tbutler

We're on I-80 tonight in West Wendover, NV. We drove in rain much of the day on the way from Evanston, WY through Utah. It was a light drizzle with occasional rain. There were mountains with snow, some near the elevation of the highway just west of Salt Lake City. The night before we were in the car traveling through the Uinta Mountains in NW Utah, NE of Vernal, UT. There was real snow with accumulation on the roadway. Driving in the high elevations with frequent switchbacks, the trucks were creeping along. Those were elevations near 8000 feet and above. You won't see those on I-80. This is an unusually cold period which should be gone by the time you get here. Enjoy your trip.

Viva la difference!

Stuttering as you call it and the phrase "on a regular basis" suggest to me that this might be a load which is kicking in regularly. When our refrigerator compressor starts, the generator speeds up then immediately slows as the initial load starting any motor is high and then immediately drops. Air conditioners, refrigerators, have motors that will do this. Other heavy loads such as battery charger, water heater, coffee maker, etc. may cause a sudden increase and the generator may overcompensate a little so they might cause a drop after the initial pulse. Our coffeemaker switches heat off and on once the brewing process is done. With each off cycle the generator drops off and then kicks back it as the heater goes on again. Think about things in your coach which cycle on and off regularly and watch/listen to see if they might be causing the stuttering.

Establishing a state of residence as a full timer really isn't difficult in most cases and doing it properly will save you a lot of time and frustration. Your best choice is to go all in. License vehicles, drivers license, mailing address and voting should all be in the same state. If you have an estate or wills, those should be reviewed to conform to your new state of residence. If not, you will find instances where the system just won't accommodate you. When you deal with insurance, ordering or shipping materials, credit card companies and banks, etc., the rest of the world doesn't understand, can't comprehend, a person who doesn't live in a fixed house. You are the exception to every rule they know. We have managed to get by with our cell phones having our original area code since numbers have become transportable from one phone to the next. There was a period of time about ten years ago and before when this caused some problems but the state of technology has caused everyone to adjust to the fact that a phone number is ten digits and those ten digits no longer tell you where someone is or where they live. You have plenty of good references above so I won't add to them. We loved our full time experience and still spend as much time as we can in our motor home. Enjoy the experience!

I've run into a few people who don't use their inverter. It is hard for me to imagine why anyone would not want the full capability of their electrical system. Our inverter is on all the time, if we don't have AC in the coach, something is broken. We've run that way since we began in our first motor home, a 1994 Dynasty. We have a 4 battery system, a 3000W inverter and run our household refrigerator with icemaker, it is never off. We can go overnight running the furnace and the refrigerator on the 4 batteries without a problem. What do we use the electric for all the time? Computers, clocks, TV system, coffee maker, other kitchen appliances, an electric razor, power tools, just all the things we use when we are in a normal house. Louise hates resetting clocks and I enjoy the convenience of just plugging in when I need electric. Yes, we have a generator and it is essential for the big things and recharging but I don't want the noise of that running all the time. Besides, if you figure the actual cost of running the generator, not just fuel but include maintenance costs, it runs you about $2.50 to $3.00 per hour (our actual costs). I do find four batteries enough for us and if you aren't using the inverter full time you could probably get by with fewer than 6 batteries. The only downside to six batteries is weight and the cost of replacement. Both are minor in the grand scheme of things. If I had space for six batteries I'd be glad to have them.

Is that the only function that won't work? Can you manually lower one side at a time or lower front or back? If you can manually adjust the level by dumping air on one side or another it sounds like a malfunction in the control panel. If no control keys dump air I would look for a fuse somewhere that controls the air release valve. It is the same valve that dumps air for the brake system I believe, when you pressurize your air to drive do you get a release of air when the pressure reaches its set maximum?

In March we went north to help our daughter, taking care of grandchildren while she worked. We got dumped on by a heavy snowstorm (10"). The snow piled up on the slide-out covers and pinned them to the top of the slide-out. It was at least 24 hours later when I could get out to clear them. They came right back up, no problem. About 2 months later I was sitting the coach one afternoon when I heard a sound like something had hit one of the awnings. I couldn't see anything but later went out to see if a tree limb or something had dropped on us. I saw the large slide-out cover laying slack on top of the slide-out. The spring in the roller had broken. I believe this was caused by the snow which had pulled the cover out much further than normal which wound the spring tighter and likely caused it to break a couple of months later. Moral of the story, if snow is expected, take the slides in or if you are going to be in one place for a while, put something under the cover to support it. Don't let the snow accumulate on the covers to the point that it weighs them down.

