The Last Trip: A Husband’s POWERFUL Message After Unexpected TRAGIC Loss

This week on the RV Podcast:

• The Last Trip: A Husband’s Powerful Message After THE Unexpected Loss of his wife during an RV Trip

• That Massive wildfire near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is STILL uncontrolled and is now the single worst wildfire in the entire nation.

• RVers share the weirdest things they’ve seen in a campground – would you believe a pet kangaroo?

• All this plus the RV News of the Week, Mike & Jen’s Storytime, and your questions coming up in Episode #558 of the RV Podcast

You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.

If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 41:42 — 25.5MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Spotify | Podchaser | TuneIn | RSS

RV LIFESTYLE NEWS OF THE WEEK

​Grand Canyon's Megafire Now Largest of 2025 & So Intense, It Creates Its Own Weather​

The fire still burning through the north rim of the Grand Canyon is now officially the largest wildfire of 2025, a megafire, so hot it is creating its own weather patterns. The fire, which has created “fire clouds,” has torched more than 116,500 acres as of Sunday and is about 12 percent contained, according to InciWeb. The north rim is closed for the remainder of the 2025 season, and the fire is still out of control and growing in size.

​Distressed Camper Nope—Just a Lone Guy Belting Out Nickelback​

Rescue teams rushed to help what they thought was a camper in distress in British Columbia, but it turns out those screams were from a guy rocking out to Nickelback in the middle of the woods. The man was solo camping in the Boulderfields, singing his heart out, when two nearby hikers called 911 after hearing what they described as “repeated cries.” Members of a Search and Rescue crew were practicing nearby, so they brought in the drone team and enlisted two Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers only to find the solo camper singing away, blissfully unaware.

​Birthday Camping Trip Ends in Deadly Explosion at Maine Campground​

Two friends celebrating a birthday by camping together at the Power Horn Family Camping Resort in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, were tragically killed after their camper exploded from a suspected propane leak. The women, ages 57 and 58, smelled a rotten, garlic-like odor in the camper so they opened the windows and lit a candle to mask the smell. But fire officials believe the bad odor was likely caused by a liquid propane leak which ignited when the candle was lit. 

​Father And Daughter Camping Trip Ends with Horrific Violent Attack and Father in Intensive Care​

A 58-year-old Georgia father remains in intensive care after suffering severe injuries during a brutal attack while camping with his 20-year-old daughter. The assault occurred at Low Gap Campground in northern Georgia. The dad was cut from the ear to the back of the neck with glass and suffered a severe brain bleed. Four strangers allegedly attacked him and his daughter from behind as they sat at their campsite. Three men and one woman were arrested and charged with aggravated assault and battery in what's an on-going police investigation. There’s no word yet on the motive, and police say more people may be arrested.

​Micro-Burst Winds Flip RVs with Families Inside During Texas Storm​

Texas and campgrounds have surely had their share of severe weather this summer. The latest was last Thursday when strong winds toppled many RVs at a Gunter, Texas, RV park during a severe thunderstorm. The storm produced “micro-bursts” of strong winds, and at least six RVs rolled over, some with their owners inside. There were some injuries, but no fatalities.

​Yellowstone Nightmare: 17-Year-Old Severely Burned by Geyser in Thermal Area​

A teenager visiting Yellowstone National Park with his family was seriously burned from a geyser when his foot broke through a thermal area about five miles from Old Faithful. The 17-year-old was hiking near the Lone Star Geyser when he broke through the fragile ground, severely burning his foot and ankle. Signs are posted throughout the park warning visitors to stay on the trails. In the past, some visitors have even died by stepping off the trail and suffering severe burns.

​Camping World Reports $2 Billion in Q2 Revenue, a 9.4% increase from last year​

The Big just keep getting Bigger. Camping World Holdings, Inc. reported $2 billion in revenue for its second quarter, a year-over-year increase of $169.4 million or 9.4%. RV Business reported the company set a new record for combined new and used RV sales. It did so while making structural changes to its fixed costs by doing things like reducing their headcount by more than 900 and consolidating 16 locations. There are 215 Camping World stores in operation, with the company continuing to build and buy more of them.

RV CONVERSATION OF THE WEEK – The Last Trip

On this episode, we meet Barry Sims—a fellow RVer whose story is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. After three months of anticipation, Barry and his wife, Mandy, finally took their four-year-old grandson on a much-anticipated camping trip to Sun Outdoors in Conway, South Carolina, over Memorial Day weekend. It was supposed to be a joyful getaway filled with sunshine, poolside fun, and precious time together.

