It's time May 31, 2020, 08:58:13 pm My wife and I start our grand adventure in a few weeks, we are so excited. We have been planning our pick-up of Myrtle, our new LD, for three years. The first part of our journey starts boarding an Amtrak heading to LA. We've always wanted to travel by train so we will travel across country for 3 days to pick up Myrtle. (traveling with safety in mind to avoid the virus) Once there, Todd will pick us up for the walk, through then we leave headed east on I 10. No plans, just taking our time enjoying our new LD. Right now, I think we will head towards Phoenix, then north on I 17 towards Flagstaff. After seeing some sights in the area, we will start east on I 40. My DW and I think It will take 4-6 days to get back home, depends on how many places we stop and visit.We would like to thank everyone on this forum for all of the great information you have shared. Also the NE LD group that let us visit and tour their LD's in Williamsburg at the rally a few years ago. 7 Likes
Re: It's time Reply #1 – May 31, 2020, 09:35:37 pm Congratulations!! We just picked up our new to us LD in Phoenix a month or so ago- heading out of Arizona on I40 - we stayed at Homolovi State Park | Arizona and it was a wonderful easy beautiful stopover. Have fun!!Jodi 2 Likes
Re: It's time Reply #2 – May 31, 2020, 10:11:36 pm Congratulations to you all.I took Amtrak from Kansas City to pick up LDy Lulubelle from her previous family in Whittier, CA, in December 2013. It was a wonderful trip; if I didn't have the LD I'd certainly be inclined to do another Amtrak trip (saw "the USA from [my folks'] Chevrolet"/Ford/Chrysler, but Amtrak & the LD have been much easier ). The Amtrak seats were surprisingly comfortable, with leg room & a lift-up footrest. Of course, there was no pandemic/need for social distancing, so I didn't get a roomette--just slept in the seat (I was allowed two carry-ons + blanket/pillow rolled together...plus, unlike airlines, I could check two full-sized bags at no additional charge, so I stuffed in what I thought I'd need for the trip back--suspect I looked rather like a disheveled bag lady when I got off in SoCal ). I think I heard something about internet service now available, but I just took a book & watched the scenery of our beautiful country rolling by--it really gave me a greater appreciation of all those folks trekking westward to make new lives.Safe journeys looking forward to news/pix/etc. as you wend your ways homeward.Lynne 2 Likes
Re: It's time Reply #3 – May 31, 2020, 10:33:56 pm Just a suggestion, but you might want to stick around the area for a couple of days to check out all the systems, get any questions answered and/or issues resolved that might come up. The checkout process is thorough, but most new owners are pretty jazzed after the long wait for delivery, and sometimes details can be missed. If something needs “fixing”, it’s a lot easier to have it done at the factory before heading off. YMMV, as ever. 5 Likes
Re: It's time Reply #4 – May 31, 2020, 10:47:58 pm Further to Joan’s suggestion, this nicer RV campground (recently under new management and called Botello Bluffs), is not far from the Mothership. Note that the campground’s website states re-opening date TBD, hopefully June 3rd, depending on LA County guidance.Home - Bonelli Bluffs RV Resort & CampgroundCongratulations and I hope that you have a wonderful delivery experience!Warren 1 Likes
Re: It's time Reply #5 – June 01, 2020, 08:54:36 am Congrats, John and Steph! A couple of questions if I may. Is your Midbath on the new Ford chassis? When did you get on the list? Thanks!
Re: It's time Reply #6 – June 01, 2020, 09:37:59 am Quote from: WVDAZEY - May 31, 2020, 08:58:13 pmRight now, I think we will head towards Phoenix, then north on I 17 towards Flagstaff. Congratulations on your new rig!Unless you have a specific reason to go to Phoenix, I would suggest getting to I-40 by either going north on US-95 at Blythe, CA or on AZ-95 at Quartszite, AZ. Both are a much more relaxing drive that trying to navigate Phoenix traffic!As always, YMMV.
Re: It's time Reply #7 – June 01, 2020, 10:11:18 am Linda's advice is solid; my choice would be AZ 95 up from Quartzsite through Lake Havasu because it's a more "scenic" route than US 95 up from Blythe to Needles and I-40. If a reason for taking 17 north from Phoenix is to go to/through the Sedona area and Oak Creek Canyon, one can make a detour south on 17 from 40 at Flagstaff. One caveat: Don't get gas in Blythe or Needles.
Re: It's time Reply #8 – June 01, 2020, 11:48:16 am In addition to the RV park now called "Bonelli Bluffs", there's the Fairplex RV park (formerly a KOA), and Prado Regional, a San Bernardino County Park; check their website for current campsite availability. (Chino Hills is a CA state park and is currently closed to camping.) I've usually overnighted in the factory parking lot when having some service done; LD isn't thrilled about this, citing a less-than-savory neighborhood location (and potential liability, of course), but I never had any issues and haven't heard of any from other owners who have done the same. I'd check with Todd, particularly if the timing of the delivery and orientation run into late afternoon. YMMV, as always.
Re: It's time Reply #9 – June 01, 2020, 12:36:06 pm Congrats 🍾🎉 enjoy your new LD and have fun on trip.
