The RV World is Changing Fast: Here's What You Need To Know

Unknown Speaker (0:00): This is episode 600 of the RV podcast.

Unknown Speaker (0:04): And this week on the podcast?

Unknown Speaker (0:06): If you stop at one of our Love's RV stops and you're staying overnight, and it's one of the locations that does have the tires and batteries and you're looking for some service. We will have a tech come right out to the RV stop and, take care of you.

Unknown Speaker (0:22): In this week's episode, we're going to hear how LOVES, the Big Highway Truck Travel Center people, have developed a huge love affair with RVers.

Jennifer (0:32): Plus, we'll share travel tips, how to set up your campsite on the first night, and answer an RV question about a mistake way too many RVers make, overloading their campers. This episode is being released on 04/15/2026.

Mike Wendland (0:47): Tax day. Hello, everybody, and welcome to the RV podcast. I'm Mike Wendland. This is my cohost, my lifelong traveling companion, and my bride, Jennifer. Hello, my dear.

Jennifer (0:59): Hello, my Michael, and this is the RV podcast stories from the road edition. You can find complete show notes for this episode at rvpodcast.com.

Unknown Speaker (1:08): And remember, we release two episodes every week. This edition, Stories from the Road, focuses on the RV lifestyle, the people, the places, and the experiences that make life on wheels so special. And then every Monday, we bring you our RV news edition covering the biggest stories of the week that impact your travels. And, wow. 600 episodes.

Mike Wendland (1:32): That's what today's milestone is. It's pretty amazing.

Unknown Speaker (1:35): Who would've ever thought that? I am excited about 700.

Unknown Speaker (1:39): It's coming.

Unknown Speaker (1:39): I like 300. I like 500. I like 700. I like those numbers.

Unknown Speaker (1:45): Alright. 600 episodes. That's what we've got.

Jennifer (1:48): And that's nearly twelve years of showing up every single week, honestly. It makes this one of the longest running weekly podcasts out there anywhere.

Unknown Speaker (1:57): And if this podcast has helped you in any way, maybe it gave you confidence for your first trip, saved you from a costly mistake, or just kept you company on the road, we would really appreciate you taking a moment and leave us a review. It only takes a minute on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever app you're listening on, but it makes a huge difference. It helps other RVers find us, and it keeps this community growing. And we read every single review. So if you've been meaning to do it, please consider this your nudge, and thank you for being part of this journey with us.

Jennifer (2:30): We are on the road again. This week finds us near Gainesville, Florida, where we're hard at work shooting a series of videos and RV reviews. Next week, we head to Saint Augustine, Florida for our spring rally with members of our rvcommunity.com. We are so looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones.

Unknown Speaker (2:49): The 2026 travel season is underway. No doubt about it. But I'll tell you this, fuel costs are still through the roof. I filled up the beast, our f three fifty Ford, to pull our fifth wheel down here, and diesel cost $5.29 a gallon. My total bill for a fill up of a 43 gallon tank was $218.

Mike Wendland (3:12): And I had to do it in two transaction because the pump stopped at a $175. That's almost twice as much as we paid just a month ago.

Jennifer (3:21): This is a huge dent in the budgeting that many RVers have made for their travels.

Unknown Speaker (3:26): Days.

Jennifer (3:27): Prices came down a little over the weekend, but still, they need to get a lot lower, hopefully soon.

Mike Wendland (3:32): We hope so. Hey. Before we jump back in with camping season now upon us, now's the time to think about your RV protection plan. If you spend a lot of time on the road like we do, you know that breakdowns can happen at any time, especially after going long stretches without operating your RV. And with repair costs and fuel prices as high as they are, just one unexpected failure can really hurt your travel budget.

Jennifer (3:57): That's why we recommend checking out wholesale warranties. Their plans cover major repairs, potentially saving you thousands. Plus, you can take your rig to any licensed repair shop in The US or Canada, even mobile mechanics, So you're covered wherever you travel this summer.

Mike Wendland (4:14): So before you head out on your next big road trip, just take a couple of minutes and go over your coverage options. With wholesale warranty, you'll work with a knowledgeable specialist who will tailor your plan to your RV lifestyle preferences, and it's free. No obligation quote today at wholesalewarranties.com/rvlifestyle. Again, you can find that link in the description, but it's wholesalewarranties.com/rvlifestyle.

