cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

No Longer Snowbirds, for a while

hook47
Explorer
Explorer
After Snowbirding in Lake Havasu City for 5 years, we finally sold our home on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. We had 30 days to sell, get rid of and ship/store over 15 years worth of stuff. Actually, some of that stuff has been following us around for decades.
We are now on our Lot in LHC enjoying the triple digit temps; our 2013 40 foot DRV Mobile Suites gets a little warm during the heat of the day. Luckily we have a Casita with A/C on our lot that stays nice and cool.
We left WA the end of July and made the 1650 mile trip at mostly a leisurely pace staying a couple of days at 3 different stops. I drove the TV/RV (GCW 27,500) and my wife drove the 2015 Corvette. She got the best of 34.8 for 400 + miles and overall 32.6 mpg. I got 9.7. We drove at 65-70 the whole way mostly in triple digit temps with the A/C on except for the long hard pull up I 84 outside of Pendleton, OR. All three vehicles performed flawlessly. Which they have essentially done from day 1. We saw 1 accident in OR, I believe, on the Interstate. An 18 wheeler had jack knifed in the opposite lane in a construction zone. Saw a Ford F150 w/ TT being towed on the side of the road; assumed an issue with the TV as it was on the tow truck and the TT was hooked up to be towed. That is it for accidents seen by us.
So, for towing 40K + miles at 24 โ€“ 27.5K GCW the only issue Iโ€™ve had was with the original fan clutch. It would wait till temps got to 235+ before engaging. I finally changed it with one from Kennedy Diesel which comes on much sooner. In fact, the needle for the coolant temp only got above 210, where it normally sits, to about 225 3 times pulling long hills. Before this change, I could count on high temps just about on all hills of any steepness. This also kept the trans oil temp much lower and it also cooled off much quicker. In other words there were much lower peak temp spikes and more constant temps for the whole trip. Well worth the $175 plus install price.
Oh, yes, almost forgot. We will be building a home in St. George, UT so we wonโ€™t be full timers for long and then back to Snowbirds, kind of.
2008 Chevy 3500HD LTZ 4X4 CC / Banks IQ with Speedbrake & Economind tuner /2013 38RESB3...I know, the TV color doesn't match the MS!
4 REPLIES 4

hook47
Explorer
Explorer
Yes, we are staying on our RV lot that we have owned since 2010. Had a Ramada & Casita (covered/open air stucco covered tile roofed structure attached to our Casita which is an enclosed A/C'd area with W/D, shower and toilet area)built 3 years ago, about 600sq ft of additional living space. So, for the time being it is our temporary living area until our house is built. Life is good!
2008 Chevy 3500HD LTZ 4X4 CC / Banks IQ with Speedbrake & Economind tuner /2013 38RESB3...I know, the TV color doesn't match the MS!

laknox
Nomad
Nomad
Amazing what kind of mpg you can get with a torque-y engine turning a bit over 1,000 rpm. ๐Ÿ™‚

Lyle
2022 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali Crew Cab 4x4 Duramax
B&W OEM Companion & Gooseneck Kit
2017 KZ Durango 1500 D277RLT
1936 John Deere Model A
International Flying Farmers 64 Year Member

FlatBroke
Explorer II
Explorer II
Great place to build a house in tha St George area. We have been looking in the smaller burgs of Hurricane and LeVerkin. Low crime rate. Friendly folks. Clean community. English is the preferred language.
We spend winters between Parker and Lake Havasu on the Colo River. Best of both worlds, desert no water.

Hitch Hiker
"08" 29.5 FKTG LS

heaterswa
Explorer
Explorer
Sounds wonderful sir. I wish to be there someday.
Now you are staying in an RV Park as a temp / perm site?

-Bryan
Me, Wife, 3 daughters, and a woof woof
TV: 06 GMC 2500HD D/A SLT 4WD / Prodigy / Reese Signature 18K
FW: 07 KZ Durango 315BH / Fifth Airborne / Sidewinder / JT Strong Arm Stabilizers