ND to Baja now to Alaska the good and the bad

[4X4Dodger]

Since I left Minot, ND (NOT my home by the way) last Sept. I have been from there down through Yellowstone and Capitol Reef in Utah South to Tuscon, down through the entire Baja on both highways Trans peninsular 1 and highway 5 and am now back north in Northern California on my way to Alaska.

As I have digested the experiences of this trip so far several things have stood out in my mind:

We have met some wonderful people along the way. Some folks we still keep in touch with and hear from. People from all over the world RV'ing or in Expedition vehicles.

But we have also met WAY too many Grumpy, dissatisfied, unhappy, angry Old Fa*ts that just seem to make it their business to try to make you unhappy too. We really wish they would just stay home.

Fear Mongering: The fear mongering that goes on not only on this site but by the media in general is disheartening. This constant drumbeat of negativism seems to be turning what once was a country of adventurous outgoing people into a bunch of frightened gnomes huddling together afraid to leave their driveways. This trend has so many mothers it's not possible to get into it here. But suffice it to say we have met so many people who have expressed the desire to travel the Baja, or CA 1 or this mountain pass or that desert but did not go BASED SOLELY on what they had read on the internet and sites like this. That is a sad commentary on us as a people.

With that attitude our ancestors would never had made it to Oregon and California and the boundary of the US would still be at the Mississippi.

To all of the newbies and those for whom fear has become a shadow on here and everywhere I say. Just GO! ignore the fear mongers and 'fraidy-cats and get out there.

We have also had our share of great experiences with many RV Parks. Most have been very good. Of course we tend to eschew the "Resort" type parks. And we have had some outstanding experiences in State and even local parks as well as National parks. We just spent some time in Death Valley and Sequoia and had a great time at each. One of the best was Moro Bay state park in Moro Bay California which is a stunningly beautiful park well kept and managed and worth the money.

But we have had some awful experiences too: Osens RV park in Livingston MT ...you couldn't drag us back there. Dagetts in Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja, Country Life RV Park in El Centro, Just dont go there. But in general most have been fine.

The Good Sam RV Travel Guide is in my opinion next to worthless. So many really good parks (not new ones by any means) are missing from it in important areas (like San Francisco and outside of some National Parks) that it makes you wonder if it wasnt compiled by phone. But here again this is a whole subject in itself.

Now I find it much more useful (when I have a signal) just to say :OK GOOGLE" to my phone and ask it to come up with RV Parks. But signals can be tricky especially in many of the places we go. And that is when you need a good book...which the GS Rv Travel Guide is NOT.

Tires and trailer repair:

We have been fortunate in that we have had no serious problems along our way. After 11,689 miles of towing the trailer (this includes trips prior to the one addressed in this post) on a pair of Used Goodyear Marathons I have had one tire issue...a road hazard that cut the inside side wall. Even with hundreds of miles on dirt and rocky roads of the Baja and some very rough roads here in the US my tires have performed flawlessly. ...**This is one of those issues where there is so much Fear Mongering going on and misinformation it boggles the mind***

As for trailer repairs there have been a few but minor. While we stopped at Searchlight Nevada on our way to Las Vegas to sleep overnight in Terribles GAs stations and truck stop parking lot my big slide stopped working. One side of the slide would operate the other didnt. This immediately told me I had broken something in the shaft or gear on the fron end of the slide.

I left the slide out about 3/4rs of the way that night and took a flashlight under the trailer to see if I could see the problem. YEP there on the ground was a sheared bolt, only the top half. This bolt is what connected the shaft from the motor to the second rack and pinon gear. So the next AM I got back under the trailer to see how big a job this would be and it turned out pretty simple. Finding the right sized bolt was harder. I carry many with me but even though I had the right size it was only in a fine thread and I didnt have a nut to match. the store didnt have one and there is NO hardware store in Searchlight.

I noticed this older guy walking three small dogs and approached him thinking all old guys like myself keep lots of stuff, maybe he has one. Sure enough after searching through his Junk Box I found one that worked perfectly. It took me a few minutes to install and the slide was going again.

I think if you RV (or are a boater like I was) you need to be able to fix just about anything in your rig just about anywhere. Relying on Road Service no matter how good it may be seems at best a dicey bet.

I also experienced a battery charging issue while in the Baja but fixed that by taking apart the wiring at the pigtail and battery, cutting it, trimming it applying ring lugs and used a bolt to hold them together instead of the Twist Lug that is used on so many trailers and motorhomes. The old connection was just very corroded. This is a temp fix and I will be getting a 10 lug marine terminal block and fuse blocks from Defender and terminating those wires with heat shrink lugs and a new 50 amp fuse holder all in a weatherproof box. This is how they all should be built.

Other than this my trailer has performed exceptionally well all systems working as they should.

