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Old 04-03-2014, 05:22 PM   #1
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Tell Us About Your 1st Trip

In your Interstate. Thought it would be fun to start a thread where all AI owners could share their 1st trip, be it, State Park, RV Park, see friends or relatives, or ??? Where did you go? How many miles did you dare on your shakedown? 1 night, 2 nights etc?
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Old 04-03-2014, 05:43 PM   #2
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Three nights, to Bogue Chitto State Park, LA. Maybe 50 miles from home. I went there partly because they had full hookups, and despite being a newbie, I had a clear memory of Robin Williams's adventures at the dump station in RV. Having full hookups allowed me to experiment with the waste system without having anybody impatiently waiting on me at a dump station or kibitzing. Good thing, too. Until I figured out the trick, I got the discharge hose jammed up twice trying to reel it back in— the motor is awfully fast— and blew the fuse twice as a result.

But another other reason I went there is that was the closest campground that wasn't booked solid for Mardi Gras weekend, and I wanted to be relatively close to home in case I had to run back home to fetch anything I had forgotten. I hadn't forgotten anything much, luckily, but I did start compiling a list of the "If only I had…" items for the next trip.

And still another reason was the park's 14 miles of hiking trails. Which I still need to go back someday and hike the ones I didn't get to on that trip.
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Old 04-03-2014, 05:56 PM   #3
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Still planning for it -- looking at a mini-Rally perhaps coming up in early May. I need to get the title and registration worked through first. Already have reservations throughout the summer at most of the dry campgrounds in the Shenandoah National park and George Washington National Forests, however.

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Old 04-03-2014, 06:40 PM   #4
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Well, if you really must know, you'll have to read it here on my blog. Too long to tell it here. And then, yes, you can laugh at me, or call me an idiot...whatever...

The Maiden RV Voyage…Boondocking in Santa Barbara | Airstream Moho-A-Go-Go

And, Ron, we just got FIONA back from RVS today. So happy to have her back!! It only took about 6 calls, an email, and a call to Ohio to get it all done. LOL

Note #1...mileage on our first trip was probably around 400 miles total...something like that

Note #2...in addition to the rest of the story about our first nite in the RV, we also froze our asses off...couldn't get heater to work...didn't know we had to turn propane on at main switch
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Old 04-03-2014, 07:23 PM   #5
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KC to Santa Fe, NM via Amarillo, TX. About 900 miles. Spent the nite in Amarillo at a nice RV park w/ full hookups. Like Protag, quickly discovered that the hose reel is fast. Soon learned to pulse it and thread it back and forth to minimize the buildup. Would need a lite if at nite. Also found out that I forgot to bring some RG-6 cable to hookup for the TV.
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Old 04-03-2014, 07:26 PM   #6
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Two nights in the Great Smoky Mountains...about 60 miles away. It was still sub-freezing and our Interstate was still winterized. We used everything except the water system(s), so I guess a full check-ride is still in our future. The campground had full services, so we were able to check all other systems: TV's, furnace, used a space heater overnight to save propane, learned about "wag-bags" for nightime use, the value of a memory foam pad. We did cheat a bit by bring a second vehicle. We wanted to drive around the park and I was not ready to drive the AI up to Newfound Gap and back, just yet. Also learned (sort of) to choreograph our movements inside the van. Oven worked great, as did the cooktop. Have taken two more trips since. One trip to Austin, Tx (2200 miles total), just returned from trip 2...to Cleveland, Oh. Love the Sprinter on the road!!!
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Old 04-03-2014, 07:50 PM   #7
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The first trailer we purchased last year was a 2013 28' Flying Cloud. Our first trip was for 2 nights at Elwha Dam RV Park, about 130 miles from our home. It was a very nice RV Park, I remember we were assigned site #8, which was right next to a tree and a picnic table. Lots of green grass and trees all around, very rustic and quiet.

After arriving, we spent that first day "learning". We learned how to hook up the trailer's hoses, how to raise the antennae, how to find working TV channels (we only found 2), and how to work everything inside the trailer. Whew! Tempers were a little short, we got very frustrated. But we finally got all set up.

We had a lovely meal and I thoroughly enjoyed our first night in our new Airstream.

The next day, it was a beautiful day! We drove up to Hurricane Ridge, our first time visiting there. Wow! What a beautiful place and the view was breathtaking. And at the end of the day, it was nice to come "home" to the trailer and sleep in our own bed and cook in our own kitchen.

That's our first trip. Lots of good memories, the first of many.
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Old 04-03-2014, 07:59 PM   #8
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2,000 mile round trip last July after a four month build.

Come to find out I built the back of the trailer too heavy and it wanted to sway at about 60 or 65 MPH.

Made the trip anyway, then I rebuilt the bathroom dropping the weight a few hundred pounds.

My second trip was the same trip plus an additional thousand miles into and out of Arizona, and yea a few hundred pounds behind the axles DOES matter.
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Old 04-03-2014, 08:05 PM   #9
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7 nights in San Diego last December. Stayed at two different RV Parks due to Passport America time restrictions. One park was right on Mission Bay with full hookups for $25/night. Played tourist visiting old friends, the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Seaworld etc. Used the AI for transportation and even had to parallel park it in front of a restaurant called Hob Nob Hill which is very descriptive of the terrain. 300 miles each way + local driving. Great mileage.
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Old 04-03-2014, 08:35 PM   #10
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A Rainbow Outing

