Storing an RV Out West Between Trips

[UTTransplant]

I am thinking Joe has the same issue I have when heading out on a trip. We have driven all the alternative routes from our state to where we like to travel multiple, multiple times over the years. That’s why we just zoom the first couple of days. Luckily for us it is only 600-1000 miles or so to our general location preference. Joe said it was 2000 miles for him. That’s a lot of driving just to get to where your trip starts.

 

[Joenew61]

Perhaps you would be better of at a resort. No pesky driving, towing or inconvenience.

Many folk enjoy the travel and finding new places we have never been.

The reason why we went the Motorhome route is we have two dogs, and a somewhat limited capacity of dog sitting time at home (family house sitting) to allow us to travel without them. Kennels are not an option for my wife.....well I mean kennels for the dog, not for her. I really like variety in my travel experience and the flexibility of coming and going without a set schedule.

 

[Joenew61]

I am thinking Joe has the same issue I have when heading out on a trip. We have driven all the alternative routes from our state to where we like to travel multiple, multiple times over the years. That’s why we just zoom the first couple of days. Luckily for us it is only 600-1000 miles or so to our general location preference. Joe said it was 2000 miles for him. That’s a lot of driving just to get to where your trip starts.

Yep - that is it in a nutshell. Home in Connecticut to Salt Lake City, which seems to be the center of West coast sights, is 2,250 miles. And the vast majority of that is either places we have been, or places that aren't of interest.

 

[richclover]

Yep - that is it in a nutshell. Home in Connecticut to Salt Lake City, which seems to be the center of West coast sights, is 2,250 miles. And the vast majority of that is either places we have been, or places that aren't of interest.

Seems to me that you’ve got two choices. Move west or find a place to winter store your RV.
Good luck and Safe Travels!

 

[RayIN]

I assume you have spent time visiting and exploring the Virginia states and the Carolina states??? There is so much do see/do in just those states it will require years of traveling. For instance, civil war battle sites are all East of the Mississippi.
Get on your computer and seek recreation and historical sites East of the Mississippi. Michigan has more lighthouses than the rest of the U.S.A. combined.

Now if your interests only lie in exploring West of the Mississippi. Pre-positioning your RV might be prudent for your situation.
Untold number of people leave their RV in Florida year-round simply because that is their interest.
The last extended trip we took was from Indiana throughout the Canadian Maritimes for 3 months then back to Indiana. At that time I was 73, and the driving was of no consequence. Two years before that trip was a 10,000 mile trip across NA to Alaska for 3 months, then back to the lower 48 and traveling for another month from the West coast, East back to Indiana. One thing that affects long distance driving is the RV type you have; diesel pusher MH's are designed and meant for traveling long distances and frequently, vs destination type traveling.
Fuel costs are a part of traveling, if that is a problem, extended-stay destinations might be more appealing.

 

[Joenew61]

I assume you have spent time visiting and exploring the Virginia states and the Carolina states??? There is so much do see/do in just those states it will require years of traveling. For instance, civil war battle sites are all East of the Mississippi.
Get on your computer and seek recreation and historical sites East of the Mississippi. Michigan has more lighthouses than the rest of the U.S.A. combined.

Now if your interests only lie in exploring West of the Mississippi. Pre-positioning your RV might be prudent for your situation.
Untold number of people leave their RV in Florida year-round simply because that is their interest.
The last extended trip we took was from Indiana throughout the Canadian Maritimes for 3 months then back to Indiana. At that time I was 73, and the driving was of no consequence. Two years before that trip was a 10,000 mile trip across NA to Alaska for 3 months, then back to the lower 48 and traveling for another month from the West coast, East back to Indiana. One thing that affects long distance driving is the RV type you have; diesel pusher MH's are designed and meant for traveling long distances and frequently, vs destination type traveling.
Fuel costs are a part of traveling, if that is a problem, extended-stay destinations might be more appealing.

Appreciate the insight - that is encouraging that there is life after 70 for long trips. My wife and I are both in good health, and when I bought the Motorhome in 2024, the idea was to have it be a center of our retirement life for a decade, maybe more. It's a 40' Renegade Super C, with a Lincoln Navigator as a Toad, and I don't find it that tiring driving it.

We are fortunate in that I retired around 4 years after I originally planned to - the original target date was 2020, but I put the brakes on due to concerns about the world during and after Covid. So we have a pretty healthy travel budget to cover $5+ fuel costs.

The other factor here is my wife doesn't drive the rig, and her enthusiasm, or should I say "tolerance" for travel days is not as high as mine, so the west coast storage idea was more for her benefit than mine.

Up through the Canadian Rockies and over through Alaska is on my bucket list, and it would be an easier sell to her if we started in the West.

We have been through Virginia and the Carolinas a few times, pre, and post-RV era. It is a little too much like being in Connecticut to spend a few months doing it.

 

[RayIN]

Joe, IMO, shorter driving days to allow fun stuff might help you wife accept RVing.
For instance, my wife really enjoyed a few days exploring Havre, MT. Look it up, it's a neat place to visit. One caveat, I don't recommend staying in the small RV park the motel on the East end of town maintains; about 50' North of their fence-line is the switch yard for the East/West RR, and it's busy 24/7.