"Are you stuck in a destinations rut and need inspiration?" Ever wondered how RVers decide where to drop anchor next? This episode peels back the curtain on the give-and-take of travel planning. Our guests, Randy & Caly Behymer can certainly shed light on the art of discovering hidden gems, the beauty in and around our countries National Parks, and so much more, as they have traveled the country documenting their journey with their amazing magazine, RV Destinations Magazine
Chatting with Randy & Caly was like talking to friends sitting around a campfire, sharing stories that lead us down many different topics.
Please share your comments:
here on the podcast or on social media at:
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On this episode we share our journey of our search for our new to us RV. We want to take you along for the ride as we decide on brand, what we want, how much we want to spend, how to choose the right company and everything that goes into this major decision in the hopes that it helps you along your ourney. the decision process, the conversations Newmar Class A RV.
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"Are you stuck in a destinations rut and need inspiration?" Ever wondered how RVers decide where to drop anchor next? This episode peels back the curtain on the give-and-take of travel planning. Our guests, Randy & Caly Behymer can certainly shed light on the art of discovering hidden gems, the beauty in and around our countries National Parks, and so much more, as they have traveled the country documenting their journey with their amazing magazine, RV Destinations Magazine
Chatting with Randy & Caly was like talking to friends sitting around a campfire, sharing stories that lead us down many different topics.
Please share your comments:
here on the podcast or on social media at:
FB RV LIFE Podcast IG RV LIFE Podcast
On this episode we share our journey of our search for our new to us RV. We want to take you along for the ride as we decide on brand, what we want, how much we want to spend, how to choose the right company and everything that goes into this major decision in the hopes that it helps you along your ourney. the decision process, the conversations Newmar Class A RV.
Special Discounts Codes: Click Link & Use Code
• Motorhome Tires: $50 discount FIND MY INSTALLER
•Thousand Trail Membership Call/Text Membership Specialist Warren & Sharon Lewis 804-366-0798
•CLEAR2O
• Open Road Fuel Card save on Diesel Fuel
•Open Roads Innovative Tolling Solutions
Toll pass, all 48 state & customer support
• Open Road Resorts Mention RV LIFE Podcast
• Harvest Hosts • Boondockers Welcome
Code: HUNT20 for 20% off
• AirSkirts
Receive $100 off any kit purchase. Use Discount Code: RVPOD
Sponsors
• National Indoor RV Centers
If you could go anywhere in the US, where would you go? You're listening to the RV Life Podcast. I'm Dan Hunt with my incredible wife, patty Hunt. She's right over there Now. Today's guests have created a tool that will show you the best RV destinations in the country.
Speaker 2:Now, dan and I have been to about 30 states I think I lost count and that's been in the last three years of our full-time RV travels and after seeing so much of the country, we think it's time to continue to see more, because there's so much more we are looking forward to exploring and it's like you see all these places and there's just more to add to the list. So today's guests, we are so excited to hear some of their suggestions about our next RV destinations.
Speaker 1:Now, that's how it means. It's time for today's fun fact. Our fun fact is brought to you by Open Roads Resorts with four great locations. They've got two count them two in Montana, They've got one in Idaho and they've got one in Texas. And did we love that campground in Texas?
Speaker 2:It was fantastic. We absolutely loved the Texas campground and the beautiful sunsets. Okay, so now today's fun fact there are 63 national parks. And I just have to say, in the middle of this fun fact, another fun fact Dan and I have been to zero national parks so far. So there are 63 national parks and there are 428 national park sites, and this is according to national parksorg. But if you want to know all things about national parks, you could go to America's National Parks podcast by a really good friend, Jason Eberson.
Speaker 1:Now I'm a little confused here by this and again, if it's information that the federal government is putting out, it's got to be confusing. The same guy as the tax form does this thing. So there's 63 national parks and 428 national park sites. What the heck is the difference between a national park site and a national park?
Speaker 2:Well, to the best of my understanding and I think our guests today will be able to help us with this as well but to the best of my understanding, parks like Valley Forge Historical Park is one of the 428 national park sites, but it's not deemed a national park. So we're going to get more on that answer as we go along, but I do want to talk about national park like Glacier National Park. Now, that is one of the 63 that you and I are headed to this summer, and while we head there, we've got some great campgrounds that you could stay at, and that is Flathead Lake. Oh, if you want to go to Glacier National Park or Flathead Lake, you could experience it either by going to.
Speaker 1:Paulson Flathead.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, open Roads Resorts, paulson Flathead it's called, then it's Lake KOA and or Paulson Motor Coach Resort and that is a class A only resort, but it is in the top 10 motor coach resorts in the country and I'm having difficulty talking today. I'm really excited about today's guests, so I can't wait to get them on.
Speaker 1:I know I'm so excited too, and I'm excited that Charlie is like within the ears range, because I loved playing with Charlie. We were with our guest today at the Tampa RV show about a month ago and I just loved having Charlie around.
Speaker 2:Okay, so explain who Charlie is to our listeners.
Speaker 1:Charlie's a snicker doodle. No, no, not a snicker doodle, he's a puppy. He's a puppy, he's a golden doodle and he's got the sharpest little teeth.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:But okay. So we've got to go to break right now and right after the break. We're going to have our guest today and we are just so excited about it. But we want to first tell you that you can elevate your water experience with Clear2O's RV universal advanced solid carbon water filter. The innovative design uses a solid carbon block made from natural, renewable coconut carbon, ensuring your water is not only clean but eco-friendly.
Speaker 2:This part powerful filter reduces iron, manganese, chlorine and other chemicals, while also tackling sediment like sand, silt and rust. It's perfect for RVers. It improves taste, reduces clogs and protects your appliances. Plus, it's cost effective, with replacement filters providing top notch water purification for just pennies a day.
Speaker 1:Now, when we get Randy into the podcast, his first question is what the hell is manganese? What is that? I know it's in our water, but what is it? I don't know. Get on your computer right now, randy, and look it up, because I got to tell you it's coming. It's coming Now. Don't settle for less. Experience the Clear2O difference now. Clear, fresh water for your RV is just a click away.
Speaker 2:The show notes have all the details for Clear2O.
Speaker 1:This is the RV Life Podcast, and our guests today are explorers. They're RV travelers, they're hikers, they're kayakers and they've got Charlie. They also have a podcast and they're photographers. They're from a small town in Kentucky. They travel with three pets a boxer zoe, a cat Gus and my favorite, charlie. I call him a snicker doodle, but he's really a golden doodle. They travel a country in their Winnevego journey and have documented their adventures through word and their camera lens. They have created RV Destinations Magazine for the traveler and adventurer. The magazine makes its readers want to get out and explore new places. They do all that and they take a pretty damn good picture as well for their readers to explore. They are RV Destinations Magazine.
Speaker 2:They are our good friends, randy and Kelly B Heimer. Welcome to the RV Life Podcast. Hi guys, good we're good.
Speaker 4:Thanks for having us on the show today.
Speaker 2:Thank you for both being here. So creating a magazine I can't even imagine what that would be like. Where to start, and we are talking about RV Destinations Magazine. Can you tell our listeners about the conversation when you were creating the magazine? How did this all start?
Speaker 5:Yeah, I like to joke that we must be out of our minds. First off, because we had no experience in the magazine industry or publishing, but we're like, hey, why not?
Speaker 4:Yeah, we learned the hard way. We made it about every mistake you can make as a publisher, and then we call it pivot it just gave us opportunities for growth. Growth opportunities, yeah, so we learned a lot, but I'm really sad that you didn't ask me about the magnies, because I looked it up.
Speaker 1:I was ready for that question, hey you know what I'm going to bring you the magnies in a minute here.
Speaker 2:It's a chemical element.
Speaker 4:It's symbols MN, it's atomic number is 25 and it's hard, brittle, silvery metal often found in minerals in combination with iron. So anyway, we've found it. Okay, we don't want it in our water. We don't want it in our bodies.
Speaker 2:And not to be confused with magnesium, which is what we said the one time. But yeah, so let's continue talking about the magazine.
Speaker 1:You know, if starting a magazine without any experience isn't hard enough, you two, nuts, also started a podcast without a whole hex of a lot of experience as well.
Speaker 2:We didn't hear the rest of the story about the magazine.
Speaker 4:So go ahead take it away. We're all distracted. We're going to pivot, so I'm going to let Callie tell the story, but what I want to say is I've got a bad habit me personally, just jumping in and figuring out later, and so let me set the backstage, and Callie is usually my Crusher of dreams she calls it Crusher of dreams.
Speaker 5:When.
