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Heading out on my first long trip this week.

September 06, 2015, 12:29:54 pm

My dog Buddy and I are heading out to visit my son in Madison, WI on Wednesday.  We are taking our time, about 300- 350 miles a day, planning 2 nights and 3 days up, 3 days there and 2 to 3 nights back.  If I feel up to it I'll keep driving a bit.

Instead of campgrounds in transit I'm going to 'park' using Overnightparking.com and my cell phone as a guide.

I do have reservations at Devils Lakes State Park, north of Madison for next weekend. My son will be 'camping' with us. I can't wait to see him and he can't wait to see the coach and his dog.    He is the most organized person I know....he was a math major after all. He will help me go through and organize the basement. I'm still carrying a bunch of stuff that should be in storage, not in the coach.

Other than that we will just hang out and catch up, share a cigar, grill some steaks, have a campfire and enjoy each others company. It is a trip like this that I envisioned when we bought our FT.  Sandy isn't making the trip as she is covering for me at work. I will bring her some epic cheese from Wisconsin.

Have a a great week all.

Jeff

PS. Hopefull I will not need the technical forum during my adventure but it's great to know it's there if I do. ;+)

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Re: Heading out on my first long trip this week.

Reply #1 – September 06, 2015, 12:36:43 pm

Enjoy your trip Jeff, let us know how it progresses.

Hans

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Re: Heading out on my first long trip this week.

Reply #2 – September 06, 2015, 02:06:28 pm

Jeff,

I still have a lot of good friends in WI, from the years I lived there.  Shout if you need help/local contacts, but it sounds as if you are covered — and are going to have a great time!

Enjoy a cigar for me!

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Reply #3 – September 06, 2015, 04:54:44 pm

Thanks guys.

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Reply #4 – September 06, 2015, 04:55:16 pm

Quote from: LookingWest – September 06, 2015, 02:06:28 pm

Jeff,

Enjoy a cigar for me!

Richard, has Susan let you back in again since you & Jeff shared that last little male-bonding cigar ritual?!!    (actually we all kind of enjoyed it, albeit not too closely!)

And Jeff, I'll bet Buddy will be the best travel companion, what a sweetie pie he is...have a wonderful trip!!!

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Reply #5 – September 06, 2015, 06:05:44 pm

Whenever I feel up to it I like to drive less.  Those are fairly long days especially for your first trip out and with no speaking companion.  Take advantage of rest stops. Get out and walk around for 5 or 10 minutes.  It will keep you sharper. Have lots of fun.

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Reply #6 – September 06, 2015, 06:39:50 pm

You can stay in rest stops too.  I just pulled into one after 625 miles today.  Have fun visiting your son. I stop every two to three hours and walk around the coach and every third stop or so is for fuel.

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Reply #7 – September 18, 2015, 01:00:45 pm

We had a fantastic trip and I can't wait to hit the road again. What a fantastic way this is to travel this is! I can say easily that this motorhome has exceeded all of my expectations and I absolutely love this lifestyle.

I drove until I got tired, trying to dock by 3:00PM. Along the way to and from Madison I overnight end twice. I ate well in my own kitchen, slept well in my own bed and even did laundry along the way.  When we've driven this route by car I arrived exhausted. Instead I arrived well rested and ready to go. It's hard to put a price on that.

 Everything worked. I enjoyed the drive as well as the destinations. It was awesome being able to pull into a rest stop to make lunch and let Buddy run around.  He was a perfect travel companion, up for anything. As soon as the coach starts Buddy curls up on his bed until engine gets shut off at the next stop. We quickly settled into a routine. I believe he enjoyed the more comfortable ride and access to his water bowl whenever he was thirsty. We got a non spill water bowl that works great in the MH.

It was great seeing my son and he loved seeing his dog. We camped in The Dells at Devils Lake State Park. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We needed the heat in the mornings and it worked great.

The new powered 50amp cord reel makes things so easy to set up and break down. Pushing a button to level and plugging the cord in is so easy.  I took advice learned here and only connected water and sewer if I needed to dump or fill up. We used the water tank and water pump instead of shore water.

I experienced the joy of using a truck wash. I can't stand it when the coach is dirty. We drove to Wisconsin in the rain. Ten minutes and $35.00 later and the coach glowed again.

We were out for 8 days. All I can think about now is where I want to go next. I can't wait. It's a beautiful country and I can't wait to see more of it.

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Reply #8 – September 27, 2015, 09:02:18 am

Glad you had a good trip

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Reply #9 – September 27, 2015, 11:02:38 am

Being from NC I am sure you have been to Dollywood and Pigeon Forge and Smoky Mountains.  Great area.  Plan a trip to Mount Rushmore, best trip ever. Where ever you go enjoy the roses.

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