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Anybody have a reccommendation for a body/collision shop for my 27' Class C on a FORD E350 Chassis near Charleston, SC. Got tangled up Sunday evening and Progressive Insurance apparently can't find a repair shop for me. My truck is at a Tow Lot right off HWY95. Any suggestions would be appreciated, and Yes, I now know I should not have insured with Progressive. Thanks.

Has anyone ever had the RV Roofing Pros install AcryPro RV roof system on their fiberglass roof?

We are traveling in North GA and TN and need advice for a solid internet/gps service with accurate maps for travel. Recommendations appreciated.

Do you have a RV Lifestyle Motto? Our RV lifestyle motto is "Finding the Roads that Await Us"...and after having seen the "Crown" emblem screen door signs Newmar places exclusively on it's King Aire model we liked the "idea" of it and had our own personal version made as shown below. Lydia came up with the idea of the compass which she found on-line then we just added the wording and had it made. The sign is laser cut mirror finish stainless steel adhered to the screen door frame using 3M double-sided tape and whereby the screen door remains fully functional.

JUST FINISHED PLANNING OUR SUMMER HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THERE. MEMBERS OF THOUSAND TRAILS. 6/14 MICHIGAN 6/18 NIAGARA FALLS 6/25 ORLANDO, FLORIDA 7/2 WISCONSIN DELLS 7/15 NAARVA RALLY, SARASOTA FLORIDA 7/23 FISHING, STURGEON BAY ,WISCONSIN

Recently came across the Michelin RV Tire Guide which contains a lot of useful information in the form of recommended practices for the use, care, maintenance and storage of RV tires. If this has been previously shared, please excuse otherwise, I hope it is helpful to others. https://www.michelinrvtires.com/reference-materials/tire-guide-warranties-and-bulletins/

This will be Tuffy first time going on vacation with us for 2 1/2 months. He is not liking one bit of it. Our dog don't mind it. We will be rolling with him tomorrow morning so hope he is ready. If you click the picture a few times it will get larger so you can get a better view of him.

After several trips of constantly turning on the generator so that the kids could watch TV or my wife could charge her laptop while driving, I finally decided to install an inverter to power the coach with the house batteries. After some research this is what I came up with: * Disclaimer - I am not a mechanical engineer. These are the rantings of an ex Master Mechanic who has spent hours doing his research. Please if you consider doing this, do your own do diligence. Pure Sign Wave Inverter There are many articles out there that detail the differences between pure sign wave and modified sign wave inverters. Simply put, pure sign wave is safer for sensitive electronics like cell phones or laptops. I chose a Samlex America SSW-2000-12A 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter for both its price and 2 year warranty and the Rep at Samlex was very helpful in answering all my questions. The Install According to everything I read it was very important to keep the inverter close to the batteries, but not exposed to the elements. My house batteries are just behind my right front tire but are not protected from the elements. So I went with the closest storage box and ran 2/0 Gauge AWG battery cables with a 300 amp inline fuse. Then I ran a 30 amp power cord to the rear storage box and connected it to a 30-Amp outlet. The final step was to install the Samlex inverter remote. That was easy enough and now the whole system works perfectly! Next up - Let's add some solar!! What do you guys think? - Ryan

