San Francisco/Napa To Florida After New Years

[Ianinnapa]

Hello everyone,

2005 38' Bounder Diesel pusher 300hp pulling 2007 Jeep Rubicon.
I am a new owner of a Class A (April 2015)

I will be traveling from Napa, CA down to Miami the week after the New Year and I am looking for a good and easy route. Google Maps takes us down 5 over the Gravevine then across on 10 for the long haul.

I am concerned about climbing the Grapevine. Am I worrying too much? I have driven up it before but only in a car but I was wondering if there was an easier route around the 'bill' but then back down to 10 before Flagstaff.

Any thoughts from the seasoned veterans?

Thanks,

Ian

[tbutler]

As far as the climb is concerned you should have no problems. Your coach is equipped to handle the climb and your toad isn't super heavy so that should be no problem. That time of year any problems with overheating should be no concern. Even a warm day in January in the LA area is cool by comparison to the summer temperatures you coach should be able to handle. We've driven the grapevine and mountain roads that are much more extreme. Take your time and you'll be fine. Remember your aren't in a race. Get in the truck lane and hang with the big boys! Flashers on if you drop below 45 MPH is pretty standard to indicate to any approaching traffic that you are a slow vehicle. You'll probably find yourself passing a few of the really heavily loaded trucks that are creeping along at 15 or 20 miles per hour in low-low gear.

There are alternatives to that route. We've taken US 58 out of Bakersfield toward Mojave, Connect to I-15/I-40 at Barstow and stay on I-40 to the California/Arizona border. Then you have a choice of US 95S on either side of the border. It's smaller highway and I think the California side is an easier drive but it is US highway and last time we drove it, in reasonably good condition. You will then pick I-10 at Blythe or Quartzite depending on which route you chose.

If you haven't driven I-10, there are long stretches of open highway. Major cities to be avoided at rush hour include Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston. Of these, Tucson is the least problem but I would try to navigate through all of them in early morning, mid-day or late evening. Each has a bypass of some kind and you could avoid the intense city traffic taking the bypass. I prefer real early morning for these city transits if at all possible. A good GPS is helpful in cities. It will advise you of coming lane changes and exits to help with your planning while driving. If you are using a new GPS, try to get some time with it in the car to learn its use and how it provides directions. The last thing you need in heavy city traffic is the distraction of trying to figure out what the GPS wants you to do!

Have a good trip! If you want a few days of rest along the way there are nice parks in Boerne, TX, just north of San Antonio, right on I-10. San Antonio is a great city to explore. The River Walk will be drained that time of year but there are great restaurants along the River Walk and it is a pretty area even without the water. There are artsy shops and stores in La Villa along the River Walk. Once you see San Antonio you'll have to stop again on your return trip in the spring!

On the north side of Houston, the city of Spring, Texas has many artsy shops and stores. South of Houston is Galveston and further south the Texas Gulf Coast has many pretty stopping spots.

Enjoy Florida.

[obedb]

Why would you want to deal with LA on your trip? As Tom suggested, get on 99 to Bakersfield and then follow 58 to I-15 in Barstow. Short drive north and you will merge eastbound with I-40. The California side of the Colorado River south on US 95 is the way south to I-10.

[Ianinnapa]

Awesome. Thanks for the reply. I drove up 50 towards Tahoe on July 2 when it was 95 out and it started to overheat just before Placerville. I had to pull over and let her cool off before reaching our destination. Really freaked me out so I am always watching the temp gauges. Still learning how to manage the engine and transmission for hills. Not just a set it and forget drive.

Ian

[jleamont]

Ian, just check your weather before starting each day. I ran from CA to LA on I10 in December 2013 and there were many ice storms in the higher elevation of Texas. Oddly it didn't look like ice, just a fog that froze to the roadway, you didn't realize it was ice until you stepped on the brake and it wasn't there.

