January departure questions....

[SD2013]

We live in Northern Illinois and plan on snowbirding in Florida begining in 2018. Will be booking state parks along our route starting in February of 2017 and picking up the new 5th wheel in May of 2017.

We would like to stick around and spend the holidays with the family before departing during the first week of January. Not sure what to expect for road conditions, how far south to get before de-winterizing and such, what if there is 2 feet of snow on the roof 5ver when we want to leave?

Would like some advice what to expect when planning a departure. Have the route picked out and will be spending the first night at a motel in Salem IL. The second day will be in the Memphis area. After that I think we will be fine. Its just the first 2 days that require a real learning curve.

Thanks for any tips and clues!

Dave & Ronna

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

We're NE of you in SW Michigan, and made MANY trips south in the winter. My best advice? Be flexible; and set your RV up for easy winterization with a 3-way valve attached to the pump, so all you have to do is throw the water heater bypass switch (drain the heater, of course); flip the valve; and let the pump send antifreeze through the RV using a tube stuck into the antifreeze bottle. A few trips, we would re-winterize if the cold temps caught up with us - it was about a 10-minute process (no big deal)

And then, watch the weather - wait for a few clear days.

We would un-winterize when the nighttime temps stayed above freezing, wherever that might be. Until that point, we still used the RV, by using bottled water, and flushing with RV antifreeze. Reflectix insulation cut to fit our windows kept us toasty - even in single-digit temps (although in extreme cold, we put NO liquids down the drains).

Something to remember: even if you leave during "nice" weather, there will still be roadsalt residue on the roads - rinse the underside of your RV thoroughly once you get far enough south.

[B_O__Plenty]

We leave our trailer in central KS at a nice storage facility every Oct. then in Jan. drive 10 hours to get there, spend the night in a motel and head out for the South the next day. No ice or snow or very little, can't use it in MN after Oct because nothing is open and it makes a nice Fall trip for us. Going on 7 years doing it this way..

B.O.

[almcc]

It's a bit east of Memphis (south east of Jackson) but we stop at Natchez Trace state park on our way south to California, the water taps in the Pin Oak campground are winterized and the sites are fully serviced. We stop there in November, a nice stop on the way south. You do need to reserve a site on-line, the rangers stopped collecting money at the campground a couple of years ago.

[SD2013]

Jerry & Jeanne:

That thought occurred to me. Finding a place around Memphis might be an option. If I were on a month to month here in Illinois, which I may be, paying for storage near Memphis actually wouldnt add that much cost.

Could haul the 5ver down in early November and pick it up on the way down in early January.

[SD2013]

Ive done this trip twice in the past. But then I was traveling solo in the truck camper and would head south in early November. This will be the first time I'll be pulling out in January and the first time with a 5th wheel.

To reserve or not to reserve is my biggest issue. I'm not worried about the hotel the first night, Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis for the second & third night or either Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham AL or Birmingham South Campground for nights 4 & 5. Doubt if there will be a problem finding a spot in these places in January.

But want to stop for two nights at Three Rivers State Park in the Florida Panhandle and another 2 nights at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park just south of Gainesville FL before we get to the Punta Gorda area.

I know that in my previous trips south, most, if not all, the Florida State Parks book up months in advance and feel I would need to reserve a spot at these Florida State Parks.

We will be doing no more than 250 miles (usually less) per day and I was thinking that by planing a 2 day stay in Memphis and in AL it would allow us some departure options so we arrive in at the Florida reserved spots on time.

Thoughts?

[jplante4]

Another option, albeit more expensive but more convenient, is to move the trailer south before the dead of winter settles in. Find an RV park or Campers World south of the freezing line that will store it in the way back for a couple of months. Pick it up, pull into a Walmart for the night and stock up.