No matter where or how you roll, the one thing all RVers have in common is the way the RV lifestyle seems to bring people together - literally and figuratively. For snowbirds, full-timers, near full-timers like Jennifer and me or weekend campers, it's the sheer joy of getting out and meeting new people or simply spending quality time with your spouse or friends. For families with younger children or grandchildren, it means bonding time away from the distractions of day-to-day living, TV, video games, and iPods. Take Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi, for example. Together with their three children, the Puglisis spend almost 50 nights a year RVing with their children and say they have it down to a science by now. They document their adventures on the RV Family Travel Atlas blog and podcast and join us for episode 23 of the Roadtreking RV Lifestyle podcast with great lessons for parents and grandchildren who RV with childern. In this conversation we learn: How to have a balance between scheduled activities and “down time” Kids never get bored once they are out there, just introduce them to the outdoors Families/grandparents should splurge for kid-friendly campsites, with swimming pools, playgrounds and games Take your kids/grandkids on hikes, challenge them, use it to teach them about the nature and geography You are building amazing memories for your kids and grandkids that they will treasure their entire lives Have a campfire every night. It’s a great family bonding time Kids naturally will gravitate to outdoor activities over screen time in front of a TV or computer Recognize that things will go wrong but “we will get through this.” Learning that when things go wrong, we will solve the problem and then we’ll have great stories to tell makes for a well-adjusted kid. Each night at an RV park, a neighborhood springs up and kids need all of about five minutes to make friends with a pack of kids. Besides the interview with the Puglisis, we take questions and comments from listeners about: Recommended RV-related audiobooks The Roadtreking Song of the Week submitted by the band Swift Creek Talk about getting all of that salt - regardless of source - off of your RV Plus we have tech tips, a bucket list destination of the week and a whole lot more. First Things First: Prayers for Living the RV Dream's Kathy Huggins We kick off the show with a special call to action - pray for Kathy Huggins from Living the RV Dream. Kathy and John Huggins were on the show last week. Kathy began complaining about severe abdominal pain Friday night, and she was transported to Thomas Hospital in Fairhope, Ala. Doctors there discovered a hernia which impeded blood flow to her upper intestines. Surgeons removed 95 percent of her small intestines. John Huggins told our friend Greg Gerber of RV Daily Report that Kathy is in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Thomas Hospital, and on ventilator support. When she is awake, she can recognize those around her and squeeze their hands, which he said is encouraging. Although she is expected to recover, the road ahead will require major adjustment on her part, John explained. “I don’t think either Kathy or I realized just how many lives we have touched,” said John. “The outpouring of support has been humbling and highly encouraging. We really, really appreciate everyone’s prayers and concern.” Check-in of the Week: Roadtreking Fan Jose from Spain A listener named Jose calls from Spain to check-in and let us that our fans definitely are not limited to the United States and Canada. Any other international fans out there? Record a quick message by clicking the tab on the right. We would love to hear from you! Roadtreking Song of the Week: "Wake Me Up to Drive" by Swift Creek Listener and Musician Kevin Brown, of Raleigh, N.C., leaves us a message in response to our recent and ongoing discussion over best songs to listen to while RVing. You can hear it on the podcast. He sent us a solo acoustic version of the song "Wake Me Up To Drive," which is performed by Kevin and the rest of his band, Swift Creek, in live shows. More information about Swift Creek can be found at http://www.swiftcreekmusic.com Question: How to Remove Salt from My RV? David asks about keeping salt off rigs when camping on oceanfront - or driving in the northern