Koliver mentions the value of the coach. Check the FMCA Magazine advertisements to see what your coach is worth, asking prices are the high end and not what you would get from a dealer if trading or selling your coach. Watching those for a period of time will give you an idea of what your coach might be worth. You can also get Blue Book values for motor homes by several means. There are web sites that will give you a value for reference. We all know that we'll never get all the money our of our coach that we have put into it. If you think you will be RV'ing longer than the life of your current coach, consider the difference between remodeling and purchasing another coach. If your circumstances suggest that you have to give up RV'ing before you wear out your current coach, remodel. It is possible to keep any coach on the road forever but the costs of doing so will increase each year so you have to factor that into your decision. Your satisfaction with the floor plan, conveniences, engine, chassis, and other factors will also factor into this decision. If you like your current coach, remodeling may extend its life until you decide to give up RV'ing or until you reach a point where the new coaches offer enough improvements that you decide it is time to get the newest, latest, greatest thing in motor homes. Everyone has their own answers to these questions.

If your pipes are PEX and your fixtures are standard commercial fixtures, there should be no need for a pressure regulator. You should be able to use any community water system pressure without worry. The weakest link in your system will be your hose connecting you to the water supply. I used a pressure regulator for a while but didn't like the trickling water so quit and haven't had a problem. I do carry a pressure regulator for those parks that have extraordinarily high pressure and will use it in those cases. I use the standard off-the-shelf regulator, it is not a variable pressure regulator. With good high pressure we still get a good water flow rate. If you have an older motor home with earlier versions of plastic piping and some of the low end fixtures used in earlier motor homes, you need a pressure regulator because these systems do have lower pressure limits. Any plumbing is vulnerable to damage from freezing. Pipes and fixtures which have been frozen but not leaking yet will be vulnerable to high pressure no matter what materials are used.

Sounds like you found a good solution. I hadn't thought of renting a golf cart to get around the island but they do have those at beach resort areas. From those campground descriptions I'm not surprised that you couldn't find anyone who has stayed there! Property is so expensive in beach resorts that it is hard to make a campground pay enough to make it economically profitable. This is especially true for someone who has purchased the property recently, thus no new park on the island. The land in those old parks was purchased and paid for years ago at 1950's or 1960's prices so they can make do with them, getting enough money to keep them in operation. Thanks for reporting back on your experience.

I missed this when first posted. Louise & I love to play tennis! We should get together but we don't have any time in the schedule until mid summer next year! Let me know if something works out for next fall.

Better is a relative term. Better doesn't mean great or even good. Is the economy better than January 2008? Absolutely, no question in my mind. Does it still have a long way to go? Absolutely, again, no question about that. One way I know that things are better is that the park where I'm parked now is full of RV's. In 2008, parks were pretty empty all the time. The only people in many parks were people who had lost their home and were living in a trailer rather than living out of their cars or in shelters as many were doing at that time. In 2008 you could drive all day and not see an RV on the road. Now you see them everywhere. In 2008 RV manufacturers were dropping like raindrops in a thunderstorm. Today, the remaining RV manufacturers are manufacturing fewer RV's but are in a stable business environment. I'm not aware of any RV manufacturer who has gone out of business in the last few months or year. There is probably some example that can be cited but I'm betting it isn't more than one or two in the last two years. Is the economy better for everyone? No, almost certainly some people are in the same situation they were in January 2008. Many jobs were lost and not all have come back. Many people who lost jobs ended up with a lower paying job. But a lower paying job is better than no job at all. So for those people it is better though not good or great. You get the idea. I've cited examples from the RV world because that is the focus of this forum but there are examples to be seen everywhere. Housing beginning to recover, faster in some areas than others but it is coming back to life. Autos are selling like hotcakes according to the latest news stories. I fly small airplanes and the news in the aviation industry is positive, way better than after 2001 and also better than 2008. We would all like things to be much better and I have no doubt that they will but the road to great will almost certainly involve a few bumps along the way. If you are feeling uncertain about your future and your finances, going full time on the road may not be the best plan. There is a great deal of risk when putting all your eggs in an RV and setting out on the road. It is one of the great American dreams but not everyone can make it work. If you can do it and enjoy it, then life on the road is wonderful. But if you are going to be struggling to make it work and worried about maintenance and repair costs, you may not get the enjoyment you are expecting from this venture.

