In this episode of the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast, I’m coming to you from Bertie Bea at the Davie/Fort Lauderdale KOA Holiday during the PRCA Southeastern Circuit Finals. My guest is my good friend Doug Simcox, host of Beyond the Chutes and the driver of the well-traveled BTC bus.

Doug just wrapped up a Texas rodeo swing, visiting PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen, Glen Bird, Ronnie Williams, Wild West Ward, and Kelly Clark. Along the way, he collected unforgettable rodeo stories—and a few breakdowns that turned into teachable moments for every RVer and horse hauler.

We talk about:

• Dumping in Lucas fuel treatment after a sketchy fuel stop—and discovering the truck has never run better

• My own MPG jump in Bertie Bea using Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment

• A broken belt tensioner at an Arkansas rest area and a Tractor Supply “MacGyver” fix

• A red-hot wheel bearing caught just in time at a Little Rock truck stop

• How rest-area three-card Monte scams target travelers

• Why annual maintenance, inspections, and a good RV GPS matter more than ever

• Real-life RV hazards: shredded truck-tire alligators, roadside debris, and a costly awning scrape at Ocean Lakes

We connect all of this back to the Rolling Smooth series—from maintenance tips to the stories that fill From Breakdowns to Belly Laughs. Doug also shares why preserving rodeo history matters and previews new episodes coming from his Texas run and recent rodeo reunions.

If you love RV life, rodeo stories, and lessons learned the hard way, this episode is right up your alley.

Links Mentioned

Wandering Gypsy RV Life: https://wanderinggypsyrvlife.com

Rolling Smooth Series: https://wanderinggypsyrvlife.com/rollingsmooth/

Autographed Books:

How to Enjoy the RV Life – https://wanderinggypsyrvlife.com/product/rolling-smooth-how-to-enjoy-the-rv-life-without-losing-your-cool-autographed-copy/

Keeping Your Rig Road-Ready – https://wanderinggypsyrvlife.com/product/rolling-smooth-keeping-your-rig-road-ready/

TechnoRV (affiliate): https://technorv.com?Click=12127

Beyond the Chutes Podcast: https://beyondthechutes.show

The Black Tank Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk1mfl27umU

Patreon – Campfire Circle: https://www.patreon.com/WanderingGypsyRVLife

Recorded on location at the Family RV Association’s Greater Eastern Area Rally in Myrtle Beach, SC, this video episode of the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast features Jennifer Schillaci of Learn to RV and RV Roofing Solutions. We dig into practical RV education (not clickbait): community, free learning resources, roof care & inspections, internet on the road, safe water, tank tips, and how to find trustworthy RV techs. If you’re a new RVer or leveling up your full-time rig life, this is for you.

🎧 What you’ll learn

• Learn to RV’s mission: free, family-friendly education & community groups

• FRVA, chapters, and why rallies matter (RV Basics, road-schooling, safety)

• Roof maintenance myths, free inspections at rallies, and member discounts

• Connectivity 101: campground Wi-Fi, Starlink, cellular — pros & cons

• Safety & systems: TPMS, fire suppression, water filtration, tank best practices

• Finding the right tech (and why specialization matters)

• Why RVing isn’t “cheap” — budgeting for maintenance the smart way

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Intro at FRVA GEAR, Ocean Lakes (Myrtle Beach)

01:25 Meet Jennifer: Learn to RV & RV Roofing Solutions

05:40 Free education, communities & closed groups for safety

12:10 Holiday traditions on the road & giving back (Lasagna Love, more)

16:45 Roof care truth: inspections, leaks, and rally services

23:30 Internet on the road: options & realistic expectations

29:10 Safety gear: TPMS, fire suppression, water & tanks

36:00 Finding qualified RV techs & brand specialists

41:20 Chapters, rallies & building real community

47:15 Final takeaways + where to follow

🔗 Helpful links & support

• Learn to RV the Podcast: https://learntorvthepodcast.com
• Wandering Gypsy RV Life website: https://wanderinggypsyrvlife.com
• TechnoRV (affiliate): https://technorv.com?Click=12127
• Beyond the Chutes podcast (shout-out in episode) - https://beyondthechutes.show
• Patreon (free to follow, optional support): https://www.patreon.com/WanderingGypsyRVLife

📚 From the host

Check out my Rolling Smooth series for no-nonsense RV education — written to help you avoid costly mistakes and stay road-ready.