Jennifer (4:41): Time now for the RV conversation of the week.

Mike Wendland (4:44): Love's Travel Stops is increasingly reaching out to RVers, striving to be a place they can depend on. Now we all know about Love's full hookups for people needing a quick and easy place to overnight. It's dog parks and even it's campgrounds now. Now Love's Travel Center is offering something new, tires and batteries to RVers who need them.

Jennifer (5:08): To tell us all about this and why Love's continues to purposely reach to RVers on the road is today's guest, Jim Wheeler, Love's director of RV operations.

Unknown Speaker (5:20): Good to see you, Jim. How is everything at Luvs these days?

Jim Wheeler (5:24): It's doing great. So, we just keep expanding and growing and, yeah, getting busier all the time. So that's that's

Unknown Speaker (5:32): This latest extra that you have added for RVers is another indication of it looks to me like an increasing emphasis on, meeting the needs of traveling RVers as well as those over the road truckers. And before I get into, the batteries and and, and and the tires and everything, I'm just curious. Since you started this, how important has the RV segment come to Love's operations?

Jim Wheeler (5:57): Yeah. It is very important. And, really, it it always has been, you know, with our 670 locations in 42 states out there on the highway. We've always you know, is taking care a lot of RV customers. And so that's where we really looked at this, and we said, hey.

Jim Wheeler (6:17): How can we, you know, further enhance our offerings that will really be attractive to the to the RV customers? And, you know, like you said, we we added the the Loves RV stops here to the system. And today, we opened up our hundred and thirtieth location there. But when you look at this new venture with our truck care and RV care facilities, you know, we have 431 of those out there. You know, there are 670 loves, 430 of these are truck care facilities.

Jim Wheeler (6:54): They've been in business for eighteen years now. And so I think really that that getting that RV customer that for them to be able to work on RVs was kinda natural. And, you know, what we're doing now is we're testing these RV tires and batteries in 80 of our locations throughout that system. We did do a a sample testing, and it was very successful. So we decided to grow that from the original test into this 80 that that are out there.

Jim Wheeler (7:27): But, yeah, for the RV customer, you know, it's great to be able to hey. If if they've got a breakdown, you know, we've got 80 of these locations out there spread throughout the, you know, The US. And so it can be a nice convenient, for them to be able to, get some service.

Unknown Speaker (7:43): As we saw with RV stops, which have really, increased, you've been adding new ones all the time. Do you anticipate you'd be doing the same thing with the tires and the battery services as well, adding more of those?

Jim Wheeler (7:55): You know, that's because we expanded it to 80, then we're gonna see how those go. But, yeah, there's there's definitely thoughts of that that we'll continue to grow that if this is successful. Successful. And not only that, be able to add some other services out there potentially as well in the future. We're looking at those things.

Unknown Speaker (8:12): Let me ask you just how this would work. I'm traveling down the road. I got a fifth wheel. I get a blowout. I wanna replace that tire.

Unknown Speaker (8:20): I'm stuck by the side of the road. Do you still I see the love service trucks working with the 18 wheelers, but will you come out and work with the RV as well?

Jim Wheeler (8:30): You know, you know, that has not been an initial part of this to do the the roadside service. But, certainly, if you get to one of our facilities there, then we're able to get you into the bay and and get you taken care of. You know, we also if you stop at one of our Love's RV stops and you're staying overnight and it's one of the locations that does have the tires and batteries and you're looking for some service, we will have a tech come right out to the RV stop and take care of you. So

Unknown Speaker (8:59): That to me was Yeah. That was my next question, actually. Yeah. And that is that's something really an important thing. Now are these real RV tires?

Unknown Speaker (9:09): You know, there's a diff and I don't know a lot about tires, but we wanna have a certain rating on the tire. Talk about what kind of tires these are and what people need to know when they replace.

Jim Wheeler (9:20): Yeah. So the tire we're going with is a lion's head tire and wheel. You know, lion's head is a is a family owned business similar to Love's, and and these tires that we sell are they're pre mounted and balanced. And so it really makes the installation easy. And, you know, what we're looking at is a the particular type of tire, and these are for RVs.

