Jurisinceptor

I would recommend "Riverview RV Park" in Vidalia, LA and "Natchez Trace RV Park" in Tupelo, MS Here is a link to each: Vidalia, LA (Directly accross river from Natchez): http://www.riverviewrvpark.com/ Tupelo: http://natcheztracervpark.com/index.html

Thank you for sharing your trip with us!!!!

Awesome!!!! Keep us posted.

There's also a Flying J on 81 in Virginia just north of Winchester. Also, don't be nervous - remember that you have TONS of FMCA people behind you who have made these same trips MANY times before. Enjoy your motorhome and you'll have a great trip!!

Also, I see your RV is gas. Since you're towing a jeep, you wil have to be VERY careful in choosing gas stations. Unfortunately, this can be a real hassle because you cannot back up when towing (unless your tow vehicle is COMPLETELY off the ground on a trailer). You need to choose stations that you can get into and out of without backing up. Flying J has RV lanes that enable you to get in and out with having to back up. The lanes are always located next to the big white propane tank off to the right or left of the main pumps for cars. There are Flying J stations on 81. Pilot does NOT have RV lanes at all of their locations. Get a Pilot/Flying J RV guide at your first Flying J and check for RV Lanes. I'm gas so I now about this. If you were diesel, you could always go where the trucks go and its no problem.

I COMPLETELY agree with Sawdust. Being from upstate New York and having been an RVer for the past 10 years, and having made hundereds of trips up 95, I would avoid NYC if you can. In fact, RVing on 95 from Washington D.C. all the way to Boston is heavy, heavy, aggresive traffic the whole way. I would avoid this if you can. You also have the very tricky Baltimore situation in there because you cannot go through the inner harbor tunnel so your options are beltway to the west or high bridge to the east. Best to just avoid all of this nonsense and take 81. The scenery through Pennsylvania is VERY nice. I would suggest a short respite in Gettysburg with the kids.

TBUTLER: I have goosebumps of anticipation as I read the destinations you've highligted. I cannot wait to see them. I absolutely loved my trip this summer and it was made MUCH better because of FMCA and this forum. I cannot thank all of you enough for your advice. While I was out west, I made a conscious effort NOT to see everything I could in the few weeks that I had. I wanted to leave something for return visits. That I one of the reasons that I appreciate you suggestions for future trips.

I absolutely loved the desert south west. The contrasts are amazing. You can travel from ponderosa pine forests with temps in the upper 60's to the desert with temps upwards of 117 degrees in the same day. This was amazing to me. The dry heat is very different from the humidity of the east. I was outside washing my tow vehicle in temps well into the 90's and didn't even sweat. On the east coast, I sweat just sitting under the motorhome awning. I can't wait to go back west. I loved it!!!!!

Thank you so much for this information. I hit El Paso on my return and you were exactly correct. The traffic was a nightmare. The back-up was at least an hour and the temps were 105. I did have an amazing trip. I stayed on I-10 and traveled to Fort Stockton when I was going west. Then I got off I-10 and proceded north to Carlsbad, New Mexico. The area was awesome as well as the caverns. I then proceded to Gallup, New Mexico and got off I-40 west and travelled through th Navaho and Hopi nations to end up in Conway at the Conway Trading Post. This just happened to be the night of the LIVE WIRE guy crossing the little colorado river gorge on the tight wire. I was there as it was happening!!!! The next day, I met a film crew guy who was doing a live shot for the news and then as I proceeded to the Grand Canyon, I saw the area where the Jumbo Tron was set up and then farther on the actual area where the event took place. Temps at the grand canyon were 66 that morning and the high was only in the 80's. The Grand Canyon was incredible. What can I say. I then proceded to the Gila National Forest and Flagstaff, Arizona and finished the "Loop" off with a drive through the Petrified Forest, driving south through the park. The Painted Desert in was cool. I continued on to Deming, New Mexico where I got back on I-10 and headed East. Texas is huge. I am now in Louisianna, just east of Rayne at the Frog City RV park. Its Friday the 28th of June. This is a passport park and they don't honor passport on the weekends but they did in my case. Why? Because they are nice. This is a nice park. The sites and roads are not paved but it is nice and open with a nice pool and big pull through sites. I would definately recommend it especially since it is next to a big rig friendly gas station!!! More later!

I have stayed at Hundreds of RV parks in the East and many of them were VERY nice. I wanted to share with you the most incredible RV park I have ever encountered. East of Houston, Texas on I-10 (It's actually in Highlands, TX) is the San Jacinto Riverfront RV park. This park is amazing. The entire place is paved and every site is perfectly level. Full hook-ups, of course, including cable. There are two pools, one of which is an infinity pool over looking the river. You can soak up some sun in the pool while enjoying the view. The clubhouse is amazing and the coolest thing are the site on the river. The sites are terraced and EACH ONE comes with its own private jacquzzi at the site. You might think, yeah, its probably $100.00 plus a night. Wrong. With my Good Sam discount, I paid $35.00. It is a Good Sam park and they have a rating of a 10. Awesome. I met the owner and he is very appreciative of the RV community for supporting the park and he said that if there is anything that I wanted, just let him know. They also have a boat ramp, long term storage, laundry, awesome cottages, a nice store, etc. etc. Just thought I would share this.

Maybe you could call them and ask if they know of a shop in Washington.

