StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 317
Exploring the Pacific Northwest with Brooks Smothers
This week on the StressLess Camping RV Podcast, we welcome back Brooks Smothers from RV Out West to hear more of his favorite places in the Pacific Northwest. This is a continuation of the conversation we had with Brooks last week.
We’re also going back to one of the wackiest roadside collections we’ve been to in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
We also have the hottest new RV product and share our feelings about it.
Other places to hear the podcast
Mentioned on this episode
If you’re confused about solar, battery power or just want to upgrade your RV we have found the solutions from ABC Upfitters are both reliable and exceptional.
We have a podcast episode and video where you can learn more here.
Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 317
Tony
This week on the StressLess Camping RV podcast, we welcome back Brooks Smothers from RV Out West to hear more of his favorite places to visit in the Pacific Northwest.
Peggy
This is, of course, a continuation of a conversation we had with Brooks last week. So if you missed that, make sure you listen so you know all the places.
Tony
That's the fact, Jack. We're also going back to one of the wackiest collections of roadside Americana that we've ever been to in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Peggy
And we have the hottest new RV product, and we share our feelings about it.
Tony
We've got this week's podcast along with the notes and stories that go with this episode, along with discounts, deals, helpful tips, and more at our home on the web at stresslesscamping.com.
Peggy
Don't forget to like and share, and thank you for joining us for podcast episode 317.
Tony
Stressless camping. I'm Tony.
Peggy
I'm Peggy.
Tony
And we're two RV industry veterans who travel part time
Peggy
In Iraq with Mini Light.
Tony
Looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips
Peggy
Tricks.
Tony
And discounts.
Peggy
The weather has been wack o.
Tony
Yeah. The weather is here. I wish you were
Peggy
I wish you were beautiful.
Tony
Yeah. How many Jimmy Buffett references are there in these podcasts today?
Peggy
Oh, my. We had a big storm our own selves a couple of days ago. It wasn't hail like it was on the other side of the mountain where our friends actually incurred some damage from hail on, like, July, what was it, fifteenth or something?
Tony
Yeah. Uh, friends from Roman with the channel, Roman with Rosie. And if you're in our, uh, Facebook group, you'll see they share some of their videos there.
Peggy
And that's in New Mexico,
Tony
And that's in New Mexico, not in those cold states. John Froines: Yeah, right. They were on the other side of the Sandias and got hail damage. And it made me think, does our insurance policy cover hail? And, you know, what all do we have covered?
Tony
And it's always good to check on your insurance now and then anyway, see how it's doing.
Peggy
Yeah. And also, don't forget, if you have added anything significant, like, I don't know, an ABC Upfitters power lithium and solar system that you forgot to tell the insurance company the value of that Yeah. You might wanna just check-in with your insurance company and make sure that what you have covered is what you actually have.
Tony
Yeah. So what what happened basically is I reached out to our insurance company, and I said because what when we bought the RV, we got a policy of what's called declared value. Mhmm. Um, and essentially, we said we showed them the MSRP for the trailer, and they said, fine. We'll insure it for that.
Tony
Cool. But, uh, uh, when we we literally, if you don't know, we took the trailer from the dealer to ABC Upfitters and put in our solar and lithium system.
Peggy
Yep. Directly straight there.
Tony
Right. Well, that system, uh, it's a great system. They ain't cheap. But I never really accommodated for that in our insurance. And with this whole hail thing made me think, what happens if the trailer is totaled?
Tony
Because it's not like that would be a big surprise for us. And so I reached out to them, and and, yeah, it was it they do cover hail damage, but the trailer was basically underinsured. So that whole lithium and power system was not accommodated if they have to replace the trailer. And so what I had to do was document what the system cost us and all of that and provide those receipts to the insurance company, and they upped the value of what they would cover. But that makes us think that if you have made changes to your RV or you've added something of significant value, it it's just good to go through your insurance policy once a year.
Tony
Uh, I'm always a big advocate of having a local agent, but even if you don't, they were very, very, very helpful. And now I get to spend more on insurance for the trailer. So but you know what I have covered?
Peggy
That ABC Upfitters system.
Tony
That's the fact, Jack.
Peggy
The lithium battery, the solar panels, the solar panels, all the
Tony
best stuff.
Peggy
Especially the solar panels if we're talking about hail. Right?
Tony
Right.
Peggy
But any any kind of problem that could happen. Uh, and while we're talking about ABC, I want you to know that they are doing a seminar on DC to DC convert are they called converters?
Tony
Chargers, I think.
Peggy
Chargers, DC to DC chargers, uh, seminar at the frog rally, which we will be leaving for in a little while, a few days. I don't remember how long.
Tony
August 1. It's like a week ago. Yeah. Yeah. It's like next week
Peggy
or whatever. If you are going to Frog and you've been curious at all about ABC Outfitters, they will be there to answer questions and do a seminar on DC to DC chargers.
Tony
And what a what a DC to DC charging system is is you can actually use the alternator in your tow vehicle to provide a good amount of power to the trailer's charging system. So it's the equip on our truck, the system is about the equivalent of a thousand watts of solar panels in, like, the best conditions. So I can use our truck as a generator. And so if there's a few days of clouds and and it's humid and I wanna run the air conditioner and blah blah blah, and the solar panels aren't keeping this system at the state of charge I want. I can just plug that right into the truck and idle the truck for an hour or whatever and recharge the system that way.
Tony
So it's a nifty additional system, and ABC Outfitters will be at Frog. And Frog is Forest River Owners Group. So if you're, uh, at the Frog rally, which is the August, and we have the details at our RV and show calendar at stressorscamping.com. Come and find us. We're also giving several seminars.
