On the road . . . with AirMiles

[TouringDan]

AirMiles

Sounds like another great trip this summer. I recommend getting a reservation at Cade’s Cove in the GSM NP. Note that it is quite shady. We camped there for one week last June. We were in the generator free area but we made it ok, just had to conserve.

We also like Carolina Hemlocks by Mt. Mitchell and Sherando Lake close to Wanesboro, Va. Best to show up Sunday-Tuesday at both places to snag a spot.

Dan

[AirMiles]

Thanks for the tips Dan. I've been busy planning this trip and I am running out of time FAST! Months go by fast when you want to see as many campgrounds and locations as possible. I've considered Cades Cove, but don't think it will fit in on the way North, maybe on the way back South? Here is the current plan in order:

Mt Pigsah, Crabtree Falls, Julian Price (booked 4 days Memorial day weekend), Doughton Park, Rocky Knob VA, Peaks of Otter VA, Loft Mountain VA, Bass River SP NJ (Booked), Cheesequake SP NJ (Statue of Liberty Booked), Winter Island Boston MA (Booked), Acadia ME (Booked), Unknown stops along great lakes . . . , Black River Harbor Upper Michigan (Booked 4 days July 4 weekend), Unknown stops for Upper Michigan/Wisconsin . . . , Maplewood SP MN (Booked), Itasca SP MN (Booked), Pokegama MN (Booked), Whitewater SP MN (Booked). Unknown stops Wisconsin and then meander back to Florida. Maybe return to Blue Ridge area in September.

Any more tips of whether any of the non-booked parks mentioned above should be replaced with other names would be appreciated. Almost every park, outside of MN, is non-electric. My solar is going to get a workout again this summer.

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by jeffmc306

AirMiles, I just read all 8 pages of this thread going back to your Titan Diesel days and have to say I’m envious of all your trips (thanks for all the photos!). This year looks like another list of great places.

We’re headed to JC next week to see our 27’ Globetrotter in production. We’ve got a 10 day trip in June that includes Rocky Mountain National Park (saw your picks). Thank you again for sharing your experience and travelogue notes!

Best wishes and Happy Camping!
Caryle & Jeff McCaffrey

Nice, I love the Globetrotter interior. You are going to love your new Airstream! I went with the 25' for the East-West bedroom that will fit an 80" queen mattress and my 6'5" height, but otherwise would have bought a 27'. It was fun towing the Airstream through Rocky Mountain National Park and taking pictures above the snow line. Not many others were as foolish as I was to pull this large of camper through the park. I did see a single axle Airstream pass by on our way through the park. Definitively take the original gravel road pass at the park (without the Airstream). It was a little more adventurous, but still a well maintained gravel road that any car could handle. I also enjoyed driving across State Highway 14 North of Rocky Mountain National Park. Hwy 14 is similar in beauty to the entrance road into RMNP. Take a drive through there if possible.

Enjoy your new Airstream and your trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

[TouringDan]

AirMiles

I have never camped at Crabtree Falls, but it is close to Carolina Hemlocks NF CG which is one of our favorites.

Rocky Knob is ok but you may like to camp at the Highland Haven Airstream Park that is close by.

Peaks of Otter is not very good. It does have a strenuous hike to the rocky peak or an easy hike around the small lake. It is 30 miles from our home in Lynchburg.

Loft Mountain is good- great sunsets. Our favorite local CG is Sherando Lake about 5 miles off the BRP. You can probably snag a spot if you show up early Sunday- Wednesday. We also like Lewis Mountain in the SNP. It is a small CG with some interesting history- it was the colored campground in the SNP.

I am from Michigan and love the UP so I can tell you where to camp in the UP.

Dan

[scottj]

I have been living in my Globestream 2019 25 ft twin bed for week now in Tybee Island. Love the larger size after having 23 Flying Cloud for 6 years. Dramatically better kitchen. The rest of the unit is very nice but the old rigs kitchen was tough. Who thought a round sink was cool?

I got a rolling drying rack that I had in my old rig that fits right in. I will report more later on the rest of the rig.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0171WCRZ0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/IMG]

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

AirMiles

I have never camped at Crabtree Falls, but it is close to Carolina Hemlocks NF CG which is one of our favorites.

Rocky Knob is ok but you may like to camp at the Highland Haven Airstream Park that is close by.

Peaks of Otter is not very good. It does have a strenuous hike to the rocky peak or an easy hike around the small lake. It is 30 miles from our home in Lynchburg.

Loft Mountain is good- great sunsets. Our favorite local CG is Sherando Lake about 5 miles off the BRP. You can probably snag a spot if you show up early Sunday- Wednesday. We also like Lewis Mountain in the SNP. It is a small CG with some interesting history- it was the colored campground in the SNP.

I am from Michigan and love the UP so I can tell you where to camp in the UP.

Dan

Excellent tips Dan! Most of the drive up the BRP will be by the seat of our pants so I can use your suggestions.

[nryn]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

Any more tips of whether any of the non-booked parks mentioned above should be replaced with other names would be appreciated. Almost every park, outside of MN, is non-electric. My solar is going to get a workout again this summer.

