RV LIFE Podcast
The RV LIFE Podcast, created by one of the premier companies in the RV industry, is for the RV Community with a mission to Educate, Entertain and Explore the RV Lifestyle. The Podcast will explore all things RV Life: living, working, exploring, learning. With hosts Dan & Patti Hunt, full time RVers, content creators, educators and explorers.
RV LIFE Podcast
Embracing Adventures: Tips and Stories for Aspiring RV Travelers
Ever wondered what it would be like to adventure around this great country? Today's guest has had an incredible 25-year journey exploring the world and embracing the RV lifestyle. She’ll inspire you to seek out your own adventures with heartwarming stories from her time with "Sisters on the Fly," a dynamic group of women who find joy in camping, fly fishing, and vintage trailers. From the tale of a Florida widow learning to drive her trailer cross-country to the lively escapades of 90-year-old Maisie, these anecdotes showcase the spirit of resilience and camaraderie that defines this unique community.
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Do you want to have more adventure in your life? I'm Patti Hine and you're listening to the RV Life Podcast. I spent three years full-time in my RV. It was a 40-foot Monaco Diplomat and the best part of it was the adventures we had along the way. My husband, dan, and I, as I said, spent three amazing years full-time traveling back and forth across the country. I think it was about three and a half times. We went back and forth across the country, yes, and every place we went was a new experience, a new adventure, things I never even would have thought would have been amazing. And the best part of it were the interesting people that I met along the way. That absolutely is the best part, and today's guest we haven't met in person, but I am certainly grateful to have met my guest today. She has traveled extensively over probably more than 25 years and she's here today to inspire you to achieve more adventure. So, whether you're solo travel, you're traveling duo, as a duo, you're traveling as a family, irene Rawlings will inspire you to find more adventure across this great country. Now. The RV Life podcast was created to educate, entertain and explore the RV lifestyle, with the mission to inspire you to live life to the fullest. I know today's guest will be a great inspiration for me and for my listeners.
Speaker 1:Before we jump in, this week's what you Need to Know is brought to you by Open Road Resorts and they have five incredible locations. There are two in Montana, one in Idaho, one in Texas and their newest location is in Nebraska West Nebraska, omaha KOA is very close to Omaha, as well as Lincoln, nebraska. Lots to do there If you're going to be in the Montana area. Yellowstone area Red Rock RV Park is outside the Western Gate of Yellowstone. One of their campgrounds is Pulssen Flathead Lake KOA and Poulsen Motor Coach Resort, which is a resort-only motor coach, as well as the Dallas Northeast Campground. So I know we're wrapping up the summer here as you're thinking about next year. These are five great campgrounds to check out. So in today's what you Need to Know, it is the middle of August when you are listening to this podcast. Okay, that part I'm sure you all know. But what people need to really know is in a month from now, america's largest RV show will be in full swing. It is also known as the Hershey Show. It is exactly a month away and I am super excited for the show, but I'm more excited for the RV Life Hershey After Party. This is the third annual event and each year I feel like it gets more and more amazing. Last year it was totally sold out. We had 60 people on the waiting list. This year we've added the RV Entrepreneur Workshop, which will be from nine to four, and we are able to do these events because of our amazingly generous sponsors. And I want to tell you who those sponsors are, because they're also some of them are giving some incredible giveaways. We have Cool RV, we have Air Skirts, lithionics, battery, open Road Resorts, open Roads, which is a fuel card, jayco RV TV Work, amper News, rv Photo, queen, travelfy, soft Start RV Clear 2.0, general RV Centers, uplift Desks and so many, like I said, giveaways. This, what you need to know, is brought to you by Open Roads Resort. But let's get to my guests. I'm so excited.
Speaker 1:Irene Rawlings writes for LM, luxury Magazine, rob Report, the Wall Street Journal, off Duty, art and Antiques Hemispheres, national Geographic, travel Online, afar Online, the Saturday Evening Post, mountain Living and Global Traveler. Rawlings is the author of four books, including the Sisters on the Fly about women, fly fishing, vintage trailers and joys of the open road. She also wrote Cast Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly. Recently she authored the commemorative souvenir edition magazine slash book for Sisters on the Fly, the 25th anniversary. She hosts an award-winning radio show on the iHeartMedia stations and divides her time between her home in Colorado, where she lives with her photographer husband and two rescue dogs, a small vineyard in California and an extremely small windmill in Greece. We're going to have to talk about that one. Welcome Irene Rawlings to the RV Life podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me on Listening to that. I was thinking who is that person? How do I have time for all this stuff? But this was the first book that I wrote Sisters on the Fly. You can see that it's still available on Amazon.
Speaker 1:It's auto print but it's still available and I met the sisters and was enchanted and had to write the book about them and we're going to jump into all things sisters on the fly but I also want my guests to know that if you're not a sister, you're not a woman. This show is still for you, because you are going to get my listeners lots of what to do if they want to find more adventure, right, yeah, I hope so. I know you will. You're amazing.
Speaker 2:I'm so excited. I will, I will, I will.
Speaker 1:Let's start learning more about you. You truly have a love of travel and writing, so where did that all?
Speaker 2:start Well with Sisters on the Fly. It started on a road in Montana, driving along the road I was editor of Mountain Living magazine at the time, so I'm driving along the road. I think I just visited a home we were going to feature or a resort or something, and I saw this colorful caravan of vintage trailers that had big murals on the sides and I stopped and they kept driving. They weren't that many, there were 10 or 12, but it stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and started following them. After a while they stopped and Maury Sussman, sister number one, got out and walked around the caravan to my little car rental car back there following them. She said I can't help but notice that you are following us. And I said yes, who are you? And she said we are sisters on the fly. And uh, it's.
Speaker 2:We started with two real life sisters myself, maury sussman, and my other sister, beck Clark, sister number two. We were fishing on the Madison River and we caught a big trout. We still argue about who caught that big trout and we thought wouldn't it be fun to share it with friends? So they invited two friends and they invited four friends and they pretty soon they were 120. And pretty soon they were. When I was writing the first book there were 1200. And now there are more than 23,000 sisters worldwide. Wow, and you mentioned one thing, that is, it's sisters, yes, but and the rule is no using old cowboy talk, decides if husbands can come or dogs can come or grandchildren can come. So it's husbands meeting significant others of any shape and size. So it's not just for sisters, it's for anyone who enjoys outdoor adventure.
