First trip across country.

[jbarringer]

My wife and I are going cross country in May, starting from New Jersey. We have an Itasca Sunova 36 ft gas class A, towing a 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. Any suggestions or comments? We both just retired and this has been our dream to do it. Should we head south first or northern route? We’re anxious, nervous and excited 😫

Edited March 8, 2021 by jbarringer

[jbarringer]

On 3/11/2021 at 9:21 AM, robh said:

10% grade and 20 mph curves for about eight miles. Our GPS sent us that way and was too late to turn around by the time we figured it out. I don’t think we would have made it down without losing brakes  if we didn’t have the Jake brake . Only time I was truly concerned behind the wheel! The entire area is amazing and a must go just stay on Hwy 26. Here’s Wyoming’s warning 

 

https://www.wyoroad.info/Highway/Teton.pdf

😳 wow! Thanks Rob!

[jbarringer]

On 3/8/2021 at 8:13 PM, wildebill308 said:

First welcome to the forum. You said "We both just retired" Ok sit down and repeat after me. I don't have to be in a hurry to get any ware and git back by a certain time. You no longer need to travel in "vacation mode" You are RETIRED. You are not limited to one trip a year.

So you are waiting till May to start, ok. Make a list of things you definitely want to see. You will need to prioritize things based on what rout you are taking. jleamont, Has made a couple exultant recommendations. I will say if you are going to the Grand Canyon I highly recommend trying to get a spot reserved in Trailer Village NOW. It just makes the stay there much better. The bus service will pick you up at the RV park and take you places you can't drive. By the way Williams and the Canyon are off I-40. 

Let me know what route and what you want to see.

Bill

 

 

Hey Bill, I decided to take 20 south to10. What do you think?

[rayin]

 We too  travel between 9AM and 3PM, This allows beginning after workers rush hour and stopping early enough to obtain a CG site without a reservation usually. Then we have time to take a walk, swim in the CG pool, etc. before dinner. Popular tourist destinations now require a reservation, something we are still getting used to yet today.

For instance, if you plan on reserving a campsite at/ near Yellowstone NP you are already behind the curve or out of luck.

[wildebill308]

2 hours ago, jbarringer said:

Hey Bill, I decided to take 20 south to10. What do you think?

Well lets start with where exactly are you leaving from? Where do you want to go first?

I-20 and I-10 tend to run parallel East/West. I-10 runes into Jacksonville Fla. and I-20 ends at I-95 on the west side of Florence South Carolina. 

I miss spoke I-10 and I-20 do come together in West Texas.https://www.google.com/maps/@31.0873459,-104.0555319,3a,60y,57.5h,85.33t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEMDSS830EGlXKHJqid5ypw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

Let me know

Bill

[manholt]

My DW uses the GPS, unless we are in a city, town, I don't pay attention.  Having a photographic memory, my road map, underpass heights, etc is in my mind, in color! 😂 

I wish the Gov't would return the Analog and take the GPS back!  GPS has glitzes  built in to it, by the powers that be, that's why you can get lost or on the wrong road, by following it without doing as Richard said.  

jberringer....get a updated Truckers Atlas, you will not regret it.

[wildebill308]

8 minutes ago, manholt said:

Having a photographic memory, my road map, underpass heights, etc is in my mind, in color! 😂 

Just wondering how you do that if you have never seen or been in a area before?

Bill

[akadeadeye]

2 hours ago, manholt said:

My DW uses the GPS, unless we are in a city, town, I don't pay attention.  Having a photographic memory, my road map, underpass heights, etc is in my mind, in color! 😂 

I wish the Gov't would return the Analog and take the GPS back!  GPS has glitzes  built in to it, by the powers that be, that's why you can get lost or on the wrong road, by following it without doing as Richard said.  

jberringer....get a updated Truckers Atlas, you will not regret it.

Brought to you by none other than "A n a l o g  C a r l"  😎 I, too, have a Trucker's Atlas but it is a little too big to hold in one hand while tooling down the Interstate wishing my Delightful Wife would wake up and help!

[hermanmullins]

10 minutes ago, akadeadeye said:

  tooling down the Interstate wishing my Delightful Wife would wake up and help!

Deadeye,

Please have you DW let us know when your Memorial Service is. 🤔

Herman 

[akadeadeye]

2 hours ago, wildebill308 said:

Just wondering how you do that if you have never seen or been in a area before?

Bill

He can.  I snow skied with Carl 52 years ago in Colorado, often.  He taught me how to ski.  He always wanted to teach me how to ski jump, being the Norwegian Jumper he was but I was always reluctant since I don't like to break bones and bleed.  One trip to Aspen we were on the top of a mountain and a blizzard developed.  Carl said "we need to haul a$$" and get off this mountain.  So we did.  Me following him of course.  Suddenly he decided to take a "short cut" through the woods.  I lost sight of him then suddenly found myself 10 feet in the air having skied off a small cliff.  I "jumped", landed on my butt, covered in snow, and there was Carl, smiling.  He said "see, jumping is great fun".  He knew exactly where that jump was and to this day I don't know how he knew where to turn through the woods considering we were nearly blinded by the blizzard blowing snow horizontally.  Thanks Carl, I remember it as though it was yesterday. 

Sorry to the OP for this off-subject post.  Make your destination reservations NOW!  And, have a good trip, slowly.  Just remember, when you look around at our beautiful country you're seeing things those people in that jet flying above you are not seeing.

