Cruisers Who Love to RV & RVers Who Love to Cruise

[MamaFej]

I've found myself and others going off topic in multiple threads and talking about RVing, especially since we can't cruise now, and RVing is a great way to still travel while being safely distant from others. 

 

I wasn't sure where to put this thread, and landed on this 55+ forum, as it feels most appropriate, with so many RVers and full-time RVers in that age range. I'm not a member yet, but PapaFej is. If the mods feel there is a better place for this, I have no objection to it being moved.

 

Anyway, I hope that this can be a place where those of us who love both cruising and RVing can have friendly conversations.

 

 

 

 

 

[MamaFej]

I'll go first:
 

I grew up going from tent camping, to a small camper, to a cab-over camper, to a 24' Winnebago Brave, long before basement storage and slide outs were a thing. Hubby and I camped in a tent very early in our relationship. We bought a very used 5 year-old rental 32' Fleetwood Southwind in 2005, and took our 3 kids to 49 states and several Canadian provinces and territories in it.

 

Hubby retired a little over a year ago. My career ended in the late 90s due to family and extended family needs, and it never worked out for me to return. For most of our marriage, our retirement Plan-A was to buy "The" retirement motor home and travel all around North America in it full or nearly full-time. We took a last-minute Baltic cruise in 2016, for our 25th anniversary, and got hooked. We cruised to 25 countries between 2016 and 2019. We revised the retirement plan to do lots of international travel for a few years, and save RVing for when grandkids come along at some point in the next several years.

 

Then Covid-19 happened. Many cruises and lots of international travel has been canceled. Plan-A started making sense again. On our 29th anniversary in August, we took delivery of a 2021 Tiffin Allegro RED 38LL, and have been in it more days than not. We LOVE it! 

 

Welcome, fellow RVing cruisers! What's your RV and/or  cruising story?

[bennybear]

We have camped our entire marriage,  truck and camper,  hard sided tent trailer,  trailer, motor home, fifth wheel and now large fifth wheel on a permanent site.   
We have found it hard to get campground spots and our new Fifth wheel is too large for many spots.   So we are contemplating a small motor home again.we have camped all over the western US and Canada.   We are fortunate to live close to several national mountain parks and love camping there.  
looking forward to meeting you here! 

Edited November 8, 2020 by bennybear

[MamaFej]

29 minutes ago, bennybear said:

looking forward to meeting you here! 

 

 

 

Banff? Jasper?

[NSnJW]

My wife and I camped in an 85 VW Westfalia for 13 years.  We visited at least 40 states and camped for up to 5 weeks at a time.  

When I lost my wife, I sold the van and now I camp in a tent with my sidecar motorcycle.  I don't camp more than 5 days at a time and haven't gone more than 1500 miles on a trip but that suits me now. 

[#55worktoplay]

We are race fans and got tired of paying for hotels at jack up prices for race weekends and travelling to and from track through too much traffic so we bought a slightly used Class C in 2000.  In 2004 we bought a new Class A Gas and now that hubby has retired and I have a few more years our sights are on a diesel pusher to travel further and longer.  I guess that won’t work in the near future as this past summer campsites were hard to come by and being Canadian we can’t cross the border on wheels.  So we now have to hibernate in our igloo throughout the long cold winter 😀

 

@MamaFej Tiffen Red is a contender for us 37BA or 37PA. 

[#55worktoplay]

2 hours ago, bennybear said:

We have camped our entire marriage,  truck and camper,  hard sided tent trailer,  trailer, motor home, fifth wheel and now large fifth wheel on a permanent site.   
We have found it hard to get campground spots and our new Fifth wheel is too large for many spots.   So we are contemplating a small motor home again.we have camped all over the western US and Canada.   We are fortunate to live close to several national mountain parks and love camping there.  
looking forward to meeting you here! 

Those pictures are beautiful and worth quoting. Where were they taken?

[Blizzard54]

My wife grew up camping from tents to trailers.  It was a family thing that she just went along with.

When we got married in 1978 we spent our honeymoon on The Love Boat, literally.  They were filming an episode of the TV during the cruise.  We appear in the background of several shots during the show.   For the next 38 years, other than a couple ski trip, we spent all our vacation time on cruise.  Then in 2016 we retired and got serious about cruising.  We cruised much of the world averaging about 160 nights per year for almost 4 years.  Then Covid happened.  By June we were really tired of being home and started looking at getting an RV.  Not really knowing if we would enjoy it we did not want to invest too much and did know what we wanted.  We started looking at Class C's but what we found was not in good shape or too expensive.  Then I found a Class A that worked.  It is a 28ft 2000 Tiffin Allegro that had been garaged and had about 21,000 miles on it.  In July we started with a 2 night trip with our DD and SIL in the next site.  We have since taken 4 - 7  nights trips and are enjoying it.    

