13 Years, Countless Miles… The Reality of Life on the Road

From the outside, it might seem like she just picked up and chased a different kind of life… but spend a few minutes listening and you realize there’s intention behind every mile, every story, and every conversation she’s chosen to share. In this episode of RV Out West, we sit down with Jennifer, a 13-year full-time RV veteran who has helped shape what modern RV living looks like for thousands of travelers seeking freedom, clarity, and a life less ordinary.

As one of the voices behind the Learn to RV Podcast and the owner of RV Roofing Solutions, Jennifer brings both real-world experience and practical expertise to the table. We dive deep into her journey into full-time RV life, what it actually takes to sustain it long-term, and the lessons she’s learned after more than a decade on the road. Whether you’re dreaming about RV living, already traveling full-time, or just curious about the lifestyle, this conversation offers insight, inspiration, and a behind-the-scenes look at what it really means to build a life on wheels.

This is our longest episode yet, so grab a big cup of coffee, settle in, and get ready for an honest, engaging conversation about RV life, entrepreneurship, and creating a lifestyle by design.

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Transcript

There are some people who don't just talk about the road. They quietly reshape what it looks like to live on it. This week's guest is one of those voices. Welcome to RV out West. I'm Brooks, based in the Pacific Northwest. My family of four hits the road to explore the best of RV life out west. From hidden gems and epic destinations to helpful tips and real road stories. So grab your coffee and join the journey. All right, we just hit episode one hundred ninety today, which means we are officially in the red zone now. Ten episodes left ten. And yeah, this isn't a maybe situation. I am going to get some sort of tattoo permanently put on my body to mark that event. No backing out now. So buckle up because we are sprinting towards a very real, very permanent decision. And honestly, I'm kind of here for the chaos. So stay tuned to our social media as I begin to have that conversation over there. And if you're not already giving us a follow on Instagram and Facebook, now is definitely the time to do so. I'm going to try to share some ideas of what I'm thinking. Ask you for some of your feedback about those ideas before I kind of get it inked on my body. So give us a follow on social media this week. I'm also dropping the next newsletter. And let's just say the people on that list are getting first access to something special, not vague for a reason. It's actually worth your time. Insightful, a little unexpected, and definitely not something you're going to want to hear about second hand. So if you're even a little bit curious, go hit that link sitting right there in the podcast episode description in your app. It's going to take you two seconds. Get on the list now or be the one asking everyone else what you missed. From the outside, it might seem like she just picked up and chased a different kind of life. But spend a few minutes listening and you realize there's intention behind every mile, every story, and every conversation she's chosen to share. She's built something that connects people who crave freedom, clarity, and a life a little less ordinary. And today we're pulling back the curtain to hear how it all started. Joining us on RV out West today is Jennifer, a thirteen year veteran of the full time life, one of the voices behind the mic of the learned to RV podcast and owner of the RV Roofing Solutions and one of the owners of RV Roofing Solutions. She joins us today to talk about her journey into this life. So pour yourself a big cup of coffee as this is the longest episode I've ever done. And let's welcome Jennifer onto the show. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us here on RV Out West. Well, thanks for having me, Brooks. I really appreciate it. I love listening to your podcast and I kind of found you that way. And so you are just the guru for all things Pacific Northwest. Oh, thank you for those kind words. I appreciate it. I, I, yeah, I definitely love it up here. And I want to just spread that joy and share with people what makes this place so cool. Yeah. So where do you want to start? What kind of first pulled you into the RV lifestyle and what was happening in your life at that time that made the road feel more like the right move. So it's funny that you ask it that way, because I actually told my my husband that I would never, ever, like over my dead body do this lifestyle. And so we were, it's kind of, um, so we had, we had settled down and he retired from the Marine Corps in twenty twelve. We had settled down in twenty thirteen. Um, we bought a house we'd done, you know, all the things you're supposed to do after you retire from the Marine Corps. I went down to visit some friends down in Oceanside, California. He was stationed in California, his last duty station. I came home and I said, hey, I think we're supposed to go on the road full time in an RV. And he went, oh, I've been waiting seven years for you to say that. So the very next day he sold the TV and within ninety days we were on the road full time in a thirty foot toy hauler with six kids and no slides. So what was it in Oceanside that made you when you left? When you went to go visit in Oceanside, but then you came home to tell your husband, you know what? Yeah. What was it in Oceanside that was kind of that trigger for you? So that's almost the God's story. So it's hard to explain. So we I actually went to go look for a job for him. He was finishing college. Um, he had been doing, um, college for the last five years in the Marine Corps. And I, I was going down there because that was our last duty station. It was my favorite place in the world. And, um, it was close to everything I loved. It was on the Pacific side of the country. And so it was just, you know, it was my place and, um, it was, but, you know, just like so much of the Pacific coast, it's stupid expensive. So we had to go in with a plan. And so, um, yeah, coming home, I, I think it was more of, you know, I just wasn't supposed to be in these four walls and the four walls, meaning Oceanside. And, you know, it was a big world that I should go out and explore it