parts of the country where salt seems to be extremely common these days. We have some suggestions. Listener Comment: I Love the Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL! Listener Wendy calls in to show some love for our new Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL and asks how - and if - we are doing any kind of modifications to our new ride. Jennifer and I give an update. Book Recommendations: Great RV Books We've been talking a lot about audibooks lately. A listener calls in to suggest the following books for RVers: Living the Simple RV Life - by Sunny Skye about her adventures as a campground host Blue Highways - By William Least Heat-Moon about a journey into America along the blue two lane highways A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt is about a 2,100-mile walk along the Appalchian Trail We also have news on how you can get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/roadtreking. Audible offers over 150,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. For listeners of the Roadtreking podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service. To download your free audiobook today, go to audibletrial.com/roadtreking. RV News of the Week: Trucker Rescues Girl in RV Trucker rescues girl in RV from sex slavery (Read more) Park Model Camping in Arizona –Roadtreking Reporter JG Van’s tells us about park model RV resort living (Read more) RV Tech Tip of the Week: How to Get to Inbox Zero E-mail is the bane of our existence. We all get too much and it is too easy to get too bogged down in it. That’s where we can help. Let me show you a couple of helpful ways to cut through the clutter and make your inbox an efficient thing of beauty. A service called Sanebox does some pretty amazing things with your email. It filters it and arranges it in folders making it easy to unsubscribe to unwanted mail and even easier to organize, defer and categorize your mail based on how important it is. It works on all platforms and devices and gives you a free two week trial. After that, it’s $59 a year. If too many subscription emails and updates and group mailings are clogging your inbox, try Unroll, a really handy tool for any email account that lets you unsubscribe from all of that group mail with a single click. Or you can combine all your favorite subscriptions into one single email sent weekly or monthly. I was amazed at how many junk mailing I got and Unroll helped me zap dozens of them. It’s free, but they make you share on social media after five unsubscribes. You can learn about other cool ways to use mobile tech at http://roadtreking.com/vzw RV Bucket Destination List: Lake Superior Shoreline I talk about one of my favorite destinations - the Lake Superior Shoreline (Read more) Interview: Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi from RV Travel Family Atlas. Our conversation with Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi, who publish the RV Travel Family Atlas blog and podcast that deals with traveling with children. And, of course, many listeners are asking how they can subscribe, review and rate the Roadtreking Podcast on iTunes. With a new podcast like this, those reviews and ratings are really important to be able to show well in the iTunes listings. So if you can, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d subscribe and leave me your review. Here’s how: First, open the iTunes app on your computer or mobile device. Click on Podcasts up on the top > From the iTunes Podcasts page, use the “Search Store” field up at the top right corner of the page. Type in Mike Wendland or Roadtreking RV Podcast. > Click on the logo image of the Roadtreking RV Podcast on the search return page > From there (see photo above), you can… 1) Subscribe 2) Choose and Click on a star (1-5) that reflects your rating. Five stars means you really like it, one star not so much. 3) Leave a written review. Thanks to all for the kind reviews we’ve received so far. That got us noticed by Apple/iTunes as “New and Noteworthy.” I appreciate every review! And remember, you can appear in future episodes. Ask a question or voice your comments about RV topics by clicking the Leave Voicemail tab on the right side of this page here at Roadtreking.com. You can then use the microphone on your computer to record your words.