 

We are now parked for the season.  I have a few minor maintenance items to take care of.  I would like to head south for part of the winter.  She is resisting. 

 

Our next scheduled cruise is April 25th Singapore to Seattle.  If that gets cancelled we will be taking RV for an extended trip, at least a month and maybe 2.  

[MamaFej]

11 minutes ago, #55worktoplay said:

We are race fans and got tired of paying for hotels at jack up prices for race weekends and travelling to and from track through too much traffic so we bought a slightly used Class C in 2000.  In 2004 we bought a new Class A Gas and now that hubby has retired and I have a few more years our sights are on a diesel pusher to travel further and longer.  I guess that won’t work in the near future as this past summer campsites were hard to come by and being Canadian we can’t cross the border on wheels.  So we now have to hibernate in our igloo throughout the long cold winter 😀

 

@MamaFej Tiffen Red is a contender for us 37BA or 37PA. 

Only you can know what's best for you. At one point, we were leaning toward the Tiffin Phaeton 37BH, but when the RED 340 38LL came out, we fell in love with the floor plan. It lacks some of the cool amenities on the higher end models, but floor plan was more important to us. The $75k price difference helped. We are more into practical than fancy. Different things are important to different people. PapaFej and I are in it alone most of the time, but it will also work well when our young adult kids join us, as we are hoping will happen for Thanksgiving. There is so much storage, that we have been able to deliberately leave a few cupboards and drawers empty for the offspring. 

 

I do wish that the passenger floor over the entry steps was automatic, as it is in the higher-end models, but we actually prefer the vinyl floor tile to the shiny ceramic. Under floor heating is not even available in the entry-level model we got, but we feel the vinyl is fine, easy to clean, and not slippery, which could be an issue once we have grandkids. 

 

We've added a bunch of what we feel are improvements, as well. I imagine I will discuss them further as the thread progresses.

[MamaFej]

3 minutes ago, Blizzard54 said:

My wife grew up camping from tents to trailers.  It was a family thing that she just went along with.

When we got married in 1978 we spent our honeymoon on The Love Boat, literally.  They were filming an episode of the TV during the cruise.  We appear in the background of several shots during the show.   For the next 38 years, other than a couple ski trip, we spent all our vacation time on cruise.  Then in 2016 we retired and got serious about cruising.  We cruised much of the world averaging about 160 nights per year for almost 4 years.  Then Covid happened.  By June we were really tired of being home and started looking at getting an RV.  Not really knowing if we would enjoy it we did not want to invest too much and did know what we wanted.  We started looking at Class C's but what we found was not in good shape or too expensive.  Then I found a Class A that worked.  It is a 28ft 2000 Tiffin Allegro that had been garaged and had about 21,000 miles on it.  In July we started with a 2 night trip with our DD and SIL in the next site.  We have since taken 4 - 7  nights trips and are enjoying it.    

 

We are now parked for the season.  I have a few minor maintenance items to take care of.  I would like to head south for part of the winter.  She is resisting. 

 

Our next scheduled cruise is April 25th Singapore to Seattle.  If that gets cancelled we will be taking RV for an extended trip, at least a month and maybe 2.  

@Blizzard54, I am so glad you are here. Although many threads have veered into and out of RVing, it was your post in one that finally got me to start this thread.Welcome!

 

I am so glad you are enjoying RVing. It is definitely not for everyone. 

 

Please be aware that the best thing you can do for your motor home is to use it. Just as human muscles atrophy if they are not used, seals, gaskets, and systems in RVs deteriorate if not used. I am not at all knowledgeable about winterizing a coach, as that is not necessary in SoCal, and we use ours in the colder weather. However, I do know that, when not winterized,  you need to occasionally run your generator, keep everything lubed and ready, etc. Most RVers have to replace their tires due to time passed, not tread wear. 

 

As I mentioned, we were in a gas RV for 15 years. It was the one we bought as a very used 5 year-old rental, and recently replaced. We put over 80,000 miles on it, (it had 65,000 miles when we bought it). We took good care of it, and it took good care of us, which doesn't mean it never broke down. Oh, boy! Do we have stories! 

 

There are many RV groups on The Book of Faces and other places. You might find them helpful. 

 

One of the reasons we bit the bullet and replaced our 2000 Fleetwood Southwind is that parts for the Chevy Workhorse chassis were becoming very hard to find. Workhorse stopped producing parts years ago. Chevy parts are still not too scarce. Workhorse-specific parts are few and far between. 

