First extended trip help

[wjmblm]

I will be retiring this August and my wife has decided that she would like to see some of the United States. This will be our first long extended trip. Most of our trips have been within 200 miles of our home.
We will be leaving from our home on the central coast of California. We would like to stay a couple of days in each of these cities (Phoenix, San Antonio, New Orleans) ending up at Fort Wildness at WDW.
On the return trip home we would like to visit some civil war sites. We will be stopping by Carlsbad, Roswell (never know they might show up), Albuquerque then on home.
We are looking for suggestions, pointers, etc. for this trip. Places we should stop and see, etc. I am also looking from some type of cost for this trip. This is where I am hoping the more expressed travels can give me some help. We will be driving a 37 ft motorhome that gets 7 mpg. The cost of lodging, food, etc. would be greatly appreciated. I know this is a lot to all to ask but would help us in making our plans.
Thanks for any and all information,
William & Belinda Moore

PS: My wife wanted me to ask the ladies for any suggestions on her surviving this trip!

[dahkota]

2hams wrote:
We really enjoy finding farmer's markets and local foods. Ever since the trip to Kentucky, I like to see what good places there are to buy bourbon 🙂

On one trip, we actually detoured to go through Kentucky. I'm not a bourbon fan, but the Bourbon Trail was too strong a pull!

Our last trip to FL and back, we planned our route back to enjoy the local foods - shrimp and grits (GA), lo'boys (SC), etc. I think half the fun of longer trips is definitely finding regional food and drinks. I advise to stay away from blueberry 'wine' though (Maine). It really wasn't good. The maple syrup (NH) however was divine. Every state has its own flavors. Half the fun of exploring the country is tasting it.

[skipnchar]

Depending on what your interests are, many of those places are best seen by staying OUTSIDE of the big cities 🙂 If your USA tour means metro areas, then you're on the right track. Have a great trip. There really is no difference between an extended trip and a short one except you just keep doing it longer.
Good luck / Skip

[Dick_B]

A 1000 mile trip is like 5 - 200 miles trips...
Suggest you do a Google search for the state,city,area you are interested in and put the word `tourism' after it. Read what the experts say about their area. For example `chicago tourism', etc.

[2hams]

I use rvparkreviews to check out campgrounds. When traveling, we have found that Passport America will pay for itself in just a couple of nights. Your costs will vary depending on how much you eat out, how much you drive, etc. Despite this, over the past 5 years we have generally averaged about $100/day (that is including groceries) with an average of $30/night for campgrounds. The latter will get skewed quickly when you stay at an expensive spot.

Several years ago I read about the "rule of 3s" on this forum. Great advice - don't drive over 300 miles a day, stop by 3pm, and stay at least two nights every third day.

We generally have reservations at major destinations, such as Yellowstone, then plan the route and have tentative campgrounds identified. We call ahead midday for reservations.

As for how your wife should survive this trip (I am the wife part here) - be sure to plan some things you both want to do, and to do some things you haven't planned. We really enjoy finding farmer's markets and local foods. Ever since the trip to Kentucky, I like to see what good places there are to buy bourbon 🙂

[sdianel_-acct_c]

www.mapquest.com is what we use for routing. It will also calculate your fuel costs. We average about $30 per night for RV parks. Some are cheaper and some more but that has been our average for the last 4 years. It does take some doing to keep it below $30. KOA's are nice but more expensive. Food is the same you spend at home if you cook in the RV or grill out. We splurge once a week on a restaurant. We find that our food costs actually went down because we cook smaller portions because of storage space.
In New Orleans, The National World War II Museum is awesome. There are 2 nice parks in that area. French Quarter and Lake Ponchatrain.
We use www.woodalls.com to locate a few campgrounds in the area we stop and use www.rvparkreviews to narrow it to the best bargain.
If you go back thru Mississipppi, we like River View RV Park in Vidalia Louisiana on the Mississippi River, across from Natchez MS.

[wjmblm]

Getting some good information.
Thanks to everyone sofar.
William Moore

[Eycom]

As an aside, at age 62, you might look into the America The Beautiful Senior pass issued by the Fed government. Cost is $10. There are many federal campgrounds and C.O.E. parks across the land at which the bearer of a senior pass receives 50% off for camping. You won't find swimming pools, miniature golf, paddle boats, and game-rooms. What you will find is the ambiance of nature, larger sites with water & electric and often times, a lake on your doorstep for $10-$12/nite. Natural substance over frills, should you enjoy that kind of camping experience. I use this website to locate Fed/State/City&County parks in my travels. I've found, what I consider to be, some real gems out there.

[DesertHawk]

Here's some old posts with info for some of I-10 & areas off of it:
Tucson/Arizona, New Mexico & Texas ---- Ditto but Expanded with Northern NM Plus ---- Near Carlsbad Area New Mexico

Las Cruces ::::::::: I-10 to San Antonio ::::::::: US 285 Detour to Santa Fe from I-40 :::::: Back Roads New Mexico

West of Roswell US 70/US 380 to US 54 :::::::::::: Flagstaff - Gallup - Grants- Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Plus

PS: one can reach Santa Fe/ABQ from Carrizozo via US 54 to NM 3 to US 285 N to I-25 S to Santa Fe then to ABQ.

Never done any Sightseeing in Roswell, NMMI Museum Might be Interesting or the Sinkhole Lakes @ Bottomless Lakes State Park. A Visit at RMAC and seeing Art might be cool. Nice Drive up to Mountains on US 70 W to Ruidoso Area from Roswell. I enjoyed The Hurd La Rinconada Gallery with it's Wyeth family connection at San Patricio on US 70 (3.5 miles past US 380 turn off). Deer Crossing RV (50+) Park near San Patricio (never stayed, no bargain); had been PassPort America, but not now it seems.

To avoid some of I-10 in Texas, one could use the US 90 Route from Van Horn to San Antonio. Not so raceway speeds on it.

I've always wanted to see Bloody Shiloh; had a Gre't Great Granddad fight there. I've head Vicksburg is a neat one to see. Drove by once & didn't stop. Should have. Someone, I believe, said Pea Ridge in Arkansas was good. Been to Gettysburg twice, very moving to see.

The Trail of Tears Historic Trail have sites through many states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee). Not just Cherokee, but Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Nations. A Chickasaw gave it the name, "Trail of Tears", I've read in the past. Might be interesting.

These have been helpful in finding a place to overnight or stay (Help for the Budget as well):

FreeCampgrounds.Com

freecampsites.net/usa/

Boondocking Sites

Bob's Cheap & Free

Wal-Mart

OverNights Not Camping

Casino OverNighting Never used one yet, but many do.

COE Campgrounds

BLM Campgrounds ::::: such as: New Mexico BLM Camping ::::: Valley of Fires CG - Excellent One

Best Value - NM State Parks ::::: $10 Without - $14 With Electric & No Entry Fee if Camping. Often with Free Showers (not all, most).

Senior Pass for Federal Parks & Camping (Free Entry to Nat'l Parks, 1/2 off camping @ Many Nat'l Forests & Nat'l Pks; Also BLM & COE) Not 62 yet, a Annual Pass for $80 might pay for itself & more for the Battle Fields, etc. But not 1/2 Camping, I believe. Might save a little $ if visiting many Nat'l Pks & Monuments. There is a Free Access Pass if one has permanent disabilities. Passes

PassPort America Campgrounds