Speaker 1:Okay, and so there's so much here. Wow, and it's no, don't be sorry. This is what I love, and I love to get this cool information. I had never heard of Sisters on the Flyer. Actually, I think I had heard of it and I kind of put it aside. I didn't know a whole lot about it. So I was really grateful to be introduced to you by Patrick Buchanan from RV Life and he said, hey, it'd be great to do an interview. And once I talked to you, I knew this would be a great topic and it would be great speaking with you. So this really started with two literal sisters. And when you say on the fly, you're talking New Zealand, france, italy and England.
Speaker 2:So the myth is, as we say, the two sisters fly. So I talked with Maury's son, who is a fly fishing guide, and we have a story in the MOOC the MOOC that RV Life is sponsoring and I appreciate it very much, mooc there it is. The story is they were in his boat actually fly fishing the Madison River and they caught this fish and they were so excited about it. He taught them how to fly fish. They'd been, you know, spinning rod fishers and things like that. He taught them the joys of catching and releasing. And I just said to him well, you know, catch him and you don't. You want to eat your fish.
Speaker 2:I'm talking to Maury's son and he said kill the fish. That would be like killing your tennis partner. It's like, oh, now that you put it that way, we kiss him and put him back, and that's how it becomes a sport rather than something, Although you know the challenge is, patty, once you say the next one is lunch, you will never catch another fish on that water, because they talk to each other, they know what you said and they want to make sure they don't get caught because you're going to catch them and eat them. That fletching and releasing, they're fine, they're cool, they're ready to play.
Speaker 1:Very cool story and it's so cool to see where this all started. It was 25 years ago and the book is magazine and book and you combine those words together. I have the privilege of having a copy of the digital and I'm waiting for my hard copy of it. This book is beautiful and, as you said, rv Life is a sponsor of the book. We appreciate it, yes, and you're very welcome when something like this comes along and it's just, it's well-written, it's beautiful pictures and, for me, what I love best is about the adventure in it. So just to let's talk a little bit about the adventure. But to back up a little bit, like I said, I traveled for three years with my husband. As a lot of people know, he is ill and unable to travel. For me, I'm not sure that I want to travel just solo, but to travel solo and be with sisters or be with other people sounds very intriguing. So give us a little bit about how do these events work.
Speaker 2:Well, there are 300 plus events and they're not all camping and outdoor events. They can be lunches, they can be potlucks, they can be let's meet the sisters in Colorado, so they have something somewhere. Cbs covered us once when we were doing something in Rocky Mountain National Park and the reporter, who was a man, was really surprised. He said who backs up your trailers? I mean, who does this? And it's like you know, we kind of learn this as we go along. I'm going to tell you a story, if it's okay.
Speaker 2:Maury told me this story. She said there was a sister on the fly in Florida who became a widow and her husband had done a lot of the mechanical things around the house. You know, the household was kind of divided traditionally she did inside and gardening and stuff and he did outside stuff and trailers. And so she said I'd like to, I don't want to camp by myself, I want to join sisters on the fly and I want to join the meetup in California. And Maury, after she, maury gulped a little bit and said have you ever driven a trailer? She said no and Maury said okay, this is what you're going to do. You are going to hook yourself up. Have someone check to make sure it's hooked up properly because you don't want to be losing it on the road. That has happened to some sisters, with a great deal of adventure and misadventure.
Speaker 2:And then drive straight forward. If you want to turn around, find a big box store parking lot, turn yourself around and do what you're going to do. Keep driving straight forward from California to Florida to California. When you get here, a sister will teach you how to back up that trailer and everything else you need to know. Now I met her. She had a sort of a Martha Stewart green kind of trailer that she'd done up and her she had a bicycle and that matched and it matched everything. She was into that green and she said it changed her life. So, um and and sisters, camping with sisters, you're not camping by yourself. It's not frightening. You've got people to take care of you, help you back up your trailer, help you figure out how your air conditioning works and how your propane works and everything else that you need to know.
Speaker 1:Wow, what a story. And I have to say there's like a fear that came up at me, thinking about getting in a trailer and driving from Florida to California there's not too much of a further distance you could drive. That sounds rather scary to me. Now the idea of getting there and having the sisters to help and support and teach you what to do sounds fantastic. I just can't imagine You're saying drive. I just I can't even imagine You're saying drive straight. No experience For me.
Speaker 1:I never drove our RV. I never drove our 40 foot. I could do pretty much anything. I hooked up the car, I unhooked it, I learned how to do all the outside, I dumped the tanks. I didn't even want my husband to dump it because he did it different than I did and I had a way. So I learned as much as I could, but I had never driven it. Recently, at an event, I was at the Music City Motorhome Expo put on by National Indoor RV Centers and I did test drive a 37 foot, uh, new mark and that was pretty amazing. But I think I'd want lessons before I take off for clear across the country.
Speaker 2:Well, these are. These are small trailers, most of the originally the original sisters. I think 18 feet is kind of the biggest one, that that. That was at that California gathering that we went to. It seemed to be like sort of like um gathering that we went to. It seemed to be like sort of like Airstream Bambi size. You know, they were that little that size Right a little bit easier to maneuver perhaps, than a 30-some foot long long. Lucy and Desi long long trailer.
Speaker 1:Right, or for me it was a motorhome, a Class A motorhome. So let's talk about some of the adventures. Let's you know you're a writer, you're a storyteller. Tell some, tell a story to our listeners of one of those most amazing adventures that you've taken, that you've been part of with the sisters. I just know you could paint that picture on podcasts as well as your radio talk show host. We need to be able to paint that picture there are just so many and you said that.
Speaker 2:You know I didn't kind of like hone in on that. I made a few notes of things I thought you might be interested in, but I didn't do that. The adventures are. The sister who drove across the country is one of them. Well, there was a couple of interesting sort of misadventures. Let's start with that. Okay, talking with Maisie. Now.
