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Can anyone recommend a location in Maine where we can park for a month in July/August and take day trips to many places in that state.

Think Steve & Lynette have said it very well. Would add that they US border crossing does not open very early. We too got off to an early start (a 74 rig caravan was crossing the river that day) but just had to wait for the border crossing to open. We found the road to have a lot of washboard! Didn't want to beat up our coach so drove it slowly - this makes it a long trip. You will find few if any places to pull off the road on the Canadian side until you reach Chicken - so if you get tired switch drivers - this is no road to drive while tired! Believe the caution about the soft shoulders!! We have friends who live in Alaska - they told us about the "dust-off snow." They said that typically there will be an early snow which drives the tourists south immediately. They offered the opinion that there is much beautiful weather and lots of fall colors to be seen after that first snowfall. Wish we could go with you - you are in for a great trip!!

Would certainly NOT recommend NORTHBOUND Hwy 1 north of Cambria, CA. The sharp turns North of the Hurst Castle make it impossible to keep a 40' coach on your own side of the road - I was scared to death that we would encounter a kid riding a crotch rocket Southbound while crowding the yellow line! Sounds as though traveling it Southbound may be a better bet though I have not driven it myself in a coach. Certainly the Southbound trip is a thrill for anyone afraid of heights! This is a very beautiful trip so be sure to take it - it will be a ball on your bike! You can follow Hwy 1 North from Monterey to San Francisco with no problems. The first portion of Hwy 1 North of San Francisco is a bit sharp and steep. Sir Francis Drake blvd from San Anselmo to Olema, CA is a much better way to access that beautiful ride in the coach. Hwy 1 North of Fort Bragg, CA has many turns too sharp to allow a 40' coach to stay in its own lane - the problem here being the logging trucks - while they are able to stay on their own side of the line due to the design of their trailers, they leave no room to spare! On this road neither Northbound or Southbound is acceptable for 40' coaches. Fort Bragg and Hwy 1 South of it are very beautiful and well worth the trip. Sorry I am not able to comment on the suitability of CA 20 from Fort Bragg to Willits - too many years since I have driven it and then it was in a car. We have always taken the coach on CA 128 between Albion to Cloverdale - that takes you out of your way a bit but is a pretty drive. Note that summer time produces a lot of fog right on the coast in both California and Oregon. Calistoga, CA is at the very North end of the Napa Valley - great California wine country. A good place to stay in the valley is the campground located on the Napa County Fairgrounds - 8 short blocks from the downtown restaurants. This campground is closed for the fair which is held over Independence Day - If you will be there in late June or early July you may wish to call them to find out exactly when they are closed. Have a great trip - you will be traveling through some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere!

For what it is worth: The SAE has a B rating which is a predictor of engine life. The B rating is expressed in engine hours. A sales engineer from Perkins engines explained to me that variations in individual engine life could usually be explained by the amount of fuel consumed. Thus, a lightly loaded engine which uses less fuel per metered hour will last well beyond the B rating. Conversely, engines operated under heavy load (thus using a lot more fuel per metered hour) will fail to reach the rated hours. His explanation was basically that the more fuel you put through an engine per metered hour the sooner the engine will wear out - maintenance, cooling and other variables being the same in all cases. If this is correct then it becomes much easier to understand identical engines used in cars and motorhomes having much different life spans. Add the other factors already well stated in this forum and we probably have the answers.

Thanks, Brett! Wish I had known about that three tanks ago!! My metal tank should be waiting for me in Charlotte when we arrive next week - may post a photo of the installation if it goes well - otherwise silence!! Thanks again

We have had to replace the plastic (Ford part) coolant surge tank on our 1996 Safari coach three times! The plastic just disintegrates over time - may not get along with the coolant. The first time I replaced it Ford only charged around $60. The second time it nearly doubled - now they want about $250!! Not going to pay that for a tank that fails over time. Searched the web (a lot) and finally found a metal tank used by Spartan Motor Chassis which I believe will work. It is Spartan P/N 0275FF2 which carries a price of approx $238. I expect that other Safari owners have experienced the same problem - what solutions have you found?

Hi folks! We are currently in Charleston, SC and hope to work our way SLOWLY to Maine where we would like very much to spend a month before moving West and South. Looking forward to seeing people's thoughts as we are very inexperienced in East Coat travel. Will really appreciate thoughts about "must see and do" things along the way.