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About this blog

Traveling America from West to East, then North to South, then East to West

Entries in this blog

 

Home, Sweet Home ... Days 37 and 38 of 38 Day Adventure

... and the adventure comes to an end July 5, day 37: A drive day from Las Cruses, N.M., to Tucson, Ariz. Nothing exciting along the way. July 6, day 38: A drive day from Tucson to our home in Cathedral City, Calif., 380 miles on I-10. So ends a great 38-day adventure. We drove 6,822 miles and traveled through 14 states. We had set a trip "on the road" budget of $7,600, or $200 per day, for food, fuel and park fees. However, we actually spent $6,900. The savings was in fuel ... we had budget
DougC

DougC

4
 

Getting Started

Howdy All, this is the first entry for our cross country trip blog.... the idea for the trip started about a month ago.... and now has growned into an actual "go do" thing.. One of the things to deal with trip planning is just too much information available... there is AAA auto club, Good Sam Club, FMCA, and others.... whew! We've sorta settled on using the Good Sam trip planner as it will identify rest areas, dump sites, fueling stations, state road conditions. We use that along wi
DougC

DougC

2
 

31 days before "T" day

April 28, "T" stands for the "Trip"... One of the items that is part of the across the county round trip is that we are picking up a car, a 2002 Honda Accord, in Washington DC and bringing it back to California. It may turn out to be a toad, not sure yet. I spent several hours this morning researching tow systems versus shipping the car back by a private carrier versus renting a auto tow dolly. You would think we were launching a space shuttle with the amount of information I gathered tod
DougC

DougC

2
 

T Minus 10 days

Tonight I have a mild headache caused by walking into the RV ... A bit of explanation.... right at this moment... if I look in the bathroom mirror, on the left side of my upper forehead is a half moon cut, maybe 3/4" long, attempting to heal. You may wonder how I came to acquire such an injury... here's the story, on our motor coach (like many motor coaches) there are cargo/battery/other areas that have doors that lift up... when the doors are opened they swing out and up, with the
DougC

DougC

1
 

.... Days 6 and 7 of 32 day Adventure

... on Day 6, Thursday, June 4, in the early morning, We were both very sick... I was in no condition to get behind the wheel and drive to Branson MO. So we decided to go to Plan B, don't go to Branson MO, but stay in the current KOA campground to recover, then leave tomorrow morning to go to Nashville TN, which is about 700 miles away. That's the best we could come up at the time. By the way, anybody else get food poisoning while on the road? Any remedy suggestions? Still on Thursday, Jun
DougC

DougC

1
 

The Roadrunner Café in Ft Stockton.... Days 34, 35, 36, of a 38 day Adventure

...and the adventure continues, Thursday, July 2, day 34, Thursday is a drive day from San Antonio TX to Fort Stockton TX. We arrived at The Fort Stockton RV Park, in Fort Stockton in the mid-afternoon. It's located right off of I-10. The park met our needs and I need to mention The Roadrunner Café at the RV Park... we thought we were sitting in a house with home cooking! The menu is limited but very good. Everything was homemade, like fried catfish and biscuits and gravy... we had dinne
DougC

DougC

1
 

Missed entry No. 2

Howdy, Ok, it appears we have the FMCA blog started... we now have to figure out how to have family and friends, outside of the FMCA community, read the blog. I find that is easier said then done. By now, after a days worth of blog stuff, I probably have a number of blogs set up out in the Internet universe, none of which are connected to each other or FMCA. Soooo, it seems to avoid retyping everything, I have to decide to continue with the FMCA blog and then copy and paste the blog into an e
DougC

DougC

0
 

The blog learning process continues ...