🛠️ Mentioned gear & topics (SEO)

RV roof inspection, RV Roofing Solutions, Learn to RV podcast, FRVA Greater Eastern Area Rally, Ocean Lakes Campground, Myrtle Beach RV rally, RV Basics course, RV internet, Starlink for RV, cellular routers for RV, campground Wi-Fi, TPMS, Proteng, water filtration (GoBluTech), Micro-Air Easy Start, black tank best practices, full-time RV life, fifth wheel, Tiffin Allegro, Newmar fifth wheel, road schooling, Escapees

👍 If this helped, please like, subscribe, and share with a fellow RVer. Drop your questions below — I read every comment!

#RVLife #LearnToRV #FRVA #OceanLakes #MyrtleBeach #RVEducation #FullTimeRV #RVRoofing #RVCommunity #Tiffin #FifthWheel #RollingSmooth #WanderingGypsyRVLife

Ready to discover the heart and soul of the RV lifestyle? In this episode of the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast, Stan Cromlish shares his journey from RV rally newbie to seasoned attendee—highlighting the camaraderie, learning, and adventure that come with joining RV associations like the Family RV Association (FRVA) and the All-Inclusive Motorcoach Club.

Stan reminisces about his first rally in Tucson, Arizona, unexpected friendships, and the unique flavor of both luxury AIM Club events and the big, bustling FRVA gatherings at places like Pocono Raceway. He also previews the upcoming GEAR Rally in Myrtle Beach, where he’ll be selling books, recording new episodes, and introducing “Management” (aka Mom and Dad) to their first-ever rally adventure.

If you’ve ever wondered why rallies and associations matter—or why you should join the FRVA—this episode is for you. It’s not just about the places you’ll go, but the people who become your road family.

Links & Resources:

• 🌐 Website
• 👍 Facebook
• 📸 Instagram
• ▶️ YouTube
• 🔥 Patreon – Join the Campfire Circle
• 🛠️ TechnoRV Gear (Affiliate)
• 🤠 Beyond the Chutes Podcast

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow wanderer. Until next time, keep your rig rolling smooth and your coffee hot!

Guitarist and TKO Artist Management veteran Mark Sissel hops on the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast to swap road stories that span decades—36 years riding the LeDoux brand and 27 years at TKO. We dive into the real-deal moments behind the music: the 2021 San Antonio ice storm that inspired “Cards in San Antone,” Chris LeDoux’s headset-mic freedom and on-stage pranks, dodging flying Copenhagen cans, hauling a bucking machine into the Houston Astrodome, and keeping traditions alive at the Silverton during the NFR. Mark also pulls back the curtain on his work with Toby Keith, and we tip our hats to the incomparable Mac McAnally.

Stan shares a very… ahem… memorable RV black-tank mishap, and together we connect the dots between tour life and life on the road in a coach—where you make it work, keep moving, and meet good people everywhere. Plus, a nod to our licensed theme, “Brother Highway” by Ned LeDoux.

Audio note: This conversation was recorded over Zoom, and a cranky mic gave us some raspy, muffled moments. Thanks for rolling with a little extra road noise—this one’s worth the ride.

💻 Visit wanderinggypsyrvlife.com for more stories, photos, and videos from the road.

🛠️ Check out TechnoRV gear through my affiliate link: https://technorv.com?Click=12127 — they’ll help you adventure more and worry less.

🔥 Join the Campfire Circle on Patreon for behind-the-scenes extras and bonus content: Patreon.com/WanderingGypsyRVLife

🤠 And be sure to listen to my good friend Doug Simcox on the Beyond the Chutes podcast for incredible rodeo stories and cowboy history.

📘 Don’t miss my book series, Rolling Smooth: Real Lessons From the Road, available now at wanderinggypsyrvlife.com/rollingsmooth—your guide to keeping your rig road-ready and your adventures rolling.

Recorded on location inside Doug Simcox’s custom Super C (the Beyond the Chutes Bus) at the 11th Annual Mountain Cove Cowboy & Cowgirl Reunion at beautiful Mountain Cove Farms Resort in Chickamauga, Georgia. This special round-table features Doug Simcox of Beyond the Chutes and his co-host/partner Sam Swearingen—retired saddle bronc rider, longtime stock contractor, and rodeo producer—swapping real roadside stories and hard-won lessons about keeping rigs (and horses) safe on the highway.

