Hi RV Grandma,
I am new to this forum but not new to your problem. I am a native Californian, now living in Olympia, WA, but I know the Sierra Nevada's like the back of my hand. I own and drive a Winnebago Adventurer 38J. I have had the engine "tuned up" by Brazil's RV in Centralia, WA. They installed a "Ultra Power" chip which pumped up my 8.1L GM by about 60 HP. However, that is not enough to make it stay with any diesel pusher. But it will cruise with the best of them, but I just cannot hang with them on the hills. Nor do I choose to. We just got back from a trip to Utah ( saw the 5 NP +) and went over a couple of passes that were at the 9000' + elevation. It was easy, breezy but you can't push it to hard, nor would you want to. Point is we made good time, averaged around 10-12 mpg through out the trip and had a great time.
All that said, if I were alone/single I would drop down to the 35' size MH. The 38J is a great floor plan (3 slides) but the length and weight is more than one person really needs, IMHO. It is not that that my 38J is tough to handle, if fact it is a dream to drive, like sitting in a rocking chair. I fact it does have a single recliner right behind the drivers seat that I absolutely love. But it is long and it does hit the 30,000" scales. On the long uphill pulls it works best if I take it out of cruise control and work the throttle and transmission that way I want it to run. All it takes is a little practice, but I rarely let the engine get or 3000-3500 rpm, on the uphill climbs.
If I were to do it all over again, I think I would go with the DP. What I would really like is the Seneca with the Freightliner Chassis, but from what I read, that may be a little more than you would like to spend. The reason I would go with the Freightliner chassis, is because my wife will not drive the Adventurer because she does not like sitting over the front axle and it is to high and to long for her. That does not seem to be your problem, but the 38J's are tall and long. Ours tapes measures out at 39' 7" and 12' 3" tall.
I hope this helps you.
If you have any questions you can email me at dean.garzot@yahoo.com and I will be glad to answer any questions you may have.
Dean Garzot
aka - The Toads
