RV life would be so much simpler if ...

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RVMommaTo6 said:
Noooooooooo!!!! Do you know when? I was planning on being there the first week of September, 2019.
You would probably be better off in West Yellowstone any how. There are many RV parks there. Or you could just go to a non hook up campground inside of Yellowstone.
 
SeilerBird said:
You would probably be better off in West Yellowstone any how. There are many RV parks there. Or you could just go to a non hook up campground inside of Yellowstone.
The plan was to stay a few nights in a number of them to get a variety, but we were especially looking forward to that one because we all want to see a bear. We camp a lot in NY and we love camping among the black bears, but non of ua has seen a brown bear in the wild.
 
Interesting.
Our methods are spot on with Sarge & Diane. It's nice to know we basically have the same planning process as much more experienced RV'ers.
The Queen (also Diane) has her main spots (3 or 4 cities) for snowbirding, and will buy tickets for events and plan activities around these areas. These are longer term spots and it's important for us to have the right accommodations and reservations.
The time traveling between the main spots are padded with a few extra days for any sort of unforeseen contingency, or if we run across something interesting we'd like see. Here we don't make reservations ahead of time. We could land anywhere, boondock or even an overnight Walmart.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
The plan was to stay a few nights in a number of them to get a variety, but we were especially looking forward to that one because we all want to see a bear. We camp a lot in NY and we love camping among the black bears, but non of ua has seen a brown bear in the wild.
You can see a bear almost any where in the park, no place is better than any other for bears. For wolves LaMar Valley is best and for buffalo Hayden Valley is best. Elk are everywhere. BTW a black bear and a brown bear are the same bear in the US. We have brown bears and grizzly bears in the US. Up in Alaska I think they give them different names. 
 
Oh good! I assumed we would have a better chance there because they only allow hard sided campers. Seeing all the different wildlife is a huge draw for us to travel around.
 
IMO planning takes the fun out of retirement when you have a home on wheels.
 
mel s said:
IMO planning takes the fun out of retirement when you have a home on wheels.
I think I would do way less planning if I were retired and just going around seeing what I wanted, which is the plan for some day. But right now I have my kids and my house so I'm a little more restricted. I want them to see as much as possible in the 10 months we'll be on the road.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
I think I would do way less planning if I were retired and just going around seeing what I wanted, which is the plan for some day. But right now I have my kids and my house so I'm a little more restricted. I want them to see as much as possible in the 10 months we'll be on the road.
One thing you will figure out real soon is that the less you drive the more you will see. There is a huge advantage to parking in one spot for a while.
 
SeilerBird said:
One thing you will figure out real soon is that the less you drive the more you will see. There is a huge advantage to parking in one spot for a while.
We want to hit all the states the kids haven't been to plus revisit a few of our favorites so this is more of a surface scan than an in depth visit to any one place. The longest we'll be in any one place is 10 days, unfortunately.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
We want to hit all the states the kids haven't been to plus revisit a few of our favorites so this is more of a surface scan than an in depth visit to any one place. The longest we'll be in any one place is 10 days, unfortunately.

10 days max is our sweet spot. For us, plenty of time to see the sights, then move on.
We're still learning. Last year we booked a month in a place we really enjoy, but it was way too long.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
We want to hit all the states the kids haven't been to plus revisit a few of our favorites so this is more of a surface scan than an in depth visit to any one place. The longest we'll be in any one place is 10 days, unfortunately.
I did basically the same thing when I first started. I visited all 48 states and all 46 National Parks in my first two years. Spent a week at each park. I think your trip sounds fantastic.  :))
 
SeilerBird said:
That is not correct. In Yellowstone there are seven campgrounds that are first come first serve. Being in the campground before noon and drive around until a space opens up. There is one at Glacier that is first come also. I don't know about Banff or Jasper but I camped for years in the NP campgrounds and never did I have reservations or problems finding a spot.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

I have already researched all the NP campgrounds in Yellowstone, combed the NP website regarding that and other parks we plan on visiting, and checked by phone with out of park campgrounds, determining that West Yellowstone will be the best place for us to stay for two weeks while visiting the area. Thanks to JackieMac, I have determined the best thing for me to do while in Grand Tetons will be to stay at Gros Ventre, the one campground in that area that does not take reservations but will usually have spots open if you're in line by check out time. I have done the research to know exactly where I'm going to stay during this trip. I suggest that prior to you telling someone their information is incorrect, you also do the research to know what you're talking about. It will keep you from sticking your foot in your mouth by providing inaccurate information because you are only going by your own limited, and oftentimes outdated, experience. If you would have paid attention to my signature line, you would have realized I drive a 38 ft MH and a 59 ft rig, disallowed in most NP and state park campgrounds. I would love to stay in some of those parks, but must always find an outside CG and make day trips by auto.
 
BinaryBob said:
10 days max is our sweet spot. For us, plenty of time to see the sights, then move on.
We're still learning. Last year we booked a month in a place we really enjoy, but it was way too long.

That's us too Bob. We were in one park for two weeks this year, and although it was a great park we were itching to get back out on the road at about the 10 day mark. About a week is our sweet spot. Enough time to relax, look around and explore some. I do some chores and cleaning, we shop, and if we find something really interesting we make note and will come back on a future visit. 
 
SargeW said:
You are correct in a lot of your assumptions. But the truth is, if you want to have the option to look around a bit between reservations, build in a little extra time from one reservation to the other. For instance if you left one reservation on a Monday, give yourself 2-3 days before having to be at the next one, on say a Thursday.  That would open up a window of "look around time" between reservations. Now that does create some other issues, like where you will spend those extra days, and you may wind up in small out of the way parks, truck stops, or Walmarts if you don't mind doing that kind of thing. 

