X-country travel planning

[schoonmakerjon]

Hello All reading this note,  We are planning a x-country trip from eastern PA to SF and return.   The time line is mid-Jan '25 through mid-March, ~8 weeks and we will initially travel south to get more accommodating weather.  We will be traveling with 2 adults, ~70 yrs of age and 2 large dogs in an ~20yr old, 45ft MCI converted coach.  The coach is well appointed, lounge/galley/bath/bedroom, generator, Aquahot hot water/heat, updated galley w/appliances, etc.   Our goal is to visit friends from our ~40yrs working on both the east and west coasts of the country.  Additionally we would like to visit a few national parks (NPs) hopefully out of season.  Our longest prior trip was Springfield, MA to Lake Michigan, mid-summer, 7-8 days on the road.

The MCI coach has been annually and is currently maintained by MCI's NE service center, Blackwood, NJ and PeterPan Bus (PPB) in Springfield, MA.  PPB has run exclusively MCI buses since their founding, late 1940's.  So I'm fairly confident in the coach's reliability and having 2 sources that have extensive coach knowledge in the event of any on-the-road issues.

Please advise on any of the following items,

Route planning, RV campsites, daily driving times/distances, locations for 2-4+ days layovers, on-the-road maintenance activities, handling roadside assistance (MCI provides 24hr tech support and local area service vendor referrals), managing provisioning 7-10 days at a time, what to avoid? and anything I might be missing.   Thank  you for your help and experience.   -- Jon

[elkhartjim]

As you are aware, the weather is going to be a huge factor for this trip and you are covering lots and lots of miles in 8 weeks. Many campgrounds and parks will be closed for the season so planning is going to be very important. We are traveling in southern Utah and some parks began closing today, Oct 1.  Plan on boondocking occasionally until you get to the southern part of the country. Check which if any states will require chains for your coach. I assume you will be towing a toad. 

Good luck.

[rayin]

FWIW, I use 50 MPH as average speed when calculating  driving distances, this allows for refueling, breaks, etc, and for me is usually accurate.  As Jim said,  you;'ll find many CG;s open along Interstate 10, but from Amerillo TX West into central NM you might encounter snow, so allow for  1-2 day layovers JIC. Jim mentioned the chain-up laws in some states; my opinion is if the highway is snowy I don't drive. I'm 82, slick roads are not in my driving schedule, I don't even like to drive our MH in heavy rain.

It'll take you 7+ days to reach the West Coast, with no delays driving the Southern route from PA. if you drive short days and allow relaxation time later.  I normally drive 350 miles/day and stop around 3pm. This pretty much insures I'll find an open site in an RV park and not be so dog-tired I cannot relax and enjoy dinner.

 

[ianbullock]

I would suggest that you look into loading the KOA app on your phone or obtaining one of their KOA Guides.  They have a substantial number of RV parks/campgrounds that are big rig friendly and open all year along I-10, I-20, I-40 and I-70, and I-80. Some even north of I-80. I would also suggest reserving a few days ahead as you determine your route.

I know that KOA's are not for everyone and can be a bit more expensive however we've found them to be reliable, conveniently located and often open in the winter when many others are not.

Edited October 2 by ianbullock

[schoonmakerjon]

All responding,   thank you for taking the time and the information.   It is all very helpful and useful.   I'll apply this to our planning and preparations.  Also, if anything more comes to mind, please to pass it along.   thank you.   ---  Jon

[wildebill308]

13 hours ago, schoonmakerjon said:

 The time line is mid-Jan '25 through mid-March, ~8 weeks and we will initially travel south to get more accommodating weather.

That is not much time to make that trip especially with the 2-4+ days layovers on the way. What is the hurry? Take your time. The outher benefit is having more time to visit National parks and points of interest.

You asked about,  "managing provisioning 7-10 days at a time". You can stop at any of the frontier forts and towns out west and they have stores. I like to trade with the local natives at local farmers markets on layover days.

Do you have your TSD diesel discount card?

What apps do you have to find places to stop?

Do you have your senior pass for the parks?

Bill

 

 

 

 

[aztec7fan]

As far as trip planning, take the advice of the previous posters and plan each day in increments of 350 miles or less.  this allows you time to have breakfast, get on the road for 2-3 hours, stop for lunch, drive for another 2-3 hours and arrive before dinner, in the daylight which allows for an easier setup.

"visiting National Parks" can mean anything from just stopping in at the visitor center, watching a movie and leaving, to taking several hours to take a hike or a tour, or staying overnight in a campground.  with your agressive itenerary, you may not have much time to sightsee in the parks, except for a quick visit.  keep in mind, the campgrounds inside the NPs may not be able to accomodate a 40ft MCI coach due to size restrictions.

Although there are a few online trip planning apps, i would suggest you get out a paper atlas, highlight your route, and then start writing out the itenerary, and where you plan on stopping each night.  this is very useful in finding out if you need to stretch out a day, or if you can go farther than planned.  we generally dont set up reservations at campgrounds, unless the area is a destination area, like Grand Canyon, or Orlando FL.

[erniee]

Sounds like a job instead of a vacation 

[schoonmakerjon]

All providing updated responses,

This information is quite helpful/useful.   As a result, we are modifying our travels to only cover the southeast USA on this ~6 week trip.   So the plan is to travel south from northeastern PA into VA, where we have friend in the DC metro area, probably use I81.   Then head south on I95  through the Carolinas and into FL, where we have more friends from years ago.  From FL we will head west, probably on I10.  From there we have a few destinations in the south, and once we get "tired of being on-road", we will sort out heading back north based on sightseeing interests and weather.

Please send any updated comments, destination possibilities, etc.   Also, I appreciate the comment about a hardcopy road atlas and paper/pencil.   I've the FMCA 2019 road altas and generally do the trip planning on an excel worksheet with possible destinations w/in 350-400miles or less.  Also, I've Passport USA, Love/Pilot-J, fuel app/card and will get KOA as suggested.  Thank you  and again this is all quite helpful.

        ---  Jon

[wildebill308]

Like I said before Do you have your TSD diesel discount card? If you don't then get it.

3 hours ago, schoonmakerjon said:

 I've the FMCA 2019 road altas and generally do the trip planning on an excel worksheet with possible destinations w/in 350-400miles or less. 

Why are you pushing so hard. 400 mile travel day is over 10 hours. I don't like to do over 250 miles, 200 is better. You get in and set up and you arn't to tired to explore the area go to the store, find a place to eat. 

Bill

[aztec7fan]

while traveling on I-10 near Pensecola FL, see if you have time to visit the Gulf Island National Seashore.  its a beautiful beach and there is a campground right in the park, walking distance to the beach.  Ft Pickens is cool to see too.