Newbie Blogger here. I received some very helpful blog process information from the FMCA IT Manager and another member, but now I misplaced their responses .... Anyway, thanks for the helpful information.
DougC

DougC

0
 

Planning continues

We continue to plan and currently the first phase of the planned trip from Cathedral City CA to Washington DC is the following: Day 1, May 30 - The general route is starting with I10 from Palm Springs CA to just outside Phoenix, then I17 to Distant Drum RV RSRT at Camp Verde AZ. Day 2 & 3, May 31-June 1 - on day 2 we continue on I17 to I40 and turn East to I25, turn North at Albuquerque NM and drive to Taos RV CG in Taos NM. The idea is to spend two days in the Taos NM and Sante Fe NM
DougC

DougC

0
 

23 days until Departure "T" Day

Howdy Ya All, I've been lazy with the blog.... but moving right along.... in 23 days we leave, that's May 30, in the morning... the master trip planner (me), kinda like a load-master in the Air Force, has got more lists started than one person can keep up with, most are not up to date... but, lists are a bit like a security banket... a list and a cold beer, a great way to relax Three of us are going on the month long, 7,000 mile trip... my significant other (Big Boss), Dale the dog (Littl
DougC

DougC

0
 

22 Days Countdown Until Trip Day

Today was a better "get the RV ready" day. This morning I checked in with the RV store that is servicing our RV ... they said they didn't have my cell number, so they couldn't call and tell me the AC motor and squirrel cage came in and also the replacement fabric for the bedroom slider. I kept my thoughts to myself about them not having my telephone number .... With the parts in, I now have an appointment set for next Thursday to install the replacement parts. Next, as I mentioned in an ea
DougC

DougC

0
 

14 days until liftoff (The Trip)

Just 14 days left... whoopee!!! This past week has been fairly busy, remember in our previous entry I mentioned my rotary club was hosting a GSE Sweden Team from May 8 until May 13.... wellll, we did that.... hence, getting ready for the trip was on the back burner.... it was a great week and the Sweden Team was taken to the airport this past Wednesday morning. Sooooooo, back to getting ready for the Trip.... on Thursday the RV was taken in to the local RV shop as planned to install
DougC

DougC

0
 

T minus 13 days

Howdy All, As mentioned previously, this weekend, May 15-16-17, is the motor coach testing weekend.... testing all functions and features... The RV is fully hooked up to shore power, water, sewer, and cable TV. As the temperature here is now in the 100's the two AC units are getting a good workout.... it was 107 degrees today.... I've let the front TV and the bedroom TV stay on... I visited the rig several times a day... testing the water flow in the kitchen, bathroom area and shower,
DougC

DougC

0
 

T minus 3 days, 12 hours

It seems that a true test of a couple's happiness and bliss is surviving the planning of a four- to five-week motorhome trip. I mean, we are having a really good time planning and preparing. However, it's the issue of stuffing a rather full house of things into a 9' x 38' box that is driven over hill and dale ... on smooth and bumpy byways and highways. You have to have the right stuff on board to get by for 30-plus days, and sometimes there may be a difference of opinion as to what should be l
DougC

DougC

0
 

T minus 7 Days

... and the count down continues towards lift off (OK, I'm a NASA fan ), I mean until we leave on the cross county trek (OK we are also Star Trek groupies ). By the way, we saw the new Star Trek movie this week, and it was GREAT!!!! We continue to prep for the trip.... - The Boss is moving her stuff to a central location in the small bedroom that I call the warehouse.... hmmmm, 5 pieces of clothing for her and then I get one t-shirt, at this rate I may up end with at least a change o
DougC

DougC

0
 

T minus 24 hours 'til Ignition (Turn the engine on)

Howdy. First, as a Newbie to FMCA I wanted to mention that FMCA and the web site have been great! The site is full of good stuff, more than I can get to in one life time -- information on CAT engines, Allison transmissions, tires, and a variety of other information. As we begin our West to East then North to South then East to West trip this coming Saturday we are looking for suggestions to see, do, or eat ... and for input from folks who have previously traveled the byways and highways of Am
DougC

DougC

0
 

T minus 10 hours and counting down....