I asked Diane about it, and her response is "there will always be stuff you want to come back to an area and see". And really that is how we have crisscrossed the country for the last 10+ years and have yet to see it all.  Take notes about stuff and file them away for the future.

Our other technique is to stay a week in an area and do day trips to the surrounding attractions. You can easily travel 50-75 miles from your camp, spend 4-6 hours looking around, an be back in time for afternoon cocktails.

Marty - thanks for the response. Prior to making my above post, I had pretty much come to the same conclusion and figured the best thing to do was simply build in an extra couple of days while we're in South Dakota in addition to what we already know what we want to see and do. Same traveling through Big Horn on the way to GT and again from Yellowstone to Glacier. After we travel to Jasper and begin our return trip, we won't be tied to any time frame, so we'll be able to take our time and do whatever we want whenever we want. Hearing this from an experienced traveler such as yourself makes me believe my thinking wasn't far off.

This will be the first time we have planned on staying in one place for longer than a week. We are budget campers, dry camping in Cracker Barrels on the way to our destinations. When we can, we'll stay in one CG for a week, trying to take advantage of a free seventh day if offered. Staying for two weeks in Yellowstone will be a first for us, but I have spoken to too many people who have said trying to see the park in less time than that is a mistake. I'm figuring a week in GT, 2 in Yellowstone and 2 in Glacier. A week in Hot Sulphur Springs before crossing the mountains to Banff and only a couple of days in Jasper, which may be extended, depending on how much we like what we see. There are no parks around Yellowstone that offer a weekly rate so staying two weeks there will be more expensive than usual for us.

We're not sure if we'll have the chance to return to the same areas we are covering on this trip, so we need to try to see as many things as we can during this journey, but Diane's thought is well taken.
 
John Stephens said:
I suggest that prior to you telling someone their information is incorrect, you also do the research to know what you're talking about. It will keep you from sticking your foot in your mouth by providing inaccurate information because you are only going by your own limited, and oftentimes outdated, experience. If you would have paid attention to my signature line, you would have realized I drive a 38 ft MH and a 59 ft rig, disallowed in most NP and state park campgrounds
You seem to have a lot of pent up anger over someone not "researching" your vehicles before posting general information in a public forum that could be useful to many members simply because it didn't specifically apply to you. I hope you can find a way to let that go before hitting the road; the alternative sounds like a dangerous situation in which to be behind the wheel and a recipe for road rage and unsafe conditions for everyone.
Maybe try yoga or meditation.
Safe travels.
 
John Stephens said:
I have already researched all the NP campgrounds in Yellowstone, combed the NP website regarding that and other parks we plan on visiting, and checked by phone with out of park campgrounds, determining that West Yellowstone will be the best place for us to stay for two weeks while visiting the area. Thanks to JackieMac, I have determined the best thing for me to do while in Grand Tetons will be to stay at Gros Ventre, the one campground in that area that does not take reservations but will usually have spots open if you're in line by check out time. I have done the research to know exactly where I'm going to stay during this trip. I suggest that prior to you telling someone their information is incorrect, you also do the research to know what you're talking about. It will keep you from sticking your foot in your mouth by providing inaccurate information because you are only going by your own limited, and oftentimes outdated, experience. If you would have paid attention to my signature line, you would have realized I drive a 38 ft MH and a 59 ft rig, disallowed in most NP and state park campgrounds. I would love to stay in some of those parks, but must always find an outside CG and make day trips by auto.
Boy you sure have a hostility issue. I am trying to help and you bite off my head. Well another one to block. I cannot see any information in your signature that says you drive a 38 foot RV. Clearly your research is wrong about campgrounds but I won't bother to correct your wrong information.
 
SeilerBird said:
Boy you sure have a hostility issue. I am trying to help and you bite off my head. Well another one to block. I cannot see any information in your signature that says you drive a 38 foot RV. Clearly your research is wrong about campgrounds but I won't bother to correct your wrong information.

No hostility issue; just a lack of patience with people that think they know more than anyone else and wind up leading others unknowingly down the wrong path. You and I have tied into this sort of thing in the past because I really can't stand watching new people to the RV industry and camping get incorrect information from someone who hasn't been mobile for - how long? You have an immense amount of travel experience that could be used for the good of the group if you would only preface what you say with the disclaimer that what you know to be true might be "x" number of years out of date and try to be a bit more observant. My signature line indicates that I drive a 2005 Winnebago Adventurer 38J. Most people will know that the model number of most coaches will indicate an approximate length. And if you think that my research is clearly wrong, I would love you to get on the phone and speak to the same campgrounds that I have already called and find out that your own thoughts are off base. There is no reason for you to correct my incorrect information because there is none. I made my calls within the past two months. When is the last time you were in those parks?

And if you think I bit your head off, you should have seen my post before I rewrote it. Please block me. You'll be doing me a favor if you do.
 
Okay, everyone settle down.  I like/need this discussion and would hate to see it shut down.  Part of my problem with planning is that I have so many things I want to see and do and I got a very late start.  Life is short and I might not be down the same road twice.  So it's like I have one shot and I want to get it right the first time. 
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
Noooooooooo!!!! Do you know when? I was planning on being there the first week of September, 2019.
I'm not sure but think it might be full season. The bears can be anywhere and there were some around Mt Washburn. If you want to see a Grizzly get in touch nearer the time and I can give you an option to see some.
 
jackiemac said:
I'm not sure but think it might be full season. The bears can be anywhere and there were some around Mt Washburn. If you want to see a Grizzly get in touch nearer the time and I can give you an option to see some.

If I want to see a grizzly I?ll watch Animal Planet.  ;D
 

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