AirMiles, in Michigan and Wisconsin:

Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan is outstanding. It's a beautiful area all around, but the national lakeshore is unlike any other on Lake Michigan. Don't miss the huge dunes (tallest beaches in the world, apparently).

Traverse City is a nice small town to explore.

Mackinac Island is also a nice place to spend a day or two. Touristy, which I thought I would hate, but it's a gorgeous island and we got to bike around it (8 miles, super easy on a paved trail) and take a horse carriage into the interior. No vehicles allows on the island. Ferry and accommodations are pretty straightforward.

Ludington State Park is also a great place. I'm taking the family there in a few weeks for their Airstream orientation.

In Wisconsin, Door County is great. Amazing in the fall but lush in the summer. There are plenty of private campgrounds; we stayed at Peninsula State Park and I thought it was well-run. Plenty of hiking/biking trails. Popular on weekends with good cause and I hear at some points it's a zoo, but everyone there was really nice and the (tent) site we had was ideal.

My kids and I did the Lake Michigan Circle tour last year (all the way around) and had a blast. I know this part of the world pretty well; PM me if you have any specific questions.

[AirMiles]

Thanks for the tips. Lots of great suggestions. I was born in Northern Wisconsin and we spent a few weeks in Upper Michigan two years ago with the Airstream. We enjoyed it so much we are going back. We love the waterfalls. Our favorites are the series of waterfalls are on the Black River. This year we will be staying at Black River Harbor campground over the 4th of July. We leave in three weeks and can't wait to get on the road.

[AirMiles]

I was reading this article https://marinehowto.com/under-load-b...oltage-vs-soc/ and decided to research and document my Duracell EGC2 battery's charging parameters, cycle life vs depth of discharge, capacity vs temperature, voltage/state of charge. A Duracell EGC2 battery is actually a relabeled Deka East/Penn GC15 battery. Below are pictures from the following links:

https://www.invertersupply.com/media...lyer-0919b.pdf

http://www.dekabatteries.com/assets/base/0004.pdf

This article explains why I chose this Duracell EGC2 battery for my solar-powered Airstream: https://marinehowto.com/what-is-a-deep-cycle-battery/

[AirMiles]

Been on the way and traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway for the past week. We are having a great time. Cellphone service has been almost nonexistent and WiFi even less at the national park campgrounds. Here’s a quick picture.

We’re at Mt Pisgah Campground this weekend. Plans have changed as we will not be going all the way to Maine. We now plan to turn north after Shenandoah up to Niagra Falls and then west to Minnesota, UP Michigan and Wisconsin.

[gregwall]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

Been on the way and traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway for the past week. We are having a great time. Cellphone service has been almost nonexistent and WiFi even less at the national park campgrounds. Here’s a quick picture.

We’re at Mt Pisgah Campground this weekend. Plans have changed as we will not be going all the way to Maine. We now plan to turn north after Shenandoah up to Niagra Falls and then west to Minnesota, UP Michigan and Wisconsin.

Have a great time!

[AirMiles]

I’m happy to announce we have upgraded from our FC25FB to a new Globetrotter 27’ Queen. We bought it from Haydocy Airstream in Ohio and have been staying at the Airstream factory in JC for the past few days as we work out the new trailer issues. We will be heading back to Florida with it tomorrow and then will be installing 600W of solar and a few more upgrades. We are very excited about our new Airstream.

See you on the road . . .

[TouringDan]

AirMiles

Good for you. The new Globetrotters are beautiful Airstreams!

You may not want to hurry home to Florida. This is a great time to do some camping while you wander back home to Florida.

Dan

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I’m happy to announce we have upgraded from our FC25FB to a new Globetrotter 27’ Queen. We bought it from Haydocy Airstream in Ohio and have been staying at the Airstream factory in JC for the past few days as we work out the new trailer issues. We will be heading back to Florida with it tomorrow and then will be installing 600W of solar and a few more upgrades. We are very excited about our new Airstream.

See you on the road . . .

AirMiles, congratulations on your new Globetrotter! What color interior did you decide on? We love our GT - it’s night and day difference compared to our FC23FB. Hope to see you around sometime soon! Are you planning to go to Alumalina 2019 in October or the International Rally in Loveland next June?

[billrector]

Nice....but after all that work to install the solar on your FC. So what will you do differently on this one?

[cptdzl]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I’m happy to announce we have upgraded from our FC25FB to a new Globetrotter 27’ Queen. We bought it from Haydocy Airstream in Ohio and have been staying at the Airstream factory in JC for the past few days as we work out the new trailer issues. We will be heading back to Florida with it tomorrow and then will be installing 600W of solar and a few more upgrades. We are very excited about our new Airstream.

See you on the road . . .

Great Idea (I've never purchased new) to stay at the factory. When I called in July they were booking into November. Several suggestions to stay the night at the dealer to resolve any issues, how you'd pick Haydocy? If I can ask what issues needed addressed/repaired at the factory. Safe Travels.

