cross country in small tt

[getcoles]

My wife and I are about to head to Southern California from South Carolina via interstate 10.
The TV and TT are both serviced and in good condition

My request is from those whom have made cross country trips like this.

What do you remember most, that you would do differently, if you did it again?

Thanks for your input

[bhh]

You might get this book and check out its routes and places of interest along the way.

http://www.roadtripusa.com/

[qtla9111]

We did 16,000 kms from Mexico through the western U.S. and then across Canada and down through the midwest. We boondocked a lot, used Passport America and always searched for fuel using GasBuddy. I realize that fuel is cheap now but you might as well get the best prices possible. We also took advantage of FreeCampgrounds.net which was one of the best sites for boondocking and inexpensive campgrounds. Get a Flying J card and the dump station is discounted to $3.

We spread out the trip over four months so that based on the math, we would drive 250 miles in a day, stay for three and take off again. When we found a place we liked or wanted to visit family or friends, we did two days driving and stayed for a week.

It worked out great and was the best rv trip of our lives so far. South America next. Have fun and safe travels.

[TrailerTravele1]

Yes, post to a blog to share your favorites with those of us that will be about a month behind you... Might be different routes, but I'm saving everything I read for future cross country trips. Be sure to post your blog URL here so we all know what to bookmark!

[Mac1]

getcoles wrote:
My wife and I are about to head to Southern California from South Carolina via interstate 10.
The TV and TT are both serviced and in good condition

My request is from those whom have made cross country trips like this.

What do you remember most, that you would do differently, if you did it again?

Thanks for your input

We tried to always stay off the freeways. We called it shunpiking

[Sunbird]

If you are going this time of year be very aware of weather conditions. In the western mountains elevation makes a huge difference. Going now I would take a southern route and return on a northern route. There is a great deal to see both ways.

Phoenix is famous for being warm/hot, Flagstaff 140 miles north is at 7,000 feet and gets 5' of snow per year. Phoenix is at 1100 feet elevation. Weather also tends to be milder along the coast.

[SprinklerMan]

Stop and smell the roses . Its a trip not a race , drive the country roads , see america

[vermilye]

I've made 3 cross country trips in an Escape 17B (as well as many prior trips in a minivan & tent). The most enjoyable have always been those that used the secondary roads & had enough time to "stop & smell the roses". You lose so much knocking off 500 miles per day on the interstates.

As to my favorite areas, it is hard to beat the Southwest. While my favorite national park is Glacier in MT, and my favorite state park is Ricketts Glen in PA, the advantage of the Southwest is the variety & the many state & national parks.

I realize that many must rush to "get there" within limited vacation time, but if you have the time, my suggestion would be to use it for both the travel & the destination.

I have made journals of many of my trips - links to them are here.

[dadmomh]

Completely agree on the time issue. Haven't done the coast to coast thing, but several long trips. Since I'm the trip planner and there were a lot of things we wanted to do, I tried to squeeze too much into the time we had. If you shoot for about 300 miles per day - average mph 50ish allowing for gas and food stops - you won't be nearly as worn out, and these "relaxing" trips can be real killers. Depending on your time, pick a place that has some interest for you and make that a 2 night stop. The every night set up/break down gets old fast and just a night here and there not to have to deal with it is nice. We got into an awful windstorm in Amarillo and had to stay an extra night, which according to most who have been through, is not unusual. It messed with the plan a bit, but gave us a day of rest and a chance to catch up the laundry....you meet some nice folks in the laundry area, really! Also agree on getting stopped and set up before dark. We're on vacation, so we pull out when we want to - usually around 8:00+ - and stop early enough to be set up and having a beverage before dark. Also a nice chance to visit around. If you haven't been I-10 before, plan on a rough ride through parts of LA and TX. Like a washboard. Strongly suggest reservations based on the 300 mile idea. You can usually call ahead if you are going to drive further, but places fill up and Walmart/Sam's is not sensational. That said, Camping World has many locations that welcome overnighters and usually have water and electric, sometimes sewer, and no charge. They are happy if you do some shopping. So, have a great time, lots of pictures, stay safe.

