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National HDT Rally Registration


sdixon747

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8 minutes ago, alan0043 said:

Hi Everyone,

I am still thinking about going to the rally. It looks like St. Louis would be a little more than have way for me. If you used St. Louis as your half way point, where would you spend the night at in that area ? Or is there some place better to spend the night at ? Remember I am a rookie. No real traveling experience. Just a one man crew.

I could use all the help you can give,
Al

PS; I promise that I wouldn't back-in in the dark !

Hi Al,

We have stayed at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis. Good buffet at the casino. We have also stayed at Sundermeier RV park in St. Charles just west of St. Louis. Either one will be good.

See ya soon

Steve

 

 

Steve & Gail

2000 Volvo VNL660 Autoshift Detroit 60 12.7 "Semi Crazy"

2016 smart "Lil Crazy"

2018 Space Craft 48' TT "The Nut House"

KJ4YGY & KK4CTE

 

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KW T-680, POPEMOBILE
Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN
Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row
Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer.
contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net

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We always stay at 370 RV Park just NW of the city.

Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member
Living on the road since 2000

PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail
2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it)
2022 New Horizons 43' 5er
2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 
2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU
No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units
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Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the ideas about where to stay. I have a question or too. I have never stayed over night at a place on my way to my final destination. Here goes with some questions. When you get to the camp grounds to you unhook the trailer from the truck ? Do you hook up to the utilities ? I don't really want to back-in any where. I really don't need the utilities. But I do want to be as safe as possible. Is there any kind of options at the camp grounds beside using full hook-ups ? I am trying to get a feel for what it is like being on the road and being safe. I can understand that this is nothing to the experienced traveler but to me it is a big deal.

Please keep the thoughts and ideas coming,
Al 

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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28 minutes ago, alan0043 said:

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the ideas about where to stay. I have a question or too. I have never stayed over night at a place on my way to my final destination. Here goes with some questions. When you get to the camp grounds to you unhook the trailer from the truck ? Do you hook up to the utilities ? I don't really want to back-in any where. I really don't need the utilities. But I do want to be as safe as possible. Is there any kind of options at the camp grounds beside using full hook-ups ? I am trying to get a feel for what it is like being on the road and being safe. I can understand that this is nothing to the experienced traveler but to me it is a big deal.

Please keep the thoughts and ideas coming,
Al 

If the site is long enough and level enough, I don't disconnect. I always ask for a long, easy in, easy out, pull through. If it's just an overnight, I will hook up water and electric, but not sewer.

 

Steve & Gail

2000 Volvo VNL660 Autoshift Detroit 60 12.7 "Semi Crazy"

2016 smart "Lil Crazy"

2018 Space Craft 48' TT "The Nut House"

KJ4YGY & KK4CTE

 

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24 minutes ago, alan0043 said:

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the ideas about where to stay. I have a question or too. I have never stayed over night at a place on my way to my final destination. Here goes with some questions. When you get to the camp grounds to you unhook the trailer from the truck ? Do you hook up to the utilities ? I don't really want to back-in any where. I really don't need the utilities. But I do want to be as safe as possible. Is there any kind of options at the camp grounds beside using full hook-ups ? I am trying to get a feel for what it is like being on the road and being safe. I can understand that this is nothing to the experienced traveler but to me it is a big deal.

Please keep the thoughts and ideas coming,
Al 

Al,

Here's what we do.  We always stay in a campground not a truck stop or Walmart just because we choose.  We usually drive 300-400 miles per day and arrive at mid afternoon.  I pull thru or back in and unhook and level the trailer.  Only thing I hook up is electric and water.  If you carry water in your tank wouldn't even need to hook up water.  Now I tried not unhooking on one trip with Steve and Gail going to Hutch and my trailer creaked and groaned all night as the truck suspension slowly leaked down.  I've fixed most of the leaks now so may not be an issue but it takes me total of five minutes to unhook and hook especially if you pull a minimal distance straight ahead.  If you don't unhook be sure and not put the legs of your trailer down.

2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift

Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding"

2017 DRV 39DBRS3

2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty"

 

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!"

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We only stopped in campgrounds.  For overnight we always disconnected as we didn't want to hang the truck off of the trailer if the suspension should bleed down.  We also always leveled the trailer before extending the slides.

We connected water and electric and put the satellites (when using Hughsnet) up for the night.

 

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Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
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Al,

    There is no reason to unhook if you have enough space. Hook up water and electric (and sewer if you want). We find no need to put the levelers down if we stay hooked on. The truck leaks down (sometimes) and I don't want to hang that truck on the 5er.

