PNW RV travel, Music & Big Surprises with The Sotos: Part Two
Jessely and Edwin Sotos at Crater Lake National Park
Part two with Edwin and Jessely Soto is here.
The Sotos share stories from their travels across the Pacific Northwest, including the places that left a lasting impression, the stops they missed this time around, and the destinations already calling them back for another trip. If you love RV travel, road trips, van life, Airstream adventures, and exploring the Pacific Northwest, this conversation is packed with inspiration and real stories from the road.
You will also get an inside look at Edwin’s life as a musician and recording artist. Edwin opens up about how he continues to write, record, and produce music while living full time in an Airstream. From building a creative routine in a small space to balancing travel with artistic passion, he shares a fascinating look at what life as a traveling musician really looks like.
And then, Edwin drops a BIG surprise right here on the show that completely catches us off guard.
This is one of our longer episodes, but there was simply too much great conversation to cut. The stories, laughs, travel memories, and behind the scenes moments made this one impossible to trim down.
So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and join us for part two of our conversation with Edwin and Jessely Soto on RV Out West.
If you enjoy RV living, Airstream travel, Pacific Northwest road trips, camping culture, travel podcasts, and conversations with creative people living life a little differently, this episode is for you.
SHOW NOTES
In part two of our conversation with Edwin and Giselle Soto, we dive deeper into life as full-time RV nomads traveling across the United States in their Airstream. The Sotos share unforgettable experiences from their time exploring the Pacific Northwest, discuss how their approach to RV living has evolved over four years on the road, and reveal how creativity and travel continue to shape their lives.
From camping near Olympia, Washington to visiting the last Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, this episode is packed with RV travel stories, Pacific Northwest destinations, campground recommendations, boondocking adventures, and reflections on building a meaningful life on the road.
Edwin also shares how he built a mobile recording studio inside their Airstream and surprises Brooks with custom RV Out West intro songs created specifically for the podcast.
In This Episode
How full-time RV life changed after four years on the road
Creating routines while living in an Airstream
Budgeting and slowing down during long-term RV travel
The reality of campground costs and boondocking
Wild horse encounters while camping in New Mexico
Why the Pacific Northwest exceeded expectations
Visiting the California Redwoods and Redwood National Park
Exploring Astoria, Seaside, Olympia, Seattle and Bend
Food recommendations from Seattle’s Pike Place Market
RV camping at Washington Land Yacht Harbor
Why Mount Rainier and Crater Lake deserve a return trip
Visiting the last Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon
Discovering Deception Pass State Park
How Edwin records music from inside a 200 square foot Airstream
A surprise reveal for RV Out West listeners
Thoughts on happiness, authenticity and finding home on the road
Future travel plans including New Zealand, Japan, Portugal and Mexico
Pacific Northwest Destinations Mentioned
Washington
Washington
Olympia
Seattle
Everett
Bothell
Monroe
Pike Place Market
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Park
Hoh Rain Forest
Deception Pass State Park
Mount St. Helens
Johnston Ridge Observatory
Oregon
Oregon
Astoria
Seaside
Bend
Crater Lake National Park
The Last Blockbuster
California
California
Redwood National and State Parks
Big Sur
Lake Tahoe
Restaurants and Food Spots Mentioned
Pike Place Chowder
Piroshky Piroshky
Indi chocolate
Rachel's Ginger Beer
RV Camping and Memberships Discussed
Follow Edwin and Jessely Soto
Resources Mentioned
Episode Sponsor
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Podcast Episode Transcript:
PNW RV travel, Music & Big Surprises with The Sotos: Part Two
Brooks, Host Edwin and Giselle Soto share stories from their travels through the Pacific Northwest. Talk about creating music while living full time in an Airstream and reveal a big secret along the way. Welcome to RV Out West. I'm your host, Brooks. My family of four is. Base camp is located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and our RV adventures radiate out from there. Please grab a mug of coffee and join us as we discuss our RVing around the American West from sweet camping spots. Gear and equipment to tips and tricks, we've got you covered. We are RV out west. This week we're picking right up where we left off with part two of our conversation with Edwin and Giselle Soto. We're going to dive deep into their travels throughout the Pacific Northwest, the places they loved, the destinations they missed this last time around, and what's already on their list for their next swing through the region. We also get an inside look at Edwin's music and how he continues to write, record, and produce while living full time in an Airstream. And somewhere along the way, Edwin drops a pretty huge secret you're definitely won't see coming. Now, fair warning this episode runs a little longer than normal, but honestly, there was just too much good conversation, too many great stories, and too many moments that deserved to stay in. So grab a fresh cup of coffee, settle in, and let's continue the conversation with the Sotos. Well, thank you again for coming on for part two of the show. I'm excited to have you guys here and continue our conversation.
The Sotos Oh, we're very excited.
Brooks, Host Yeah. Well you guys, so last week we kind of got to hear the why behind you guys's decision to go full time in your Airstream. You talked about just that when you first started RV life, you were like very much of a aware we got to go here. Let's go here now! Move, move! We gotta see this. There's this. I got my checklist. I want to go. Let's see it. And now you have a very different perspective. After being on the road for four years. Paint us a picture now of honestly, what does your day to day life consist of? What is an actual routine for you guys? What does that look like?