Tony
Uh, we are hosting some live events with Mike Sokol. Uh, it's gonna be a whole shin diggity dog ding dang dong.
Peggy
So you can meet ABC Outfitters at Frog. But if you're not going to be at the Frog rally, you can give them a call at (574) 333-3225.
Tony
That's (574) 333-3225, and they can talk to you about tailoring a solar and lithium system that works within your needs from small to spectacular. They they really they listen and adapt these systems to how you camp. They're upgradable, which is also good. And we have found the systems are just exceptionally high quality.
Peggy
So we enjoyed talking with Brooks Smothers from RV Out West so much last week that we we just couldn't stop talking, and it turned into enough for two episodes. So last week, if you already heard last week's episode, you already know half of what he said. And if you didn't hear that, of course, you can go back and listen or watch the episode from last week. But also, we're gonna have another the the rest of the episode from Brooks. And we don't we didn't know we were gonna cut it, so it's not like we reintroduce him.
Peggy
So it's just gonna go right into Brooks. Here he comes.
Brooks
Another fun area is Whidbey Island. I can just keep rambling. Whidbey Island. Whidbey, B U H I D B E Y, Whidbey Island. It's about forty five minutes outside of Seattle.
Brooks
So if you are looking and maybe wanna do some Seattle things, you wanna experience life taking a ferry, then Whidbey Island is a good place to go. And there's a lot of great camping. And in Washington state in our history, there is it's called the Triangle Of Fire. And so you have Coupeville, which is on Whidbey Island and that was Fort Casey. Then across the water from Fort Casey, you have Fort Flagler, which is on the Kitsap Peninsula.
Brooks
And then north up by Port Townsend you have Fort Wharton. So Fort Casey, Fort Wharton, and Fort Flagler made up a triangle and it was called the Triangle Of Fire. So during war one or two there was concerns that the bad guys might be coming in through the Strait Of Juan De Fuca and down into, you know, the Salish Sea to attack Seattleites. And so they set up these forts where then they had cannons and whatever and so if any opponents or enemies were coming in through our waters we had a triangle of fire to assault them and barrage them from three different angles. They were never used.
Tony
They were going after would be attackers.
Peggy
Oh, gosh.
Brooks
Yeah. Oh, nice. Solid. Alright. Yes.
Brooks
They were. I'm sure I'm sure that was written into their SOPs for sure.
Peggy
But it was never used, you said.
Brooks
But it was never used. Interesting. But it was enough of, um, maybe perhaps a piece of propaganda even though they were live and people were manned and stationed there and whatever, that there was enough for, I think, the bad guys to be like, we don't even wanna try to go there. I don't, you know.
Tony
Interesting.
Brooks
But Woodby Island is, um, the South End is really kind of like farm to table, lots of farms. There's distilleries and wineries and those kind of things kinda on the South End. And as you go up to the North End, you get into the town of Oak Harbor, which is the largest town on Whidbey Island. You can find a Walmart if you need to, you know, stock up on getting goods and food and whatever. But there's also a huge navy base up there, Naval Station Oak Harbor.
Brooks
And so, um, you know, it's just but up on the North end is Deceptions Pass State Park, which is probably vying for first or second as far as most popular state parks in Washington state. The other one is called Cape Disappointment, which is down kind of by Long Beach, Washington and Astoria.
Tony
We'll talk about that one in a minute.
Brooks
But Yeah.
Tony
Talk about whoever was in charge of the branding. Hey, let's call this Cape Awesome. Nah. Not all that. Let's call it Cape Disappointment.
Brooks
Well, I can tell you why it's called Cape Disappointment.
Tony
I would love to know because I always Okay. So first off, like
Brooks
Woah. So Cape Disappointment, I think is probably the most sought after state park. It is South Of Long Beach, Washington and about twenty minutes, half hour drive north of Astoria. It's in Washington, so it's on the other side of the Columbia River. But really, if you look at a map, it's like in the very Southwest corner of Washington State.
Brooks
It is a beautiful campground and there are loops that literally put you just on the other side of the driftwood. So all you have to do is walk over the driftwood and you're on the sandy beach of Southern Washington State, and it's gorgeous. There is no cell service whatsoever
Tony
Mhmm.
Brooks
In Washington state. I don't even think or I mean, in Cape Disappointment. Entire state. Nope. There's no Internet service in Cape Disappointment, and it's pretty heavily wooded.
Brooks
So I'm not a Starlink user, but I don't even know if a Starlink user would have much success. So if you are planning to go there, plan to be intentionally cut off and enjoy that time and just be mindful that you're gonna be cut off. But it's called Cape Disappointment because I'm drawing a blank on the Explorer, but the Explorer was looking for the mouth of the Columbia River and he missed it and went into Cape Disappointment and he was disappointed that he missed the mouth of the Columbia River and so he named it Cape Disappointment And that's how the the bay got its name.
Tony
Excellent. Interesting.
Peggy
So are there a lot of islands off of Washington and also off of Oregon? I don't know that I've really heard of Oregon No. Islands.
Brooks
So you're not gonna like, a Catalina idol Catalina, like, if you go down and yeah. We don't have a Catalina Island or anything like that. The real archipelago that we have is north. Right? And that's kinda in those waters between Washington and Canada, where we have the San Juan Islands and so you have that whole archipelago of, you know, Lopez Island, San Juan Island, Orcas Island, Blakely Island and all these different islands up there that are accessible by a ferry boat.