 

Brad

Brad and Jacolyn
Tucker the Wonder dog and Brynn the Norfolk Terrier
2009 Smart "Joy"
2004 VNL630 "Vonda the Volvo"
2008 Hitch Hiker 35 CK Champagne Edition
VED12 465 HP, Freedomline, 3.73 ratio, WB 218"
Fulltiming and loving it.

 

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I take it that most of the trucks here don't have a dump valve on the rear suspension? On the road, I just dump the air on the rear and stay hooked up if I put the landing gear down. If we are just stopping for the night, no landing gear and dump the rear air.

I need to get with it and install the new leveling valve with air dump on the hitch. That would take care of everything by itself

2017 Kenworth T680
2015 DRV 38RSSA Elite Suites
2016 Smart Prime

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We often don't unhook.  But, we can access everything with the slides in.  Refrigerator doesn't care if your a bit un-level, so why bother?  If we get in early, I may unhook and level up, extend slides and such, but often were tired and would rather spend that time sitting in the shade with a cool adult beverage.

KW T-680, POPEMOBILE
Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN
Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row
Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer.
contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net

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Howdy Al,

I am probably in the minority when it comes to stoping along the way to my destination but for many years I have stayed the night at Walmarts and road side rests.  I simply can't see spending 35-50 dollars just to park for the night and get some sleep. 

I don't need or want a pool or laundromat, don't need or want to use the power-water-dump-cable TV-etc I just want a few hours of sleep so I look for a SAFE easy to get into and out of place to spend a few hours.  I DO NOT unhook, DO NOT extend slides, DO NOT camp at these types of places, I pull in, sleep, perhaps do some shopping, and then leave. 

Works for me and many others who are a bit frugal or in my case CHEAP I'd rather spend my money on diesel fuel and a nice camp ground when I get where I am going.

Dave

2001 Peterbilt, 379, Known As "Semi-Sane II", towing a 2014 Voltage 3818, 45 foot long toy hauler crammed full of motorcycles of all types.  Visit my photo web site where you will find thousands of photos of my motorcycle wanderings and other aspects of my life, click this link. http://mr-cob.smugmug.com/

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1 hour ago, mr. cob said:

Howdy Al,

I am probably in the minority when it comes to stoping along the way to my destination but for many years I have stayed the night at Walmarts and road side rests.  I simply can't see spending 35-50 dollars just to park for the night and get some sleep. 

I don't need or want a pool or laundromat, don't need or want to use the power-water-dump-cable TV-etc I just want a few hours of sleep so I look for a SAFE easy to get into and out of place to spend a few hours.  I DO NOT unhook, DO NOT extend slides, DO NOT camp at these types of places, I pull in, sleep, perhaps do some shopping, and then leave. 

Works for me and many others who are a bit frugal or in my case CHEAP I'd rather spend my money on diesel fuel and a nice camp ground when I get where I am going.

Dave

 

22 hours ago, sdixon747 said:

Hi Al,

We have stayed at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis. Good buffet at the casino. We have also stayed at Sundermeier RV park in St. Charles just west of St. Louis. Either one will be good.

See ya soon

Steve

 

I'm with Dave--if just a stop to get sleep, I usually drive until I get tired of it, park at a truck stop, rest area, etc., and head straight to bed.  I've developed a habit the last several years on trips like that of getting up the next morning and heading straight for the driver's seat, and driving an hour or two before stopping for a relaxed breakfast, shower, etc.  At least for me, it seems like that first bit of driving comes "free".

As far as St. Louis, the Casino Queen is a great (though not cheap) stop.  They usually have a deal for multiple nights in late-September/October, if I'm not mistaken it's something like buy one, second at half price.  It's very easy to get into, though a couple of bridges will have you questioning if there's enough overhead clearance (there is).  The park itself is pretty basic, but the south have is free of trees and the paved sites are level with the gravel between them--the pedestals are really the only navigational obstacle.

I haven't done the buffet at the casino, but I'd skip it so you have room for the ice cream from the snack stand at the back corner:
IMG_20170711_210939-1.jpg

There are tons of great restaurants just across the river, which is very walkable or you can hop on the train across the Eads Bridge.

45' 2004 Showhauler -- VNL300, ISX, FreedomLine -- RVnerds.com -- where I've started to write about what I'm up to

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42 minutes ago, Hewhoknowslittle said:

When I shuttled trailers from Indiana, I have stayed that the Ameristar Casino, it has no hook ups but it's free, and that's a plus for this tight wad.

Plus great food and drinks at the casino, clean restrooms is a plus, and regular security coming by to keep you safe.

