My First "Real" RV Trip

[NW-Bound]

NW-Bound refuses to post pictures of his house, because someone on the forum might figure out where he lives!

Absolutely not true! Proofs provided as links below.

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...ey-area-or-college-town-43335.html#post800582

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...ey-area-or-college-town-43335.html#post801262

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/where-we-live-50015.html#post936069

Utah was an amazing state so much to see and do.

Yes. So are Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. So many places, so little time...

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. DW and I still don't have a RV but we are already plotting our future road trips... I can't wait!

Of course you cannot wait! But aren't FIREd people known for their ability to delay gratification?

NWB, Thanks for sharing photos and details of your trip. We want more!

P.S. How about some "wild" campgrounds i.e. unpaved. If you've seen one Walmart, you've seen 'em all

Thanks for the compliments.

Yes, we stayed in some "real" campgrounds. But I just wanted to point out that not all Walmart lots were alike. The example I showed was a nice one with the mountain in the background, and I just wished there were more like that when we were en route and simply needed a place to park for the night.

Wonderful pics NWB. Sounds like you had a great time. How did your DW like it?
R

My wife loved it. With RV, one either likes it or he (she) doesn't. I knew going in that it would work out for us. Her only complaint was that the shower stall was too tiny for her to wash her long hair (not really long, but to the mid of her back).

 

[fisherman]

My wife loved it. With RV, one either likes it or he (she) doesn't. I knew going in that it would work out for us. Her only complaint was that the shower stall was too tiny for her to wash her long hair (not really long, but to the mid of her back).

What worked for us was to take out the straight shower rod and replace it with a piece of PVC about one and a half times as long with the ends taper cut to make a curved rod. This really improved the size of the shower. The next thing we added was a longer hose to the shower head and a soap caddy. With these changes we have done over 100 days in the camper in the last year and 79 of them were on just two trips. It seems we customize it to our like each trip while we are on the road.

 

[REWahoo]

NW, have you seen these? Extend-A-Shower RV Shower Rod - RV Park Supplies

 

[audreyh1]

Absolutely not true! Proofs provided as links below.

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...ey-area-or-college-town-43335.html#post800582

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...ey-area-or-college-town-43335.html#post801262

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/where-we-live-50015.html#post936069

LOL!

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

My wife loved it. With RV, one either likes it or he (she) doesn't. I knew going in that it would work out for us. Her only complaint was that the shower stall was too tiny for her to wash her long hair (not really long, but to the mid of her back).

I cut my long hair for RVing! It used to be hip length, and I cut it to mid back for the RV. And mid-back is still considered long BTW.

But until we upgraded to the Class A with large shower, I would go to the campground showers to wash my hair. It was not very easy to do in the Casita shower - I tell you!

Audrey

 

[NW-Bound]

Thanks for the rod suggestions. Perhaps that's all I need to keep my wife happy.

 

[RonBoyd]

Love the photos. I purchased that particular camera a couple years ago for Brenda -- very pleased with it. (I don't use it because it doesn't capture in RAW.)

Anyway, we were really close to each other. We drove from Denver to Mesa Verde (2 days) then to Moab (1 day) then met friends in Fallon, NV (on US 50, the "Loneliest Road In America") and took the Amtrak Zephyr from Reno to Chicago and then on the Washington DC (10 days), where I am right now. On the way back home (may go to California and south, however), we will go through the Salt Flats and SLC.

 

[W2R]

Spectacular photos, NW-Bound!!! Wow. Looks like you had a terrific trip, and think you are now a seasoned RV traveler.

 

[brewer12345]

Thanks for the rod suggestions. Perhaps that's all I need to keep my wife happy.

Must resist slow pitch...

Looks like you had a great trip. I take it you won't wait until September next year to get started?

 

[REWahoo]

Thanks for the rod suggestions. Perhaps that's all I need to keep my wife happy.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

We need a new archive for posts like that one.

 

[NW-Bound]

Ahem...

Let's get back to RV'ing, shall we?

I purchased that particular camera a couple years ago for Brenda -- very pleased with it. (I don't use it because it doesn't capture in RAW.)