I hope some of these insights and experiences are helpful or entertaining at least. There will be future additions as I amke my way to Alaska for the summer.

[rkortes]

Very enjoyable post. The words on fear mongering were spot on. In order to make it out there, one really needs to take on the "half full" approach to life and be willing to throw a bit of caution to the wind. I don't think most people realize that the most death defying act that they participate in on a daily basis is the commute to and from work.... now that's scary! 🙂

[4X4Dodger]

Veebyes wrote:
As I read through your post I am starting to think, "this guy is a boater" with the fearless go anywhere fix it yourself attitude.

Then you mentioned my favourite store. Defender Marine.

BINGO! Gotcha.

Ya you are right and you made me laugh. I used to have a 42 foot Cheoy Lee Open ocean sloop.

I sailed it across the Pacific from Seattle to Asia. I also circumnavigated Vancouver Island with it. As well as many other trips.

What amazes me about RV'ers is how totally dependent so many are to repair shops to do simple things.

NO Sailboat captain worth his salt would set out without full knowledge of his craft and it's systems and be able to fix anything that goes wrong himself. Or if not fixable than to fashion a good work-around.

You cant call road service in the middle of the Pacific, at night, in the shipping lanes, when your electrical has gone out.

My feeling is that anyone who wants to RV should have a solid working knowledge of all the on-board systems and be able to fix them himself or do a work around.

Of course this is a bit harder for someone with a class A DP. But you should at least know what makes that engine work and how to do all the maintenance on it.

I believe that you really need to be self sufficient to a great degree if nothing else than for your own peace of mind.

[Veebyes]

As I read through your post I am starting to think, "this guy is a boater" with the fearless go anywhere fix it yourself attitude.

Then you mentioned my favourite store. Defender Marine.

BINGO! Gotcha.

[Ductape]

Great post. Except for the part encouraging the fearful to join us. Let 'em stay home; more room for the rest of us. 😉

Just kidding on that last... we are also afflicted with the humorless sometimes. 😄

[CabinetmakerII]

Interesting post! We have been full time now for almost 2 years and loving every minute. This past year we traveled from boarder to boarder and coast to coast. I cant remember anybody that was not friendly. We met lots of people and stayed lots of places. Winter in Yuma is coming to an end and its time to hitch up the 5er and move on. I will be most interested in your post regarding your trip to Alaska as my bride and I are leaving from North Idaho on June 10 for our first trip to Alaska. We (my wife) have devoted a considerable amount of time researching our stops/RV Parks in both directions. Planning on taking the Rocky Mountain Route on the way up and the Gold Rush Route on the way back. Highlights include Fairbanks, Denali NP, Anchorage, and Homer. We plan to be on the road between 8 and 10 weeks. Good luck in your travels! May your tires always have tread, and your fuel prices be "reasonable"!

[CWDoc115]

Give your batteries a good charge, then tighten the terminals, then pour a little coke or pepsi over the terminals so they don't corrode.

[mbutts]

Great post! In 15 years, we had never boondocked (what if the police throw us out, what if a crazy shows up, what if...).

We just came back from a 10 day trip and stayed a night at a Cabela's in SC and another at a travel plaza in WV and WERE NOT MURDERED! Not even a little bit!

[Geocritter]

I’m a full-timer with an older RV, a 1994 33’ Class A Holiday Rambler and I tend to stay in the less spendy RV parks, usually a month at a time, while I explore the area in my 2005 Dodge Caravan Toad or my motorcycle. I guess I’m lucky because I hear almost no complaining, most of the folks that have older RV’s like mine are happy to pass on useful information and that’s it. Last May, when I had to replace my RV’s engine it turns out a fellow from the board lived close to where I was doing the engine replacement. He’d replaced his engine a few years ago and came over and helped me with the job. However, you’re so right 4X4Dodger, it’s a good idea to be able to do most if not all the repairs yourself if need be (fortunately, that be me).

Steve

[lizzie]

What a wonderful, positive post and you are so right! We have been camping in our various rigs for over 50 years and still love it. I sometimes feel that we are hearing more grumbling, pi##ing, and moaning in the campgrounds but figured it was just that we are getting older and folks complain more. We are generally satisfied with our campgrounds since we have a clear understanding that it is all part of the experience and the advantage of wheels is they roll you on to the next stop. We too are headed for Alaska in a couple of months. Best of luck. lizzie

[arhayes]

Good comments. On the negativism, human nature is for people to point focus on negatives, and the internet makes it all too easy. Happiness also seems to wax and wane in election years, so I think 2017 will be much better regardless of who "wins".

We've been full-timing for close to 2 years and have met some wonderful folks, stayed in some great places and in others that were so so. But the great thing is if you don't like the place or people - you can move on. When you find a group or place you like - you stay longer. Life is good - and surely beats the alternative!