with my husband and the kids for a couple years before we decided anything else. It was supposed to be a three year plan. Um, but you know, we're thirteen years in and with no end in sight. So, um, you know, we've upgraded the rig, we've done all the things. But the reality is, is, you know, he. If I was gonna hate it, I should have hated it the first couple of weeks because of course we launched on, um, fourth of July weekend, you know, like crazy people because we, we were not RVers. We didn't know better. Right. Okay. And so, right, we get to the campground and they're like, well, we have boondocking spots, but we don't have any real spots. So, you know, you can pay five dollars a day to boondock in our lot. And Frank was like, great, I can teach her how to camp. And I was like, are you kidding me right now? So the first ten days we spent doing that and then, you know, we were doing it on a beer bottle budget, his retirement was our only paycheck. Um, back then one of our first stops was Yosemite. And you know what we could do in Yosemite? We could boondock because he taught me how to do it. And so three or four weeks in, I was like, okay, I can do this. And so I won't say that it was like a love at first sight type of thing for me, but it was definitely a you know, it's grown on me over the years. That is so amazing. And if you think back to those early days of our being kind of, was there a particular moment that made you that this realized kind of that this lifestyle was more than just a fun trip and it was going to be something bigger for you guys? Oh, for sure. So in the so we would go that whole summer and it wouldn't be until the, that winter that we would meet other families. Um, and when we met those other families for the first time, it was definitely a game changer for us. And then we drove across the country, back to the west Coast, to Tucson to a full time family's road school rally. And I would say that was the defining moment for me is we found people that we could travel with. We found people that we could connect with. And I think finding your tribe is very much a critical aspect of this. That's why, you know, that's why I bought Lauren Harvey last year is because connection is key in Maintaining whether you're a part time or full time. Sometimes weekenders, you know, if you don't have friends out there doing it, it's kind of it gets old real fast. And it can feel really isolating too. So yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, you know, your journey into that RV life has kind of set quite the stage for a lot of adventures. Um, and one region that has shown up in your stories on your Lindah RV website is that you've done travel in the Pacific Northwest. So I'd like to shift gears a little bit for a moment and talk about kind of what makes our being in this corner of the country such a cool, special experience. And twenty nineteen. My girlfriend Leah said, hey, I'm hosting this rally for full time families. Do you guys want to come? So a bunch of us said, okay, we'll go up the coast together. And so she said, yeah, we've got to be there by early June. And so because we work in the industry, I was like, dude, you're crazy. Do you know how much rain we're going to hit the entire way there? And she's like, no, no, it's not that rainy. I'm like, we can't work there until like July and August. I. I know the weather's. And so we did, we left Southern California in like February. And, you know, we came up through Klamath to pouring rains and the banana slugs in the redwoods were soaked and they were so happy. But I was so wet. Yeah. That's funny. We did the the rally out at a park. Um, it's like a subsidiary of Thousand trails. It's like a little backside one in the thousand trails out there. And it's a twenty five, um, person site, which is kind of neat because it was very, um, secluded. And so it was very much just the families that were there. So it was a beautiful location. Um, but above that, it was so much more than just the great location. It was the people we were with, but we did things like the spark Museum, which was so much fun. That's so cool. And then, oh, I love this park. It's probably one of my favorite museums in the country. So if you're listening and you've never been to the Spark Museum, it's in Bellingham, which is a college town. It's a beautiful college town. Great place to go, whale watching. But more than that, it's just a fun town. There's great food, there's great, you know, all sorts of things in Bellingham. But you know that one of my best stories actually comes from that summer. And so we were going. If you've ever been and most of your listeners probably have been up to the top of Washington, there's a little park called Peace Park. And of course, we're going to go, right? We're going to go to Peace Park and go see the border of Canada, because I want the kids to see it on the West Coast because they'd seen it on the East Coast. But I missed the turn. Oops. And you know what happens when you miss the turn? You illegally enter into the great country of Canada. Correct. And guess what? I didn't have papers, any paperwork for the kids? Nothing, because we weren't going to Canada. And so this was one of those days where, you know, I now travel with a bag with everything I need. Whenever we go anywhere near a border. Because of this day. And so being so, like I said, my husband's a military guy. Marine Corps. I'm a Marine Corps wife. I see those, those pylons. And I know I have to go through this entrance. And so we get up there and we have the kids with us. And in the very back of our minivan, we don't haul with our minivan. It was just our chase vehicle was a trunk with sporting equipment. And so they get Ahold of us and they're like, do you have anything in the car? And my daughter, who's like eleven at the time, so sweetly says, daddy, what about the green military trunk in the back of the truck? The green. So now we're getting searched. And so three or four hours later, they finally let us go. And then we get back to the American side and they're like, where's your paperwork? We have the paperwork from Canada saying we can leave. But now they hold this. So when your daughter said the green military, was she talking about just like a go bag kind of thing that he always just keeps in the car? Was it? It was actually like a Foot Locker. Okay. And it was where we held like our baseball, our