Speaker 4:I call it. She brings me we're ying and yang she brings me back to earth sometimes. So this might have been one of those things where we just jumped in, like we'll figure it out as we go. So I'll let her tell the quick version of our story of how it all came to be.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I mean, we've been RVing for 12 years, so it's something that we've always, you know, we've done since we've been together. We love and enjoy. And we used to get some other magazines out there in the industry and I was saving this big stack of them because there was, like usually, one destination each one of these magazines. And I looked at Randy one day and I'm like, babe, we are going to take these magazines and we're going to take this destination and we're going to plan all these trips around it, like, where are we going to go next? What are we going to go see? There's so many cool things to see out there. And we were out hiking one day and talking about this and we're like, man, wouldn't it be great if there was a magazine out there dedicated just to destinations For RVers to go check out? And we both looked at each other and said, oh, why don't we do that?
Speaker 4:Yeah, because I've been shooting. For about 33 years I've been shooting photography, and Callie's been a writer for many, many years. She also picked up the camera when we met about 12 years ago, and so it just made natural sense. You know what, if we find writers that have great ability to take pictures because, you know, we live in a very visual society today right, we all Instagram world and everything we are so why don't we fill a magazine full of beautiful images? Let the images tell the story and you know they'd be well written as well but you know, let the images tell the majority of the story.
Speaker 5:Yep. So that's how we got our start is just, we realized there really was another publication out there dedicated just to destinations and campgrounds and campground reviews, and we decided, heck, why not? We love RVing, let's do this. This is something we would love to have. So and we've literally from that day one and we started talking about this probably back in 2018, launched in 2020. But since day one, we have always said we want to give our readers and subscribers what we ourselves are looking for as RVers what do we find important, what would we enjoy, and that has resonated well with all of our subscribers.
Speaker 1:That is just incredible. Now I got to ask a question that's kind of off track a little bit.
Speaker 2:Is there actually a track here?
Speaker 1:Yeah, how's Charlie going? It's like the old joke, put four podcasters in a room and see what happens. Yeah, but have you ever gone to the printing press and watched your magazine being printed? Like you know, the news, the old newspaper rolls where there's a hundred miles of paper, going down a line and seeing your paper or your magazine being printed. So so I feel like you should ask.
Speaker 4:I feel like you were tipped off because the timing of this question is remarkable. So so we are actually switching printers. We are now going with the you know, our print version of our magazines now at the level that we're starting to reach out to these. Not reach out, but we've identified one of the big boy printers national printers and I just did a site visit last week to the site and got to watch that. Well, I didn't get to watch ours magazine roll through, I did get to see the whole process and it is mind boggling that process.
Speaker 4:It really is. So you've seen it, dan. It's incredible.
Speaker 1:I have seen it, I've been, I've been, yeah, I've been in that scenario before.
Speaker 4:So yeah, so they they invited us out to our first run with this new printer is going to happen in March, and they invited us out to come watch it. But unfortunately we're going to be out of town so we're not going to be able to go see it, but we'd love to.
Speaker 1:Oh, you're going on a cruise. I feel so bad for you. No, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2:You're not going on a cruise, we're going to.
Speaker 1:Africa.
Speaker 2:Africa.
Speaker 1:Oh you're going, I feel so bad for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know, I don't feel bad for you, but it's tough, it's tough, yeah, it's tough work.
Speaker 1:Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait. I got a question Shoot, Where's Charlie going?
Speaker 4:Charlie stays home. We're hoping her older sister watches her.
Speaker 5:Yeah, we're going to see how that goes, gus is going to be in charge of the house, gus the cat, and then he's got to take care of the dogs.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we've got a very, very good center that stays in the house. So she comes and brings all her stuff and stays in our home and watches the animals, takes great care of her.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, so Charlie will be taking care of your good damn. Very well, okay, I want Charlie. So it's not enough to start a magazine. That's a difficult feat. I mean, let's face it, it is. And again, I would have no idea where to start. But then you decided to start a podcast.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Tell us about that. How long ago was that? Why Sure, I could take that one.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, if we didn't have enough stuff going on in our life. Now, mind you, we run two other businesses on top of the magazine the podcast, so you know half the time we don't know what we're doing, but if we ever sound scatterbrained, that's probably the reason. But yeah, so we had no, it wasn't even on a radar screen a podcast, and we attended the York PA RV show last. What was that?
Speaker 4:It was last March, yeah, yeah last March and one of the attendees of that show came up to me and said oh, you guys are the ones with a podcast, aren't you? And I'm like, no, we don't have a podcast. That would be us, yeah, well it might have been who they were thinking about and they were like, well, you should. And they walked away and I started thinking, my wheels started turning, which often happens, and that's when Callie knows hey, it's time to.
Speaker 5:I'm like, oh, we're gonna spend money, aren't we? And I'm like well, wait a minute.
Speaker 4:We've got all the microphones. You know, I've been in a band all my life. I've been playing guitar for 12 years since I was 12. And so I've got all the equipment, I've got the computer and guess what? We've got 26 writers at rate for us. We've got all the content we need. You know why wouldn't we do it? And so that's kind of where it started. So that was in March, and we released our first podcast April 4th, Yep, so I mean we put it together pretty quickly.
Speaker 2:Wow, you're coming up on your one year anniversary of that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and we're actually thinking about going to video. This is the first time we've announced this, but we were just talking to our editor a couple of hours ago and we're thinking about going to video. Of course, everybody wants to see Callie's face, more so than mine, but I understand my role in this.
Speaker 5:Get behind me, dave, get behind me.
Speaker 2:That's right you guys all give me both now where your lanes are.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:It sounds good. You know, that's a really big question for podcasters right now, and we just came from what they call pod fest, which is the convention for podcasters. It was in Orlando right after the Tampa show, so we just went to pod fest. We'd love to have you guys come with us next year. Yeah, we'd love that, but that is probably the question of the year for podcasters. Do you go to video as well? And we have not taken that step yet, although we are on a platform where I can see you guys and you guys can see us. Unfortunately, listeners you can't see them because we don't put out a video podcast.
Speaker 2:I'll take a couple of pictures. That's about, since all of this is a talking head going on here and unfortunately we're only seeing Randy. But yeah, that's a conversation we can have after, but talking about asking, you know, just difficult questions. So the question we get asked all the time that is so tough to answer is and we're going to ask you guys, put you on the spot because you're our guest and we could do that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, put you on the spot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, put you on the spot. What's your favorite place to go in the country? Oh dang.
Speaker 4:You know that's a tough thing to answer and you know we had Joel Holland from Harvest Host on our show and I'm going to kind of go with what he said. He said you know that changes. You know it depends on your feel for that day. You know what you're feeling at that moment and that time of year.
Speaker 5:what's going on in life?
Speaker 4:I mean, I love the Pacific Northwest a lot, I love the Yellowstone area a lot. You know Glacier, as you mentioned earlier, that's amazing.
Speaker 5:But Key West has become like our wintertime second home. I mean, I love Key West and it's just.
Speaker 4:if you're asking me where in the world I would love to live and spend the rest of my life, if I had a choice money was no object and not having to work the rest of my life For me it would probably be Montana.
Speaker 5:Yeah, randy would be alone. He would be very alone in Montana, all by himself. Kelly you could be with me because, okay, perfect, patty.
Speaker 2:Too cold in the winter oh way too cold, that's just.
Speaker 5:it's just not fun.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean that question's Me either. Yeah, that question's kind of like which of your three kids do you like better?
Speaker 5:Well, that's easy. Yeah, randy, that is great.
Speaker 2:That's such a great way to put it. Now I want to Charlie Stay focused, Stan, Stay with us. Yeah, I want to continue down the road because it is a question. If any question we get asked, we get asked that question more than any other question. Yeah, I want to go to your point. Yes, randy, I want to go to Montana, but I want to go there in the middle of the summer.
Speaker 2:I want to be in Yellowstone when it's warm. But, to your point, I spent just about all of my life in the Philadelphia area, so I know winter and I know summer and you have the greenery and fall leaves. And then when I spent three years out in Nevada and Las Vegas and it's Nevada in Las Vegas it's a whole different feel that I learned to love the desert and the mountains. Right, it's just so. To your point, people keep asking that and you're right. I love that analogy and we have five kids. It's like picking the favorite Today one might be the favorite, but next week it might be somebody else, yeah exactly.
