Long Cross Country Trip

[occloud]

Hi everyone,

We are planning a BIG loop trip thru the 'west of the Mississippi' states. Leaving So. Calif. mid May thru AZ, NM, TX then north. Below is a "Trip Wizard" map that gives the general route. Anyone have suggestions on preparing our rig for such a long trip? We have a 2016 Classic 30 and 2016 F250 Lariat.

[Hittenstiehl]

Wow that looks like a great trip, lots of fun places.

My only advice would be to start a thread when you go so we can follow along and learn from your travels and experiences.

[SilverSinbad]

Originally Posted by occloud

Hi everyone,

We are planning a BIG loop trip thru the 'west of the Mississippi' states. Leaving So. Calif. mid May thru AZ, NM, TX then north. Below is a "Trip Wizard" map that gives the general route. Anyone have suggestions on preparing our rig for such a long trip? We have a 2016 Classic 30 and 2016 F250 Lariat.

Sounds like a great time!
How long are you planning on being gone?
Curious what you do about your mail?
We are hoping to something similar in the near future.

Best,
SS

[HowieE]

I suggest you get the app AllStays. There are far more interesting places to camp than KPA. Look at city and county parks plus Federal and Corp of Engineers.

If your a member of a fraternal org. you will find many have facilities. And a great source for local info.

[occloud]

Originally Posted by SilverSinbad

Sounds like a great time!
How long are you planning on being gone?
Curious what you do about your mail?
We are hoping to something similar in the near future.

Best,
SS

Mail will be held by the post office. We'll be gone for at least 2 months

[occloud]

Originally Posted by HowieE

I suggest you get the app AllStays. There are far more interesting places to camp than KPA. Look at city and county parks plus Federal and Corp of Engineers.

If your a member of a fraternal org. you will find many have facilities. And a great source for local info.

Thanks, I'll check out the app

[SilverSinbad]

Originally Posted by occloud

Mail will be held by the post office. We'll be gone for at least 2 months

I thought the PO would only hold for 30 days?

Will look forward to following your adventure!

[mayco]

Originally Posted by SilverSinbad

I thought the PO would only hold for 30 days?

Will look forward to following your adventure!

We just did about 6 weeks on the road and had the PO hold our mail. At thirty days you'll need to contact them and extend the "hold" order. Worked just fine.

Mike

[Piggy Bank]

Are you also wanting options for places to stay and things to do?
Or is your question more about prep for the physical reality of the trip?

[occloud]

Originally Posted by Piggy Bank

Are you also wanting options for places to stay and things to do?
Or is your question more about prep for the physical reality of the trip?

All thoughts and ideas are welcome :-)

[Piggy Bank]

Here are a few suggestions for places to stay if you want to do a state park/corps of engineer type of place.

Beaver Lake in NW Arkansas is a very clean clear lake (so clean that folks do their underwater scuba certification there). Water temps are ideal for sitting on a pool noodle all day in the lake. Noted for wonderful striper bass fishing. Corp of Engineers campgrounds, so reservations thru Reserve America. About 20-30 minutes from Eureka Springs.

In the Kansas City area, there are 2 nice state parks. Weston Bend and Lewis and Clark. They are not very far apart. Weston is smaller so may fill up first. Nice to hike along the ridge above the Missouri River. Leavenworth KS is on the other side. Shady and there is a fenced in dog park. Lewis and Clark is larger and more flat and open, but not as pretty. Also close to the river near Aitchison KS. Reserve through the Mo state parks website. 2 night stay required on the weekends.

[Starlight Mike]

Spend some extra time in National Parks of Utah, as mentioned earlier, do some research for more interesting places than KOA's. They are good for a couple of nights here and there for all the amenities, but the State, National and County parks can be special.
Make sure your tires and running gear are all in perfect condition and have a great time

[dcasr]

Originally Posted by occloud

Mail will be held by the post office. We'll be gone for at least 2 months

____________________

Hope you don't get called for Jury Duty!

In Georgia we age out at 70, so we travel without worrying that some judge will be mad at us...at least for that.

We have had both the Post Office and a neighbor hold our mail on trips in the past. When we leave for six weeks this summer not sure which we will do.

[nvestysly]

+1 on Allstays - it costs $10 and worth it! It's the only app we ever purchased and I'm sure glad we did. We very seldom stay at conventional campgrounds - there are many more interesting people to meet and places to see when you take time to find places off the beaten path.

