Our guests this week are Chris Dunphy and Cherie ve Ard from the Mobile Internet Resource Center, which is the best source I know of  unbiased mobile internet information for US based RVers and digital nomads who must have reliable Internet connections while on the road, whether for business, to keep in touch with friends and family or to stream they favorite movies.

Chris and Cherie will join us in our interview of the week segment coming up in just a few minutes.

Show Notes for Episode #244 May 29.1019 of The RV Podcast:
WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK
MIKE
We hope you all have recovered from Memorial Day, which always marks the unofficial start of summer. The reports we have seen indicated lots of people were out there in their RVs. Most of the popular camping locations, state parks and commercial campgrounds were filled. I know the weather was iffy across much of North America during the weekend but, hey even a bad day camping is better than most good days anywhere else.

JENNIFER
At least that’s what we tell ourselves. We’ve spent the past week working feverishly on a bunch of videos, the first of which will be coming out tomorrow, Thursday May 30, on our RV Lifestyle Channel on You Tube. It’s about the redundant Internet systems we have installed in our RV.  You’ll get a bit of an idea what we have when you listen to our experts on the interview of the week coming up but Mike will be detailing the installation and configuration of the systems we will be using in our RV this summer as well as before and after tests on how they improve connectivity.

MIKE
We set off on the first leg of our extended travel for the season next week that will have us traveling through Ontario, Quebec and down into New York State and the Adirondack Mountains for the next several weeks and I’m excited to see how our upgraded electrical system modifications will perform as we do a lot of boondocking. We replaced the lead acid batteries on our RV with two Battleborn lithium batteries, an upgraded 2,000 watt inverter, a new solar controller and a bluetooth system that gives me total control over everything from a tablet or my smartphone. I know many of you have been asking about that and we should have a video ready to go on that next week so stay tuned.
RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK
JENNIFER
Social media making some secret spots major tourist sites, providing new challenges for the parks service 
Boise State Public Radio had an interesting piece last week on the "Instagram Effect" on national and public owned land. As certain spots, such as Utah's Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park or Arizona's Horseshoe Bend have gone viral on social media, suddenly places just a few locals knew about are transformed into places where literally thousands arrive each day. These throngs are completely changing the feel of a location, and the article was an interesting look at how the parks service is trying to respond.
MIKE
Report shows national parks visitors contributed $40.1 billion to economy 
Speaking of national parks, the 2018 National Park Visitor Spending Effects study was recently released, showing the national sparks contributed $40.1 billion to the economy last year, supporting 329,000 jobs. The report analyzes spending on such things as lodging, restaurants, grocery store sales in towns near the national parks. It looks to me like a good report to use to get Congress to continue to invest in maintaining the country's national treasures.
JENNIFER
Many Oklahoma campgrounds closed because of flooding 
If you're planning to head to Oklahoma any time soon to camp, be sure to check whether your campground is open. Heavy rains in the area and bad storms has caused several popular stops to close. This is a trend we've seen in other states, ranging from Kansas to Minnesota this spring. Bottom line: Besure to check ahead.
MIKE
Heading to an Arizona state park? Pick up a free can of water 
Those deciding to visit one of the 32 Arizona state p...