Brooks
Taking your RV on a ferry, I just wanna be very clear, can be very expensive because you're paying per foot. So you're paying per foot your tow vehicle and your trailer or the total length of your motor home. And then if you've got a dinghy behind your motor home, you're still paying for so, you know, you're and so you're gonna pay per foot. And then there's only limited space that's called kind of like the main hall. It's kind of that main hall of the ferry boat where you're gonna have the height clearance that you need to go in.
Brooks
And so, you know, you're already at a reduced capacity of where you can go when you're hooked up. So it's an incredible experience. But, like, if you're wanting to go to the San Juans, you could camp in the town of Anacortes, which is the gateway to the, um, San Juan Islands. And so, you could have your camper, drop your camper, be in a camp spot at a park, and then just take your vehicle. Or, if you don't want to drive around, you can easily walk onto the ferry and then go straight to like Friday Harbor on Orcas Island and walk around and check it out too.
Peggy
Okay.
Brooks
So you could do an easy day trip excursion. And then and if you go in May, your probability for seeing the whales just from a ferry boat is very high. And so you don't need to pay to go do the touristy I'm gonna be on a whale tour. Just take Washington State ferry, and, you know, if you're going in the right time, you'll catch the migration of the j pod. So Oh,
Tony
that's cool. Now you had mentioned something on a recent podcast, uh, that you could be a lighthouse keeper for a week.
Brooks
Yes. How cool is that?
Tony
I heard that, and I was like, what? Yeah. So I
Peggy
think he actually he was in the truck, and I asked him where he was going, and he said to Washington. Yeah.
Tony
Yeah. I wanna see you. I'm gonna go work at a lighthouse. Well, it's just such a bright idea. Gosh.
Brooks
Gosh. Wow. I don't know. That was a lot lot lot. I don't know.
Brooks
So on the North End Of Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula, so you could easily add what I'm about to talk about. If you wanted to add a week to your Olympic National Park trip, you could do this. The big town on the Olympic Peninsula where you could get full, if you need to get restock supplies and do all that, is the town of Port Angeles. Port Angeles and then the neighboring town next to it, Sequim, are in what's this really cool part of the state called the rain shadow. And so, you know, people think about Washington state and we get all of this rain all the time.
Brooks
And while some of that is true, and I do wanna come back to that, like, in the tail end to talk about. But while that's true, Port Angeles and Sequim are our largest retirement community because it is where it receives the least amount of rain in Washington State because of the way the clouds come in and the way that the Olympic Mountains are, that this area doesn't get a lot of rain. From Port Angeles, that area of water when you're in Port Angeles and you look across the water, you're looking over at Vancouver Island and Victoria, Canada and that part of Canada. And that's called the Strait Of Juan De Fuca. And there is a I think it's five miles, might be six sand spit that's a natural made sand spit called Dungeness Spit.
Brooks
And there is a great county park called Dungeness Spit Campground. And it's a great county park that you can stay at. And then from there, you can walk down and go beachcombing and day exploring on Dungeness Spit. If you wanted to walk the full five miles out, you could walk because it would be 10 miles round trip then. But it's beach calming so it's all kind of flat but you are walking on the beach.
Brooks
You can walk all the way out to the lighthouse and go explore this lighthouse that's been out at the end. But if you want a different kind of experience, you can work with the county and apply to become a lighthouse innkeeper for a week. And then they run you out in like a gator so you put your cooler and your food and your clothes and you don't have to walk it. They'll drive you out the five miles out to the lighthouse. They drop you off and leave you there.
Brooks
And the only thing they want in return is that if there are people who have walked the five miles out, you're to let them in and let them walk around and look at the lighthouse and go up the lighthouse and kinda check out what it would be like to be in the lighthouse. But at night when everybody's kinda back in their campground, it's you. You're alone in a lighthouse. It's very cool.
Tony
Wow. So cool. Do you get to blow the horn?
Brooks
I don't think any more than I don't know if it's a functioning lighthouse anymore. Oh, man. So I don't know if the you know, but if you look up Dungeness Spit and or Calum County, Calum County, which is C A L L H A M or something along those lines. It doesn't start with a K. It starts with a c.
Brooks
Calum County. You can look up their Lighthouse Innkeeper program.
Tony
That would be so much fun, man. That would be okay with me.
Brooks
Yeah. Yeah. Tony, there's one more space I have to tell you about. It is called Lake Chelan and Lake Chelan is east of the mountains. So it's a place that a lot of us who live on the wet side, like as we like to say, the west wet side, we'll go over there to recreate because it's on the eastern side so they have warmer climate, they have more kind of your traditional four seasons.
Brooks
In the summer it'll get into the it'll get hot there. Lake Chelan is this it's on a lake, so there's jet skis and motorboating and fishing and all of that kind of stuff to do. But there's also, because of all the wineries being in Eastern Washington, there are also a ton of tasting rooms in Chelan, so you can go do wine tasting. There's even some wineries who are a part of, like, the Harvest Hosts, so you can stay and dry camp at these different wineries. There are there's a city park with full hookups right in town that you can then, like, from there go walk around town.
Peggy
And
Tony
then there are
Brooks
a couple other state parks that are a little bit further outside of the town of Chelan. So you can look at 25. There's also Lake Chelan State Park. So there's a couple of different state parks over there. There's, um, a water slide.
Brooks
So if you're a family looking for, like, a fun family activity, you can go do water slides. So Lake Chelan is just a really fun it gives you, like, Jersey Shore kind of vibes, you know, without it being Jersey Shore. So you can kinda go and and get that ice cream cone and walk around the lake, but it's a huge lake. There's also a small town at the very north end of the lake. The lake was formed by the ice age.