What you’ll hear

• Sam’s rodeo road life: from broncs to stock contracting—and the nightmarish run that chewed through 11 tires before he ever reached the arena.
• Why TPMS matters (RV & equine trailers): heat, pressure, and the early warnings that save tires, bearings, fenders, wiring—and sometimes your day.
• Bearing failures & fire risk: how rising temps show up on sensors before you lose a hub (and how that protects expensive horses and gear).
• Cold snaps & PSI drops: Stan’s real-world pre-trip where falling morning temps triggered low-pressure alerts on all ten tires.
• Walk-arounds that work: quick routines, saved time, and the “data beats guesswork” mindset for safer travel.
• Black tank bloopers: comic relief with clogged gates, mislabeled flush ports, and why “education beats excavation.”
• Expandable setups: configuring multiple trailers, adding sensors later, and pairing layouts for duals, fifth wheels, and living quarters horse trailers.

Guests

• Doug Simcox — Host of the Beyond the Chutes podcast; owner of a Super C, a long-haul tower, and storyteller.
• Sam Swearingen — Co-host/partner on Beyond the Chutes; former PRCA/IPRA saddle bronc rider, stock contractor & rodeo producer.

Gear & Resources Mentioned

• Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) for RVs & horse trailersShop TechnoRV (affiliate): https://technorv.com?Click=12127
• Wandering Gypsy RV Life: stories, photos, videos, and bloghttps://wanderinggypsyrvlife.com
• Patreon — Campfire Circle (video extras & behind-the-scenes):https://patreon.com/WanderingGypsyRVLife
• Beyond the Chutes Podcast: rodeo history, legends & cowboy storytelling

Disclosure: Some links are affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you—it helps keep the coffee hot and the wheels turning.

If today’s chat helped you adventure more and worry less, follow/subscribe, drop a review, and share this episode with a friend who tows—especially anyone hauling horses.

Music Credit

Theme: “Brother Highway” by Ned LeDoux — officially licensed for the Wandering Gypsy RV Life.

#RVLife #SuperC #HorseTrailer #EquineTravel #TPMS #RodeoLife #CowboyChristmas #BeyondTheChutes #MountainCoveFarms #RoadSafety #FullTimeRV #FifthWheel #TireSafety #BearingFailure #PreTripInspection #WanderingGypsyRVLife

Hey there, fellow Wanderers—welcome back to the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast, where the road is long, the coffee’s hot, and the stories are always real.

In this episode, I take you along for a couple of weeks of adventure on the road:

🚐 Leaving Kick Back Ranch in Ramer, Alabama

🛑 A rough overnight at Jones RV Park in Norcross, Georgia

🎣 Fishing with Mike and Rowdy in Cherokee with River’s Edge Outfitters

🎰 A lucky night at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino

🌶 Entering Management’s Secret Chili in the KOA Cook-Off (and taking 2nd place!)

💻 A work/play stop in Chattanooga to edit my Ned LeDoux interview & build Patreon

🤠 Landing at the 11th Annual Mountain Cove Cowboy & Cowgirl Reunion for storytelling, laughter, and cowboy camaraderie

I also share the heart behind my new book, Rolling Smooth: How to Enjoy the RV Life Without Losing Your Cool. When I started RVing in 2020, I was as green as spring grass—I didn’t know the difference between a water pump and a generator, or how to prevent 30-amp power from tripping a breaker. This book is my way of giving others a starting point —a roadmap to the basics, with encouragement to stay calm when things don’t go as planned.

🔗 Links & Resources:

👉 Join the Wandering Gypsy Campfire Circle on Patreon for bonus content & video extras: patreon.com/WanderingGypsyRVLife

👉 Shop RV gear I use through my affiliate partner TechnoRV: TechnoRV.com

👉 Check out Doug Simcox’s podcast Beyond the Chutes – a deep dive into rodeo history & cowboy storytelling: beyondthechutes.show

👉 Follow my adventures:

• 🌐 Blog: wanderinggypsyrvlife.com
• 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/wanderinggypsyrvlife
• 👍 Facebook: facebook.com/wanderinggypsyrvlife
• 🎥 YouTube: youtube.com/@wanderinggypsyrvlife
• 🎙 Podcast: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, & everywhere you listen.