If this is the Thetford Aria II which Monaco used on some coaches, there is an in-line fuse in the electrical connection which you will find behind the toilet. The link above will get you the owners manual with details and also has information on contacting the company and finding dealers. There is also a knob for manual operation behind the toilet. You will feel the knob near the floor centered behind the toilet. As I recall, you turn that knob counterclockwise and it will slowly open the blade - it takes a lot of turns to open it completely.

Hello Charles, We are running counter to your travels having left St. Louis on Tuesday last week. We are in Denver now, getting wet again tonight! We'll be on our way west on I-80 in Wyoming next week. Yes, slides can be a problem. We had a leak shortly after we took possession of our new motor home. That leak was in the joints between the roof and the sides of the slide out. We had it repaired by the dealer. They simply put a heavy seal tape on the slide out and it has held for ten years now. The seals on the external part of the RV are easily replaced. You can get those at any auto supply location, I would recommend NAPA just because they have the best parts inventory in my experience. We have not had to replace the seals on the slide out where it seals against the inside of the coach. I believe those are likely your problem if the leaking is occurring when the slide is in the extended position. We had one such leak and it was resolved by adjusting the slide out so that it better fit the opening. We moved the slide out about 2" toward the front of the coach and haven't had a problem since. If those seals need replacement I would turn that job over to a Monaco dealer or take it to a factory service center. You can call Monaco 877-466-6226 for a factory appointment. I'm not sure where the factory repair shops are currently, the company is in flux as it has recently been sold by Navistar. Associated Specialty Vehicles (ASV) is now the parent company and they are committed to bringing Monaco back to a full service company again. The only Monaco dealer I know in the St. Louis area is southwest on I-44, Byerly RV Center, in Eureka, 636-938-2000. I haven't been there lately, they were a Monaco dealer. They should have tech's who are familiar with Monaco construction which would help in replacing these seals. Another dealer in the is Bill Thomas in Wentzville on I-70, 636-327-5900. In both cases call ahead to make an appointment as early as you can. If you are going back to Arizona, Lazy Days RV has an dealership in Tucson. I've never dealt with them but from what I hear they are very reputable. The awning covers for slide outs can be replaced, at least on ours which are Carefree of Colorado. The Carefree of Colorado website has a list of authorized repair shops and they can order the replacement canvas for you. I have replaced the canvas on our slide outs once on each slide but the second replacement has been done by someone else. You really need two people and an afternoon to do the job. If you are handy with tools and can read and follow instructions, it can be a do-it-yourself job. In the case of CofC awnings, the code for replacement parts (including the canvas) is found on the roller. You have to unroll the canvas completely to get to that label. This can be done without removing the canvas (again two people are better than one). You may need to remove any cover on the canvas roll in order to see the label. The code on the label gives the color and size of the canvas and should be all you need to order the correct canvas. One thing I recommend is to have the canvas reinforced before you have it installed. I took each of our new canvas to an awning shop and had custom sewing done. Here in Denver it was American Awnings that did the job, in Oregon at the factory service center I just looked up a canvas shop, called them, explained what I wanted and they were glad to do it. In Colorado they charged $75 each in Oregon there was no charge, the worker did it on her own time. I gave her $50 and thanked her very much for the work. The reinforcement I had done was to have the edges of the awning stitched up and back several times with the strongest thread they had available. I also had a diamond shaped piece of awning material sewn over the awning where the awning meets the motor home. In our case there is a metal case that covers the awning roll. Between the metal case and the coach the awning is exposed to the wind as we drive down the highway. This pulls the awning against the metal cover which eventually wears and tears the awning at that point. I have the diamond shaped piece of material folded over the awning so there is a triangle on top of the awning and a matching triangle on the underside of the awning. This is then sewed with multiple rows of stitching. That makes three layers of awning material where the wear point is and greatly extends the life of the awning. I have the diamonds made 10 inches wide where they are sewn on the edge of the awning and 8" long for the two extensions above and below the awning. So the dimensions across the fabric are 10" by 16" in our case. Look at your installation and see if that would help your awnings wear longer. I look at it as extending the life of the awning and also making it longer between replacements that I have to spend time getting done.