Speaker 2:Maisie was amazing, the amazing Maisie. She drove her own, dragged her own rig. She drove a reward f f 150 I think it was seeing her jump into that and the sisters were, and I said they had their paint, their trailers painted in wonderful murals and and and we have a actually a chapter in the sisters on the fly milk about trailer decor, how to decorate near inside of your trailer. So they pulled into a truck stop in Nevada, where some things are more legal in Nevada than they are in other places in the world. So the girls pulled up in their trailers and there were a bunch of construction workers there who couldn't believe their good luck. They thought it was a girly caravan that had pulled up there in Nevada and by this time Maisie was probably in her early 90s, I would say, and from the back. She was a slim little person, she. On the back she looked like an 18 year old. So I said to her I didn't put this in the book because it's a little too risque. But I said to her so what happened, maisie? And she said, well, I let them bid me up and then I jumped in my trailer and I screeched my tires and I drove away. So that was the end of that that particular adventure, and, as I said, I didn't put in the book. It's a little too little, too off color.
Speaker 2:The most of the adventures that we have in the book are pretty colorful. They are sisters catching fish, sisters putting up trailers, sisters meeting with each other, sisters. The thing about sisters is not only do we have adventures driving across on Route 66, driving across the country on the Trail of Tears, on the Lewis and Clark Trail, volunteers on the Lewis and Clark Trail, sisters did this 300 and some sisters drove Route 66 and had a lot of adventures and misadventures along the way. You know, like I said, trailers coming loose and going down the road a little bit before someone stops them, trailers that were old and some of the skins started bulging and the windows started falling out. So you know, things happen along the road that are perhaps not the kind of adventures that you really want, but they have had. Driving across the country they've met, as you have, all kinds of interesting people, people who, in small towns across the country, stop and meet them, want to know who they are. Sometimes the sheriff will come out and give them a parade through town, stopping traffic along the way so people can see who they are. So, sisters, really they really do cut a wide swath when it comes to adventures. Fly fishing is only one of them Camping, fishing, adventuring, cooking in cast iron.
Speaker 2:They have a meeting in Quitsight every year, called the Dutch Oven Divas of the Desert, of a meeting they cook in cast iron, and so we were there at one of the meetings and it's BLM land, so you can camp for two weeks free there. So they camp and they cook, and then they have contests to see who wins, and some of their winning recipes are in the book. So when we were there, one of the sisters said well, why don't you just pull my cast iron Dutch oven cast iron off the fire? And I picked it up and was face first into the fire. I carried it back to her like this. It was heavier as a heck. She took both of them and went like this, and I said, oh my gosh. And she said, yeah, they're heavy, but you don't have to go to the gym quite as much.
Speaker 2:And she's lifting these cast iron pots.
Speaker 1:So for my listeners who can't see, irene and I are on video so we can see each other. Hopefully we'll get some video clips from this for social media, um, but but irene is, you know you're gesturing that holding the one pot was like all you could do with both hands. Anybody who's ever held the cast iron pot. They are really heavy, but the stuff full of food is full of food heavier top of it but carrying.
Speaker 1:She was able to carry two of them and I could see where that would be your workout for sure, and that is so cool to be able. I think one of the greatest things in camping is getting together with people and everybody coming together and cooking, and it's it's. It's part of the theization, it's just part of what makes RVing camping just so special, and creating food together it's amazing and there are a lot. And I'm looking at the MOOC as we speak and I think this book is for everyone, not just sisters, not just women, but this book, as you're calling it, is for everyone and there's recipes and there's just the beauty. You were talking about the trailers and what they look like. Most of them are vintage. I saw a video on YouTube about the trailer. So, again, to give my listeners kind of this visual, they tend to be smaller trailers but they have these cool colors and they have pictures on the side of them and the video really helped to show. I think it was a Travel Channel video that was done.
Speaker 2:It was, and there was one on Oprah as well. Oprah and Gayle King camped with Sisters on the Fly on one occasion, yes, and the sisters really loved it. Gayle was really into it. Oprah was not so much. I think she really enjoyed the show. She was gracious and kind and wonderful. But I think she kind of enjoys the Ritz-Carlton experience a little better than being out on the campground. But she was a real good sport. It was Gail, I think, that dragged her out there and Gail King, as far as I understand it, is coming out with CBS Sunday morning.
Speaker 2:I think it is to the 25th anniversary Jubilee in Pigeon Forge, tennessee, in October. Oh, how cool. It's going to be a huge 500. If anyone lives near that area, give it a look. It's between the 9th and the 13th of October in Pigeon Forge, from Wednesday afternoon basically till Sunday morning, and come and look at the trailers. There'll be 500 of them. That's a lot and they're all kinds.
Speaker 2:They used to be vintage back in the day when you could buy a vintage trailer for 50 bucks or some farmer or rancher would pay you to haul it away. Those days have passed. Now the sisters on the fly have everything from the vintage to new, shiny, shiny, shiny, bright new things like the Airstreams and the Bolas and others, and also tent camping. Some of the sisters have tents that they fix up, or if they don't have anything, they go to a campground. Lovely campgrounds usually have a cabin or something that you can stay in if you don't have your own. And then there are vintage trailer resorts around the country where you can stay in a vintage trailer if you don't have one, right?
Speaker 1:right. So is this event just for the Sisters of the Fly? That's like a great event. It's sold out. It's already sold out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was sold out almost a minute. It was announced and it's a benefit, the benefit of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, it's the benefit of Dolly Parton's imagination library and rumor has it, although I've been unable to confirm it, it's swirling. Rumor is swirling that Dolly Parton might arrive only because, according to the sisters and again, as a journalist, I always try to verify these things, as you know, when someone says something but rumor has it that Dolly Parton is still a little chapped because she, for some reason or other, joined a Dolly Parton lookalike contest and lost to a drag queen, wow, okay, and she wants to redeem herself, according to Sisters on the Fly. So we're thinking, maybe the night we present the check, which is going to be substantial, to the Imagination Library, she will come and receive it or not, but in any case we will be delighted to be there.