baseball bat, our like things that you'd carry, like to play at a field with another set of families. And so we just didn't think to take it out of the truck because we were just going to the park. And you're going to want to use those potentially at the park. So I totally get that. But okay, so but I think that took us like nine hours to get through Canada and back. So my piece of advice is they're very thorough and they're very nice, but make sure you have your paperwork if you may accidentally enter Canada. So because you know, that was a long, long day. Well, I will do a quick plug. I have done an episode where I've interviewed a Canadian border agent, so you can go back and listen to an episode. I'll put it in the show notes where we talk all about what you need to know crossing the border into Canada. I wonder if he met me. And you know what? He was so nice. I was like, oh yeah, Well, the Canadian folks were really nice. Actually, it wasn't actually until we got to the American side and they asked us if the kids were all ours, which I was like, you know what? Here's the thing. Keep me or keep my husband, whichever one of us you think is more valuable. Let me stay here with the kids. We'll go get their birth certificates, and we'll be right back. And they wouldn't let us go. And our campground was like, literally like eleven miles away. It wasn't even far. Right? Well, actually, my kids names, my kids names are what saved us. And so like, we're Christians. And so you actually can tell the progression of when we became Christians based on our kids names. And so the one Border Patrol agent in the United States was like, oh, Matthew. Luke. Yes. Got you. Okay. But wait, Jobe, he's not in the car, though. But yeah, we left him back in Canada. Oh, I mean, it was definitely one of those moments where, you know, you look back and you go, okay, we made it. But, you know, I mean, we haven't made it back to the Pacific Northwest yet since then, and it's on our list of things to do. Um, because we just absolutely loved it. But we also know it's a very short window to have great weather. Um, we did, do you know, things like, um, go to the drive by the Goonies house, you know? Well, I would say for the weather to which, you know, um, those of us who live up here, some of your right summer doesn't start until after Fourth of July, but it goes all the way through to about the end of September. Yep. You know, and you can always be up there on a regular, you know, two weeks of October, but you're going to be a little gambling with the rain that first two weeks of October. Well, it's not so much the rain. It's the mountain passes getting out of Washington that I worry about. Yeah. But the snow doesn't come until end of December or January. So the mountain passes. September through Christmas really are going to just be wet. You will be the first person that I, I call when we head up that way because you know all the cool spots to go get food. I do, yes I do. And I'm still always learning. So when you talk to people about your time that you've had up in this region, you know, how how do you kind of explain to them how it is different than some of the other places you've visited? What kind of stood out in your mind when you're like, oh, so I would say it has its own kind of magic. Um, the Pacific Northwest is unlike so many places in this country. Um, it is, you know, between the rainforests that you have out that way and the beaches and, you know, the beach is cold everywhere on the west coast. It's actually warmer in like Oregon than it is in some places in Southern California. And just the fascination along with that for me was part of it. We've done, you know, all of how wet it is. It's wet like Florida wet. And so it's really moist. And if you cross the mountain range, it's not, you know, you go back to the dry, arid side of things. Or if you go out to bend, which is also a great location to go visit. You know, we used to have friends that settled down out there and they just recently sold their house. So, you know, so our excuse to go to bed isn't as good anymore. Oh, bummer. Bend is still super cool, though. Oh it is. It's a great little town. Um, you know, we've done we've done rallies in Redmond, Oregon, um, for, for v a and stuff like that. So I mean, like we're, we're out there not necessarily with the RV. Um, there's still times that we have to come out there because of work and my teams are always out there every year. So, you know, there's always somebody on our team in the Pacific Northwest. So we'll send them places because, you know, there's so many great places out there that it would be hard to say pinpoint one. I think if you're in Seattle, you have to go to Starbucks. And I don't I'm not a Starbucks lover. I would much rather go to a lot of your local coffee shops. But the one in downtown Seattle where they actually where they actually grind the coffee in the house and you know, you can smell it walking in. It's just a very different experience. Um, and then the, and the market, you know, if you've got to go to the market, if you're going to not go anywhere, wander the market and spend a whole day there. You could easily spend two or three as a family over Christmas break. We went and were like, let's go play tourist in the city. And we just wandered through the market and we nibbled our way through. We didn't really get a meal. We just kind of spoonful here, forkful there, a piece of fruit here and just kind of nibbled our way through. It's such a great day. Yep. And I mean the coffee places had tried them all. Yep. Well, let me ask you this because they're all different. Yes they are. And they all have their own unique roast and flavor and way they make it. It's. Yeah. It's incredible. It's yeah, it's an absolute thing you could geek out on in any, you know, sensitive. Well, in the bookstores, the amount of bookstores that are in your area are just absolutely fantastic. We spent hours just driving around exploring. And of course, there's Ikea and traffic because, you know, you have two major cities kind of piled together in one location. And so if you can get out of the city and go up toward like things like Bellingham, you know, I think there's some extra magic up that bookstore in Bellingham Village books, really cool bookstore. Oh, I missed that one. Really cool bookstore, village Books in Bellingham. Put it on your list. Have you ever been