Motorhome!

[NW-Bound]

Surely, that's a steal at $2500. At that price and that condition, if I see one, I might just buy it to pull behind my class C, and to rent it out to whoever wants to go to Alaska with me. Helps pay for gas, you know?

So, you have done Alaska. How about Newfoundland and PEI?

 

[travelover]

.......... How about Newfoundland and PEI?

Nope, but they are on my bucket list.

 

[Nemo2]

So, you have done Alaska. How about Newfoundland and PEI?

PEI.....borrring........ Newfoundland & Alaska...love to go.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been thinking about a long Alaska summer trip of 3 months. I would have gone last year, but my wife has a family obligation such that she cannot leave town for that long. Commuting to and from our 2nd home does not cause a problem because it's only 2.5 hours one way. So, I have been state bound except for summer trips of 1 to 1-1/2 month at a time.

Out here in the West, it takes a long drive to go anywhere, and I do not drive the RV faster than 60mph. Even so, last summer trip really opened our eyes when we went through the Idahoan Sawtooth Mountains. Of course, we were only scratching the surface there. We will go back, but through a different route.

Anyway, I will do that summer-long Alaska trip. Then, the next year summer will be spent along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Some of these places, I have been to but on very cursory short vacation trips. And I still want to go to PEI to see how boring it is. Yes, just to say I have been there...

Sometimes, just seeing how the locals live and make a living is interesting to me. In last year's trip, it just so happened that one leg of the trip took us down the length of Nevada, from Twin Falls Idaho to Las Vegas. We stopped for a lunch break, parked at the town square of Ely on a weekend afternoon. The small-town quiet atmosphere was so much different than the hustle and bustle of large cities and their suburbs. It was so peaceful that we lingered for several hours.

Similarly, we have been up and down the East Coast from Key West to Bangor, but touring the same places at a leisurely pace would open up different experiences that our earlier hasty visits could not have accommodated. Yes, RV'in properly requires one to have plenty of time, i.e., being a retiree or semi-retired.

 

[brewer12345]

A month or more sounds wonderful. Since I am working full time, I am lucky to get a week and change at a time. At some point I will either take a leave of absence or simply quit so that we can take a long trip before the kids are too old.

This summer we have a trip to Durango/southwestern CO and a trip to the badlands area of SD.

 

[REWahoo]

Even after being retired for almost 7 years the longest RV trip I've been able to manage so far has been three weeks. However, changes are afoot and I'm hopeful by August we'll have fewer responsibilities and more flexibility to travel for extended time periods.

In anticipation of GFD* I've been planning a month-long trip to NM, CO and the canyonlands of SE Utah. No doubt diesel will be north of $5/gal by that time, but I've built it into the budget.


*Grandparent Freedom Day

 

[NW-Bound]

I have yet to be on the road for 3 months, but on 1 to 1-1/2 month trips, we never have a day when we just sat in the RV getting bored. Of course, we were moving around perhaps a bit too much. We could have covered the same itinerary in 2 months, and have a day to relax here and there. But there are so many places to go, and even with 6 weeks, I felt I needed to get going.

All this talk is going to drive people who are still working insane, I know. Sorry!

 

[Nords]

No doubt diesel will be north of $5/gal by that time, but I've built it into the budget.

... along with stopping every 500 miles or so to tighten the lug nuts on the wheels...

 

[NW-Bound]

Someone needs to invent a "wheel wobble" detector.

 

[REWahoo]

... along with stopping every 500 miles or so to tighten the lug nuts on the wheels...

+1

We took a 800 mile round trip a couple of weeks ago and I used my new torque wrench to check every lug nut before each leg of the trip. Happy to report no sign of any loosening.

 

[brewer12345]

Even after being retired for almost 7 years the longest RV trip I've been able to manage so far has been three weeks. However, changes are afoot and I'm hopeful by August we'll have fewer responsibilities and more flexibility to travel for extended time periods.

In anticipation of GFD* I've been planning a month-long trip to NM, CO and the canyonlands of SE Utah. No doubt diesel will be north of $5/gal by that time, but I've built it into the budget.


*Grandparent Freedom Day

Chigger season escape trip?

 

[REWahoo]

Chigger season escape trip?

Sorta - but I'd need to leave in June and not return until October if I was serious about it. More like an escape from the oppressive summer heat.

 

[Nemo2]

And I still want to go to PEI to see how boring it is. Yes, just to say I have been there...

Which is exactly why I went to PEI........some people love it, (one of my late wife's brothers included), but she and I saw nothing remotely 'outstanding'.

Sometimes, just seeing how the locals live and make a living is interesting to me.

This has pretty well always been number one with me.......cities worldwide increasingly have so much in common, and I'd rather avoid the homogeneous and focus on things that are at least somewhat specific to an area/country.

 

[SarahW]

Stove, sink and ice box on left, bunk beds at front, double bed that folds into a dinette at rear.

Maiden voyage is in June when DW finishes school. Right now I'm installing refrigerator, brakes and converting bunks into a couch / dinette.

Can you say LBYM?

Wow, that looks great...very compact and in great shape. I can't wait to hear how the maiden voyage goes.

 

[SarahW]

Even after being retired for almost 7 years the longest RV trip I've been able to manage so far has been three weeks. However, changes are afoot and I'm hopeful by August we'll have fewer responsibilities and more flexibility to travel for extended time periods.

In anticipation of GFD* I've been planning a month-long trip to NM, CO and the canyonlands of SE Utah. No doubt diesel will be north of $5/gal by that time, but I've built it into the budget.