While visiting my membership RV sites and forums I have seen various banners and discussions on communities that have custom built homes that accommodate "big toys" to include full hook ups inside as well as outside of garages that are built into the homes. I have received many recommendations for and against with the things to look out for when looking for the "perfect" motor coach friendly community. I would like to hear from members of FMCA who have personal experiences with these types of communities to include full residential homes to coach lots and amenities. If you rent or own? Stay for months or weeks? North for summer and South for winter? Would it be better to buy in a resort and have the ability to rent the lot when not there? My wife and I will have the option of looking for a retirement home in a couple years and are not sure if we should build the large garage at out current home or consider moving to an area that has families with similar interests and hobbies. Any input on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any replies! Travel safe!

Where to start: I guess an introduction would be appropriate. Hi, I'm Marianne Edwards. After twelve years of RV travel and welcoming fellow RVers to come and spend a night or two on our property if they ever find themselves in Ontario, Canada, it occurred to me that establishing a network of like-minded RVers would be a great idea. With the help of my daughter, Anna Maste, who had the know-how and technical skills I lacked, the idea came to fruition in 2012. Through www.boondockerswelcome.com we are now facilitating lasting friendships and driveway-parking invitations between RVers across North America (and all over the world) - giving you an easy way to meet and connect with fellow RVers along any route you travel. The idea for Boondockers Welcome came about in 2010, when I decided to take off on my own on a month-long RV trip. My husband and I had done a lot of boondocking together so I figured I knew the ropes and would be able to find free places to park most nights; thereby, stretching my budget so I could see and do more things. With no one else's interests and opinions to consider, I wanted to visit every attraction that appealed to me. Everything was going smoothly until I arrived in a popular tourist area on the first long weekend of the summer without a campground reservation. I found myself driving on a country road, where, with evening approaching, frustrated and unable to find a suitable, safe, and affordable overnight location, I noticed a farm laneway with an RV parked in the yard. I thought to myself: If they're RVers, they'll understand. I drove in, introduced myself, and asked this middle-aged couple if they could allow me a small corner to park just for the night. They could not have been more welcoming and, in fact, offered that I make this my home base for the weekend. It occurred to me that there must be thousands of RVers like them, willing to share their driveway for a night or two in exchange for the same privilege down the road. Wouldn't it be great if they had a sign hanging from their mailbox that read: "Boondockers Welcome"? What if we could arrange free, safe, legal, overnight parking like this along any route we travel? We might even begin amazing new friendships. Who better than locals to hand us maps and tourist brochures and point out the hidden gems, favorite hikes, best restaurants, or cheapest fuel price? We don't necessarily need to become best friends - just be willing to offer and accept a convenient place to park for a night. It took two years, but with my daughter's help, the idea for this network materialized in the form of a membership website and, I'm pleased to say, it has been very-well received. We now have more than 750 host locations across the country (and growing). You don't have to join as a member to browse the site and see all the details of each host location. You can scan listings by area, zero in on those along your route, check for availability, and read comments and references from fellow members. You can even narrow your search to include only results that suit the size of your RV, whether generators are allowed, or pets are welcome, etc. Although, the minimum requirement we ask from hosts is a free parking spot, many generously offer electric and water hookups as well. Of course, not everyone has an extra parking spot to offer. A separate membership category exists those who can't reciprocate. Over the coming weeks and months, I'll tell you more about some of our experiences (both as guests and hosts) as well as feature the stories of other Boondockers Welcome members. I hope you'll enjoy the trip, check out the website, and add your comments or questions below. Finally, I hope we'll meet - not just on this blog but face to face. Whenever we're not traveling ourselves, Randy and I welcome you to spend a night or two on our property while you explore Elora, one of Southern Ontario's prettiest towns.

I was wondering if while hooked up to 50 Amp service and my 2011 Fleetwood Discovery 40G reads 30 Amps, if it will hurt anything or just limit what all I can run in the coach? I checked the 50 amp plug at the box which is a standard 4 post (X,Y,W, &G) plug, but it looks like the electrician wired it with 120 coming off of either L1 or L2 but not both because I see zero (0) volts across X and Y with my voltmeter. I see 120 Volts between X and W and Y and W and X and G and Y and G and zero (0) between W and G. Since it looks like the 120 is coming from the same side, which means the phases will not be balanced, is that a fire hazard on the coach side or the park's side? Also I would be curious as to why someone would wire a 50 Amp service in this manner? Does it save money somehow? I checked the feeds coming into the bottom of the power box and there are 4 wires coming in and 4 going out, so they did not jump the poles in RV service box, which must mean they did it at the main circuit box. Thanks!

Hi everyone! Check out “Extreme RV’s” new episode on Tuesday, September 24th at 9:00PM ET/PT on Travel Channel! Hope you tune in or set your DVRs!