to the Powell's Bookstore? It's the largest bookstore in the world in Portland, Oregon. We actually were scheduled to go. But instead, that day, we decided to go up to the mountain where The Shining was filmed. Timberland? Yes. So we went up to Timberline. And so we wandered around. That day we didn't ski because it was at the end of the season. It was like May first. And so Frank was my husband was walking through the snow and we grew up in upstate New York. So snow is not unfamiliar to us. We just haven't lived in it in a long time. And so we're walking with the kids, and we turned around to Hezekiah, our teenager at the time, and he Frank's looking at him going, hey, be careful where you walk or you're going to fall through the air and his leg is down at the bottom of the ice because it's so thin where he was. And so he was like one leg out, one leg in this hole. Oh, geez. And so, you know, so know what ice melt can do. And so that's important to understand out there. And so, but you know, that's where the shining happened. And so they filmed the movie there. So it was fun to go see all of that. And so I think that's one of the neatest parts about traveling with kids. We still travel with three out of seven of our kids and, you know, just the places that they've been to us on a map, you know, it's an incredible education. They have a real different version of what geography looks like in their world. You know, it's interesting. My, my son starts high school in the fall next fall. He's an eighth grader right now. And he just went to an open house kind of showcase thing. And there's an AP class and he was really interested in taking it. He won't take it his freshman year, but they were there and it's called AP human geography. And so it's the study of how humans across the globe have migrated. So from different time periods to current time to like today's day, like people are leaving this area and they're moving here. And so kind of the study of how humans migrate is what this allows. What a cool class. It's actually kind of fascinating because like, that's the thing about full time travel is, you know, people ask us all the time, what's your favorite place? And I don't know that I have one. I have favorite places, like with things that like we go back to a favorite restaurant or something more, places that feel like home, like places that we go on a regular basis. That kind of happens more in like Texas, Florida, and, and Southern California because, you know, in the winter time, we spend more time in any one of those three states at any given point. Um, but you know, when we circle. Yeah, because it's cold everywhere else. So I have one final question about the Pacific Northwest. And you had said you the last time you and your family were up here was in twenty nineteen. Obviously, you haven't seen it all. No, I don't think anybody will ever see all of everything. What is the one place that has eluded you that is like your absolute I really want to see it. But for whatever reason, time, you know, whatever the route you took, it was a place that had escaped you. What is that place that you're hoping to see? Oh, it's the national park up there. Um, we have not been to Olympic National Park. Yeah. To Olympic. Yeah. And so Olympic is one of those places that was on our list, but it was so far away. And I think that's the thing, you know, when you're on the East Coast, things are very close together. Yeah. Um, and we don't just stay on the East Coast, we're all over the country every year, but we've never taken the same path twice. And so that being said, I think that, you know, people don't realize, especially on the West Coast, just how far apart things are. And so like, people that go to Florida for the winter will get together all through the winter in Central Florida because we're thirty to forty miles apart. But in Southern California, you have a different situation. That's also true in Washington. If you're traveling with your friends, you can be several hundred miles apart at any given point. So like getting together for dinner isn't as simple as twenty miles down the road. You're driving an hour or two between those two spots to see those people. And so I think that I didn't realize how far away, yeah, Olympic was from where we were going to be staying that summer, and we just couldn't make it work before we had to leave. And so it eluded you. Fair enough. It did. It did get there. So actually, we almost thought we were going to be able to see our daughter go this year because she was offered a job up there and she turned it down. And so I was like, she knew I wouldn't be able to come like to, to with the RV. And so, you know, there's just no way to make that happen this year. We're going. I have it on the calendar. We're all booked. We're going to the Olympic National Park this summer. Oh, I'm gonna tune in for that one. I hope there's a whole podcast. I'm sure there'll be multiple, but we'll, you know. Okay, so life in the Pacific Northwest is clearly shaped kind of a part of the way that you experience RV travel and the community around it. That perspective eventually led you to get behind a microphone. So let's talk about the moment you decided to become a podcast host and start sharing your stories with others. So starting a podcast is a big step. What inspired you to launch learn to RV the podcast, and what gap were you hoping to fill for that RV community? So last year I bought learn to RV from my friend Doug Setzer, who owned it for many, many years. And there's a whole that's our whole first episode on the podcast. If you want to hear more about it, that's a great place to start for that. Um, but I wasn't looking to start a podcast, but in July twenty twenty five, I had lunch with a friend of mine who was one of my co-hosts, who has moved on to new projects this season. And I said, you know, we, we don't need to start a podcast. And she said, you know, in my previous life, I was a videographer. I was like, okay. And then we sat down with Tasha and Tasha was like, yeah, well, you know, I've, um, I've been a radio DJ for a couple of years. And we were like, well, we could do this. And so I come with thirteen years this year of RV experience. Um, Jen came with eight years of RV experience. Tasha was the newbie on the team with only two years in change in and so, but we were all traveling different stages. Um, and, you know, it was a