Have you ever...?

[drmox]

For conversation sake, have you ever done any of the following:

1. Boondocked for more than a day or two in a Wal-Mart or Cracker Barrel parking lot?

2. Driven less than 100 miles in one day on purpose?

3. Driven down the road with human or canine passengers in the Airstream?

4. Pulled the Airstream more than 1000 miles in one day on purpose?

5. Boondocked in sub-zero temperatures?

6. Boondocked in 100+ temps?

7. Tailgated a sporting event with the Airstream and stayed overnight or longer in the stadium parking lot?

8. Camped the Airstream at over say.....8000 ft. elevation?

Don't just answer yes or no, like I said, let's stimulate some conversation.

[Lily&Me]

Yes to #8, no to everything else.

Maggie

[mojoe7009]

I can only say yes to number 3. Did it several times during our last trip out west. Only in the states where it is legal to do so[emoji849][emoji12]

[SeaLevel]

Yes to #2, and it's more like a week or more without driving 100 miles on purpose. No to everything else.

[drmox]

I've always wondered about riding in the Airstream. Like, how bumpy is it? Smooth enough to sleep?

[A W Warn]

Yes to 2 and 8. No to all the rest.
I'm trying to avoid crowds of people when I'm camping, so parking lots and sporting events are not on my overnight schedule.
Wife riding in the trailer ....... maybe the last part of a long day
100+ or sub zero, no way! At least not on purpose.

[azflycaster]

Yes to:
#2 several times on the Cajun Caravan
#6 104 degrees dry camping near Phoenix
#8 Big Lake in AZ at 9200 feet

No to the rest

[LiLNomad]

Yes to #3. Just got back from a tour of Utah and several state parks/sights are close together for example Dead Horse & Arches..etc.Many days I would tow 40-50 miles to my next camping location. I try to tow less than 200 mile in day, my preference is less thatn 150.I like to travel slow and enjoy places along the way.
LilNomad

[Bill M.]

Only a few of the above.

We went on a caravan (Spring time in Kentucky) that moved 26 miles between campgrounds one day. Actually have had a lot of short moves over the years. Shortest is 0 miles I guess on days where we pull to the dump station and back to the site. Have made short moves a lot of times on holidays to get into a campground that had a site open.

We were set up a a forest service campground in Teddy Roosevelt when the temperatures headed towards 100. We pulled out after one night and went to a commercial campground with electricity. I left 3 days paid for at the forest service campground. Now we look for shade and cooler areas to set up.

Lots of nights at 8000 feet or real close. North rim of Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park come to mind. Since we like to be cool rather than hot the higher elevations work fine for us. Plus the higher elevations tend to be in the mountains which we like.

[McDave]

No to all but 8. Horseshoe Meadow campground near Mt Whitney is over 10,000’. Good place to stay for a day or so to acclimatize if you're planning to climb Mt Whitney. Also have boondocked near White Mountain over 11,000’. Also have boondocked near Deadman Summit just off of Hwy 395, which I believe makes your cut at just over 8,000’. All very enjoyable places to stay, although the descents from the first two were a little rugged. No easy way I know of to pull a trailer down from 10,000’ or more (or should I say, be pushed down by a trailer?).

Also just remembered staying at Junction campground near Tioga Pass in Yosemite. Since Tioga Pass is about 9,000’, Junction campground is probably over 8,000’.

[nomadleslie]

Just for the sake of the conversation (& because I genuinely don’t know but want to), isn’t it against policy/etiquette/both to boondock for longer than one night in a WalMart/Cracker Barrel parking lot? We’ve done this many times but never for longer than one night, so I am very curious to know.

[drmox]

I would probably agree that it's not cool to just set up shop at a Wal-Mart for extended periods of time. My guess is it's a manager's approval type of thing. Cracker Barrels have a much smaller parking lot, so they might it written into policy.