But what started as a beautiful family adventure took a tragic turn. That night, Barry's wife suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack—passing away just hours after a day spent doing exactly what she loved most: camping and doting on her grandson.

Barry’s story is a powerful reminder of just how fragile life can be—and why it’s so important to make memories while you can. This conversation is a tribute to love, family, and the RV lifestyle that makes moments like these possible. I invite you to listen in as Barry shares his journey through grief, perspective, and the lasting message he's carrying forward.

Please listen to the podcast above or watch the video for the whole story.

SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ – Wendy Bowyer

Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on social media and our RV Lifestyle Community group.

This week in our private  RVLifestyle Community the buzz has centered on some mini-meet ups we are planning around the country – one thing we do in our private online community is help organize ways for online friendships to become “real life” friendships and they are always so much fun! We have several mini-meetups happening in August.

And in our RVLifestyle Facebook Group, the theme this week is things that made me smile! (And I hope they will make you smile, too!)

The first was a post from Brian that included a picture of himself with his gorgeous hyacinth macaw, who had a beautiful, royal blue color and almost looked like she was leaning to him to smile for the camera. It was adorable! And Brian wrote:

“I just love this bird! She is always up for anything, and she LOVES to go camping! She loves our dogs and enjoys spending time outside with them, saying “I love you!” over and over. When she goes along on our walks, she tends to draw a lot of attention, which she loves! Cookie wanted to say good morning!!”

Many people, of course, jumped in to say good morning back to Cookie. And many others started sharing pictures of their birds that also go camping with them. It was interesting to learn that Cookie loved camping since day one, is pretty quiet (Unless she sees the color orange), and is a gentle giant. What a fun post!

Another post to make you smile was from Jayson, and he asked:

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen at a campground?

People have seen some crazy things! While there are ALL kinds of answers and here are a few of my favorites.

Quinton wrote the weirdest thing was camping near RVers who brought their pet. He wrote: “Craziest thing ever seen. Talked to them just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. They were normal people that have chickens for pets on an RV trip.”

For Joy, she had a neighboring camper who had a pet goat that stayed inside except when they walked it on a leash along with their dogs. It had little foam bumpers on its horns.

Unusual pets came up often in the comments of this post, with others seeing full-sized pet pigs, pet sheep, even a pet kangaroo – all RVing!

Julie was one of a couple of people who saw Amish camping near them. She said: “That might not be weird to most, but it was sure intriguing as they stuck to everything by their ways … I live in an area that I’ve never been around Amish.”  The campers looked a lot like covered wagons on wheels – so maybe they were Mennonite, but I agree it is not something you see every day. 

Patrice once saw an Inflatable Swimming pool on a trailer.

My favorite, Julie, who saw an RV with the whole set of Toy Story action figures zip-tied or glued to their RV, hanging off the bumper, climbing the ladder. She said it looked so real that her kids went crazy for it.

How about you? What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen in a campground? Please leave it in the comments!

You’ve Earned This Freedom. Now Make It Matter.
The RV Lifestyle Community is the trusted place where RVers 50+ come to learn, connect, and explore life’s next chapter—together.

Private & ad-free
Special interest groups & national rallies
Practical help + emotional support

Life’s Best Chapter Starts Here.
Join us now at https://community.rvlifestyle.com

RV QUESTION OF THE WEEK

QUESTION: “How can the black tank fill up so fast? We're only 2 people, we emptied before we got here last night, and now it says full. I have only used it 3 times.” – Sandra

ANSWER: This is probably the most common frustration experienced by almost all RVers and your black tank is probably not full — your tank sensors are just dirty or misreading.

It happens to all RVs.

RV black tank sensors are notoriously unreliable. Toilet paper, waste buildup, or even just condensation can stick to the sensor probes inside the tank and trigger a false “full” reading. Since you emptied the tank just the day before and only used it a few times, it's very likely the sensors are just dirty or misreading.

What you need to do is clean out your black tank by backwashing it. Most newer RVs come with a Saniflush system to do just that, but if not, Camco makes a great product that attaches to the RV black tank drain.

It’s called the Rhino Blaster TV Tank Rinser, and it’s only something like $22.

This product was just released this year, and it has a 4-prong bayonet swivel fitting for quick attachment to the RV’s sewer outlet on one end, and a drain hose hookup on the other. You attach a hose to it and it sends a high-flow blast of water into the black tank, hopefully cleaning those sensors.

