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Just Do It

jplante4
Explorer II
Explorer II
We are nearly five months into a six month winter trip around the southeast, and I thought I'd post some observations for anyone wondering "can we do this?".

In short, yes and do it before you get too old to handle a little work. We just retired last year and this is our retirement trip so we can still get around with relative ease, but there is a certain amount of strenuous activity. Also, the older you get, the more often you need to hit home base and the doctors that are keeping you going

The Trip started in November on Cape Cod. We took 3 weeks to get to Palm Beach FL area to spend Thanksgiving with my brother's family. We did a week at Cape Canaveral trying to catch a launch (missed it) and then to Bradenton/Sarasota area to spend Christmas and New Years with friends. Then we headed west, followed the Gulf coast all the way to almost Galveston before coming back north through Shreveport, Texarkana and Checotah OK to Branson MO where we are now. We plan to hit Lake of the Ozarks, and visit the DD in Lees Summit MO, then take 2-3 weeks to get back to Cape Cod through KY, WV, and PA.

The Ride is a 1996 Safari Sahara 35 ft DP. With a few mods, we are now fairly well setup for living in the bus for extended periods. We wanted a DP for the quiet on the road and we can do most of the work on it ourselves, which is very important when buying a vintage rig. The idea was KISS; no slides, no air bags or auto-level, easy setup and breakdown and not towing, renting a car from Enterprise when we need to re-supply. I think we've decided to tow a dinghy next time. We missed a lot of local stuff not having a car easily accessible. Plus we found we were picking places to stay based on whether Enterprise would pick us up.

Observations;

1. We picked RV parks by a) location, b) price and then c) highest rating on RV Park Reviews. We tried to keep the legs to 250 miles/5 hours driving. Because we stayed at least a week in each spot, we wanted sewer hookups, so we didn't stay at a lot of state parks. It is possible to do this and stay around $40/night average.

2. Biggest expense is obviously "lodging" and the second was car rental. Another reason to tow next time. 3rd was food followed closely by liquor and then fuel a distant fifth. So if you can tow a car that doubles as a distillery, you can really make out. Of course, if we drove more and stayed less time in each spot, the fuel number would change. I found that at least a week in each spot was good. It gives you a chance to get a feel for the area and the people.

3. Doing this in a brand new rig would be difficult. You need at least one season of weekend and summer vacation trips to shake things out close to home. I talked to people who picked up a Tiffin in Red Bay and ended up going back there twice to have stuff fixed under warranty. And that's Tiffin, arguably the top end of motor coaches! I can't imagine trying to find a dealer to fix the things that broke on this trip just from being used. The only part of the toilet that is original from November is the bowl. Everything else has been replaced. Observation there - as soon as something on the toilet breaks, replace the entire toilet.

4. Be willing to let things slide that can. It's better to replace the roof A/C gasket when you have a car to get parts that will break when you're doing a project. I have a hard time sitting still, so getting into the relaxing all the time life still is tough for me. I found myself doing everything just so I would have something to do. This made the DW feel less useful. Of course the kettle is black as well. As soon as I get up from the table, my place is thoroughly cleaned before I even get a chance to grab the sponge.

5. Get out of the bus. Get out of the campground. Go see stuff. Google "Things to do in XXXX" and pick something. OTOH, there's virtually nothing outside of Shreveport LA.

6. Talk to your neighbors. Being from the northeast, this was the hardest for us to do. When you approach a stranger in New England, they go defensive right away until they realize that you don't want anything from them. In the southeast, people don't do this. It is possible to walk up to a stranger in a campground and start a conversation. Try it sometime. I bet it's the same in most of the country. Also, dogs make a great conversation starter. Everyone camping has a dog. Yes I know I'm not really [airqoutes]camping[/airquotes]. I'm also not sitting on my butt wishing I was.

That's long enough. I'll add more as I think of stuff.
Jerry & Jeanne
1996 Safari Sahara 3530 - 'White Tiger'
CAT 3126/Allison 6 speed/Magnum Chassis
2014 Equinox AWD / Blue Ox
15 REPLIES 15

stfnwuf
Explorer
Explorer
Best advice I got from my parents was to do things while you could. My parents loved to travel and took trips whenever they could. If they waited until they retired they would not have been able to go anywhere due to my dad's health.
2016 Reflection 337RLS
2016 Ram 2500 Big Horn
Food source for one very ornery cat

ventrman
Explorer
Explorer
jplante4 wrote:
Yeah, some people suffer from paralysis through analysis. They start thinking about all the variables, how to get fuel, how and when to winterize, new or used, my slide-out is making a mark on the carpet, etc...

And then time goes by and you always think you have enough. Then one day you have a heart attack that doesn't kill you but scares you enough to make some changes.

It really shouldn't take a life threatening occurrence to get you off your butt.

Amen to that. There will always be Obstacles with anything you want to do.
If I am thinking about going downtown and worry about hitting all of the green Lights at the same Time.
I will never make it off the front Porch.
The best thing to do is to just get started.
God Bless!

ventrman
Explorer
Explorer
jplante4 wrote:
Just got done cleaning and thought of one more thing. Whoever thought that putting carpet in a mobile home type vehicle should be made to live in one with only an electric broom type vacuum and a little green machine type shampooer. I've added 2 projects to the next upgrade - hardwood or laminate floors and a Fantastic vent fan in the front of the bus.