*Grandparent Freedom Day

Oooooh, that sounds wonderful. Our longest trips so far have been one week at a time. I can't wait to pack up and hit the road for a REAL trip.

My hubby is still installing the towing equipment on our Jeep (base plate is on; today is wiring).

 

[Nords]

We took a 800 mile round trip a couple of weeks ago and I used my new torque wrench to check every lug nut before each leg of the trip. Happy to report no sign of any loosening.

D'oh, now that you've actually used the torque wrench you're going to have to get it recalibrated!

 

[seraphim]

In anticipation of GFD* I've been planning a month-long trip to NM, CO and the canyonlands of SE Utah. No doubt diesel will be north of $5/gal by that time, but I've built it into the budget.

If you haven't done so, research the (free) dispersed camping options in the National Forests and BLM land. Can really save money if you can do without 'hookups'. We like to boondock 2 days, then hit a campground for one night to dump the tanks and recharge the house battery. Planning on adding a few more batteries to extend our boondocking capacity.

 

[brewer12345]

If you haven't done so, research the (free) dispersed camping options in the National Forests and BLM land. Can really save money if you can do without 'hookups'. We like to boondock 2 days, then hit a campground for one night to dump the tanks and recharge the house battery. Planning on adding a few more batteries to extend our boondocking capacity.

Is it hard to find a good spot? How much offroading do you have to do?

 

[NW-Bound]

Alternating between dry camping and commercial full hook ups is what we always do. I have yet to do free dispersed camping however, and usually end up paying $10 to $20 per night for state or national campground. The reason is that most of the places we wanted to stay were in National Parks (no dispersed camping there), or we did not have time to scope out a place. Most of the spots we saw were too rough terrain to risk taking the MH in. This is where a smaller vehicle would have an advantage.

 

[REWahoo]

If you haven't done so, research the (free) dispersed camping options in the National Forests and BLM land. Can really save money if you can do without 'hookups'. We like to boondock 2 days, then hit a campground for one night to dump the tanks and recharge the house battery. Planning on adding a few more batteries to extend our boondocking capacity.

I've not had the pleasure of spending much time in areas with BLM lands and National Forests (no streetlights!). My 5th wheels (both the trailer and the DW ) aren't really configured for boondocking so I'd have to do some work to take advantage of the opportunity. I could always add solar, another battery and a small generator, but I doubt I could "configure" DW to change her opinion. Not really her thing.

 

[seraphim]

LOL

Trailer shouldn't take any configuring. There are some nice spots along navigatable roads. Do without AC and microwave, and you shouldn't need genny or solar for a night or two. Lights don't draw many amps.

As for DW - can't help there. There's a romantic spot in Colorado where a fifth wheel could access, along a mountain stream...

Just don't let her see the warning sign about the bears.

 

[seraphim]

. Quote:
Originally Posted by seraphim
If you haven't done so, research the (free) dispersed camping options in the National Forests and BLM land. Can really save money if you can do without 'hookups'. We like to boondock 2 days, then hit a campground for one night to dump the tanks and recharge the house battery. Planning on adding a few more batteries to extend our boondocking capacity.
Is it hard to find a good spot? How much offroading do you have to do?

Out west it's a lot easier to find good spots. National forest websites talk about dispersed camping, and they have their own forum. Other forums for rvers talk about sites. Some require 4x4, others don't

A lot of desert BLM land around NM, Colorado, Utah: just drive, find a spot and park. We prefer mountains. Hit a lot of forums for boon dockers, and they'll often share their favorite spots.

We don't have four wheel drive. Some spots we've been to you could pull a trailer, others you couldn't. When we get a slightly bigger unit, we're discussing pulling a Jeep for remote places.

This spot was just about 30 feet back from a nice gravel road in a quiet spot. We were just pulling out of the spot. Just down the road a couple of miles was a primitive campground any trailer could use. About 5 bucks a night. One occupant when we were there. We like privacy.

 

[Major Tom]

Is it hard to find a good spot? How much offroading do you have to do?

Tioga George boondocks most of the time. I'm still combing through his extensive online record of his RV life but from what I've read so far, most of it has been in the west and Mexico. As well as sharing his boondock sites with a link to Google Maps and Google Earth at the bottom of each blog entry for each site that he finds and uses, he also gives advice for finding sites as well as explaining how to boondock in cities by using the concept of "day camp" and "night camp".

To access this information, you have to do an awful lot of reading, as he blogs every day, and covers each day's activities in some detail. There's a lot of stuff to wade through to get to the info you want, but his enthusiasm and idiosyncratic style of writing make it worthwhile.

I have no RV experience, but am reading a lot and looking forward to the day when I can join your club

Nice looking Class B there seraphim.

 

[seraphim]

I have no RV experience, but am reading a lot and looking forward to the day when I can join your club

The sooner the better! The previous owner of that Falcon was in Seattle - he saved it for his retirement, kept it in inside storage. When he retired, he drove it to Cincinnati, then found he had an illness which prevented him from using it. It was thirteen years old when we bought it, and only had about 25K miles, in immaculate condition.

It now has dents, dings, scratches, cracks and is missing a wheel cover. It is still very muched loved and kept in excellent mechanical shape. The inside shows we've used it.

Don't wait. Tomorrow might be too late.

 

[NW-Bound]

Talk about "urban dry camping" like Tioga George has been doing, Glenn Morrissette also has been boondocking nearly exclusively. I am impressed that he managed to do that since day 1, when he was still inexperienced. In fact, it is only recently that he knew how to get the proper solar equipment and to wire it up correctly.