Author Topic: Our first real trip (Read 5366 times)

Gizmo100 · « **on:** February 11, 2019, 08:06:17 PM »

Well the little lady and I are on the road. So far everything has worked as expected and we are running about 400 miles a day. We made it to Van Horn TX.

Something to note,

We bought a Literider Bed cove for the truck in order to keep things dry as we travel. A big bonus was instead of 8 MPG we jump to 10 MPG. I was expecting a slight increase based on improvements without the trailer. But I was very happy with the first 2 days numbers.
Now day 3 was not as enjoyable. We started out with misty rain. But that didn't last all day...The wind blew the rain out and we got to deal with wind (30-50 MPG) the rest of the day. It dropped the MPG's down to 7. Until I could find a safe spot to park for the night.

Well after we get some sleep we will hit the road yet again

Chakara · « **Reply #1 on:** February 11, 2019, 08:22:17 PM »

Safe travels Gizmo100!

-Kyle

cadee2c · « **Reply #2 on:** February 11, 2019, 10:11:04 PM »

Yikes! Wind is no fun! Safe travels. Hope the rest of your trip goes easier.

SpencerPJ · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2019, 06:37:24 AM »

Glad to hear

Gotta love the wind... NOT
Be safe, post a picture or 10

larit · « **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2019, 09:14:25 AM »

Blessings Gizmo100. Hope You had amazing travel. Tell us about Your most rewarding experience please 😊

Bobtop46 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2019, 10:05:09 AM »

Next time in the Van Horn area, look at Balmorhea State park. Good for over nights.

jackiemac · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2019, 03:44:35 PM »

Yay! Have fun and remember it's only a breeze!

IBTripping · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2019, 06:09:26 PM »

Quote from: Gizmo100 on February 11, 2019, 08:06:17 PM

The wind blew the rain out and we got to deal with wind (30-50 MPG) the rest of the day.

I'm very surprised that the wind gets so much better MPG than your truck.

Gizmo100 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2019, 09:18:32 PM »

Well We made it to our home for the next week or so..
Horse Trails Boondock, Apache Junction, Arizona.

That wind was no joke. But I followed the guidance that I learned right here on the forum, We park with the nose facing the wind, dropped the stabilizers and the tongue jack. And went inside and ate dinner. You could hear the wind but the trailer did just fine. After a good nights sleep we hit the road finished the trip.

Quote from: IBTripping on February 12, 2019, 06:09:26 PM

I'm very surprised that the wind gets so much better MPG than your truck.

LOL ...Missed that But you know if you set your sail just right it will increase your MPG as well as your MPH

Quote from: Bobtop46 on February 12, 2019, 10:05:09 AM

Next time in the Van Horn area, look at Balmorhea State park. Good for over nights.

I looked it up this is what I found...."Campground closed for renovations through March 2019"...Sometimes my timing is off just a little.

Quote from: SpencerPJ on February 12, 2019, 06:37:24 AM

Glad to hear Gotta love the wind... NOT
Be safe, post a picture or 10

Here's a couple to hold you over...Use my phone as a hot spot...But the cell signal is not so hot

cadee2c · « **Reply #9 on:** February 12, 2019, 09:55:53 PM »

Wow! Nice pictures. Beautiful scenery

IBTripping · « **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2019, 11:50:56 PM »

Nice pic of your TV and TT at night.

RVMommaTo6 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 13, 2019, 12:46:58 AM »

Be safe and have fun! Those pictures are beautiful! So peaceful! Enjoy.

jackiemac · « **Reply #12 on:** February 13, 2019, 04:28:21 AM »

How gorgeous!

Gizmo · « **Reply #13 on:** February 13, 2019, 05:56:51 AM »

Enjoy your travels brother Gizmo.