different perspective. I didn't think there was anything out there with three women talking about RV life. Um, and we quickly realized that we needed to shift gears. So now we've got, you know, um, our community spotlight series and I think your episodes actually coming up in the next couple of weeks exciting. And so I'm super exciting. Um, but you know, we've met so many other people. But I think that we realized because we were road schooling and we were doing it differently than everybody else, that our gap was so different. And learn to RV is more than just about me. And it it always was in my eyes. Um, I think that telling other people's stories is what learned to RV is for. It's not just learning to RV, it's for everybody. It's for, you know, the new person it's for. And there's always something new to learn. There's new gear, there's new tech, there's new whatever. And so I think that no matter where you're at, it's your journey. Learn to RV can be a viable place because it's more than just a podcast. It's an actual full website that's free. Like you can go there and get, there's two hundred and seventy five pages of blogs and other things. Um, so learn to rsvp.com and then learn to RV has its own pages. Um, and so I think that there's a myriad of, I don't want to say I'm better than anybody because I just stepped in a gap, you know what I mean? Like I felt like there was just something different about bringing us to the table. And, and there's other great podcasters out there in this space, you know, and I think you could listen to any or all of us and find something different with each one of us. I mean, and that's why I started RV out west. Nobody was talking about RVing in the Pacific Northwest. They would do episodes. Yeah. So after all of these conversations that you've had on the shows, what lessons about kind of the RV life do you think most new RVers overlook? Oh, so there's a lot actually, I think that if you're brand new to Irving and you're picking out a rig, I think the biggest thing they overlook is the inspection. I think paying for a private inspection is very important if you're purchasing for the first time. Um, and the reason I say that is actually because like if you were buying a house, you'd want an independent inspector. And so, so many people don't think of buying RVs the same way. Um, and, you know, we own a roofing company in the RV industry. And so, so many times we see people that have never been on the roof or they didn't go on the roof because the dealership told them they can't. And, you know, if it's a two thousand, you know, twenty five that's been sitting on the lot and it's now twenty, twenty six, you know, that came off the depending on when it was manufactured, it may have come off the line late twenty twenty four that sealants now two years old and it could be leaking. And so those are like things that, you know, paying an independent inspector for is very critical, um, in terms of knowing what to look for and that sort of thing. And they usually give a very detailed report in the Pacific Northwest, you are going to pay more and inspectors cost differently across the United States. So, you know, in, in the Pacific Northwest, I wouldn't say you'd pay less than eight to nine hundred dollars just for that independent inspection, but it can literally save you thousands in repairs. So, you know, it's it's a smart way to shop if, you know, this is the rig you want to put a down payment on? It's a great way to do it, of course. So hosting your podcast needs. You know, you've heard a lot of stories. Has there been a guest or a moment that's kind of changed the way you think about RVing? That's a good question. Um, I don't know. I think we just roll with it. I mean, you know, there's, there's so many people, um, that get on the road and then get off the road. There's a seasonal seasonality to most road stories if they're full time. Um, the average person spends eighteen to twenty four months on the road, um, full time. Um, there's a bigger roll off at four years. Um, but I actually think that my dad died young and like, like sixty one. And so he was a heavy smoker and he, he never went on the road, but he also never retired. And so I don't know that it's any one person on the road because I always said, you know, the older the couples are some of the most lively couples on the road. And I love seeing that because my dad never got there and my dad never got to retire. And so that actually probably was a pivotal moment in me looking at it going, If I'm going to do this, I want to do it with my kids. We've seen some of our friends die young that were on the road, that have navigated, you know, hard things. Um, I have several friends navigating, you know, cancer diagnosis right now. We just interviewed Jennifer Scannell, who, who got on the road and literally a year later had to get off the road for her cancer treatment. So, I mean, like, I think those stories are, are one of those things. Um, I've got somebody else coming up real soon, um, that has M.S. that has had Ms. for twenty years and they navigate it. And so, you know, I think that the people you meet on the road are literally just kind of this beautiful, you know, puzzle piece that just, you know, and I don't think I ever, we keep stepping in the gap because we've been out here doing it so long. Um, but I think that you can almost get numb to it and not stop trying. Once you find your people and you travel with them, but as they roll off the road, you have to either choose to find new people or decide to get off the road yourself. And since we're still out here thirteen years later, we just keep finding new people. So I always tell people that I collect the the motley crew or, you know, the, you know, the, the misfit toys. So, so hosting a podcast has given you kind of the chance to share your knowledge and your stories from the road, but you also work directly in the RV world every day. So let's now shift kind of from the microphone to the work that you do as the owner of the RV roofing Solutions and kind of how that business came to life. So RV Roofing Solutions, you know, solves a problem that most RVers don't think about until something goes wrong. And in fact, when I came on your show, you said something to me that has stuck with me ever since. I don't want to say what that is yet, but kind of. Let's talk about what led you to start a business focused