Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

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Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

January 11, 2022, 11:35:34 am

Hello Everyone!

Just taking a moment to introduce ourselves, as we purchasing a new (to us) 2003 26.5 RB!

We'll be driving it home from California to Florida in February over a period of 8 days (short notice, so that's the best we could do for time off of work), and am seeking any guidance from the community in terms of good places to stop (or avoid) overnight (limited sightseeing if we have time).

Mostly, this trip is about getting the rig home in a safe manner at a safe pace.

I somehow caught the LD bug many years ago while I was in grad school (was supposed to be studying but was actually spending my time researching rental RVs as my now-wife and I were planning a trip to a music festival. This was back before my wife and I were married, and somehow found whatever LD forum was in operation back then. There was a wealth of info that helped us make our trip a success even though it was just a Cruise America rental).

Fast-forward to today (almost 15 years later), and our family is in a position to properly afford/handle owning an RV, kids are now 7 and 5 years old, so figured this was a great place to start. Obviously, buying new isn't even an option right now, so we were extremely lucky to find this particular unit which has been factory-maintained its whole life. We're buying from some really great folks who are the original owners, and who have truly loved this RV since new. It was never actually put on the "market," but we were connected to the owners by chance through someone who knows them. They had made the decision to sell only a couple of days prior to that.

So, our maiden voyage home is about a 2400-mile trip, and since we've never done such a long-distance trip in an RV and never even stayed at campgrounds on the two occasions we've rented a class C over the years, we would really appreciate guidance from the community, as other than just searching for KOAs (seems hit-or-miss) and checking the reviews on Trip Advisor, I don't think I really know even where to start planning this route.

Thank you again to all! I've been checking out Lazy Daze forums for over a decade which has kept the bug alive and also kept me appreciating the wonderful community associated with LD, and hope in the future to actually have something useful to contribute back to this group.

Jason

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #1 – January 11, 2022, 12:08:08 pm

Welcome Jason to the Forum.
We have several members from Florida who have made the cross country trip several times.
I hope they comment and provide some advice on potential routes and the best places to stay overnight.

Good luck with your trip and ownership of a Lazy Daze.

Larry

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #2 – January 11, 2022, 12:26:47 pm

Congrats on your new-to-you LD, Jason! I hope you and your family have many positive memories with it in the future!

We purchased our 2017 MB a little over a year ago and did a similar route that you will be making, only in the opposite direction. I flew to Orlando, made the purchase, and drove (formerly Bossa Nova, now Nocona) it back to Tehachapi, CA. As I recall, it took me ten days but it can easily be done in eight, especially if you have a second driver (I was alone). Just know that driving a larger vehicle than you are used to is much more tiring than driving a car. You may want to peruse this thread for some possible ideas. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have:

Bossa Nova's New Home

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #3 – January 11, 2022, 12:28:11 pm

My Advice:

Take I-10 to stay away from cold weather.

Determine how much non-travel time you have and pick a handful of things you want to see along the way. Prioritize things that are far from home, as you're less likely to revisit those.

Make it fun. Put some books or table games or food or whatever that the kids don't get at home but will associate with RV trips.

Don't overdo it. The last thing you want is for the rest of the family to dread returning to the RV after the first long trip.

This site is full of wisdom for traveling long distance with a family in a RV:
20+ summers of RV road trip travels across the USA and Canada | Lolo's...
Long Driving Days Tips - Avoid consecutive long driving days | Lolo's...

Enjoy!
Rich

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #4 – January 11, 2022, 12:30:59 pm

congratulations and wish i bought a motorhome when kids were young ... good move.

on recreation.gov when you scroll down there is a section for Trip Builder. In my last three trips and next two trips I used this tool very extensively. I stayed in KOA only once and there is no comparison between commercial campground and campground recreation.gov offer (at least for our need). Other tool I use is google map, you can search for RV camping/state park etc. close to current view.

Before getting the RV last Feb I collected few apps which does help finding good campgrounds but with recreation.gov and google map I never had to use any other app.

As for sight seeing, I keep this map handy .... I change the sharing so that you can see parks on your way ... although it says parks but it has two tabs/legends one is for parks and other one is the campsite research done by a couple few years ago, they are now travelling in Europe.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1BMcV-fP28M7AnOaiLkIR9d78A2MdgdOm&usp=sharing

Wishing you a safe travel and enjoy new motorhome (to you).