Thus the seven year limit for the useful life of a tire. No matter how well the tire is protected it will age due to a number of factors. The time starts when the tire is manufactured and date stamped at the factory and reaches its limit at 7 years old. No matter how much tread is left on the tire, it is no longer dependable after 7 years. For tires that require pressures near 100 psi this is most certainly true. Knowing this I still use tire covers, not because I expect to get more than 7 years from my tires, but because I believe that anything that retards the aging process makes the tire safer during those seven years.

Have you been to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in SW Wyoming and NE Utah? This is a spectacular gorge on the Green River. The Flaming Gorge Dam built in 1960's formed Flaming Gorge Reservoir as part of the Colorado River Project. Dam tours are available on a regular schedule. US 191 provides access to the eastern side of the NRA and Wyoming 530 and Utah 44 provide access to the western side of the gorge. Wildlife and scenery are spectacular. This is definitely a non-commercial kind of location. You will find a few small towns along the way but the major towns for shopping and RV camping are Green River, WY on I-80 and Vernal, UT to the south on US 191. You could stay in Green River to explore the upper reaches of the gorge and use Vernal for a base to explore the southern end and the dam. Fishing is one of the major attractions at this reservoir. Check local information when you get there. We drove a drive described as a geology loop. Along this road were some of the strangest rock formations anyone could imagine. I can't find information on that drive (I found it!) but we enjoyed it tremendously. There was one friendly Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep that hung around for pictures for quite a while! Vernal, Utah is in the heart of Dinosaur country. Dinosaur National Monument is located to the east of Vernal, close to the Colorado state line. There is a very nice Dinosaur Museum in Vernal. The National Monument has scenic areas along the Green River (this is the river below the dam). I believe that canoeing or rafting can be done on this section of the river. The National Monument has a spectacular Dinosaur Quarry which was exposed and covered in a building. You could see dinosaur bones exposed in large numbers on a hillside inside the building. Unfortunately the building was condemned several years ago when shifting of the foundation made it unsafe for occupancy. The building was designed by a famous architect and is a historical building so the Park Service is facing difficulty replacing the building. When we were there three years ago they had no idea when they would be able to get the necessary funding to reopen the building. I would still recommend this park for a visit. I just read the Vernal website linked above and it indicates that the quarry is now open again! Between Flaming Gorge Dam and Vernal Utah, US 191 descends from 7150 feet elevation to 5950 feet elevation, a vertical descent of 1200 feet in a straight line distance of 5 miles. The highway is anything but straight. There are a series of switchbacks that are numbered as you descend, cautioning you that there are 7, 6, 5, etc. more to go! Check your brakes before you descend. US 40 links up to US 191 in Vernal. We enjoyed the trip across northern Colorado from Vernal to Denver on US 40 also but if you want to stay in Utah, you could head west on US 40 toward Salt Lake City and the Great Salt Lake. US 50 also crosses Utah, we took this highway into Utah from the west to where it joins I-70. The western reaches of US 50 are interesting. I wrote up this trip on my Blog here on the FMCA web site.

Check the forecast before you depart and keep an eye on it as you travel. The weather is always doing crazy things and if you read or study a little weather history you will know that it has always done crazy things. That said, the second week of October doesn't bring up worries about cold weather or snow for that area of the country. You will get some cool weather, maybe some frost on the pumpkin if you put one outside at night. The Weather Channel has a good presentation of the weekly weather across the US frequently, it used to be 20 minutes after the hour every hour but that has given way to their many special programs. I don't even keep track of the time when they show that now. Anyway they will illustrate the Jet Stream location and forecast changes. If you are north of the Jet Stream it will be cooler, if south of the Jet Stream you will be warmer. The Jet Stream shifts constantly but usually in gradual ways and meteorologists have become pretty good at anticipating and predicting those shifts. Along the Jet Stream is the storm track. Low pressure areas will track along the Jet Stream path and low pressure brings cloudy rainy and stormy weather. By the way, if I-80 is dangerous they will close the highway. I've never heard of that happening in October. Having lived in the central US most of my life, October is my favorite time of year. The days are usually mild and the colors of the trees changing in the fall are spectacular. Go and enjoy.