 

[Blizzard54]

2 hours ago, MamaFej said:

@Blizzard54, I am so glad you are here. Although many threads have veered into and out of RVing, it was your post in one that finally got me to start this thread.Welcome!

 

I am so glad you are enjoying RVing. It is definitely not for everyone. 

 

Please be aware that the best thing you can do for your motor home is to use it. Just as human muscles atrophy if they are not used, seals, gaskets, and systems in RVs deteriorate if not used. I am not at all knowledgeable about winterizing a coach, as that is not necessary in SoCal, and we use ours in the colder weather. However, I do know that, when not winterized,  you need to occasionally run your generator, keep everything lubed and ready, etc. Most RVers have to replace their tires due to time passed, not tread wear. 

 

As I mentioned, we were in a gas RV for 15 years. It was the one we bought as a very used 5 year-old rental, and recently replaced. We put over 80,000 miles on it, (it had 65,000 miles when we bought it). We took good care of it, and it took good care of us, which doesn't mean it never broke down. Oh, boy! Do we have stories! 

 

There are many RV groups on The Book of Faces and other places. You might find them helpful. 

 

One of the reasons we bit the bullet and replaced our 2000 Fleetwood Southwind is that parts for the Chevy Workhorse chassis were becoming very hard to find. Workhorse stopped producing parts years ago. Chevy parts are still not too scarce. Workhorse-specific parts are few and far between. 

 

Mine is a Chevy Workhorse, I will have to keep that in mind about the parts.  As it happens I just finished rebuilding toilet because of the seals. Next up is one of the dump valves.  I will also be resealing around the windows.  The tires are 6 months old.  I will be putting covers on them and the whole rig.  I have been looking at a lot of YouTube videos. 

 

We plan on using it quit a bit when we are not cruising.  I am still working on her tolerance for driving distance.  Our first road trip by car was only 2 years ago.  We drove to Mt Rushmore.  She has agreed to go as far as Ohio if our TP cruise is cancelled.   If we do take that cruise, when we get home we will head to SoCal.  

 

I suggested we head south this winter. She is concerned about taking it over any mountains in the winter. As it has happens my uncle was driving up to Seattle for our wedding and hit snow on the Siskiyou's in September.   Probably rare,  I am working on it.    The winter of 2021/2022  between the end of October and the end March we are only not on a cruise for 5 weeks.

 

So far we have stayed at a variety of campgrounds,  County, State, Federal and private.  We have the Federal Senior Pass and am working on getting a discount pass for our state.  I figure that after about 3-4 years we will either limit to short trips, buy a newer rig or give it up.  In the mean time the rig cost us less than the cruises that  have been cancelled or pushed back.

[bennybear]

15 hours ago, MamaFej said:

Banff? Jasper?

The top one is the Tunnel mountain campground in Banff.   The bottom two are from Waterton National Park,  our favourite just North of Glacier in Montana.  Together they form an International peace park.  A few more photos of Waterton.

[MamaFej]

I should have realized that was Waterton. We've been there, too. We had a great time in West Glacier last month.

 

Don't tell anyone I said this, but I think the Canadian Rockies are even more spectacular than the US Rockies. 

[MamaFej]

10 hours ago, Blizzard54 said:

Mine is a Chevy Workhorse, I will have to keep that in mind about the parts.  As it happens I just finished rebuilding toilet because of the seals. Next up is one of the dump valves.  I will also be resealing around the windows.  The tires are 6 months old.  I will be putting covers on them and the whole rig.  I have been looking at a lot of YouTube videos. 

 

 

I suggested we head south this winter. She is concerned about taking it over any mountains in the winter. As it has happens my uncle was driving up to Seattle for our wedding and hit snow on the Siskiyou's in September.   Probably rare,  I am working on it.    The winter of 2021/2022  between the end of October and the end March we are only not on a cruise for 5 weeks.

 

You Tube videos can be a huge help! We've learned to repair lots of things that way (not just RV stuff). They are sort of the new and improved version of the old Time Life repair books. There are also a number of RV groups on various forms of social media, especially that Face place.There are at least a couple of groups specifically for Tiffin Allegro owners. There are also groups about roads and routes where you can get lots of suggestions for roads to take, and to avoid.

 

A truck atlas is a great thing to have. If a big semi-truck can go under or on a bridge, so can you. Even though our GPS was programmed to "Bus," we got sent down a narrow road with a low tunnel in Delaware once. We had to disconnect the toad and make a 17-point turn to get out of there. Not fun!