The Sotos Routine. Now that's a word that's hard to swallow when you're a full time Rver. Yeah, I can.
Brooks, Host Imagine, but still, right? You gotta, you gotta get your laundry done. You gotta, you know, you want to wash the trailer, you still gotta maybe do some work. So I mean, it's not like you're.
The Sotos There's cadences, right? Yeah. Okay. So like, there's all these like cadences and little pockets and like, there are, uh, relaxing, like sit down days where we know we're going to be somewhere for a few weeks. Like when we, for example, when we arrive at a campground, that's usually the first like sigh of relief kind of day. And then that, then we kind of trickle into working throughout the week, doing like errands like, I don't know, taking Amazon returns and grocery shopping.
Speaker 3 And during the weekend I'll do my errands. But I always try to plan for us to have, at least whenever we get to a city, I want to do at least two or three things on my bucket list, right? And always try to at least do one or two of those things. Like, I'll have a list of things, but we'll try to do at least I would say two of them whenever we arrive somewhere. So it takes a lot of the pressure off.
Brooks, Host To kind of start, like to kick it off. You're saying when you guys first get there, like we're going to take a couple of days now let's, you know, go vacation, see these sites or are you working them in like after a day of work or after a chore day and like, hey, there's this restaurant I want to go to tonight and watch the sunset or whatever, I don't know.
The Sotos Well, what's really cool is when you're RVing out west and I get to work East Coast hours in those circumstances is really neat because my day usually ends like around two o'clock. And then that means we kind of have the afternoon to explore, usually a little earlier. We're beating the rush, and those are like phenomenal times to go visit a museum or like, you know, or that restaurant that you were dying to go to or something like that.
Speaker 3 Yeah, that's definitely what we do now, I think. And that's change from how it used to be. It takes a lot of the pressure off that we just take our time when we arrive somewhere to just explore, and it just makes it a lot easier.
The Sotos And we know we'll be back. So like, we kind of like, that's.
Brooks, Host True.
The Sotos You know? Good point. We kind of paint this like, oh, we missed it this time. Let's make sure it's in our bookmarks. We, you know, we have like a Google Maps location where we put all our places we want to go and places we'd like to go.
Speaker 3 And sometimes things don't pan out. Like, I mean, we'll visit a national park on a certain day and then we'll get there and the weather will be terrible. And we'd have to just turn around and just say, forget it. We'll have to do this again another time.
Brooks, Host Now, that sounds like there's a story behind that wisdom. So tell me about that experience.
Speaker 3 Um, that was Crater Lake.
The Sotos Oh, yeah.
Brooks, Host Tell me about.
The Sotos It. Oh, yes.
Speaker 3 We were so excited to go to Crater Lake. And then we drove and it was so foggy. And then we got there and we're like, we know there's a lake there, but we can't see it.
The Sotos It was so, so much fog. Um, we did like one of those Instagram videos where it's like expectation versus reality. And like I found somebody's video was beautiful reveal of the crater. And then I showed ours like depicted right after that, you know?
Speaker 3 Yeah. It was not like that at all. So that's one of those places that we need to get back to.
The Sotos Yeah. I would love to go back and see and go in the lake and go.
Speaker 3 And see the actual lake. Yeah. Yeah.
Brooks, Host You know, that's one place I've never been. And, and every year it kind of just gets a little further bumped and bumped, you know, higher up that list. So let me ask you guys this, now that you've kind of actually spent all of this time living this life that you guys have built, or I should say rebuilt compared to what it is that you imagined this life would be. Are there similarities? Differences? What does that look like?
The Sotos A little bit of both. It's a mixed bag, right? We've said things like advice to people who want to do this. For example, we always say, hey, you know, buying used a used RV is totally fine. I mean, we bought new and it's not like we regret it necessarily. But yeah, in hindsight, that's definitely something I would be willing to explore now. Like that's, you know, I mean, there are other things, I think in our daily routine that I thought would be a bigger deal, like emptying tanks or I mean, your life is just different than, than normal every.
Speaker 3 Day. But another thing I want to add to is that when you live on the road full time, you have to learn to not live like you're on vacation all the time. That's a mistake we made when we first started.
Brooks, Host I think you're getting to the crux of my my question is how do you kind of manage and what, what does that really look like?
Speaker 3 Yeah, yeah, we definitely have to sit there, do a budget on places. Because I think when we first started traveling, we were like, oh yeah, let's go to Disney World. Oh yeah, let's go to universal. Oh yeah, let's go. You know, and it just started to get very expensive. So now we don't.
The Sotos And it didn't even have to be even that extravagant. I mean, as a regular, sometimes a regular run of the mill campground, if it's like a Koa, can be, you know, sixty, seventy, eighty bucks a night, depending on where you are.
Speaker 3 Yeah. And we don't even use the amenities. So we stopped going to the nicer campgrounds. Well, not nicer, I'll say more expensive campgrounds and going to gems. Yeah. Local parks and state parks and county parks and boondocking more and that definitely, um, we actually enjoy that more I think now as well.
