The Western US trip, Just the Facts Maam!

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SargeW

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Well we pulled out of So. Cal for a 6 - 8 month western states trip on April 9.  After making two trips to the east coast last year, we are ready to be firmly planted west of the Rockies.  We will visit many of the western National Parks and attractions, and this may be useful for visitors planning a western US trip in the future.  As usual I will be centering on some of the nuts and bolts of the trip, and let the DW do many of the feature write ups in her blog noted at the bottom of my signature. 

The coach is running well, most of the mods (that I can think of) are currently done, and we are looking to get some miles on the rig.  Unlike last years quick pace to get to Red Bay, AL for some service work, this trip will have longer stays of 5 -7 days in a location to get more time to explore the local flavor. 

I will post about some of these sites, the costs, and the ups and downs (if any) of getting to the camp sites.  You are welcome to come along for the ride, and your input and suggestions are welcome! 

We have made a few local stops already that I will post up here soon.  And as my mom used to tell me regularly......  (note the pic below)
 

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Marty,

Let us know if we can help on locals to visit in MT.  I have several books related to ghost towns, museums, etc. plus my local knowledge.

Our house is up for sale and we will be moving to OR once it sells but still will have the books even if I forget other things!    :)
 
Sarge,

I look forward to hearing all about your western trip and will definitely keep up with your wife's blog. I plan on a similar western US tour in a couple of years before I move back east.

Be safe and have fun. I love the saying and pic  :)
 
I really enjoyed reading your wife's trip journal last year and am looking forward to this year's journal.
 
Looking forward to reading about it.

?There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.? ? Charles Dudley Warner
 
Thanks Jim, I will hit you up if we need info on MT.  You can never have too much good info. 

Good idea Arch, cell coverage is so important these days to lots of folks.  Either working, or just keeping in touch.

Thanks Tom and Margi, she loves knowing that someone is actually reading her blog!

Rosebud and Caryl, thanks for coming along on the trip, I will try not to disappoint!
 
Well, here we go. We started the first leg of our adventure on April 9 from our place in north San Diego county.  If we head north in any of our travels from home, we usually wind up stopping in Vegas as this is about 280+ miles. That is about the limit we like to drive in a day, and there isn't a whole lot else around there to choose from. 

This time we had another reason to to stop in Vegas though. We met up with our kids and got to see the grand kids one more time.  Instead of our one or two night stay, we were in Vegas for a week visiting the kids and a good friend of ours that just relocated there from So. Cal. 

We stayed at the Las Vegas Motor Coach resort, just off of Blue Diamond road.  Usually we stay at the Oasis RV resort on the east side of I-15 at Blue Diamond road.  But since we were staying a week, the weekly rate at LVMC was competitive. LVMC resort is a Class A only resort, and most of the sites are individually owned, and then rented out when the owner is not there.  We chose a "non built out" site as it was much cheaper.  The weekly rate was $60 a day, and the resort does have some very nice grounds and amenities.  The ironic thing is though, Nevada has no state income tax, but believe me, they make it up in other ways.  On top of the daily rate, we paid about $8 per day in taxes and fees to the state! 

The weather was nice in early April, and the nights required an extra blanket on the bed as the temps dropped in the 40's at night.  A few mornings we had to run the heater just to take the chill off while waiting for the sun to warm us up.  One notable thing about this resort, and includes the Oasis as well, McCarran Airport is not far so there is jet noise from time to time during the days.  We even heard a few take offs as late as 10 at night. 

My buddy that moved to Vegas is a "gun nut" guy, and we went to a shooting range one afternoon.  It was an indoor range and had a 25 yard line that allowed firing of semi auto rifles.  Nevada's gun laws are pretty liberal and assault type rifles are available in many descriptions.  My buddy has 3 of his own. 

The reason for the family get together was due to my daughter-in-laws birthday, so the week was filled with various celebrations.  And one of the nights, our son had purchased Elton John concert tickets for the DW and I for Christmas last year.  So my son and DIL went with us to the concert at Caesars Palace in the Colosseum.  It was a great show and the venue is outstanding. No bad seats anywhere in the house.  We also ate that night at the "Gordon Ramsey Pub and Grill" in Caesars just before the show.  For the 4 of us for dinner and cocktails was over $400.  OUCH.  And the bad part was the food was just average, and the server was squirrely. 

Like many places around the country, Vegas real estate prices are recovering after the 08' recession.  Not at the same pace as say California prices, so moving from Ca to Nevada is still a price savings.  If you like the dessert atmosphere, there are deals to be had.  My buddy purchased a single family home in Henderson, which is just south of Vegas. It sits up higher than Vegas so the night time view is quite spectacular.  The summers are quite toasty, so there is a trade off with weather. 

