Zenguitarguy

3 hours ago, Pappy Yokum said:

In re:  The link.

So - which one : - -  Flexible? - Moderate? - Strict?  - (or?)

.

 

 

Sorry, I looked at it and saw it was strict, although when we first booked we expressed concerns about the fre and was told it was not an issue. Again, my isue is the double renting and making a substantial profit on our change of plans that were caused by the fires.

To be honest, had the owner suffered a loss because of our cancellation, ethically I would be ok paying a fee, even though our circumstance was caused by wildfires and Dr.'s orders. My issue is that the owner has re-rente for those days and so he and Outdoorsy get $2000 from my family that ethically they should refund. I am not sure my recourse but will probably have to report it and fight for my right to a refund of sorts. It does not make a lot of sense to me but lately people and how they treat others is not making a lot of sense to me. Had it been reversed I would call the renter and let them know I have rented the RV and work out an arrangement for a refund, but that is my ethical mode of operation. Thanks for all the help and kind comments and I hope we can rent something down the line and report here what a great trip we had!

I am curious if anyone has run across an RV rental that takes a substantial deposit with ample and fair notice and then rents the RV for the same dates and keeps the rental fees? We are experiencing just that. We had to cancel for medical reasons and safety because of the fires. Outdoorsy and the owner have kept almost $2000.00, but the RV has rented for the same dates? I know with a rental property double rent is illegal but is it the same for an RV? It feels odd that they are profiting in excess because things happened outside our control. AND we still need a rental to get to California as the fires subside. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

On 9/13/2020 at 1:38 PM, 2gypsies said:

Thank you. She is better today.  The oral steroids and steroid inhaler has helped along with the air quality a little better but still bad.  Coincidently, she once lived in your home town, Longmont.

I'm curious.... how is the air by your son in Arcata?  What are his feelings of you coming for a visit?

I hope you will give the RV rental a try to get out of it.  Tell him of your asthma and the air quality from the fires.  He may support your wish of cancellation or changing the date to later.  Good luck in whatever you do!

I am happy to hear she is feeling better! Asthma is so tough. Longmont is a great place to live and it is a small world!

The air in Arcata is very bad. They are just west of a big fire and mandatory evac zone. They are staying inside with an air purifier and thankfully do not have asthma issues. He was pretty clear he did not want me to come and get sick and was sad we could not make the trip. The renter cancelled but has kept the deposit/first payment and we are hoping our trip insurance will reimburse us. Thank you for asking.

We cancelled and are going through the trip insurance to try and get our deposit/downpayment back. What is odd is the owner has re-listed and if he rents it then he makes a lot of money because we had to cancel and did not offer a refund or a credit? It is a very odd cancellation policy.

That said, we really appreciate all of the good advice, are disappointed and a bit sad we are not visiting our son, but feel it was a good decision to wait to go there until the fires subside. This is a really great community and we look forward to trying this trip later. Thank you all!

19 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

Air quality is in the hazardous numbers for many in California, Oregon & Washington.  Our daughter is in Sausalito at San Francisco and has asthma and spent 7 hr. in the ER last night.  She had a CT scan and her bronchial tube and bronchi were so swollen they thought she had a pulmonary embolism.  She's on oral steroids now.  She hasn't left the house since the fires started and still they affected her.

That's a horrible area to be right now.

I am so sorry to hear that about your daughter and hope she is feeling better. Thanks for letting me know.  

34 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

Why not see if you can postpone the trip for several months? Maybe go out for Thanksgiving when things should be better?

I booked through Outdoorsy witha  private owner and their cancellation policy does not really cover this kind of thing. I am planning to speak with the owner but my sense is that it is like AirBnB and he loses a lot of money if I cancel and I will have to see if he is willing to credit towards a re-schedule. It is not his fault these wildfires are happening and I am certain it is effecting many people who had travel plans. I feel bad for all the people being hurt by the fires. our holiday seems like a small thing in comparison

I am not certain that asthma will constitute a "sickness" that the insurance will recognize? It is just odd and a bit stressful because of course we want to go visit our son and not waste a lot fo money, and at the same time it looks so bad. Are people travelling in RV's in california now or is it all just shut down? It does not seem like there are a lot of places to stop or camp?

