Fly or Drive?: 2500 miles from NW to Carolina's in June

OP, Great Solution! And for all our rambling, no one thought of it. Enjoy Carolinas!

We camp about 9 months in the Upstate of SC. We are close to the Blue Ridge and the Great Smokies and 4 to 5 hours from Myrtle Beach. We have 1 AC unit but we spend a lot of time out under the awning. The mountains are cooler and there are several lakes that have camping. TN has great state parks so you may like that. Northern Alabama is nice, too.

Welcome to the South.

OP here, many thanks for the excellent discussions and advice!

1. Fly: Having worked in fast-paced jobs, it is almost inconceivable not to fly and accomplish "the mission" in the most efficient manner. I've been to NC/SC on two preview trips and of course I flew.

2. Drive: Last two preview trips I really liked the area, but felt a bit "out of my element". Partially due to new sights and culture, but more likely the "stress" of constantly trying to find accommodations, meals, etc. My hope is that having my RV "home" with me, a unbiased evaluation and decision can be made. I've taken the MH to many of the Western "Boomer" towns, so this would be a more even comparison.

Many, many great points raised:

-Mechanical failures: Good point, MH is 11 yrs old but excellent shape. 40K miles, recent maintenance, new tires, good AC/generator, etc.
-"Full-timing trial run": Due to frequent disruptive sleep patterns, 2 sleeping areas are needed. 26' Class C is a bit small, though we've had several enjoyable one week excursions. We're already looking at 34-36' Class A's.

paulcardoza wrote:
I'd bring DW along for the RV trip so you can decide right there and then if fulltiming is for her or not. Then, you can make your retirement decisions together, knowing full well what the real situation is.

DW read through everyone's informative comments and She's decided:
I'll drive out, she'll fly. We can fully evaluate both the area and test the RV lifestyle. If it gets to hot or cramped we'll break it up with an occasional hotel.

Thanks everyone for advice on the area and wrestling through to a decision!


BTW
Great Climate Comparison

@OP,

Sounds like your mission has two goals --- To find a retirement location AND to convince DW she'll be happy fulltiming there?

You've been a member here for 10 years. What's your history of long distance RV trips for extended periods of time? Why the concern about DW being part of the cross-country drive?

Assuming your rig has a generator, or you'll be staying at CG's with electric along the way, the heat/humidity won't be an issue. We have been to the Myrtle Beach area many times over the years and heave been quite comfortable with the RV AC running. No different than in a S&B house.

If it were me in your situation, I'd bring DW along for the RV trip so you can decide wright there and then if fulltiming is for her or not. Then, you can make your retirement decisions together, knowing full well what the real situation is.

IMO, it's a lot better to deal with the situation up front than to have one (or both) of you miserable, based on an uninformed decision.

I'm going to revise my original answer and say it depends on DW. You said you are trying to convince her to spend more time on the road in the RV. How close or reticent she is to that idea isa big factor is drive or fly. The Carolinas are great camping states, even in June (Note: I'm much more familiar with NC than SC) and I do think you need to visit in the summer before moving.

Have fun! NC is on our shortlist based on affordability and mountains/coast reasonably close. All depends on where our kids settle down after we quit being nomads.

Crystalline window film by 3M blocks around 70% of the heat and can be ordered to where you can't even tell its on the glass.

nomad 289 wrote:
This is our first post-retirement extended road trip. We have basically unlimited time, but can likely accomplish "the mission" in two weeks once we are there.

Asheville, Aiken, Savanna, Charlotte, Wilmington, Pinehurst, etc...
Boomer towns

Secret agenda is to get her hooked on RV'ing then we'll full-time and never need a home base;) More likely snowbirds or sunbirds 2 mo twice a year and a bigger RV. Looking for mild climate, seldom much below freezing.

We've both flown on business extensively, I prefer the RV.

Maybe a more succinct question would be: Will June in an RV be enjoyable or miserable?

That's exactly the feedback we're looking for. Should be a good "test" trip.

Not necessarily related to the trip you are contemplating but do you have a 'connection' to the Carolinas? If you are going to make a major move away from your long time home to a totally new location without some personal connection you may quickly regret it.

Unless you have a reason to move to Carolina now to be closer to family or friends I would spend this year exploring the northwest in your RV - some shorter trips in the beginning with a longer one later. By doing that you would know more about how you feel about spending time in the RV.

After spending quite some time in the RV you will find that the answer to your question will be obvious. If you still like RV living you may not want to settle in any particular town. If you decide you do not like RVing you are only a few months or a year later in making your move.

I live and travel in the south quite frequently and my 38' MH stays very comfortable with only the engine AC operating...the comfort of a cooling or heating system in a MH depends largely upon the quality of the MH insulation during manufacturing. Perhaps a different MH would be more comfortable for your wife. If you are planning to use it very much I would recommend getting a quality built four season one that can be cooled with only the engine AC.

As with most areas elevation plays a large part in daily temperatures. Ashville is in the western mountains and Wilmington is on the east coast. There is a radical difference in the two areas in both winter and summer climates. I live on a small island just off the mainland of NE,NC and we enjoy what I consider a pleasant compromise between the two climates.

NC consist of Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal areas. We have the highest Mtn. east of the Mississippi and also hundreds of miles of coastline. It is a great state in which to live and many retire here from other areas.

Might want to shift to N and rev the engine up a little.

I'm not stupid, thank you. The thread drifted some because one of the concerns is being hot in the MH. Stay with the program.

Crowe wrote:
Perfectly healthy vehicles, from what year? 1972, or 1973?

Nope-from the 90's up.

If you look at the original poster's signature/profile,

Didn't look. My reference wasn't necessarily to that, but more generic.

Might want to shift to N and rev the engine up a little. :S
How did we get this far off track? and it's a class C on a E450.