Routes

[Solo18]

If you drive freeways, almost every state has a welcome center just after you cross the state border.  It is a good place to stop and pick up maps and brochures.  Also, most welcome centers are staffed, so there will be someone who can make suggestions.

Another good idea is to ask fellow campers.  Sometimes I look for license plates as I walk around.  If I am thinking of driving through, say New York, and I see a vehicle with NY license plates and someone sitting outside, I will stop and ask for recommendations.  In any case, you need to tell people what kinds of things you like to get the best suggestions.

Also, I agree that it is not a good idea to travel in a tourist area on a weekend because you may get stuck in traffic from day-trippers.  Weekends ARE good for driving through big cities, however, but check ahead of time for games and other big events that could cause traffic.

[sandsys]

15 hours ago, OldMan said:

One thing we plan to do is boondock near a city after we rent a car. If we need to see a doctor or something, fill prescriptions (we have a LOT of those) and maybe get a burrito. 

Walmarts are ubiquitous--you don't need to go anywhere near a big city to find one. They have large parking lots and decent pharmacies so many fulltimers have their prescriptions filled there.

Linda Sand

[OldMan]

7 hours ago, sandsys said:

Walmarts are ubiquitous--you don't need to go anywhere near a big city to find one. They have large parking lots and decent pharmacies so many fulltimers have their prescriptions filled there.

Linda Sand

Good point. I'll have Medicare in a couple years, and I'll have to stretch those dollars. Probably a good bet, though I'll only use the optical dept for exams, online sources of eyeglasses are far less costly. PM me if you'd like to know more.

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, OldMan said:

One thing we plan to do is boondock near a city after we rent a car. If we need to see a doctor or something, fill prescriptions (we have a LOT of those) and maybe get a burrito. 

 

Are you planning to live in the RV fulltime without a vehicle other than the motorized RV? While that can be done, most of us tow at some point and find it a much more convenient lifestyle. Also, it is generally more difficult to find places to dry camp for extended periods in and around cities. 

[OldMan]

7 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Are you planning to live in the RV fulltime without a vehicle other than the motorized RV? While that can be done, most of us tow at some point and find it a much more convenient lifestyle. Also, it is generally more difficult to find places to dry camp for extended periods in and around cities. 

I haven't decided. Too many details to solve, first. That's down the list a ways. Tho other notion is to shop at places like Wal Marts in smaller cities where it's not so congested. After 63 years in the asphalt jungle (SF Bay Area), as beautiful and politically compatible (with me) as California the Bay Area are, it's expletiving expensive and the stress eats you up. Parking, road rage, youth violence, unwelcoming to seniors, horrible music scene (Important to aging rockers like me), the time is coming when it's not worth it. If I do, it will be small, light, cheap, good on gas, and I won't be devastated if it's stolen. Like my '83 Civic. I will do boondocking in CA, at some dearly beloved spots, but residing here, again? Naah. Too much I haven't seen. But unlike many,  I like California just as it is.

Flame suit installed.

[Barbaraok]

We have a manual shift 2004 Subaru Forester.  Has ~130,000 on odometer and another ~120,000 miles towed.    Did one trip in our Class C with toad, hassle renting car, etc, never, ever again would we do that.    

[sandsys]

2 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

We have a manual shift 2004 Subaru Forester.  Has ~130,000 on odometer and another ~120,000 miles towed.    Did one trip in our Class C with toad, hassle renting car, etc, never, ever again would we do that.    

On the other hand we lived nearly 2 years in a 24-foot motorhome without a car. We found that to be an excellent way of driving places like Historic Route 66, the Blue Ridge Pkwy, the Natchez Trace, the Great River Road, etc. We even went to Key West where we rented a car to go downtown where large vehicles are not allowed. But, once we did all the driving type sightseeing we bought a car to tow which let us park the rig yet still run errands and see the sights around us. There are advantages to both styles.

Linda Sand

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, OldMan said:

But unlike many,  I like California just as it is.

I would assume that someone must like things since as far as I know the state is still run by people elected by a majority vote. I believe it is a good thing that we don't all want to live in the same place as it would make things very crowded! And perhaps you should like the fact that most of us don't want to stay and live there as us moving there would bring changes you might not approve of.  

[OldMan]

Well, apparently someone doesn't like the fact I like California as it is because it seems I'm banned, at least in Firefox. I get an error message saying request blocked. Why? I've held my beliefs as long as many and longer than some here. Why are my beliefs so evil? 

Edit: IP block only, guys? Geez, that's so 1996...sheesh. What did I say that was so wrong? 

[Kirk W]

57 minutes ago, OldMan said:

Well, apparently someone doesn't like the fact I like California as it is because it seems I'm banned, at least in Firefox

It isn't anything on these forums that is blocking you and nobody on the forums had anything to do with that. Must be a problem with your email provider. Your post is here so what makes you think you were banned? 

[bigjim]

I agree with Kirk on this. I expect there is some other thing causing your problem. We can lose priveleges here usually for a time but I haven't seen anything you said that should cause u to even get  point.   As for me I think I am frequently on thin ice for making fun of KIrk. Just kidding Kirk wink wink

Interestingly enough that the reason we can be blocked at times is this is ultimately SKP site and if we don't follow their rules we pay the price. Pretty fair rules in my judgement.  Hey maybe we could change the name of this to California.   I SWEAR I AM JUST JOKING. 

[OldMan]

3 hours ago, bigjim said:

Interestingly enough that the reason we can be blocked at times is this is ultimately SKP site and if we don't follow their rules we pay the price. Pretty fair rules in my judgement.  Hey maybe we could change the name of this to California.   I SWEAR I AM JUST JOKING. 