We had to settle down in Van Horn for 1 day, the roads were pretty bad. The worst part is east of Van Horn in the mountains, that year I saw what looked like an 18 wheeler junk yard and one DP that was rear ended by a tractor trailer going up hill. the boarder patrol check points are interesting on I10.

Did you resolve the over heating issue?

[Ianinnapa]

Well that reply just freaked me out...???

Resolve, no, but I do have a forward slobber tube that I am going to cap with a cut Gatorade bottle and clean the forward 'rad' before the trip.

[wolfe10]

Ian,

No need to freak out. This is pretty easy stuff that we have all had to learn.

Just to clarify, you will be cleaning the FRONT (front of coach) side of the CAC (Charge Air Cooler). It is accessed from the bedroom or closet. You need to be able to see and access the fan/fan shroud.

EASY to check if this is an issue: Shine a strong flashlight in the the middle of the CAC (easy to see, as the fan blades are thinnest there). Smile, because you will see the clean fins of the CAC. But, the reason the middle is clean is that the fan blades "sling" the dirt to the perimeter.

So, though harder to see and harder to clean, verify that the perimeter, particularly the lower perimeter are as clean as the middle.

If you do need to clean it, best product is Simple Green EXTREME. It was developed for degreasing aluminum aircraft, and will not harm the aluminum of the CAC.

And, if you do fit a catchment under the crankcase breather (aka slobber tube), be sure it does not restrict air flow. Another option done by many chassis makers is to extend the slobber tube to behind the fan shroud/air intake for the cooling system.

And, if your coolant temperatures do start to rise on a long grade, the answer is to slow down a little, down arrow to a lower gear and run at higher engine RPM at less then wide open throttle. If you tell us what engine you have, we can even recommend RPM for doing this.

[Ianinnapa]

Hi there. Running the Cat 300 with Allison Transmission.

[wolfe10]

With the Caterpillar C7, if coolant temperature is going up, 2000- 2100 RPM at less than full throttle should keep it cool. If it doesn't, suspect the front of the CAC is blocked. The CAC really needs to be cleaned once a year on rear radiator coaches.

Also, check belt tension on the water pump belt (V belt that drives just the water pump). It is NOT on an automatic tensioner. Check from below, just to driver's side front of engine (back of coach). Doesn't need to be bar tight, but shouldn't be too loose. Yup, a slipping water pump belt will cause overheating.

[tbutler]

Winter driving is a concern almost anywhere in the US. As jleamont indicated, check your weather before you hit the road each morning. The weather channel is good for an overview of what lies ahead though you might have to watch for a while to get the weather for the specific part of the road you are going to be driving. I use Weather Bug on my iPad or iPhone. You can get radar live (10 to 15 minute delay) and it shows where you are located so you know right away where you are in relation to any storm. Zoom in or out to get more or less detail, all quite easy. Watch the sky, if you see clouds on the eastern horizon, check the weather again! You will be running along or near the southern border of the US so the chances of really bad weather are much lower than say I-20 or I-40. At worst you might have to stop in a campground for a day or two before continuing on your way.

Traveling from west to east, you are traveling in the same direction as storms will be traveling. If you are ahead of a storm, drive a little longer each day and you might be able to stay ahead of it. If you are coming up behind a storm, delay for a few days to allow it to get well ahead of you. If I know a storm is approaching, I'll get up early in the morning to check the radar. Coming out of Denver one December we stopped in Colorado Springs. We did a storm drill (slides in, wheels turning in 15 or 20 minutes) at 4 in the morning to get away before being hit by the snow or freezing precipitation. It was all worth it as we were passed by truckers with snow loads on top of their trailers for hours. Glad to get out in front of that one!

[desertdeals69]

As far as the climb is concerned you should have no problems. Your coach is equipped to handle the climb and your toad isn't super heavy so that should be no problem. That time of year any problems with overheating should be no concern. Even a warm day in January in the LA area is cool by comparison to the summer temperatures you coach should be able to handle. We've driven the grapevine and mountain roads that are much more extreme. Take your time and you'll be fine. Remember your aren't in a race. Get in the truck lane and hang with the big boys! Flashers on if you drop below 45 MPH is pretty standard to indicate to any approaching traffic that you are a slow vehicle. You'll probably find yourself passing a few of the really heavily loaded trucks that are creeping along at 15 or 20 miles per hour in low-low gear.