Jim Wheeler (9:45): That's what they're meant for, ST tire, and a Westlake ST tire. And we sell those in 14 inch, 15 inch, 16 inch, and 17 and a half inch. So, you know, we may find that we, you know, we we think this will satisfy the majority of RVs out there be able those those size of tires will be able to handle that. But in some instances, we may not be able to have the right tire for everyone.

Unknown Speaker (10:11): So do you need you know, nobody knows when you're gonna need tires normally. So this is something you could you can pull into a Luvs that's servicing these. Spend the night if you can, but if you can't, can you walk in and get this done, or do you need to have an appointment long in advance?

Jim Wheeler (10:28): No. You know, you can. You know, obviously, there there may you may be in line there, but, no, you can just yeah. And we we understand that. A lot of times, it's it's same with our commercial drivers.

Jim Wheeler (10:39): Hey. They've got an instant something out there, and they need to get it done as quickly as possible. So, you know, we'll get you in line there and and get you taken care of as soon as we can.

Unknown Speaker (10:48): And, conversely, I'm home. I'm in my house, but there's a Love's just down the interstate from me. Can I call up and get an appointment to bring my rig in and have it done there?

Jim Wheeler (10:59): Yeah. You know? So, again, you're gonna want to if you're, you know, one of those 80 locations out there.

Unknown Speaker (11:05): Yeah. Right.

Jim Wheeler (11:06): Having said that though too is, you know, because we, you know, have been for a while, we've really been performing oil changes and different mechanical work on diesel motor homes. So that diesel engine is what we're real, you know, familiar with with our commercial trucks that we work on. Know, we've been doing that for a while out there. And, again, and we'll have RVs come into the shop from time to time with some and we'll try to help out if we can. I If somebody's, yeah, is, you know, broken down and needs to get get on the road, we'll do what we can for them.

Unknown Speaker (11:42): Well, let's let's talk about some of the other service. I think a lot of people aware now that as you're driving down the freeway, you can see these love stations, and you have that little RV emblem. But walk us through how we know whether there's an overnight stop. The best place is to get your app, and you can talk about that in a minute. But Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (12:00): Talk about what we see in the road with those billboards. What what gives us a signal that, hey. They've got some RV services there for us.

Jim Wheeler (12:07): Oh, okay. Yeah. Well, we will put you know, like you said, if we've got a Luvs billboard up and we do have an RV, they'll have it be an RV symbol on that billboard that will tell you, hey. This that particular location does have an RV stop for you. Now we'll also try it if we can on those department of transportation signage where they'll they'll indicate RV stops.

Jim Wheeler (12:30): Now there's different rules in different states on, you know, how big of a park you might need in order to get on there. Sometimes, you know, we're not able to, but we'll try to get on those. But you you did mention the app. I mean, that is, yeah, the the easy way to to do things. And yeah.

Unknown Speaker (12:45): Yeah. So talk now about all of the different services that you have as you have expanded your embracing the RV travel community out there.

Jim Wheeler (12:55): Yeah. So, you know, really what you know, again, a 130 locations. And, really, we're a lot of them are just smaller. They could, you know, average, you know, six to eight spaces or you know? And at right off of our travel stops, we do have 15 larger locations out there, and they're gonna have kinda more bells and whistles.

Jim Wheeler (13:14): But if you get on the app, it'll tell you, you know, exactly there. But, typically, on on these, you know, we're gonna have that thirty fifty amp power for sure. You know, we have Wi Fi service for our RV customers. Typically, we're we've got potable water. They're hydrants for everyone.

Jim Wheeler (13:30): And then on the dump side of it, you know, we're we'll we'll many times have individual dumps at each site. But if we don't, there's a communal dump that will be available at the travel stop for somebody to be able to use. In a couple instances, there's only a couple of locations that don't have either just because of permitting issues in that area. But, you know, the 130 of them, you're gonna find out at a a dump at a 128 of those locations out there. Sure.

Jim Wheeler (14:00): You know? And and just on that, though, is so it's everything else we have to offer. Typically, you know, dog people love the dog parks. We got 400 dog parks at our RV or at our travel stops. And, you know, we have propane.