Fuel prices are still low around the country, and Nevada is no different.  We fueled at a Travel America truck stop on Blue Diamond before heading out at the end of the week.  Diesel was $2.85 a gallon, and some of the smaller stations were even less than that.  But squeezing a 37' motor home plus tow into a smaller station to save a few bucks is usually a bad idea.  So the extra few cents for the big spaces is well worth it. We took 36.5 gallons, and paid just over $100.  I was pretty happy with that.

We averaged a little under 8 MPG for the first leg, and that included pulling Cajon Sumit on the I-15 which is a 16 mile long 5 to 6% grade that climbs to over 3700 feet.  Lots of slow trucks to get in our way, and we had a bit of a wind blowing to boot.  I am a cruise control driver when possible, so I set the cruise at 60 and let the Cummins do it's magic.  We are running heavy right now, in a "full timer" capacity.  Lots of clothes, tools, and all the extra food and beverage we had at the house went in the rig.  That will decrease a bit with time, bet we will be taking it all with us for a while. 

The rig ran well and the temps stayed in the low 200's.  The moderate weather helped a lot there, as in the summer when the mercury hits the low 100's the pass can be a motor killer if you aren't careful.  There is a truck lane on both sides of the I-15, but that doesn't stop big slow trucks going 10 mph from pulling out to pass other big slow trucks going 5 mph.  So if you are going to be pulling the I-15 N/B be alert. 

Next stop, Furnace Creek at Death Valley.
 

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If you like the dessert atmosphere,

Chocolate or vanilla???  Sorry, Marty, I just couldn't resist!  The desert atmosphere can be both good and bad, but dessert is always good.  ;D :D

ArdraF
 
We pulled into Furnace Creek National Park campground, and things have changed since the last time we were there.  We haven't been to Death Valley NP in quite a while, so I was really looking forward to it.  In the 6 years since our last visit, some big changes have occurred.

On the last trip, there were no hook ups, no cell signal, and all dirt camping sites.  On this visit the cell signal was strong (with our Verizon cell phones, and Verizon USB modem).  The park service has installed about 18 full hook up sites (50 amp, water and sewer) and the roads and parking pads are  new asphalt.  Not all of the sites are full hook up though and I recommend pulling up the campground map on line and checking out which sites are which.  The full hook up sites go fast, so plan accordingly. 

An important note here is that during what is considered the off season, starting April 16th until the fall, there is a "no reservation" system.  That is all sites are first come first serve basis.  The FHU sites are $30 per night, and the non hook up sites are $12 per night.  All fees are paid at an automated kiosk at the front check in booth upon arrival. You can only pay for one night at a time, so every day you will need to go to the kiosk and pay for the day. 

There are two different areas that have FHU sites. One section are pull throughs in a rear loop, and the other is back ins by the check in booth.  If you pull into the campground and find a site you like, CLAIM IT IMMEDIATELY,  by putting a person, vehicle, or other item in the site to exhibit that the site is no longer available.  Then go to the kiosk and pay the fee and put the tag on the numbered post on the site.  When you pay at the kiosk you are paying for a day of camping, NOT a specific site. You write your site# and license plate# on the receipt that the machine prints out.  Only Credit Cards are accepted at the kiosk, no cash. 

I saw a few folks upset because they didn't take possession of the site immediately and when they returned someone else was already setting up camp in the site.  This is only in the "off season" time of year. During the "on season" time of year there is a reservation system, and you will make a reservation ahead of time and get your tag when you show up at the visitor center to check in. 

When we arrived the first day all of the FHU were filled so we picked a nice dry camp site with a big tree in the back to block the afternoon sun.  Walking around the loop we could see that several of the FHU sites were leaving the next morning.  So I was up early, and when the FHU sites started to leave, we claimed a nice FHU site for the next 3 days.  The FHU sites were always in demand, so they usually filled quickly when they were empty. 

There are handicapped sites available in the campground, both FHU and dry camp. I checked the restrooms and they are handicapped accessible as well.  There were only restroom facilities available however, no shower facilities. 

There is another campground right next door called "Furnace Creek Ranch".  It wasn't rated very well on a few different web sites we checked.  We drove through it and observed that the sites are pretty close together with no real views of the surrounding landscape. And the other complaint was that there were many full time residents taking up many of the spaces, which we found to be true.  Some are old park models, and some old dilapidated trailers.  There were some amenities though like a pool, restaurant, and playground.  So it's kind of a trade off, depending what your needs are. I did not check prices for campsites at this location.