I tore the Carpet out of the 5th Wheel last Year and replaced it with Tile. The Tile is not durable enough. Next Year, I am replacing the Tile with Laminate Flooring.
God Bless!

jplante4
Explorer II
Explorer II
Yeah, some people suffer from paralysis through analysis. They start thinking about all the variables, how to get fuel, how and when to winterize, new or used, my slide-out is making a mark on the carpet, etc...

And then time goes by and you always think you have enough. Then one day you have a heart attack that doesn't kill you but scares you enough to make some changes.

It really shouldn't take a life threatening occurrence to get you off your butt.
Jerry & Jeanne
1996 Safari Sahara 3530 - 'White Tiger'
CAT 3126/Allison 6 speed/Magnum Chassis
2014 Equinox AWD / Blue Ox

Cloud_Dancer
Explorer II
Explorer II
"Just do it!"
I kinda denotes a rush to judgement.
*
On the other hand, you don't want to overthink it either.
*
It's probably less stressful to just be a couch potato. But, I wouldn't know....:B
Willie & Betty Sue
Miko & Sparky
2003 41 ft Dutch Star Diesel Pusher/Spartan
Floorplan 4010
Blazer toad & Ranger bassboat

jplante4
Explorer II
Explorer II
Just got done cleaning and thought of one more thing. Whoever thought that putting carpet in a mobile home type vehicle should be made to live in one with only an electric broom type vacuum and a little green machine type shampooer. I've added 2 projects to the next upgrade - hardwood or laminate floors and a Fantastic vent fan in the front of the bus.
Jerry & Jeanne
1996 Safari Sahara 3530 - 'White Tiger'
CAT 3126/Allison 6 speed/Magnum Chassis
2014 Equinox AWD / Blue Ox

russkerri
Explorer
Explorer
jplante4 wrote:
russkerri wrote:
We live close to Branson, MO, but haven't camped there much. Where did you stay, and would you recommend it? There are a lot of choices in town. We stayed on the lake at Old 86 and loved it.


We're at Branson Shenanigans, just off the "yellow route". It's close to the strip and everything on the west side, but it's a small park with small sites built terrace-style into the side of a hill. Everyone looks down on everyone else. We went by Table Rock Lake SP and it looked nice. Here's a recent thread on the area

Branson

Shenanigans is ok, but now that I've been in the area, not my first choice. See my comment about being close to Enterprise rental offices.


Good to know! Thanks.
Kerri
RVs with a Jayco 184BH named Birdy
Blogs at Travels with Birdy

jplante4
Explorer II
Explorer II
russkerri wrote:
We live close to Branson, MO, but haven't camped there much. Where did you stay, and would you recommend it? There are a lot of choices in town. We stayed on the lake at Old 86 and loved it.


We're at Branson Shenanigans, just off the "yellow route". It's close to the strip and everything on the west side, but it's a small park with small sites built terrace-style into the side of a hill. Everyone looks down on everyone else. We went by Table Rock Lake SP and it looked nice. Here's a recent thread on the area

Branson

Shenanigans is ok, but now that I've been in the area, not my first choice. See my comment about being close to Enterprise rental offices.
Jerry & Jeanne
1996 Safari Sahara 3530 - 'White Tiger'
CAT 3126/Allison 6 speed/Magnum Chassis
2014 Equinox AWD / Blue Ox

PatRenee
Explorer
Explorer
If you are still in Branson go see...The Shepard of the Hills.... play, it is AWESOME..... tells a great story.... well worth the $$$$

2gypsies1
Explorer II
Explorer II
jplante4 wrote:
2gypsies wrote:
So....any plans for your next big trip? There's still a big country out there. Thanks for your report.


Not sure when, but the next trip will be the opposite corner of the country, Puget Sound down the coast and back east.

Just curious - do you miss it, or was 16 years enough?


Yes...we miss it a lot for various reasons but we also are satisfied where we live. We've been absolutely every place we wanted and many times over and over. It was an awesome experience.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

russkerri
Explorer
Explorer
I enjoyed hearing about your experiences. My husband and I are teachers, and we are trying to take advantage of our summers for these kinds of experiences.

We live close to Branson, MO, but haven't camped there much. Where did you stay, and would you recommend it? There are a lot of choices in town. We stayed on the lake at Old 86 and loved it.
Kerri
RVs with a Jayco 184BH named Birdy
Blogs at Travels with Birdy

jplante4
Explorer II
Explorer II
2gypsies wrote:
So....any plans for your next big trip? There's still a big country out there. Thanks for your report.


Not sure when, but the next trip will be the opposite corner of the country, Puget Sound down the coast and back east.

Just curious - do you miss it, or was 16 years enough?
Jerry & Jeanne
1996 Safari Sahara 3530 - 'White Tiger'
CAT 3126/Allison 6 speed/Magnum Chassis
2014 Equinox AWD / Blue Ox

2gypsies1
Explorer II
Explorer II
Interesting that you found renting a car really not the best way to go. We could never travel and not have our car for site-seeing. We like to explore every nook and cranny of an area. To have to choose to stay in places where a rental car would be available would really be a hinderance.

So....any plans for your next big trip? There's still a big country out there. Thanks for your report.
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

jplante4
Explorer II
Explorer II
wildtoad wrote:
Just a nit pick.... How did you get to Florida without going through either Georgia or Alabama ?


Offshore??? The map is "places we've stayed". In fact, we stayed one night at an SP in Arkansas just so we could fill in the hole.
Jerry & Jeanne
1996 Safari Sahara 3530 - 'White Tiger'
CAT 3126/Allison 6 speed/Magnum Chassis
2014 Equinox AWD / Blue Ox