SpencerPJ · « **Reply #14 on:** February 13, 2019, 06:52:03 AM »

Great pictures

Now I'm jealous, as I look at snow and 21 deg. Nice looking TV and TT as well

Roadhappy · « **Reply #15 on:** February 13, 2019, 07:42:46 AM »

Beautiful scenery!!

Alpena Jeff · « **Reply #16 on:** February 13, 2019, 08:26:19 AM »

Stay safe Gizmo!
Poor timing on our part. We'll be passing through Van Horn in a week or so. Bummer!

Gizmo100 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 13, 2019, 09:53:19 PM »

Quote from: larit on February 12, 2019, 09:14:25 AM

Blessings Gizmo100. Hope You had amazing travel. Tell us about Your most rewarding experience please 😊

I noted to myself that I would have to keep this in mind as we get out and do things....Well the most rewarding thing was pretty easy. I spent the day with My Mom. She is 82 years old and still gets around pretty well. Although she doesn't drive anymore she still does volunteer work twice a week. She also always seems to have some small little project she working on. We will most likely spend sometime with her everyday while we are here.

Quote from: Alpena Jeff on February 13, 2019, 08:26:19 AM

Stay safe Gizmo!
Poor timing on our part. We'll be passing through Van Horn in a week or so. Bummer!

We will be passing back though Van Horn on our way home. I just don't know when we are going home...LOL

Quote from: SpencerPJ on February 13, 2019, 06:52:03 AM

Great pictures Now I'm jealous, as I look at snow and 21 deg. Nice looking TV and TT as well

It's amazing how nice that truck and trailer look considering how dirty both of them were. I did get the truck washed. The trailer will have to wait until we get back home...But Thanks.

Quote from: Gizmo on February 13, 2019, 05:56:51 AM

Enjoy your travels brother Gizmo.

FYI....I won't be at the next couple of meetings of the Gizmos....So your in charge..

Thank you all for the well wishes...We are enjoying the peace and quiet...With the exception of a few people that run their generators all night long...LOL

Gizmo · « **Reply #18 on:** February 14, 2019, 06:52:01 AM »

FYI....I won't be at the next couple of meetings of the Gizmos....So your in charge..
[/quote]

That is dangerous.

Gizmo100 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 18, 2019, 01:16:35 PM »

Just a little update..

We made it 6 days with the water before I had to find a dump station and Potable water. So far everything has work as planned.

We are having a bit of the cold weather and rain at our campsite. But that beats what happening at the higher elevations..See the picture.

It does make a nice view out the kitchen window

jackiemac · « **Reply #20 on:** February 18, 2019, 02:26:10 PM »

Just being away from "normal" is worth it! Hope Danna is enjoying it as much as you!

Gizmo100 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 18, 2019, 02:33:12 PM »

Quote from: jackiemac on February 18, 2019, 02:26:10 PM

Just being away from "normal" is worth it! Hope Danna is enjoying it as much as you!

I think she's enjoying herself...I asked her if she had any thoughts about heading back east and her reply was...NO!!...LOL

jackiemac · « **Reply #22 on:** February 18, 2019, 02:37:16 PM »

Quote from: Gizmo100 on February 18, 2019, 02:33:12 PM

I think she's enjoying herself...I asked her if she had any thoughts about heading back east and her reply was...NO!!...LOL

Oh that's fantastic, that makes me happy!

richclover · « **Reply #23 on:** February 19, 2019, 05:52:52 PM »

Gizmo100: Safe travels and have fun!

Gizmo100 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 01, 2019, 09:37:43 PM »

Well we made it back home in one piece..

And I want to thank everyone for their good wishes for a good trip.

But I also want to thank every person that has ever posted a question or a answer on this forum. I spend endless hours reading as much of the forum as I could to be better prepared for our trip. Everything went almost perfect.
The only casualty of our trip was my glasses. My Loving wife was trying to clean them for me using her shirt. She didn't realize that the dust on the glasses and on her shirt was likely the same as sandpaper. So as I type this it's like looking though a fog.