Jim Wheeler (14:13): Of course, we have fuel, you know, inside the store and restaurants. But, you know, we have laundry facilities in our stores if somebody wants to do laundry. We also, you know, you have have showers if somebody would prefer to use a a shower in the travel stop. So there that's where you look at it. We have a lot, you know, really match well with RV customers and their needs.

Unknown Speaker (14:35): Now talk about the the the fuel discounts that are available. I I have the open road, which allows me to pull in and with the big guys. You know? Although, I'm a big guy when I got my fifth wheel back there. I'm just about as long as they are.

Unknown Speaker (14:47): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (14:47): And that's a big help. But how about at the pump for for other RVers?

Jim Wheeler (14:50): Yeah. For anybody, you're right. Is is, hey. That works great for for like you said, back in in through the coming through the commercial pumps. But in the front of the house, yeah, we've got, with the app, 10¢ off of gas right now, but and 25¢ off of diesel.

Jim Wheeler (15:07): So that'll get you that discount. You know, what we really just started up is a rewards program too. Like, that kicked off in the month of March here, so very recent. But your spend in fuel and inside the store, it's gonna earn you some points, loves on your Luvs reward account, and then those points will be allow you to be able to purchase items inside the store for you. So that's a new benefit too that we've just added to that loyalty program too.

Jim Wheeler (15:37): We've always had it for commercial drivers, but now for RV and our, you know, four wheel drivers out there.

Unknown Speaker (15:43): So Circling back to this latest opera as we wind down here, tires and batteries. The batteries that you offer, these are, I would assume, AGMs primarily. Right?

Jim Wheeler (15:53): Well yeah. So we're we're using interstate batteries there, RV marine deep cycle batteries. So they're able to power everything inside the RV as well, including refrigerators and cooktops or, you know, whatever you might have. Now we've had a relationship with Interstate Batteries for several years on the commercial side, and it's been great. The only only partner with Interstate within the the travel stops throughout The United States.

Jim Wheeler (16:24): So that Luvs is is the only one that's really providing that interstate battery to our commercial and now RV drivers.

Unknown Speaker (16:30): No no lithium, though. Right? No lithium batteries?

Unknown Speaker (16:33): You know, and that's I yeah. I'm I'm not aware of that. That's something I may have to get back to you on as far as the lithium goes.

Unknown Speaker (16:40): Yeah. I don't I'm sure you don't don't have me at all. Well, that is such an important part of many our views now.

Unknown Speaker (16:46): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (16:46): I'm sure that will be on your radar.

Jim Wheeler (16:49): Yeah. Yeah. No. You're right. I'm sure that's gonna be, yeah, something.

Jim Wheeler (16:53): Alright. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (16:55): So what can we look forward to? You mentioned you're looking I'm always looking for a new a new twist on these stories. I gotta break some news here, Jim. What's what are you looking for next? What's new?

Unknown Speaker (17:05): Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (17:05): Where do you see all this this RV market headed? And I

Unknown Speaker (17:08): know it's a competitive thing,

Unknown Speaker (17:09): you don't wanna tip your hand, but still.

Jim Wheeler (17:11): Yeah. No. You know what? I think, you know, we we continue to grow. We think we'll we'll open, you know, thirty thirty five new RV locations this year.

Jim Wheeler (17:20): I think we've already opened. So, you know, we're on track to to continue to kinda expand that. We're we're opening a kinda the I think right before our Memorial Day weekend, we have a new one opening in just outside of Jackson, Tennessee. And so that's gonna be 38 spaces. That has its own building, so it'll have the showers right inside there, the laundry facility, all the dog park, all part of that RV stop there.

Jim Wheeler (17:50): So that's kind of one exciting new location. We just added a location to Love's RV stops in Macomb, Mississippi. Now this is a fantastic this one just came on board in March. It's a 123 spaces out there, very large. It's right outside of Macomb, Mississippi, and, you know, it really is great.

Jim Wheeler (18:10): It's beautiful. A lot of trees secluded. You go up in there. There's a few ponds within that RV park, but a lot of, you know, big store there building, you know, of course, with all the restroom showers and laundry facilities. But we also have, you know, our dog park and a big activity area, pickleball, basketball.