Don

 

Don

[manholt]

Bill, have you heard off google map in sat mode....that & Truckers Atlas is all I need before a trip.  Can't explain it, but biggest problem is that I get overload at times, because it's all in my head, once in, I can't just forget.  Drives Linda crazy!

[jleamont]

 NO GPS will be 100% accurate. If that’s all one follows I guarantee you will be stuck somewhere on a road you shouldn’t be on. 
I learned a valuable saying, it applies. Don’t follow the masses, sometimes the M is silent.

I use google maps, I map out my trip use street view when something doesn’t look right. DW navigates. In 2021 I’m demoting her to “pretty seat cover” . She’s good with nautical maps...we’ll leave it at that 

[wildebill308]

22 minutes ago, manholt said:

Bill, have you heard off google map in sat mode....that & Truckers Atlas is all I need before a trip.  Can't explain it, but biggest problem is that I get overload at times, because it's all in my head, once in, I can't just forget. 

Yes , Carl I have. But saying that you use them and don't forget is different than saying "  Having a photographic memory, my road map, underpass heights, etc is in my mind, in color! 😂".

I agree with Joe, especially since the grate adventure of getting routed over the GW bridge when trying to go up to the Tappan Z. 

Bill

[jleamont]

2 minutes ago, wildebill308 said:

GW bridge when trying to go up to the Tappan Z. 

 I forgot about that. I swear they are programmed to route you that way. Try and avoid that bridge with a GPS. You could be right at the Tappen Zee toll and it will turn you around and route you 20 miles out of your way just to cross the GW. 

[manholt]

Don't ever cross the GW!!!

I was on a cruise ship looking at Cuba, my phone GPS only showed blue water...all my friends had the same problem!  The Island was less than 2 miles away.

Bill, you still don't get it.

[wildebill308]

22 hours ago, jleamont said:

 I forgot about that. I swear they are programmed to route you that way. Try and avoid that bridge with a GPS. You could be right at the Tappen Zee toll and it will turn you around and route you 20 miles out of your way just to cross the GW. 

Yes it wouldn't rout us to the TZ, so tried going to the town on the outher side of the river at the TZ. It routed us across the GW bridge and up the bank of the river to that town. At that time it was a $76.00 toll. I think TZ was $19.00.

Bill

[jleamont]

On 3/8/2021 at 2:47 PM, jbarringer said:

starting from New Jersey

My guess, you already have had experience's with that bridge? Should you need advise heading north from NJ, just ask. From trial and error we have all become experts .

[wayne77590]

I always use the Hamilton Fish Newburgh–Beacon Bridge (i-84).  Did the GW back in '70 or so in a car.  What a pile up. 

[rayin]

On 3/14/2021 at 11:41 AM, jleamont said:

 NO GPS will be 100% accurate. If that’s all one follows I guarantee you will be stuck somewhere on a road you shouldn’t be on. 
I learned a valuable saying, it applies. Don’t follow the masses, sometimes the M is silent.

I use google maps, I map out my trip use street view when something doesn’t look right. DW navigates. In 2021 I’m demoting her to “pretty seat cover” . She’s good with nautical maps...we’ll leave it at that 

That reminds me of our Alaska trip with a SMART caravan. One man was always doing his own thing. One morning the wagonmaster told us to ignore our GPS and rely instead on his written directions. That stubborn man followed his GPS and turned onto a blacktop road while the rest of us proceeded to a highway the written instructions identified. When the man finally arrived at the overnight CG-after dark, his wife told the days events. He had made that turn, the blacktop turned into gravel, gravel into dirt. The dirt road ended in a forest. She said they unhooked the towed, backed the MH about 1/2 mile to a small clearing and made a multiple-point turnaround. Drove to their towed, reattached it then she demanded he follow the written instructions.

Boy she was mad_.

Edited March 17, 2021 by rayin

[wildebill308]

Ray, glad your wife got over it.

Bill

[manholt]

He! He! He! LOL

[HendersonClaire]

This is the best time to devote time to yourself and travel. My husband and I also recently retired, and decided to take a tour from Sam @ Samsoutdoors.co.uk to visit another country. This is great, England and its attractions hidden from the eyes of tourists inspired us to buy a mobile home. We took everything with us, so as not to forget anything and not to spend the night in just a sedan. The only thing that I will advise is to take an adapter that will fit any foreign outlet. You can take a universal or a specific type of outlet used in another country.

Edited April 8, 2021 by HendersonClaire

[wildebill308]

3 hours ago, HendersonClaire said:

This is the best time to devote time to yourself and travel. My husband and I also recently retired, and decided to take a tour to visit another country.

Welcome to the forum. Is it a secret where and how you are traveling? With the border closings and outher restrictions I will just be in the US this year.

Bill

[manholt]

We hope to pass thru Canada to Alaska and back, also do a R/T to Norway/Sweden by end of year...rest will be Lower 48!  

[dbenoit]

Are you ready to go? Is your route planned? We plan on doing this in about 2+ years. 

My GPS always says "You can't get there from here".,.......... DW says just floor it!

[manholt]

Alaska trip is thru Fantasy Tours, they do all the planning...we just show up & pray the border is open in July!  

The other part is Lufthansa away!  My family lives in Norway & Sweden....no Hotel needed.