Speaker 4:I mean, I've been to all 50 states. Cali has only a handful of states left. We've been to like 40 different countries. Cali has been to like 48 different countries, and so we're pretty well traveled. And I got to be honest. The United States has some of the most beautiful places in the world. I mean we really do, and it's sad to see a lot of people that don't take advantage of that, that just does not go outside of their hometown.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that was me. And if nothing else comes out of this podcast those words that people need to explore this country I always, as a kid and even as an adult, thought, oh, you have to go outside the country, and I have. I've been to several places. I never really realized until we started our being the beauty in this country and for all of our listeners, that is a number one, something that people really need to get out of their own backyard and see the amazing things. And again, even if it's not a national park, let's talk about. You know, there's so many different things. Yes, there are the national parks. Dan and I are committed in 2024. We're set in goals.
Speaker 4:Now I do have an answer for you with a question about. You know the difference of all that. So so a national park has to be approved by Congress, and there's national monuments out there that the president can appoint to the president and say you know, wherever your RV is, I'm going to declare this a national monument. But it takes an act of Congress to make it a park. And then, of course, you have national forest and you know all these different protective natural resources, and so that's why there's only 60. What was it? 63?
Speaker 5:national parks. But it goes further too, because a national park will contain a variety of resources and usually encompasses a large land or water area.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so that's true.
Speaker 5:I know it's true. I'm reading it.
Speaker 2:Oh, they're both researching as we're talking. Okay, that's right, I rolled that off the top of my head.
Speaker 4:She looked that up, so sure. She's the beautiful one, I'm the smart one, that's right. That was actually a joke.
Speaker 2:You complete each other. You make a great team. So so yeah, it's great information there. So, whether we go to a national park or a national park site, we're going to start counting those. So yeah, thank you for clarifying that for people, sure.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to, I'm going to go completely off our. We have what we call a roadmap of to do a podcast. So we kind of cover topics that we know we want to cover. But then for me, things come up and we have conversations and things are said and I just want to ask more questions. So I'm going to, I'm going to throw a whammy at you we have not talked about this at all but I'm kind of taking an informal survey.
Speaker 1:Okay you know the maps that you put on the side of your RV and shows you all the states that you went to yes. When do you get to put a state on your map on the side of your RV?
Speaker 5:Randy and I have differing opinions.
Speaker 4:We've argued about.
Speaker 5:We have hilarious so my theory is you need to at least sleep in that state. Okay, it's like whether it's a truck stop or Walmart Harvest host location campground. If you spend at least one night in that state, you can put it on the map. Randy's like if we're within spitting distance.
Speaker 1:Yeah, then it can't you know that that's a great thought, but it sucks.
Speaker 4:Let me let me use an analogy, and hopefully you won't cut this out and hopefully I know this. I'm gonna keep this PG.
Speaker 1:I.
Speaker 4:Apologize to the listeners out there, but I'm gonna keep it PG, okay, kelly.
Speaker 5:Randy.
Speaker 4:All right. So if you, if you date a guy, yeah, and you sleep with him, you say you dated the guy. If you date a guy and don't sleep with him, do you say that guy didn't exist?
Speaker 5:And did we have a nice day. See ready.
Speaker 1:I'm kind of with you but my, my thought is, if I'm rolling through a state and there has been times where we have just gone through the Corner of Texas, so we were, you know, maybe a hundred miles or 50 miles right Texas, but my theory is, if I can get a ticket in that state, then I'm putting that state on my. This time in my. Rv. Amen, cuz you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, continues on.
Speaker 1:And we would love to start this conversation on our social media. So if you want to reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram or whatever, Just Facebook and Instagram.
Speaker 2:I know you want to add some others. Yeah, rv life podcast, you know, let us know. Dan has been asking this because he wants more and more people to agree with him, yes, so. Randy, you agreed, kelly. You and I are together on this one and the debate continues on.
Speaker 5:Well, that's because women are smarter than men.
Speaker 4:I honestly think, I think, honestly think it goes for, like men you know, with boats it's very similar thing, like my. I've got a 27 and a half foot boat, but if you put the outboard engine and the and the windless system on the front it makes it about 32 feet and so whatever.
Speaker 4:How big your boat. I say what's? 32 feet? And I'm not. But when I'm running Right, but when I'm running like dock space and they charge by the foot, I say I got 27 and a half feet. Yeah, I feel it's down that same road.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, I guess. My question then when Kelly comes and lives with us and you're out in a field. Okay, does Montana get to go on? Kelly and Charlie are living with us.
Speaker 5:Man, I gotta tell you bring the Montana sticker with me.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, we've made plans for this coming year and we have found a company that has two products. That makes RV travelers so simple and it will save you money.
Speaker 2:Yes, and the open roads. Innovative tolling Transponder it's a mouthful is Absolutely incredible. This toll transponder works in all 48 states, so those of you want to hit those 48 states, it will work in all of them. It is $24 a year and the best part is their concierge service. So when you go through that state and you get a toll violation or that you know Thing in the mail that you had a problem, they will handle it through their concierge service. Their customer support will help you navigate through the process.
Speaker 1:Now open roads. They didn't stop there. That toll Transponder is one of the most Incredible products that I have come across in the RV space, but they also have what they call the open roads fuel card. Now it's free to sign up and it has saved us hundreds of dollars this year alone. What this card does is allows you to buy diesel fuel at truck stops and Utilize the power of group purchasing To save just a little bit of money. So I gotta tell you the open roads fuel card.
Speaker 2:We love that we do and sometimes that little bit of money is a lot of money because we have a hundred gallon tank and even if five cents a gallon worth saving, we saved Well over four hundred dollars last year, well over that right, so that's great.
Speaker 1:We better save four hundred dollars if we got Cali coming to live with us. Yeah, right, yeah.
Speaker 2:So so as we travel it's great because I do I take the open roads app while Dan is driving the RV. I open the app, I find the truck stop and I could see exactly how much money we are gonna save on fuel.
Speaker 1:If you like saving money and making your travel easier, you can't afford to not have the open roads fuel card and the open roads innovative tolling Transponders.
Speaker 2:Links are in the show notes below and of course, we gotta put our guests on the spot. We didn't discuss this beforehand, but when you guys traveled across the country, what was that like with the toll passes? Because we've had some nightmares.
Speaker 5:Well, we've got, we have one and it's the. It's part of the family, it's a sun pass and it only covers a small handful of states. What's great is when it's in the RV. It catches everything in the RV, but I always forget to take it out and put it in our toad. So then we're out in the toad and guess what? Magically, six months later in the mail we get a toll invoice. Oh, transponder, the toad again.
Speaker 2:Right, and that's what that's a. That's a really good point, because not only does this one cover all 48 states, but you only need the one toll transponder it covers both of our vehicles covers both. So we both, both Randy and Kelly and Dan and I have class a, we have the transponder in the Class a window and when the toad is on or when we're just driving the toad, why do you call our jeeps a toad? Because that's what they call it.
Speaker 2:Anyway, it's a Jeep driving alone, we don't need to worry about the tow pass. It's Fantastic when they told us about this where we were wow, we were crazy excited about it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we've got it, we've got to look into that because I I'm like every man out there, you know I want to get to the destination and I'm watch all those cars fly by and I've got to pull over and get. So so I Definitely we need to look into that we do.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes well, you can look at the show notes of this show when you're reading all about yourselves, and there's the link for it right there.
Speaker 1:You got it and and it's the same price or less than your other toll passes that you're carrying, so we like that too now having a YouTube channel and having a podcast and being out and about and public speakers and we talk on RV travel and things to do with RV travel all over the country. We talked about that number one question. We get asked what's your favorite place in the country? Now, the number two question that we get asked is how do you decide to go, where you're going to go next?
Speaker 1:Now, patty and I have a kind of a Love hate relationship with this question because we have what we call our hard dates Dates that we have to be at the Tampa RV show, sure, the Hershey RV show, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, and if you haven't ever been to that one, you're missing something. And now we're adding another hard date into our list of hard dates, which is the music city motorhome Expo Brand new this year, but they're looking for this to go on forever and ever. You'll be able to go into this music city motorhome expo and drive the next year and drive the next year's models.
Speaker 2:So yeah, the 2025 and every manufacturer will be there.
Speaker 1:It's a manufacturer show. Every manufacturer will be there motorhome zone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, motorhomes only, but it is really, really something. Randy, have you ever been able to take test drive at any of the RV shows that you've been at? Not at the RV shows, no, well, this show is completely different. They've rented a whole fairground. They got a test track out there and guess what? Anything that you want to buy you're thinking about buying another one of a go journey and you want a 2025 well, guess what? It'll be there and you'll be able to not only sit in it, you'll be able to drive it as well as talk to all the manufacturers.
Speaker 2:Sit with them, be with them for four straight days, you know, eat together, talk together, have fun, excitement, entertainment. We're really excited about this event. Now I got to ask Kelly, do you drive?
Speaker 5:the RV. I do, yes, I do.