The Sotos I almost prefer it when we can find a good boondocking spot, or sometimes the amount of things that unexpected things that have happened don't stop shocking me. For instance, we were in New Mexico. We used the dirt to get there. And so as we were as we were approaching it, it said on the instructions, be very careful because you don't want to go up this road. You want to make sure you go on this road and etc., etc.. So we were very, very vigilant. And these are always off the beaten path as well. So as we start to go where there are no longer any houses, it all seems like we're going toward the right place. But there are no RVs, no campers, there's no one. And we just drive. It was on a cliff. Sorry. On a mountainside.
Speaker 3 Mhm.
The Sotos And I just expected lots and lots of other RVers there to the point where we almost wondered if we were in the right place. Once confirming we thought we were in the right place, we said, you know what? We'll just settle down. What's the worst that can happen? So we settled down. We stayed there for a week.
Brooks, Host So you obviously found a spot.
The Sotos We found a spot we settled in that week. I saw two humans, one dog and dozens of wild horses. So I saw more horses than people. Than people. That. And that's amazing. Yeah. It was the most amazing experience.
Speaker 3 And they would run in packs. It'd be like. Like those Budweiser commercials. That is so cool. It was just the coolest thing. And I was just like, yeah, this is awesome.
The Sotos Only like a hundred feet from us or something like that.
Speaker 3 This is awesome.
The Sotos Yeah. And then they'd graze like along the ways, and then they'd run back to the other side after sundown to go to sleep, I assume, or whatever. Cool. Yeah. But we get into all that kind of trouble. I think that's the good trouble. Yeah, the good trouble.
Brooks, Host You know, you guys have traveled and lived all over the country as full time nomads. But I would really like to zoom in on your time here in the Pacific Northwest. So first, kind of what was it about this region, its people, the landscape, lifestyle, or whatever it may be that left an impression on you for the time that you did spend while you were here?
Speaker 3 I mean, I would say that it was very surprising for me. I think we have these perceptions of what places are going to be like. I always thought of like Seattle being gloomy and rainy and, you know, just like I thought California was like not a great place to visit. East coast was the West Coast. And now I think completely opposite. I think California is amazing. But, um, I definitely had this perception of the Pacific Northwest. I didn't know what to expect. It was definitely very eye opening and surprising. On how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is. It's just stunning. And I highly. everybody needs to put on their bucket list. There's just so many amazing places to visit out there.
The Sotos Yeah. And it's diverse. Yes. Extraordinarily diverse, which I mean, we we talk about that in California. It's kind of an unfair advantage in the sense where, you know, it's a big California's a big place, but the PNW has some really unique places. And some of the places that I really want to go to, I haven't been able to go to.
Speaker 3 Yeah. So we drove up to Northern California and we spent time in the California redwoods, which I felt was we went to the Redwood National Park. I think it is. And I literally remember walking and crying like a baby. You know, people must have thought I was crazy, but it was just so beautiful to see these massive trees. And you felt like this tiny little ant. It was just so moving for me. And I remember thinking, like this little girl who grew up in New York City looking up at skyscrapers, had no idea what else was out there in this world, and it was just something that I just think everybody needs to see. And it was it was gorgeous. It was gorgeous.
The Sotos Yeah. I loved how in like, I consider myself a decent photographer with my phone or whatever, but trying to figure out how to take pictures in the California redwoods is impossible. It's an impossible task. The best thing you could probably do is put your phone on the ground in selfie mode and just look up and let it let everybody. I remember tall stuff is.
Speaker 3 I remember telling a guy to take a photo of us in front of this big tree, and he's like, oh, do you want me to zoom in? I said, no, you need to get the whole tree. And he's like, but you can't see you guys. I'm like, that's her point. And we look like a little ants in front of this large tree. And it was one of my favorite. That's amazing. Yeah, it was really awesome.
The Sotos Yeah. From there, we traveled up through, um, Astoria, right? We spent time in.
Speaker 3 A seaside and we went to Astoria, did all the nerdy stuff.
The Sotos Like Goonies.
Speaker 3 Goonies and.
The Sotos Museum there.
Speaker 3 As we made our way to Seattle, we did go to Pike Place and we did have chowder at that one place, Pike Place chowder, I think.
The Sotos Yeah, they have vegan.
Speaker 3 And vegan chowder.
Brooks, Host Was it.
Speaker 3 Amazing?
The Sotos Oh my gosh, I can't wait to. I dream about that chowder. So good.
Brooks, Host All right, next time you guys are coming through Seattle, I'm gonna meet you at Pike Place. And we are gonna eat our way through that market. Yes, I have so many wonderful places. And then I want to learn from the places you have found. Because there's places I'm sure I've still yet to discover. So the market's amazing that way.
The Sotos Oh, I'd love it.
Speaker 3 Yeah. We did a mini vegan food tour when we were there.
The Sotos Yeah.
Speaker 3 And it was phenomenal.
The Sotos Yeah. Do you remember any other spots we hit I mean.
Speaker 3 Yeah, well, we went to Piroshki of course. Yeah. And then we went to the Chocolate Place. What was indie chocolate. That's where we went. And that was really good.
The Sotos I don't remember what we got there.
Speaker 3 The sipping chocolate.
The Sotos Oh that was.
Speaker 3 Good. Yeah. And then we also got ginger beer at Rachel's ginger beer place. That was really good too.