Anyway, we were really close to each other. We drove from Denver to Mesa Verde (2 days) then to Moab (1 day) then met friends in Fallon, NV (on US 50, the "Loneliest Road In America") and took the Amtrak Zephyr from Reno to Chicago and then on the Washington DC (10 days), where I am right now. On the way back home (may go to California and south, however), we will go through the Salt Flats and SLC.

From what I read on the Web, I thought this SX210IS model was out just earlier in 2010. In any case, I am happy with this little compact gem. It also takes HD video at 720p, but in that mode, eats memory like crazy.

Your itinerary shows a lot of driving! I like to drive slower and linger at each place a little longer. If it weren't for a family gathering that was scheduled in advance and we were committed, I would have taken longer on the trip that I just concluded.

Spectacular photos, NW-Bound!!! Wow. Looks like you had a terrific trip, and think you are now a seasoned RV traveler.

Yes, we had a great time. However, I will have to defer the status "seasoned" until next year, after our Alaskan trip.

Looks like you had a great trip. I take it you won't wait until September next year to get started?

Meaning going on another trip, or to Alaska?

It's too cold for any northern trip now. I currently do not have any plan for another trip yet this winter or next spring, but something may just spontaneously happen. The motorhome tank has been cleaned out, and its engine oil changed. Just a gasoline fill up, and she is ready to roll.

Life is good!

 

[REWahoo]

I currently do not have any plan for another trip yet this winter or next spring, but something may just spontaneously happen. The motorhome tank has been cleaned out, and its engine oil changed. Just a gasoline fill up, and she is ready to roll.

You should plan something soon - 'use it or lose it' applies to both people and RV's. If you don't use it, the neighborhood mice will.

We try to take a trip every 6 weeks or so even if it is only for two or three days.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

You should plan something soon - 'use it or lose it' applies to both people and RV's.

Were your referring to the RV or just the new rod?

 

[audreyh1]

What?!?!? Someone is getting a new rod?

 

[NW-Bound]

Of course I am glad that people enjoy the photos. I snapped a lot of pictures, and a few turned out OK with some luck. We did quite a bit of sightseeing by day trips with the toad, but I will not bore you with all the excursions. I have been guilty of raving about foreign travel, and it is about time I rediscover what is here at home and spread the word to promote domestic travel.

OK, about the "Angel's Landing" trail mentioned earlier, I have found a picture on the Web, and linked it here for you.

If that view does not make you queasy as it does me, than you are ready to try it in your next visit to Zion NP. Look closely and you will see some people at the base of the tree about 1/4 up from the bottom of the picture. In order to climb up to the point where this photo was taken from, this photographer already ascended perhaps 1500ft, but probably on a trail less scary.

Just looking at the following spectators peering down to the BASE jumpers' landing made me dizzy already.

And here was a jumper who preopened his chute. What he did next was to drop and hang the chute upside down below him. For the actual jump, he did a forward somersault away from the bridge, else he would get tangled up in his chute. Preopening his chute gave him a few more seconds of gliding instead of free-falling, but it was not without peril.

Our next stop was Glenns Ferry, less than 100mi down the river from Twin Falls, where we spent a night. There was no ferry anymore, but this was the site of a historic ferry on the Oregon Trail that took settlers across the Snake River.

The ferry site is now a state campground. No, our RV was not in the picture. We did not even stay here, and opted for a little commercial RV park that honored the Passport America 50% off rate. I had a friendly chat with the owner whose house was adjacent to his RV park. When we bid goodbye the next morning, I said we would stop at his park when we came back that way, probably next year.

Near the state park, there was a building housing some historical exhibits, but it was closed and we could only see some old wagons on display outside.

 

[NW-Bound]

We try to take a trip every 6 weeks or so even if it is only for two or three days.

I plan to do only "real" trips. For weekend getaways, my boonie home beckons. In fact, we have been neglecting it for the last few months.

 

[REWahoo]

I plan to do only "real" trips. For weekend getaways, my boonie home beckons. In fact, we have been neglecting it for the last few months.

Better spin that plate...

 

[REWahoo]

Yup, this is a great example of what happens to an RV if you don't use it...

Kidding aside, great photos of what was obviously a real trip.

 

[NW-Bound]

About the "use it or lose it" advice, wouldn't one wear it out if using it too much? Most things have a mileage limit, yes?