on RV roofs, of all things. So that's a lot more complicated than I like it to be. Um, in twenty twenty four, we actually lost our business partner, Scott Christian. We thought we were actually owners of that company at the time. Um, and in twenty twenty four, we actually started RV roofing solutions for ourselves because we found out after he died that it wasn't it. It's a long story. Anyway, it's totally a new business since twenty twenty four. And so Frank and I had already put the groundwork in with Scott's company. Um, so we filed for a new E I, n and the name and all that stuff back then. And so technically, by all technical standards, RV Roofing solutions, as it is since twenty twenty four is mine and Frank's. Um, before that, it was a guy named Scott Christian who was a pioneer in the industry. But yeah, so I mean, what started it? You know, we fell into RV roofing our first year on the road, Frank worked for a different RV roofing company. And so it it just kind of became part of our story. Um, it helped us sustain a, a paying job on the road. And what was great about it was it was a supplement. So for us, we have our own healthcare, we have our own, you know, real military retirement. We were just looking for something so that we could have a little more fun, right? Of course. Okay. What are kind of the most common roof issues that you see that RV owners could prevent with just a little bit more awareness? And I just want to say before you answer, like what I've been doing is I go up at the start of the season, like when I first bring my camper out and then I go up again, you know, October, November before I'm getting ready to put it away for its winter slumber. And I'll do it in my own personal inspection. But that's all I've ever done. And so I want to hear more from you. Like, what are things that people should be aware for and looking for like, some specifics. Sure. So for starters, you should be checking your roof four times a year. Um, you're doing a great job at it twice a year. Um, because most people don't even do that. Most people just trust that it's going to be fine. You should remove and replace your caulking every twelve to eighteen months in most cases. But what you're looking for is you're looking for dried, cracked sealant areas that are pulling away screws that are backing out. Um, you don't have to have a system like our system, which is a maintenance free roofing system, but you just have to stay on top of your maintenance. Um, and you know, the caulk is the biggest thing. The other side of it is, is a lot of people think, um, tape is a permanent solution and it's just not. So, you know, there's lots of different tapes out there that can patch your roof in a short term period to stop it from leaking. If you hit a tree branch, that sort of thing. Call your insurance company right away if you do have an incident, because once it goes past the incident date, they can actually write it off as not a incident. And then it's now on you to get that roof fixed. So there's lots of, you know, little tips and tricks. We have lots of blogs actually over at Roofing Solutions that talk about different ways. If you have a silicone, if you're thinking about putting a silicone coating on your roof, all of that stuff I cover on a regular basis over there. Okay, great. And I'll just make sure that I link all of that in the show notes so people can go and read up on it. You had told me, now I'm going to quickly disclaim, but when we were on your show, you had mentioned that like if something had happened to your roof and you go to make an insurance claim, the insurance company is going to ask you, when's the last time you resealed your roof? And if you have a deer in the headlight, look in your face ninety percent of the time, I think you said something crazy. They're going to deny that claim, right? So what? Insurance insurance companies are looking for ways to get out of it. And so that's why I tell people, if you have an incident, make sure you're documenting it. Um, hail is an incident and most people don't even think about hail being an incident. Um, so but you also don't see the results of hail damage for many, many months. Most of the time it's four months or more. By the time you file that claim, insurance companies will often deny the claim because they're like, oh, well, there was no hail in your area last week. So if you have a hail hailstorm of any kind. Pea sized hail, it can do damage. And it's called microfractures. And so it will swell, but the wood doesn't swell right away. So you have these teeny tiny pinholes in your membrane and the wood starts swelling in five, six months later. Now you have wood, that's OSB. That was normally the size. That's now like much bigger. And so, you know, you just have to be on top of it. And so knowing the last time your sealant was removed and replaced is a big one. That's why I tell people it's twelve to eighteen months. There's techs out there that'll say, oh, you don't ever have to do it. Keep an eye on your ceiling. And the other thing that people do is they'll layer. Layer their sealant. And that's a big no no to um, and the reason it is, is because. Dirt gets trapped between the layers. And then you have a leak that you have no idea where it is. So those, you know, if you're going to do it, do it right. Peel and seal. Take all your sealant off. Put all new sealant on. Make sure you clean the roof really well when you do that. And have a rag with some denatured alcohol. So you get a nice strong bond with your sealant. Okay. And does RV Roofing Solutions offer roofing options here in the Pacific Northwest? Yeah. We have technicians that come up every summer. And so our system's a little bit different. It's a maintenance free system, so you don't actually have to cock your roof year after year. And it comes with a ten year material and labor warranty. Okay, cool. So what kind of what lessons has this journey that you've been on taught you about resilience? That's a hard one because there's been so many, um, you know, you're in a rolling earthquake. Life is changing on a regular basis. Um, I would say that, you know, you don't have to be wherever you are forever. Um, in terms of that. So like, I think that because RV life can change and, and life can change in a moment's notice, um, that you can be flexible. Um, and you can look at the silver lining of everything. And I don't think