3-4 week trip west... A little nervous!
I have logged over 100k miles in class a motorhomes. Currently have a 40ft dynasty diesel pulling a full size Chevy truck. We (me, wife, and 2 sons, 8 and 14) are leaving June 6th from Panama City...
Forum Discussion
We returned 3 days ago from a 3600 mile 23 day trip from north Alabama to NM and Colorado. Did Utah last year.
Catch as many of the NP's as you can, especially in Utah. They are all spectacular. Monument valley is not to be missed, and the Gouldings campground there has the best setting of any CG we have used.
In Colorado we stayed a week in Montrose (black canyon of the Gunnison, jeep ride in Ouray) and Manitou Springs (Pikes Peak, Mountain Zoo, Garden of the Gods, AF Chapel). Best thing about Colorado this year was it was COOL - we even ran the heat a couple of nights. High 40/s or low 50/s on the mountain peaks and plenty of snow to play in. Virtually no humidity in the valleys, and pretty much constant breeze.
We pulled a 4 ton TT over Monarch Pass with a naturally aspirated Tundra. As others here assured us, it wasn't bad at 10 miles of 7% up, and another 10 miles of 7% down. It actually took us longer to come down than go up. A naturally aspirated engine losses 3% power for every 1000 feet above sea level, but I found the engine computer and transmission compensated for this very well.
Before making these 2 trips, I bought both the mountain guides - they publish one for the east and one for the west. I have lived in TN/AL all my life, so I used the eastern guide to find roads/hills I was familiar with and relate them to % grade. This "calibration" helped me better understand the grades on the roads out west.
As to I-40 condition, Oklahoma was consistently the worst ride. West Arkansas has a few isolated pockets, but OK rough across the whole state. Looks like they have finished most of the construction in west Ark.
On the return trip, we got out of the TV at OK city Saturday night to make camp and got hit with the wall of humidity, and now wish we were back in Colorado!
Travel safe.
Catch as many of the NP's as you can, especially in Utah. They are all spectacular. Monument valley is not to be missed, and the Gouldings campground there has the best setting of any CG we have used.
In Colorado we stayed a week in Montrose (black canyon of the Gunnison, jeep ride in Ouray) and Manitou Springs (Pikes Peak, Mountain Zoo, Garden of the Gods, AF Chapel). Best thing about Colorado this year was it was COOL - we even ran the heat a couple of nights. High 40/s or low 50/s on the mountain peaks and plenty of snow to play in. Virtually no humidity in the valleys, and pretty much constant breeze.
We pulled a 4 ton TT over Monarch Pass with a naturally aspirated Tundra. As others here assured us, it wasn't bad at 10 miles of 7% up, and another 10 miles of 7% down. It actually took us longer to come down than go up. A naturally aspirated engine losses 3% power for every 1000 feet above sea level, but I found the engine computer and transmission compensated for this very well.
Before making these 2 trips, I bought both the mountain guides - they publish one for the east and one for the west. I have lived in TN/AL all my life, so I used the eastern guide to find roads/hills I was familiar with and relate them to % grade. This "calibration" helped me better understand the grades on the roads out west.
As to I-40 condition, Oklahoma was consistently the worst ride. West Arkansas has a few isolated pockets, but OK rough across the whole state. Looks like they have finished most of the construction in west Ark.
On the return trip, we got out of the TV at OK city Saturday night to make camp and got hit with the wall of humidity, and now wish we were back in Colorado!
Travel safe.