A clear elbow lets you see the cleansing in action, ensuring a thorough flush. Once it’s clear, detach and go. Your tank should be clean, and your sensors should be working again.

MIKE & JEN’S STORYTIME – Not going All In, All at Once

MIKE Today, we want to share the story of how we first got into RV life – and more importantly, the mindset shift that made it all possible.

JEN: This is a story about permission – giving yourself permission to ease into something new instead of diving headfirst into the deep end!

MIKE: So picture this: I'm absolutely convinced that RV travel is going to be amazing for us. I'm reading blogs, watching YouTube travel videos, dreaming about all these incredible places we could visit…

JEN: And I'm thinking, “This sounds like a recipe for being trapped in a tiny metal box, eating canned beans, and taking cold showers for weeks on end!” Not exactly my idea of a relaxing vacation.

MIKE: Jen had some very legitimate concerns. The Class B van we were looking at was… well, let's just say it was cozy. Really cozy.

JEN: I kept imagining us stuck inside during bad weather, Mike getting cranky because he couldn't stretch out properly, me going stir-crazy because I couldn't even stand up straight!

MIKE: That's when I had what I think was my smartest relationship moment ever. Instead of trying to convince Jen that RV life would be perfect, I suggested we give ourselves permission for it to be imperfect.

JEN: He said, “What if we don't have to cook every meal? What if we give ourselves permission to eat out whenever we want to?”

MIKE: And then I added the kicker: “And if we ever feel too confined in the van, we'll just get a motel room every third or fourth night. Long hot showers, room to spread out, no pressure to rough it.”

JEN: I have to admit that completely changed my perspective. Suddenly, RV travel wasn't this all-or-nothing proposition where we had to become wilderness survival experts overnight.

MIKE: The funny thing is, just having that permission – knowing we could bail out to a restaurant or a motel whenever we wanted – made the whole idea feel approachable instead of intimidating.

JEN: It was like having a safety net that made us brave enough to try the trapeze! We bought our little Class B van and started planning our first trip.

MIKE: And you know what happened? We used those “escape hatches” exactly twice on our first big adventure. Twice! Out of three weeks on the road.

JEN: The first time was during a thunderstorm when we just wanted to spread out and relax in a real room. The second time was when we found this amazing little historic inn that we couldn't resist trying.

MIKE: But here's the beautiful part – we didn't use those options because we were miserable in the RV. We used them because they were there, and knowing they were there made us more confident and relaxed in the van.

JEN: It turns out that when you're not forcing yourself to prove how “hardcore” you can be, you actually enjoy the experience more! We loved cooking simple meals on our little stove, we figured out the shower situation, and we discovered we actually liked the cozy feeling.

MIKE: That first trip taught us something profound about trying new things: you don't have to go all in, all at once. You can wade into the shallow end before swimming to the deep water.

JEN: And once we realized we genuinely enjoyed RV life – not because we had to, but because we wanted to – we gradually started using hotels less and cooking more. But it happened naturally, not because we were forcing ourselves.

MIKE: Years later, when we upgraded to our Class C motorhome and then eventually to our fifth wheel, we carried that same philosophy forward. We still give ourselves permission to eat out, to stay in hotels if we want to, to not be perfect RV travelers. 

JEN: But the truth of the matter is, other than eating out, we actually prefer sleeping in the Fifth Wheel. We call it our Condo on Wheels, that’s how comfortable it is.

MIKE: And we just bought a small Class C motorhome for shorter trips when we want to boondock or go places where the fifth wheel is too big. But we don't even think about a motel anymore. Our RVs are truly our happy homes.

JEN: The moral of our story? When you're trying something new – whether it's RV travel, a new hobby, or any big life change – give yourself permission to not be perfect at it right away.

MIKE: Create your own escape hatches, your own safety nets. They don't make you weak or uncommitted – they make you brave enough to try in the first place.

JEN: And here's the really beautiful part: once you're not forcing yourself to sink or swim, you often discover you're a much better swimmer than you thought!

MIKE: So whether you're considering RV life, starting a new business, learning a new skill, or making any big change, remember – you don't have to go all in on day one.

JEN: Give yourself permission to ease into it, to have backup plans, to not be the poster child for whatever you're trying. Progress beats perfection every single time.

MIKE: And who knows? You might just discover that the thing you were afraid to try becomes something you absolutely love.

JEN: And that’s this week’s podcast. Till next time…. Happy Trails, and remember – baby steps still get you to amazing places!