First trip EVER in a Motorhome

[dukeman7595]

We will be leaving from Missouri going to the GRAND CANYON toward the end of Sept. Can anyone recommend a place to rest about halfway there?

This will be our first trip ever in a motorhome and we are excited and a little apprehensive (don't really know what to expect) ..

I feel we will should be able drive halfway there before stopping to rest for a night,I THINK, not real sure about that.

Could I get advice on what and where the most suitable place would be to stop and rest, I am not sure what the SMART way is to go. Campground? Rest stop?

Walmart? I could use some help on this, we want to stay SAFE and also do the right thing. Any advise would be most appreciated..

Sincerely, JOE

[StellersJay]

Joe, my first piece of advice would be to not get in a hurry (if your schedule allows). Between MO and the Grand Canyon are a lot of worthwhile stops. Be aware that at the end of September you could encounter some cold weather or even an early snow in the high country. Lot of people use Walmart, rest areas, truck stops or such for overnight stops. We prefer campgrounds. Check out Passport America on-line. With their card, campgrounds are 50% off, but there are restrictions in some.

Have a great trip! If you are into such things, following Rt 66 would make an interesting trip to the Grand Canyon area.

Sam

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

I agree that if your schedule allows don't get in a hurry. That trip would take us at least 5 days. If there is that much rush, stay in a hotel.

There are numerous publications to help find places to stop. Use the Internet.

[desertdeals69]

Since this is your first trip I would suggest before you leave take a short trip for a couple of days to get the hang of it. Make sure you understand how all of the systems work. Even just staying in your driveway for a couple of days would be useful. If we are traveling across the country we usually stay at a Walmart or Sams Club. They have an atlas which has all of their locations for $6.97. I drive about 6-7 hours a day, about 300 miles. Take your time and see this great country.

[aztec7fan]

Along with the other posters, I would agree that you shoulnd't try to drive too far, too fast.

The first mistake I made with my first motor home was treating it like a car. On car trips, we would generally try to drive as much as possible, before having to stop at a hotel. With the motor home, we drive about 3 hours in the morning and 3-4 hours in the afternoon, which gets us to the place we will stay in the daylight, and we are not too tired to do some sightseeing or just relax. Also, keep your speed at 65 mph or less, which will improve your gas milage greatly and reduce wear and tear on tires and engine.

I looked at the most likely route you will take from MO to Grand Canyon, (assuming you are coming from the Kansas City area). I mapped out about 300 miles from there which puts you in around Pratt, KS the first day (lots of assumptions here). I looked up campgrounds in that area on RVParkreviews (http://www.rvparkreviews.com/) and there appears to be a nice place to stay called The Evergreen Inn and RV Park.

This is how we plan our trips, and hopefully the info will help.

[rossboyer]

Hi Joe:

We frequently make the trip from central Indiana to Surprise, AZ traveling through Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. We turn south at Flagstaff, but you will need to turn North there. We like a small campground at Interchange Zero I-40 at the Oklahoma-Texas border, Texola. It is a Passport America campground with 30 amp at $10/night or 50 amp at $12/night, sewer and water included. Campground has about 22 sites, but I have never have seen it full. Also we stop at Dancing Eagle casino about 50 miles west of Albuquerque also on I-40. It has full hookups at $10/night. Stop there early 3 or 4 in the afternoon because it fills early. There are more campgrounds on the way, but we prefer to stop at these two.

Depending on where you need to stop, there are several Walmarts on the west side of Oklahoma City through Yukon, OK. The first Walmart on I-40 at Interchange 136 is a little difficult to get into. Go around behind Walmart and enter on the northwest corner. We usually park up near the Texas Roadhouse. There are more good Walmarts at Grants and Gallup, NM. All of these are Super Walmarts that are open 24 hours and have security.

Fuel is usually lowest price in Missouri and Oklahoma City. As you go west from Oklahoma City the prices usually increase.

[tbutler]

Those of us who are retired or full timers have a much different attitude to rates of travel than those who are employed and on vacation. I assume this is a vacation as you have a destination that you want to get to quickly and maximize your time there before quickly returning home. That being the case, here is how I would plan the trip.

We're in Missouri now. If I were to drive from here (St. Louis area) on I 44 and I 40, I would probably try to get somewhere west of Oklahoma City for the first overnight. That would be an aggressive drive. You would be covering 500 miles which would be near constant driving. I do this kind of driving when we have some kind of emergency. It means getting underway at daybreak, not sunrise. When traveling west I plan on stopping early rather than driving into the setting sun. Of course if it is cloudy or we really have to be somewhere on a schedule, we can push through the sunset but I really don't like driving at night so I'm looking for a stopping place before dark. Trying to find a place to park your motor home after dark is a challenge you don't need on your first road trip.

The above assumes an average speed of 50 MPH. That doesn't mean I drive 50 MPH, it takes into account stops to switch drivers, use the restroom, get some lunch, fueling, etc. On the interstate I'll set the cruise between 62 and 65 depending on the road surface and traffic. That will work out to about 50 MPH over a day of driving with stops. We use The Next Exit to find stopping places other than campgrounds. You should be able to find The Next Exit at any bookstore, RV dealer or truck stop. For campgrounds we use both of the major phone book size campground directories. If we are going to a campground, we always call an hour or two before we arrive to be sure there is space available. We never commit ourselves to a campground more than a few hours in advance. If you are in a hurry and I assume you are if you planned to be there in two days, I would plan on stopping at a Wal-Mart or a rest area. I find it always takes us longer to get into and out of a campground than it does to park and drive away from a spot with no hookups. You have to decide if a spot other than a campground is comfortable for you. You won't know until you try it to see how it feels to be in a parking lot or rest area. Some of these places are noisy, others can be quiet. Always check at Wal-Mart to be sure they permit parking and to find out where they prefer you park. I try to arrive about sunset at a Wal-Mart and get away before people start to arrive in earnest for shopping the next morning.

Another 500 miles takes you to Albuquerque so you would want a stopping area near there. That leaves a little less than 500 miles to go through Flagstaff and north to the Grand Canyon. The last part of the drive will be a little slower so this is still a full days driving.

You will notice that most of the advice above suggests a slower rate and it is true that a slower pace will be much more comfortable. As aztec7fan posted, you are not driving a car. I am assuming ten hours of driving at a time when the sunrise to sunset times are about 12 hours. You are going to be driving pretty much from dawn to dusk. I would not plan on driving any greater distance for your first trip out. As I said to begin with, I would not drive this in two days unless it were some kind of emergency. I will drive a pace like this when we leave Missouri for California in two weeks. We'll stop for a couple of days to visit friends along the way but we'll cover about 400 to 500 miles each travel day. That is our getting there pace. If we are touring, we'll plan the trip for a much more leisurely pace.

[shields]

Joe,

We use much the same approach as the Butlers; i.e. planning to average no more than 50 mph, and being "all tucked in" before dark if possible.

With this being your first voyage in the motorhome, there will be lots of things to discover, figure out, and coordinate with your co-pilot. If you leave yourself extra time, the trip might be a lot more enjoyable. Also, if you are taking children along, they need time to run and play to make the trip enjoyable - so stopping early becomes even more important.

Good luck on your trip. Please let us know how things go.

Tim