[spoon059]

We went across country when I was a kid with the family in 6 weeks... that was WAY too fast. My suggestion is to have minimal scheduling and go by the seat of your pants. Figure out what the maximum distance you are comfortable driving per day and try not to exceed that.

Take your time. If you find a place you like, stick around for a little bit. If you get someplace you don't really like, don't waste your time hanging around. Take lots of pictures and enjoy your trip!

[legolas]

It all depends on how much time you actually have. You don't say what time of year you are going. I assume sometime between May and September. The heat out west can be brutal so you need to be certain your equipment is in top shape. Most important is to make certain your TV and TT are in top mechanical shape before you head out. If the tires on your TT are aging you may want to replace them. Either check and repack the TT wheel bearings yourself or have it done. The heat out west is a large factor so monitor your tires. I bought a Tire pressure monitoring system that gives both pressure and temp. I watch it carefully to monitor especially the temps during the drive. I have travelled 3 times from Asheville NC to Sedona AZ. The first time I over estimated the hours one could drive without being fatigued. Due to reservations I ended up with a couple of 8 hour days...way to much. Figure on 300 to 350 miles and roughly 6 hours. Stop to setup before dark. If you have plenty of time and want to sight see you can get off the interstate and go at a more leisurely pace. The last time out we spent 5 days in Texas at Palo Duro Canyon State Park then on to Albuquerque for 5 days with side trips to Santa Fe and Taos then on to Flagstaff and Sedona, 6 weeks in all. The return trip was a "let's go home" and so I programmed 6 days for drive from Flagstaff to Asheville along I-40.

My top 2 pieces of advice; make sure your equipment is in top shape and plan enough driving time in days so that you don't get overly fatigued.

[cjoseph]

Can't help with a TT but have done it staying in a tent with the DW before kids.

We were worried about reservations but couldn't plan with driving times. I did hear to reserve Yellowstone, so I did. Worried about making that reservation on time, we started on the northern route to get to Yellowstone first and planned to come back on a southern route. It was a little cold in Yellowstone in June. We even saw snow up high there.

If going with a north leg and south leg, plan accordingly. For a June-July trip, definitely start out south and come back north. If planning for late summer into fall, you may want to go north first.

That was 1998. We are taking the kids for our return trip this year. We have just about every night reserved. We aren't on as much of a shoestring budget as we were then. If we lose a deposit or two, oh well. I thought we'd try it this way.

The one thing I remember I didn't like about the trip was looking for campgrounds. Of course, that was before the days of widespread internet let alone mobile internet.

Good luck and have fun.

Oh, I also recommend not "stopping" until you clear the Rockys. Anything east of there could be visited on a shorter trip if you so wish.

[rbpru]

Our first trip was from Indiana to the Everglades and back, with over a month of rambling between. No problems what so ever. Contemplating that Florida trip, I thought; Boy were we lucky.

For our next trip, a six week amble to Glacier Park in western Montana, I did the following;
• Lowered and checked the TVs spare tire, to be sure the mechanism still worked and I knew how to do it. :h
• I picked up a spare TT tire. We did not have one.
• I carried a hydraulic jack and the boards necessary to jack up the TT per the manufactured instruction and practiced doing it.
• I carried a small 120 volt air compressor for topping of the tires if necessary.
• I carried an extra 5 gallons of gas, based on an experience I would rather not discuss.:o

And yes, we did use most them, had a TV flat while sightseeing. 😞 We developed a leak in one of the TT tires, which the air compressor allow us to get from the campsite to more suitable area for jacking up the TT.

These items were the difference between a twenty minute inconvenience and being that old couple stranded on the road waiting for Emergency Service to find them. 🙂

We did not need the extra 5 gallons of gas, but I will not leave home without it. :W

[brayr]

If you travel off of the interstate system make sure that you fill up with gas frequently. In remote areas out west there are some significant distances between gas stations. We once ran out of gas at a gas station just as we were about to pull up to a pump.

[Atlee]

Just wanted to add a link to my blog from our travels across country. It's www.thetravelingkoala.blogspot.com. It might give you some idea what we did, and what you can do on your cross country odyssey.