January 31, 2025 • 31 mins
This podcast episode provides a comprehensive discourse on the multifaceted aspects of RV ownership, with a deliberate focus on preparation and maintenance. The speakers initiate the dialogue by stressing the importance of ensuring that gas appliances within the RV are in proper working order, particularly for those who may not have utilized their vehicles for some time. This maintenance is crucial not only for the convenience of the journey but also for the safety and reliability of the RV when on the road. The discussion serves as a poignant reminder of the significance of regular checks, emphasizing that neglecting to do so may lead to unexpected and potentially hazardous situations during travel.
The conversation transitions to the often-overlooked topic of laundry management while traveling in an RV. The speakers provide listeners with practical strategies for efficiently managing laundry needs, highlighting the necessity of planning ahead. They suggest that travelers should research the availability of laundromats or laundry facilities at RV parks prior to their journey, thereby alleviating the stress associated with maintaining cleanliness on the road. The speakers' insights into packing strategies that minimize laundry requirements further enhance the practicality of the discussion, offering a holistic approach to thriving in the RV lifestyle.
Lastly, the introduction of the Revive product line marks a significant point in the conversation, as the speakers express their enthusiasm for a solution that enables RV owners to refresh their interiors affordably and effectively. They articulate the innovative nature of this product, which allows for DIY renovations that can elevate the aesthetic value of older RV models. The speakers commend the product's ease of use and its potential to transform living spaces, thus ensuring that RV owners can enjoy a modern and inviting atmosphere during their travels.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
This is a great time to makesure your gas appliances are working
properly in your rv. So we'regoing to dig into that and staying
on the road and then enjoyingthe RV life. We're going to visit
the Laundromat and see how tomanage it efficiently when you're
out on the road traveling.Then the next stop, we're going to
go to Telluride, Colorado andsee what's happening there. Then,
(00:23):
in shadows of the past, thetowns that once were, we're going
to visit Silverton, Colorado,quite the hotspot. And then in RV
Envy, we're going to talkabout refreshing your RV interior
with a product called Revive.This is Eric Stark with the Smart
RVer podcast, your trustedsource for tips and insights to embrace
the RV lifestyle withoutworries. Let's talk everything RV
(00:45):
today is episode 169. Sowelcome to the show today, Alexis.
We're glad to have you back.
Thank you. I'm on coffee rightnow, so I'm happy.
All fired up on coffee. Righton. That makes me think about this
mug I got sitting here. That'sfrom Stromberg Carlson. Manhandled
that from the guy right at thebar. Poured out his way. I drank
(01:07):
his beer. Now I poured outhis. No. What did I do? I don't remember
now.
Punched him.
Just kidding. But cool mug.Stromberg Carlson makes jacks and
all that kind of cool stufffor your RV levelers. Anyway, that's
a nice little plug for them,but that just made me think about
it. The coffee.
Exactly.
So how come mine's empty?Yours? Well, yours is empty, too.
(01:27):
What kind of show we run inhere? All right, so don't really
have any rants today. Justgoing to get right into it. But I
do want to mention wholesalewarranties. So if you're looking
for an extended warranty foryour rv, check out wholesale warranties.
If you're buying a new rv, aused rv, private party, from a dealership,
either way, they can give youa warranty. And it's always going
(01:50):
to be less than what you payfor at a dealership. They got great
prices and. And it'stransparent. You know exactly what
you're getting or not gettingbefore you ever sign a contract.
And that's important becausethe guy in the FI department, the
dealership. Oh, it coversthat. It covers that. But that ain't
the case. They never coverwhat they say they're going to cover.
So check out wholesalewarranties. There's a link to it
(02:12):
in our description of thispodcast. That'll take you to a page
where you can get all theinformation you need. Now let's jump
into the washing machine atthe laundromat. And since Lexus,
you're the female here today,you're going to talk about this one.
Oh boy, what a way to startthis. I don't know. I don't want
to do it anymore.
(02:34):
So get in there, woman, and do it.
Okay, I'm walking off the set.No, we all have this issue. If we
do any sort of RV travelinglaundry, we want to be clean, you
know, especially if you have afamily, except if you have all these
children running around. Ijust let the little minions be dirty
(02:55):
and, and call it good. Let'stalk about planning your laundry
needs. So if you're taking ashort trip, okay, let's pack enough
clothes so we don't have to doany laundry. That would be ideal.
If you are taking longer tripsthough, this is where the planning
comes in and it's key somaking sure before time that either
(03:17):
the RV park has laundryfacilities on the actual park or
if there's laundromats in thearea, that's what you need to look
up. So we want you to beprepared. We want you to have what
you need when you travel. Sothis is why we're talking about it,
because it is important. Andnot all RVs have laundry on board.
Very few do. So we want totalk about this. We're not talking
(03:39):
about the fancy people withthe laundry on their rv, you know.
So another thing you can do isreduce laundry needs by packing things
you can wear more than once.We do a lot of shopping in our day
to day, especially when we'retraveling. So finding things we can
wear more than once is a goodthing to do. We can also plan for
(04:01):
emergencies by having stainremover, extra essentials, extra
underwear, you know, andlaundry bags are a good thing too,
so we don't have to air ourdirty laundry, as they say. So my
takeaways are plan this out,do your research before time, and
try to really condense your laundry.
(04:22):
All right, Just for therecord, I can't let this one go.
It's washer and dryer washingmachines in your rv, not laundry.
Come on. Is that what you sayin Australia or something?
Yeah.
All right. Somewhere else.
Your laundry in Kalispell in Jersey.
All right, so yeah, keepingyour clothes clean, not being all
(04:43):
stinky, smelly and nasty, youdon't have to do that. You can be
clean on the road. Almost mostRV parks have washer and dryers.
And if Not. Alexa said there'slaundromats nearby, so take advantage
of it. If your RV doesn't havea washer and dryer in it anyhow.
Washer and dryers you cansometimes add depending on your rv,
but it can be kind of acomplex thing depending on how your
(05:04):
RV is laid out.
Yeah.
And it might not be exactlywhere you want it or. Yeah. Or it
might be too pricey. Andthey're not the best anyways. They
don't. They work okay, butthey're not ideal. So a laundromat's
better. And besides that, whenyou open up the, like the lid at
the dryer or the washer, youmight find some change in the bottom.
Hey.
Or who knows, who knows whatelse? I'm not going to say.
(05:28):
Okay.
Might find anything there. Allright, so now let's get into money
saving tips. You have your rv.It sits around for much of the year.
You're not using it during thewintertime or during the summertime.
