Help plan Christmas trip from Michigan to Florida?

[reinita]

Hi,
If I can get the time off, we are planning a trip from Lansing, Mich., to Naples. Fl., the weekend before Christmas and coming back a week later. We have a 32-foot Sunseeker Class C.
Lots of initial questions:
How long might it take? We figure two very long days with one overnight stop on the way down and again on the way up.
When should we de-winterize? We typically have the RV shop winterize for us in late October and de-winterize in April. We don't know how todo it ourselves.
When would we winterize upon our return?
Where would be a good spot to stop halfway?
We've done 12-hour travel days before, so we know what we are getting into.
Any other concerns or tips welcome!
Many thanks

[Beverley_Ken]

Done that route many times and one year before retirement when we had a schedule to follow had the same weather problems. We left the night before. We only got to central OH area before stopping for the night, snow poor driving conditions. Spent night in Walmart parking lot, just checked with manager first. When the weather cleared the next morning continued on I-75 was wet and dirty but not icy. Still able to may our plans at Disney Fort Wilderness.
We usually stop at a Walmart or other (Cracker Barrel/truck stop etc) for the first night. Never felt unsafe. Just ask the manager first. The Walmart we have used several time in Berea KY are now not.permitting overnight stays. It is a municipal regulation, manager said its OK by us but to expect the town to ticket/tow you. When we left, we noticed every parking area in vicinity of the interchange had new NO Overnight Parking signs in place.
Enjoy your trip, make sure that your propane is full before leaving and keep the gas tank topped. Also make sure your CO and smoke detectors are in good working condition (batteries). Personally we won't use the generator while sleeping, still afraid of CO coming back into MH.

Beverley and Ken

[Bob_Shaw]

I'm currently in the Atlanta area and we're not supposed to see overnight freezing weather again until Monday night. Saturday and Sunday temps are forecasted to be in the low 70's, with rain on Sunday. When going through Atlanta, go straight through. Stay in the dead center of the expressway, as the right lanes will disappear on you. There's not a lot of good camping near I-75 close to Atlanta. If you don't stay near Chattanooga, you may not find a good campground until you get down to High Falls State Park, which is only a couple of miles off of the interstate near Jackson Georgia (before Macon). Once you get over the mountain at the Tennessee/Kentucky border, you should be good to go. You have a pretty good grade coming into Chattanooga, but I don't think you'll have any ice problems there.

When going home, it may be good to have the Camping World that is between Macon and Atlanta to re-winterize your rig. You can probably check CW site for the location and call them for a reservation. You could probably even stay the night there.

Have a great trip.

[portliz]

If you are going from Lansing Michigan why are you not taking I69 to I65.It is a much gentler drive. We just came down that way last week. Several places to stay along the way open all year. This is a long ride for kids and 3 dogs. You are brave. Don't dewinterize until warm enough on the way down. Easy to do. Winterize at a dealer before you leave to come home. Use RV antifreeze in the toilet and take bottled water and paper plates. Lots of places in Nashville to stay. Clanton Alabama KOA right off the highway. Take 65 to Montgomery and then pick up 231 to Dothan and on to I10 to Lake City and pick up I75. Weather all the way down and home could be an issue. Be sure to have a backup plan. You may need to bunk down and wait out the weather. Safe travels.

[reinita]

Well, we're a few days out and the weather is looking NASTY for Saturday; meaning ice. We're debating whether to start heading south on Friday after work and seeing how far we get. Have any of you stayed overnight at a Wall Mart or some other spot like that in the winter? We have a generator and furnace. Is it safe? Are we insane?
The other option is heading down on Sunday (rain expected) and losing our two nights at Disney's Camp Wilderness reservation (yeah, I kept calling and finally did get in).
Suggestions welcome. Thank you. Again.

[dverstra]

Leaving on Saturday is a good idea. That puts you through Atlanta on Sunday morning. Ignore the bypass and go straight through.

[cloftus]

Thanks for posting the Sherwood RV info. We just booked a site there for Dec 26-28th. Looks nice...

[reinita]

Booked at Sherwood Forest RV in Kissimmee. Florida, here we come!