13 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:

Air quality is in the hazardous numbers for many in California, Oregon & Washington.  Our daughter is in Sausalito at San Francisco and has asthma and spent 7 hr. in the ER last night.  She had a CT scan and her bronchial tube and bronchi were so swollen they thought she had a pulmonary embolism.  She's on oral steroids now.  She hasn't left the house since the fires started and still they affected her.

That's a horrible area to be right now.

We are deciding to probably not go, the problem we are facing is that we will lose our deposit, which is a lot, and possibly the entire rental fee. The insurance company only covers us if there is a specific road closure during the travel dates or if I am too sick to travel, NOT if there is a potential issue. I am here in Colorado and having asthma issues now from our fires and cannot imagine what california is like. My wife wants to cancel but i am not sure how to do it without losing a lot of money. Thank you for all of the advice and feedback.

Thank you all for the great information! We are keeping an eye on things. Weather is so weird. It was 101 here on Monday in Colorado and this morning it is 29 and snowing! At this point we are going and will keep an eye out on the fire status but so far the route and interstate status seem ok. hopefully it will stay that way and California will get some rain and help with the fires.

We have been planning a trip end of September from Longmont Co to Arcata Ca. We have a rented. 30 ft RV for 2 weeks and will be driving cross country.
Our route is 80w through Salt lake and Sacramento to the 5N to 20w to 101 N then back the same way.1 week later.

We are concerned as the rental is not cheap and we are seeing a lot of fires on what appears to be our route.

Has anyone heard anything about the wildfires impacting that route?

As a side note: aside from Walmarts along the way can anyone recommend specific safe rest stops and sleep places?

Thanks. 

(I am a newbie RV driver and we are driving across country to visit our older son and don't know a lot about this kind of travel. Many of my other basic questions were answered by kind people here, so we really appreciate the good advice and help!

22 minutes ago, sandsys said:

Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Sam's Club, Cracker Barrel, and Cabela's are all places RVers stop for the night for free. But, not all of them allow it. It's best to call shortly before you arrive to ask. I've been known to pull into their lot and call from there to ask; sometimes they have a particular area in which they prefer you to park.

I don't like staying at truck stops or rest areas because they are noisy. Plus, I prefer to leave them for commercial truckers who have to stop at certain hours. But, I have stayed there when that was what was available along my route. Some Flying J's have designated RV spots but even then I have had a bobtail truck park next to me there and run his engine all night.

City and county parks and those owned by utility companies are sometimes free but not usually as convenient to freeways.

Linda

Thanks! If you cannot find one of those are you comfortable staying at rest stops and scenic views?

31 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:

Driving a 30' RV cross country is no different than driving it just in your own state.  The difference is time. 

Are you retired?  Can you take more time to get to Arcata?  I'd advise planning on 300 miles/day of travel.  Pull in early with time to relax, have dinner (in your RV or go to a take-out place), shower have a good night's sleep.  

Donner Pass - by the time you get there you'll be so much more comfortable driving.  You will have probably used your RV on other inclines/declines.  This one is very doable and many RVers do it.  It's a popular route.  It's a long downhill with places to pull over, if needed.  Get into low gear so you don't have to use your brakes as often.  It's multiple lane. Stay in the right lane so you won't feel pressured to go faster than you want.  You can do it!!

Hwy 101 is not mountain driving.  Yes, there will be hills but no major ups and downs.  There will be gentle curves but not hairpin turns.  Many portions are straight and flat.  It's really an easy drive.

The end of September/first of October is a safe time for your trip - weatherwise.

Your only concern should be the miles to get there in a reasonable time period.  If you can adjust and take it easier across it will be more enjoyable for you, less tiring and safer.  I'd advise to really avoid 600 miles a day with a RV even with two drivers.

 

Thank you!

Not retired. I am a musician and not touring or playing because all is shut down and my wife is a Business admin and works from home. The reason for the travel time limit is about cost. We could afford a ten day rental and want to see our older son. He has not seen his brother for almost a year now. So we rented the RV thinking 4 days of driving and 5 days with our son. I hear you and we will discuss it. 