Maybe you just use it for acouple weeks. Everybody uses their
RV a little bit different. Soto actually make some money from
(05:49):
that, you can rent it out. Andthere are several platforms like
RV Share and Outdoorsy, whereyou can actually go and sign up and
rent your RV out. And thoseplatforms pretty much cover you as
the renter. Then the personrenting be the rentee. They work
pretty well. We have customersthat come into our store that use
that platform and they seem tomake money on it. And occasionally
(06:10):
they have a problem, but italways gets ironed out. So they don't
seem to get stuck holding thebag look like repairs and things
like that because you know,the rentee has to put a decent down
payment before they ever rentit. So it's going to be in your favor,
I guess you could say. Sothat's an option. It might not be
ideal. Look at your rv. Youmight not want to rent it out. You
(06:32):
might not want someone elsesleeping in your bed and using your
bathroom, all that good stuff.And that's how I am. You know, I'm
not renting my rv. Just youcan have it if it's that bad. That's
a money saving tip. Actually,it's a money saving tip. And it's
going to put some extra moneyin your pocket. Just do your research
before you do it and thinkabout if it's something you really
want to do and if, you know,somebody has experience, maybe check
(06:54):
with them and see how they canhelp you or what kind of guidance
they can give you so that'sour money saving tip. Now we're going
to get into staying on theroad. We're just going to move right
along here. It's been quitethe morning today, so this is an
interesting thing. One of myfriends recently called me. He's
in a panic. They had adisaster in their house, so they
(07:15):
had to move into their rv. Sohe's all, you know, freaking out.
We got to move in here.Nothing in my RV is working, you
know, nothing. He makes itsound like the entire RV just has
failed. Like you open up thedoor and it's just this black hole,
you know, all freaked out. Andthat's just kind of his personality
to be a little wound up. He'snot all calm and relaxed like me
(07:36):
all the time. So. So I get it.You know, he's. Something happens.
It was a plumbing deal,flooding, blah, blah, blah, you know,
no big deal, right? So. So hethinks that I can just like, I don't
know, fix his phone or fix hisRV over the phone without knowing
(07:57):
any information. His RVdoesn't work. So we calm him down.
Let's go through this. Let'swork through this. So his rv really,
it wasn't that the RV wasn'tworking. There were some problems
in the rv. So it's walkingthem through it, calming them down,
and really ended up being someappliances that were the major culprits
(08:18):
that were kind of important.And that's why we're bringing up
this, making sure your gasappliances work. This is a great
time to check it out. What'sinteresting too is he hasn't used
his RV for a couple years. Andin that case, you know, it's sitting,
nothing's getting used. Andthat's really bad because things
seem to fail even worse whenyou don't use it for a while. And
(08:40):
then when you do start doingit, it's one surprise after another.
So for him, I got him to plugit in to the, to the house to shore
power so he could at least getsome power in there. And he turns
on the lights and so forth.His batteries are probably junk,
but by plugging it in, it nowit's working off the converter. So
you have 12 volts in there.And that's probably another reason
(09:02):
why he said nothing's workingin my rv because his batteries were
dead. So his batteriesprobably need replaced and he can
afford to do that. But moreimportantly, it's just getting the
thing working for him. So heplugs it in. Okay, calms down a little
bit, his heart rate drops andnow he has to start checking things.
So I just told him to hook upto the water and turn it on slowly,
(09:24):
have someone inside turn itabout halfway and see if you have
any leaks. Walk around with aflashlight, check your cabinets,
all that good stuff. So hedoes that. There's no leaks. Alright,
turn the water on, open up allyour faucets, get all the air out,
then you're good to go thatway. And then maybe in a day or two,
check for leaks again just tomake sure. Because water can be kind
of a funny little thing,especially in an RV that's been sitting.
(09:45):
The seals can dry out and theyget wet now. Yeah, it could cause
a leak. So anyway, he doesthat, everything's groovy, and now
he's going to start working onthe other stuff. So now we have the
refrigerator, get going. Thewater heater and the furnace. Those
are his three gas appliances.So the refrigerator he turns on.
(10:08):
And I told him just turn it onand let it sit for 24 hours. Don't
open up the door. So he callsme back after about three hours,
my refrigerator is notworking. He's all freaked out and
panicked and. Okay, what doyou mean it's not working? Did the
light come on? Yeah, thelights inside is on? Yeah. Lights
outside on the display are on?Yeah, everything's on. How many times
have you opened it in the lastthree hours? Oh, about 50. I keep
(10:29):
checking it. I want to makesure it's working. So that's his
downfall there. He keepsopening up the door, lets out the
cold air, warm air goes in andit's just neutralizing the refrigerator
at this point. Just leave itrunning for 24 hours. Do not open
the door. Okay. So the nextday, 24 hours go by, everything's
(10:50):
good. He didn't wait 24 hours.He couldn't. But it was working,
so everything's fine. So thatone was easy for him. Now, I did
tell him that he needs to blowout the burner tube on it and maybe
clean the electrode becauseit's been sitting so long. It'll
be more efficient, actuallystop a future problem if there's
a cobweb or something in theburner that can stop the flame from
(11:13):
working properly and not heatup. So he'll do that once he gets
everything a little moresettled in. So that's the point.
There is. You have to cleanout your refrigerator, make sure
the burner and the electrodeare clean. Easy to do with compressed
air and a little wire brush.You might need a screwdriver. Or
nut driver to take off a coverand such, but it's still pretty easy
to do. So that's going to getyou past the refrigerator. And what's
(11:37):
important too is hisrefrigerator sat for two years approximately.
He had no idea if it was goingto work. So he has to have a refrigerator.
So making sure yourrefrigerator works from time to time
is worthwhile. Even if you'renot going to use your rv, you know
that everything's working. Ifmaybe you decide to sell it all of
a sudden and all of a suddenyou got all these repairs you got
(11:58):
to do, it might seemoverwhelming. So staying on top of
that, or an emergency comes uplike this, or something worse, where
you're gonna be in your RV forweeks or months because of a natural
disaster, fires, hurricanes,and you know, we talked about that
in a previous episode. Beingprepared. Now the next thing we brought
him to was the furnace. AndI'm thinking, okay, the furnace,
(12:21):
hopefully it'll start up, noissues, because he'll never be able
to do anything with the furnace.
Great.
So fortunately, the furnacewasn't too difficult. He turned the
thermostat on, nothinghappens. So for him, the easiest
thing that I could tell him todo is just take the thermostat wires
off the thermostat, tie themtogether because it was a heat only
(12:42):
thermostat. So that made itsimple, and see if the furnace comes
on. And that's exactly whathappened. Tied the wires together,
the furnace came on, and awayhe goes. He's got or, yeah, he's
got heat. So he had to go buya heat only thermostat from his local
RV store, which he did. He'sable to hook up that problem solved.
But again, it's checking thefurnace and blowing it out, making
(13:05):
sure everything's good. Andsometimes furnaces can be a pain.
Depending on what model youhave, if you can access it from the
outside of the RV, or if youhave to take it out of the RV to
access the circuit board andthe blower wheel and all that, that
makes it a little harder toclean them out and test them and
do whatever. So keep that inmind. You might have to pull your
furnace out, but taking afurnace out really isn't that big
(13:26):
of a deal. You know, you canget out pretty quick, put it back
in, no problem. It shouldn'tbe a major ordeal. You're talking
a couple screws of propaneline, some wires, not much there.
Just mark your wires, take apicture of them, and you got it.
The ducting. So he gets thatgoing. All right, so now we got two
appliances out of the way, therefrigerator, the furnace. So now
he's really breathing easy.Life is good. So now he's got to
(13:49):
go to the water heater. Sohe's got water in the rv. And which
I want to emphasize this too,that if it's wintertime and your
RV's winterized, you're notgoing to want to mess with the water
heater other than just testingit for a moment on gas, not electric.
So never turn a water heateron electric when it doesn't have
(14:09):
water in it. You can do gasfor a second, but do not do electric.