Somethings I've got to share....
While staying in the Tonto Forest I got to experience something I never thought I would see in the desert ...SNOW
The weather was cold and wet most of the time we were there. We stilled enjoyed ourselves, But the snow was a bit much...LOL

We also met a lot of nice people. Including a homeless man named Robert. He was living out of a tent and his car. But he took the time to share with us information about the area. He also would bring us firewood. I told him it wasn't necessary but he insisted that he didn't mind and it gave him something to do.

We found out that with the colder nights we were putting a lot strain on the batteries. The heat was running quite a bit plus the wife's TV. So the need for the generator to run most of the day and evening was using lot of fuel. With plans to move on to Quartzsite I decided to add some solar to our setup (100 Watts). The goal was to run the generator for 3 hours in the morning then let the solar maintain and top off the batteries. It appeared to be working although I may need add another 100 watts. My goal would be to maintain the batteries when we're not using the RV.

I also want to sing praises for our Ford truck. The 3.5 Eco Boost and the 10 speed performed like a charm. For most of the trip I set the cruise at 60 and it handled and shifted without a problem. Our mileage for the entire trip averaged out to 10.5 MPG. I was only expecting 8 MPG.

On the note of gas...We found two gas stations that were grossly overcharging for fuel. Both of them were 40 cents higher per gallon than the next station down the road...Well today with so many ways to find gas prices on our cell phones...We just went on down the road. I don't mind paying a few cents more but with a 35 gallon tank I'm not paying 40 cents more.

l'd also like to encourage anyone pulling a trailer to invest in a WD/Anti sway system. We hit some pretty tough winds heading out to AZ. But the trailer never gave us a problem. The truck and the trailer handled as one unit the entire trip. Also make sure you know how it works and that it's setup correctly. I saw quite a few trucks that were pulling trailers that were grossly overloading the TV. I even spoke to one person that was so proud of his new trailer. But he was at least 3000 pounds over weight, No WD and No brakes on the trailer.

Although we had to head home earlier than planned we had a great time. Besides getting to spend time with my Mom nothing beats sitting outside after dark and just starring at the stars.

Old_Crow · « **Reply #25 on:** March 02, 2019, 06:42:36 AM »

Yeah, I guess you don't want to hear that since you left Quartzsite I've been sitting under those star in shorts and a t-shirt instead of hoodies and gloves. Hit 80 here yesterday.

cadee2c · « **Reply #26 on:** March 02, 2019, 07:36:40 AM »

Quote

Yeah, I guess you don't want to hear that since you left Quartzsite I've been sitting under those star in shorts and a t-shirt instead of hoodies and gloves. Hit 80 here yesterday.

Ohh, dont tell him that. It might make him cry.

Old_Crow · « **Reply #27 on:** March 02, 2019, 07:45:32 AM »

Quote from: cadee2c on March 02, 2019, 07:36:40 AM

Ohh, dont tell him that. It might make him cry.

Then I probably don't want to mention that we left most of the windows in the coach open all night, either. Currently 64* at 0645.

cadee2c · « **Reply #28 on:** March 02, 2019, 07:49:16 AM »

Quote

Then I probably don't want to mention that we left most of the windows in the coach open all night, either. Currently 64* at 0645.

Good, and I wont mention I did the same and its 71 right now in Brownsville.

SpencerPJ · « **Reply #29 on:** March 02, 2019, 07:59:39 AM »

Glad your trip went good Gizmo100. I agree about the forum, I'm trying to edjumakate myself for possible long seasonal trips in a few years. I like hearing your Ford worked well, I'm considering an upgrade to my 05 YukonXL, just not sure I want a pick-up, yet the SUVs just don't have the same payloads any more. Time to clean up your TT and start planning your next adventure. I have several 4 day weekends planned in state parks this summer, and one to Land between the Lakes for a week, but nothing west this summer.

News:

Author Topic: Our first real trip (Read 5366 times)