Roger 

Hi Roger,

What state is the Ameristar Casino in ? Is it close to St. Louis ? I should probably do a Google search to find that casino. I like the idea about the cost. I know someone else that is frugal. lol.

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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15 minutes ago, alan0043 said:

Hi Roger,

What state is the Ameristar Casino in ? Is it close to St. Louis ? I should probably do a Google search to find that casino. I like the idea about the cost. I know someone else that is frugal. lol.

Al

It's in St. Louis, easy in and out. You will need to go in during the day though as it has a few turns that are easy, but at night had to see.

Roger

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7 minutes ago, Hewhoknowslittle said:

It's in St. Louis, easy in and out. You will need to go in during the day though as it has a few turns that are easy, but at night had to see.

Roger

Hi Roger,

Thank you for the info. I can remember some guy that tried to park at dark. lol. " Never ever park in the dark". Those are some famous words some HDTer said. I will trying looking for this place. That just might be the spot I could stay at over night on the way to the nationals.

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Hi Everyone,

I was able to find the web site on the Ameristar Casino. It looks like the one that is in the St. Louis area is called St. Charles. I was looking at their web site for info about parking but I could not find anything. Do you think that are trucks a welcomed to park ?

Al

https://stcharles.ameristar.com/contact-us/?contactFormPosted=7974

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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5 hours ago, alan0043 said:

Hi Everyone,

I was able to find the web site on the Ameristar Casino. It looks like the one that is in the St. Louis area is called St. Charles. I was looking at their web site for info about parking but I could not find anything. Do you think that are trucks a welcomed to park ?

Al

https://stcharles.ameristar.com/contact-us/?contactFormPosted=7974

That's the one, I know for sure they have big rig parking, as you enter the main road you will see a sign for semi parking to the right, that curves around and goes under that bridge that enters the car port parking.

Check out google earth on this one.

Roger

GCTaaehl.jpg

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12 hours ago, Hewhoknowslittle said:

That's the one, I know for sure they have big rig parking, as you enter the main road you will see a sign for semi parking to the right, that curves around and goes under that bridge that enters the car port parking.

Check out google earth on this one.

Roger

Hi Everyone,

I sent Ameristar Casino an e-mail asking about semi parking and was told it is ok to park a semi if you had a room at the casino. My plans are still up in the air. But I am still thinking about coming. Right now I am working on the trailer maintenance.

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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1 hour ago, HERO Maker said:

Al, don't ask about semi parking.  Ask about RV Parking.

Hi Rocky,

Thanks for the help. I don't know what I was thinking when I asked about semi parking. I will ask about RV parking this time.

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Just a reminder...

We are down to less than a week to get your registration in for the National HDT Rally before the price goes up on September 1st. Also, any registration received after September 1st will not be guaranteed a T-Shirt. Please visit www.NationalHDTRally.com and click on the "shop" link to register. Each person in your party must register, and don't forget to include RV Parking. If you are having trouble registering, please contact me.

An HDT is not required to attend. We welcome everyone. Come on out and see what it's all about. If you have never driven an HDT, this could be your chance to try it out.

See You All There!!!

 

Steve & Gail

2000 Volvo VNL660 Autoshift Detroit 60 12.7 "Semi Crazy"

2016 smart "Lil Crazy"

2018 Space Craft 48' TT "The Nut House"

KJ4YGY & KK4CTE

 

Volvo w SpaceCraft 1024.jpg

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On ‎8‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 9:21 AM, HERO Maker said:

Al, don't ask about semi parking.  Ask about RV Parking.

Hi Rocky,

I did ask about RV parking at Ameristar Casino at St. Charles the other day. I have received an answer from them. I was told that I could park a RV in the semi lot but I still needed to get a room. Looks like no free parking at a Ameristar Casino. I am still thinking about a plan.

Al 

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Today is the last day to get your early registration discount. You can register late, but the price does go up tomorrow.

Go to www.NationalHDTRally.com

Hope to see you all there.

 

Steve & Gail

2000 Volvo VNL660 Autoshift Detroit 60 12.7 "Semi Crazy"

2016 smart "Lil Crazy"

2018 Space Craft 48' TT "The Nut House"

KJ4YGY & KK4CTE

 

Volvo w SpaceCraft 1024.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

We were really looking forward to the rally next month. But circumstances have changed those plans. We are helping our kids settle into their house and that was delayed by 3 weeks due to surveyor. We will miss getting together with everyone. We will also be getting another granddaughter shortly after the rally so we need to be here,

Ron C.

2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3

2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime

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