It'll burn up that elementpretty quick. So now we're down to
the water heater. I told himbefore you even started up, just
clean out the burner tube.It's really easy. It's right there
in front of you. Doesn'tmatter if it's an Atwood or a Suburban.
So he did that. He said theelectrode was clean. So he blew it
out with air, which hehappened to have, which is amazing,
(14:32):
absolutely amazing. So hestarts up the water heater and it
worked. So it actually cycled,made hot water. Everything was good.
So he really got off prettyeasy on this, you know, pretty basic
stuff. The point is he, youknow, this is like a two day process
because he waited, he panickedand all these things now it seems
(14:54):
overwhelming. Then he's tryingto get out of his house. So it makes
it even harder to do. Thinkingabout that and keeping that in mind,
you don't want to be aknucklehead like him. You want to
be ready. So during thewintertime is a great time to check
some of these things. Now alsothe refrigerator, if you're like
in 10 degree weather, 0 degreeweather, your refrigerator might
(15:16):
not work because the ammoniain there will gel up. I don't even
mess with my refrigerator andthose types of temperatures because
I do check things from time totime just to make sure. But like
right now, Montana, it's waytoo cold. We've been having these,
you know, below 10 degreesnights, 10 degree days. We get phone
call after phone call.Refrigerator's not working. And it's
because the ammonia gels up.It's kind of a normal thing. It's
(15:38):
a hassle. So you have to keepthe back of the cooling unit warm,
which, that's a whole otherdiscussion. But you know, you get
clever that way. So there'ssome things you do need to know before
you start messing with yourappliances or wait Till it's a little
bit warmer, you know, anothermonth or so we're in. What month
are we in? January. IntoJanuary. So February is tomorrow,
(15:59):
right? Mm. All right.
It is cool.
So I'm finally. I know a date.All right, so, yeah, February 1st
tomorrow. So what does thatmean? Anything?
No, nothing.
All right. The world's stillgoing on tomorrow, February 1st.
Nice. Nice touch. Thetakeaways are keeping your RV functioning
even when you're not using it.You don't have to be out there every
(16:22):
month unless you want to be,but at least every 3, 4 months, 6
months at the latest. Checkyour RV and don't let it sit and
just rot away. You know, youhave that investment and you. Maybe
you've had it for years, butif it's going to sit and you're never
going to use it, just geteverything working and get rid of
it. Don't keep it and don'tbuy another one if you're not going
(16:44):
to use it. And if you're goingto use it, make sure you keep things
working all the time. So youcan just get in that RV and be ready
to go, no matter what thereason is, whether it's for a vacation
or an emergency. So beingprepared is very important. So that's
our staying on the road today.And this, these audio podcasts we're
(17:06):
now putting on YouTube, whichwe have for a while, but now we're
doing them with a video fullon video. So check that out as well
if you want to watch it orjust listen to it on YouTube, you
can do it either way. So it'sthere. It's for the taking, free
for the taking. How's that?Now we're going to visit Telluride,
Colorado. In our next stop.Alexis is all ready to talk about
(17:29):
Telluride and what did shecall the people in. Oh, that last
episode? The laundry thing.The fancy people.
The fancy people, yes.
So tell your eyes kind ofwhere the fancy people go sometimes.
Right? All of these people have.
So tell us about the fancypeople, Alexis.
Yes. The washer and dryer inthe RV people. No. Okay, in this
(17:53):
week's Next Stop, I'm soexcited we're visiting Telluride.
So this place is nestled inthe stunning box canyon in Colorado,
San Juan Mountains, a historicmining town turned world class destination.
Anybody who's anyone is comingthere. It shares a deep historical
(18:14):
and cultural ties with nearbySilverton, which we're going to talk
about later. It's connected byscenic routes like the Alpine loop
and the adventurous ViaFerrata Trails. The town is renowned
for its well preservedVictorian architecture and vibrant
festivals such as theTelluride Film and bluegrass festivals.
(18:37):
So Telluride's film andbluegrass festivals offer an unbeatable
combination of art, music andstunning mountain scenery. It's beautiful
there. The the film festivalbrings top notch indie cinema as
well as the industry icons. Soif you do go to that, you'll probably
see a Hollywood star. Thebluegrass festival delivers legendary
(19:02):
performances in breathtakingoutdoor settings with a vibrant,
laid back community vibe andlots of outdoor activities, some
including skiing. If you wantthat, you go to the Telluride ski
resort and golf course. It's aperfect place for skiing and snowboarding.
There's hiking trails allaround, which I recommend. Getting
(19:22):
all trails. It's an app. Itshows you everywhere you can go.
If you're visiting a differentstate, it's a wonderful source for
all your travels. There'smountain biking and you can use that
same app. It'll tell you whereyou can mountain bike. A lot of visitors
come there for the foodbecause there are a lot of good places
to eat such as the butcher andthe baker, which I love that name.
(19:43):
I think it's so cute. Theymake incredible coffee and breakfast
foods. Or you can head overand have a fine dining experience
at Allreds where they makepotent cocktails and incredible bison
steaks. Also some nearbyattractions is the Imogene Pass.
This is the highest pass inthe San Juan mountain range, so if
(20:05):
you're a novice driver, do notattempt this. Box Canyon Falls are
also there. They're 500 foottall falls and they are a must see.
There's also the Mesa VerdeNational Park. That's real close.
It's known for its Cliffpalace, which, if you Google it,
super cool. And the ChapinMesa Archaeological museums that
(20:27):
hold Native American exhibits.So history lovers will truly cherish
this place. So my takeawayfrom this is with its rich heritage
and captivating beauty,Telluride promises an unforgettable
mountain getaway.
Wow. I'm sold.
All right, I'm ready to go.I'm glad. Me too.
(20:49):
Now, I've been there and I'mnot a fancy person.
Oh, they let me in.
So let anybody in there.
So you don't have a washer anddryer in your camper?
No, I don't. But I got a wifethough, who does my laundry.
Oh, my goodness. Poor Karen.
So you had me at breakfastfood. I was thinking Leslie. Nope.
And Ron Swanson.
Yep. Breakfast foods. Allthere is bacon.
(21:12):
All right. So amazinglyenough, you mentioned Silverton,
Colorado, and that's oursubject for shadows of the past,
the towns that once were. Andeven more interesting, I have a little
script here, I guess.
Here we go.
I'm gonna read aboutSilverton, Colorado. Had to think
where I was at. Okay, so wheneverybody's ready, put your stuff
(21:35):
down. Everybody pay attention.Turn off everything around you. Washer,
dryer, if you're a fancyperson. All right, so here we go.