BigJim, I will send you a PM with a screen grab of the error message I get. I'll send it to Kirk, too, in the name of thoroughness. I am unable to use the site, while at the same time, using my regular wifi in my house, as my IP appears to be blocked. Perhaps someone with greater knowledge of your system than I will have another answer. But when I am on my home IP address, I am blocked. Right now I am on the remote wifi of my ISP,  which has a different IP address. Based on the available evidence, it appears as if there is a block on my IP. As I said, perhaps someone with greater knowledge... <shrug />

 

BTW, I like the joke.

[bigjim]

I sure hope Kirk can help you or one of the smart guys about this like RV or a bunch of others. The only reason I sort of regcognize it is I have had something akin to it on the wifi I am on now at this park. It seems when someone else in the park starts something (I suspect a printer) it will say mine is blocked, I think it says mine is duplicate. Sometime here I use my mobley and sometimes I use the parks wifi which is pretty descent a mojority of the time.

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, bigjim said:

I sure hope Kirk can help you or one of the smart guys about this like RV or a bunch of others.

I notified the IT department, but as I said before, nobody on this end did anything to block him. If blocked, he would not be able to use his member profile. It may well be that his internet supplier is blocking things but I am quite sure that it isn't on the Escapee end. Notice that the error was generated by Cloud Font, whoever that may be...

[Barbaraok]

If you google ClounFront you will get something like this:

Quote

Amazon CloudFront is a global content delivery network (CDN) service that securely delivers data, videos, applications, and APIs to your viewers with low latency and high transfer speeds. CloudFront is integrated with AWS – both physical locations that are directly connected to the AWS global infrastructure, as well as ...

Trust me, if they block you YOU WILL KNOW IT.   You will be told.

[CapeMayAl]

There was a time when only 2 software packages could handle fairly specific routing for time and miles.  Microsoft Streets and Trips and Delorme Street Atlas.  S&T was discontinued.  Delorme was brought out by Garmin and discontinued.

The closest I've found to those two is Furkot. 

GS, and now, Escapees, have trip planners.  Neither can handle miles and time profiles.

We rarely travel more than 200 to 250 a day.  I figure that 40mph is the avg speed we do when considering stopping for brakes, lunch, fuel, etc.  It works for us, and makes it easier.  Using the software, even Base Camp, you can make the route from A to B, then easily locate spots at those intervals and search around them for overnights.

It works for us, and has for years.

But, S&T and Delorme were the best going.  Even copilot couldn't do that.

 

[Lou Schneider]

I use Google Maps on my smartphone for in-route navigation.  The GPS in the phone is always active, even if you're out of cellular range.  Google Maps will look at your proposed route and if you'll be going through areas of marginal or no cell coverage, it will ask if you want to download the routing maps in advance.

I used Google Maps for several years while I was working in the Southern California area and their live traffic information was a lifesaver.  It's gathered by tracking the GPS information anonymously from many phones as they report their positions to the cell companies (necessary to match them with an available cell tower).  If a group of phones report they're traveling at 50 MPH along the path of a road or freeway, they use that to infer traffic is moving at that speed.  If the phones come to a stop, they know there's a blockage.  The information is displayed by coloring the road segments green, yellow or red.  The network is now nationwide and is fairly seamless.

You'll use some data doing this, but with the phone tracking my progress 4-8 hours a day and using it to browse the web while eating lunch I never approached my 3 GB monthly limit.

[OldMan]

On 12/18/2017 at 12:39 PM, sandsys said:

If your otherwise best route takes you through a big city, we find Sunday morning to be the best time to do that with Sunday afternoon being second best. Avoid Sunday evening, if possible, when all those who went away for the weekend are heading home.

Linda Sand

They're all heading home from "the  lake."

[CapeMayAl]

Google maps are good.  I had to use them in Canada as my Garmin didn't have a map loaded for there.

But, Google maps do not have profiles for a vehicle, such as an rv.  Only software I know that could do this  - with propane avoidance's, was Delorme Street Atlas and Co-Pilot.

But, no GPS or map is 100%.

[OldMan]

I'll just be depending on Garmin GPS 99.99999 percent of the time. I've Come to count on it. When I flew I used LORAN C and I'm not convinced it superior to Loran C, which didn't cost much to maintain. Oh well, why spend 18 million (the cost of maintaining the LORAN C system at the time it was shut off) when you can spend 200 BILLION!!!

We are so f.....

[CapeMayAl]

SNAFU !

 

[cactus]

On 1/4/2018 at 7:59 PM, OldMan said:

 (Coyote Howls or maybe Slab City in California) might be what we need to get over our sadness about the US. I can perform at Slab City. Do a Tom Petty song and an original.

So sorry to hear of your sadness in the U.S.

I am very happy in the U.S. and feel blessed to have the freedoms I have worked for. Maybe you could explain your sadness to

have to be here.  I am sure Slab City will elevate your happiness. Been there and left.

[OldMan]

1 minute ago, cactus said:

So sorry to hear of your sadness in the U.S.

I am very happy in the U.S. and feel blessed to have the freedoms I have worked for. Maybe you could explain your sadness to

have to be here.  I am sure Slab City will elevate your happiness. Been there and left.

Takin' that kinda personally, aren't you?

[cactus]

1 minute ago, OldMan said:

Takin' that kinda personally, aren't you?

Not really, just recognizing a malcontent. Ya` know, kinda like a sad person bellyachin`.

[OldMan]

Yes. I am. Interestingly enough, I do not recall your previous participation in the thread. Troll much? Just sayin'.