I love it. Anyone who can put an older motorhome to good use is doing a smart thing if you ask me. Just my opinion but anone can go out an buy a brand new motorhome (if they have the gobs of money required). Taking something old and making use of it is awesome. I personally prefer all original but I think that the interior you've created is tasteful and neat. I say have fun with RVing and a "Log Cabin" on wheels is a great way to do it!!!

I think it's great that you're boondocking that long. Do you have a water source? What about dumping your tanks? I'm assuming that you're workampers running the gate attendant thing. What do you get with your site? Do they pay you extra? Sounds like FUN to me. I was a campground host last summer - electric only. I had to dump waste water and re-fill the fresh water every week but it was a state park so I didn't have to drive the rig far to the dump station. What year is your Bounder? My Bounder is a 1998 36s.

Excellent. Thank you. Will do. To be honest, I hate doing the roof.

These are great tips. I liked learning about the turtle wax ice. I'm going to give it a try. For your roof, do you use a "roof treatment" or do you just stick with the Murphy's and do you have a rubber roof? Thanks.

FYI - if you go to the members gallery and look for "My Bounder", you can see pics of my motorhome and tow vehicle on the ferry to Ocracoke. I took the Swanquarter Ferry, NOT the Cedar Island ferry.

Outstanding information and advice!!! Thank you all so much. I wish that all states would allow overnight parking in our RV's. They allow trucks, why not RV's?

Welcome and I love your conversion. Awesome!!

Hello. I've been an FMCA member for a couple of years now. I've been to a couple of rallies and have enjoyed them. I'm not retired. "Jurisinceptor" was the name of my 30' cabin cruiser (Sea Ray Weekender) that I used to keep on the Chesapeake Bay. It was like a floating motorhome but with two, full-inboard 350hp mercruiser engines. If you think filling up a motorhome is expensive, try a boat like that. Anyway, I think motorhoming is more fun. During the summer, I "move into" my motorhome (The "Bounder Bus") and close up my house and travel the east coast. I have been just about everywhere east of the Mississippi from Key West to Nova Scotia. I have been RVing for the past 10 years. I have a half acre campsite in upstate New York. It has municipal water, septic and electric, and Direct TV installed. Some summmers I go to my camp (I've named it "Camp Hickory Grove") and some Summers I do not. It is located near the baseball hall of fame and many other attractions in upstate New York. If anyone would like to stay, you are more than welcome, just let me know and we can discuss the details. Inside my coach I have updated the front electronics in a perfectly tasteful way so that the flat panel LCD looks like a factory install. I also installed a roof mounted Winegard sat. dish with an electronic elevation meter so that finding a Sat. is a CINCH. (Since I'm alone, an in-motion dome is not necessary.) When I put on the dish, I also installed XM radio in the coach and utilized the same hole for the external XM antenna. Again, just as if it was a factory install. I have also installed a Midland CB with an external speaker which is convenient for communication with people outside the coach. I have beefed up the suspension on my Bounder by adding an additional leaf at the drive axle. I also replaced the rubber springs on the More Ryde Tag Axle and dropped the Axle position by one notch. I put correct steering tires on the front of the coach (with nice, heavy side walls). I have had the coach weighed at each wheel and I maintain the correct tire pressure at each wheel. I've replaced, and updated, the kwikee electric steps and have serviced, properly, my power gear levelers. I also do all of the maintenance on my Onan Marquis 5500. (oil, oil filter, air filter and fuel filter). Two years ago, I had the exhaust re-welded at the manifold of the generator and added an exhaust hanger bracket to the generator's exhaust pipe.

There is NO issue with propane through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. (There are actualy two tunnels and three bridges). You have to turn off your propane that is all. Your ht. is not a problem. Be prepared for four lanes of travel on the bridges, then narrowing down to two lanes with oncoming traffic through the tunnels. There is no barrier between you and oncoming traffic while in the tunnel. I have done this four times in my class A with a toad and it is WHITE KNUCKLE through the tunnels. When the 18 wheelers are coming at you, it is frightening. The bridges are NO problem. As far as avoiding DC and Baltimore, this is a GREAT solution. Jon796 is not talking about the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel, he is talking about the Fort McKinnley tunnel and the Harbor tunnel and his right, propane is not allowed even if turned off. You would then have to by pass west or take the Francis Scott Key bridge BUT if you are taking the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, this won't even apply to you.

You don't want to miss Ithaca, Cornell university and Taughannock Falls state park. http://www.taughannock.com/

I took the ferry to Ocracoke last summer. It was awesome!! I have a 36' motorhome and was also towing my car but getting on the Ferry was NO problem. From Gainesville, just work your way over to 95 north and stay on until you get to exit 116 (NC route 42W). Go east to US Hwy 264 and take a right onto 264 east and stay on 264 all the way to to Swanquarter, N.C.. There are two Ferries that go to Ocracoke from the mainland and one that goes from Ocrocoke to Cape Hatteras. I took the Ferry from SWANQUARTER, N.C. which is on US highway 264. Once on Ocracoke, there is a great National Park if you have a generator (no hookups) and there are several private campgrounds. When leaving Ocracoke, I suggest going north to Cape Hatteras via NC route 12 and take the Ferry to the cape (this is a free ferry by the way). Once on Cape Hatteras, you're done with ferries but there are TONS of things to do and see including Cape Hatteras Nat. Seashore and the lighthouse.

Thank you for the passport park and thank you Howde for the tip on the books. I will get them. This is great advice and is exactly why FMCA is so great for me!! Thank you!

Thank you Sam - good advice.