Tucked into the rugged SanJuan Mountains of southwestern Colorado
lies a town frozen in time,Silverton. A picturesque former mining
(21:55):
hub, Silverton beckonstravelers with its history, scenic
beauty and endlessopportunities for adventure. Let
me take you on a journeythrough this remarkable place. Founded
in 1874 during Colorado'ssilver boom, Silverton earned its
name from the precious metalsfound in its hills. Imagining the
(22:17):
bust streets of yesteryearfilled with prospectors, saloons,
and the clink of silver coinschanging hands. Today, its charm
is preserved in the vibrantVictorian era buildings that line
the green street. Step intodowntown Silverton, a National Historic
landmark, where time seems tostand still. The Grand Imperial Hotel
(22:42):
rises majestically, itscolorful facade a reminder of the
town's heyday. Wander into theSan Juan County Historical Society
Museum, where mining artifactsand exhibits tell the story of the
town's industrious past. Thisis where history comes alive. You
can almost hear the laughterof miners celebrating their day's
(23:05):
hall or the chatter oftownspeople gathered in the general
store. Perhaps the most iconicattraction is the Durango and Silverton
Narrow Gauge Railroad. Boardthe historic train and let it whisk
you through the San JuanMountains. Where rivers carve deep
gorges, forests stretchendlessly, and the views are nothing
(23:25):
short of breathtaking. As youstep on the train, take a deep breath
of that crisp mountain air.It's a journey you'll never forget.
For those seeking adventure,Silverton is an outdoor enthusiast's
paradise. Hike the trails ofIce Lake Basin, where turquoise alpine
lakes shimmer beneath a canopyof wildflowers. Or venture along
(23:49):
the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway,a thrilling off road route through
some of Colorado's most remotelandscapes. In the winter months,
Silverton transformed into awonderland of backcountry skiing,
snowmobiling and snowshoeing.This snow covered peaks provides
(24:09):
the perfect backdrop for anywinter adventure. A short drive from
Silverton takes you to AnimasForks, one of the many great towns
that dot the region. Theserelics of the past offer a hauntingly
beautiful glimpse into thelives of miners who once called this
place home. Silverton is alsoa town of celebration. From the Iron
(24:34):
Horse Bicycle Classic, wherecyclists race the historic train,
to the Hard Rock 100 UltraMarathon through grueling mountain
terrain, there's alwayssomething happening here. Just beyond
Silverton lies the famousMillion Dollar Highway, a breathtaking
drive that takes you throughthe charming town of Ouray. Or head
to Mesa Verde National Park, aUNESCO World Heritage site, to explore
(24:59):
ancient Pueblo cliffdwellings. And don't forget nearby
Telluride, a town known forits festivals and outdoor activities.
As the sun sets beyond the SanJuan Mountain, Silverton reveals
its most magical sight. Thestars come alive in the clear night
sky and the echoes of historyseem to whisper through the crisp
(25:20):
mountain air. Whether you'rehere for the history, the adventure,
or simply the beauty of theRockies, Silverton is a place that
will leave a lastingimpression. Pack your bags and set
out on a journey to thishidden gem. Silverton, Colorado,
is waiting to welcome you. Sothere we have it. That was a mouthful.
It was indeed.
(25:42):
Lots of words, so we certainlygot to edit that one quite a bit.
For those that aren't here andlistening to that mess.
No, it was good.
All right, so that was good.So Silverton's pretty cool. And,
you know, Ansel Adams, a knownphotographer, has taken quite a bit
of photos there. I've actuallybeen to one place and copied his
picture. Same exact picture,except in modern times.
(26:03):
I think you showed me that.
So Silverton has a ton tooffer next to Telluride. Telluride
could be your hub if youwanted to do your day trips and make
Silver one of them. Alright,so very interesting. So we've covered
some ground here. We've goneto Telluride, Silverton, We've talked
about washing your clothestoday. All right, so now we're getting
into refreshing the interiorof your rv.
(26:25):
Exciting.
Now, the Revive product lineis made by a company called Genesis.
And what Genesis does is theymake all the wallboard and ceiling
panels for RVs, cabinets, thedoors. So basically, your RV interior,
if it's newer, was probablymade by Genesis. The panels, the
ceiling, the cupboards, as Isaid. So what they've done is they've
(26:50):
taken those products that theyline on to the. To the paneling,
the veneer, if you will. Andthey've made that available to the
public now. And the trick isthe adhesive that they use, that's
what makes it stick and it'sgoing to last. And so what they've
done is they, they've taken aproduct a do it yourselfer can do,
so you can actually refinishthe interior of your rv. And there's
(27:13):
going to be a video in thisdescription or a link to a video.
So you can see this firsthandbefore and after picture. This stuff
is amazing. It's. I don'tknow. Well, actually, they've won
product of the year awardswith several distributors because
this product is so good. Oractually, last year they did. They
haven't been around that long,or Genesis has, but the revive line
(27:35):
hasn't. So this year they'reprobably going to win it again because
it's such a cool product. Soit can take your 1993 trailer and
turn it into a 20, 25 trailer.The cabinets, and let's say your
cabinets have doors on them.They're pretty intricate. And you
don't want to redo themyourselves too, because you'd wrap
(27:56):
it with this material, thislaminate. They'll actually make new
cabinet doors. Then they sendyou the matching laminate to do the
face and the sides of thecabinets so it'll look brand new.
Love it.
You could actually take thatstuff and use it on a dresser or
something in your house.
Oh, sure.
You could use that feeling. Ifyou wanted something to match your
(28:17):
rv, you could do that. TheRevive line is very cool. It's. I'm
not going to say it'sexpensive. I forget what rolls sell
for. But when you think abouta roll, it's either 50ft or 100ft,
how much it covers. It's notall that bad. But it's certainly
a lot cheaper than buying newpanels, if you can even find them.
(28:39):
And the problem with, youknow, These panels, they're 4ft by
8ft. And let's say you findsome. You like. Like we have a supplier
in Washington where we can getthem, but, you know, just to create
them up, let's say you want 10of them. It doesn't matter if it's
two or 10. The crating isgoing to be two or $300. Just put
them in a box to ship them sothey don't get destroyed. And then
(29:00):
when they ship, more thanlikely you're going to have a panel
or two or three. They're goingto be a little damaged. Maybe you
can use it, maybe you can't.Yeah, and you're also going to pay,
you know, four or five hundreddollars for shipping, depending on
where you're at. So it can bethe freight alone. Shipping these
can actually pay for thematerial, depending on how much you're
doing.
Exactly.
(29:20):
So it's really worth it. Imean, this is one of the Products
I'm actually excited about. Imean, everything else to me is just,
you know, weight distributinghitch. Weight distributing hitch.
You know, you got some for1200, you got some for 500. You know,
they're all black and theykind of do the same thing. You know,
some people might argue withme on that, but, you know, a chrome
ball is a chrome ball. Thingsdon't change much. But this product
(29:40):
is totally cool.
Yeah.
In fact, we're going to havethem on one of the episodes coming
up as an interview. We'regoing to start doing more interviews.
It's always been kind of asolo show or a co host show, but
we're going to add someinterviews now. Get more of the industry
experts in here. I know whatyou're thinking, Eric. You're the
industry expert. Who else isthere? Well, there's some other people
(30:00):
that you know out loud. Our circle.
Okay. Okay.
Just, you know, for the fun ofit. So the factory guys know. I mean,
they know the installationtrick, so they can really help out.
And most of these companies wetalk about, too, you can actually
call them and talk to them,which is very important. All right,
so that's the revive productline. Find a link for it in our description
and that'll take you to moreinformation and a video so you can
(30:24):
become the revive expert. Andthen on their website, they have
dealers in your area that sellit, so you can go there to get it.