Jim Wheeler (18:29): We've got a big jump pad for the kids. We've got the splash pad for the kids. And so, you know, we're really excited about Macomb, Mississippi too. And so so that's an exciting new new location. But, you know, in Loves in general, you know, again, we we think we'll add 20 new locations this year with our with our travel stops.

Jim Wheeler (18:53): But, you know, more importantly, really, you can see where our focus is right now on remodels. So we're gonna do we're gonna remodel extensive remodels at 35 of our locations this year. And so that's a little bit of a formula for the future. I think you're gonna see us being you know, how they're doing more remodels potentially than than adding new facilities just to really make sure we've got a real fresh product out there, on the highway.

Unknown Speaker (19:19): Alright. Last question. How do they find those, 80 stops that you have that will be doing tires and batteries?

Jim Wheeler (19:25): Yeah. You know, really, there there's two ways. And and, again, the simple way is on that Luvs app. If you go on the Luvs app, you'll kinda see the stores icon if you hit the stores. And then within that, you'll see a filter tab.

Jim Wheeler (19:37): And if you hit that filter, it'll give you there's probably about 20 or 25 different items, but one of them is RV tires and batteries. And if you hit that, you're gonna get a map of those 80 locations exactly where they're at. You can also go on loves.com and follow that that website through too to be able to find those those particular locations that are out there.

Unknown Speaker (20:00): Well, very, very good. Well, I'm it's delighted for us

Unknown Speaker (20:03): to watch this all come about and see this continued love affair that loves have with the RV community. Jim, we'll talk to you next next time you add something, which the way you're going would be pretty soon. So I

Jim Wheeler (20:16): look forward No. Hey. I appreciate I appreciate you having me back, so that that's fantastic. But would yeah. Love to kinda continue to tell you what we're doing, with our RV business.

Unknown Speaker (20:27): So appreciate it.

Unknown Speaker (20:28): Thank you so much, Jim Wheeler.

Unknown Speaker (20:29): Yep. Thanks.

Unknown Speaker (20:31): It's pretty interesting. Watch how Loves has evolved into this RV campground, full fledged campgrounds now and overnight spots at many of its locations. So another option, and with campground prices and reservations making it hard to get a spa, it comes in handy. Hey. Quick question for you.

Mike Wendland (20:50): You're getting a little worn out paying top dollar for crowded RV parks? We were too. And last year, we came across something that really changed the way we travel, rvovernights.com.

Jennifer (21:01): One of our favorite stays was at a bison ranch in Indiana. Real bison right outside our RV. Huge animals. Absolutely incredible to watch. And that is just one example.

Jennifer (21:11): They have wineries, farms, museums, even a lavender field, the kind of places you would never find in a typical campground directory. What makes it so easy is their website. Just pull up the interactive map, see what's available along your route, and book your overnight. That is it?

Mike Wendland (21:28): No guessing. No digging around, and these are not just random parking lots. These are unique memorable experiences hosted by real people all across The US and Canada. And best part, the whole thing is just $49 for an entire year.

Jennifer (21:42): Right now, they are also offering our listeners a special deal. You can get 40% off when you use the promo code RVL deal. After more than fifteen years on the road we do not recommend something unless we truly use it ourselves. This is one we keep coming back to. Head to rvlifestyle.com/rvovernights and use promo code RVL deal to save 40%.

Jennifer (22:08): That is rvlifestyle.com/rvovernights. And do not forget the promo code RVL deal to save 40%.

Unknown Speaker (22:17): Alright. Time for a brand new segment on the podcast. It's called Jennifer's. That would be you. Jennifer's RV know how.

Unknown Speaker (22:28): And this, you'll hear it from now on every Wednesday. Stories A lot of people say, we wanna hear more from Jennifer. We wanna hear from Jennifer. So Jennifer's had to go to work this week, do a little extra. Jennifer's RV know how is named the segment, and Jennifer's gonna share some of the practical things that she's learned about RV living over our fifteen years of doing this lifestyle.

Unknown Speaker (22:48): Ready? What do you have for this first week?

