1st time RV trip. Ohio to Wyoming in October

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OHrver

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Sep 25, 2012
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My wife and I are renting a 28ft class c through cruise america and driving from Ohio to Wyoming to visit our son at University of Wyoming, then cruise to the Tetons and Yellowstone.  We are first-timers.  Trip duration is two weeks.  We have many questions and I am hoping someone can point us to the proper information or answer directly.

Average low temps may be below freezing.  Should I expect the propane furnace to keep the unit toasty and how long should I expect a 9 gallon propane tank to last, assuming heat is needed for at least ten hours/day?

The cruise america salesman said the battery would be inadequate to power the propane heater fan through the night.  Does that sound correct?  This eliminates staying inside yellowstone, as hookups are unavailable and generator operation from 8PM to 8 AM is prohibited.  We're looking for a place outside the park with hookups.

With evening temperatures dipping below freezing, is there a danger in freezing the dump valve? Do we wait until it thaws as the day warms up, or could the valve be damaged?  If the latter, then does this mean we drain the system before it gets cold each evening?

We will be traveling with our dog (labrador). He has no problems traveling in a car for long trips.  Is there anything special I should be aware of with a pet in an RV?

Thanks for any and all help as I cruise this forum for info. 
 
Hello OHRVER:

I am a RVer who has many miles behind me PULLING trailers, love it and hopefully will get more PULLING time under belt.
ONLY one week in warm temperature using a Class "C".

In the 90's I rented a 28ft class "C" for a week and got the fever.
My one regret was having to return the RV to the "agent" reporting some miner damage (hit a high curb) and dealing with his (I told you so) look.

This man suggested buying "insurance" to cover MINOR damage. I can remember his smug expression upon RV return (justified)  as well as my "look of indignation" at this suggestion. Give some thought to this insurance if offered.
Soon others will answer the balance of your questions.
Good luck and have a nice trip. See you on down the road.
 
We live a little over a couple hour's drive West of Laramie (U of Wyo location) so our weather is about the same. We have already received three small snowfalls and numerous frosts at night. As you get closer to Wyoming you can get regular, continuous weather reports on your radio. You can also get 24 hour road condition reports by calling 511 on your cell phone.

You should not expect Winter in October but you will experience cool nights and comfortable warm days in Laramie. I can't see why you should be concerned about your propane furnace keeping you warm overnight. Your battery only provides the spark to ignite the furnace so that shoud be no concern either.
 
I forgot to mention that even during cool nights, your furnace fan should not run all the time. In our 5th Wheel, even in below Zero weather, (which you will not experience in October in Laramie) Our furnace only runs periodically over night to keep the RV temperature at the thermostat setting. When we camp in zero weather we have never had our batteries run out of power even over a weekend with the furnace running as needed.

 
Thank you very much for the insights.  I was doing my planning based on average min and max temperatures at www.climate-charts.com, which reflect what you mentioned (25-60Fdaily  average).  My educated guess (heat transfer engineer by profession) is the RV fluid line temperatures will never reach freezing while at the campground, given a daily air temp swing from the mid 20s to a high of 60 or so.  I need to look at where valves and tanks are physically located to get a better feel.  My concern is for the unexpected cold spell and knowing what to do if it happens.  I know how to be prepared when backpacking the Rockies in the fall, but the RV bit is an entirely new thing for me.

It's good to know we have a fighting chance of staying warm through the night solely with the furnace running off the house battery (no generator).  I think I'll put that to the test at a place with hookups before camping some place without hookups ("boondocking"?).

After posting last night I continued my search for info within the forum and came up with a number of hits after searching on the term "freeze".  In particular, this article, "Winter Camping Tips".  http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=443:wintercamtips&catid=14:newcomers-need-to-know&Itemid=45

This is what I gleaned from my search and comments received thus far.
1. Staying warm and not freezing things should not be a problem if temps are average.
2. I may be able to do this for a night without hookup or the generator, provided the battery is up to snuff.
3. If there's a severe cold snap, I may need to drain things and possibly make other plans.
4. Neat to know I can get continuous weather on the radio or dial 511 on my cell for same.
5. Might not be a bad idea to have a gallon of pink antifreeze on hand.

The "rental guy" here in Ohio seemed surprised when I told him where we were going.  He only mentioned the external drains.  No mention of antifreeze in the toilet or any of the traps.

Thanks again.  I'll continue to search the forum, but direct responses and advice are much appreciated.  I'll be sure to post our "lessons learned" after our trip.  Expect that most will be obvious to seasoned RVer's.

If anyone has Wyoming RV park recommendations in Lander and Jackson, I'd love to hear them.  We do plan a night at Vedauwoo, outside of Laramie.

 
Sounds like you are getting a good feel for what to expect from the temperatures, and how to deal with them.  My experience show quite a swing in weather.  I have been out there the beginning of September and gotten seven inches of Snow in the camground.  A few days later it might be in the 60's and sunny.  You'll have some of both at that time of the year.  And they are both enjoyable and surviveable.    One thing we have learend is that since the season is so short, many things you might want to see or do, will be closed.  Including some campgrounds.  Phone ahead to be sure.  And there are private campgrounds in the strip of land between the two parks.  They are private ones and have hookups.  And hot springs heated swimming pools with steam rising off them when it gets cool.  I remember one night in July when we were sitting around the campfire and our kids starting yelling that it was snowing out.  In July.  But it was hot that day on the trails we hiked.  Quite a swing in temps.
 
We live near Ywllowstone...you do realize they close most of the Park after the first significent snowfall?  Right now, Oct. has been gorgeous with nightime temps no colder than high 30's...but that could change pretty fast...keep an eye on the weather, although we don't see any bad weathwe within the next month...we farm, so always keep an eye on weather.

You can find an established RV park in Cody...and there are several places you can 'camp' your RV along the road to Yellowstone from Cody...it's called the North Fork.
Always be aware of Gizzly Bears...
 
Don't get me started on the Wolves...we can get hunting tags for them now...and we got one...my husband & sons have been Elk hunting just outside of Yellowstone (Pahaska TeePee...East Gate) for over 25 years...and have switched their hunting area because the Wolves have all but chased the Elk out of the area they hunted...and you can't leave your Elk kill over night like we used to and pack out next day...the Wolves take it.
We have Elk herds in places they never went before, just to stay away from the Wolf Packs...if folks only knew what these Wolves do to wildlife and domestic animals, they might see them for what they really are...indescriminate killers.
 

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