tbutler
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Posts posted by tbutler
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It isn't GPS but you can get a Truckers Atlas at Flying J for a reasonable price. All the truck routes are shown on the maps and there is a list by state of any routes that have low clearance. It works for the truck routes but if you get off those routes, then you'll have to rely on other resources. We've had a hand full of problems in eight years and we aren't on truck routes all the time, not even most of the time. Once you are off the truck routes you are pretty much on your own.
If you want to be sure a route is clear then you'll have to stick to the truck routes or inquire locally about the suitability of routes. Most non-truckers and non-RV'ers really can't answer that question because they don't give it a second thought traveling in their cars.
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Jerry and Diane,
Our favorite chairs are directors chairs with a side table. They are very sturdy, relatively light. Ours have a carrying strap so we can carry them easily. We had a wooden set when we started motor home living and eventually the fabric gave out and we couldn't find replacement fabric. The current ones are aluminum frame and are much more compact.
There are many variations of directors chairs. Ours came from Monaco but I'm sure you can get them from other suppliers.
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This is the text I have posted on Destinations. Note that this greatly modifies my recommendations on all posts related to West Yellowstone as a base of operations for visiting Yellowstone National Park. Study this web site carefully and plan your stay accordingly. In light of this information I am not making any recommendation for where to stay while visiting Yellowstone N.P. It all depends on what you want to see.
Several people have asked about routes to Yellowstone NP. I picked up a caution from another website and visited the Yellowstone web site for the official word. The bridge at Gibbon Canyon is being replaced and this road will be completely closed on August 17, 2009. If you are headed to Yellowstone this summer, be sure to check this web site: http://www.nps.gov/yell/travelalert.htm
This road section links the West and South entrances of the park to the North and East entrances. There is no way around within the park, so it essentially cuts the park in two. The road is scheduled to reopen in December. This may affect your decision of where to camp when you visit the park.
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This is the text I have posted on Destinations. Note that this greatly modifies my recommendations on all posts related to West Yellowstone as a base of operations for visiting Yellowstone National Park. Study this web site carefully and plan your stay accordingly. In light of this information I am not making any recommendation for where to stay while visiting Yellowstone N.P. It all depends on what you want to see.
Several people have asked about routes to Yellowstone NP. I picked up a caution from another website and visited the Yellowstone web site for the official word. The bridge at Gibbon Canyon is being replaced and this road will be completely closed on August 17, 2009. If you are headed to Yellowstone this summer, be sure to check this web site: http://www.nps.gov/yell/travelalert.htm
This road section links the West and South entrances of the park to the North and East entrances. There is no way around within the park, so it essentially cuts the park in two. The road is scheduled to reopen in December. This may affect your decision of where to camp when you visit the park.
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Several people have asked about routes to Yellowstone NP. I picked up a caution from another website and visited the Yellowstone web site for the official word. The bridge at Gibbon Canyon is being replaced and this road will be completely closed on August 17, 2009. If you are headed to Yellowstone this summer, be sure to check this web site: http://www.nps.gov/yell/travelalert.htm
This road section links the West and South entrances of the park to the North and East entrances. There is no way around within the park, so it essentially cuts the park in two. The road is scheduled to reopen in December. This may affect your decision of where to camp when you visit the park.
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The previous replies just about cover it with one exception, no one has mentioned a washing machine. This is frequently a source of odor for us. If it hasn't been used for some time, the drain can go dry. Sometimes I think it isn't dry until we drive and then because it is low the remaining water sloshes out of the trap which opens a direct route to the gray water tank. Any dry drain will allow odors from the gray or black water tank to enter the motor home. A gray water tank can smell as bad as a black water tank. Check all your drains for dry traps.
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Jim,
When you get your Blue Ox system you should receive some answers to your questions. They should recommend how to connect the safety chains. Our Roadmaster system came with safety cables (instead of chains) which are attached to the loops on the hitch. I crossed them as is conventional but don't recall anything that specifically said what to do. The reason for crossing the chains is so they will catch the hitch arm if the hitch on a trailer comes disconnected. This would keep the hitch arm from hitting the road and digging in causing further damage. With a tow bar, the bar is unlikely to come loose. The failure will likely be in an arm of the hitch so crossing the cables won't help.
