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