Speaker 1:I love you, Kelly.
Speaker 2:I don't get to drive very often.
Speaker 5:if that helps, randy's usually like no, babe, it's fine, I'll keep driving.
Speaker 4:But it's not because I don't trust you driving, it's just I like to drive, enjoy driving.
Speaker 5:No, I know what he likes to do is sit in the driver's seat. Hey babe, will you grab me something to eat? Hey babe, can you get me something to drink? Hey babe. Will you grab my laptop and look up? Hey babe, Will you read these emails? That's why I don't get to drive.
Speaker 4:Well.
Speaker 2:I get the same thing without the hey babe, I get the same thing. I Do not drive the RV and with our new RV that everybody knows we are getting into our V Will be driving and I'll be able to test drive these RVs because Angie's gonna teach me how to drive, but we'll talk more about that in a minute. I do want to get back to so you guys also. When Dan says hard dates and he said you know places we have to go, we don't have to go. We decide where we want to go, when we want to go, but they are well, they're commitments to us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dates, absolutely, and so I know you guys have commitment dates as well. Right, how then do you choose in between those commitment dates?
Speaker 1:You know there's places that we want to go you want to right yeah you know, like the Reno air show was something that I wanted to go to you, or like what are you talking?
Speaker 3:about. I don't want to go listen to airplanes for five days.
Speaker 1:But what we went to the week that's because we wanted to go to the Reno air show. But then take it past that, how do you fill the in-between tin? Is there a thought process is our rule.
Speaker 5:So the yes, no, let me let my turn, my turn.
Speaker 2:Whoa, what's been a.
Speaker 5:This is a microcosm of our marriage right all the time I'm like, what's really interesting is that you know, we'll start off with plans for the year. We have those kind of those, those hard plans, places we have to be because of the magazine and we'll start peppering in other locations. But then for me what happens is we'll have people on our podcast or articles that are being submitted to the magazine, and now I'm like, well, I want to go here now, I want to go there now, we need to add that on the list, and so, honestly, that that's helped us a lot, adding things when we're kind of like, well, what do we do up in Michigan? And then, miraculously, something pops up, or like, oh my gosh, I had no idea that was in Michigan.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and not not to give a shameless plug to the magazine. We do get a lot of inspiration out of the magazine. We really do. Well, you know, again, we've got 26 riders are based all over the country, got two up in Canada, that right first in Canada, and we'll read these articles and look at the beautiful pictures and be like I want to go there. I've never even heard of this place, and so so we a lot of times will do that Well. Well, hey, we're gonna be in Pennsylvania. Let's just go to the Blues Farm Festival up in Briggsville, pennsylvania, and so. So, while the magazine does dictate a lot of the places where we go, we're a lot of times using the magazine to fill in in between. So you know we do okay, so now from and I wanted to talk to you.
Speaker 2:Guys are just like us, so we're gonna fight over who's gonna talk. This is real life here.
Speaker 1:I'm just gonna put in a shameless plug for RV Destinations magazine, because RV Destinations magazine really helps when when we have to go. For, for instance, we're right outside of Orlando, florida, right now and we need to go to Gaffney, south Carolina, where Freightliner lives and what's in between those two places a lot of I-95. But if we go in and just feather through some of the magazines that I don't know how many, how we got so many copies of your magazine on board our RV, but we do have quite a few copies of it and it really helps like, oh wow, that looks cool, let's go there. So I think that RV Destinations magazine for full-timers who are looking to fill in places, I think it gives me a pick, it gives me a visual and, a lot of the time, it gives me a really good story About these locations.
Speaker 2:I'm raising my hand because I want to add something, because, well, for full-timers, it is so helpful for us. I think it's Equally, if not more, helpful for the part-timer, because they have a limited time To do things and when they can look through this magazine and find, look, we could all go and find the National Parks, right. But like we're gonna go to Yellowstone to have, you know, an article from the magazine that points out things that you know, maybe not commonly pointed out, but also those, what I call, in between Destinations, the hidden gems, right, that's kind of what I love doing. That's why so Dan and I talked about Having gone to no National Parks. It, quite, you know, wasn't by accident. We just find these hidden gems. There's just amazing places, and I know the magazine has shown us some of those as well. Oh, and then, with the pictures and the way you write it, just I feel like I'm there and now I gotta go, like we gotta get here. So, yes, shameless plug for the magazine.
Speaker 4:We appreciate that. Yeah, and that's what we've been hoping for. You know, when we built this thing, that's what we were hoping for. You know, we were our viewers ourselves. We're like, what would we want? And you know, early on we had some.
Speaker 4:I don't know if they were young or not, I assume they were. I make that assumption, but it may not be true. But they're like why do I need a magazine? I gotta do is Google. And it's like well, you know. You know in the magazine will write about the big destinations, but we focus a lot on the hidden gems. If you don't know what those hidden gems are Like, if you didn't know about Sunopee, new Hampshire, which is a place I'd never heard of until it was in our magazine, how are you gonna know to Google that you know? And so and I would like to plug back the RV life-pro trip with her to I don't want to start off anything early, but you know we have used that quite frequently to come tell us what to do in between as well. So you know, I feel like you know both your technology and RV life's technology and our magazine, you know, make a great pair together. They really do.
Speaker 2:Right, You're talking about the campground reviews right. Right, that's part of RV life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, not just campground reviews, when when you pull into a campground like we're here. I looked on the app the other day and I'm like, wow, look at this, there's like five other amusement parks by sides Disney right down the street.
Speaker 4:Right, right. So that was kind of what I was. That's what I was kind of referring to. Is just seeing like, hey, the biggest bowl of twine is between here in our next destination, let's you know pull over and look at it, kind of thing.
Speaker 2:And I think this is the the cool part of what Dan and I do and and and what you guys do being able to put this Information out to people. I talked to a lot of people. I felt like I'm a mentor now For lack of a better word because I talked to a lot of people that are either just starting out or I have like three women. I feel like I'm coaching through the beginning stages of getting out on the road full-time, and these are things that, yeah, you could Google certain things, but these are things you, you don't necessarily know about or see. So, for example, we stayed outside of Sedona. Now Sedona, when you climb the, the mountain, whatever they call them, there's different areas. That's cool, it's, everybody knows about them, you but what we loved is outside of Sedona, cottonwood, arizona.
Speaker 2:This place called Alcantara and one of the most amazing places we've been to now. It's winery and vineyard. We don't even really drink. We have nothing against it, but we don't drink. But this was just an amazing place. You can't just necessarily Google it and find it Right.
Speaker 1:So how many places in the world can you go to a vineyard where they're growing grapes and they set up a massage table in the middle of the vineyard through the grape pros and you can have a massage in the middle of the grape vineyard?
Speaker 5:No, I would do that if they could put my wine glass underneath of me with a long straw so that I could drink the wine in the vineyard and have a massage. That would be epic.
Speaker 2:Girlfriend, I'm sure they will work it out for you. They are some amazing people.
Speaker 1:They will actually bathe you in that wine if you want it. It is just incredible. And they have horseback riding through the area and jeep rides through the area and they have the boats. We did a video there where we took the kayaks out to a place called the Convergence where these two rivers come together, and it's just invigorating. You walk away from there that night. I did not sleep that entire night because I was just so wound up by what we did that day. It's such a beautiful area, it's more than incredible.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's such a beautiful area.
Speaker 1:And there's another one I want to mention here, and I don't know if you have any articles on it yet, but you don't, I'll be writing one soon. It's called Sleggman, arizona, and it is one of the coolest little hidden gems in the world. It's no ghost town, right, it is the home of cars. That's where the Disney guys were driving through one day and they found this town called Sleggman Arizona.
Speaker 1:And they got the inspiration from the cars and all the lightning queen and the real car is there and the car is there. I don't know what the name of it is, but, boy, I fell there that one day.
Speaker 2:I was going to say this is where. I get to make fun, Kelly.
Speaker 1:You and I are a lot alike.
Speaker 2:So we were shooting video while we were there and Dan was being all excited because it really was cool to see these cars that you saw in the movie from Disney. So he decides to do an acting scene where he pops out, but he did a tumble. He actually fell. I thought he was kidding and I'm there laughing, the camera shaking, but he actually fell, so you could see that clip it's a short on our YouTube channel.
Speaker 1:You know, Exploring through our lens, I got to get a pic of it, we'll put a link to it in the show notes. But I do have to say that you know it's out in the middle of the desert and it rains out in the middle of the desert quite a bit and what happens in these older towns is the water kind of goes underneath. So I hit a spot and there was nothing but the sand on top. That looked fine and you know there was like an eight inch dip there. So I went down pretty hard yeah.