Derrick, Glad to hear from you again. As always, I enjoyed your post. I wish you a happy 60th birthday and hope that the coming years bring you far more mermaids than dragons!

We stayed with friends in Yankton, South Dakota last week. It was a nice long weekend visit. I played golf twice while Louise got her quota of card games. We shared plans and updated each other on family matters. As we left, we had a two travel days planned on our way to the Denver area where we are now. As we pulled away we began talking about the possibilities. I asked if Louise would enjoy a drive along the South Dakota border and what roads were there for us to travel? She looked at the map in her lap and gave me a suggested route. We departed to the north on US 81 to SD Hwy 46. The roads were good and traffic was light. I set the cruise on 55 and we enjoyed a leisurely trip. The speed felt right on this narrow two lane road with no shoulder. At Pickstown we left Hwy 46 for Hwy 18 which took us across the Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River. This is a beautiful valley with a nice view of Lake Francis Case as you descend into the valley. Along the southern border of South Dakota are a number of Sioux Reservations. The population is sparse thorough this area with scattered farms. A succession of small towns gave glimpses into life in this part of the state. In the Rosebud Reservation we turned south on US 83 and drove to the South Dakota State Line. We pulled into the Rosebud Casino parking lot for a place to stay for the night. We shared the lot with one other motor home and several trucks. The night was quiet and we awoke the next morning, ate breakfast and continued on south into Nebraska and the town of Valentine. South of Valentine US 83 passes into the realm of the Nebraska Sand Hills. Once a desert, the sand dunes now support grasslands with low areas exposing the high water table in the area. These low spots form marshy lakes which can be seen for miles along this scenic highway. There are no streams here, water simply pools and sinks into the sandy soil. Near the town of Thedford US 83 joins Nebraska Hwy 2. At the intersection of the two highways is the Thomas County Fairgrounds and a parking area with information about the Sand Hills. We made this a lunch stop and enjoyed learning more about the Sand Hills and their history. We have driven Hwy 2 before but I wanted to travel west toward Hyannis and Nebraska Hwy 61. The scenery along Hwy 2 is beautiful and this time of year everything was green and vibrant. There were hay fields that look like they should be greens on a golf course. Hwy 61 turned out to be a very narrow two lane road. With very little traffic, it was a pleasant drive. The Sand Hills just went on and on. There was so little traffic on this road that I noticed there were grasshoppers sitting on the roadway. We were driving right over them - wrong! When we stopped for the night I found them all on the lower portion of the nose of the motor home, about as high as a grasshopper can jump! I got out the scrub brush and washed them off before they got baked on. We stopped to stretch our legs in the town of Arnold. Like many towns in the area, there were many old buildings. Unlike other small towns, these buildings were still kept in good condition and many being used. There was a hotel with a magnificent frieze depicting cattle and a cowboy. Across the street a small cottage labeled the Old Cowboy Rest Home. On the rail fence out in front were four saddles. We parked in front of the tack shop which had a sign that said Fed Ex Keep Off. Someone had issues! Leaving town we passed the cemetery which had a fence in front. Each fence post had a boot inverted atop the post. As we approached I-80 we drove across the dam on the North Platte River that forms Lake McConaughy, the largest lake in Nebraska. The recreation area around this lake is one of the prime vacation and recreation areas in Nebraska according to the information presented on signs in the area. There were numerous storage areas with huge numbers of RV in storage for the coming winter. Once on I-80 we quickly turned south on I-75 to Denver. At Julesburg there is a very nice welcome area and rest stop on I-75. We made that our stop for the night. During the night I awoke to hear a chirp. It wasn't a cricket, it was an electronic chirp. I listened and heard it again. After several more I decided I had to investigate. It was of course the smoke detector. I took it down and removed the battery. Then I heard the chirp again. We have three smoke detectors, an after effect of a fire safety seminar at an FMCA rally. One is in the bedroom, another is in the cockpit and the third is Louise's cooking timer, located above the stove! Before I went back to bed I changed the batteries in all three detectors. Louise mused that the battery life alarm always goes off in the middle of the night. We awoke the next morning to news that Denver had washed away overnight. Heavy rain and flooding, cars washing away in roaring creeks, homes flooded, and loss of life. The sky looked like more rain and indeed most of the way to Denver we drove in rain. Approaching Denver we saw the runoff basins along the highway filled with water. Small creeks and larger streams were roaring with muddy water. A low spot in the campground we are staying in is flooded, including several sites which now have no occupant. We unhook the car in a steady rain. It lets up and I get our utilities hooked up. I start to take the tow hardware off the car and the rain resumes. That's it, I'm soaked, time for a nice warm shower and something to eat. Tonight the furnace is running. Rain on the roof always makes for a good night of sleep. Tonight we are camped well up the hill at Dakota Ridge RV. We won't worry about high water.

