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steelhands's avatar
steelhands
Explorer
Jun 14, 2014

Funny Story & I need to take a dump

Ok, let's start with the funny story. As I mentioned in my first post, my SO and I are new to RV's and such. We did the usual newbie thing and bought the first TT we saw. Fortunately, that seems like it has worked out ok based on the thousand or so miles and maybe three weeks of camping experience. We bought the truck to fit the needs of the TT, a 2012 Ford F250, gas. The TT is a 25ft Palamino Puma by Forrest River with no side outs.

Anyway, as part of getting ready for our "big trip!" we decided to get the RV serviced and checked out prior to leaving. Scheduled departure is June 25 to Yellowstone. We made reservations at RV World in Buford GA, about 18 miles from our house in Duluth. We map quested it, put the address in the GPS and got an early start (for us. we left the house around 9am) After we had gone maybe five or six miles, my wife starts to laugh and says, "Emm, we forgot something." I'm thinking maybe her purse or cell phone and ask her what we forgot. She says, "The camper!". No joke, we were on our way to the RV repair place with no RV. Uh, DUH! I had to turn around and go back to the storage place and hitch it up. Uneventful after that. Kinda scared me though. If I am capable of doing something that stupid, what else am I capable of? lol.

Now to the dump question. Are there places that will allow you to just dump your gray and black water tanks without staying the night? For example, if we boondock at Walmart for the night or camp at a place without full hookups are there places we can dump for a small fee? Will RV parks let you do this?

And as an aside, does anyone know of a good RV park in central Colorado to spend the July 4th weekend? We will be on our way to Yellowstone and need someplace to stop midway to Yellowstone. We have reservations for July 12th and 13th at Fishing Bridge RV camp but need some place before and after. We expect to spend a week or so at Yellowstone and then head to Glacier, then to Canada.

As always, thanks for the good advice provided here.
Sam
  • I can make you a list of things your capable of forgetting. Now where did I put my pen?
  • A lot of national forests have dump stations that you can use for free. Also they will sometimes have potable water
  • 2oldman wrote:
    After 1 night it's unlikely you'd need to dump.

    Errr ... you don't know how much they eat. ;)
  • X2 rest area,s look for a trailer sign with a downward arrow bottom corner just before the off ramp
  • I was hunting at the north rim some years back. The tanks filled up, so I pulled it to the campground at Jacobs Lake. They informed me that they did NOT allow people like me to dump. Only the guests there at the full hookup sites. I asked how much for a full hookup site... 20.00.
    I camped there for less than a hour.:B

    There is ALWAYS a solution to a problem.
  • As others have said - many Interstate rest stops have dump stations. Also, my city has a free dump station at the city wastewater treatment plant. Recommend you get a clear piece that goes in line between your tank and your "stinky slinky" so you can monitor when you start getting "clear" fluids out of your tank. I really like having the black tank rinser in my TT. I have found that when I empty, then use the black tank rinser to fill some water into the tank and pull the valve 3 times I get pretty clear water. Really cuts down on the "stinkatorium" odors we were getting in the bathroom.
  • I see that the OP shows his location as "Duluth." If that's the one in Minnesota, I recommend getting a state parks annual sticker for your TV. Then you can use the dump stations at any MN state park that has one, and many but not all do.
  • FYI State of Illinois USED to offer free dumps at rest areas but due to abuse they are no longer available. Love's truck stops also offer dumping for a fee.