The Sotos Yeah, yeah, that was a nice day.
Brooks, Host Tell me about some of the parts of the Pacific Northwest that you hit. You had mentioned coming up from Astoria. So kind of remember some of those chunks of places you guys stopped and visited.
Speaker 3 So we we stayed at the Airstream Park in Olympia, Washington.
The Sotos Yes.
Speaker 3 Which was really.
The Sotos Highly recommend if you're a streamer.
Speaker 3 Yeah.
Brooks, Host Let me into the little tease. I don't know, I don't know what it is. Tell me about it. Yeah.
The Sotos Ooh. Oh, okay. This is a.
Brooks, Host This is a full.
The Sotos Circle time.
Speaker 3 Yeah. Airstream has I want to say it's about a dozen parks around the country that are that you need to have an Airstream to stay there. And people also tend to buy, um, like little like shares there. Like they'll have a, a little home with the Airstream there. So we stayed at Washington Land Yacht Harbor and it was really affordable for us. I think it was like twenty five a night for full hookups.
Brooks, Host Then you had full like fifty amp hookups and everything. Oh, yeah. Okay.
Speaker 3 Yeah. And every night was a party.
The Sotos Every night I could not keep up with these people like I.
Speaker 3 Retired and I learned that these issuers like to.
The Sotos Party. Oh my.
Speaker 3 People, I can't.
The Sotos Vrs period.
Speaker 3 I think our VRS. Yeah. True in general.
The Sotos Yeah. They like to stay up late. They do.
Speaker 3 We went to the Olympia Farmers Market while we were there. Okay. That was really cool. Um, at the time, we didn't get to go to Mount Rainier because there was a there was.
The Sotos A wildfire.
Speaker 3 There was a wildfire, and then there was a mudslide that happened as well. Yeah. And the cat, I remember the Cascades were partially closed, so we couldn't.
Brooks, Host And you can't have one without the other.
Speaker 3 Mhm. So we we need to redo. Okay. We need to redo and we need to go up there.
Brooks, Host Well, I will tell you this much. So I only really a neophyte in experiencing Mount Saint Helens. I've only been there for like a day because we camped nearby. Camping close to Mount Saint Helens is hard because there's not a lot of campgrounds kind of within like the closest ones an hour away, but the Johnston Ridge Observatory, which is at the top where you get the best views of seeing kind of where she blew, has been closed because the road washed out and it hasn't been open for two or three years, and they're now saying twenty seven or twenty eight. Can't remember. Soon, though, within the year or two it's going to be reopened.
Speaker 3 And so then that's on our list.
Brooks, Host Yeah. So finally we can all make it out to Johnston Ridge Observatory.
Speaker 3 And that's.
The Sotos Really.
Brooks, Host Cool. Yeah.
Speaker 3 I would like to check that out. But yeah. So tell me about your place.
Brooks, Host Sorry.
Speaker 3 What else? We went to the last blockbuster. That was a lot of fun. Oh, nice. That was in bend, Oregon. Yeah. So that's a really cool, nostalgic kind of place.
The Sotos I was just talking about this today because I was wearing my blockbuster t shirt. Okay. Which definitely gets the most comments from people when I wear that t shirt. I am the mayor of wherever I'm at. It's the craziest thing.
Brooks, Host That's amazing.
The Sotos On the back, it's just a yellow shirt with a blockbuster logo on the back. It says the last blockbuster in the world. Bend, Oregon. I bought a hoodie, which I don't know where it is, but it was my treasured hoodie for so long it got lost in the RV, uh, traveling or something. It's probably just in a, in a bin somewhere hidden in the back of the truck or something. But it was just really funny because it's a working blockbuster, right? It's like a just, it's like people go there.
Brooks, Host It is the last blockbuster. So you can still rent videos and get your microwavable popcorn, all that.
The Sotos Absolutely.
Brooks, Host Yeah. That's awesome.
The Sotos But I'm walking in there. We're walking in there and I'm like going arm to arm with like cutouts of like Sylvester Stallone and like E.T. and like all the cardboard cutouts you should be. I'm like a kid. I'm like, this is amazing. I'm looking at the, there's this giant wall of VHS tapes that they made. Like, almost like a design out of.
Speaker 3 That was True Lies poster.
The Sotos There was a True Lies poster. There was a there was a replica nineteen nineties living room. It was like a museum exhibit with like crystal Pepsi in the center of the of the table or whatever. But I think it was funny is that I'm in there as the tourist, which I'm sure they get a million of. But everybody who was not a tourist was definitely annoyed that the tourist were in there. They're like, I just want to rent my movie. I just want to go.
Brooks, Host Yep.
Speaker 3 And when we went to pay, I remember the lady didn't have like a, like she had the old school credit card machines. Yeah. And because yeah, the ones that go, you know.
Brooks, Host They do the carbon copy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
Speaker 3 Yes. And but my credit card didn't have the numbers raised on it. So she had to manually put it in and I was like, oh my gosh.
The Sotos No chips.
Brooks, Host Oh my gosh, that's hilarious.
The Sotos No Apple pay.
Speaker 3 And then the last place I want to mention that we went to was Deception Pass, which was really cool. And that was in um, Washington as well.