Our automatic braking system is part of the Brakemaster system also made by Roadmaster. The cable that pulls the plug in case of break away is not long enough to allow the safety cables to work without activating the brake. So in the event of a broken tow bar, the brake on the toad should be activated. This should give us a good tug letting us know that something is wrong. If the safety cables (chains) break then the car should come to a safe stop on its own. If the safety cables (chains) don't break, the braking action we would initiate with the RV should allow the toad with its brakes set to come to a stop without running into us.
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I've traveled through some of this country but not on US 20. I plotted it on my GPS program and it shows elevations from about 200 feet above sea level to almost 5000' in several spots along the route. The worst grade looks to be a 1400 foot drop in elevation in 9 miles of road. As you go east from the last high spot near 5000' there are plenty of curves and plenty of hills and valleys which suggest very slow travel. My GPS shows a difference of 64 miles vs. going north to Portland and taking I-84 from there to the junction with US 20. Unless you really want to see something along the way or just want to see the scenery, I wouldn't take US 20. Someone local may be able to give you a better answer about US 20 and I hope we'll hear from someone with better information.
By the way, if I want to go somewhere specific, I'll take my motor home on most any road if I can get information that the route has no low overpasses that would present a physical barrier to travel. We have driven the loop through John Day Fossil Beds in northern Oregon and those were some real curvy steep roads. Hitting 20 miles per hour was a real accomplishment on some of those roads. I will take shorter routes and slower roads if I have the time available. I would likely take US 20 just to see the scenery if I wasn't in a hurry.
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Thanks for the information SEAJAY! This is something I had never heard or thought of. I guess you may not have regular roaming service but may be able to roam on any network in case of emergency. Everyone should know about this. Perhaps it should be confirmed with the cell companies and then published in Family Motor Coaching magazine.
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Thanks, Jerry, for the information. We appreciate the detailed information about the decision. I thought about it later and I would bet that the comment by the incoming president was not meant as any kind of suggestion that the concert was canceled so the officers could sit around and visit. Those who are in leadership positions come to these conventions and work pretty much all the time, going from one venue to another to meet with various groups. I understand the Governing Board meeting on Monday went for over 12 hours. I believe his comment was an expression of joy at being able to have time to visit, which is so unusual for the organizational leaders. People who reach the top echelons of leadership do so after years of dedication to the work of the organization and likely haven't had much of a chance to relax and visit with people during conventions.
I thought the convention was very well planned and run. Louise and I had a wonderful time and if you followed my BLOG, we did our best to keep the vendors happy as well. Thanks again for the information and all the hard work you do for us.
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I am sure that everyone would have preferred to have the concert on schedule. As I recall, Wednesday night it rained and the concert was scheduled for an outdoor venue. Perhaps my memory fails me, but I know there was still rain on Thursday morning, which triggered the move of the general meeting to the indoor venue. Even if it wasn't raining during all of the scheduled concert time or not at all, the threat of rain or storms during the concert may have caused cancellation. Cancellations of events such as this one often have to be made hours in advance. All of the electronic equipment has to be set up for the concert and/or taken down before it is damaged by rain.
Perhaps we'll get some answers from someone on the FMCA Staff. Remember, all of our officers are volunteers; they aren't getting paid for their endless hours of work on our behalf. Personally I am thankful we have people who are willing to take the jobs they do. The newly elected president didn't take office until Thursday morning, so I presume someone else made the decision on Wednesday.
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Hello Patty,
We have traveled much of this territory but don't know all the roads well. I can tell you that the best route through the Rockies is on I-80. The elevations and grades are not as extreme as other routes. Given that, I would suggest dropping west and south from Rushmore (Don't miss Badlands N.P. for scenery and Custer State Park for Buffalo) to Cheyenne, WY. Take I-80 across Wyoming to Rock Springs (Look for antelope along the highway on this stretch). From there US 191 and US 189 will take you to the Tetons and then on north to Yellowstone. 191 and 189 are two lane winding roads but nothing extreme as far as mountains. Beautiful scenery! We like West Yellowstone, MT for a base to explore Yellowstone but you may prefer another area. From West Yellowstone, US 191 or US 287 will take you to I-90 for your trip on to Portland.