Speaker 2:We're going to Dollywood and I think 500 sisters on the fly and maybe more, because sisters tend to double up in their trailers sometimes. So, more than 500 sisters, 500 trailers. And it's October 9th through the 13th. If you are anywhere near Pigeon Forge, make the detour, you will not regret it. Well, but you said they're sold out. I'm thinking, hey, no, no, no, but you can come and look, oh, okay.
Speaker 1:You can't stay there, so maybe I'll fly in Fly in, or maybe you're there already.
Speaker 2:I mean, the autumn in that part of the world is gorgeous.
Speaker 1:I'm sure, I'm not sure.
Speaker 2:October 9th, which is a Wednesday, through the 13th, which is Sunday, All right, and you know, smoky mountains, leaves are turning. I mean it really is a gorgeous time to be in that part of the world. The heat and humidity and bugs are gone.
Speaker 1:Gone. Yeah, yeah, I have to put that on my calendar and see if.
Speaker 2:I can make that work. If you could show us that would be the highlight. It would be absolutely the highlight. We would love it.
Speaker 1:And we'll do an RV Life podcast and we'll interview the sisters. Yes, that'd be amazing, we'll get it. That would be totally amazing. We'll get a camera crew and do some video. Great, we'll talk about that after.
Speaker 2:I'm so happy about that, Really really happy.
Speaker 1:And before and again for my listeners anybody who's new to the RV Life podcast should know that there's no scripting. So Irene and I did not sit and say this is what we're going to talk about. Here's the questions. There's no real script and we just go in whatever direction we want to go in. Before we continue on, I want to talk about one of my sponsors. As you know, with the book and things that you've done, our sponsors are the best because they help keep the lights on, as they say.
Speaker 1:Clear 2.0 is one of those companies that helps keep my lights on, so to speak. They have a water filtration system that I've been using for over three years. I absolutely love their products, all of their products. I've had the inline water filter. I've had the three-stage water filter in my RV. Of course, I prefer the three-stage water filter. I have the water pitcher and they just do it different than any other filtration system on the market, because the difference is most water filters are granular carbon. It is the carbon that cleans the water. Clear 2.0 has a carbon solid block. The water stays on that carbon solid block longer and it can get it down to one micron. The lower the number of microns, the better. So, clear2ocom, go to the website it's going to be in the show notes and you could get a 15% off discount the other benefit of having sponsors on the show.
Speaker 1:I am, but let's go back. I'm talking, I'm looking at this book and it is so beautifully laid out, so beautifully written and there are so many incredible places that I look through and I keep thinking about the things that I want to do and there's a whole, I think four-page spread on Route 66. And you mentioned Route 66. And I've been on parts of Route 66. I just think that Route 66 trail. I like the history, the historical type things. So when you're riding down the road and you're on Route 66, it really is like a throwback in time. And I love how on the one page, there's Route 66 road stops and there's the list of those road stops. Now I'm going to put you on the spot again. We don't talk about these things beforehand. Have you done some of the Route 66? I did not.
Speaker 2:I did not do Route 66. I've done Route 66 in a part of it in a car the part in New Mexico and Arizona and stood on the corner in Winslow, arizona, next to the statue there, and there's a wonderful old Harvey House Hotel there in Arizona that's been redone by a couple that loves doing this sort of thing. The Harvey House Hotels were railroad hotels all across the United States. It started, I think, in the 19th century, early 20th century, I don't know. There are several books written about that but I'm not quite sure about when it was started. But some several books written about that, but I'm not quite sure about when it was started. But some of the old ones that have fallen into disrepair, like the one in Las Vegas, new Mexico, and the one in Winslow, arizona, have been beautifully restored so you can stay there if you're not staying in your trailer and your camper. So yeah, beautiful Campgrounds is one of the chapters and I know that you were just talking about campgrounds and I know that Harvest Hosts is one of your sponsors from time to time and I'm totally crazy about Harvest Hosts. Their membership is under $100 a year and then the stays are free and we plan to drive from Denver to Pigeon Forge staying at Harvest Host. It's like 1300 miles staying at Harvest Host along the way farms, orchards, vineyards. So you get an app and you can choose where you want to stay and you may be the only one there and there may be three other people there may be. Some of them are larger and can host a party of 10 or something, but they're all small and your only obligation really and I say obligation in quotation marks is to buy something. There'll be a farm shop. There'll be a wine store They'll be selling. If there's an orchard, they'll be selling peaches or apples or something. A vineyard they'll be selling something. Farms they'll be selling something. Buy something and it'll stick it in your fridge, in your camper and you can eat it or drink it along the way. So that is one of my favorite ways of camping.
Speaker 2:The other beautiful campgrounds we mentioned obviously are national parks and national forests and BLM lands, where we mentioned earlier to stay two weeks for free. But in this chapter called Beautiful Campgrounds, two of my favorites are one is in Booth Bay, maine, which includes a brewery. It has a brewery right in the middle. There's trailers all around this little brewery so you can just have a couple beers and then you go have a nap. And the other one that I really love is Boyd's Campground in Key West. Let me tell you why I love these campgrounds because they are so individual, they are unique, and everybody loves the KOA campgrounds. Everybody loves the convenience of finding them and if you have a camper you'll be, but I really love the little tiny ones that they have. The Harvest Host is in there.
Speaker 2:Another one, a favorite, is flip flip. Flip is El Cosmico in Marfa, texas. Now, if you haven't been to Marfa Texas, put it on your list. Marfa Texas. Now, if you haven't been to Marfa Texas, put it on your list. Marfa Texas is the only place that has a Prada store that's never opened. It is like $80,000 worth of Prada stuff in the store, but it's never opened. It's a piece of performance art. Marfa is crazy. It's full of all kinds of artists and artisans and if you haven't been, please put it on your list. It is a town like no other. You're driving through Texas. Make sure to stop there.