#RVLife #FullTimeRV #WanderingGypsyRVLife #RollingSmooth #RVLiving #TravelPodcast #RVerStories #CampfireStories #RodeoLife #BeyondTheChutes #WesternLifestyle #TechnoRV #RVCommunity #VanLife #CowboyCulture #PatreonCommunity #RoadTripUSA

In this special episode of the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast, Stan Cromlish sits down with country music artist Ned LeDoux, son of the legendary Chris LeDoux, to talk about life on the road, songwriting roots, ranching, and the stories behind fan-favorite songs like Brother Highway, The Hawk, Old Fashioned, and Buckskin.

We dive deep into the spirit of Western music, the poetry of a cowboy’s life, and how family, the open road, and a touch of mischief shaped both Ned’s and Chris’s journey. From their roots in Wyoming to prairie burns in Kansas, and from cowboy poetry in Elko to the North Platte River in Wyoming—this episode is packed with grit, heart, and soul.

🎶 Brother Highway is now officially licensed as the theme of Wandering Gypsy RV Life, and there’s no better way to honor the road than by traveling it with a Ledoux.

🔗Links & Resources:

🎵 Check out Ned LeDoux’s music, merch, tour dates, and more:

👉 https://nedledoux.com

📘 Grab Stan’s new book — Rolling Smooth: How to Enjoy the RV Life Without Losing Your Cool:

👉 Buy on Amazon

🎧 Listen to more episodes:

Spotify → Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast

Apple Podcasts → Apple Link

YouTube → Wandering Gypsy RV Life on YouTube

🧭 Follow the Wandering Gypsy RV Life:

Instagram → @wanderinggypsyrvlife

Facebook → Wandering Gypsy RV Life

Blog → https://wanderinggypsyrvlife.com

🪶 Highlights from the Episode:

• 🎤 Ned’s first paid gig at 14 and how a poem turned into Brother Highway
• 🛣️ Why the Ledoux family can’t stop writing songs about the road
• 🧢 Chris LeDoux’s hand-written song ideas and how Mac McAnally helped bring them to life
• 🦅 The emotional story behind The Hawk — a tribute to Chris from the skies above
• 🎸 Carrying the torch — blending Ned’s music with Chris’ legacy
• 🔥 Burning 3,500 acres and the fine art of wielding a Kansas gas stick
• 🐎 Cowboy poetry, Buckskin, and keeping the spirit of the West alive
• 🎣 Fly fishing, pheasant hunting, and the road that never ends

📣 Call to Action:

If this episode inspired you, made you smile, or brought back memories of open roads and cowboy dreams, leave us a review and share it with a friend. And hey, while you’re at it — support real music and storytelling:

🎟️ Catch Ned on tour, grab a signed CD or vinyl, and keep that suitcase packed.

🚐 Keep rolling smooth with Wandering Gypsy RV Life.

In this heartwarming and humorous episode of The Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast, I’m joined by one of my favorite fishing buddies—10-year-old Dalton Herring. Don’t let his age fool you—Dalton’s got a love for fishing, RV stories to tell, and dreams bigger than a Ford Dually on a rodeo weekend.

We talk about the RV life, the simple joy of casting a line, and Dalton’s first fly fishing lesson using a special rod my grandmother “Bagaw” gave me nearly 45 years ago. From tying flies to chasing trout, and from catfish to college ball dreams, this episode is full of laughs, old stories, and fresh perspective from the next generation of outdoor soul seekers.

🎶 All of this set to the soundtrack of Brother Highway by Ned LeDoux—because just like his dad, Chris LeDoux, Ned sings songs that touch the traveling soul.

👉 Subscribe to the Wandering Gypsy RV Life Podcast on your favorite platform and never miss a mile of the journey: Follow on Spotify

📌 Follow the journey across the backroads and byways at wanderinggypsyrvlife.com

Join us as we follow Brother Highway—where the fish bite, the stories flow, and the GPS can’t quite show you how good it feels to live the RV life. 🎣🚐🐟

#FlyFishing #RVLife #WanderingGypsyRVLife #FishingWithKids #BrotherHighway #TiffinMotorhomes #KickBackRanch #PodcastForWanderers #FamilyFishing #YoungAnglers #RVPodcast #FordDuallyDreams