And I would probably buy itlocally. I don't know if I'd have
this stuff shipped so youdon't have to worry about it getting
damaged. You know, one morething, because things happen. It
just becomes a hassle. Allright, so that brings us to the end
of the show. So go to thesmart river podcast. Everything we
(30:47):
talked about today will bethere in episode number 169. Almost
at 170. 169. And you'll be thesmart RVer. Well, the smarter. The
smarter, smart RV. Yeah,you'll be smarter. You're already
the smarter RV, so you just bethe smarter RV. All right, so we
had a great show today. Thankyou, Alexis, for jumping in there
(31:10):
with your Telluride and thehorse and the fancy people who go
there and then the laundromatpeople as well. Very nice. All right,
so this is Eric Stark with thesmart rver podcast, your go to guide
for smarter RVing andunforgettable adventures on the open
road. Thank you for listening today.
This is a great time to makesure your gas appliances are working
properly in your rv. So we'regoing to dig into that and staying
on the road and then enjoyingthe RV life. We're going to visit
the Laundromat and see how tomanage it efficiently when you're
out on the road traveling.Then the next stop, we're going to
go to Telluride, Colorado andsee what's happening there. Then,
(00:23):
in shadows of the past, thetowns that once were, we're going
to visit Silverton, Colorado,quite the hotspot. And then in RV
Envy, we're going to talkabout refreshing your RV interior
with a product called Revive.This is Eric Stark with the Smart
RVer podcast, your trustedsource for tips and insights to embrace
the RV lifestyle withoutworries. Let's talk everything RV
(00:45):
today is episode 169. Sowelcome to the show today, Alexis.
We're glad to have you back.
Thank you. I'm on coffee rightnow, so I'm happy.
All fired up on coffee. Righton. That makes me think about this
mug I got sitting here. That'sfrom Stromberg Carlson. Manhandled
that from the guy right at thebar. Poured out his way. I drank
(01:07):
his beer. Now I poured outhis. No. What did I do? I don't remember
now.
Punched him.
Just kidding. But cool mug.Stromberg Carlson makes jacks and
all that kind of cool stufffor your RV levelers. Anyway, that's
a nice little plug for them,but that just made me think about
it. The coffee.
Exactly.
So how come mine's empty?Yours? Well, yours is empty, too.
(01:27):
What kind of show we run inhere? All right, so don't really
have any rants today. Justgoing to get right into it. But I
do want to mention wholesalewarranties. So if you're looking
for an extended warranty foryour rv, check out wholesale warranties.
If you're buying a new rv, aused rv, private party, from a dealership,
either way, they can give youa warranty. And it's always going
(01:50):
to be less than what you payfor at a dealership. They got great
prices and. And it'stransparent. You know exactly what
you're getting or not gettingbefore you ever sign a contract.
And that's important becausethe guy in the FI department, the
dealership. Oh, it coversthat. It covers that. But that ain't
the case. They never coverwhat they say they're going to cover.
So check out wholesalewarranties. There's a link to it
(02:12):
in our description of thispodcast. That'll take you to a page
where you can get all theinformation you need. Now let's jump
into the washing machine atthe laundromat. And since Lexus,
you're the female here today,you're going to talk about this one.
Oh boy, what a way to startthis. I don't know. I don't want
to do it anymore.
(02:34):
So get in there, woman, and do it.
Okay, I'm walking off the set.No, we all have this issue. If we
do any sort of RV travelinglaundry, we want to be clean, you
know, especially if you have afamily, except if you have all these
children running around. Ijust let the little minions be dirty
(02:55):
and, and call it good. Let'stalk about planning your laundry
needs. So if you're taking ashort trip, okay, let's pack enough
clothes so we don't have to doany laundry. That would be ideal.
If you are taking longer tripsthough, this is where the planning
comes in and it's key somaking sure before time that either
(03:17):
the RV park has laundryfacilities on the actual park or
if there's laundromats in thearea, that's what you need to look
up. So we want you to beprepared. We want you to have what
you need when you travel. Sothis is why we're talking about it,
because it is important. Andnot all RVs have laundry on board.
Very few do. So we want totalk about this. We're not talking
(03:39):
about the fancy people withthe laundry on their rv, you know.
So another thing you can do isreduce laundry needs by packing things
you can wear more than once.We do a lot of shopping in our day
to day, especially when we'retraveling. So finding things we can
wear more than once is a goodthing to do. We can also plan for
(04:01):
emergencies by having stainremover, extra essentials, extra
underwear, you know, andlaundry bags are a good thing too,
so we don't have to air ourdirty laundry, as they say. So my
takeaways are plan this out,do your research before time, and
try to really condense your laundry.
(04:22):
All right, Just for therecord, I can't let this one go.
It's washer and dryer washingmachines in your rv, not laundry.
Come on. Is that what you sayin Australia or something?
Yeah.
All right. Somewhere else.
Your laundry in Kalispell in Jersey.
All right, so yeah, keepingyour clothes clean, not being all
(04:43):
stinky, smelly and nasty, youdon't have to do that. You can be
clean on the road. Almost mostRV parks have washer and dryers.
And if Not. Alexa said there'slaundromats nearby, so take advantage
of it. If your RV doesn't havea washer and dryer in it anyhow.
Washer and dryers you cansometimes add depending on your rv,
but it can be kind of acomplex thing depending on how your
(05:04):
RV is laid out.
Yeah.
And it might not be exactlywhere you want it or. Yeah. Or it
might be too pricey. Andthey're not the best anyways. They
don't. They work okay, butthey're not ideal. So a laundromat's
better. And besides that, whenyou open up the, like the lid at
the dryer or the washer, youmight find some change in the bottom.
Hey.
Or who knows, who knows whatelse? I'm not going to say.
(05:28):
Okay.
Might find anything there. Allright, so now let's get into money
saving tips. You have your rv.It sits around for much of the year.
You're not using it during thewintertime or during the summertime.
Maybe you just use it for acouple weeks. Everybody uses their
RV a little bit different. Soto actually make some money from
(05:49):
that, you can rent it out. Andthere are several platforms like
RV Share and Outdoorsy, whereyou can actually go and sign up and
rent your RV out. And thoseplatforms pretty much cover you as
the renter. Then the personrenting be the rentee. They work
pretty well. We have customersthat come into our store that use
that platform and they seem tomake money on it. And occasionally
(06:10):
they have a problem, but italways gets ironed out. So they don't
seem to get stuck holding thebag look like repairs and things
like that because you know,the rentee has to put a decent down
payment before they ever rentit. So it's going to be in your favor,
I guess you could say. Sothat's an option. It might not be
ideal. Look at your rv. Youmight not want to rent it out. You
(06:32):
might not want someone elsesleeping in your bed and using your
bathroom, all that good stuff.And that's how I am. You know, I'm
not renting my rv. Just youcan have it if it's that bad. That's
a money saving tip. Actually,it's a money saving tip. And it's
going to put some extra moneyin your pocket. Just do your research
before you do it and thinkabout if it's something you really
want to do and if, you know,somebody has experience, maybe check
(06:54):
with them and see how they canhelp you or what kind of guidance
they can give you so that'sour money saving tip. Now we're going
to get into staying on theroad. We're just going to move right
along here. It's been quitethe morning today, so this is an
interesting thing. One of myfriends recently called me. He's
in a panic. They had adisaster in their house, so they
(07:15):
had to move into their rv. Sohe's all, you know, freaking out.