Brooks
So the lake is really, really deep, like two, three hundred feet deep, and it's 55 miles long. So you can take a ferry to go from one end of the lake all the way up to Stahican, which is on the north end of the lake. And it's this rural community of like, I don't know, maybe 10 people that live there year round, but there's a hotel and a little commissary to get some food. There's a bakery out here that has fabulous pastries and coffee, but the boat ride's four hours. If you have a little bit better of a disposable income, I believe you can also do seaplanes and take a seaplane up there.
Peggy
So,
Brooks
yeah. So there's some stuff in Lake Chelan that's really fun to, to check out too.
Tony
Go hijack the hemisphere dancer. They just finished restoring. I don't know. I think they might notice.
Peggy
I think they might notice.
Brooks
Blame it on DB Cooper. You'll be fine.
Tony
There you go. Blame it on Buffet as the song says. Yeah. Wow. So we have some great tips from you.
Tony
We really appreciate it. Yes.
Brooks
Thank you. My pleasure.
Tony
As if we did already wanna go up there a lot. Yeah. Now we wanna go up there a lot more.
Brooks
Right. Let me talk times of year. Okay?
Peggy
Okay. Good idea.
Brooks
So one of the things, you know, we I always like to tell people, yes. It does rain up here, but the rain, it's more if you come up in the winter or, you know, in the shoulder seasons, and you're gonna have a high probability of getting rain, especially if you're on the West Side Of The Cascades. But it's more like gray and drizzly rather than being like obnoxious big drops where and that's why we joke, like, we don't use umbrellas. If you're an umbrella, you know, if you have an umbrella, I know you're a tourist.
Peggy
Mhmm.
Brooks
You just need a good rain jacket with a hood and you're fine. So it does rain a lot. The other joke that we always like to say, but there's a bit of truth to this, is that summer doesn't really start until after July 4. So if you come up in June, there's the whole June gloom. So it might be 60 and sunny one minute and the next minute it is starting to rain and then it might be even dumping rain because just June is a weird weather wise month.
Brooks
So come July, come August, both are great times to come. You know, our days are long. Right? We're that much farther north that the sun is up by six and it doesn't set until 10:00 at night. So you can go all day and have a blast and be outside all day doing whatever it is that your heart wants to do.
Brooks
We typically have burn bans, so most of the time you're gonna wanna bring your propane fire pit. You can use a propane fire pit during a burn ban because that's controlled. You don't have to worry about embers jumping out of your fire pit. But like an open campfire, wooded campfire, really from July and August, you're and even until Labor Day, you're probably gonna hit a fire burning. So just come prepared.
Brooks
If you are empty nesters, don't have any children, the absolute best time to come is after Labor Day. When everybody's back in school, getting routines going and all of that stuff. And the weather here will be 72, sunny, and beautiful. And the rain for, like, the weather getting really bad, be out by October 15.
Tony
So that's yeah. That's the tip for us. September. Go then because
Brooks
That would come September after Labor Day. And you will have easy time finding spots. It won't be crowded, and everybody's back to school, and the weather is stunning. I'm a 72 Fahrenheit guy. Yeah.
Brooks
That's is perfect.
Peggy
Yes.
Brooks
I don't want it hotter. I don't want it colder. And so September is, like, my favorite month. It's a great time to go camping.
Tony
I'd love to chase that around the country. 72.
Brooks
Yeah. Yeah. If from a technology standpoint, they can make a little dome or just stay 72 all the time, I would just
Peggy
Just live there.
Tony
Right? Like this big like an egg.
Peggy
So so at 72, is it also less rainy?
Brooks
Yeah. It's still sunny and beautiful. Like I said, the rain really won't come until, like, mid October.
Peggy
Mid October. You
Brooks
might get some early October, and it'll be fine. And, you know, know, you'll be visiting, so you'll be like, oh, this is kinda what I expected.
Tony
Mhmm.
Brooks
And there's a reason we all drink coffee in by the bucket. So, you know, you'll just get yourself a nice cup of coffee from a local coffee shop and enjoy being a little bundled up, and you'll be in, you know, socks and Birkenstocks, a sweater and a pair of shorts drinking a coffee. You'll fit right in.
Tony
Alright. That's for me. I have all that. In fact, I'm wearing my Birks right now. Well, one of the many pairs I Yeah.
Brooks
You'll be fine.
Tony
Yeah. I'll fit in. Well, that that sounds like we, you know, like I say, we we've always wanted to come up there. Now we want to come up even more. Yeah.
Tony
You are a a good ambassador of the Pacific Northwest.
Brooks
I love it. And I don't ever hide anything from people. I want to shout from the mountain tops about what makes this place appear so special.
Tony
Fantastic.
Peggy
Alright. So now that we know all the places that we should go and all the things that we should do, we're have a little surprise question for you.
Tony
Not if you're a listener to the podcast.
Peggy
Unless you listen a lot, and then you might expect that we're gonna ask you. That. For your best camping memory.
Brooks
My best camping memory. So I can't I don't even have to blame my sister on this one then. That's great. I was ready to blame her.
Peggy
Well, maybe that'll be the next question.
Brooks
Maybe. My greatest camping memory actually was somewhat recently. So we did it's a mile loop around The United States after COVID because I'm bicoastal family. Right? I'm from Washington state.
Brooks
My wife grew up outside, uh, in the burbs outside of Philadelphia, and so we still have family out in the burbs of Philly. So in 2020, we did a 10,000 mile loop around The United States and went out to go see family that we hadn't seen since before the pandemic. And on our way back, we went to the Grand Canyon. And we had been taking our you know, my kids were, like, seven and 11 ish at the time. And they had been to places with us.