Brooks, Host Tell me about it. What was it that about deceptions past that kind of resonated with you?
Speaker 3 Well, we went with friends and we walked the bridge, which was absolutely beautiful. And then we went on the beach and we had a picnic. And it was just so it was just like so unspoiled. Like I just, I don't know, the beaches there are just like gorgeous with like the old wood, you know, that like you can see like the history there. And it was just beautiful.
The Sotos Yeah.
Speaker 3 Yeah. Yeah. That was really cool. So Pacific Northwest is definitely yeah.
The Sotos We've stayed in like Monroe.
Speaker 3 Everett Bothell.
The Sotos Bothell. And where else? That's it. That's it. Okay. And in in Oregon, we've stayed in bend. Mhm. And, uh, seaside, as you said.
Brooks, Host Hey, you guys, let me ask you this because I have one final question about the PNW. You had even talked about it earlier, Edwin, earlier today saying, you know, there's places that you miss that you want to come back for. So just give me bullet points. What's a place for you, Edwin? And what's a place for you to Sally that you guys and you don't have to agree. It could be two different places. So take your top three and place down.
The Sotos The funny places. The funny thing is that the place I want to go to just kind of already been there by train, but she went there at night. So we both need a redo of Glacier National Park. We really want to go see Glacier National Park. And that's, that's my number one. Okay.
Brooks, Host That's in Montana. It's a little outside of the Pacific Northwest.
The Sotos Cheater, cheater, Pacific, Midwest.
Speaker 3 No, I want to go see the rainforest in Olympia. The ho ho.
Brooks, Host Yeah. The HOH rainforest up in the Olympic National Park.
Speaker 3 Oh my gosh. High on my bucket list.
The Sotos I want to change my answer. Oh that's a good answer.
Brooks, Host Oh there you go.
Speaker 4 All right.
Speaker 3 Yeah very very cool.
Brooks, Host I love it. We've already heard about some of the unforgettable places they explored right here in the Pacific Northwest and the spots still calling them back for another adventure. But after the break, we're diving into something completely different. We'll chat with Edwin about his music, the creative process behind it, and what it's really like to be making music while living full time in a two hundred square foot Airstream. Trust us, you're going to want to hear this story. But first, a quick word from our longtime sponsor and good friend at camper alerts dot com. It's summertime and the great outdoors are calling. But did you forget to book a campsite? Nine months ago? Well don't worry. Say goodbye to sold out campgrounds with camper alerts. With camper alerts. You can choose your campground, select your site type and set a personalized alert. And when a site becomes available, they will notify you. It's that simple. Visit camper alerts dot com today and start setting your alerts. Now let's jump back into our conversation with Edwin and Giselle as we talk about how Edwin continues creating and producing music while living full time in an Airstream. You're listening to RV out West.
Speaker 5 So one thing that I love about the lifestyle that you guys have chosen to do is how you're able to both kind of bring your passions with you on the road. You know, Edwin, I know you're not just traveling, but you're also doing this like creating stuff. So I'd love to kind of shift gears and learn a little about kind of more about your music, your journey, and kind of how this season of life ties into all of that. So first, share a little bit with us about kind of your music. What is it that you make? How did you get started? Sure.
The Sotos Yeah. I've been producing music for decades. Uh, obviously a sticks and bricks. And right before we decided to pack it all up, I had invested a lot of time in learning and getting all my studio equipment that I wanted, and producing music and putting music out. It was a change during the pandemic for me. So that was one thing that a good thing that came out of the pandemic, just the resurgence of making music again, I make I make a lot of different kinds of music. I like to work with other people too. I decided that I didn't want to give that up when we went on the road, and what that turned into was essentially a mobile music studio. So I identify as a RV mobile producer. Nice. I think it's fun to know that the last few, you know, songs that I've put out have been fully written, inspired, and recorded, mixed and mastered right here in this RV. So with that said, I think I've got a little surprise for you too. I heard you were shopping around for like maybe a new intro song.
Speaker 5 Wait, what?
The Sotos And I thought that maybe I would gift you the choice of picking some songs. And so I've created a custom intro songs for the RV out west.
Brooks, Host Oh my.
The Sotos Gosh.
Brooks, Host This is awesome.
The Sotos And if you're ready, I will play. I'll play This first one is titled Foo Fighters and it's pronounced Foo Fighters. The way that.
Speaker 3 Christopher.
The Sotos Christopher Walken pronounced.
Brooks, Host Yeah, would say it. Okay, fair.
Speaker 6 That's so awesome.
Brooks, Host Oh my gosh, that is so cool. Welcome to RV Out West.
The Sotos You know, it's funny you should mention that. I thought maybe it would be interesting to hear what that might sound like in context.
Brooks, Host Okay.
The Sotos So.
Brooks, Host And build a life on the road together. Stay tuned to hear their story. Welcome to RV Out West. I'm your host, Brooks. My family of four is. Base camp is located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and our RV adventures radiate out from there. Please grab a mug of coffee and join us as we discuss farming around the American West. From sweet camping spots, gear and equipment to tips and tricks, we've got you covered. We are RV out west.
The Sotos Sorry I had to steer your voice.