there's a few places in the country that I'd say I don't ever want to land. But the reality is, is that I think that you can make the best of wherever you are by digging in and finding what you need, finding the tools around you to get the job done, finding the right people to help you get to where you need to go. And there's lots of great people in the world. And so, you know, I think that, you know, not being afraid to ask for help is a big part of it for us. Um, and I started to say, you know, in twenty sixteen, we lost our engine on our truck. And it was one of those moments that was like, it felt like a defining moment, like we didn't know how the money was coming in. You know? Um, yeah, it can be scary. It was twenty two thousand dollars. You know, it's it's a make it or break it point. And and I don't want anyone to be part of the broke down engine club because it just quite honestly sucks. It's a bummer, but, but the reality is, is, um, you know, we, we had parked and like, that's part of the reason we, we have a fifth wheel is that, um, because even if something happened in my rig, I could park it somewhere. And for me, that was helpful. Um, but we could spend the time getting the truck fixed, that sort of thing. And then, you know, but you know, at that point, we could have just said we're done, you know, we'll call it quits here, except that we weren't done and we knew that. And so I think that, you know, knowing that pushing through camping life, no matter how you do it, has its own set of challenges. If you don't do the maintenance, it can leak. If you don't do the maintenance, the bearings can break. You could be a product of flame freaks because you have too much stuff in your rig. You could. It could be not your fault that you have flame. There's so many things out there that could say, I'm done, I just stop. But I think that if you if you really love the lifestyle of camping and you want to explore the world and you want to do it before you're too old to do it, then this is the right way to go. I couldn't agree more. Well, looking ahead, what is exciting you most about where you're heading and what's on your horizons? So, um, well, another big year again this year we do a bunch of rallies, um, for RV roofing solutions, but it makes me different because I, Tampa was a whole new world for me because I didn't go in as just a vendor. I went in as a creator too. And so that meant creator dinners and stuff. And, um, it was definitely a different experience because I had to be two people at the same time. Um, you know, we do Hershey, we're at some of the bigger rallies across the country. Um, the big national rallies for the company. But then what gives me a different space in this industry is the fact that we have learned to RV. And so I think that, you know, we're going to grow, learn to RV exponentially this year. Again, it's a community resource. So I mean, we're not growing it just for me. And I can't do it without other people coming on doing guest blog posts, you know, that sort of thing. Um, we're actually going to be launching another series, so it'll be three podcasts a week because I'm crazy like that. Um, called beyond the brand. And so manufacturers or people in the industry that want to share their stories from their companies. I'm looking for those right now and that's very brand new and it's coming soon. Um, they, we haven't even launched our first yet one yet. That's not a free service. That's actually a paid service that we're going to be doing because I have a team that's going to be doing all the editing for those. So we're going to, you know, it's going to be polished, it's going to be professional. And so that one's going to be a little bit different than our, you know, weekly podcast where we just chit chat about, you know, where the fun is. Festival is in the country. Uh, the one thing you didn't say, though, when you were talking about looking ahead. Let's talk about your travels. What are you looking forward to this upcoming season when you guys are moving and shaking and grooving and going places? Where are you guys going? What some of the quick highlights that you're looking forward to? So we do a lot of rallies because we have to for the company. And so, um, we are headed to the Perry, Georgia for the f r v a rally family RV Association has a big rally every spring in Perry, Georgia will be there in just under two weeks. Um, so that's the big one. This won't air by the time you hear that. But next year you can come to Perry. Um, if you're on the East Coast, um, they do that because as the snowbirds start leaving Florida, they have a place to go in between going home for Easter. Um, and then we'll be headed to Texas. We have kids in Texas, so we're going to go visit them. And then there's a full rally schedule that's slowly but surely building out right now. So we'll be all over the place. Um, you know, that's the thing is, the last couple of years since we are the owners of a company, we don't it's not always you won't go. Sometimes we go, um, because what we do is it's a little bit different. You know, we go to the rallies, do inspections and then build out the sales for the teams across the country. And so, um, you know, in a couple of years, you know, I'll have enough show teams that I won't have to be at everyone. But for the next couple years, I think that we'll still be in it for at least the next two years doing rallies and stuff. But, you know, the whole show calendar. Um, I did just add a calendar. If you are hosting a rally and you want, you know, either learn to RV or RV roofing solutions to attend, there's actually a whole show calendar now on learn to RV, um, for, um, rallies across the country. And so it's one of those things that I think the communities like the most beautiful part of this community, like the community is the most beautiful part of this industry. And so meeting the new people and finding our friends. And I think that, I don't know, I mean, we're going to be where exactly where we're supposed to be is kind of how it always works out. You know, always does. Um, so for someone dreaming about RV travel, whether that's full time or just getting their first rig to get out with their young kiddos and tow behind a minivan kind of thing, but they're still sitting on the sidelines. What encouragement would you offer for them? So if they're looking for just part time travel, I'd say just go