Brooks
I mean, going out and around, we had been to see we took them to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we did all these other cool things. But I was walking with my daughter and she was seven at the time. And we were walking from the parking lot kind of past El Tovar on the South Rim there up to kind of get that first glance of the Grand Canyon. And my daughter's reaction, unprovoked. I'm like holding her hand.
Brooks
We're walking up to go to the rim and she just goes, woah. And it was completely unprovoked. I don't think she knew what she was gonna see. And it was just her first time taking in the Grand Canyon, and it just blew her mind. And so I know that I will be taking that memory with me to the grave because it was like, okay.
Brooks
Whatever we've spent on this trip, it just paid for itself right here. In this one instant of one second of one moment, it was unbelievable.
Tony
There's there's a place number of places around where no matter how well you describe them, you cannot capture what how amazing they truly are.
Peggy
Words and photographs can't do it. Brand can't
Brooks
make this one of them.
Tony
Yeah.
Brooks
Yeah. Absolutely. I agree.
Tony
So conversely, what's your worst camping memory?
Brooks
That same trip, we were getting ready to leave. We, you know, we had things booked. We were gonna go to, um, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park there in North Dakota, and I got COVID right before before we left for that trip. And it actually put me in the ICU for five days.
Tony
Dear.
Brooks
So when I got out of the ICU, I was rested and charged and ready to go. And I was like, let's go. And my wife is like, no. You have been resting for five days. And I've been home with the kids and, like, we've been isolating and whatever.
Brooks
And, of course, the domino effect. Right? We weren't we're not big boondockers, so we had had reservations along the way. So then that domino effect of canceling our reservations to do whatever. Sure.
Brooks
So we got out, and our first day, we did we did a monster day. We went from Seattle out to out to Deer Creek, Montana, which I want to say was about a 10
Tony
day.
Brooks
Oh, shit. And we got there, went to bed, got up in the morning. We're not morning people. Like, I don't I'm not a morning person, but I was up at six running around, getting things packed up and ready to go. My wife was waking the kids.
Brooks
She goes to bring our slide in and the slide was crabbing and it wasn't coming all the way in. So it was really frustrating because we were finally awake and ready to go and get, you know, get some miles down. And I had no idea how to manually bring my slide in. And so, you know, going to YouTube University, trying to figure it out, we're, like, calling Jayco. And right before we went on that trip, I did one last run to Harbor Freight to just get last minute batteries and things and whatever.
Brooks
And an air ratchet was on sale. And I was like, you know what? For $24, I'm gonna buy one of those and just throw it in the truck. And on that day, it took me a while because I only had a little three gallon, you know, air compressor tank. So bring it in, wait till it's um, but I've you know, it took we were six hours delayed because it took me a while to figure out where even on the underside of my trailer is my slot the nut to bring the slide in.
Brooks
And then so that was really frustrating and really a bummer RV day.
Tony
That stinks. I'm a no slide guy.
Brooks
I'm I am gonna be right there. This one works for our family of four. We have a Jayco two sixty seven BHS. So it's a 26 foot with the bunk bunk house in the back for the two kids. But as an empty nester, I don't need a slide.
Brooks
Yeah.
Tony
We we have one now, and it, you know, really does open up the interior of the trailer. We are been we have been well, especially me, looking at some of the new for 2026 offerings, and there's a new no slide Rockwood Superlite. I've been talking to Rockwood. I'm like, man, I that thing is pretty fantastic, but it's big. It's 30.
Peggy
Trailer in November. Yeah. And he's already ready for something different.
Tony
It's a 30 footer and it's way longer than we had ever intended. So
Brooks
but I want a 30 foot Airstream.
Tony
Oh, look at this Rockwood. It's a Rockwood Superlite three zero one FKT. Okay. It is just has theater seats, has no slide, has a flip up table, front kitchen. It's a 101 inch wide, so it's a wide body.
Brooks
Okay. Cool.
Tony
I just I'm like, uh, if it wasn't that long. But anyway
Brooks
Yep. Well, and see, like I said, so like I'm looking at this Airstream and then my wife's like, I want a new kitchen. And I'm like, okay. Well, let's get the Airstream. She says, no.
Brooks
I want a kitchen. So I'm like, okay. Now the Airstream is gonna cost me
Tony
a kitchen. Right. So I
Brooks
gotta figure out how to win the lotto so I can be like, here's the money for the kitchen. And I'm not going out to buy an Airstream. Stream.
Tony
Exactly. Yeah. That's the balance. Yep. Brooks, it has been fantastic talking to you.
Tony
Yes. And you made me wanna go to the Pacific Northwest even more than I had before, which is seeing a lot. And so once again, we encourage you to seek out RV Out West podcast. Brooks does a weekly look at the things happening in the Pacific Northwest. It's a he does a great job.
Tony
And, uh, so we really appreciate you making time for us.
Brooks
And I appreciate coming on the show. I love talking RVing. I love sharing about the Pacific Northwest with people. It really is an amazing place to RV. And if you're coming out this way, I would encourage anybody listening to think not just about the Olympic Peninsula and Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Crater Lake, but add some of these other destinations we added and and give yourself some time to see them as well.
Tony
Yeah. Yeah. Maybe go multiple times.
Brooks
Right. Or go multiple times or, you know, come out for July, August, and September and come out for three months and, you know
Tony
Yeah. Stay. Yeah. Sounds good to me.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Alright, Brooks. Well, thank you very much, and we look forward to talking to you again hopefully soon.
Peggy
Yes. Thank
Brooks
you so much. Tony and Peggy, thank you guys so much.
Tony
Our pleasure. Well, you wanna go? I think we well, we've wanted to go for some time. We've been wanting
Peggy
to go for some time.