If you take I-5 south through Northern California, you will pass right by Mt. Shasta, a beautiful volcano in the same group as Mt. St. Helens, the Cascade Range. In that same area is some great scenery, and lots of railroad history. You can see Castle Crags from the interstate highway but you can also drive to Castle Crags State Park and take a short hike to an impressive viewpoint. In Dunsmuir there is a hotel and restaurant which has caboose's for rooms and a railroad theme dining room. There are a number of engines and other railroad items on the grounds as well. In the town of Dunsmuir itself you can see a railroad turntable which was used for turning the engines around so they could travel in the opposite direction. There is a waterfall that you can hike to along a trail that is right next to the railroad tracks. During our two mile hike we had a train pass right by us. From that area you will descend into the Central Valley of California crossing over the Shasta Reservoir just before reaching the valley floor. The Central Valley lies between the Coastal Mountain Range and the Sierra Nevada and is the vegetable garden for the US. There are interesting crops everywhere. In Sacramento I-5 passes right over Discovery Park which is at the junction of the American River and the Sacramento River. There is a great bike trail from that point upriver right through the City of Sacramento, along the American River. Discovery Park at the junction of the two rivers is where gold was discovered at Sutters Mill in 1849 starting the California Gold Rush. Look over the American River Bridge to the west as you travel south on I-5 and you are looking at the site of Sutters Mill! The City of Sacramento is home to the California State Railroad Museum, a really great place to visit. None of these things are like the Redwoods. I submit this information to show that even when traveling the interstate highways you can find amazing and interesting things to see and do. It all depends on your interests.

If you are heading south for your first winter, make it a winter to explore. I would recommend trying a number of different parks with the goal of finding one that fits your interests and lifestyle. We will return to the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) for our 12th winter this year. We usually arrive in late October or early November and stay through April. October and November are great, December and January are our winter, February is a mix of warm and cool days, highs in the 50's mixed with highs in the 80's. We have had dry years with hardly any rain and wet years when the puddles never seemed to dry up. We play golf, ride bikes, play tennis and many other outdoor activities all winter long. With a heated pool, we swim all winter long. Our park has a pretty good selection of activities, some parks have a greater variety of activities and others have no planned activities. If you have friends up north, you will find friends down south. We have about 30% Canadians in our park in the winter. There is one man, 88 years old this year who drives to and from the RGV each winter. He stays in a mobile home. Like most parks in the RGV, our park is a mix of mobile homes and RV lots. A few people stay year round after being winter Texans for many years. We've had a couple from Alaska, another couple from Germany who return frequently. There are people from California to New York who are regulars. You will meet many Mexican immigrants in the RGV, this is the first stop for many immigrants. Many Mexican residents come to the RGV to shop or visit relatives. Many of the workers in our park are recent immigrants. They are hard workers and good people. To the residents of the RGV we are known as Winter Texans and are welcomed to the valley. We are a significant part of their economy so they are glad to see us return each winter. Things I like about the RGV... Wildlife watching (the real birds come here for the winter), golf, chain restaurants, tennis, the RGV Symphony Orchestra, bicycle riding, real Mexican restaurants, happy hour, South Padre Island, bowling, butterflies, Bentsen State Park, three airports with commercial service for quick trips north or south, charter fishing trips on the Gulf of Mexico, Whataburger, Macy's and lots of other stores in the mall, monster flea markets, swimming all winter, the Outlet Mall, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, trips to San Antonio, palm trees and fresh citrus fruit. Here is a great web site to give you more information about the RGV. You will find 56 RV Parks listed on this site. They range in size from 40 sites to 300 sites. From South Padre Island or Brownsville at one end of the RGV to Mission at the other end of the valley is a two hour drive on Expressway 83 and the parks are located throughout the valley.