[Dexterpix]

Island Lake Campground 9950' WY

Dexter to Sioux Falls - 1800 miles 2 days 8k mile trip over 22 days

Joe D

[brad1]

I wanted to see what it was like so I rode in the AS while my wife towed us between exits near Dunnigan on I80 north of Sacramento. As a kid my Dad was in the service so we crossed country a number of times, once in a big ‘ol Buick. I remember laying on that deck behind the back seat under the sloping rear window, soaking up the rays, feeling the thrum of the road through the car, my family chatting away up front, pointing out sights. Inevitably I’d fall asleep and wake up somewhere way down the line, or when one of my brothers yelled out something like, “look, a cowboy!” Very happy memories. That’s pretty much what it felt like riding in the AS.

My wife is good at hauling the rig, but wants me to keep her company. I don’t care if she falls asleep while I’m driving but that sentiment doesn’t go both ways. If it did, I’d spend more time on our FB while she drives.

[Julie-Bob]

Yes to all but 5. Airstream are not made to see below 0. They are for fun. We have been Airstream pullers since 2010 and enjoyed everyday. Full timed for two years. Now we are in it only about six months a year. Looking forward to end of May to get in it again for the season.

[SSquared]

Less than 100 miles: yes, both for local trips, and on long trips when spending many days in a general area (example: Banff to Lake Louise). Also once Benson to Tucson AZ for service.

Over 8000 feet: WBCCI rally in Alma, CO, and other Colorado locations. (Sylvan Lake SP, Mt. Princeton NFS campground, boondocking along the Laramie river)

[tvketchum]

Business which offer courtesy parking, like Walmarts and Cracker Barrels, should not become trailer parks. One night only, don't set up chairs or awnings, just park with permission and be on the way the next morning......

[InsideOut]

1. No. Only a "quick overnight" on our way to/from somewhere...not a destination in our book! Now, two nights in a row at different spots...yes.

2. Yes. We often just get away for a weekend close to home.

3. Yes. Being the passenger - it's pretty scary! Would never subject my furr-babies to that!

4. Yes. Trying to make it home after a rally in order to show up to work the next day without sucking up another vacation day! :LOL:

5. Yes. 3-degrees in Rocky Mountain National Park on New Year's Eve!

6. Yes, but will not do this intentionally - felt like a baked potato. We don't have A/C on our vintage rigs!

7. No.

8. Yes, I live at 7,900 so that's an easy ask. The highest elevation we have camped is 10,400 in Alma, CO.

Shari

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by drmox

2. Driven less than 100 miles in one day on purpose?

When I attend a WBCCI/WBAC International Rally, I will stay less than 100 miles from the rally site for my last night on the way there, to avoid boondocking in the bullpen overnight. Camping so close to the rally the night before lets me arrive early on my assigned parking day, get parked, and then relax.

Also I've attended rallies close to home, the closes being a mere 7 miles from home.

And my first-ever outing was at a campground just 25 miles from home. That way if I needed something that I forgot to bring in my ignorance, I didn't have to go very far to fetch it. I recommend that for EVERY first-time RV camper!

3. Driven down the road with human or canine passengers in the Airstream?

My Airstream is an Interstate class B motorhome, so the answer to that one is "All the time!"

4. Pulled the Airstream more than 1000 miles in one day on purpose?

Not 1000, but 750 miles in one day. My father had died and I needed to get to his hometown in time for the funeral service.

[polarlyse]

Yes to 2 & 8, and close to #6.

#2. 2 summers ago while returning from a trip to Alaska with friends we traveled about 45 miles one day. Just found a place that called out to us to stay for the day. There were lots of them but just this once we did it.

#8. We have made a few trips out west and found ourselves up at higher altitudes. For example, Grand Canyon north rim. Central rockies also. Enjoyed the cool evenings

#6. Rolla, Missouri in late July. Boy was it hot. Had hookups and ran the AC all day just to keep things bearable. Glad we had it. Older airstream with silver roof and no small side awnings. Current trailer has white roof and awnings all around and that sure helps a lot but I don't think we've been in quite that extreme heat since.