Tony
And now even more so. And, uh, we had been talking to Brooks about potentially planning a whole Pacific Northwest tour. We'll share some details so that maybe you wanna come with us. Maybe you don't.
Peggy
But not in 2026 because that'll be Route 66.
Tony
Yeah. 2026, we're really focusing on Route 66 because it'll be the one hundred year anniversary of Route sixty six. And there's all kinds of things happening. And we're gonna have a pretty fun adventure where we have stops where you can join us, or you can just join us.
Peggy
Join the whole entire thing. Yeah. It'd be so much fun.
Tony
You could get your kicks. But anyway
Peggy
So last week on the at the end of the episode when we asked our question of the week, we asked you if you had any tips for camping or visiting the Pacific Northwest.
Tony
You came through.
Peggy
You came through and we appreciate it so much. So we wanted to kind of hopefully we caught everybody because if you've if we're recording before you answer, sorry, we missed you. Uh, so but that means everybody go in and check the Stressless Campers group on Facebook and make sure that you get all the answers. But, um, Manja said that she loves the state parks in the Pacific Northwest. You get full hookups, and for nonresidents, the rate's only like $45, which is a good price these days.
Tony
Yeah. It really is.
Peggy
She said that she loved Bullard's Beach and the towns of Brandon and Florence. I think those are in Oregon because I think those are pretty close to Jerry, who we'll talk about in a minute. Yeah. Uh, Manya also said she did really
Tony
well a surprise. Crab crabbing in Newport. Yeah.
Peggy
And she mentioned that there's crabbing year round and that the license is very affordable.
Tony
Yeah. And our our friend, Jerry, who used to live near us and then elected to move away, or so did we, she echoed that. Yeah. Um, these places are great. She suggested dressing in layers because the morning or evening temps can be very different than daytime temps.
Peggy
Sure.
Tony
Uh, she also mentioned that the Pacific Northwest is really a great winter destination with incredible natural light shows, and I agree with her on this. Well, I agree with all y'all on all of this, but particularly, the food is oh la la, especially seafood. I know Brooks talked about that.
Peggy
Yeah. The food is great. And Dan and Jerry also took us to a brewery that had some really good beer.
Tony
So I didn't know.
Peggy
Yeah. So food and beer, that's, you know, that's how we like to tour. Yeah. Right? Amber came up with some great tips.
Peggy
She said you should talk to locals because they always know the hidden gems.
Tony
Yeah. And check out some of the local tourist traps. They can actually be fun. Of course, we love those. Uh, she called out the giant dune buggy in Florence, Oregon and the whale watching trip in Lincoln.
Peggy
And she said that Olympic National Park, if you're doing the national park thing, it could easily be a three or four day trip. It is so huge, and you'll wanna accommodate potential rainouts. But she also said to go driving on the beach, it's a really fun experience.
Tony
Our friend, Cheryl, who we've known for decades now
Peggy
Yes.
Tony
Said, take it slow. They've tried to spend at least a week in each of the major places that they've stopped. So that's that's her advice. It's great advice for any travel if you're able to do that.
Peggy
And Brooks wait. Brooks. Brooks. Oh, I know him. He he also added that the fish and chip if if fish and chips is your thing, that he gauges all other fish and chips by the ones he got at the Green Lantern Green Lantern Pub in Copalas Crossing.
Tony
Yeah. So there's more, and don't forget that you can weigh in with your own outstanding trips or see these, uh, uh, all of that. Ask questions and and just, uh, be a part of our fun and friendly Facebook group. And even if you're not a fan of Facebook, this group has been outstanding. So, uh, maybe just come on Facebook for this
Peggy
Just for that.
Tony
And nothing else. Are you using RV life trip wizard to plan our next trip?
Peggy
You bet. I do not wanna make the mistakes we made before. Remember that time we followed our GPS and ended at the top of a cliff overlooking the campground?
Tony
I had to back the whole trailer down that road.
Peggy
Well, those kinds of things are not gonna happen anymore thanks to RV Life Trip Wizard. I can set parameters like how far we wanna travel in a day and I can read reviews of the campgrounds.
Tony
You can also see how good the cell coverage is. We've got podcasts to listen to and stories to write after all.
Peggy
Plus, I am loving this new feature of finding a Harvest Host location on the Trip Wizard. It saves me so much time. We can plan
Tony
our journeys before we go and then use RV LIFE PRO on
Peggy
our phone
Tony
or tablet for RV safe navigation. Now we can rest assured that our phone's GPS isn't gonna lead us into any more sticky situations.
Peggy
If you have an RV, you need RV Life Trip Wizard, part of the RV Life Pro suite. Stressless camping. Alright. Now is the time that we remind you that the upcoming segment audibly will remain and video eally will be on a separate video. Yeah.
Peggy
So even if you're a listener to the podcast, it's always, I think, a good idea to go look for the Goofy USA segments on our YouTube channel because we put a lot of pictures and that makes it even more fun to listen to.
Tony
Just so you know, the Goofy USA also does have its own playlist because now we're getting a collection of these goofy things and there they are.
Peggy
So this week, what's Goofy USA? USA?
Tony
Well, if you're visiting Michigan's Upper Peninsula as we did, uh, a while back and you love Goofy USA, you cannot miss Lake and inland.
Peggy
This is a self guided tour through the forest, and it brings you through some very entertaining and sometimes very polarizing art.
Tony
Uh, they're not just little statues by any means. Some of them are, I'd say, two stories, three stories tall.
Peggy
Mhmm.
Tony
Uh, so the history of this is Tom Lakenen started building his junkyard art sculptures from scrap to keep himself from going to taverns according to him.