Jennifer (22:50): Okay. The first night campsite setup. Today, I wanna share my first night campsite setup routine. When we arrive somewhere new, I don't try to make the whole campsite perfect right away. I focus on what will make the first night easy, safe, and comfortable.

Jennifer (23:08): Outside, Mike and I look at the practical things first. Where is the hookups? Is the ground level enough for walking safely? Do we have enough room for the steps and entry area? If that might be an issue, I think about that before putting anything out.

Jennifer (23:24): Then I ask one simple question. What do we really need tonight? Maybe it's just two chairs, the dog setup, and a small table. It does not have to look like a magazine spread ten minutes after arrival. Some nights, good enough is exactly right.

Jennifer (23:39): The reason this matters is because overdoing setup when you're tired can lead to mistakes, frustration, and tension. I'd rather settle in comfortably, eat dinner, and enjoy the evening than try to create the perfect campsite in the dark. After we are positioned and connected, I start with the inside. I make sure the bed is ready, the bathroom is stocked, and the kitchen basics are accessible. If we are tired, I want everything we need for the evening and the next morning easy to find.

Jennifer (24:09): Think first night comfort, not full production. Get the essentials right and do the extras tomorrow. And that's my tip for this week. If you have any suggestions or comments about what I just shared, you can reach me through the contact link at RV Podcast dot com. I love hearing from you.

Unknown Speaker (24:28): There you go. I'm looking forward to

Unknown Speaker (24:30): hearing from What is Bo gonna give for a tip?

Unknown Speaker (24:32): Oh, yeah. Bring treats. More treats. Yeah. Hi, Jeff.

Unknown Speaker (24:36): For trip of the week time. And this one, I have been waiting to talk about for a while.

Unknown Speaker (24:41): I know. I absolutely love this state.

Unknown Speaker (24:44): New Mexico, the land of enchantment. And here's the thing I wanna start with because I think it captures what most RVers do wrong with this state.

Unknown Speaker (24:53): Oh, I know where you're going with this.

Unknown Speaker (24:55): Most RVers drive right through New Mexico on the way to somewhere else. It's a connector state. Right? You're headed to Arizona or Texas or Colorado or New Mexico. It's just miles on the odometer.

Jennifer (25:07): And that is a huge mistake.

Mike Wendland (25:09): That is such a mistake because New Mexico rewards people who actually stop. It delivers things you genuinely can't find anywhere else in America, Underground caverns that are hard to put into words, high desert landscapes that literally glow at sunset, and a cultural richness that goes back a thousand years. And roads, Jen, is the roads are just made for RV travel.

Jennifer (25:33): The roads are gorgeous, and the skies, we talk a lot about the big sky country, but New Mexico gives Montana a real run for its money. Yeah.

Mike Wendland (25:42): It does. Alright. So let's talk about destinations, and I have to start with Carlsbad Caverns because it's just nonnegotiable. This is not your average national park. You're going underground.

Mike Wendland (25:54): You're descending into a cave system with over a 100 individual caves.

Jennifer (25:59): And the scale of it is just staggering when you get down there. The vast chambers filled with towering select types, formations that look almost sculptured by hand. You walk through and you keep thinking, how does something like this exist?

Unknown Speaker (26:12): Yeah. If you go before 01:30 in the afternoon, you could take the natural entrance trail, and it winds over a mile from the surface all the way down into the caverns, and that's the way to do it. You earn it on the way in.

Jennifer (26:26): And then there's the elevator option. 754 feet straight down to the big room if you wanna skip the hike.

Unknown Speaker (26:34): And here's a bonus a lot of people miss. The bat flight. Every evening, thousands of bats exit the cave every dusk. You just sit there and watch this aerial river of bats pour out of the earth.

Jennifer (26:48): It sounds a little creepy if you've never seen it, but it's actually beautiful.

Unknown Speaker (26:52): It is. And for camping near Carlsbad, the Carlsbad KOA there can handle RVs up to 75 feet. It has full electric hookups, a pool, a dog park. It's a good solid base for the whole Southeast corner of the state.

Jennifer (27:05): And while you're in that Southeast corner, you cannot skip Roswell.