This won't be the shortest route but I think you will find it to be without the extremes of high mountains and steep grades for the most part. Enjoy your trip!
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Mike and Christina,
Glad to hear your results were good. As the weather gets colder, you'll find these same principles work but you'll have to be more aggressive with them. Turn up the ventilation when at times when cooking or showering to keep the moisture from accumulating in the air. The colder the surfaces of the motor home the easier it is to get condensation on them. Enjoy your travels.
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OK Gary,
I don't know the kind of motor home you have or what your standards for campgrounds are. The closest community with campgrounds for the airport according to my Garmin MapSource and the Trailer Life Campground Directory is Frankfort Springs, next closest is Beaver Falls and then Darlington, PA.
Frankfort Springs has one campground listed, Raccoon Creek State Park (888-Pa-Parks). it has 172 sites, 20x35 ft. size. and 50 amps. There is a dump station. If you are longer than 35, this won't work. Garmin shows the shortest distance from Frankfort Springs to the Airport road to be 13 miles and the fastest to be 17 miles.
Beaver Falls lists Harts Content Campground, 724-846-0005, 110 sites, 30 available (transient), 22x38' size, sites have water and electric 20/30A and water. There is a dump station.
Also at Beaver Falls, Shawnee Sleepy Hollow Campground, 814-733-4380, 76, 60 available, 4 pull throughs 55x80, back ins 45x50, sites have water and electric 20/30A and there is a dump station. Garmin shows the distance from Beaver Falls to the Airport road to be 27 miles by the shortest route and 31 miles by the fastest route.
Darlington has Crawford's Camping park (724-846-5964) listed with 20 sites available, 30x90 pull throughs and 30x50 back ins, 40 have water, 7 have sewer, 40 have electric 20/30 amps. Garmin shows the fastest route here to be about 31 miles and the shortest route to be 31 miles!
So there you have it. There is the usual disclaimer for variations in distance, these were calculated from city center, not the actual campground location. The Trailer Life Campground Directory is 1.5 years old (I get one every other year, alternating with Woodall's) so the information may not be entirely correct. Contact the park for specific up-to-date information and reservations. These locations were all to the NW of Pittsburgh. Since the airport is NW of Pittsburgh I would assume the easiest access to the airport would be from that direction. You may find some campgrounds closer to the southwest but would have to traverse what looks like urban traffic to get to the airport.
If there were anyone from Pittsburgh keeping up with this forum, you might get a better answer. I have never camped anywhere near Pittsburgh so this is the kind of information we use for selecting our campgrounds. We, Louise and I, are adventuresome. Sometimes we find a gem and sometimes we find a real dog. Louise loves dogs, the tail wagging kind. We avoid the other kind. Still, it is only for a weekend I assume so you can live with the dog if that is what it turns out to be. As long as you dress well and shower before you go to the reunion, who is to know where you are living.
Interesting that no one near Pittsburgh seems to need a sewer connection. Either no one there ever ... or maybe no one ever stays there long enough to ...
This is free advice for what it's worth!
P.S. Note to readers. Valuable resources: A Campground Directory (even if it is older) and a good mapping program. Google works but having one on the computer is so much faster and doesn't require an internet connection. Personally I find Trailer Life much more useful than the Woodall's Directory so even though I have a newer Woodall's, I didn't bother to dig it out because I wasn't being paid! We use it if we absolutely can't find anything satisfactory in the TL Directory. Woodall's doesn't give any indication of rates/prices on way too many of their entries. They do however occasionally have an entry that TL doesn't have. That's my opinion, I could be wrong.
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Hello ChunkyB,
I posted a list of salvage yards in the General Discussion under the title "An Excellent Source of RV Information." There is an extensive list with their specialties listed. I think several of them mentioned manuals. If you can't find the manufacturer (a real trick these days), give the salvage yards a try.
By the way, I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience from the dealer you purchased your motor home from. Thanks for warning the rest of us of this kind of conduct. We travel through New Braunfels every spring and fall. We love that area of Texas.
We purchased a motor home at a rally from a dealer that went out of business a year later. They re-opened on the same site with a different name. This was four years ago, long before the current financial situation. Perhaps we'll put part of the payment in escrow next time! I don't know what other recourse we have, frustrating and costly for us. Fortunately, there are some really good dealers out there who will take us in and give us service when needed.