[AirMiles]

I really liked Haydocy Airstream. Easy to deal with. Small town folksy atmosphere. The most important thing was they had exactly what we wanted in stock. A new untitled 2018 Globetrotter in grey at a big discount! We could not be happier.

The issues were the toilet fill valve leaked badly- had to use shut off valve each time we flushed. The a/c thermostat was wired incorrectly so the heat or a/c wouldn’t ever cycle - it just kept running. Hot water heater had a loose connection on the board so it didn’t work. Refrigerator wouldn’t cool below 40 degrees and thermostat needed adjustment. The stereo speakers had loose connections. We swapped to my 16” Michelin’s. And batteries swapped to my 6V golf cart batteries. I kept my old upgrades and put the new tires/wheels and batteries into my old Airstream. I also removed my 400W of Solar which will be installed on my new Airstream while upgrading to 600W. That’s about $4k worth of parts I won’t need to repurchase. I will need to upgrade my Victron solar controller to a 100/50 for 600W and will need two more solar panels and a 60A breaker.

The factory Terraport in JC is a great location to shake down a new Airstream. Buy it at Haydocy and spend a few days at JC fixing the bugs. Factory support and parts at your fingertips! I did most of the repairs myself since I didn’t have an appointment.

[cptdzl]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I really liked Haydocy Airstream. Easy to deal with. Small town folksy atmosphere. The most important thing was they had exactly what we wanted in stock. A new untitled 2018 Globetrotter in grey at a big discount! We could not be happier.

The issues were the toilet fill valve leaked badly- had to use shut off valve each time we flushed. The a/c thermostat was wired incorrectly so the heat or a/c wouldn’t ever cycle - it just kept running. Hot water heater had a loose connection on the board so it didn’t work. Refrigerator wouldn’t cool below 40 degrees and thermostat needed adjustment. The stereo speakers had loose connections. We swapped to my 16” Michelin’s. And batteries swapped to my 6V golf cart batteries. I kept my old upgrades and put the new tires/wheels and batteries into my old Airstream. I also removed my 400W of Solar which will be installed on my new Airstream while upgrading to 600W. That’s about $4k worth of parts I won’t need to repurchase. I will need to upgrade my Victron solar controller to a 100/50 for 600W and will need two more solar panels and a 60A breaker.

The factory Terraport in JC is a great location to shake down a new Airstream. Buy it at Haydocy and spend a few days at JC fixing the bugs. Factory support and parts at your fingertips! I did most of the repairs myself since I didn’t have an appointment.

But my wife wants to know why I'm always working on a "Brand New Trailer"?

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by jeffmc306

AirMiles, congratulations on your new Globetrotter! What color interior did you decide on? We love our GT - it’s night and day difference compared to our FC23FB. Hope to see you around sometime soon! Are you planning to go to Alumalina 2019 in October or the International Rally in Loveland next June?

We chose the grey interior. It was our first choice because we liked the brightness of the decor. Light grey with white counter tops reflects the sun nicely. We like how the grey blends in with the grey aluminum roof and walls and creates a monotone look. I thought the dark walnut versions were luxurious, but too dark compared to the grey. Grey was our first choice, luckily the leftover 2018 was in Grey!

Thanks for reminding me about Alumalina. It looks like those dates are open in my calendar and I'm looking for a fall destination. That will probably fit into our schedule. Hope to see you there. Loveland next June will not fit into our plans. Look for a 27' Globetrotter with 600W of solar on the roof pulled by a white F250 Platinum Diesel.

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by billrector

Nice....but after all that work to install the solar on your FC. So what will you do differently on this one?

I removed the solar from the old FC. I installed it on the new Globetrotter in one easy day of work. I started the inside wiring at 8:00am, completed it by 10:00am. I started mounting the outside panels (400W) at 10:00 and had them operating by 2:30. Then I started SikaFlexing them into place which was completed by 5pm. I took many breaks while doing this work, it was 102 degrees in the SHADE! I also had to do a run to Home Depot for 10 gauge yellow and green wire to extend the prewire to where I wanted the Controller.

I still need to change out the Victron 100/30 for the 100/50 and install the 60A breaker inside and mount/wire the two new 100W panels. I'm waiting for those parts to arrive.

What will I do differently? I will not be replacing the stock 110V controller. It supposedly is a multi-stage. I've seen it in bulk and absorbtion stages. I like the bulk stage, but the absorbtion stage is too low (13.5V) for my Duracell EGC2 Golf Cart Batteries. That is basically a float stage for my batteries. But, I rarely used the Airstream Controller and will only use it for bulk charging, so it will work perfectly for my needs. I disconnect the Airstream controller at the breaker and only connect it if I need to boost charge the batteries with the generator or 110V. I've only used my PD4655 a few times for that purpose. No need to replace the controller again.

I decided to keep my golf cart batteries, my 20# exchange tanks, my Michelin 16" tires and rims, and my ProPride hitch. So the only major change is to keep the stock Airstream charge controller for 110V use. And upgrading the solar to 600W because I now have the space on the roof.