Re: It's time Reply #10 – June 01, 2020, 01:01:01 pm Congrats on the new rig, you have years of fun ahead of you.If your time schedule allows, definitely overnight a day or two locally.LDs are built by hand and occasionally, small things slip by. At pick-up our LD had a slightly damaged curtain that was missed and we didn't spot it until the next day. The converter also was defective and continuously charged the coach battery and it needed replacement. We only live 1-1/2 hours away, so it wasn't a big deal to go back.Staying locally will give you a chance to experiment with the various systems, making sure everything works correctly before heading back east.Larry
Re: It's time Reply #11 – June 01, 2020, 09:55:32 pm Rt 95 looks like a good alternative. We would like to avoid the Phoenix traffic, however, we are not familiar with the area. Last time we were in the Phoenix area was 15 years ago and we traveled by car. My DW and I have done our share of camping but this is our first motorhome. If you could please tell us what type of challenges will we have on Rt 95 out of Quartzsite to I 40? Also, the names of any good campgrounds in the area. We are not a good example on how long the waiting list is currently. We knew we wanted a spring 2020 delivery, so we called the Mother Ship two years ago with that request and asked to be put in line for that date. They contacted us in June 2019, and we sent our purchase order form to them in late July 2019. It was scheduled for pick up in May but we requested a delay because of the virus and us having to travel across country.We will stay in the West Arizona area for a couple of days to check our LD out. The taxes in CA are more expensive than our home state, so we will hire a driver to take us out of CA.Thanks again for the suggestions.
Re: It's time Reply #12 – June 01, 2020, 11:52:48 pm Quote from: WVDAZEY - June 01, 2020, 09:55:32 pmRt 95 looks like a good alternative. We would like to avoid the Phoenix traffic, however, we are not familiar with the area. Last time we were in the Phoenix area was 15 years ago and we traveled by car. My DW and I have done our share of camping but this is our first motorhome. If you could please tell us what type of challenges will we have on Rt 95 out of Quartzsite to I 40? Also, the names of any good campgrounds in the area. We are not a good example on how long the waiting list is currently. We knew we wanted a spring 2020 delivery, so we called the Mother Ship two years ago with that request and asked to be put in line for that date. They contacted us in June 2019, and we sent our purchase order form to them in late July 2019. It was scheduled for pick up in May but we requested a delay because of the virus and us having to travel across country.We will stay in the West Arizona area for a couple of days to check our LD out. The taxes in CA are more expensive than our home state, so we will hire a driver to take us out of CA.Thanks again for the suggestions. "...challenges will we have on Rt 95 out of Quartzsite to I 40?"There are no challenges. 95 is a good road. Just follow the map or GPS to I-40 and enjoy the scenery and the heat.Chris
Re: It's time Reply #13 – June 02, 2020, 09:20:57 am Quote from: WVDAZEY - June 01, 2020, 09:55:32 pmIf you could please tell us what type of challenges will we have on Rt 95 out of Quartzsite to I 40? Also, the names of any good campgrounds in the area. As Chris says, there are no challenges on AZ-95, unless you consider traversing through Lake Havasu City a challenge -- it's a long town north to south with many stop lights and can take up to half an hour or more to travel through, depending on the traffic. That's one of the reasons we prefer to travel US-95 north out of Blythe, CA...there are no towns to travel through until you get to Needles which is where you'll pick up I-40.The only campgrounds in the area that I'm familiar with are some of the ones in Quartzsite. Quail Run RV Park on the west side of AZ-95 north of Main Street is the newest RV park in town. We've also stayed at Park Place RV Park on the east side of town, north of Main Street on the west side of Riggles Road. I believe both of these RV parks stay open year around.I agree with Joan -- don't fill up with fuel in either Blythe or Needles! Get the Gas Buddy app and check out which stations have the lowest gas prices. You'll want to fill up in Quartzsite before you head north. Or wait until you get to Parker and fill up at Running Man Fuel on the west side of AZ-95 as you're entering Parker...it usually has cheaper fuel than Quartzsite (but check out Gas Buddy first). There are also some truck stops at the AZ-95/I-40 junction where you can fill up, but they're typically more expensive than either Quartzsite or Parker.
Re: It's time Reply #14 – June 02, 2020, 09:35:55 am I'm guessing you'll be taking full procession in Ehrenberg, AZ. There are two gas stations on ether side of I-10 you can get cheaper gas and propane there. There is a place in Ehrenberg to get all the water you need for $2.00. I'm guessing that place is the place you'll be signing that last paperwork. It's hard water but it is drinkable. There is all sort of BLM land around this area. <smile> it's going to be a bit warm......If you are interested I can pm you some sites.glen
Re: It's time Reply #15 – June 02, 2020, 09:57:20 am "...traversing through Lake Havasu City a challenge -- it's a long town north to south with many stop lights and can take up to half an hour or more to travel through, depending on the traffic."---True; lots of stops and starts! I suggested that route thinking that Havasu would offer easy access to grocery shopping, e.g., Smith's or Bashas, to supply for the return trip, but maybe that's not a consideration.
Re: It's time Reply #16 – June 02, 2020, 05:14:54 pm When it comes to supermarkets, Bashas' is probably the best in town. And there's a water store (with outdoor coin-op dispensers) around the corner from it on the left. You can't fill your RV tank there, but if you have water carriers (I use Reliant 3-gallon ones), you can fill a few and then pour the reverse-osmosis water into your LD's tank. It beats the local water, which is quite hard.Also, if you need to dump, you can do it at Lake Havasu State Park, which is down Industrial Avenue (toward the river) off 95. For $15 you can dump, unload trash, and fill your RV's water tank there, although it's the hard local water.
Re: It's time Reply #17 – June 03, 2020, 12:36:04 am ‘RV Pit Stop’ On AZ95 headed North out of Quartzite is a convenient place to fill-up with good quality filtered water and propane. RV Pit Stop Reviews
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