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Jose and Karen,
I have had Coach Net Service for the last five years and have been very satisfied. I had Good Sam earlier and had some issues with their service. I have had good experiences with both when they have provided service promptly so can't say it is all bad. They will deliver a big wrecker as soon as they possibly can. When we were stuck in the mud with several thousand other motor homes at FMCA in Hutchinson, Kansas in 2002, we called GS and expected to be number 500 in line. We had a wrecker in about 15 minutes and were out and on our way in short order.
We had one experience when GS told us no wrecker was available until tomorrow and we would have to call back tomorrow when we were ready to tow. They wouldn't make an appointment for tomorrow. We were in an RV park with an engine breakdown so it wasn't like we were in danger, just inconvenienced. On another occasion, they sent out a truck with a tire and wheel neither of which we could keep but would have to purchase to take care of a flat tire. I told them no deal but they said that was my service call. I had to arrange service on my own. I had to buy a wheel I didn't need but at least got the proper size tire. In the long run I came out cheaper getting my own service than I would have been taking their service. My expense wasn't their concern, they wanted to send the closest repair service. That was the last straw with their service.
I'm renewing my Coach Net service at the FMCA Convention in Bowling Green. They are offering a $20 discount for renewals here at the Convention! If you are a first time customer, they should give you a better price for the first year. If you are renewing you could ask for the convention rate! Doesn't hurt to try! If they say no, you can always drop by the convention!!! Then again, the drive from California might cost more than your savings.
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Hello Rayinnc,
Our preference for parks while visiting Yellowstone has been West Yellowstone, MT. There is a top quality park right at the park entrance, Grizzly RV Park. There is also a KOA in West Yellowstone. We stayed at Lionshead which should now be KOA. It is about 7 miles from the park entrance. Staying in or near West Yellowstone has you near food and groceries, etc.
We have also stayed in Grand Teton National Park but Yellowstone would be a longer drive from there. Grand Teton Park RV Resort is right on Jackson Lake at Coulter Bay and a beautiful wooded campground. The Tetons also have plenty to be seen. You will be just south of Yellowstone and it can be a base for exploring the southern part of Yellowstone.
You haven't given us your interests, history, geology, wildlife, hiking, boating, fishing or just general travel. What ages are your children? There are some great hikes in Yellowstone that will get you out away from the general tourist population but I wouldn't recommend them if you children are very young. We purchased a small yellow book that listed about 40 of the best hikes in Yellowstone. It was only a few dollars, written by a park naturalist. It described the hikes in terms of difficulty and what you could expect to see. I highly recommend this for an activity if your children are old enough. You are in bear country and small children can be a concern when hiking away from the populated areas. Also if your children are small, keep a tight watch on them when visiting the geysers and thermal areas as many of these areas have only a thin crust of material over pools of boiling hot water. A small child can dart off a boardwalk and be in bad trouble in a flash.
Big wildlife, elk and bison are abundant in Yellowstone. You will likely see some moose as well. You don't have to look for them, look for the traffic jams. You will see people who have no concept of a wild animal and will get way too close to animals. Most get away with it but once in a while somebody finds out how fast a bison or bear can move. The results are not pretty.
The thermal areas are all worthwhile. Some have geysers which erupt on varying and sometimes unpredicted schedules. It is a treat to get to see a geyser when you are only one of a few dozen people watching. Yellowstone is a huge and very beautiful park with a little something for everyone.
Give us a little more information, tell us how long you plan to stay, where are you coming from? Do you have a toad? The better we know you and your family, the better your answers will be.
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In a post on June 30 in the Legislative Action thread, on the topic of Rest Areas, I suggested that this very thing might happen. I would bet that this is just the beginning of a tidal wave of cost cutting by states that will result in a variety of problems for the traveling public and motor home enthusiasts in particular. It is short sighted, traffic safety will decline as a result of this action. But when there is no more money, some difficult decisions have to be made. Virginia was never a really friendly rest stop state by my experience. This will take Virginia off my travel list for the immediate future.