Peggy
In 02/2003, he opened his 37 acre property and called it Lakeenenland, and it's hard to remember that middle n. So it's Lakeenenland. It is free to the public and it's a nice rest spot and an outdoor gallery.
Tony
And, yeah, it's a mouthful to stay to say, but don't skip his middle, Lakenenland. Lakenenland has over a 100 sculptures ranging from whimsical to political. Uh, there are also mining memorabilia. Uh, the main sculpture trail, which you can drive Mhmm. Is way better to experience on foot.
Peggy
Yes. Because there's a lot of detail. I think there's some signage to read, and you just don't get to see all that while you're driving. I think that this is gonna be in the notes later, but I don't wanna forget to say you can also ride it snowmobile. In the wintertime, you can do the route on snowmobile.
Tony
Yeah. Apparently, Tom says that, uh, more people visit in the winter than in the summer, and he goes out there with a leaf blower and blows off the sculptures. Uh, and he says, if you wanna just stop and take a rest and have a fire and roast some weenies, that's a okay with him.
Peggy
Nice. And don't forget to pose for photos with some of your favorites. Uh, this is one of our favorites. When you're listening, you're not gonna know what it is, but Bill and Zappa will know. That's right.
Tony
So some of the sculptures have written messages, and and, again, that's another reason to walk through it. We missed the bog walk and the South Trail.
Peggy
Right. So we only went we only took the main trail. So there's actually more to see when we go back. Right. Some of those sculptures are big enough to stand on or stand in and or under, and some are actually kinetic.
Tony
You mean, like, I'd get electrophuted?
Peggy
No. Like, it means that stuff moves
Tony
all over. But they're all truly entertaining.
Peggy
Do know that there is a sign at the parking lot that prohibits wheeled vehicles in winter.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
And, uh, there's also quite a few signs that
Tony
say no parking. Guess that Tom has had more than one run-in with the local planning commission, which doesn't surprise me. This is not the first of these unusual tourist traps that we've gone to where the local planning commission did not take kindly to him. So there are signs that say keep out, but if you read the signs, they say if you're on the planning commission or part of the IRS or whatever.
Peggy
He's very, very welcoming to all of us who haven't given him trouble.
Tony
Right. Yeah. We don't, uh, try to get permits and all that. And by the way, Lake And Inland is completely free. You pull up parking's free.
Tony
Walking through is is free. Driving through is free. There's no charge. It's delightful because it's so ridiculous.
Peggy
There's also a band shell.
Tony
Yeah. That's true.
Peggy
And Tom invites people to come and play on the stage.
Tony
Uh, some donor gave Tom enough money to build a picnic area. And when he's there, Tom will even be happy to sell you a t shirt.
Peggy
I'm sure he will.
Tony
There are also two fishing ponds there, and I've seen where Tom will leave out fishing poles if, you know
Peggy
Oh, that's so nice.
Tony
Depending on the season.
Peggy
He's very, very welcoming Yeah. He's if you're not on the local board.
Tony
Yeah. I can understand that. So, anyway, these sculptures are impressive, whimsical, entertaining, kinetic, but most of all, they are absolutely goofy
Peggy
USA. Uh, hey. Do you have a gadget to talk about this week? Yes. Oh, wait.
Peggy
I bet I know what it is.
Tony
It's right here.
Peggy
I didn't know where it is, but I knew what it is on our gadget shelf. Yeah. We we
Tony
have a table behind me that is full of gadgets to test. But this is like the holy grail of gadgets at the moment. Yeah. It is the Rhino or Camco drain lock for sewer hoses. And the way this thing works, it's a cam lock, so you stick it down in the sewer pipe, you know, when you go camping, the where the sewer is, you just shove this thing in and push down on a lever, and it expands a rubber, uh, thingy.
Peggy
It's easier to do against the ground, I guess.
Tony
Yeah. I'm having trouble if you're not watching this. Um, but it just expands a rubber The
Peggy
rubber gasket.
Tony
Gasket.
Peggy
And makes it bigger so that it it pressurizes itself up against the inside of the sewer pipe.
Tony
Right. And the advantage is it plugs the pipe so that, you know, the smells and stuff don't come out. It seats this thing on the sewer
Peggy
So that it doesn't come out.
Tony
So it doesn't come out. And it is adaptable pretty much to any size of sewer opening because it's just this camlock thing that goes on there. You attach your sewer hose to, uh, there's a clear fitting on it, and you attach your sewer hose, uh, to it. And it's
Peggy
So this also takes the place of the clear elbow that we need
Tony
to Correct. Yeah. Mhmm. And it's just Camco absolutely nailed it. I would say the feel of this gadget is very, very high quality.
Tony
I thought well, first of all, I've been looking for this thing for months.
Peggy
Oh, hasn't everybody?
Tony
Right? And I finally, when we were in Pagosa Springs a few weeks ago, I got one, and I had to try it out. And it's it's just it solves a problem that every RVer has. Now, in the past, we have talked about the dump buddy as a, it's sort of like a cap type of thing to hold your sewer hose in place. And that works if the sewer pipe is extending
Peggy
Up out of
Brooks
the ground.
Peggy
Because that dump buddy, dump buddy has to hold onto the outside of the pipe. Outside of the
Tony
pipe. Right.
Peggy
And this sticks down
Tony
on the inside of the pipe. Sticks down in, adapts itself to whatever size. I mean, you know, within reason, but most of the sewer pipes in The US are all roughly the same size. Yeah. It just sticks down in.
Tony
It expands out, and it just makes a great fit. I can see why people are so excited about this thing. It just solves a problem every single RVer has. And the challenge of this thing is really, uh, that they have been sold out everywhere. And the way I found this thing so I have yet to see it available on Amazon.