Speaker 7 No. That's amazing. Oh my gosh.
The Sotos All right. Running down the next one here. Okay, I've got another. So this one is just silly. And I have an inside joke. We watch Living Single a lot on TV, the television show. And I changed the words to Spanish Viviendo Soltero. So I just call Viviendo Soltero. So inspired by that theme song. Okay.
Speaker 6 Heck yeah. This is rad.
Brooks, Host Saying you guys got it. Everything you need right here about the Pacific Northwest. We got it for you. RV out west. All right, all right, let's hear. Okay.
The Sotos Uh.
Brooks, Host BJ, what? What? Hey, everybody. Yeah. Welcome. You know, these are three amazing options.
The Sotos All right, so for this last one.
Brooks, Host Um.
The Sotos Was inspired a little bit from my jazz roots. I made a, uh, an instrument. I started this as an a cappella song because frankly, I thought it would be kind of fun to do an acapella like Bobby McFerrin type song. Yeah. As I started to do that, I came up with this little instrument.
Brooks, Host Nice. Okay.
The Sotos And those are my voices. All right.
Brooks, Host It sounds like. Kind of like a Rhodes. Like an old school Rhodes piano. Like what? Herbie Hancock going on? Yeah.
The Sotos That's it. That's cool. Um. And what I'll do. And what's fun is, uh, for, for all of these, I'm going to do a little breakdown on YouTube, uh, on how these were, were made. So, uh.
Brooks, Host Oh, yeah. Cool. Well, make sure we have links to those in the show notes so people can go check those out. And yeah, that's cool for sure. We'll put that. Yeah.
The Sotos Without further ado, Juan Costa, uh, if you, uh, if you know, you know.
Brooks, Host I love it. That's amazing. And there are four distinct, very different songs with very different feels. I love it, man. That's so awesome.
Speaker 3 It reminds me of Mister Rogers Neighborhood.
Brooks, Host Yeah.
The Sotos Well, that's where the Juan Costa comes from. It's a play on Johnny Costa, who is the piano player and musical director for Mister Rogers Neighborhood, one of my favorite.
Speaker 3 I love that you made four completely different sounds.
Brooks, Host Completely. Yeah. It's amazing. I'm shocked. Thank you so much for your time, your creativity. That is awesome.
The Sotos You're very welcome.
Brooks, Host So tell me, with your music, have you been I'm sure you've been inspired by your travels, the things you've seen and written, music based on just kind of your experiences in your life and time and places. I mean, that just comes from it. Tell me about one stand out moment where I don't know if it was a, for lack of better words, like a come to Jesus moment where something happened and inspired you so much to write something. Tell me about that.
The Sotos I had spent eight months writing a song called This One's Going to Get Love. I had it almost completed. I was in the Pacific Northwest in in Monroe during this period of time where I sat down and I, and I gave myself kind of like an ultimatum, you're going to get this song done. And ironically, that ended up being one of the lyrics. This one's going to get done. But as I sat there kind of like stewing in this song and I was doing and I was like mixing it or something, it was almost completed. I had gotten inspired to do something that I never do, which was to write a rap freestyle. When that happened, it was literally two o'clock in the morning. I had work the next day and literally, I think within the span of maybe two to three hours, I had made the I had written the lyrics, made the beat, recorded it, and basically put it on a shelf. And I said, okay, well, this is going to be the side B to this one's going to get love. And so I made the whole release kind of like a cassette tape where this one's going to love side A and side B is nice to meet you very raw and like it's two o'clock in the morning and I'm writing this right now kind of kind of song.
Speaker 3 I also think it's like a different style from what you normally do because he doesn't do his own horn, but you know, he was like in a borough wide band in New York City, which is a very prestigious honor when you're in New York and played in like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and all those places. Yeah. So like you're, you have now explore yourself more Creatively in these years, I think on the road than ever. Because like you, I don't think five years ago you would have done a rap song like that wouldn't have been like that. You might have. But but I just, I feel like this has brought out more creative creativity in you being on the road, which is it's really awesome.
Brooks, Host What's the vision? Where, where is this journey when you're dreaming and your heads are in the cloud and you're talking crazy talk before you've had coffee? What's it looking like?
Speaker 3 I think it's gonna be bigger. You know, I think I want to visit other countries now. I want to visit more. Like, I still feel like we have a lot more to explore in the US. We still only hit thirty eight states.
Speaker 4 So when I say visit other countries.
The Sotos I know you're not being specific. You mean you want to do this in other countries? You want.
Speaker 4 To. I want in other.
The Sotos Countries, not.
Speaker 3 Just I do. And I, I would love.
Brooks, Host So New Zealand, Iceland. Oh my.
Speaker 3 Gosh. yes.
The Sotos That's my number one. New Zealand.
Speaker 3 New Zealand, Australia. Japan.
Brooks, Host Yeah. Oh Japan.
Speaker 3 Oh my gosh.
The Sotos Like get a van in Europe.
Speaker 3 Oh for real. Like why stop here? Yeah. I mean that would be phenomenal. I do think that if we were to do something like that though we need a smaller rig. Oh yeah. And it's like, and we have a, you know, our airstreams twenty eight feet. So it's already small, but we need smaller, like we need a van or something to be able to do something.