[reinita]

Still looking at an Orlando stop, but unsure of where to stay since Camp Wilderness is (not surprisingly) booked. Suggestions? We have three dogs, so need to be close enough to drive back to check on them. Unless someone has experience with Best Friends Pet Care? Ran across it on a board and they appear to offer a day kennel service for people who want to spend the day at Disney.
Thanks again

[reinita]

Vacation approved. The trip is on.
Since we're driving a Class C on main roads, we can deal with some snow (we've traveled in snow before and camp late into the season as it is; in Michigan, that means snow!).
Plan right now is to take off very early on Saturday, Dec. 21, spend one night on the road and arrive in Naples late on Sunday, Dec. 22. We know that it could take us a third day and one more stop on the way down. Same with the way up, so we're allowing three days down and three days up.
We'll ask our RV dealer to show us how to winterize (and de-winterize) so we don't end up with any frozen lines.
Seriously considering a quick run to Orlando on the way down (yes, we know it's out of the way) if we can find a campground for one night so we can take the kids to Disney (they've never been). Availability will determine our final plans.
Thanks for all the suggestions on where to stay along the way. I'll be booking our reservations as soon as we decide on our route.
Keep any additional tips coming. We really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experiences.

[Jim_Shoe]

Time to re-think this. Your chances of NOT seeing snow on the northern 600 miles of your trip either southbound or northbound must be close to zero. Knoxville has averaged 3 to 5 inches of snow in December and January over the last 100 years. And some years were double digits.
If being with family at Christmas is more important than driving your RV somewhere, book a flight now.

[D_E_Johnson]

check with the airlines..prices may be good, if you book now. In Sept we flew from Toronto to Atlanta then to Brunswick Georgia for 400.00 each round trip taxes included..We would have spent way more on fuel and stops than the price we paid. Only one true travel day at each end of the trip..Stayed with family once we got there. Made for an enjoyable 11 day trip. Dona

Just something to think about!!!

[tatest]

Ever since I-75 opened all the way, my Lansing relatives have been driving to Ocala, Brooksville, and Tampa without stopping. With 2 or 3 drivers it is one very long day. Naples is going to be another half day, so you might plan a stop.

Driving with just myself, I need an overnight stop. Going south, this might be as near as Chattanooga or somewhere beyond Atlanta, that depends on my timing to hit Atlanta at a less busy time. Going north, my overnight is usually somewhere in Kentucky. I.E. either direction, long first day, shorter second day.

You need to learn how to winterize, de-winterize. What's needed to protect the plumbing is a 20-40 minute job, at the most. I go through it several times a year, because my season extends into winter I and I will take the RV out for the warm spells or for trips to Texas, Gulf Coast or Florida.

Going to Florida from Michigan, you will be dewinterizing at your first stop in Florida (if you want to use the RV), winterizing again before heading home.

When we would take out TT from Detroit to Brooksville, we would not try to live in it on the way down, we pulled it dry (that was how we winterized in the '60s) and slept in a motel enroute. The point of not trying to camp enroute, besides the winter weather issue, was it would cost at least an hour setting up and breaking down, sleep vs travel, even if we didn't unhook from the car, and we were trying to maximizing driving time.

This was with a TT made for dry camping, no electricity needed to operate anything. A modern RV you will need electrical hookups, or extra battery power, to get heat. In a C you may have a generator, but I've never had the courage to run mine overnight while sleeping, because if CO seeps in through the many openings in a RV, it is possible for the initial low levels of the gas to put you in a deep enough sleep that the CO detector will not wake you up.

[dancoppins]

There is a very nice KOA in Chattanoga. From there you should be well on the way to Naples, FL if you leave early. You might want to add a night just so you are not to exhausted.....Planning and reservations are very helpful, especially for a Christmas time trip......We made a promise to each other to NEVER travel the day after Christmas or New Years Day.............Traffic is unbearable, especially on I-75. As for winterizing, I would winterize both before you leave and at your first stop north. Be aware, Monroe, MI appears top be the only campground open all winter on your return trip with only a handful in Ohio.

[Mr__Camper]

Remember to put a snowplow on your tow vehicle or coach when you leave, drop it off in TN at a Wal-Mart on your way south (it will be a curiousity for the locals)and pick it up on your trip back.