When my computer feels neglected it starts running through my photo files. One by one, pictures from our life and travels pop up on the screen. Some pictures fade in and out, others come in pairs. After a while they switch from color to black and white so I'm seeing them in a completely new way. They remind me of the rich life Louise and I have. Clearly, we are not wealthy in the conventional sense. Our bank account would not impress anyone. Still in so many ways, we are in the current vernacular, 1%'ers. I'm certain that the number of people who have lived in a motor home for any length of time amounts to less than 1% of the population. Even in today's mobile world, the number of people who have traveled to all states in the US is less than 1% of the population. Not only have we traveled all over the US, we have lived in our home while doing this. Spending a week or even a few days living in a location is so much different than flying in, staying in a motel and flying back home. Speaking of flying, my pilot's license also puts me in the 1% category and Louise has shared much of that flying with me. Many of my pictures are from our flights. I have pictures looking up at Denali, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Ranier, Death Valley, the Florida Keys and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. There are pictures of deserts, rivers and lakes, crops, plains, glaciers and so many other beautiful places. Each picture reminds me of another adventure, experiences and people we've met. All that said, there is nothing like the feeling of lifting off from the ground into the air and experiencing the freedom of flight. With no roads to follow, the possibilities are limitless. Louise and I were able to retire at an early age. We worked another job for several years beyond our retirement then gave up full time work at age 55. Looking back on this now, from the age of 65 and still not being eligible for full Social Security, I really appreciate the years of travel when I was physically able to take on some of the adventures we did. To retire at such an early age probably puts us in the 1% category again. I wrote this several months ago as you might suspect. I still feel like I'm in the 1% category. I recently gave blood for the umteenth time and after shoulder surgery and knee replacements on both knees I'm back on the tennis court. I bowled a 200+ game last week and got a 96 (I broke 100) on a golf course we've played for several years, so life is good. The last few months I have devoted my time to getting certified as a Texas Master Naturalist. The certification requires 30 hours of class time (generally in 3 hour chunks) and 10 hours of field trips. A final 40 hours of volunteer time is required before you get your certification. After that, you can work with the parks and nature centers in the area as a volunteer on a regular basis. Needless to say, my time has been at a premium. I have completed all the requirements for graduation. Still, there are intersting field trips and classes. Tomorrow, Monday, I'll take a cactus field trip. I've seen tons of cactus in the last 11 years but there is always something to be learned. Meanwhile, I'm consumed by homeowner responsibilites that I haven't had for years. It's just a mobile home on a small lot but there are endless projects to be tackled. I'm battling the spring bloom of weeds in the lawn and beyond. I spent the day attending to the drainage system, gutters, downspouts, etc. We'll depart for the summer in six weeks and there are plenty of things that have to be done to get the house ready. Then there is the list for the motor home. It has been sitting in "storage" next to our house, for almost six months so I'll have to turn my attention to getting it ready for a summer of travel. I can't wait to get her rolling and leave the house in the rear view mirror. It promises to be a great summer. We are planning to take our grandsons on a trip through Nebraska and South Dakota. Fun you say? Yes, there are numerous palentological sites (boys and dinosaurs, mammoths and other ancient creatures) in both states as well as the historical and scenic sites. We're hoping to get them to the annual Volksmarch at the Crazy Horse monument near Custer, SD. Our two oldest grandaughers are overdue for a trip to the Kentucky Horse Park and some stops in Indiana including a great candy store and the Children's Museum in Indianapolis. After that, we're off to enjoy ourselves, heading for a long delayed destination, the Olympic Penninsula of Washington. We may stray into Canada to visit friends on Vancouver Island if time allows. We have two young grandaughters in California to visit. Then we'll return to take care of Louise's mother in Denver while Louise's sister celebrates her husband's retirement on a cruise. That is small payment for their care of Mom in their home for the last 9 years. Our final journey will be back to home in south Texas sometime in October. If you own a motorhome, the possibilities are endless. Life is much better when you can travel at will.