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I'm hesitant to weigh in on this one. As Cookie & Gary said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! I have been able to park my motor home in my mother's driveway when we visit her for several years now. I'm not sure if the town where she lives has any regulations but I do my best to keep a low profile while there. I'm sure if any of the neighbors were to object the police would come calling to ask me to move even if there weren't a regulation. Mom is in a sparsely populated area, nowhere near the heart of town, I think that helps.
When we bought our motor home, I checked with the police in the county where we lived. It is an urban area and they would allow street parking for two days which is what we did when we were ready to move into our motor home. When the neighbors came by, we showed them through the motor home and told them of our plans to live in it. Everyone was friendly and we heard of no complaints. It is nice to be able to do things like this from time to time.
Much like the overnight parking that some states limit or prohibit, parking and/or storing a motor home at your home should be done with the objective of being a good neighbor and keeping a low profile so as not to call undue attention to your motor home. By doing so, you may be preserving the rights of other motor home owners to continue parking at their homes. All it takes is one "bad" apple to spoil it for everyone else.
If you are moving and know that you want to keep your motor home at your home, even if for a short period of time, you should check the community rules before purchasing the house, just as you would investigate the schools in a community to be sure your children will get a good education.
If you are faced with a law limiting or prohibiting RV parking in residential areas, you can fight to keep your right to park at home. If it looks like the support for the law is strong, then you may have to seek some compromise that might set conditions (set backs from streets, screening, covers, time limits, etc.) for keeping the motor home at your home. If all else fails, you might try to get a grandfather clause written into the law. That would at least protect the rights of those who purchased their homes with this right.
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We have a full width mudflap at the rear of the coach as well as a mudflap behind each rear dual tire pair. In addition, we have the Roadmaster Guardian in the link that Brett mentioned above.
When we went to Alaska, we added a tow car cover from Coastline Cover Company, http://www.coastlinecover.com/ based near Los Angeles, CA. We went to the factory and they made a cover for our car and coach, custom on the spot. They have hook-ups for power and water available at the factory. At the time, they were offering to make the covers in custom colors. I don't know if they still do that. Anyway, they used our custom job to make a pattern for others who have our vehicle so they can enlarge their offerings. They didn't charge any more for the custom job than for the standard cover they sell.
Given all this protection for our toad, we still find bits of gravel on the roof if we go over 20 MPH in a construction area with gravel (chip seal kinds of sites). We also get sand and grit in the sweep pads of the side windows. When you roll the window down after traveling, you will hear scratching and see the result of this. You can try to wash out the window sweep pads but can't get everything out. This sand and grit will be found when traveling any road, interstate or gravel, coastal or inland.
We have had no major damage to our toad while in tow behind the motor home but there will be minor damage to paint and windows on an ongoing basis. We figure we'll keep the toad until the wheels fall off!
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Hello Qjequack and Grammak!
We are a friendly group! Except for a few marines and sailors who are busy scrapping with each other. There is a service star to put in your "window" for your son (look on the photo section of the community) and that will make any sailor and marine stand up and salute!
We are coming through the NE this summer, join us and we'll get you out of state. NH isn't so big that you can't get out of state! Go to Ben-N-Jerry's Ice Cream in Burlington, Vermont! RVing is about exploring and having fun, even if just for a day or two. Spend a weekend in Newport, Rhode Island and explore the mansions along the sea. Take a drive to the Finger Lakes in New York! Just get out and go. If you catch the fever, follow it to where it takes you!
If you think Clarke is going to quit working when he retires to go RVing, think again. I'll bet he is the one who dumps the waste tanks! He will likely take care of hooking up the utilities and unhooking them when ready to move! It is a great life, everyone works, everyone has fun.
Welcome to the RV world!
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Brett,
Some good points here. I would consider using a different chemical than chlorine. I know this is the standard for public water systems but I haven't used chlorine in years. Chlorine is so corrosive, it chemically attacks seals and other components. I worry about what chlorine is doing to the plumbing in the motor home. Besides valves and seals, the faucets and drain hardware will be attacked by chlorine. I used to add a small amount of chlorine to any stored water but my hoses were breaking down at a high rate. Since stopping this practice, I have had many fewer hose failures. Now I concentrate on keeping the water fresh. My hoses are kept fresh by connecting ends rather than sterilizing them constantly. I use flat hoses and those are thoroughly drained and dried before storing. In addition with each use I give them a good flush with fresh water before making the connection to the motor home.