Speaker 1:That's incredible and, again, I'd love these tips for my listeners. I know for me as much as I've driven across the country. I find something and I talk to someone and I add three more things to the list of places I want to see, and these are places I have not yet been, so I am definitely adding these places to the list. I want to talk about Harvest Host, because we both love to give shout outs to companies and memberships that really are helpful. Dan and I have been members of Harvest Toast since before we actually got the RV and we truly I'm going to add on to what you said we love Harvest Toast. They actually recently bought Escapees RV Club and I had the owner, Joel Holland, on the show on July 25th who talked. All things about that acquisition include community and events that will encourage community among people, which I love, which is obviously what Sisters on the Fly is all about.
Speaker 1:I want to take a brief break because, as we talk about this traveling around the country, we need to talk about for me it was diesel gas and Open Roads Fuel Card is fantastic. You buy, you get this fuel card. The card's absolutely free. You don't buy anything. The card is free from Open Roads Fuel Card. You then have an app that shows you gas stations across the country that are easy for an RV camper of any size to pull into. They are truck stops and you get a discount. Every time we stop for diesel fuel, we got a discount. So anybody that has diesel fuel, Open Roads fuel card is the way to go. The links in the show notes you go to myopenroadscom and they are fantastic. So I highly recommend that. Save the sisters and everybody else all of my listeners money while traveling across the country.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we're talking about a lot of incredible places, and the places you and I mentioned is in the book the 25th Jubilee, the 25th Sisters on the Fly Jubilee, and again, this muck is just beautiful. It really is beautiful. You did an amazing job. I saw Old Stone, Ford State Archaeology Park, which is in Manchester, Tennessee, and there's not a lot of pictures, but just the picture that's here. This is my kind of place. The woods, a river or a lake is my kind of place. People would say do you prefer the mountains or the beach? I prefer this, and it is beautiful.
Speaker 2:It is beautiful. We chose the ones that we really that were a little off the beaten trail, shall we say, a little bit more difficult to get to, perhaps a little quieter than normal, and, as you say, out in the woods, out near a stream. Sisters on the fly, if they have a stream nearby, are usually pretty happy if they can do a little bit of fishing. Sisters around the country, though and we mentioned that, it's not just for women, it's no husbands, no dogs. Be nice. Three rules, and the overall motto logo is we have more fun than anyone, which is totally, totally true. Now there are more than 300 events all over the country, including fishing, including hiking, including wild swimming. Wild swimming doesn't mean swimming without your suit, it means going to find a.
Speaker 1:I was going to clarify that. No, no, we have gone a little. This is a Wild swimming is hiking to a place Hiking. To clarify that. No, no, we have gone a little. This is a. She is hiking to a lake.
Speaker 2:Hiking to a lake, okay, where you may be the only ones there and you know where it is. So you hike up with your group of sisters and you plunge in this icy, cold lake, but you are wearing your clothes, and wild skating is the same thing Going up and finding a frozen mountain pond and making sure it's really frozen, otherwise you'll be very unhappy and be very wet and cold, and so this is the sort of thing that sisters do. Now, each wrangler of these events that are held across the country and Canada as well, the Canadian sisters complained to me and I included them in the MOOC. They say we feel like half sisters, you don't talk about us enough, and we don't, and I'm sorry, but our neighbors to the north have a lot of great hiking, fishing and wild skating places and snowshoeing and all that sort of thing that sisters do in the wintertime, and in the wintertime they often don't drag their trailers behind them, although they often do. I mean, it goes. It depends on how comfortable you feel about it, but there, you know, it's like people who are friendly say I never met a stranger, you never met. I have a sister-in-law who's never met a stranger. She, within five minutes, knows everybody around her and what they do and what their children's names are and whether they have dogs and everything. I, on the other hand, am a little less than that, but there are sisters. There's a group of sisters called Sisters on the Curb, and Sisters on the Curb means that you can get in touch with them and park your trailer on their curb or in their driveway or in their pasture or whatever they have, hook up to their shore power and stay with them for a couple days or as you're passing through a day. They'll show you, they'll take you around and even if your children are going to, I had a sister who told me my son was going to school 3,000 miles away and I thought well, she probably lives in Portland, oregon, and he's going to school somewhere in Florida, or maybe the other way around.
Speaker 2:She said I didn't know what he was going to encounter. So I found a sister on the fly who took him under her wing and showed him what he needed to know. So there are sisters everywhere and if you're going anywhere as a sister, you can call on another sister in that area. You can find them. Actually, sisters on the Fly website will tell you where they. They don't give you specific information but they tell you sort of where they live and you can contact them, email them through the website if you're a member. But, as I said, some meetups have men, some meetups have dog. And then there's a famous one that I absolutely love called Grannies on the Loose. And Grannies on the Loose is when you bring your grandchildren and they camp and they learn how to build boats out of cardboard and duct tape and they learn how to fish and they learn how to sleep outdoors and not be afraid of all the sounds around them at night.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is incredible, and I'm definitely the granny. I've got lots of grandkids, so that sounds really awesome.
Speaker 1:I love how Sisters on the Fly is about community Because, again, I think I started by saying part of the RV life for me was really about meeting people, community. The RV is about community lifestyle. The RV community, the RV industry, is probably one I don't mean let me take out probably it is the most community, caring, supportive, helpful community I have ever been part of and I can't say enough about that. I say it a lot, but it really is so about community, and to have a community like Sisters on the Fly sounds amazing. It sounds like an amazing, you know just thing to be part, of, amazing group to be part of.
Speaker 1:I did see in the book an article calling junking with the junk gypsy and this caught my attention. So when I started out in an RV, my husband and I told our whole family this is what we're doing. Nobody said we were crazy, but we knew they thought it. We sold everything. So for people who don't know the story, we had moved to Las Vegas. We were there for three years. Everything was shut down.
Speaker 1:Dan was in the entertainment industry waiting to do a show on the Las Vegas Strip and they said, nope, not opening, you know, for at least a year, forget it. And you know, here we were in this great big house in Las Vegas. Money's going out and nothing's coming in. And Dan had called me up to his large office all these computers, he was spread over two desks and he said let's sell everything and buy an RV and go full time traveling across the country. And I started laughing, thinking he was joking. And I look up and he is serious. This man is dead serious. And I'm looking around this office that is bigger than most people's office space and I'm thinking how, what are we going to do? What's this going to look like?
