the front seats of his Roadtrek. [spp-timestamp time="11:50"] Mike suggests he contact Maureen at Leisure Time RV at 800-336-6565 and also post his question on our Roadtreking Facebook Group at facebook.com/groups/roadtreking RV News of the Week The FAA is now registering drone owners [spp-timestamp time="18:10"] Effective December 21, 2015, anyone who owns a small unmanned aircraft of a certain weight must register with the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry before they fly outdoors. People who previously operated their UAS must register by February 19, 2016. People who do not register could face civil and criminal penalties. The National Parks Service is celebrating its Centennial in 2016. [spp-timestamp time="21:00"] One special event will be the National Parks On The Air promotion run all year by the National Parks Service and the American Radio Relay League that will see amateur radio operators going live from many national parks around the country. Mile will be activating Jan 1 from the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore. Traveling Tech Tip - Send your location via iPhone with turn by turn directions Don’t you just hate it when you are trying to describe your location to someone and you don’t know how to put it into words? Well, I can help you with a simple tip on your iPhone. [spp-timestamp time="24:40"] In an iMessage that has already been composed, click on details on the upper right hand corner and in blue you will see a button that says send my current location. Select it and your friend will get a map with a pin that gives them turn-by-turn directions to your location. RV Calendar - The RV Show Season is Starting! The RV show season begins in earnest next week. Here's a link to the full schedule - http://www.rvia.org/?esid=rvshows. [spp-timestamp time="28:40"] Off the Beaten Path - The Joys of Back Roads Listener Dave Campbell describes a great trip through the heartland far off the Interstates [spp-timestamp time="31:45"] Interview: Pickleball - the "official" sport of the RVer Our guest is Rusty Howes, the founder of Rumer Studios and Executive Producer and creator of Pickleball Channel. [spp-timestamp time="38:49"] Rusty worked for the likes of Warner Bros and DreamWorks before he launched his own production company, Rumer Studios in 2001. In a conversation with Mike he discusses the immense popularity of the sport, especially among RVers. Rusty explains how: RVers have been largely responsible for driving the sport of Pickleball to its huge popularity How anyone can play Why the sport is addicting for so many RVers How people are actively playing the sport well into their eighties and even nineties What you need to play Pickleball is a fun sport that combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s    2015 Participant Report, pickleball participation is 2.46 million. Pickleball facilities are located in all 50 states. Click Here for Places to Play. Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, WA. Three dads – Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum -whose kids were bored with their usual summertime activities are credited for creating game. Pickleball has evolved from original hand made equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the US and Canada. Listen to the interview and you'll see how much fun it is. This episode of Roadtreking the RV Podcast is brought to you by: Van City RV in St. Louis, and their Partner Dealerships Creston RV in Kalispell, Montana, and Wagon Trail RV in Las Vegas. Bringing You the largest Inventory of class B’s from three locations Alde… the only name to know when choosing a heating system for your RV Leisure Time RV, a family-owned dealership in central Florida. Your vacation starts at Leisure Time RV Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest and most reliable 4G LTE Networks