I am also choosy about the water that I store. If possible I'll use the water for several days in a campground before filling the fresh water tank. If it is exceedingly hard or has any questionable characteristics, I'll not fill with that water and wait for another source if possible. Of course if boon-docking regularly we sometimes don't have a choice but then that water won't be stored for long.
If water has been stored for a longer time than desired, I'll simply drain it and rinse rather than running it through the system. I always keep some water in the storage tank for emergencies so after draining I'll refill to at least half full with fresh water. Being full time it usually isn't a problem keeping the fresh water tank in good condition. It is a different game for those who use their coaches only occasionally.
Finally, we have adopted the practice of purchasing filtered water in bulk for drinking purposes. I don't believe it is possible to maintain a 100% sanitary drinking water source in an RV water system given all the variables in where we get water from. It only takes one bad water source to contaminate the whole system. That combined with the fact that the fresh water is invariably found adjacent to the sewer connection both in the RV and in most campgrounds raises the likelihood of some kind of contamination for even the most conscientious person.
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Steve and Lynette,
Thanks for the great post! Duluth! We were just telling another couple about our visit to Duluth last summer. We stayed at the marina and loved watching the Great Lakes ships coming and going under the high bridge! Really had a fantastic time and recommend a stop there to everyone.
I know what you mean about being in one place too long. We have occasionally packed up and taken a short trip during the winter and then returned to our winter home. We love our winter park and all the great people there. One year we spent two weeks at Big Bend National Park in late March. The desert plants were all in bloom and the weather was perfect for hiking. We did some 4 wheeling on some of the remote roads and just generally enjoyed the park. It was a refreshing break from the routine golf, bike rides, tennis, bowling, swimming, water volleyball and other activities at our home park. Besides the wonderful people and great activities, the advantage of staying at one winter location is that we have an annual lease on our lot. We can just show up and know our space is there for us. We have made improvements which can be sold to someone else if/when we decide to go somewhere else for the winter. The rates in south Texas are quite reasonable. If we stay five months, we are paying about $15 per night plus the electric used, about another $3 per night. Not bad for a first class facility. This coming year we will break up the winter stay with a cruise in March. We also do some weekend trips with friends. I fly small airplanes and we flew friends to Port Aransas, TX for a weekend.
We are thinking our next trip to Alaska will be via the ferry on the inside passage, making stops at landings along the way for extended visits. Newfoundland is on our radar this summer. We're not sure if we'll take the coach or just the toad. There is a presentation at the FMCA convention in Bowling Green on Newfoundland. It is on my list of must see things. Not having to make definite plans is part of the joy of full timing.
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AnnHester,
I was reading the post, http://community.fmca.com/index.php?showtopic=244 Driver Licensing - SC and Other States when it occurred to me that you might have to consider the regulations in your home state for your drivers license if you are using your motor home in support of your business and deducting motor home expenses related to your business. If you read my post there, the response from the South Dakota drivers license bureau indicates that a commercial drivers license is not required if the motor home is used for recreational purposes only. That is South Dakota, what about your state? If their laws are similar, then you might need to get a commercial drivers license to stay on the right side of the law.
Campground Parking That Is Not Level
in Campgrounds
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I've been in several campgrounds in Ohio recently and they are really marginal. Sites that are not level, narrow, poorly designed, trees dropping hickory nuts on our roof along with lots of leaves and twigs, marginal 30 amp electric, the list goes on and on. The economics of campgrounds must be terrible. The land costs are high and once the utilities are in, it becomes economically impossible to make significant improvements. Imagine the tangle of water, electric and sewer lines under the ground. If someone asked me to come into one of these campgrounds and replace any of the utilities, my bid for the work would be really high because I would have to anticipate hitting an unexpected electric, water or sewer line and spending lots of time repairing things.
There are some really nice campgrounds around but the prices are usually prohibitive. We did find a state park in London, Kentucky which had nice pull through sites with level concrete pads and good water/sewer/electric connections. The cost was $25 per night. The sites were wide with a nice gravel patio. Perhaps we'll see more modern campgrounds developed in coming years however the economy is really hurting many of today's campground owners. With increasing fuel prices, we may never see a recovery to the good ol' days!