Peggy
Nope. And I even looked on the Camco website when we talked to Camco a few weeks ago, and it wasn't even available on their website.
Tony
So the only way I've found this is I will when we go places, I'll look on the Walmart website because you can see what inventory the local store has. And if they have one You order it online. Buy it online for pickup because they had two of them here in Albuquerque. And I'm like, oh, I'm just gonna, like, take my happy little self down to Walmart and get one. By the time I got there, which is like half an hour away, they're both gone.
Tony
Now this one, interestingly, I did that. I bought the thing, uh, online once I found that they had it. And then I went it was earlier than my pickup time, so I'll just go down there and pick it up. And on the shelf, I couldn't find it. And I'm like, oh, man.
Tony
And I the pickup people are like, no, we haven't gone and gotten it yet. So in theory, they were there. Right? So I go and I here's a shocker. Hope you're sitting down.
Tony
I found a friendly Walmart employee.
Peggy
What?
Tony
I know. Right? This guy was fantastic.
Peggy
And helpful. Not just very helpful. Very helpful.
Tony
And I showed him my receipt, and he had what looks like a smartphone. And he, like, looked for this thing and got the tag to light up where it should be. Well, someone had taken the two, uh, of these drain locks and hidden them. So we found them. I should have bought both of them because then I could have given one to one of you, but I didn't.
Tony
And so that's these things are that popular that people are going in and hiding them. And so that's the only way I know of right now to get one.
Peggy
The hunt is half the thrill. So if you want one, you don't just want one. You wanna hunt for one.
Tony
Yeah. And I mean, all over social media, on Reddit and on Facebook, I've seen people, like, have you know, they hold up the package and they're like, you got one. So they're that popular. And, you know, sometimes stuff is all hype. This is absolutely one of the best sewer gadgets.
Tony
It is the best sewer gadget I have ever come across.
Peggy
Alright.
Tony
So there you go. So, yeah, it's worth it. $30. Don't pay more than $30. That's the list price MSRP on this thing.
Tony
And I've seen them on, like, eBay for a $100.
Peggy
Yeah. No.
Tony
Come on. Although if I had bought two oh, no. No.
Peggy
I wouldn't do that.
Tony
Not to you guys. I love you guys.
Peggy
Oh, boy. Alright. Well, I'm pretty sure we're coming right up on our time limit. So let's, uh, get this wrapped up.
Tony
Yeah. Well, we always like to remind you we do a once a week newsletter that's free that has links to the stories, videos, and podcasts that will help you get the most out of your RV experience.
Peggy
Just visit our website, and you can sign up on the bottom and middle of almost every single page of the website. Uh, know that we do not sell or give away your information. All we do is write a newsletter once a week. It reminds you that the podcast is coming out that morning, and that is it. That's all you
Tony
get. That's all. Uh, you will find the show notes for this episode with links and photos and so much more at our home on the web at stressthiscamping.com under the podcast section. This is episode three one seven.
Peggy
Also, on the website, don't forget to check out our favorite RV products and services page for all the things that you'll need for your Soresses camping adventure and probably some discounts too. Yeah.
Tony
Oh, by the way, uh, you will find these shirts. These are our new we have quite a few shirts. Yours not mine. So Peggy's was a prototype, uh, and then we got it back and we're like, uh, it's not quite Colors weren't great. This one is actually correct.
Tony
So if you're watching on, uh, video, you can see
Peggy
This is embroidered. I'll put some pictures also. Embroidered polo shirts and printed t shirts Yep. And
Tony
Hats. Last week, I had my bucket hat on and and they have regular hat. There's a bunch of
Peggy
stuff there. So stuff. Yeah.
Tony
Yeah. It's done through a fulfillment company that automatically makes it right when you order it. So there
Peggy
you go. And after you're done looking at all the things on stresslesscamping.com and buying all the things with stressless camping logos, you can jump off to all the social places where we are.
Tony
Yep. Start at stresslesscamping.com, and then there are links out. If you don't wanna miss a future episode of the Stress Is Camping audio podcast, it is free to subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
Peggy
And we are saving you a seat around our virtual campfire.
Tony
That's true.
Peggy
And if you're watching on YouTube, we're still saving you a seat around our virtual campfire. And we're gonna pause for just a second so you can find the like button. Good. Now find the share button. Oh, not just find them but click them.
Peggy
Okay? Yeah. Uh-huh. Thank you. Thank you.
Peggy
Thank you. And, uh, now we'll finish.
Tony
Yeah. Well, if you read something you liked on our website, which we have been working on a lot Yeah. Uh, it's easy to share what you find. Um, there are hot buttons if you're looking on a computer. There are buttons on a phone.
Tony
So, uh, if you need help knowing how to share, we have those tips too, but please do. It really does mean a lot to us. Uh, we have I think we've mentioned it before. We have taken almost all and ultimately will take all the Google Ads out so that there are no tracking cookies or no invasive pop ups. All of that stuff is gonna be gone.
Tony
And so we can serve you better with our own ads for products and services that we know are good.
Peggy
Well, thank you again for joining us for the second week of Brooks in the North in the Pacific Northwest. Next week, we'll have some other special guests for you.
Tony
Yeah. Next week's gonna be interesting. We're gonna do a joint episode with the folks from Girl Campers. So stay tuned for that. Uh, we appreciate you so much.
Tony
And most of all, stressless camping.
Mark Ferrell
We hope you learned a lot and had some fun and got some tips for your next stressless camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts, which helps others find us too. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss out on the adventure, and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping.
Peggy
Who says what now?