Unknown Speaker (27:09): You cannot skip Roswell. Look. I know what some people are thinking. Is this just a cheesy tourist trap built around a UFO story? And the answer is

Jennifer (27:17): Yes. But also genuinely no.

Unknown Speaker (27:20): Because here's the thing about Roswell. Yes. The whole town leans hard into that 1947 crash story. There are alien statues, green lights everywhere. The streetlights have alien eyes on them.

Jennifer (27:35): The McDonald's has a fine saucer theme. I am not making that up.

Mike Wendland (27:39): You are not making that up. But underneath all of that, Roswell is a real interesting New Mexico town with legitimate history, good food, and, honestly, the International UFO Museum is actually pretty fun. Even the skeptics enjoy it.

Jennifer (27:53): It's just a great stop. And driving US 285 between Carlsbad and Roswell, that stretch of high desert highway is one of those drives where you just settle in and let the landscape do its thing.

Unknown Speaker (28:06): Big, open sky, flat desert, mountains in the distance, very New Mexico. Okay. From that Southeast stretch, you work your way north towards Santa Fe, and Santa Fe is just it doesn't feel like the rest of America.

Jennifer (28:19): Because it isn't. Santa Fe carries this unique blend of Native Americans, Spanish, and Mexican influences that you feel the moment you walk into the historic district. Adobe buildings, narrow streets, art galleries, absolutely everywhere.

Mike Wendland (28:33): The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum alone is worth that stop. She lived between Santa Fe and Taos for decades and drew inspiration from those landscapes for some of her most famous work.

Jennifer (28:44): And for camping, Santa Fe Skies RV Park gives you breathtaking views and easy access to the city. Great name for a campground. Right?

Mike Wendland (28:53): Perfect name. Perfect name. From Santa Fe, you head north to Taos, and Taos has this layered quality that takes you a while to fully absorb. It's a artist colony and a ski town right next to a UNESCO recognized Taos Pueblo, a settlement of multistory adobe homes continuously inhabited for more than a thousand years.

Jennifer (29:15): A thousand years. That's community has been there longer than Columbus ever set foot on in The Americas. And you can visit it. Walk those grounds. Talk to people.

Jennifer (29:25): Learn the history firsthand.

Mike Wendland (29:27): The Rio Grande Gorge is extremely deep. It's not recommended if you have a fear of heist, but if you can handle it, the view from that bridge is one of those moments.

Unknown Speaker (29:36): And then Silver City, which is the hidden gem of the whole route.

Mike Wendland (29:40): It's rugged. It's remote. It's spectacular. The off the beaten path part of New Mexico that most people just never reach. And out there in the Gila National Forest, the Cosmic Campground is an international dark sky sanctuary more than 40 miles from the nearest significant artificial light source.

Mike Wendland (29:59): You have never seen stars until you're out there.

Jennifer (30:01): For stargazers, that is a dream. Completely dark skies in every direction. It is a kind of thing that reminds you why we do this.

Mike Wendland (30:09): Why we get in the RV and go find these places. Exactly. New Mexico earns its nickname, the land of enchantment every single mile with it.

Jennifer (30:19): And that is a perfect lead into something we are really excited about today.

Unknown Speaker (30:23): It is because today, this drops right now as this podcast comes out, our brand new digital RV lifestyle travel guide to New Mexico. This is a 98 page ebook. Jennifer and I took everything that we know about traveling New Mexico by RV, and we built a complete seven stop driving route through the state's most spectacular destinations. All the things we talked about, Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell, Santa Fe, Taos, the Taos Pueblo, Silver City, every stop covered with recommended campgrounds, practical RV tips, road conditions, seasonal advice, all of it for you.

Jennifer (31:02): And it's not just logistics. We write the way we talk. You're gonna feel like you're along for the ride with us.

Unknown Speaker (31:08): It's available right now at rvlifestyle.com/newmexico. The link is in the show notes, but check it out. Available right now, rvlifestyle.com/newmexico. We think you'll like it.

Jennifer (31:19): If New Mexico has been on your list after today, it should be. Go get it.

Unknown Speaker (31:25): Rvlifestyle.com/newmexico. Alright. Time now for the RV question of the week.