Back on this trip, we passed by Boise on the way up to Coeur d'Alene, and did use the opportunity to tour the downtown area, and had a picnic lunch on the park in front of the Capitol. We did this by stopping the motorhome at a Walmart not too far off the freeway, unhooking the toad to use it to drive into town. We did that quite often through the trip, and my wife and I got proficient enough to hook and unhook it in 5 to 10 min.

It only takes one to do the toad connect/disconnect procedure, but we worked out a routine where my wife watched me to make sure I did not make any mistake. Towing the toad with its parking brake on, anybody?

We then stopped for a night in a commercial RV park in Grangeville before heading up to Coeur d'Alene the next day.

At Coeur d'Alene, we parked the motorhome at an Indian casino, and took the toad for sightseeing the next two days. We walked the downtown area, and had dinner at a downtown restaurant. The next day we drove most of the eastern shoreline. The western shoreline was in Indian land, and I was told that most of the shoreline would not be accessible to the public, so we skipped that.

When we stopped to look around at a timeshare resort tucked in a little piece of land jutting out into the lake, we spotted this neat house on a rock. By the way, the timeshare was mostly deserted. It appeared that past Labor Day, most recreational places in these states had little business, and many did not even bother to stay open.

Of course we saw the famed 72-mi lake shoreline bike path that T-Al recently rode. In fact, we passed him at one point, and as I said to my wife that I should drive clear to the left to avoid hitting him, my wife asked "Who's T-Al?".

By the way, the bike path was converted from a railroad spur, hence it ran along flat land and would be really nice for us to try, if we remembered to bring our cheapo Walmart bikes.

 

[Nords]

We need a new archive for posts like that one.

"(FAQ Archive) Famous early retirement quotes"

We used to keep similar logbooks in various places on my submarines, titled something like "Famous Naval Sayings". I don't want to get into how I learned that.

 

[RonBoyd]

From what I read on the Web, I thought this SX210IS model was out just earlier in 2010. In any case, I am happy with this little compact gem. It also takes HD video at 720p, but in that mode, eats memory like crazy.

Yes, you are correct. Ours is the SX200IS, the previous version -- same thing though. Yeah, video takes a lot of storage space... even 20gb cards are too small some times. On the other hand, look at all the images you can choose from.

Your itinerary shows a lot of driving! I like to drive slower and linger at each place a little longer. If it weren't for a family gathering that was scheduled in advance and we were committed, I would have taken longer on the trip that I just concluded.

Yeah, we would have, also, but the train schedule had to be met. In any event, we spent a very active couple days in Mesa Verde and explored all we needed. Moab; we have been to so many times, it was more of a waystation to rest up for the marathon to Fallon (and the train schedule). But your point is well taken.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have not been in the market for electronic toys for a while and was amazed at how good and inexpensive they get. And they still get better; by buying later than you did, I got 14M pixels and 14X zoom instead of 12M and 12X, for what that is worth.

Yes, you are correct. Ours is the SX200IS, the previous version -- same thing though. Yeah, video takes a lot of storage space... even 20gb cards are too small some times.

...the train schedule had to be met.

Does that mean you put the motor home on the train for that leg?

I have been thinking about putting the RV on an Alaska ferry next year, so that we go by sea one way, and by land the other direction. There are ferries that take the inside passage just like the cruise ships.

 

[REWahoo]

About the "use it or lose it" advice, wouldn't one wear it out if using it too much?

Are we still talking RV's here?

 

[NW-Bound]

Back on this trip, if you are not bored with my narration yet, we stopped at Spokane after Coeur d'Alene. We spent a day to do a bit of exploring the Riverside park in the morning, where the Spokane river flows through. This park was downstream from Spokane city center, and had an city or state RV park. We did not park our RV there, however.

We then went touring downtown Spokane on foot. The following was the Riverfront Park right in downtown.

Until this visit, we had not known anything about Spokane, and that the Spokane River Falls was also right in downtown, downstream from the above park. Only a Spokane resident would know the vantage point from which I took the following photo.

And talking about Spokane, where has Westernskies been? He was fond of this town, and wanted to buy his 3rd home here, if my memory serves.