We very seldom make reservations unless it's a major holiday weekend and even then you can stay overnight in a Walmart or Cracker Barrel or something similar if campgrounds are booked up. We've been pleasantly surprised how easy it's been to find campsites at the last minute - particularly when using Allstays - as it identifies casinos, county parks, city parks, etc.

Regarding mail... I suggest you not hold your mail at the post office. Our local office does okay with delivering mail but holding mail is not their strong point. If you have a neighbor that is willing to pick it up for you that may be a better option.

To reduce the burden on our neighbor we installed a locking mailbox. That way the mail is safe overnight and for even for several days. The neighbor only needs to stop by 2 or 3 times a week at their convenience. If we become aware of an important item in the mail the neighbor can look for the item and take action. The post office wont'/can't do that.

We know people who travel often and for lengthy periods and they use Escapees as their mail handler. If you find yourself traveling extensively that may be a useful option.

[occloud]

Thank you all for the tips. i'll definitely look into all of them.

[PovIndy]

You have a grand adventure ahead of you - we traveled to Utah National Parks this past fall and had an incredible time Make an outline of what you want to see - be flexible and adventurous you have plenty of time there are many local spots that don't appear on the travel guides Enjoy !!

[TheGlen]

Our advice is to be as flexible as you can. We love the ability to get sidetracked or to spend more time somewhere we really like,and to explore off the beaten track. We have discovered some amazing places as a result. ie..Craters of the Moon in Idaho, Seabiscuit's old home, a small, almost deserted municipal park right on the shores of the Mississippi in Iowa. We usually have a general idea of where we want to go but a lot depends on the weather, and on recommendations we get from people along the way. Take your time and have fun.

[azflycaster]

We are on the road for several months at a time, averaging 6 to 8 months a year. We have our mail forwarded to a digital mail service which scans the envelopes when they arrive and then send us a pdf file with a picture of our mail. We then either shred it, forward it or have them open and scan it. It has worked very well for a couple of years. https://www.scanmailboxes.com/

[PKI]

New coach and new tow vehicle - should stand you in good stead. Your route is not an excessively long trip. You will also not be gone for an excessive period of time. Should be a fun trip.

Have all recommended tow vehicle maintenance completed prior to the start of your trip. Plan a stop in a major city to get any maintenance that will be required during your travel.

The coach is likely in very good shape, but it's worth your time to do a complete inspection of tires, brakes and all systems to verify they are in good working order. Take the phone number of your AS service provider with you so you can get advice and direction to deal with system problems that develop on your trip. Take your coach manuals with you. Take an internet access device so you can ask us for help too .

A coach is usually loaded with more provisions and gear for a long trip. You may need to adjust your WDH to help balance that increased load. Study up on how to achieve that adjustment prior to leaving. You probably should make a couple of passes across your local CAT scale to verify load balance early in your trip.

Mail - the post office will hold mail for 30 days. The supervisor of the local office that holds your mail may be willing to hold it longer if space is available. That variance is their discretion, so a face to face request is a good idea.

It looks like you are not going to a lot of National Parks. For those you plan to visit, get reservations. For time you plan to spend in and around major cities be aware that RV parks in those areas will be very busy over weekends and on holidays so plan ahead.

A lot of your route appears to be interstate centric. You might consider some two lane travel. Another plan is to camp in a central location and explore without the coach each day. What ever you do, do not get discouraged. If you are tired and frustrated, find a place to hold up and rest. Shop, do the laundry, catch some extra sleep and basically chill. Waiting out a holiday is often a good strategy. Then get back to your trip plan. Each trip is a learning experience. Figure out what you like, what works, and what you need to avoid to stay happy.

Suggest you do what you believe is right and do not blindly do what other folks tell you to do. If you are uncomfortable, slow down, stop, or leave. Understand that you will feel uncomfortable about some things, because they are new and others, because you sense a problem.

If you have not visited the Redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants in NorCal, go for it. Enjoy the Columbia river, it's a nice drive. Winnemucca has a nice Passport America park (New Frontier) that is good stop on a very long road. US50 is a good alternative to I80 if Salt Lake is not on your punch list. HW128 into or out of Moab is a very nice drive. HW550 out of Montrose CO is beautiful, but narrow and tight in places for a long rig.

Good Luck on your trip. Pat

[Lotus54]

I would suggest after entering Washington State, head west on HYW 2. Stay at Spring Canyon (Lake Roosevelt NRA), or Winthrop (Pine Near is nice)
Then go over Stevens Pass, or North cascades Hwy (better views)- across to Olympic Peninsula, then down Oregon coast. (I have camping suggestions)
I don't like I -5 very much personally.