Spokane couple featured in new RV film

Talk about a classic love story.

Gary and Stacey Quimby first met in ninth grade, staying friends through their years at Mead High School. After drifting apart, they started hanging out again in 2011 and got married a year later.

In 2016, they both fell in love with the RV lifestyle, not even realizing they were hooked until they were out on the road.

“We went on what was going to be a short trip to the big balloon fiesta in Albuquerque in October and ended up staying out all winter,” said Gary. “We fell in love with the idea of pulling up stakes and changing our view whenever we felt like it.”

The Spokane couple has joined a growing number of younger full-time “ Xscapers ” trading the traditional sticks-and-bricks home for big adventure, and a cool sense of community will be featured in “RV Nomads,” a documentary film that debuts next month at an event called Nomad Fest. It will be available for streaming on Amazon in November.

Their appearance was the result of a chance meeting with the film’s producer.

“I was at Quartzite for an early Xscapers rally, and they helped us figure out where to park, and we became friends,” said Eric Odom, the Chicago-based driving force behind “RV Nomads.” After spending time with the Quimbys, Odom wanted to include them in the movie.

“The movie had already been shot, and we were five days away from having the first full cut, but they have such a unique background, I wanted them to be part of it,” he said.

Fast forward a few months after filming was finished, and Eric and his team were doing the final edit of the film at the couple’s home in Spokane. The film’s editor — and everyone associated with the project — lives on the road in RVs. Funny thing is, Eric is new to this community.

“I never knew this world existed until last year when I took a business trip, and decided to camp my way to a meeting across the country,” he said. “I discovered there’s this world out there and people need to know about. I wanted to tell their stories.”

This lean-budget project opened the door for Stacey and Gary’s next chapter: a reality show launching in 2019 from the same production company spotlighting the Quimbys’ travels in Alaska. The bloggers/vloggers spent a summer exploring backroads, making more than 80 videos for their own YouTube channel .

“We wanted to dispel the myths that Alaska is a difficult place for RVs. It’s not — even on the back roads,” Gary said.

While they were in the 49th state, they fell in love again, this time with the wide open spaces of America’s last frontier. “The biggest surprise we had in Alaska is how much we felt drawn back to it. From the tundra in the north, to the Kenai Penisula, it’s a special place,” Gary said.

“RV Nomads” will have no theatrical release, but it will be available to stream online.  For more information, go to the website at epicnomadtv.com/rv-nomads/

Today’s Going Mobile question: What’s your favorite RV-themed movie? Please send responses to goingmobile@spokesman.com . Maybe we’ll even get Spokesman-Review critic Dan Webster to weigh in.

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