Speaker 1:And one of the big things for us was about community and inspiring people to fully live their life. That was the big thing. And so we talked. We watched every YouTube video, all the content creators, and I was just like what the heck? What do we have to lose? We were a year into COVID and I was like all right, why not? And we jumped in the RV and went in with both feet and what was funny was my mother at the time was her health was starting to fail and she would call me her little gypsy, and I know to a lot of people in the RV camping community.
Speaker 1:That's a negative terminology but she said it very lovingly. Like I was her little gypsy, I would send her videos of where I was and she said one of her big regrets was never having traveled, never having done what she wanted. A year ago she passed and those were her big regrets and I like to tell that story because I want that to inspire people to go out and fully live life. But getting back to Gypsy, so when I see Gypsy I think of it very lovingly and there's actually in this four-page spread, there's an article on gypsy tips and I love this. Can you talk a little bit about?
Speaker 2:gypsies. But first I want to say something about my mother and father. My mother and father said when they retired they would travel. When they retired they would travel. I heard that so much. My father died before he retired and they never traveled and it was very sad. So I would encourage people listening to the show, whether they travel on weekends, on vacations, on whatever they do, maybe not sell everything like you did, but you know or do that. I mean you know, jump in with both feet to know it makes no matter, but please remember to do that. I'm trying to find what pages of Junk Gypsy is on.
Speaker 1:It was on, I just lost it. It's on page I can't see. 51 is where the tips are.
Speaker 2:Oh, here we go. I see them, junk gypsies, right here. Junk, I'm holding it up. Junk gypsies, junk. These are sisters on the fly as well and they are two real life sisters who live in Texas. They live in Round Top and I think those of us who do antiquing or junking or whatever know that Round Top is one of the great big markets that happens across the country. There are a lot of. There's one in Massachusetts, brimfield is called, and the Round Top one is really cool Gypsy Tips. Now they decorate in a very oh. They also have a little hotel called the Wander Inn and the hotel in the back has some camping, rough camping, no hookups, just camping spots that you can have. But the Wander Inn is all the things that they've junked, that they don't want to get rid of. They put it in the hotel. It's really quite wonderful.
Speaker 2:So their tips are be prepared, wear a hat, sunglasses and comfortable shoes, lather on sunscreen. Bring a large car or truck. Then, if you love it, buy it, because it's not going to be there when you come back the second time. Bring cash, because that's how many dealers deal in cash only. Don't negotiate, but be polite. So usually you say is that your best price Instead of what a piece of junk. I'd only give you $5 for that. That will not get you anywhere. And they say to hang in there until the end. A lot of dealers don't want to pack up and take their stuff home, so they will take offers at the end If you come back and say you know, I've looked at this a couple of times during the day and I'm wondering if you will take, you know, $50 for it or whatever it is. And chances are they'll take it. And they say don't pass up on colorful signage, vintage concert posters, beautiful embroidered linens that gets me every time I tell you I'm a linen collector and cowboy boots.
Speaker 2:Now I'm going to talk about Maury Sussman for a minute. Maury Sussman's sister number one, and we have a chapter in the back. A lot of sisters who are new sisters don't know Maury. She's still alive and she's in her 70s, I guess, and she travels to a lot of these, but they don't know. It was all started by Maury.
Speaker 2:Well, maury lives half the time in Phoenix and half the time in Absaroki, montana. She's in Montana in the summer. Obviously in Phoenix in the wintertime. She has a collection of cow girl boots. We have a shot of her closet here, that david david, who is my um it guy, but he's also my photographer. When I was at mountain living I was smart enough to marry my best photographer, so, um, and we talked about this, I think before we went on air. I was editor of mountain living, for which is a or the mountains from the rocky west and then south and north, and it is a magazine about mountains living, living in the mountains, and so he took a picture of some of the cowgirl boots in her closet. I think she has 200 pairs so, and she buys them. She never buys anything, for Christ's sake.
Speaker 2:She has a lot of tips too, and one of her biggest tips is any little town you go through, stop in the community thrift shop. It's probably a church thrift shop. It's a school thrift shop, it's a ladies aid auxiliary, something. There is going to be a thrift shop in that town. Every little town you go through, stop there. That's where you're going to find your greatest treasures. So that's what, that's what.
Speaker 2:And the junk gypsies I adore them. They're, they're two just crazy sisters who are and I say crazy in a, in a very loving way, like you say gypsy. In a very loving way. I say crazy in a loving way and they way, and they somehow make clutter neat and interesting, even in their trailers. Now Maury told me a long time ago. I said to Maury, how do you, maury, sister number one of Sisters on the Fly. I said to her, maury, how do you know when you're finished decorating the inside of your trailer? And she said I'll tell you what. You close up the door and you take it for a ride and everything that ends up on the floor is too much. Otherwise you're done. I mean, it's just pick it up off the floor, give it away, do something and the rest of the stuff is okay and we won't even talk about weighing your trailer.
Speaker 1:Well, we won't even talk about weighing your trailer. It's funny, oh yes.
Speaker 1:You reminded me I had come back from traveling to be with my mom and she insisted I watch Lucille Ball's Long Long Honeymoon. I think the movie's called Long Long Trailer, long Long Trailer. I know what people refer to the movie as and what the actual title is is different. But Long Long Trailer. Refer to the movie as and what the actual title is is different. But long, long trailer.
Speaker 1:And for anybody doesn't know, she collected large rocks and it just reminded me of that funny movie. It was great to sit and watch it with my mother. Um, so yeah, that's what I thought of with with that. So, yes, so that's a good gauge if you're full, full time and you're collecting stuff. You want to watch the weight? That's yes, so be careful of that, but that's funny.
Speaker 1:And talking about going into those thrift shops. So I really do enjoy the little towns. I like going into an area where somebody will say, oh, you've got to go visit this and you've got to visit this historical site and you know the tourist areas. I tend to stay away from those. I want to go in. I want to know from the locals where they go, what's off the beaten path, where people haven't gone. I like the little walk in the park areas and finding the stream or the lake. I love that.