Maybe because of the off season time of year, but most of the rigs in the campground seemed to be rentals with visitors from around the globe.  We talked to some of them, and they were all happy to be visiting the US with their families.  One family was visiting from Estonia, a country on the Baltic Sea that backs up right next to Russia.  Yep, folks from around the world travel great distances to see the wonders of the USA. 

When ever there are rentals units, there is the chance of inexperienced RVers driving around. And this time was no different.  While sitting outside the rig cooking up some chicken on the BBQ,  I saw a fairly new Class C go by in kind of a rush.  Normally that wouldn't garner much attention, except that this one still had their patio awning fully extended! And before I could stand up and react, his awing knocked down a "Do not enter" sign on a 8' tall 4X4 post.  It made quite a noise, not to mention doing some serious remodel work on the awning arms.  Oh well, hopefully he had rental insurance on the rig.  He said that he was taking it back to Las Vegas in the morning to turn it in. 

We took advantage of our location and the Jeep toad and visited several off road trails to natural attractions. Some are fairly smooth dirt roads and can be trans-versed by most passenger cars. Others are rougher and require high clearance vehicles and 4 wheel drive, but all are plainly marked as to their requirements.  One of the more challenging trips was to the "Racetrack".  It is a vast dried salt bed that is so perfectly flat, that large rocks on the surface of salt bed will, with the right combination of moisture and wind, be pushed along leaving mile long "trails" as them seem to magically move across the desert floor. 

Getting there is the trick though. After driving about an hour from the campground, you get to the turn off and take a 29 mile dirt road that has some pretty rough washboard surfaces most of the way.  Our Jeep handled it pretty well, but is was still rough. Surprisingly we did pass a few hearty (or crazy) souls that decided that they could make the trip in the family car or mini van.  One guy in a Chevy van we passed en-route to the Racetrack, and again on the way back and he was still crawling along. 

And since no adventure is complete without a breakdown, we had ours early.  After getting back from the Racetrack, about 180 miles total for the day, 60 miles of it on a jack hammer, we got home and settled in for the night.  The next morning we decided to just do a few easy drives and see some of the closer attractions.  I went out to start the Jeep and it was completely DEAD.  A long story short, the battery had failed and some of the cells had broken down causing a short.  It had boiled out most of the electrolyte and was pretty heated up. Adding fluid and recharging did nothing to bring it back to life. 

Could the 60 miles of jack hammer trails killed it?  Yep, but it was 4 years old already, so it's death was not a big surprise.  We were just so fortunate that it didn't die out at the Racetrack, 30 miles from no where, on weekend in Death Valley!  If your vehicle is going to die, in your driveway is always the best place. In the morning we pushed it out into the road and backed the RV up to it. I hooked it up and pulled it to a WalMart in Hesperia off of the I-15 and picked up a new battery.  Problem solved.

Death Valley is a totally unique place with some fascinating landscapes.  It is totally worth the visit, but plan your trip wisely when considering the the time of year.  Summers can easily hit 110 to 120 degrees in the day time.  During our visit in mid April, the temps were in the 80's and 90's, and were really quite pleasant. After all, it is a "dry heat".  Nights are really nice, as are the mornings. 

Just a few pics of Furnace Creek campground.  Those Jeep tires were jet black before hitting the Death Valley trails!

 

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Our trip through the California desert southwest was brief but fun.  We looped back around to the Ca coast to a little more mild weather.  Our first stop was at one of our favorite campgrounds, Crystal Cove state beach.  Crystal Cove is in Laguna Beach, off of Pacific Coast Highway (Ca 1).  ;D

The whole park is built on the side of a hill, so all of the sites are terraced, and each has a picturesque view of the Pacific Ocean.  Half of the sites, the two upper loops have electric and water, and the lower two are dry camping. The upper loops are for larger RV's and the lower loops are usually tents or pop up type campers. A three station dump facility is on site.

The weekend reservations go fast, so plan ahead. We stayed for four days, a Monday through Friday.  The sites are not cheap, $60 for a hook up site, but they are large. There is plenty of room for a 38' rig, tow veh and space in the back of the site (which is where the ocean view is) to set up tables, chairs, and spread out.  A heavy duty picnic table is at each site. The non-hook up sites are cheaper.  To reserve this location, you will need to use the Reserve America web site. 

One important note about this park, there is a strict 3 PM entry time, no exceptions. Plenty of shopping in the area, and the WiFi with our our Verizon USB modem was strong.