Dave, Welcome to the FMCA Forum. The Forum is where we discuss problems, ask questions and share information. If you posted a question on the FMCA Blog, you were just in the wrong pew. A Blog is a continuing account or story about a persons adventure or journey through life. In the case of the FMCA Blog, the writings are generally focused on the RV lifestyle. A Blog is generally a one way communication. While there is a way to post comments on the Blog, the comments aren't usually too much of a two way communication. You can find Blogs on just about any topic on the World Wide Web. All that being said, you aren't the first person to confuse the two formats. Not to worry, now that you are here on the forum you will find many people who are willing to share their experiences and knowledge. You can use the search function at the top of the FMCA page to quickly find old posts which might have answers to your questions. Notice also as you browse the Forum that discussions are organized into categories of topics which will help you find the general area to post your question. This discussion is in the category for technical - systems and appliances. If you have a question or problem with batteries there is a different category that covers batteries. The FMCA forum is a great resource, use it freely and also please contribute your own experience and knowledge.

We drove from Olympic NP along the Oregon shore last fall. There are some great stops along the way, mostly pull-outs. Oregon is not tolerant of parking overnight in these spots in our experience. We spent almost a week in the Astoria, Oregon area. The area offers many attractions from the Fort Clatsop Visitors Center (Lewis and Clark Expedition winter quarters) to a fantastic Columbia River Maritime Museum, great beaches to walk, house tours, a tower that overlooks the area and much more. The Tillamook Cheese Factory is worth a stop. They have a self guided tour, samples, cheese shop, gift shop and a lunch counter. We stayed at a park right across from the factory. The park was by the highway and noisy, wouldn't recommend it for a long stay. We stayed at a park at Oregon Dunes for several nights. There are lots of people with four wheelers running the dunes but we were able to walk them and had no problem with the motorized crowd. This is definitely a take your time kind of drive. Plan to travel a hundred miles or so a day with many stops along the way. Allow time for longer stays at places like Astoria. The Redwoods are worth spending time and hiking some of the forests. There are many places for hiking along the old Redwood Highway as well as many of the tourist areas popular in the 40's and 50's still worth a visit. Don't overlook Redwood State Park, the trails and information here is excellent. Walking among those trees is amazing as is Sequoia NP south of Yosemite.

My preference is to go the first time with the idea of checking out several places. Our first year out we went to San Antonio. I was there in the Army and enjoyed my time in the town so I thought it might be a good place to stay. We booked into a campground just north of San Antonio for one month and enjoyed exploring the town and surrounding area. By the end of December we had gone through a 40 gallon tank of propane and we both wanted warmer weather for the winter if we could find it. So we headed south to the "Valley." A lady at a campground in Houston had given us the sales pitch for the Rio Grande Valley. We thought we would give it a try. We went to a park that looked interesting and found a very friendly welcome. People went out of their way to be friendly. Louise asked what the policy was for picking the abundant fruit (oranges and grapefruit) in the park. Before we got back to the coach there was a bag of fruit on the stairs waiting for us. I got an invite to play tennis the next morning. By the end of the week we booked in for a month and then another month. We had to leave in March but we returned the next fall and have been coming back ever since. Everyone has some idea of what they want in a park. Some parks have big dance halls. Others have regular plays with opportunities for Hollywood wannabees. There are parks with rock and gem clubs and others with complete woodworking shops. Some have it all and others are quite quiet with few organized activities. If you are lucky, you will find a park that suits you this year and you can make season long reservations next year.

Check out my post from several years ago that describes the whole process with photos. Forgive the double post, technologically challenged today!