Speaker 1:But going into an area to your point and checking out the thrift shops, you would, I would imagine, get such a sense of the area. That's great to do, even if you're not looking for quote unquote junk, as the junk sisters call it. That would be a great idea. That's a great suggestion for my listeners. Even if you're not looking to buy things, to get a sense of the area, I like that idea. Okay, thank you for that suggestion. So now let's go back and talk a little bit, because it is the 25th Silver Jubilee for Sisters on the Fly and people could get to Sisters on the Fly by going to sistersontheflycom. They could check out the MOOC.
Speaker 2:I know the MOOC actually has a different website. It's wwwsotf2024.com.
Speaker 1:Okay, so that is.
Speaker 2:S-O-T-F. Sisters on the Fly. On the Fly yeah. Wwwsotf2024.com. Okay, so that is SOTF. Sisters on the Fly yeah, wwwsotf2024.com. Okay. So you can go look at the MOOC, buy the MOOC, have it autographed by anybody Maury or whatever the MOOC is. If I hold it up, will people see it? We are going to if we're on the.
Speaker 1:Yes, we're going to grab clips and if they don't see it on here, we will definitely. You're going to send me, I'm hoping, a picture of the the cover. I will lead people to my social media, which is RV Life Podcast on Instagram and Facebook and we will definitely have a picture of the mC there on the show notes. We'll have all of the information there so people can get to the MOOC. And again, I'm going to say the MOOC's for everybody. There's such a wealth of information If you're traveling as a family, you're single, you're not part of Sisters on the Fly. There's such a wealth of information. But that MOOC, I also understand there will not be a second printing, so anybody that wants it needs to grab it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the first printing was 20,000 and we're sort of more than halfway through that, so there's still plenty left, but they're not going to last. They're not going to last until the we're taking a thousand books to the Sisters on the Fly. Silver Jubilee celebration in Pigeon Forge, and maybe we should mention that one more time. From people who might have tuned in late. You want me to mention that one more time and we will put it in the show notes. Okay, but it is October 9th. Wednesday, october 9th through the 13th. It's in Pigeon Forge, it's the 25th. It's in Pigeon Forge, it's the 25th anniversary. There will be 500 colorful campers, trailers, tents, fifth wheels, all kinds of things, and they'll be there for those days. If you want to come take a look, it's also sold out so you can't camp there. But if you're camping somewhere else and you want to just take a trip and come and take a look, the sisters would love to show you around. They're proud of their trailers and, as a matter of fact, they make money. I don't know if there's plenty to do this, but in South Pittsburgh, tennessee, which is where Lodge Cast Iron is, that's where the foundry is, and Lodge Cast Iron, I believe, is the last cast iron foundry. In this country there are a lot of individual blacksmiths that are making very expensive cast iron.
Speaker 2:And the Sisters on the Fly arrived for the Cornbread Festival, which they have annually, and got arrested, actually because they were drinking a little beer and holding a beer can and which is not illegal there, which is illegal there. So they got we have a wonderful picture of them with their hands up against the but, but they undaunted. They had a trailer tour and charged one dollar a head to come see their trailers and and made two hundred dollars just charging one dollar a head. And. But of course they were famous because they were on television with their hands up against the patrol car as they were getting arrested. Well, they didn't get arrested, they just got a warning Don't walk around with an open container of beer. Sisters from Wyoming didn't understand what the big deal was about. Right, I mean, it's a beer, I'm not smoking anything, it's a beer. But there are different rules in different places and you've got to pay attention.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Know your rules in the area, and this sounds like an amazing event Again. I'm sure there's campgrounds in the area. People want to come in and camp in that area. I know there's a lot in Pigeon Forge. It is a place that's been on my bucket list and definitely going to look into this event.
Speaker 2:Well, I hope you can tell me. That would make all the difference. Everybody would love you.
Speaker 1:Oh, thank you.
Speaker 2:Love on you. Love on you the way they say it in the song.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Some sweet tea and love and that sounds great. That's what you get. So, people who have vintage trailers, sisters on the Fly that particular event is sold out. But to be part of Sisters on the Fly sounds amazing For me. I am going to.
Speaker 1:I'm looking at a Class A or a van is my next chapter in my adventures. A van is my next chapter in my adventures and, as I say on the show, I talk about National Indoor RV Centers. They do sell Class A, b and C RVs. They sell. You can put yours up for sale. They do oh excuse me storage, they do repairs, they do it all. They have six locations across the country. What they do is very different than a lot of other dealerships. They make it like the marina concept. So if, at the end of the season, you're ready to put your RV in storage, they will take care of it, they will store it, they will service, they will get it ready for you when you're ready to take it back out.
Speaker 1:Most important thing for me is the people within the company. Brett Davis is the owner and he is just an incredible human being, and everybody within the company is just there to make the industry better and cares about the end user. So, people who are looking to get into camping. We have some people that are dreaming of the RV life National RV Centers is a great place to start I did not talk about oh, I did so and the Hershey RV event people are looking for. Any class RV, as I said in the beginning, is a great place for people to go.
Speaker 1:Now we have to start winding down this episode. I'm sure you and I could talk for a lot longer, but it's time for the question of the week, and this question I am going to put you on the spot. It is brought to you by Open Roads Innovative Toll Solutions. So again, as people are traveling all over the country, having one toll transponder that covers all 48 states is, to me, the most amazing, helpful invention ever, because I've gotten fines in Texas, I've gotten fines in Maryland and I've paid a lot of money for those fines. So this toll solution is really the solution because it covers all 48 states, costs $24 for the year, put it in your camper or your truck and you are good to go across the country.
Speaker 2:So it tells you what the traffic rules are everywhere you travel.
Speaker 1:It's the toll pass, so, like an easy pass, a toll, easy pass. Well, of course, sorry, I should have said that, yeah, it's a toll pass, like the easy pass, so it covers every toll road. I'm so used to on the East Coast because we're so close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and did you know? The Pennsylvania Turnpike is the most expensive toll road in the world. So you people in this area just know about their E-ZPass. This covers the entire country. So really excited about that, yes, yes. So my question for you is what is something on your bucket list that you've accomplished or still have on your bucket list that you would recommend to my RV Life podcast listeners?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, I know.