The Sotos Drivable probably.
Brooks, Host Has you guys now I think about, you know, all the beautiful things that you guys have done to choose your lifestyle and to make it work. Some people say it's lucky. I think it's you guys just putting in the work and making this decision to choose to live this way with intention. It seems like a natural way to kind of ask those bigger questions about life purpose, priorities, and what really matters. So I just want to ask you guys a couple of just questions about some of those bigger, deeper reflections.
The Sotos Yeah, sure. I think about that stuff all the time.
Speaker 3 Constantly.
Brooks, Host I know how much you guys have both in the. In part one, both expressed the love that you guys both had for your sets of grandparents that before they passed during the pandemic. There. But what is it that in your journey has taught you guys about what actually matters in life?
Speaker 3 I think what matters in life is being happy and whatever shape or form it takes. Being happy is what needs to be a priority. I always tell people, especially when I meet other parents, that you need to take care of yourself first before you take care of your children. We're ingrained that children are the number one things that we need to worry about. But no, you need to take care of yourself first. Because if you don't take care of yourself, you cannot take care of your children. I really advocate a lot for mental health and taking time to put your feelings and emotions as a priority and, and taking care of yourself. And I think for me, that's just what's so important.
The Sotos To add to that. I would say that like for probably for you and maybe for me, I think we have found our authenticity, which I think we tend to water down through adulthood a little bit when we're kids and we're teenagers. Like, we don't have a care in the world. And we're really kind of expressing ourselves. And in that, at least that was those were my teenage years, for sure. We were young parents. And, you know, uh, I think that certainly shaped how we decided to grow up really, really quickly. And so now that our son is older and out of the house, um, it has given us a different perspective on, well, a, we are still a couple. We kind of forgot that for a long time. I think the other thing is just kind of like we were also people before we were parents. Correct. And so a lot of that authenticity has now been mixed in with like maybe adult wisdom. I, you know, the gray hairs on my beard and my face and, you know, tell me that there's something there. But I think mixing, mixing it, you know, being, being who you are and who you want to be and expressing yourself is something that I definitely I suppressed a lot, you know, throughout my adulthood thinking that things aren't, um, that nobody wants to hear these things or nobody wants to see that side of me. But when I let people see that side of me, people are drawn to that side of me and same vulnerability. Same for you.
Speaker 3 Yeah. Yeah.
Brooks, Host Homes changed for you?
Speaker 3 Yeah.
Brooks, Host What? How has it changed for you now?
The Sotos When people ask where we're from, we usually jokingly say, whatever town we're, we're at. Um, which usually catches them off guard and you're like, wait, didn't you say you're in an RV? Yep. But today, this week and the next week we'll be living here. And I think we've embraced that concept. Um, it might be a joke, but wherever we are really does become home. Like we start learning the, the, the local roads and how to get to the, the, the, the good taco shop or like.
Speaker 3 We really do assimilate wherever we are. We assimilate. Like when we're in Southern California, we are Southern Californians. We're we're in the Pacific Northwest. We are PNW people like we really assimilate.
Brooks, Host Let me ask you then. So when you talk about that, how long are you kind of base camping in an area for?
The Sotos Usually we do two to three weeks typically. Typically, um, our stays are around that time. And the reason for that is, uh, actually because in, in our efforts to keep things more financially logical for this kind of lifestyle. We joined some, um, like memberships and um, campground memberships, uh, where like thousand trails members, for instance. And so that means that we can stay at ten thousand trails campgrounds for, uh, depending on the campground two or three weeks. Um, so there are times when we're like, oh, there's one over here, there's one over here. We're also Elks members.
Speaker 3 So Moose members.
The Sotos And Moose members. And so those social clubs sometimes have RV sites. Yeah. And then we get to like with power.
Brooks, Host Do those places have RV? Absolutely. Yeah. So they got full everything.
The Sotos Some of them have full on RV parks.
Brooks, Host Uh, super cool. Okay.
The Sotos Yeah. And which is nice because then you can, you know, when you arrive at the Elks, you can then like put your truck in the parking spot and go in and have a beer with the locals. They're all, they're all hanging out.
Speaker 3 Yeah, we spent a week there and they really do embrace us. They treat us like family, you know, which is really cool.
Brooks, Host Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 Home is where you park it.
Brooks, Host That's right. Exactly. It's not just a doormat that says that. Or a pillowcase. It really is true. So at the end of the day, you know, you guys have just this incredibly meaningful life now that the two of you have built through hard work, resilience, some tough decisions, tears, as you said. Has any answer changed for you in that greater scheme of life since moving into an Airstream?
The Sotos Well, I see, um, people often ask, especially family or friends like, oh, so how, uh, how long are you gonna keep up this, uh, ridiculous thing you got going on here? And when are you going to come back home or. And frankly, I don't know if there's an end. I don't know if I ever want it to end. Frankly, I'm, you know, I see the the joy that we have and experience on a daily basis where people might find it, uh, extraordinarily difficult to live with their spouse in two hundred square feet. We look forward to it. We actually don't like it when we're alone in the RV, and the other one is doing errands and doing. And outside we're like, when are you coming home? And it always often ends up, you know, getting us back some French fries from Sonic or something like that. Right.