Speaker 2:You actually tumble.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I actually tumble.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Because, he was trained as a stuntman, so he actually did a tumble Like this oh my gosh.
Speaker 4:Did you get those video tapes?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's on video tapes.
Speaker 1:I got it on video.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a video on the YouTube channel.
Speaker 4:I love to post it on our social media.
Speaker 5:We need to add some music to it.
Speaker 4:So Slagman is in.
Speaker 3:Oh we did.
Speaker 1:I did.
Speaker 4:Slagman is on route 66, I was getting that confused with something else. Now they really could be a ghost town because there's only 456 people that live there. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2:Right, and ghost towns. There are some places. Have you guys ever been and written about a ghost town?
Speaker 5:Yeah, I speak into a couple of them Jerome, which is actually right outside of Sedona.
Speaker 4:That's not really a ghost town. I mean, there are people that live there.
Speaker 5:But now it's up and coming, but we did the one. What was the one? I'm pointing at you, like you should know. As I'm pointing at you, it's supposed to fill your brain. We took Zoe and Bella there and it was like that old ghost town in the middle of where was that Like?
Speaker 3:around Moeb.
Speaker 4:In the middle of.
Speaker 3:Orlando it's called the out of town.
Speaker 4:Exactly, there was that one place.
Speaker 5:that one time I was thinking about Turingua.
Speaker 4:I think there was a ghost town down in Turingua.
Speaker 5:Yeah, there was a ghost town there.
Speaker 4:But yeah, yeah, we've. There's a couple of really good ones, pretty famous ones, in Arizona. We have not written about it in the magazine, nor have Cal and I been there that I would really love to go see and I the name slipping my mind, that's when you said Sligmund. I thought that that was it, but it's not. It, obviously. But I have to look at that.
Speaker 1:They've got a couple of great ice cream parlors there. I'll tell you that Patty, patty, uh picked out on the ice cream there. But maybe that's something we can hook up next year. After uh, after Tampa, we could shoot across the country and go to say we know, we did a video at a ghost town. I don't remember the name of the ghost town, but Nelson Nevada or no, it was in Nevada, nelson Nevada. So we go into this old barn and Patty opens up a freezer and there's a dead rattlesnake in there, frozen.
Speaker 5:Oh, my gosh Literally a dead body. Yeah, exactly, it was horrifying. That's how I would start my story next time.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, so we went to this ghost town.
Speaker 5:I opened up the freezer door and I found a dead body.
Speaker 4:So we're, we're really considering going from Tampa straight out to court site next year. We haven't made up that. Mine cause uh, uh, not to give any more plugs, but but uh, escapees have a big event in January. Uh, they do, and so we're thinking about attending that this year. So we're thinking about going out to court site and hanging in the area for the X-Bash. Uh, have you guys been out to court site?
Speaker 1:And some of our friends and and former guests on the RB live podcast. Uh, the border hookups are going to be the band.
Speaker 2:Are they? I think that changes each year. Uh well again a plug for the border hookups. Yeah, no problem with. Plug for escapees. We love escapees. Um. So, yeah, it would definitely be cool for us to get together and do an event together In Tampa. We were so busy at that show, it was insane.
Speaker 4:Maybe when you.
Speaker 1:I know you were parked right. You were parked right next to us and we barely ever saw you. Yeah.
Speaker 2:We did give you a ride the one day.
Speaker 4:You did.
Speaker 2:Cause for people going to Tampa.
Speaker 4:it's a lot of walk, so I just come up with a great idea. So we'll leave Tampa and you'll be in your new coach. So we're just going to let you flat toe our coach. Yes, perfect, so there you go, we'll get it rigged up, you might get three miles to the gown, but it's a sacrifice we're willing to take.
Speaker 2:Well, with the upper birds fuel car, we'll save up fuel, that's right, you see between the two of us.
Speaker 4:we should have enough sponsors to sponsor this trip, so we shouldn't have to pay anything.
Speaker 5:I think we might be on the news at that point.
Speaker 2:Yes, Definitely, definitely, have a lot of pictures on social media. I don't know, toe you.
Speaker 1:I think he had that backwards. Randy's the one that said he likes to drive. He did.
Speaker 5:I did yeah, I know I did baby. You kind of walked out.
Speaker 1:I like to sit in the back of the coach with Patty and Carly yeah, way more than I like to drive.
Speaker 2:Going all kinds of down the wrong road and again well, I got Charlie too, though.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Charlie, that's right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it sounds like a plan, we'll do it.
Speaker 2:It does, and this is what our being is about right Like getting together with people on the road, finding new places, sharing places with each other. I love this and Dan and I have. Often, I'm sure you guys have to sit around the campfire talking about places and where you want to go and how cool certain areas of the country are. Yeah, so exciting. And then when I get off a call like this, I go on my computer and on my RV trip planning RV trip wizard and I start saying, dan, we could go here, and you know, because we're working our way north from Florida and you know it's like, but we could stop and go here, and Dan's like that's 340 miles out of the way.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I that I have to be rain back in.
Speaker 4:We're pretty excited this year because we've got we're going to do the Tulip Fest up in Holland, michigan, this year. We're going to go up through North Shore up in Minnesota this year, so one completely different direction than we normally do. But we also are going to be at the Briggs Farm Blues Festival in July. They invited us out for that it's a big three day event for blues people, and then we're going to be doing Lancaster too.
Speaker 5:I'm so excited. I have been begging for Amish country for pretty much forever. I'm obsessed with the Amish.
Speaker 2:I'm just going to go down there, hold the phone, hold the phone, hold the phone, maybe.
Speaker 5:Maybe. When are you going to be in Lancaster? I think we're. We're trying to plan it around the Hershey show because we're all going to be there for that. So I think we're going to try to get up there before.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we we're going to be there. Yeah, so we've got the Briggs Festival, which is really close to Hershey, and that's going to be in July, and then we of course have the Hershey show in October, october.
Speaker 5:October, so we've got it September.
Speaker 4:So we've got to figure out whether we're going to go to Lancaster in September or July. Probably makes better sense to go in September.
Speaker 5:It's probably September. We're going to be right there, yeah, because July we've got our grandkids on the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we have grandkids in the Philadelphia area, so we spend time in Pennsylvania, so we'll be in Lancaster. We did an Amish village like a tour, yeah, and it was amazing, like the things that you find out being there. So, yeah, we'll have to plan our dates and get together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it would be incredible, other than not being able to take pictures of the people there.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It was one of our top videos over on our YouTube channel, exploring through our lens when we went to the Amish homestead right.
Speaker 2:I think it's on exploring through our lens.
Speaker 1:I can't remember the set and another great thing that we did there and we just had a great time just shamelessly self promoting our stuff. But we went to the Turkey Hill ice cream factory, oh my gosh. And we got to make our own ice cream.
Speaker 3:Did you?
Speaker 1:really.
Speaker 2:Oh, my gosh, oh, I love ice cream.
Speaker 5:I love ice cream. I love ice cream.
Speaker 2:Oh, I want to do that. We went. They invited us to come in and we went and I was like, okay, this is something cute for kids. And then they have this ice cream lab where you learn about ice cream and make your own ice cream and add toppings. Oh, my goodness, I would do it again because it was so. I ate a pint of ice cream. They give you each a pint of ice cream. I ate the whole pint.
Speaker 4:Oh, wow, wow. So what was that? What was the coolest place you saw in 2023? Let's, let's, let's, narrow it down. So what was the coolest place, or a course thing, you did in the RV in 2023?
Speaker 2:It's 20.
Speaker 1:Wait, wait, wait, wait wait. Randy, randy, this is a G rated show. What was the? Coolest thing we did in our RV.
Speaker 3:Second coolest thing, well, let's say destination.
Speaker 2:What was?
Speaker 4:the coolest destination in 2023. You guys went to 2023 was.
Speaker 2:I gotta say it was kind of tough because in January, right before Tampa, I had to go. I was called and went. I didn't have to, but I chose to be with my mom and then I spent six plus months with her. So it was a little, a little tough year and then we got back out on the road. We spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania and then we went to Hershey and we loved the RV shows. But what is the coolest?
Speaker 4:Probably meet me at the Hershey show.
Speaker 1:That was probably the high point right, that's it there you go I mean you at the Hershey show we're making Tarley. That's right, yes, that was at Tampa, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but but it I mean let's. Let's be real Again, brandy's selfishly promoting himself right now. I love it because that is the best part of RV life. I mean not to sound cliche, but that is such a big part of what and why we do what we do.