We got to move in here.Nothing in my RV is working, you
know, nothing. He makes itsound like the entire RV just has
failed. Like you open up thedoor and it's just this black hole,
you know, all freaked out. Andthat's just kind of his personality
to be a little wound up. He'snot all calm and relaxed like me
(07:36):
all the time. So. So I get it.You know, he's. Something happens.
It was a plumbing deal,flooding, blah, blah, blah, you know,
no big deal, right? So. So hethinks that I can just like, I don't
know, fix his phone or fix hisRV over the phone without knowing
(07:57):
any information. His RVdoesn't work. So we calm him down.
Let's go through this. Let'swork through this. So his rv really,
it wasn't that the RV wasn'tworking. There were some problems
in the rv. So it's walkingthem through it, calming them down,
and really ended up being someappliances that were the major culprits
(08:18):
that were kind of important.And that's why we're bringing up
this, making sure your gasappliances work. This is a great
time to check it out. What'sinteresting too is he hasn't used
his RV for a couple years. Andin that case, you know, it's sitting,
nothing's getting used. Andthat's really bad because things
seem to fail even worse whenyou don't use it for a while. And
(08:40):
then when you do start doingit, it's one surprise after another.
So for him, I got him to plugit in to the, to the house to shore
power so he could at least getsome power in there. And he turns
on the lights and so forth.His batteries are probably junk,
but by plugging it in, it nowit's working off the converter. So
you have 12 volts in there.And that's probably another reason
(09:02):
why he said nothing's workingin my rv because his batteries were
dead. So his batteriesprobably need replaced and he can
afford to do that. But moreimportantly, it's just getting the
thing working for him. So heplugs it in. Okay, calms down a little
bit, his heart rate drops andnow he has to start checking things.
So I just told him to hook upto the water and turn it on slowly,
(09:24):
have someone inside turn itabout halfway and see if you have
any leaks. Walk around with aflashlight, check your cabinets,
all that good stuff. So hedoes that. There's no leaks. Alright,
turn the water on, open up allyour faucets, get all the air out,
then you're good to go thatway. And then maybe in a day or two,
check for leaks again just tomake sure. Because water can be kind
of a funny little thing,especially in an RV that's been sitting.
(09:45):
The seals can dry out and theyget wet now. Yeah, it could cause
a leak. So anyway, he doesthat, everything's groovy, and now
he's going to start working onthe other stuff. So now we have the
refrigerator, get going. Thewater heater and the furnace. Those
are his three gas appliances.So the refrigerator he turns on.
(10:08):
And I told him just turn it onand let it sit for 24 hours. Don't
open up the door. So he callsme back after about three hours,
my refrigerator is notworking. He's all freaked out and
panicked and. Okay, what doyou mean it's not working? Did the
light come on? Yeah, thelights inside is on? Yeah. Lights
outside on the display are on?Yeah, everything's on. How many times
have you opened it in the lastthree hours? Oh, about 50. I keep
(10:29):
checking it. I want to makesure it's working. So that's his
downfall there. He keepsopening up the door, lets out the
cold air, warm air goes in andit's just neutralizing the refrigerator
at this point. Just leave itrunning for 24 hours. Do not open
the door. Okay. So the nextday, 24 hours go by, everything's
(10:50):
good. He didn't wait 24 hours.He couldn't. But it was working,
so everything's fine. So thatone was easy for him. Now, I did
tell him that he needs to blowout the burner tube on it and maybe
clean the electrode becauseit's been sitting so long. It'll
be more efficient, actuallystop a future problem if there's
a cobweb or something in theburner that can stop the flame from
(11:13):
working properly and not heatup. So he'll do that once he gets
everything a little moresettled in. So that's the point.
There is. You have to cleanout your refrigerator, make sure
the burner and the electrodeare clean. Easy to do with compressed
air and a little wire brush.You might need a screwdriver. Or
nut driver to take off a coverand such, but it's still pretty easy
to do. So that's going to getyou past the refrigerator. And what's
(11:37):
important too is hisrefrigerator sat for two years approximately.
He had no idea if it was goingto work. So he has to have a refrigerator.
So making sure yourrefrigerator works from time to time
is worthwhile. Even if you'renot going to use your rv, you know
that everything's working. Ifmaybe you decide to sell it all of
a sudden and all of a suddenyou got all these repairs you got
(11:58):
to do, it might seemoverwhelming. So staying on top of
that, or an emergency comes uplike this, or something worse, where
you're gonna be in your RV forweeks or months because of a natural
disaster, fires, hurricanes,and you know, we talked about that
in a previous episode. Beingprepared. Now the next thing we brought
him to was the furnace. AndI'm thinking, okay, the furnace,
(12:21):
hopefully it'll start up, noissues, because he'll never be able
to do anything with the furnace.
Great.
So fortunately, the furnacewasn't too difficult. He turned the
thermostat on, nothinghappens. So for him, the easiest
thing that I could tell him todo is just take the thermostat wires
off the thermostat, tie themtogether because it was a heat only
(12:42):
thermostat. So that made itsimple, and see if the furnace comes
on. And that's exactly whathappened. Tied the wires together,
the furnace came on, and awayhe goes. He's got or, yeah, he's
got heat. So he had to go buya heat only thermostat from his local
RV store, which he did. He'sable to hook up that problem solved.
But again, it's checking thefurnace and blowing it out, making
(13:05):
sure everything's good. Andsometimes furnaces can be a pain.
Depending on what model youhave, if you can access it from the
outside of the RV, or if youhave to take it out of the RV to
access the circuit board andthe blower wheel and all that, that
makes it a little harder toclean them out and test them and
do whatever. So keep that inmind. You might have to pull your
furnace out, but taking afurnace out really isn't that big
(13:26):
of a deal. You know, you canget out pretty quick, put it back
in, no problem. It shouldn'tbe a major ordeal. You're talking
a couple screws of propaneline, some wires, not much there.
Just mark your wires, take apicture of them, and you got it.
The ducting. So he gets thatgoing. All right, so now we got two
appliances out of the way, therefrigerator, the furnace. So now
he's really breathing easy.Life is good. So now he's got to
(13:49):
go to the water heater. Sohe's got water in the rv. And which
I want to emphasize this too,that if it's wintertime and your
RV's winterized, you're notgoing to want to mess with the water
heater other than just testingit for a moment on gas, not electric.
So never turn a water heateron electric when it doesn't have
(14:09):
water in it. You can do gasfor a second, but do not do electric.
It'll burn up that elementpretty quick. So now we're down to
the water heater. I told himbefore you even started up, just
clean out the burner tube.It's really easy. It's right there
in front of you. Doesn'tmatter if it's an Atwood or a Suburban.
So he did that. He said theelectrode was clean. So he blew it
out with air, which hehappened to have, which is amazing,
(14:32):
absolutely amazing. So hestarts up the water heater and it
worked. So it actually cycled,made hot water. Everything was good.