Speaker 3 Um, I always say I don't love my husband. I just love I don't just love my husband. I actually like him.
The Sotos We do like each other for sure. And, you know, I think it definitely you gotta at least have that if you're, if you're gonna survive the fact that we do get to have these very unique experiences, they have been more enriching in our lives than the previous four decades. I mean, like, it's just such a absorption of the universe and what it has to offer. And we know that we have barely skimmed the surface.
Speaker 3 Oh for sure.
Brooks, Host Well, then, I want to know what is next on your immediate horizon. And I'm going to say between tomorrow and let's say Labor Day.
Speaker 3 Okay. Well, currently we're we're camping, which we've never done before.
The Sotos A total.
Speaker 3 first total. First, we decided to work him to take a little break from traveling. And also we applied at work, camping places that we places we'd like to spend the summer. So we did apply in the Pacific Northwest. We did apply, uh, Big Sur. We applied in Lake Tahoe. Mhm. And we ended up in near Zion. So we have been, we're camping here now for two weeks and it really has been an amazing experience. And, um, so that's where you'll find us through Labor Day. But once our assignment is over, we have some things planned We are planning to go to Portugal, to the Azores, which we're excited. Edwin actually won a trip on The Price is Right. Yeah, like the actual game show.
The Sotos Game show. Me and Drew Carey were elbow to elbow.
Speaker 3 Last year that um. So we have a all expense paid trip to the Azores, which we are so very looking forward to.
Brooks, Host That is so cool.
Speaker 3 That is. Yeah. And then I think we're gonna take a month in November to travel some to another country. We don't know what country yet. We're literally like going to pick what's the cheapest flight, cheapest place to stay, where we're going to go. So I kind of have it narrowed down to a few places.
The Sotos What's what's our I think is number one contender still Costa Rica?
Speaker 3 What's your number one contender? My number one contender is Vietnam. Oh, but you.
Brooks, Host Know I don't know man. I could go for a I like, uh, or some chicken and black beans. I mean, you know, I'm I'm good either way.
The Sotos I know I'm okay either way. This is not this is a decision that that that has no I.
Brooks, Host Could eat either place happily.
Speaker 3 Yeah. So, you know, we'll see where we go. But, um. But I think we're gonna add some out of country travel and start sprinkling it in here and there just to try to mix it up a bit.
Brooks, Host Yeah, I think that's cool.
The Sotos Loosely, we're headed to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving and then we might travel into Puerto Penasco. Yeah.
Speaker 3 Mexico with the.
The Sotos RV, with the RV, which will be our first time in Mexico, uh, with the RV. I was gonna say it's not the first time we've been out of the country, because we are silly enough that after we met you, Brooks, on our very second trip, the next destination was Niagara Falls. Who does that? I don't know, I had never had any experience. And then we took it to another country.
Brooks, Host Well, so all of this fun and madness and zaniness of your life. Where can people follow along on your adventures? Learn more about you, and keep up to date on the cool things that you guys are doing and experiencing.
Speaker 3 Well, you can follow our RV travels at from the hatch. It's from the hatch because our RV has a hatch. We're on Instagram, on Facebook, we're from the hatch RV, but, um, we're on Instagram, we're on TikTok, we're on YouTube. So you can follow our RV travels there and then you can follow. Edwin. Go ahead. Drew.
The Sotos Uh, you can follow my journey of on Project Edwin music. And that's, uh, you can do, you can go to project Edwin music dot com or go by project music on all the social medias and also on Spotify, Apple Music, and all your audio fun distributors. But I'm also venturing and be. I'll also be launching Project Edwin Gaming pretty soon because one of the things that I've been doing is making a game based off one of my songs that'll be released shortly for the Pico eight console.
Brooks, Host Right on. Well, Edwin and Giselle, thank you guys so much. As always, it is absolutely a pleasure. Any opportunity I get to talk with you guys? You are two wonderfully amazing humans and I just love hanging out with you guys. Thank you guys so much for coming on the show. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 3 It's always great talking to you. Take care.
Brooks, Host All right, my friends, the conversation doesn't have to end here. If anything we talked about sparked your curiosity, head over to RV Outwest dot com and take a moment to check out the show notes. We've got links to everything we mentioned so you can dive deeper and explore more. If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend or family member. If you haven't already signed up for our free monthly newsletter, visit our website at RV outwest dot com and get some insider info that you don't normally hear about right here on the podcast. Next week on RV Out West, we're taking you on a tour through some of the most incredible live music venues in the Pacific Northwest, from intimate listening rooms to legendary stages worth planning a whole road trip around. We're sharing the spots every music loving rver needs on their radar. So if you're looking for the perfect excuse to hitch up the RV, hit the road and catch some unforgettable live music. You're not going to want to miss next week's episode. Thanks so much for listening to RV Out West. Join us again next week. Please like and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you choose to get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. I sure would appreciate it if you left a rating or a review of the show. Special thanks to Scott Holmes Music for providing us the intro song. We Are One RV Out West can be found on Instagram and Facebook, where you can interact with us and follow along on our RV adventures around the Pacific Northwest. So get out there, explore and go see what's beyond the horizon.