Speaker 1:That is that is.
Speaker 2:that is really. That is really putting me on the spot. On my bucket list. I really would like to take Route 50 that runs all the way across the talking with the hosts. But I would like to go there because I love campgrounds that are owned by and managed by people who started it. Almost some of them started it by mistake. The one in Key West, for example, were Canadians who came to Key West when they were young, and this is the second generation now, or the third, I can't remember because they were getting away from all the mad, mad, mad winters in Saskatchewan. But I would like to go and meet them. So on my bucket list, I think, is meeting and interviewing people who have chosen a different lifestyle and who will welcome me in and tell me about themselves. So that's on my bucket list.
Speaker 2:It's not a particular place, but it is kind of a conglomeration of places. You know, if I live long enough to do my entire bucket list, I'll be 106, right, but I'm looking forward to all of it. Maybe someone can actually drive me when I get older. But there was more the mother of the two original sisters. She drove her own rig well into her 90s Wow. So she is an example to all of us. She also drank martinis and smoked cigars. Wow, wow.
Speaker 2:And one more thing, one more thing One of the Kingston T trio wrote a song about Sisters on the Fly. His name was Bob I'm stuttering on his name but he wrote a song called Sisters on the Fly, riding wild and riding high. They have more fun than anyone, sisters on the Fly, anyway and he writes about he talks about more about maizey with his first sister, who smoked cigars and told lies about fishing and did all that sort of thing, and she did have more fun than anyone. Well, into her 90s. The army life is not for everybody, but for the people who make it their life. Oh, oh, my gosh. Right, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it's like you said, I chose to jump in with both feet, go full time. Some people just do a part time, some people do it on a weekend. Get a tent, try it. When I started full time RV life, I had been in an RV that was a friend of ours. Seven nights I spent in an RV. Did you love it? I enjoyed it. But we went to a Cape Cod, we hung out with friends and we lasted seven nights and two nights, two weekends, in a tent. One weekend poured so much that it was a crazy experience. And here I am jumping in with both feet. But, like you said earlier, we're not necessarily saying everybody should sell it all and go full time. But if it's interesting, try it out. That's I guess the messaging here is to try it out.
Speaker 2:There's also sisters. I should say there's sisters on the try. Okay, sisters on the try is a sister or someone who thinks she might want to be a sister again women but you know men are included on on a lot of the events, but not sisters on the try. You can try it. You can go out with your camper or you go out with another sister, or you can go on the website and say I'd like to try it out and try it out. If it's not for you, you'll figure it out pretty quickly. And if night sounds in there, the owls and all the coyotes and everything bother you. Maybe you want to go to the Ritz-Carlton in Boston.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and there's something to be said for the Ritz-Carlton in Boston. Yeah, sure, that too. I want it all, I want to do it all I know. So the Ritz-Carlton sounds great. It does. But it's now time, talking about campgrounds, for the Featured Campground of the Week, and this is brought to you by RV Life Campgrounds. This week's Featured Campground is Mount Hood Village RV Resort in Welsh's, oregon. It is a Thousand Trails Campground and it has 382 sites. This RV resort offers full hookups. You can get the pass-through sites, you can do tent camping parks, it has cabin rentals and there are spectacular views.
Speaker 1:I have had the pleasure of being in Oregon probably three times now, and it is an amazing. There's so many amazing areas in Oregon. I've crossed some of them off my bucket list and there's more to be added on. I love Oregon. The snow, covered mountains, I can't say enough about it, truly love it there. This campground has a solid 7.6 rating on the RV Life campgrounds, with 133 reviews.
Speaker 1:Now, when you go to campgroundsrvlifecom and you go to Mount Hood Village RV Resort, there's a book now button that you could hit right there book your stay. You could also look at the photos, the tips, the full list of amenities. This campground really truly has many, many amenities. I couldn't possibly list them all and you could find all of that at RV Life Campgrounds, which is part of RV Life Pro, which you and I both know and love, and it is the most comprehensive source for RV parks, campgrounds, resorts, as well as city, state national parks, corpse of engineer properties and so much more. You just visit campgroundsrvlifecom If you're not part of the RV Life Pro Suite of products and you go to the show notes. You just type in RV Life Podcast as your code and you can get 25% off.
Speaker 1:Rv Life Pro is something that everybody should have, I think, before they ever get out on the road. I have been using it for over three years and it's an absolute must. So now we have to come to an end. You can reach out to Sisters on the Fly by going to sistersontheflycom. Can people get directly to you? Do you have a social media or just go through? Do you want me?
Speaker 2:Yes, you're getting a hold of me. Well, I'm on Facebook, okay, and Sisters on the Fly is on facebook, okay, well, and sisters on the fly is on facebook as well. Sisters on the fly, irene rawlings on facebook, and if they want to take a look at and perhaps buy, uh, the milk, they can go on sotf2024.com and and find a find a milk. And, as you said, it's the sisters on the fly celebrating 25 years of this amazing organization. But the book is for everybody. There are chapters on restoring vintage campers, campgrounds, decorating junk, gypsies, cooking in cast iron all kinds of things that you might want. By the way, cooking in cast iron recipes came from the chefs at Lodge Cast Iron and they really are amazing. I've tried three of them so far and I love them, and I took them in my kitchen.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, and my idea of cooking is sharing a recipe with somebody that then cooks it for me. I'm happy to purchase all the ingredients and have someone cook it for you. Be the sous chef. You know, stir the. I love risotto. Sit and stir the risotto, you know, but somebody else cooking, so I will look at those recipes and find people to cook. I love that.
Speaker 2:I love your life. Thank you so much for having me on. You are just amazing.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much. Again. People, if they go to RV Life Podcast on Instagram or Facebook and have a question for you, I will surely send it to you, Thank you very much, I appreciate it. I appreciate the time you have been listening to the RV Life Podcast. I'm Patty Hunt, wishing you a great rest of today and an even better day tomorrow.