What is your opinion on stopping to sleep at rest stops? or is there a better way to find places? A friend said Home depot or Lowes etc... but that feels odd.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. and again sorry for so many newbie questions. 

First I would like to thank everyone for all of the good information, kind responses and support. My wife, who is probably more level headed then I am, lol, has some concerns and questions so I am posting them here for her:

1) We are not that experienced as RV drivers and she is concerned we have bitten off more than we can chew trying to drive a 30ft RV cross country. The route everyone suggests: I80W - 5N - 20W - 101 N makes the most sense to us for both directions. Her concern and mine is the technical aspects of Donner pass, (which we have been reading about, thank you 2gypsies) and the 101 through the redwoods. We don't have enough experience to assess whether the drive is too hard.

2) We are planning to travel at the end of september, first week in October and she has weather concerns that time of year?

3) Several of you have expressed concerns around driving pace. We had assumed like driving a car we could drive during daylight hours and drive 1200 miles in 2 days as our plan is to camp at our son's home in Arcata as his house is small and the RV let's us travel without hotel stops and we are very Covid aware as we have 2 cousins in Hospital and have lost 6 friends. This trip is to see our son and getting there reasonably quickly was the idea. Is this unrealistic?

4) How do we find safe rest stops in the middle to sleep overnight?

I apologize for us asking so many Newbie questions, but we literally have no experience like all of you, and are so grateful for the answers and advice.

2 hours ago, Chad Heiser said:

Unless you have a reason to take highway 20 from Tahoe (like you intend to stay somewhere up there or have something specific to see), I would stay on I80 to I5 then take I5 to Highway 20 and go west to Highway 101.  Three days from Boulder to Arcata is not a lot of time and the upper part of highway 20 is a lot slower than staying on 80 to 5.  I live off of highway 20 between 5 and 101 and travel that route often.  I never take the upper part of 20 in my RV unless I have a reason to (like I want to stay somewhere along that route).  If I am just making miles to get to a destination, 80 to 5 to 20 is much more expedient.  The upper part of Highway 20 is all two lane winding and twisting roads and goes through a bunch of small towns, which is why it takes a lot longer in an RV than the interstates.  If, once you make it to Tahoe, you still have lots of time then I might take the upper part of 20, but it would still be iffy in my book based on your stated time line.

So Just so i am clear: You think if I stay on 80 after passing Reno and just stay on 80 to 5N to 20w that will save time? Ok...seems like I am going further south but I completely trust you know that area better. We are planning on driving shifts because we want to spend time with our son and then take our time coming back. Thank you so much for the information and advice!

Thanks all! Seems like a great and friendly group. 

Kirk I appreciate the info. I have driven from LA 2 Reno 2 x's in an RV but never up the 101. The redwoods sound great. We are not in a huge hurry and are planning 3 days to get from colorado to Arcata. Thank you for taking the time to post an answer.

Thanks! It was weird that all the maps/guides/apps were saying 36 and 299? It looked too hard. Then on the actual map 80 - 20 - 101 seems so much nicer. Thanks for conforming!

Dear Linda,
Thanks! My trip is in September and plenty of time. I just downloaded RvLife app and am looking at roads safe for us. I look forward to hearing from someone who might now that area of Nevada and california, 80, 36, 299, 20, etc...

Thanks for letting me know!

We are renting a 2018 30 FT Thor Motor Coach Freedom elite. I have driven a few 26 ft RV's and feel relatively comfortable, my wife has not driven an RV yet.
We are driving across country to visit our older son in Arcata CA from Boulder CO. I have severe asthma and we don't feel comfortable flying so we decided to travel this way with our younger son to go out. Our suggested route takes us most of the way on 80 but then at Reno it suggest 395, then 44 then 299. 299 looks pretty intense with a lot of switchbacks. Is that passable with a 30 ft rig or should I try and head west on a different route to try and get on the 101 North?  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Another route that looks more reasonable is 80 west that forks just after Tahoe onto 20 west which meets up with the 101 North. The 20 looks reasonable with nice stops.