We are taking care of our two granddaughters, age 5 and 3. Our first day was a trip to a local zoo and amusement park in Lodi, California. Day two we planned to stay at home. It turned out to be a very good plan as the second day it rained all day. We had planned on being outdoors for part of the day but we were all inside the motor home for the day. A day indoors with the girls is eased by Louise's experience as an elementary school teacher. We keep a supply of crayons, stickers, coloring books, scissors and drawing paper in the motor home at all times. On a rainy day those are available on the table-side counter all day long. Anytime the girls want to draw or color, they can sit down and go to work. We also have a variety of favorite animated movies available. The final piece of the hat trick is the Wii game. The girls also bring a few toys from home. Finally, every young child needs a nap after lunch. Louise was catching up with the laundry all day long. The girls enjoyed watching the Splendide washer/dryer tumble the clothes as it washed and dried. They had never seen a washing machine with a window so this was a novelty. That evening they wanted to watch the washer TV so the girls set up a step stool and a seat cushion in front of the washer. Louise picked up on that and got out my construction flashlight, placed it on the bathroom counter and aimed it at the washer door. The girls thought this was real fun. We had to referee who had the best seat a couple of times. This now ranks right up there on my Art Linkletter list of things our grandchildren like about our motor home. Our final day with the girls we planned a picnic lunch at Columbia State Park. We woke up in the morning to the sound of rain on the roof. I checked the Weather Bug and there was some hope. As the morning continued, so did the rain. About 11:30 we decided to go ahead with our plans. Columbia State Park is an 1849 era gold rush town. Many of the original buildings remain and have been preserved. Some of the buildings are dedicated to their original purpose, a bank, the assay house, a pharmacy, a fire house, a bowling alley, a livery and blacksmith shop. Other buildings house shops, restaurants and stores. They have a gold panning experience for people to try and some lightly excavated mining areas the kids can climb around on bedrock left between mined areas. The drive from San Andreas where we are staying to Columbia State Park is about 30 miles and there are two ways to get there. We decide to make it a round trip, taking a different route going to and from the park. The route on Parrots Ferry Road has spectacular scenery. We cross an arm of New Melones Lake on the Stanislas River and then drive along it for some distance. We'll cross the reservoir in another place on the return trip. When we arrive at the state park it is still raining lightly. The picnic tables are in a low draw between parking lots and water is standing around the base of the tables. We picnic in the car. Louise makes restroom runs with one of the girls before lunch, the other after lunch. As we finish lunch the rain stopped. We venture forth to explore the town. The first building we pass has an ice cream parlor. The girls have been here before and we explain that we will get ice cream on our way back to the car. Our next stop is the gold panning shop. They have rocks and minerals on sale but the gold panning is closed on a cool rainy week day. We walk through the panning area looking at the water troughs that would house the running water for panning. At the far end is a rock maze, granite bedrock that remains after the quartz veins were mined from it. The girls enjoy exploring various passages and then give climbing a try. There is mud everywhere but that doesn't stop the girls. As the day goes on they find many a puddle to walk through. If you are young, there is nothing better than a wet muddy day out playing. We visit most of the shops and stores. As we exit each building the youngest asks if we are going to the ice cream parlor. One of our first stops was the candy shop. Everyone picked out candy they wanted. We spent a while at the bowling alley. There is a nine pin set up complete with pins and balls. I was the pin spotter, Louise helped the girls get the balls off the return rack so no fingers were smashed. The girls took turns knocking down pins. We spent a few minutes at the blacksmith shop picking out a dinner triangle for our new house. We found some period toys at a general store. A penny whistle and a ball and cup for the girls to play with. The youngest is fascinated by a guitar on display. The rule is look but don't touch but a three year old can't remember that for long. I go to remind her and see the price on the guitar, $3000. I picked her up explaining I didn't have enough money to buy that guitar! We took a quick tour of the visitors center and museum. By the time we got back to the ice cream parlor they were closed! Disaster. We knew of another ice cream stop on the way back to the girls home so we said we would stop and get ice cream there. They took it well, no complaining. Our trip home was delayed for about a half hour as an accident was cleared from the road. We were several curves back so couldn't see the action. On our way through Angels Camp (of Mark Twain Jumping Frog fame) I spotted a lighted ice cream cone in a store window. I pulled into a parking spot, hopped out and hustled the girls to the shop before they closed. It turns out they serve food as well and they were open when we left. The youngest ordered a bowl of spotted frog ice cream, the oldest wanted double chocolate. I ordered a bowl of gold nugget ice cream and Louise had a cup of hot coffee. The spotted frog ice cream was mint with cookie crumbles. My gold nugget ice cream was butter pecan. This was the perfect end to a fun day. We stopped on the way back to pick up a couple pizzas at the Pizza Factory in Valley Springs then returned the girls to their mother. We regaled their mother with their adventures over pizza. The girls were mastering their new toys and telling tales of their own. Louise and I left, ready to put our feet up for a while.

I just purchased a partially restored 1976 GMC motorhome. The RV can be registered in my state with antique motor vehicle plates. However, the state law stipulates the motorhome with antique plates can only be used on the road for attending rallies, participating in parades, etc. Therefore I registered the RV with the department of motor vehicles with "normal" license plates for a RV. I contacted my insurance company and requested coverage based on an "agreed upon value" since the motorhome is an antique and book values may not be appropriate. Upon receipt of my policy, I did not receive the requested "agreed upon value" coverage. We are now negotiating the insurance coverage anticipating they will capitulate and honor my request. What is the "accepted practice" for insurance coverage for antique RVs? Is the "agreed upon value" the correct coverage? Other options?