Speaker 1:I think you know those naturals well, the springs we went to. We went to this place in Florida. It was a state park and there's natural springs there that have a Kelly Park it was called and there's a video over on the YouTube channel about it, but I got to tell you it was incredible.
Speaker 2:That's a good pick. I couldn't think of that one, but yes, I would.
Speaker 1:But also, I think the other thing was going to Crystal River and being able to swim with the manatees.
Speaker 2:I did that too. That was so awesome. Yeah, uh-huh. That's a highlight. And again, here's things that I've seen on TV. I spent a lot of time in Sarasota Max was from, you know. They had a place in Sarasota, and so I spent a lot of time there, and you see manatees as you're on a boat. That's what many years ago, and I didn't think a whole lot of it.
Speaker 2:When we went, crystal River was amazing, just walking out on a pier and seeing them or getting in and swimming with them. Yep, I got to say that was a highlight.
Speaker 4:That's an amazing area. It really is.
Speaker 1:Once on a lifetime experience. And then you know, I mean this is going to be very commercial. But Patty and I decided this year to buy annual passes to Disney World and so we've been down here since two weeks before Tampa. We had a little mini family reunion down here. So we had, I think, what? 15 people. So we took 15 people. How many grandkids? Five or grandkids, five or grandkids. Okay, so what was really one of my highlights of the year is, right before Tampa, we're sitting in the RV at four o'clock in the afternoon and said let's just go over to Magic Kingdom tonight, just for us, not for the kids, not for the grandkids, not for the family, not for us, let's just go for us. We didn't have a plan, we didn't have an expectation. We walked into. I think we went to Magic Kingdom that night and we just walked up Main Street and looked in the stores and we got on a couple rides and did this. It was so relaxed, just a completely different experience going with a zillion people to.
Speaker 2:Disney, oh yeah, and then we were in a rush.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And like having your three-day, four-day, seven-day pass. Oh my gosh, I got to cover everything and to your point, and again, we're lucky to be residents of Florida and get the residents pass, which is very affordable. But as you travel, to also narrow down like how many places am I going to go see? So you're not making yourself crazy. Go, go, go, go go. We talked about enjoying the journey, yeah.
Speaker 4:So we probably my favorite place. We went out to Utah for a month in 2023 and I love Utah and one of the cool.
Speaker 1:Don't tell me you could go out into a field and stand by yourself.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:I can't do that.
Speaker 4:But we got to Boondock by the Salt Flags and the salt. There had been a lot of rain and so there was this small little glaze of reflection on the salt dune from the water and we had planned on taking. I still have the photographer in me, so I asked Callie to bring a red dress and she brought a red dress. I put her in it. I brought Flags Studio.
Speaker 5:Well, you didn't put me in it, I put me in it. Well, I asked her to get in it.
Speaker 4:Okay, thanks for clarifying, callie.
Speaker 2:It's a whole different show. That's great. Well, I got her out there.
Speaker 4:I brought Studio Flags with me and the RV and everything and we took her pictures. I'll have to text them to you so you can see them, but there's this beautiful reflection of her and that red dress coming off of the salt flags and it was amazing. And then just a Boondock there. It was so cool and the salt flags was just really cool.
Speaker 5:And it was sweet too, because we had our boxer, bella, with us. We had to put her down in October and so this was not even knowing it, this was kind of her last hurrah. So to see her out there on the salt flatch just having a blast, you know, running as fast as she possibly could at that time. And honestly I was going to say that too, for my favorite trip was the salt flask. We were there overnight, that was it, but it was just so cool.
Speaker 4:It was in between two different destinations. But then also we can't forget about the wave. So we waved down in southern Utah but you actually it ends up in Arizona when you hike to it. But you've got to get permission. You've got to get a permit and they only allow about 50 people a day to hike out to this wave. But I think you guys have seen it, but it's issue. I think it's 18. Is that right? 18. Callie and I don't always make it a point to put pictures of Callie on the cover. In fact that's the only one, but she's in a what color?
Speaker 5:is your dress A blue?
Speaker 4:Yeah, she was in a blue dress and I took her a picture of it. If you've ever seen the wave, do you know which one I'm talking about? It's this wavy picture. I'm going to try to put one to see if I've got one.
Speaker 5:I do have one.
Speaker 4:I don't know if you can see it in the camera.
Speaker 1:Well for our listeners. I'll describe this for you.
Speaker 2:I've seen that.
Speaker 1:It is a sand dune that looks like it literally looks like she's being overtaken by a wave as she's walking in this blue dress. That is yeah, that's exactly it.
Speaker 2:And so now you guys will have to send us that picture and we will put it on our social media.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And so we'll send it to the grand and Facebook.
Speaker 1:Okay. So now you know I just got to. I got to throw one more great thing out there that we had this year is we were in a place and it was a brand new. As a matter of fact, we signed these people up for harvest host. We stayed at his brother's house or his sister's house earlier that month, and it was in Benakwa Tennessee. And we're here as this harvest host in a Benakwa Tennessee and the gentleman owns the place came knocking at our door one morning at like seven o'clock in the morning. Gotta come, gotta get out, gotta get out. So we ran out what's going on? What's going on? He's like get your camera, get your camera, you gotta come with me right now. I'm like yo, dude, I gotta get dressed first. And he's like get your camera, we gotta go. So we got ready really, really quickly. Patty had to get her cup of coffee.
Speaker 2:Amen and nothing happens.
Speaker 1:Yes, there you go.
Speaker 2:Nothing happens without the coffee. Amen, it's a good story.
Speaker 1:So we get in his side by side and we go out to the field where he has, I'm gonna say, 60 or 70 a herd of long horn cattle, oh cool. And we're out there with these long horn cattle and he said that one right there and I'm like, yeah, what about it? She's gonna have a baby in the next 15 minutes, no way. So we sat there with the camera For two hours, for two hours as labor goes.
Speaker 1:And we actually filmed. We do have a video of it on our YouTube channel over at Exploring Through Our Lens, but I will tell you it was an experience Like swimming with the manatees. It was an experience that you just don't get very often, and that's what's so great about Harvest. Host Boondockers, welcome. And that's what's so great about this lifestyle.
Speaker 5:Yes.
Speaker 4:Because we told you guys this year that we actually have started to sell off everything in our home and we were planning and sometime April, listing our home and moving into our RV and I know this is kind of a little bit cliche in the RV space anyway, but we kept saying memories over stuff and as we're getting rid of these things that we've acquired over the years and we really, really love, we keep saying memories over stuff. Because that's what life's all about. Right, it's about the memories, it's about the experiences, it's about who you're with. Quick story, and I went out West and I'm sure a lot of you that are listening probably have done this, but I went out West and I was seeing this beautiful place by myself and it's just not the same when you don't have someone to share it with. It's just not the same for me.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's not right.
Speaker 2:Right and so it's yeah, no, I agree. I'll say, like Kelly does amen to that. It's interesting because Dan and I were just talking about that, we were in Disney, you know, and we're walking around and it's like years past, before you lived in an RV, you feel like, oh, I want to buy that, I want to buy that silly little knick-knack. Not that it's that silly, but when you live in an RV you have to pick and choose knick-knack stuff. It just no. And so we really have. We don't feel attached to stuff anymore. It's really kind of nice.
Speaker 4:It's free, yeah, it's liberating, I'm sure.
Speaker 5:And it's been liberating.
Speaker 4:It's a great work and.
Speaker 5:I'm looking through this process like you know, picking up something and going, wow, I really don't need this at all whatsoever, and yet I've kept it for 15 years. It's time for it to go.
Speaker 4:And this is gonna sound very pretentious and I apologize because I'm not a pretentious person I love watches. Watches are my thing. I'm a collector of watches. I had 27 watches. It's like how many can I really wear in a day? And so over the past three weeks I've sold 22 watches and I traded in five of them for one specific watch that I've been dreaming to have my whole entire life, and so I was able to kind of get it to the point where I could just had to throw in a little cash by trading in four actually it was five watches I traded in for one single watch. But anyway, it's like you do, you acquire the stuff. And we were gone for two months down in Florida when we were at the show there with you guys, and it was like I didn't miss a single one of those 27 watches at all. So what's the point of keeping them? And so it's a hard time shift. It really is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:You know. Leave it to you, randy, to tell a story about watches, which is a very sore subject with Patty and I. Many, many years ago in a previous life, we were with a network marketing company and we were the top salespeople for the year and we were awarded what kind of watch? What are those?
Speaker 2:Rolex watches.
Speaker 1:Rolex watches. We were awarded each Rolex watch but somehow or other, in this great system that we have, we were in London at the time when we came back to the United States. By the time we got back to the United States, customs decided that we didn't get our watches. Oh no, so we still to this day, don't have those two Rolex watches.