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #5 – January 11, 2022, 01:06:08 pm

Wow, thank you all for the warm welcome!

Thank you for the wisdom and pointers (which we'll follow), and the recommended links -- I'll be checking all of that out today!!

Jason

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #6 – January 11, 2022, 02:06:20 pm

Jason,

Over the past 6 years of travel in our ‘15 RB, I have cut back on long hours behind the wheel.

A good rule of thumb for MPH is on average of 45 mph. This accounts for rest stops, gassing up the rig (never travel with less than 1/2 a tank of gas-never know where gas stations or traffic jams will be).

For your 8 day 2400 mile journey, at 62 mph (averaging out to 45 mph as noted above) this will work out to 300 miles a day around 6.5 hours of daily drive time.

300 miles a day is a comfortable pace. I’ve done 10 hours or more during a one day journey. This pace takes a lot out of me. No more.

Enjoy your nu-2-u RB. Drives easy. Watch the tail swing of the rig. It swings pretty wide. Take the driveways on an angle if possible. Dips in driveways (gas stations etc) can drag the rear skids a bit.

Nuff said. Enjoy the journey.

Kent

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #7 – January 11, 2022, 02:11:50 pm

Jason,
The "Finding a campground apps" we use the most in North America are:
<https://www.allstays.com/> This site shows (on a map) both private and public campgrounds along with fuel stops and more.
<http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/> This shows most of the government (city, county, state and federal) campgrounds.
<https://www.boondockerswelcome.com/> There is a $50./year fee for using this site but is well worth it and gives one a chance to meet other RVing friends.
Yes, it winter and you do want to travel as far south as possible back to springtime here in Florida. It is way early but trees are now budding and we are getting a few orange blossoms on out trees.
We have overnighted in a few Texas, Alabama, & Florida rest areas. Even though there are no "Overnight parking" that is not usually enforced.
You can also get a WalMart app that shows their locations and phone #'s. Call ahead and ask if they allow overnight stays. Cracker Barrel allows overnight in their RV parking area.
What part of Florida are you returning to?

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #8 – January 11, 2022, 02:54:15 pm

Quote from: Mike Coachman - January 11, 2022, 02:11:50 pm

Jason,
The "Finding a campground apps" we use the most in North America are:
<https://www.allstays.com/> This site shows (on a map) both private and public campgrounds along with fuel stops and more.
<http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/> This shows most of the government (city, county, state and federal) campgrounds.
<https://www.boondockerswelcome.com/> There is a $50./year fee for using this site but is well worth it and gives one a chance to meet other RVing friends.
Yes, it winter and you do want to travel as far south as possible back to springtime here in Florida. It is way early but trees are now budding and we are getting a few orange blossoms on out trees.
We have overnighted in a few Texas, Alabama, & Florida rest areas. Even though there are no "Overnight parking" that is not usually enforced.
You can also get a WalMart app that shows their locations and phone #'s. Call ahead and ask if they allow overnight stays. Cracker Barrel allows overnight in their RV parking area.
What part of Florida are you returning to?

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the links, I'll take a look. We're heading back to the Gainesville area.

-----------------------
On our way home, depending on when we depart the Los Angeles area, we might either stop near Joshua Tree or (if we leave early the next day), somewhere in AZ about 300-400 miles from LA. From there, I'll need to fill in probably 2 separate overnight stops until we get to Canton, TX KOA maybe.

I'll be following the advice of Kent and Rich and taking it easy in terms of miles per day as best as I can.

Reading all about "Nocona's" voyage home right now, great info!

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #9 – January 11, 2022, 04:23:10 pm

Welcome to the Neighborhood Jason. If you decide to take I-10, which is the route we’d take, try to avoid El Paso, and especially San Antonio, and Houston during rush hours. Those cities will add considerable travel time to your trip.

Safe travels.

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #10 – January 11, 2022, 04:54:02 pm

I-10 is the route to take in winter; just be aware that the road is in marginal-to-poor condition in every state that it goes through. You've received some good information and suggestions from others, and you have some time before making the trip to do additional route and "stays" research. There are many current traffic check web sites, including each state's DOT website; this is only one:

Real-Time Traffic Conditions : I-10 Exit Guide

Understand that traveling in a motorhome is slower than car travel, not only because of road conditions but also because you will not be driving at the same speeds (or, you shouldn't be, IMO) as you do in a car. Try to stop every couple of hours to walk around and stretch; and, with kids, add time to stop, feed, and run the starch out of them.