do it, you know? And, and I'd say, go rent a van or something like that and test it out for if, if you're considering full time travel, we actually have a whole episode. On taking the leap to full time life. That was in season one. Um, which is a great one to go to just to listen to it. It was like almost an hour long, but it was all those questions that you have. Right? Um, but renting that before you ever step into that first unit, um, because most of us buy the wrong unit the first time now we bought a unit we could afford and I would say, you know, don't go crazy. Um, your first unit if you're not sure, but at the same time, if you think you're going to be in this lifestyle for a long time by the rig and the truck you need, because I think that that's mostly what we see the most is people buy an under rig, like it's less than what they need for full time travel, and then they're like regretting it. And six months later they're trying to upgrade. And you know, they can't because it's a luxury item and it's depreciated so much. So, you know, I would say if you're thinking about going full time, that's the biggest thing is buy the rig you are dreaming of buying that you can afford. Um, our first rig was like, we bought it cash and our tow vehicle was a cash purchase. So we didn't have any extra bills underneath us. If you can do that as a test run, you know, just know you're going to put some money into that because you're probably going to buy a cheaper unit. And so it's probably going to need some work and have a good savings net. You know, anything I would say you need a minimum of ten thousand in the bank just to have the safety net. If you're out there traveling because an engine repair can be, you know, five, six, seven thousand dollars easily on a on a gas engine, on a diesel. It's far more than that. But like if you needed like your suspension rebuilt, you could easily spend seven or eight thousand dollars. So knowing what that looks like, you know, and, and being realistic with it, um, budgeting for travel, I, the other thing is people think it's cheaper as a full time RV or I would greatly disagree because we're chasing, you know, we're chasing events, we're chasing, um, things to do. We want to be at balloon fiesta in, you know, Albuquerque. Well, that means we're paying more for those sites. We want to go to Yellowstone in the summer. That means I'm going to pay one hundred and forty dollars for a site. And so there are some realistic things that I think people don't think about going on the road. Um, can you camp for less? Absolutely. There's things like thousand trails and there's budget camping out there. Um, but you know, you get what you pay for sometimes, so you have to know that too. That's true. So where can people follow along on all of your adventures, and where can they learn more about your podcasts, your RV roofing solutions business? So just where, you know, where can they find you online, on social media, on all of that? Well, I would say go to you can start at learn to Ravi dot com. And so, um, and it's L e a r n t o rv dot com. And it's because all of the links are attached to there. And from there you can find Facebook groups, you can find our YouTube, you can find, um, our podcast page. Um, it'll take you right to the podcast right off of learn to RV. Um, we're on, we're learn to RV on Facebook, Instagram. We do have a separate area on, uh, the podcast. Um, there's a separate group on Facebook, on Instagram for the podcast for our campfire crew. There's no payment to be there. We are on Patreon. Um, we did that so that I don't know if you have Patreon, but Patreon was more for. Everybody could find out when we drop new stuff. And so we have some extra stuff for our followers on Patreon, whole episodes. There's two extra episodes a month for Patreon subscribers, and then all of the giggles and shorts from behind the scenes, you get to see firsthand, um, that aren't out there in the rest of the world. Um, that they're, some of them are crazy. So, you know, we just, they're just nuts. Anyway, um, and then RV Roofing Solutions is RV roofing Solutions.com. We have socials. It is an old company, but it's not. And so that in itself is complicated. When our business partner passed away, um, he had given me all of the tools to run the company without the name on the business. So the reality is, is it's still the same website. And so it's, it's super easy. I had been put as an admin in charge of everything. And so it is the same. So RV roofing solutions dot com. You can call. And here's the thing, if you just want to talk roofs, we're happy to do that. You don't have to buy a roof from us. We coach people all the time on how to do stuff. And so that's kind of our heart. You know, people say that's not great for business. We understand that, but we also understand that we're real RVers doing what we're doing. And we've been doing it a long time. So we hope that that helps people on the road. And that's just kind of who we want to be. You know, we're a family owned business and we're going to stay that way. That's awesome. And so, you know, learn to reuse my heart project that's going to blow up this year. And we're very excited about where it's going. And, uh, yeah, I mean, there's blogs and all sorts of things. So yeah, hop over there, wander around, um, there's two hundred and seventy five pages to just kind of browse and peruse and there's more added every day. Well, Jennifer, thank you so much for coming on RV out west. It has been really a wonderful chat and I really appreciate your time. Thank you and thanks for listening. Yeah. Thanks so much, Brooks. Yeah. No, I love your podcast. 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We're getting into what really makes this corner of Washington State such a standout from the cool little hidden places to the kind of experiences that keep people coming back. If you think you know this area, think again. You might just find your next favorite place to explore. Thanks for listening to RV out West. Be sure to follow the show so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed the show, tell a friend and please leave a rating or review. It would mean a lot. Special thanks to Scott Home music for our intro song We Are One. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to join in on the conversation. Now get out there, explore and go see what's beyond the horizon.