"Better than a dirt nap" Northwest Airstreamer rally at Boardman Oregon Marina and RV Park on the Columbia River -- last weekend, March 28-29, 2014. Picked up our new 2013 Black 23-footer in Gladstone OR March 25. 1st: Amazed by the diesel mileage numbers. Sticker shock at the pump but 19 mpg ain't bad. About 450 miles round trip from Seattle (with side trip). Put out the power awning for a brief moment when the wind didn't blow steady at 30 mph. Remembered the propane switch (sorry wierdstuff), stayed toasty warm, both slept 11 hours the first night. Tackled only the microwave part of the oven, spent part of Sunday a.m. alone with the "macerator" ..became well acquainted and didn't reel any part of my anatomy into its clutches when I hit the rewind switch. Parked in a shopping center in Richland WA just like normal folk. All around successful first outing . We think the rainbow over the Interstate during a rain squall Saturday was a sign - we made the right decision.
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Old 04-03-2014, 10:00 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by c21bill View Post
7 nights in San Diego last December. Stayed at two different RV Parks due to Passport America time restrictions. One park was right on Mission Bay with full hookups for $25/night.
c21bill, I'd be interested to know which RV Park on Mission Bay cost $25/night. I am currently looking for later this month and can only find a couple with daily rates ranging from $50 to $190 (ugh!).
Peter
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Old 04-03-2014, 10:11 PM   #12
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c21bill, I'd be interested to know which RV Park on Mission Bay cost $25/night. I am currently looking for later this month and can only find a couple with daily rates ranging from $50 to $190 (ugh!).
Peter
That would be Mission Bay RV Park using the Passport America Rates. Passport America will cost you $44/year ($79/2 years or $109/3 years). Many of the Passport America participating parks have various restrictions, here are the restrictions for Mission Bay:

Drive up only NO RESERVATIONS. P.A. discount is valid for four days only each visit, Monday through Thursday. Discount is valid for up to 2 visits each calendar year. P.A. discount applies to premium sites only. P.A. discount is not valid May 15th through September 14th. No tent camping. 1995 and Newer RVs. NO Conversion Buses or Vans. Office Hours: 9AM-5PM (call about after hours check-in). Credit cards accepted. Pet friendly resort (some breeds prohibited), pet fees apply and 2 pets maximum. *Rates are subject to change. Rates are for up to 4 people, $5.00 for each additional person. Maximum number of 8 people per site.

We drove down on a Sunday, spent the 1st night at a different park, spent Mon-Thurs at Mission Bay then spent our last two nights at a different park.
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Old 04-03-2014, 10:12 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by UKDUDE View Post
c21bill, I'd be interested to know which RV Park on Mission Bay cost $25/night. I am currently looking for later this month and can only find a couple with daily rates ranging from $50 to $190 (ugh!).
Peter
BTW, there was plenty of availability during December and I would imagine that the same holds true for April.
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Old 04-04-2014, 03:40 AM   #14
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Last weekend. 2.5hr drive to possum kingdom lake.
A bit windy on the drive, so I went about 65mph.
No hookups, batteries only for 2 nights.
No heat at night, but only in the AM for a quick & uncomfortable shower.
Battery was low the 2nd morning & I couldn't start the generator until I started the van.
I had a cheap mattress pad from walmart & it was great. New pillows were too fluffy, so I didn't sleep well.
The 12v disconnect got pushed off, so I didn't realize that on the drive back while the kids (who slept in tents) fumbled for an hour trying to get the tv to work.
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Old 04-04-2014, 04:50 AM   #15
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1995 and Newer RVs. NO Conversion Buses or Vans.
Interesting— AND fortuitous— that they don't consider an Airstream Interstate to be a conversion van!
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Old 04-04-2014, 07:34 AM   #16
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We slept two nights in our driveway. Then a trip from Chicago to the Lake of the Ozarks area of MO. We found s $17/night campground near Steelville MO. We decided to celebrate so we went into Steelville to dine at a restaurant. We ate at the "Sparerib Inn" which doesn't serve spareribs. I had a hamburger steak and Mac & Cheese for dinner. This is really livin'! :-)
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Old 04-04-2014, 08:05 AM   #17
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First trip wife and I took was to Buescher State park this past Thanksgiving week. Rained for two and a half days good chance to make sure every thing works and to think about the changes we want to do. Every thing did not work correctly and came up with to many things to do. On the good side did not go stir crazy a lot more room than our popup even though it has a slide out. Just got to figure out how to control the condensation when camping in cold wet weather.
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Old 04-04-2014, 09:50 AM   #18
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Interesting— AND fortuitous— that they don't consider an Airstream Interstate to be a conversion van!
True, I called ahead and told them what I had and they said it would be fine. I figure this was either because it was a late model upscale van or because they had plenty of empty sites.
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Old 04-04-2014, 11:11 AM   #19
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Our first trip came about 5 months after we'd bought our vintage Tradewind. We'd done the essentials to get it road safe and had gotten as far on the interior as pulling out the gauchos.

So we parked on a friend's wilderness hillside in an aluminum tent - but one that still had running water and a working stove. It was lovely to get up from our sleeping bag on the air bed and make coffee without having to go outside. The middle "room" held our ice chest and construction tools and materials for the projects we would get back to when we got home.

This first trip gave us a very good feel for what we liked about the trailer and what form any improvements should take. Gradual refurbishing in between regular camping trips led to us making different decisions and a better trailer for us than if we'd tried to do it all before we used it.
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Old 04-04-2014, 01:52 PM   #20
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Our first trip was in March 2013 to Key West, FL from our home in Maryland. We bought the Interstate in October 2012, but only used it as a local driver until we could take our first trip. Considered staying one night in our driveway to check things out, but it was too cold. So we headed out with our first stop in South Carolina where it was just warm enough to be comfortable.
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