You will be driving a large vehicle, and you are likely to be unfamiliar with how it handles and responds; judging distances and clearances and lane position will take some practice.

Definitely plan your driving time to avoid the heaviest traffic around large cities, and plan your overnights in advance as well as you can. There are a LOT of RVers on the roads now, far more than in the past, and places to stay may be scarce and far between. I also suggest driving on the top half of the tank and fueling before you stop for the night; that way, you can get on the road early in the morning without being concerned about having to stop for gas soon after you get underway.

Be sure to post a "trip report"!

P.S. I agree with Mike Coachman's suggestion of the Allstays app; very useful.

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #11 – January 12, 2022, 04:38:58 pm

As others had said I-10 for winter route is ok. Take it easy. Enjoy the ride.   Keep your blood sugar up.   Getting into a 'spousal discussion' on the road is never a good idea.

Joshua Tree is a good stop.   The land just before the entrance off of I-10 is BLM land - free camping.

Don't buy a full tank of gas in California. Az is cheaper even on I-10. There are Costco's all along the I-10 - they will save lots of $$.

Escapees RV Club (Home) · Freedom Driven has a few RV Parks on your path.   They has cheaper LP gas.

BTW welcome aboard.

glen

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #12 – January 12, 2022, 06:01:50 pm

Quote from: SRQG8 - January 11, 2022, 02:54:15 pm

-----------------------
On our way home, depending on when we depart the Los Angeles area, we might either stop near Joshua Tree or (if we leave early the next day), somewhere in AZ about 300-400 miles from LA.

Reading all about "Nocona's" voyage home right now, great info!

Thanks! If departing Los Angeles later in the day, about four hours east on I-10 is a free dry camp area called Chiriaco Summit Campground. Reservations are not needed, just check in with the host when you arrive. We stayed there on the last night back from our Arkansas trip. While there, you can visit the General Patton museum if desired.

Google Maps

General Patton Memorial Museum - Chiriaco Summit

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #13 – January 12, 2022, 06:51:23 pm

Note that Escapees parks, if overnights are even permitted, require membership in Escapees.

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #14 – January 12, 2022, 06:59:31 pm

Jason,
Wow! 8 days isn’t much. Me and the lady flew to Grand Junction, Co and bought our ‘01 RK back in November. We went to Salt Lake City for some batteries and a 2 day visit with friends which did not leave much time for sightseeing although we were able to squeeze in Arches, Canyonlands and Mesa Verde National parks with a quick jaunt into Santa Fe. The rig drove like a dream! Easy to drive, smooth and comfortable. A stove top coffee maker while not plugged in and an electric heater when we were because the coach heater is rather loud were my favorite quick additions.

As the others have said, San Antonio and Houston are not fun in rush hour. There is boondock camping in Schreiner park in Junction, Tx and it has a river and playground which can be found on freecampsites.net.

Happy travels

Chris

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #15 – January 12, 2022, 07:34:06 pm

Thanks again everyone! I'll check out the Chiriaco Summit Campground -- seems interesting and gets us walking distance to grab some dinner. The kids would enjoy checking out the military hardware too.

Joan, I laughed at your comment about running the starch out of the kids. So true! Especially for our two boys. They'll enjoy this adventure, but we're definitely going to have to focus on helping them burn off their excess energy every day if we want to keep it that way! If I don't get to post along the way, I'll be sure to let everyone know how it went when we get back. I'm still planning this out, and will probably try to place reservations at specific parks

And Glen, thanks for your suggestion...we don't have a Costco here in our town, so never got a membership, which doesn't mean getting a membership is not an option of course. But we do have a Sam's membership (at least some/most have gas, I think). Do folks find it worthwhile to seek out a Costco or Sam's on a trip, or mostly just stick to the Flying J type places?

The current owners, again we're so lucky to have been put in contact with them -- they're amazing people -- have filled up the gas tank specifically so we don't get hit with filling up in CA. And, they're letting us ship a few things out to them in advance so that we don't have to carry as much on the plane out there.

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #16 – January 12, 2022, 07:35:19 pm

Greg, or anyone familiar with LA traffic, if we're leaving LA (Harbor City) on that first day (it's a weekday), heading toward Joshua Tree, by what time do we need to depart to avoid really bad traffic -- by that I mean stop-and-go/parking lot traffic?

After we arrive in LA mid-morning, we're going to spend a couple of hours getting an orientation by the current owners, so likely earliest we could leave is around 1-2pm. I'm thinking that's probably pushing it?