Speaker 4:How are? You gonna be kidding me and they have jumped up in an IU big time Rolexes over the last say, five, six, seven years.
Speaker 2:Thanks, Randy. Yeah, they just really rub it in, but I just keep rubbing it in. They're like bubblegum machine. Thank you, Shelly.
Speaker 4:I was gonna go back and try to smuggle them back in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, that's, and again, it's just not that important. Yeah, no, you're right Well with that, yes, with that.
Speaker 1:With that, we have to get to a commercial because we don't have the Rolex watches that are worth a fortune right now. So we gotta pay the bills. So we'll be back right after this. National indoor RB centers. With over 1,000 motor homes available across multiple locations, national indoor RB centers continues to provide an outstanding, hassle free motor home ownership experience. National indoor is the number one New Mar dealer in the nation and also features brands like Integra, winnebago and much more. Visit NIRVCcom and become a part of the National indoor RB centers family.
Speaker 2:We are definitely part of the National indoor centers family and that's not just because we are special, it is because that's how they treat people and if you want the experience of a lifetime picking out a motor home, you wanna be at the Music City Motor Home Expo. It is June 4th to the 7th. This year is the first year and they are going to sell out. I was just on the phone with Brett Davis, the owner of National indoor, and I'm sure they're gonna sell out. They're gonna be people on the waiting list. But what's really cool about this event is they will have manufacturers from every different motor home company, so companies like Integra and Tiffin and New Mar and Rebecca and Gretch. So your class C's, your class B's. But what's cool about this event?
Speaker 2:It is a four day event. It's a three day event and you will get to drive any of the brand new 2025 motor homes. You get to drive them. You get to sit in them first, as long as you wanna sit in them. They said if you wanna sit in them and you need food, we will bring you food, so you could really be in the coach, feel it, decide what coach is right for you. Again, this is an amazing event. It is going to sell out, so you're hearing it on the RV Life Podcast for the first time. If you're interested, go get your tickets. There will be a link in the notes below so you could click on it and find out more about this incredible event.
Speaker 1:Now, this event is the brainchild of Brett Davis, who, in my opinion, is the most knowledgeable person in the RV industry that there is. He literally sleeps with spreadsheets under his pillow every single night and I have to tell you that information just seeps into his brain. He knows about registrations, about where people are buying RVs, he knows what kind of RVs to buy. So he sat down with himself one day about a year ago and said what would make the buying experience more valuable to the customer, not to the manufacturer, not to the show promoter, not to any of that. He is so incredible as a human being.
Speaker 2:I committed to the customer.
Speaker 1:And committed to the customer. So we are excited that we will be at this event. We'll be doing the RV Life Podcast live to tape from the event. We're gonna talk these two into being there because it's definitely gonna be an RV destination from this point forward, you know. I mean he's looking to keep this thing going for years. All the manufacturers are supporting it 100%. As most of you know, we talked to Newmark quite a bit and we were talking to the president and CEO. Casey Tubman is excited about this event, is excited about being at this event. Lee Tiffin from Tiffin Motor Homes. He just did a piece on social media saying how excited he is for this event and how he will be at the event.
Speaker 2:Tim Walters as well did a piece on it Tim Walters from Jacob they all braved it yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, it was just really, really. This event is something that, if you want to be in the motor home space, if you want to be in our veer, this is the event to go to. Yes, we're not sure what RV to buy, just as me, or go to this event, right, right.
Speaker 2:Now you know again. We're putting links and stuff like that. Guys, randy Kelly, tell us where to send our listeners, Where's the best place to send them so they can get in touch with you. Guys. The magazine, the whole nine yards.
Speaker 1:Wait, I know, yeah, a Randy alone in a fieldcom.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So people can go out to our website, which is wwwRVDestinationsMagazinecom. There they're going to find all the great information about us, our writers, the magazine. We have a podcast there. We've also got a lot of really good free resources out there. I know some folks out there getting into the RV life. It can be a little expensive and maybe you're not quite ready to commit to the magazine. We have a lot of great free travel information out there. On our blog we do top 10 PDFs to different areas all across the United States and up into Canada, so it's just a really great resource. Again, that's wwwRVDestinationsMagazinecom.
Speaker 4:Why don't you share the podcast discount code? Not to again do a shameless plug, but we set it up for podcast listeners. Do you mind if we share it?
Speaker 1:No, go ahead the bills in the mail, all right perfect.
Speaker 5:Well, for any of those who get out to our website, you're like this is amazing, I want to subscribe. We're going to give you a discount. Just use the code podcast20. That's podcast20 at checkout, and you're going to save 20% off any of our subscriptions. And our subscriptions include both digital and or print. So really, we have a subscription to meet every type of need out there, whether you're old fashioned like me and want that print copy in your hand, or you'd rather download it onto your iPad or check it out on a computer.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's great and you know what We've all made fun of, you know promotion and you know sponsors and stuff. But I think for the four, I know for the four of us, we genuinely love what we do and what we're putting out there and the people that we're putting plugs out there for, and this is what I hope our RV listeners for both of our podcasts are looking for. And if we could share a discount, we always love that. So, thank you, 20% off and the code is podcast and again, that will be in the show notes. Perfect, are we ready for the? Thank you guys for doing that. Are you ready for the question of the week, dan?
Speaker 1:Am I ready for the question of?
Speaker 2:the week.
Speaker 1:We are ready.
Speaker 4:I'm ready for the question of the week.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to press this button and my favorite thing that big old Air horn from Explorer one comes up and that means it's time for this week's question of the week, brought to you by open roads, innovative, tolling Our question this week from social media and we've talked about.
Speaker 2:You know that toll pass and it is in the show notes. But the question is from Lauren T and she's actually from right here in Orlando, florida. I have been sort of mentoring her as she starts her RV journey shows. She said I'm new to RVing and I want to know how you decide where to go and how long you stay. And we did talk a little bit about this. But we're actually going to throw this question to you guys to answer. How would you answer Lauren?
Speaker 5:Go ahead. I'm giving that to you, I'm pointing to you.
Speaker 1:No, go ahead. She pointed you. That means it fills up your brain with all kinds of useless information.
Speaker 5:So, you know, we use a couple of different things and you know when we talked about this before shameless plug on the magazine. But we do use our own magazine for inspiration on on deciding on where to go. But a lot of times it just depends on, you know, are we looking to get to beat the heat, because the summer is just miserable where we are? So we're going to maybe head up a little bit north, a little bit further. Is it wintertime and we're trying to warm up, so we want to head south. So we use, you know, just kind of depending on what's going on that year. We also plan trips around different RV destination magazine events that we need to be at. So we'll plan trips around that as well, just to kind of have fun and because it is expensive to hook up your rig or drive your rig out to a location. So we try to maximize on that area while we're in that area, so that we're not just, you know, driving 17 hours for one city to turn around and come back five days later.
Speaker 2:Agreed, you have something to add there.
Speaker 4:I just think she is so well spoken.
Speaker 5:She did that very well, Just boiled down to. I was paying attention to the question and he was not.
Speaker 4:No, that's not true, Wow way to call him.
Speaker 2:And remember, guys, we did tell you before we started this podcast that we don't edit anything, so there it is You've got our listeners, have us all in the bra, so thank you, that's and that's a great answer. And again, that how long do you stay is what are you doing?
Speaker 1:I don't know what day You're sitting in the wrong. Yes, or you can have your clothes.
Speaker 2:How long you stay in this area. You know again, that's one of the questions that's really dependent on the person how much you want to be moving around where you're at, you know. So it's so. While it was a question, I think we covered a lot of that and it's a very individual.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so now you got my little brain cells going here, so we've got to actually over here. To my right you can't see it, but we've got a map of the United States and Canada. And what we did is we took a what are that called a compass or protractor protractor, where you have the the pin on one side and you take the pencil.
Speaker 4:That thingy, yeah, yeah, that's protractor right, I'm going back to sixth grade and I can't remember it. But so so we put, you know, the the, the pin part on our home, and then we drew out like what was it?
Speaker 5:It was like a hundred miles and then 250. We actually kind of planned it out for days if we could get a long weekend versus a week versus, we need two plus.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So I think I think it was like under 200 miles and then like 500 miles and then like a thousand miles, and then we said, okay, we're only going to do places for, you know, a weekend in the first circle. The second circle we're going to do a week. Third circle, we're going to do two weeks and anything outside the end circle which, just like you know the tips of Washington state, california, up into Canada, deep into Canada. You know that's more than two weeks and so that's. We've kind of followed that and it it works pretty well because you know you don't want to, you don't want to have a week and try to drive 2000 miles from Kentucky out to California. It just makes no sense. And Callie tells a story for four or five years now, about a time I miscalculated.