There are alternatives to that route. We've taken US 58 out of Bakersfield toward Mojave, Connect to I-15/I-40 at Barstow and stay on I-40 to the California/Arizona border. Then you have a choice of US 95S on either side of the border. It's smaller highway and I think the California side is an easier drive but it is US highway and last time we drove it, in reasonably good condition. You will then pick I-10 at Blythe or Quartzite depending on which route you chose.

If you haven't driven I-10, there are long stretches of open highway. Major cities to be avoided at rush hour include Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston. Of these, Tucson is the least problem but I would try to navigate through all of them in early morning, mid-day or late evening. Each has a bypass of some kind and you could avoid the intense city traffic taking the bypass. I prefer real early morning for these city transits if at all possible. A good GPS is helpful in cities. It will advise you of coming lane changes and exits to help with your planning while driving. If you are using a new GPS, try to get some time with it in the car to learn its use and how it provides directions. The last thing you need in heavy city traffic is the distraction of trying to figure out what the GPS wants you to do!

Have a good trip! If you want a few days of rest along the way there are nice parks in Boerne, TX, just north of San Antonio, right on I-10. San Antonio is a great city to explore. The River Walk will be drained that time of year but there are great restaurants along the River Walk and it is a pretty area even without the water. There are artsy shops and stores in La Villa along the River Walk. Once you see San Antonio you'll have to stop again on your return trip in the spring!

On the north side of Houston, the city of Spring, Texas has many artsy shops and stores. South of Houston is Galveston and further south the Texas Gulf Coast has many pretty stopping spots.

Enjoy Florida.

If you want to use Ca 95 you will turn off of I40 before the river and if you us Az 95 its 9 miles after the river. There is a new highway from I40 towards Havasu that is nice and wide.

[blakeloke]

We make the journey from Houston to California on a frequent basis. Most recent was October of this year. During the winter months you'll want to stay as far south as possible due to potential inclement weather.

Usually our destination is Bakersfield as that is where some of our kin lives. I actually spent most of my life in the San Joaquin Valley. Given that, I always try to avoid the Grapevine at all cost. Not because of the grade but because of the rutted out truck lanes. They are terrible. Prior to our last trip west our son, who lives in Bakersfield, told us not to take the Grapevine into Bakersfield due to the potholes on the ridge.

Thus, we headed north from I-10 out of Phoenix and eventually worked out way into Barstow and Highway 58. From Napa make your way through Bakersfield via I-5 or highway 99. A good stop in Bakersfield is the Crest RV Resort (great food!). Then make your way up 58 through Tehachapi - Mojave then Barstow. Then work your way south.....you can drop down to I210 towards San Bernadino if you wish.

Expect road closures at that time of year. When it snows around the mountains in Bakersfield both the Grapevine and highway 58 will most likely close. We delayed our journey home a few days in October due to heavy rains, mudslides and road closures.

Have fun on your journey and enjoy some of the sights along the way. TButler has some great recommendations around the San Antonio area.

Blake

[hermanmullins]

Lan,
You now have several suggested routes. It is up to you which one or combination of routes you want to take. When you decide on your route get out your maps. Decide on approx. how many miles you are comfortable with driving each day. Then look at what cities are close to the distance you travel. Now go to http://www.rvparkreviews.com/ check for parks in and around those cities.

There are many great suggestions for places to visit. When you get to one of those spots stay two or more nights. Spend a nice night resting, then explore for a day or two spend a night resting then hit the road rested to continue you trip.
When we first got our MH we were limit on time and drove too long and too far to our destination, now retired we take the time to "Stop and smell the Roses".

Now go, take your time and don't forget to "Stop and smell the Roses", there so many varieties out there.

Herman