First west coast to east coast rv trip

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Carl Maxwell

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Apr 14, 2014
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Hi everyone, we are Carl And Evelyn Maxwell from Fillmore, California. We are long time RV'ers pulling a 2014 Denali 5th wheel with a Chevy 1 ton dually. We have travelled up and down the west coast for many years with Sequoia National Park as our usual destination, and are about to embark on our first west coast to east coast trip the first week of May for about 35 days round trip. I think I have planned the trip well, and have stocked the 5th wheel with everything we will need. My biggest concern at this time of year is the weather across the midwest. What do you do if you are heading into severe weather areas? How do you protect yourselves and your rig? I am relying on Goodsam campground ratings so hopefully we will stay in a decent campground every night. Any tips for a long trip like this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Hi Carl and Evelyn welcome to the forum. I lived in Ventura County for 30 years and I graduated from Hueneme High in 66. Yes, weather will be a problem. Particularly tornadoes in the mid west. I suggest getting a laptop and an air card and staying on top of the weather. Or you can get a weather app if you have a smart phone. I am making just the opposite trip in two weeks, going from Florida to California. Wave at me as you pass me by ;D
 
Don't you think that possible, a 35 day coast to coast and back trip is a little aggressive? Seems that you'll miss or have to skip a lot of really good places. Ourselves such a trip would take 60-90 days to do it justice.
 
Cant Wait said:
Don't you think that possible, a 35 day coast to coast and back trip is a little aggressive? Seems that you'll miss or have to skip a lot of really good places. Ourselves such a trip would take 60-90 days to do it justice.
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I don't think it is too aggressive. Last time I drove across country it took me 5 days one way. Of course it would be better to spend more time, but some people do have to work occasionally.
 
We covered 5000 miles cross country in 30 days last summer and were able to spend time in several great places and spend a week with family in KY.

As far as traveling through midwest this time of year, I try to avoid it. I live in California and we tend to spend most of this time of year in the west then make a late summer trip in the midwest. I was caught way too close to a large tornado on the I-40 in Arkansas several years back in my car driving cross country and it scared the crap out of me, I won't attempt it in the MH.
 
I also recommend listening to the NOAA weather stations.  They broadcast on seven stations which you can get on your CB if you have one or a weather radio like ours which we bought at Radio Shack. 

Also, when you stop for the night, crank up your over-the-air TV antenna which will bring in the local TV stations.  When there's bad weather they broadcast continuous weather with radar maps.  They frequently mention where tornadoes are by county so make sure you know the county in which you've stopped.  This can be found by asking at the desk when you check in, by Googling the name of the town you're in, or by checking in the Good Sam RV Travel Guide & Campground Directory (formerly the Trailer Life Campground Directory.  If you're in an area where there's a lot of tornado activity they may tell you on checking in where to go in case the sirens go off.  Finally, if you hear the sirens, get moving to the appropriate shelter which might be a cement block bathroom or activity room.  Hopefully the worst of the weather will have passed by the time you leave.

ArdraF
 
We've made several cross-country trips from the Bay area early in the year. If it's snow/ice time of year, we stay as far south as possible (I-10), although we were "stuck" in Las Cruces, NM one time due to snow and ice.

We crossed from the Bay area to Ohio (2600 miles) a week ago, taking I-40 from southern CA. We keep a close eye on weather forecasts. One campground let us know where their underground storm shelter is.

The weather here in southern OH is currently quite variable; Yesterday it was 80 degrees, today it rained, and tomorrow we expect snow.
 
Carl Maxwell said:
I am relying on Goodsam campground ratings so hopefully we will stay in a decent campground every night. Any tips for a long trip like this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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My first tip is to enjoy the trip, second keep us informed on the trip with a lot of posts and pictures. give us ratings on the campgrounds were you stay. Have a great trip east.
 
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