So he really got off prettyeasy on this, you know, pretty basic
stuff. The point is he, youknow, this is like a two day process
because he waited, he panickedand all these things now it seems
(14:54):
overwhelming. Then he's tryingto get out of his house. So it makes
it even harder to do. Thinkingabout that and keeping that in mind,
you don't want to be aknucklehead like him. You want to
be ready. So during thewintertime is a great time to check
some of these things. Now alsothe refrigerator, if you're like
in 10 degree weather, 0 degreeweather, your refrigerator might
(15:16):
not work because the ammoniain there will gel up. I don't even
mess with my refrigerator andthose types of temperatures because
I do check things from time totime just to make sure. But like
right now, Montana, it's waytoo cold. We've been having these,
you know, below 10 degreesnights, 10 degree days. We get phone
call after phone call.Refrigerator's not working. And it's
because the ammonia gels up.It's kind of a normal thing. It's
(15:38):
a hassle. So you have to keepthe back of the cooling unit warm,
which, that's a whole otherdiscussion. But you know, you get
clever that way. So there'ssome things you do need to know before
you start messing with yourappliances or wait Till it's a little
bit warmer, you know, anothermonth or so we're in. What month
are we in? January. IntoJanuary. So February is tomorrow,
(15:59):
right? Mm. All right.
It is cool.
So I'm finally. I know a date.All right, so, yeah, February 1st
tomorrow. So what does thatmean? Anything?
No, nothing.
All right. The world's stillgoing on tomorrow, February 1st.
Nice. Nice touch. Thetakeaways are keeping your RV functioning
even when you're not using it.You don't have to be out there every
(16:22):
month unless you want to be,but at least every 3, 4 months, 6
months at the latest. Checkyour RV and don't let it sit and
just rot away. You know, youhave that investment and you. Maybe
you've had it for years, butif it's going to sit and you're never
going to use it, just geteverything working and get rid of
it. Don't keep it and don'tbuy another one if you're not going
(16:44):
to use it. And if you're goingto use it, make sure you keep things
working all the time. So youcan just get in that RV and be ready
to go, no matter what thereason is, whether it's for a vacation
or an emergency. So beingprepared is very important. So that's
our staying on the road today.And this, these audio podcasts we're
(17:06):
now putting on YouTube, whichwe have for a while, but now we're
doing them with a video fullon video. So check that out as well
if you want to watch it orjust listen to it on YouTube, you
can do it either way. So it'sthere. It's for the taking, free
for the taking. How's that?Now we're going to visit Telluride,
Colorado. In our next stop.Alexis is all ready to talk about
(17:29):
Telluride and what did shecall the people in. Oh, that last
episode? The laundry thing.The fancy people.
The fancy people, yes.
So tell your eyes kind ofwhere the fancy people go sometimes.
Right? All of these people have.
So tell us about the fancypeople, Alexis.
Yes. The washer and dryer inthe RV people. No. Okay, in this
(17:53):
week's Next Stop, I'm soexcited we're visiting Telluride.
So this place is nestled inthe stunning box canyon in Colorado,
San Juan Mountains, a historicmining town turned world class destination.
Anybody who's anyone is comingthere. It shares a deep historical
(18:14):
and cultural ties with nearbySilverton, which we're going to talk
about later. It's connected byscenic routes like the Alpine loop
and the adventurous ViaFerrata Trails. The town is renowned
for its well preservedVictorian architecture and vibrant
festivals such as theTelluride Film and bluegrass festivals.
(18:37):
So Telluride's film andbluegrass festivals offer an unbeatable
combination of art, music andstunning mountain scenery. It's beautiful
there. The the film festivalbrings top notch indie cinema as
well as the industry icons. Soif you do go to that, you'll probably
see a Hollywood star. Thebluegrass festival delivers legendary
(19:02):
performances in breathtakingoutdoor settings with a vibrant,
laid back community vibe andlots of outdoor activities, some
including skiing. If you wantthat, you go to the Telluride ski
resort and golf course. It's aperfect place for skiing and snowboarding.
There's hiking trails allaround, which I recommend. Getting
(19:22):
all trails. It's an app. Itshows you everywhere you can go.
If you're visiting a differentstate, it's a wonderful source for
all your travels. There'smountain biking and you can use that
same app. It'll tell you whereyou can mountain bike. A lot of visitors
come there for the foodbecause there are a lot of good places
to eat such as the butcher andthe baker, which I love that name.
(19:43):
I think it's so cute. Theymake incredible coffee and breakfast
foods. Or you can head overand have a fine dining experience
at Allreds where they makepotent cocktails and incredible bison
steaks. Also some nearbyattractions is the Imogene Pass.
This is the highest pass inthe San Juan mountain range, so if
(20:05):
you're a novice driver, do notattempt this. Box Canyon Falls are
also there. They're 500 foottall falls and they are a must see.
There's also the Mesa VerdeNational Park. That's real close.
It's known for its Cliffpalace, which, if you Google it,
super cool. And the ChapinMesa Archaeological museums that
(20:27):
hold Native American exhibits.So history lovers will truly cherish
this place. So my takeawayfrom this is with its rich heritage
and captivating beauty,Telluride promises an unforgettable
mountain getaway.
Wow. I'm sold.
All right, I'm ready to go.I'm glad. Me too.
(20:49):
Now, I've been there and I'mnot a fancy person.
Oh, they let me in.
So let anybody in there.
So you don't have a washer anddryer in your camper?
No, I don't. But I got a wifethough, who does my laundry.
Oh, my goodness. Poor Karen.
So you had me at breakfastfood. I was thinking Leslie. Nope.
And Ron Swanson.
Yep. Breakfast foods. Allthere is bacon.
(21:12):
All right. So amazinglyenough, you mentioned Silverton,
Colorado, and that's oursubject for shadows of the past,
the towns that once were. Andeven more interesting, I have a little
script here, I guess.
Here we go.
I'm gonna read aboutSilverton, Colorado. Had to think
where I was at. Okay, so wheneverybody's ready, put your stuff
(21:35):
down. Everybody pay attention.Turn off everything around you. Washer,
dryer, if you're a fancyperson. All right, so here we go.
Tucked into the rugged SanJuan Mountains of southwestern Colorado
lies a town frozen in time,Silverton. A picturesque former mining
(21:55):
hub, Silverton beckonstravelers with its history, scenic
beauty and endlessopportunities for adventure. Let
me take you on a journeythrough this remarkable place. Founded
in 1874 during Colorado'ssilver boom, Silverton earned its
name from the precious metalsfound in its hills. Imagining the
(22:17):
bust streets of yesteryearfilled with prospectors, saloons,
and the clink of silver coinschanging hands. Today, its charm
is preserved in the vibrantVictorian era buildings that line
the green street. Step intodowntown Silverton, a National Historic
landmark, where time seems tostand still. The Grand Imperial Hotel
(22:42):
rises majestically, itscolorful facade a reminder of the
town's heyday. Wander into theSan Juan County Historical Society
Museum, where mining artifactsand exhibits tell the story of the
town's industrious past. Thisis where history comes alive. You
can almost hear the laughterof miners celebrating their day's
(23:05):
hall or the chatter oftownspeople gathered in the general
store. Perhaps the most iconicattraction is the Durango and Silverton
Narrow Gauge Railroad. Boardthe historic train and let it whisk
you through the San JuanMountains. Where rivers carve deep
gorges, forests stretchendlessly, and the views are nothing
(23:25):
short of breathtaking. As youstep on the train, take a deep breath
of that crisp mountain air.It's a journey you'll never forget.