Speaker 5:Miscalculated. It's lucky we're still married, is all I have to say.
Speaker 4:So we had a business event up in Seattle, and we live in Kentucky as well. I guess your listeners don't know that, but we live in Kentucky. We're in between Louisville and Cincinnati, and so and I go to my loving, wonderful husband.
Speaker 5:I'm like, honey, how long is it going to take us to get to Seattle? He looks at me and he goes my love, it'll take us two and a half days.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 5:I looked at him and I'm like are you? Sure about that. He looks at me and says yes, babe, just two and a half days, yeah, and we were we were driving.
Speaker 4:we drove two 18 hour days and I mean we got very little sleep and then rolled in the about two and a half days about what I said. But she would kill me the dogs were getting ready to kill me. It was terrible.
Speaker 5:It was terrible. We got there and I'm like I can't see you for a long time. You need to go away.
Speaker 3:And then the campground was terrible to put on a boot on top of everything.
Speaker 4:But but yeah, it was. Yeah, we don't make that mistake anymore. Now we've got a hard line at eight to 10 hours. We stop and we're done.
Speaker 5:So eight to 10 hours a day, that's your driving, and I push more for the eight hours at 10 hours because it's hard and for new RVers out there, you'll learn this when you're putting in those big, huge, long days and you stop, what you forget about is your body and your brain is still going. You're literally like vibrating from all the road noise and it's really hard to shut all that off, get in bed, fall asleep, wake up at 7am and do it all over again. So it's important we have learned to get into a location you know six, seven o'clock in the evening, wind down, have dinner, take a walk, watch a movie you know, watch TV, whatever it takes to just kind of ah, okay, we're ready to do this again tomorrow.
Speaker 4:Right, yeah, I learned that. You know I sleep terrible the first night because exactly what she said. You know I'm still vibrating and anxious you know, the first day we pulled in at our long drive and so it's really not till day two where I sleep. Good, you know, I even know my heart's racing all night, just because all the anxiousness have been on the road. I don't know if you two feel that, but I know we do.
Speaker 1:Well, you have a much newer unit than ours. Ours is a 2002. 2002. Oh, 2002. And I have to tell you that, driving an old girl like this, it adds another layer of stress. So when I get someplace after an eight or nine hour day, I am done. So we try to stay places for at least 24 hours, meaning two nights. Oh okay, so we'll get there, and then we try to stay one more day, just because it just seems to make sense. And you know, we're not getting any younger.
Speaker 2:So that's a road I don't want to walk down.
Speaker 1:I know, especially with Randy.
Speaker 2:Yes, but that's it. That's a good thing. And to your point of making those circles, so just to make life easier for you, and we're going to, you know, share an RV Life Pro tip with RV Trip Wizard. They have the circles for you. Yeah, they mean the circles. So you just go on and that could be our tip for the week. But RV Life Pro, when you have where you're at, you could set your circles at whatever miles. So there's a red, a yellow and a green circle I think it is and you set whatever miles you want and then you know exactly which circle, where you want to be, where you want your destination to be. So you can give ready or break.
Speaker 4:You know that's interesting because Patrick talked about the circles on our podcast. Yeah, patrick with RV Life for the listeners that may not know who he is, but we had him on our show, we talked about the circles, and I completely forgot about that, though you just said that, so we're going to have to try that next time we're on a trip on our RV Life Pro Wizard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, rv Life, trip Wizard, trip Wizard.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, it's real convenient too, when you're like when you're out somewhere. You can see those three protractor lines on the map with not when you're not at home you can see how far you go from where you are.
Speaker 5:We're just guessing when we're out on the road Right, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I have. I have one other question I want to talk to you about, about the magazine. Sure, because I have this image, you know, knowing Randy now we got to spend a week together at Tampa, so knowing Randy a little bit and then seeing him here on the podcast on our screen, I have this image in my head when you're laying out the magazine of Randy sitting in the Hugh Hefner bathrobe on your king size bed in that Winnebago, looking through all these pictures. So, so, callie Ted, tell me, is that the way it happens?
Speaker 5:It is absolutely 100%. He's got a big fat cigar in his mouth and the robe is, you know, shamelessly partially open down his chest, you know, and we've got the magazine sprawled out on the floor. No, not at all. Thankfully it's all done through this incredible program that we have. You know, times have changed so much so it's literally all laid out digitally and we're able to send it to our printer and digital format like that, and then they take it from that digital file and create the paper file. So it's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 5:Sorry that I burst your bubble, I know.
Speaker 1:You bursted my bubble.
Speaker 4:I did, although I might do that take? A picture and send it to him.
Speaker 5:But it makes you feel better, there you go.
Speaker 1:We will share that on our social media.
Speaker 5:He does sometimes plan and work on the magazine in his pajamas.
Speaker 4:So now, that's true.
Speaker 5:That's true story, okay.
Speaker 2:And we're not going to go down that road right now We'll just leave it go the next time we're all together but the campfire will have that conversation and share.
Speaker 1:Well, now that we've got that mental image for all of our listeners.
Speaker 1:Let me give you another mental image that will get that one right out of your head. As most of the RV Life podcast listeners know, patty and I started our RV Life in a 2002 Monaco Diplomat and within the first six months guess what? We started looking for our next unit. In the last three years we have worked six RV shows, we have visited over a dozen dealers. We have sat in, crawled through and discussed literally hundreds of RVs and, yes, after three years, we have finally decided that Numar is the brand for us.
Speaker 2:And when he says we've been in hundreds of RVs, he's not kidding. I can't even count the number of RVs that Dan has dragged me through and sat in, and when I mean sit in, we sit there for hours, and sometimes an hour. Over the last three years it's been. The number is countless. But what I can say with confidence is that the feeling sitting in a Numar just felt different than any other coach. My best description that both Dan and I felt is that we were home in the Numar. So we decided to take the step and make Numar our next home. There are so many reasons why we love Numar, but the top are probably the quality of the workmanship that goes into each coach, the choice of multiple floor plans in each model and the options that are available to customize your Numar to make it exactly the way you want it. Most important, the people that make Numar Corporation.
Speaker 1:There are so many different brands out there, there's so many different models and so many decisions that Randy and I have to make, but at the end of the day, patty and I chose to do business with people, not companies, and the people of the Numar Corporation are the people that we chose to do business with for our next home.
Speaker 2:This is a decision we just made over the last week and while we've been here over the last three years, but finalized over the last week and we're excited to be able to share this with our podcast listeners.
Speaker 1:Now that sound means it's time for today's RV Life Pro Tip. You know RV Life Trip Wizard, the one that gives you the circles, randy.
Speaker 5:We like the circles.
Speaker 1:It is brought to you by RV Trip Wizard. Why? Because it just works.
Speaker 3:By default. Rv Life Trip Wizard creates an RV safe route, keeping you clear of any low clearances. If you want to see all of those low clearances on your map, choose the research tab, then the hazards tab, and click the low clearance icon. If you see a low clearance on the map that you think is on your route, remember to zoom in all the way. You'll find that the low clearance warning is typically on a side road or underpass that is not on your direct route. If you've properly entered your RV information, you won't be routed somewhere you shouldn't be Seeing. The low clearance warnings might be handy for routes you are considering but haven't mapped yet, or help explain why you're being routed a certain way on the map With your RV Life Pro Tip of the Week. I'm Pat Buchanan.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, pat Buchanan, for the RV Pro Tip. We talked a lot of tips with Randy and Kelly today about RV Life Pro and Trip Wizard. We want to thank Kelly and Randy, and now we have Charlie there with us. We want to thank you so much for being on. This was such a fun podcast and I hope our listeners enjoyed it as much as Dan and I did.
Speaker 1:I hope they did too, because we went 30 minutes over our normal days for our podcast, but that's okay. That's okay because this it was just interesting for our listeners. You guys are so great. We just really love having you on the show.
Speaker 5:Thank you so much for having us. We really enjoyed it as well. It was awesome, thank you.
Speaker 2:We did so now. We think it was a great episode. Kelly and Randy think it was a great episode. We would love for people to leave a review on any of the podcast platforms that you choose to listen on or reach out to us on social media the RV Life Podcast, instagram and Facebook. We want to thank our listeners for being our listeners and supporting us.
Speaker 1:Yes, and leaving a review, leaving a thumbs up, whatever it is, it really really helps. Anything that you can put into that review field really really helps us as a podcaster. You're listening to the RV Life Podcast. I'm Dan Hunt with my incredible wife, Patty Hunt, saying have a great rest of today and any better day tomorrow.