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #17 – January 12, 2022, 07:59:37 pm

Quote from: colddog - January 12, 2022, 04:38:58 pm

Don't buy a full tank of gas in California. Az is cheaper even on I-10. There are Costco's all along the I-10 - they will save lots of $$.
BTW welcome aboard.
glen

Just FWI, gas at Coachella Costco (I-10 Exit 131 ) was $3.90 on 12/28/21 and 1/7/22. Gas in Quartzsite was $3.69 on 1/2/22
Hi Glen, sorry you weren't at Q.
Joel

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #18 – January 12, 2022, 08:04:37 pm

Escaping LA

Every day is different, but looking at traffic at 5pm today, it’s 3.5 hours from Harbor City to Chiriaco Summit. So leaving at 2pm would imply arriving at 6pm. Yes, that’s a long time, arriving in the dark, tough for a first stop. Do you have an option to stay where you pick up the rig for the night?

In addition to the BLM campground at Chiriaco Summit, there is also BLM camping at the Joshua Tree entrance, the exit before Chiriaco Summit.

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #19 – January 12, 2022, 08:19:01 pm

I purchased my LD near LA. Actually not far from the mother ship, picked up a tee shirt for each the wife and me. I also picked up a good plug in power protector. Spent one night in town close to help (the PO suggested it). The costs at the LD for the line protector was not that different than online. I forget the brand but the folks here will know what is good, also that was 2011.
The second stop was Joshua Tree. Third was Elephant Butte NM. After that kinda beelined through TX staying in the rest areas. Texas has to many nice campgrounds, don’t do that. This was also the point at which I turned a bit north taking I40 as I was heading to VA.
Have a blast! You have plenty of time for the trip and a day to two at selected camps. This is a get acquainted trip more than a discovery trip. Be sure to check in with the SELD Facebook group. They are a wonderful group and have a treasure trove of campsite info in the SouthEastern USA.
John

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #20 – January 12, 2022, 08:36:54 pm

Quote from: SRQG8 - January 12, 2022, 07:34:06 pm

Do folks find it worthwhile to seek out a Costco or Sam's on a trip, or mostly just stick to the Flying J type places?

It's hard to save anything on gas if you have to travel out of the way to buy it. Flying J / Pilot typically has competitive prices, often has RV lanes, and you can save a little with a rewards card.

You can save much more by filling up in states with lower fuel taxes.
Gas Taxes by State 2021

Rich

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #21 – January 13, 2022, 09:59:13 am

If there are no winter storms predicted for the southern plains or lower Mississippi Valley, I-40 is a good alternative to I-10. It's good road, Oklahoma City is the biggest city between Albuquerque and the Mississippi River (1100 miles<>), and it's relatively small and easy to get through. Plenty of Love's, Flying J's or Pilots along the way. As others have said, driving on the top half of the tank is comfortable, so gas price isn't as issue. It's a must have. Good luck with your maiden voyage. Hope it's a fun and pleasant trip for all however you go!

Bill

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #22 – January 13, 2022, 10:03:35 am

As Dave pointed out, the drive from Harbor City to get anywhere near Joshua Tree is a long one; it's also unpredictable in "on road" time, not only due to traffic, driving a large, unfamiliar vehicle, navigating unfamiliar freeway systems, and hoping to get to a stopping place before dark, but just dealing with the overall excitement overload of picking up the rig, including trying to absorb a lot of information in a pretty short time while one part of your head is focused on getting out of Dodge can make the process more stressful.

Just a suggestion, but you might want to ask the sellers for ideas of a nearby place to spend the first night and begin the trip east the next day. There's no good time to drive the freeways, but traveling between about 9:30-10:00 and 2:30- 3:00 is usually less congested. Usually; no guarantees!

Safe travels!

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #23 – January 13, 2022, 10:22:56 am

As a money saver, often we stay at Cracker Barrel parking lots for free and "boondock". Try to find a somewhat level surface so you are comfortable walking around and sleeping in the RV.

Re: Newcomers! Picking up in Cali and driving to FL.

Reply #24 – January 13, 2022, 11:11:45 am

"...there is also BLM camping at the Joshua Tree entrance"
---
Just a caution on this area: soft sand is not necessarily readily apparent on either side of this little road. As some can attest, it can be pretty easy to misjudge the surface and get one's rig mired in deep sand.

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