Jennifer (31:32): This week's question comes from Tom of Arizona who asked, how important is cargo carrying capacity, and how do I figure it out?

Mike Wendland (31:40): Oh, Tom. This is one of the most important and most misunderstood numbers in all of RVing. And people are gonna object to what we say here. They're all gonna have their own opinions, but let's say it straight the way we've learned it in fifteen years. If you ignore your cargo carrying capacity, you can overload your RV without even realizing it.

Jennifer (32:01): And a lot of RVers do exactly that, especially when they're just starting out.

Unknown Speaker (32:06): Cargo carrying capacity is the amount of weight that you can safely add to your RV. And now this includes everything, your gear, your clothes, your food, your tools, dishes, whatever chairs, hoses, cables, and tools you have in the cargo bay, the water you carry aboard, your dog, and you, and your passengers. All that adds up. The number you always wanna look for is called the maximum cargo carrying capacity.

Jennifer (32:36): And here's the interesting part. Manufacturers don't exactly highlight it in big bold letters in their brochures. That's because that number may really be a problem for potential customers who wanna bring along more than just themselves on their camping trips. But frankly, federal highway safety regulators require that number to be posted inside every RV, usually on that yellow sticker inside a cabinet or near the entry door or with motorhomes on the frame pillar just inside the driver's door.

Mike Wendland (33:06): Exactly. And here's how it's calculated in simple terms. Every RV has a GVWR, the gross vehicle weight rating. That's the maximum your RV is allowed to weigh when it's fully loaded. Manufacturers will tell you that real easily.

Mike Wendland (33:22): But then you subtract the actual weight of the RV as it sits from the factory, and what's left is your cargo carrying capacity.

Jennifer (33:31): But that factory weight can be a little misleading.

Mike Wendland (33:33): Very misleading. Because once you add propane, batteries, dealer options like solar panels, extra appliances, washers, dryers, more deluxe mattresses that don't ship standard with, especially water and your fresh water tank, and your passengers and your dogs, all that stuff, that available capacity drops fast. And here's something a lot of people miss. If you're towing a vehicle or a trailer, the tongue weight on the hitch counts two. That's typically 300 to 500 pounds, sometimes more.

Mike Wendland (34:06): And that way pushing down on your RV is absolutely included in your cargo capacities.

Unknown Speaker (34:12): So it's not just what's inside your RV, it's also what's pushing down on it.

Unknown Speaker (34:17): Exactly. So let's do a real world example. Say your RV has a cargo capacity of 1,500 pounds. Now subtract water. That could be 400 to 600 pounds.

Unknown Speaker (34:28): Passengers, maybe another 300 to 400. Gear, food, tools, grills. It all adds up. If you're towing another 300 to 500 pounds of tongue weight, well, you can see how fast you're gonna run out of capacity.

Jennifer (34:41): And once you're over, there's no cushion.

Mike Wendland (34:43): And that is where big problems start. Being overweight affects braking, handling, tires, suspension, everything, safety. It increases your risk of blowouts, mechanical failures, even accidents. And if something does happen, being overweight can create strong liability issues.

Jennifer (35:03): So here's what we recommend. Find that yellow sticker and know your real CCC. Weigh your RV fully loaded at a truck scale, and be intentional about what you bring. If you haven't used it in the last few trips, you probably don't need it.

Unknown Speaker (35:18): And that's a rule we live by. So, Tom, to you, bottom line, maximum cargo carrying capacity is not a suggestion. It's a limit. So respect it, and you'll travel safer, smoother, and with a lot more confidence. If you ignore it, you're rolling the dice every mile.

Jennifer (35:35): And if you want help planning your trips, managing your gear, and staying within your limits, check out our RV trip planning tools at rvlifestyle.com/planningcenter.

Unknown Speaker (35:46): It's all based on real world experience from fifteen years on the road.

Jennifer (35:50): And if you've got a question for us, send it in. We may feature it on a future episode. You can reach us through the contact link at rvpodcast.com.

Unknown Speaker (35:59): If you enjoyed today's episode, number 600. Again, we would love it if you take a moment and leave us a kind review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever app you're tuning in with. Your feedback really helps us grow and reach more listeners just like you. Thank you so much. Happy trails.