A quick update... the "Trip" command center has officially moved from the house to the motor home... computer, printer, and wireless card are working well... Hmmm, other critical last minute items, 30 See's Candy Butterscotch Suckers (for The Boss), and Dale's "Frosty Paws Ice Cream Treats" I did manage to get my own personal stash of beer... Oh, we put on Clamato Juice, Vodka, and hot sauce-all for Bloody Marys; there is a reserve of white and red wine, along with a variety of die
DougC

DougC

0
 

The Adventure's 1st Day

Here we are relaxing in the Rig at the J & H RV Park in Flagstaff, AZ. We rolled into the RV park about 5:30 PM this evening after driving 407 miles today. Highlights of the Day: - Another on-the-job driving training day for Trudy as she drove on Interstate-10. Trudy drove for an hour or so, and did very well. As a Newbie to RV driving, Trudy had the most stress when the tractor-trailers zoomed passed us (don't we all!) We held our speed to 55-60 mph for best control... and I didn't e
DougC

DougC

0
 

T minus 0, We Have Ignition! Yippee!

T minus 0. we have engine ignition and now leaving the launch pad.... we are leaving from Cathedral City (next to Palm Springs) and headed for Washington DC. Stay tuned for the adventures of Dale the Dog, Trudy, and Doug... Woof!
DougC

DougC

0
 

... Day 2 of the Adventure

The second day of the Adventure - The drive today from Flagstaff AZ to Taos NM was mostly easy driving using I-40 to I-25, then at Santa Fe NM, we turned onto state road 525 with the last 100 miles into Taos was a bit more difficult and slow. There was one major problem encountered with the Rig and it was not a actual mechanical problem... I'll blame it on human error, I tried to lay the blame on the dog, but my conscious got the better of me. Here is the problem that happened... In Flags
DougC

DougC

0
 

... Days 3 and 4 of the Adventure

... and the Adventure continues on Day 3... As was mentioned in an earlier blog posting we planned and did stay in Taos NM an extra day... the intent was to explore both Santa Fe and Taos. However, Santa Fee was a good 1-1.5 hours south of Taos, and the road is winding and slow. So, we stayed in Taos to finish cleaning up the wet carpet in the RV and wash a load of towels. So on Day 3, Monday, we did our chores, and then rented a car to explore Taos. We had a great time. We visited the Taos
DougC

DougC

0
 

...Day 5 of the Adventure

... Day 5, Wednesday, of the adventure was rather dull, We left the Oasis RV Resort, 2715 Arnot Road, Amarillo TX, and headed East on I-40 to spend the night at the Oklahoma City East KOA CG, 6200 S Choctaw Rd, Choctaw, OK. Along the way we stopped for lunch in Clinton, OK. In late afternoon we arrived at the KOA CG, set the RV up, and all seemed good. We took Dale to the pet area and had some dinner. The campground was well laid out, lots of trees, and the weather was very nice. At abou
DougC

DougC

0
 

... Days 7 and 8 of the Adventure

.... I wanted to finish day 7's blog, As I wrote before, day 7, Saturday, we were feeling perky and scheduled a number of tourist activities. - We took a Grey Line Tour of Nashville, the highlight was visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and we got done with that about 1 pm. - We stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch... our first full meal in 3 days. - We purchased Grand Ole Opry tickets online the night before and attended the 7 pm show... which was great! ... at the end of the
DougC

DougC

0
 

... Day 10 of 32 Adventure

Yippee! We have arrived at Cherry Hill RV Park, in College Park, MD, just next door to Washington D.C. We are set up and already had a pizza for dinner. Total miles driven from Palm Springs CA to College Park MD, 2,863 miles, driven in 7 days or an average 400 miles per day. FYI, to have a more relaxed trip we concluded that we should have planned at least 9-10 driving days (300 miles per day average), with a rest day about every 4 days. That will be our planning technique when we head d
DougC

DougC

0
 

... in Cherry Hill RV Park for 12 days, Leave June 18

Howdy All, This former blog entry is now updated... As mentioned in the last update we are parked at the Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park MD. Because we did not have a toad we requested a space close to the front of the park and the park folks did provide a good location for us. Monday, June 8, Day 10 of 32, we arrived late in the afternoon. Tuesday June 9, Day 11 of 32, We stayed in the park during the day to get familiar with it and to further recover from the food poisoning we had
DougC

DougC

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