For those seeking adventure,Silverton is an outdoor enthusiast's
paradise. Hike the trails ofIce Lake Basin, where turquoise alpine
lakes shimmer beneath a canopyof wildflowers. Or venture along
(23:49):
the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway,a thrilling off road route through
some of Colorado's most remotelandscapes. In the winter months,
Silverton transformed into awonderland of backcountry skiing,
snowmobiling and snowshoeing.This snow covered peaks provides
(24:09):
the perfect backdrop for anywinter adventure. A short drive from
Silverton takes you to AnimasForks, one of the many great towns
that dot the region. Theserelics of the past offer a hauntingly
beautiful glimpse into thelives of miners who once called this
place home. Silverton is alsoa town of celebration. From the Iron
(24:34):
Horse Bicycle Classic, wherecyclists race the historic train,
to the Hard Rock 100 UltraMarathon through grueling mountain
terrain, there's alwayssomething happening here. Just beyond
Silverton lies the famousMillion Dollar Highway, a breathtaking
drive that takes you throughthe charming town of Ouray. Or head
to Mesa Verde National Park, aUNESCO World Heritage site, to explore
(24:59):
ancient Pueblo cliffdwellings. And don't forget nearby
Telluride, a town known forits festivals and outdoor activities.
As the sun sets beyond the SanJuan Mountain, Silverton reveals
its most magical sight. Thestars come alive in the clear night
sky and the echoes of historyseem to whisper through the crisp
(25:20):
mountain air. Whether you'rehere for the history, the adventure,
or simply the beauty of theRockies, Silverton is a place that
will leave a lastingimpression. Pack your bags and set
out on a journey to thishidden gem. Silverton, Colorado,
is waiting to welcome you. Sothere we have it. That was a mouthful.
It was indeed.
(25:42):
Lots of words, so we certainlygot to edit that one quite a bit.
For those that aren't here andlistening to that mess.
No, it was good.
All right, so that was good.So Silverton's pretty cool. And,
you know, Ansel Adams, a knownphotographer, has taken quite a bit
of photos there. I've actuallybeen to one place and copied his
picture. Same exact picture,except in modern times.
(26:03):
I think you showed me that.
So Silverton has a ton tooffer next to Telluride. Telluride
could be your hub if youwanted to do your day trips and make
Silver one of them. Alright,so very interesting. So we've covered
some ground here. We've goneto Telluride, Silverton, We've talked
about washing your clothestoday. All right, so now we're getting
into refreshing the interiorof your rv.
(26:25):
Exciting.
Now, the Revive product lineis made by a company called Genesis.
And what Genesis does is theymake all the wallboard and ceiling
panels for RVs, cabinets, thedoors. So basically, your RV interior,
if it's newer, was probablymade by Genesis. The panels, the
ceiling, the cupboards, as Isaid. So what they've done is they've
(26:50):
taken those products that theyline on to the. To the paneling,
the veneer, if you will. Andthey've made that available to the
public now. And the trick isthe adhesive that they use, that's
what makes it stick and it'sgoing to last. And so what they've
done is they, they've taken aproduct a do it yourselfer can do,
so you can actually refinishthe interior of your rv. And there's
(27:13):
going to be a video in thisdescription or a link to a video.
So you can see this firsthandbefore and after picture. This stuff
is amazing. It's. I don'tknow. Well, actually, they've won
product of the year awardswith several distributors because
this product is so good. Oractually, last year they did. They
haven't been around that long,or Genesis has, but the revive line
(27:35):
hasn't. So this year they'reprobably going to win it again because
it's such a cool product. Soit can take your 1993 trailer and
turn it into a 20, 25 trailer.The cabinets, and let's say your
cabinets have doors on them.They're pretty intricate. And you
don't want to redo themyourselves too, because you'd wrap
(27:56):
it with this material, thislaminate. They'll actually make new
cabinet doors. Then they sendyou the matching laminate to do the
face and the sides of thecabinets so it'll look brand new.
Love it.
You could actually take thatstuff and use it on a dresser or
something in your house.
Oh, sure.
You could use that feeling. Ifyou wanted something to match your
(28:17):
rv, you could do that. TheRevive line is very cool. It's. I'm
not going to say it'sexpensive. I forget what rolls sell
for. But when you think abouta roll, it's either 50ft or 100ft,
how much it covers. It's notall that bad. But it's certainly
a lot cheaper than buying newpanels, if you can even find them.
(28:39):
And the problem with, youknow, These panels, they're 4ft by
8ft. And let's say you findsome. You like. Like we have a supplier
in Washington where we can getthem, but, you know, just to create
them up, let's say you want 10of them. It doesn't matter if it's
two or 10. The crating isgoing to be two or $300. Just put
them in a box to ship them sothey don't get destroyed. And then
(29:00):
when they ship, more thanlikely you're going to have a panel
or two or three. They're goingto be a little damaged. Maybe you
can use it, maybe you can't.Yeah, and you're also going to pay,
you know, four or five hundreddollars for shipping, depending on
where you're at. So it can bethe freight alone. Shipping these
can actually pay for thematerial, depending on how much you're
doing.
Exactly.
(29:20):
So it's really worth it. Imean, this is one of the Products
I'm actually excited about. Imean, everything else to me is just,
you know, weight distributinghitch. Weight distributing hitch.
You know, you got some for1200, you got some for 500. You know,
they're all black and theykind of do the same thing. You know,
some people might argue withme on that, but, you know, a chrome
ball is a chrome ball. Thingsdon't change much. But this product
(29:40):
is totally cool.
Yeah.
In fact, we're going to havethem on one of the episodes coming
up as an interview. We'regoing to start doing more interviews.
It's always been kind of asolo show or a co host show, but
we're going to add someinterviews now. Get more of the industry
experts in here. I know whatyou're thinking, Eric. You're the
industry expert. Who else isthere? Well, there's some other people
(30:00):
that you know out loud. Our circle.
Okay. Okay.
Just, you know, for the fun ofit. So the factory guys know. I mean,
they know the installationtrick, so they can really help out.
And most of these companies wetalk about, too, you can actually
call them and talk to them,which is very important. All right,
so that's the revive productline. Find a link for it in our description
and that'll take you to moreinformation and a video so you can
(30:24):
become the revive expert. Andthen on their website, they have
dealers in your area that sellit, so you can go there to get it.
And I would probably buy itlocally. I don't know if I'd have
this stuff shipped so youdon't have to worry about it getting
damaged. You know, one morething, because things happen. It
just becomes a hassle. Allright, so that brings us to the end
of the show. So go to thesmart river podcast. Everything we
(30:47):
talked about today will bethere in episode number 169. Almost
at 170. 169. And you'll be thesmart RVer. Well, the smarter. The
smarter, smart RV. Yeah,you'll be smarter. You're already
the smarter RV, so you just bethe smarter RV. All right, so we
had a great show today. Thankyou, Alexis, for jumping in there
(31:10):
with your Telluride and thehorse and the fancy people who go
there and then the laundromatpeople as well. Very nice. All right,
so this is Eric Stark with thesmart rver podcast, your go to guide
for smarter RVing andunforgettable adventures on the open
road. Thank you for listening today.
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