[Chuck_thehammer]

plan ahead, use the computer radar programs.. keep an eye on snow storms and ICE...

and do not depart 12 hours before storm arrives at your departure location.. that is a bad plan.

but driving in snow with a trailer or 5th wheel is not that big of a deal.. maintain a steady speed... and NO quick movements..

have several motel numbers ready, over many exits... time & speed will very a lot..

last November. 800 mile trip. planed 400 over 2 days.. first 400 took 15 hours. and it was just Rain and 42 degrees. lots of accidents. ( West Virginia, Virginia )

[rr2254545]

SD2013 wrote:
Thanks to all.

Dutch, my situation is a bit different as the 5th wheel will be in winter storage when we leave. You have some advantages with a motor home. Thanks for the winterizing tip.

Hey rr2254545, don't know what route your using but would be interested in learning how you find hotels with parking for your rig.

Interstates 35 70 64 57 24 65 SR 331 south to Destin

I use google earth and actually call the hotel - I ask them if they have parking for a 18 wheeler - a desk clerk probably will not know what a 37ft rig is - Before i used this I arrived at a hotel in central Illinois and it was way too short - of course I have a problem u will not as I tow a car and can not back up without unhitching

[K_Charles]

When we had a TT we would head south and use bottled water. Often it would be warm enough to turn on the tank heaters and add water the first night.

[Bowti]

We have been leaving in January for years and have never found it to be a problem. We make sure the roof is swept mostly clean before we leave. We leave our trailer as empty as possible, meaning no food, water, or beverages. No since in carrying any extra weight for 1200 miles as we have found they sell everything we need in Florida, plus some things we don't need.:)

We also Motel it the first two nights as we find it so much more enjoyable to relax without having to set up in a cold trailer. After another 7 hour third day of traveling we make it to the north end of Florida where we have made a reservation at a favorite campground for the night. Then on to our destination from there.

Like others have said, you do have to watch the weather for any storms, but other than snow or ice storms the express ways are always clear.

[SD2013]

Thanks to all.

Dutch, my situation is a bit different as the 5th wheel will be in winter storage when we leave. You have some advantages with a motor home. Thanks for the winterizing tip.

Hey rr2254545, don't know what route your using but would be interested in learning how you find hotels with parking for your rig.

[PghBob]

We usually leave W. PA the last week of Jan. The rig is winterized and stays winterized through our entire trip, which usually ends in March. We don't de-winterize until May at home. We carry bottled water for our coach needs (coffee and cooking), and will use campground water when south for other needs. We use rest stops for BR needs as much as possible on the way south, but if we need to use the toilet in the RV, we add RV anti-freeze to the flush. Once south, we do not hook-up to water, but use campground water in bottles to flush the toilet, and obviously dump before heading north.

For the actual trip, consider not making reservations for the first few days of your trip. You may need flexibility on your leaving date due to the weather. Last year we had to delay leaving for two days because of weather, not at home, but in the states we would be traveling through. So, have approximate dates planned, but go when the weather is OK. You don't want to drive in ice or snow if it can be avoided.

Finally, remember that you can still get freezing temps and infrequent snow even in Florida, usually north of I4. A couple of winters ago, we had 34 degree overnight temps. in the Orlando area.

[Dutch_12078]

We leave upstate NY in January, and we have our motorhome furnace on and the coach warmed up a couple of days before we leave. That helps melt any residual snow/ice off of the roof if needed. If we have more than a couple of inch snowfall, I shovel or sweep the roof. When we winterize I blow out the lines, only using RV antifreeze in the drains, so we fill the fresh tank the day before we leave and use the coach normally on the trip south. Since we typically only move out of the motorhome into our Adirondack cottage if the weather turns extra cold in December, some years we just turn down the heat in the coach for the week or two we're not in it, and don't winterize at all. The point though, is that we manage quite nicely in sub-freezing weather when we leave for the south, and have never felt the need to use hotels along the way.

[rr2254545]

Done this for years - just keep an eye on the weather and go when you can, I am a little further north so we stay in a hotel 2-3 days ( I only drive 250 a day)
Then I dewinterize and stock up on food for the motor home. We go with the refrigerator loaded its the canned good I would worry about freezing


One year we arrived in Destin Florida and still had snow/ice on the roof - it took 5 days for it all to melt.