We left our favorite beach campground, and went 6 miles down the road to go to one of my least favorites.  Newport Dunes RV resort in Newport Beach is one of the most expensive campgrounds in the country, and in my opinion, without reason. 

The only reason we went was to meet up with some good friends of ours that met us there in their RV. Fortunately it was for only 2 days, as the off season rate for a "bay front" spot was $112 a night!  Maybe I could see it if the park was great and the spots were big and well appointed.  But, not so much.  The sites are small, and are fenced in on 3 sides by 5' chain link fence. The parking pads are dirt gravel, but there are concrete patios. After parking in the site and opening our slides, we had about 5' between the rig and the fence.  The bay front sites, their "premium" sites have a grass area in front that is sloped down towards a short picket fence and then a public sidewalk that goes along the bay.  There are some amenities on site like a pool, spa and work out room, and there are activities for kids.  But you pay handsomely for them. 

The park is older and many of the facilities need modernizing, including the hook ups. A day of sprinkles left large mud puddles at the rear of the sites.  Not what you would expect for this kind of money. :mad:

I have stayed here several times in the last 10 years, but I have seen the prices sky rocket.  A "on season" premium site will run in the $200 to $300 range.  Ridiculous in my opinion, not that I will ever stay at those rates.  But they seem to have no problem getting folks to pay it. WiFi is no problem, and stores, shops and beaches are all close.

After leaving Newport we headed north. If felt good to finally be putting some miles on, and getting out of the congestion of the LA area.  The next stop is Morro Bay.
 
You're giving me inspiration for my future travels. I am hoping that in the next few years (very few) we'll be on the road for months at a time. Keep the updates coming, I am enjoying your travels.
 
SargeW said:
The only reason we went was to meet up with some good friends of ours that met us there in their RV. Fortunately it was for only 2 days, as the off season rate for a "bay front" spot was $112 a night!  Maybe I could see it if the park was great and the spots were big and well
Location location location, Sarge. 
 
Thanks Mike! It's is a great comfort to know that someone actually reads the entries!  And I do like writing them. It makes me realize what a great country this is to travel in.

garyb1st said:
SargeW said:
Location location location, Sarge. 

Yeah, you are right Gary.  It just bugs me to see a park in that kind of location be allowed to slip like it has. I checked a few camping review sites as I was writing the entry, and I was surprised how many other visitors had remarked that the park is run down and over priced.

I know I could have paid less if we didn't choose one of the bay front premium sites, but any site that is not on the front row has a view of the rig in front of you and nothing else. And they are still $85 a night!

One of the reasons that our friends wanted to stay there though, is the bike path that runs next to the park and leads to several of the nearby beach cities.  So you are right Gary, location.
 
We're definitely reading your updates Marty. I particularly like your detailed info on the campgrounds - which sites are level, best for big rigs etc. Keep 'em coming!

Kev
 
Thanks Kev, and I will be sure to include site info in the write ups. And you also made me remember a fact I needed to edit in my last post concerning Crystal Cove in Laguna Beach.  They have a max RV size allowed of 38' feet.  There are even lines painted on the ground at the check in booth where they can check on your length.  Out of the few dozen times I have been there, only once did the ranger (camp host I think) ask about the size of our rig, which is 37'.  And it's not because the sites are not long enough, but rather the roads and turning radius' can be tight.  I personally think a 40' would make it, but that's just my opinion.

Some of the sites have a bit of sideways slope to them, so if you are coming in a towable, make sure you bring leveling boards, particularly if you are on a site that is at the end of a row where the grade slopes more.  The awesome views are still worth the effort.

Some of the Newport Dunes sites can be tricky as well if you are in one of the 2nd row or further back sites. This is do to the chain link fences on 3 sides, so longer rigs may need to almost be touching the fence to fit.  The back sites do not have patios as well. 
 
Thoroughly enjoy reading your account of your travels, Sarge! They certainly help with planning our own travels, and really appreciate detail about handicap accessibility and WIFI. Hoping things continue to go well and reading more about this adventure.
 
I've commented previously in other discussions about the length of sites at Newport Dunes.  A few years back we had a reservation there for a 40-foot motorhome.  It's CALLED a 40-foot in the brochure but the reality is that it is 41 feet and a few inches.  When we arrived at the assigned site we backed in as close as possible to the chain link fence and the front end was out in the street by a foot.  After trying to fit into several other too-short sites, we ended up in one of their premium sites.  So the moral of the story is always know your REAL length, especially if it's a pricey place like Newport Dunes.  We were not impressed and have not returned.

By the way, they also added quite a few park models which we think detracted from the overall ambiance of the place.

ArdraF
 

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