 

It sounds like you're on top of maintenance. That's a very good thing. As for the Workhorse parts, some shops can rebuild or fabricate them. 

 

I have a route question for you, as a Washingtonian. We are planning to drive up from SoCal to Spokane for Thanksgiving, and perhaps Christmas. Our oldest son lives in MT and will take a train to meet us (provided he's still sure he hasn't been exposed to Covid - he's very cautious, as are we). We are planning to take the 5 to the 97 in Oregon, then north to the 90. Does that make sense to you? Can we count on the 97 and 90 to be plowed and safe to drive?

 

[Blizzard54]

54 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

You Tube videos can be a huge help! We've learned to repair lots of things that way (not just RV stuff). They are sort of the new and improved version of the old Time Life repair books. There are also a number of RV groups on various forms of social media, especially that Face place.There are at least a couple of groups specifically for Tiffin Allegro owners. There are also groups about roads and routes where you can get lots of suggestions for roads to take, and to avoid.

 

A truck atlas is a great thing to have. If a big semi-truck can go under or on a bridge, so can you. Even though our GPS was programmed to "Bus," we got sent down a narrow road with a low tunnel in Delaware once. We had to disconnect the toad and make a 17-point turn to get out of there. Not fun!

 

It sounds like you're on top of maintenance. That's a very good thing. As for the Workhorse parts, some shops can rebuild or fabricate them. 

 

I have a route question for you, as a Washingtonian. We are planning to drive up from SoCal to Spokane for Thanksgiving, and perhaps Christmas. Our oldest son lives in MT and will take a train to meet us (provided he's still sure he hasn't been exposed to Covid - he's very cautious, as are we). We are planning to take the 5 to the 97 in Oregon, then north to the 90. Does that make sense to you? Can we count on the 97 and 90 to be plowed and safe to drive?

 

I will start with you routing question.  I had to look up that route,  I am not familiar with US 97.  I can tell you that Bend OR has a major ski resort so that tells me that you are looking at elevation on that route over the Cascades.  I would assume they plow the pass but not sure if there are times they can not keep up. If weather is an issue you can take I-5 to Portland and pick up I-84 there to then I-82 and US 395.   The thing to be mindful on either route is to watch the temp.  The parts of I-84 along the Columbia River are susceptible to freezing rain.  Cold winds for the north and warm wet rain from the west I once found myself in a rainstorm when the temp was 25.  

 

I did join the Allegro group.  I have not looked at it too much.  Most have much newer units than mine.  This winter I should have plenty of time to explore different groups.  

 

I am not sure how much help the road groups will be.  When we head out we will set a destination and explore as we go. We do not plan on making specific plans.  We do not plan on a tow.  We are starting to look at e-bikes for any exploring.   

 

We did run into a situation going to a Federal park that had a warning of a weight restriction on a bridge.  It require a 20 mile detour on a forest service road.  That was not a enjoyable ride.  As it turned out the bridge had been repaired but they had not updated the web page.        

[Von & John]

Johnny & I have been toying w/ the idea of an RV for a number of years...
We haven't yet purchased one - but are following along - this may help us make the decision.

I grew up camping - pop-up tent camper & tent w/ friends...

We've spent much time together backpacking 🙂

I've also done the solo car/tent trip from FL zigzag across the US & Canada to AK - up to the Haul Road, spent the summer in Remote AK near Denali & then the trip back to Florida...

Not by motorcycle - although my '95 Mustang Convertible 5.0 GT did an amazing job 🙂

 

@MamaFej Thanks for starting this thread!

Cheers  --  Von

Edited November 9, 2020 by Von & John

[MamaFej]

@Von & John, I am so glad you have joined us! Your home town is one of my favorite places! I've been there via RV twice, and via a pre-cruise tour once. Denali Brewing Company is a place where we have enjoyed some good food, and even  better beers. One of the best beers I've ever had was a Purple Haze (before the Abita company copyrighted the name). Denali Brewing Company had a beer by that name, utilizing wild berries from AK and western Canada, and it was magnificent. I imagine they still brew something similar, but with a different name. 

 

The first time I went to AK, PapaFej, our oldest son (then 3, now 25) and I flew up to Anchorage, and joined my parents., who had RV'd their way to AK. My dad and PapaFej went white water rafting somewhere in the Denali region (I don't recall exactly where). I couldn't join them, because I was newly pregnant with our now 21 year-old daughter. Unfortunately, the folks at the front of the raft were rather hungover. They did not react quickly enough to the guide's instructions, and the raft flipped over. My dad popped up behind the raft. Hubby popped up under the overturned raft. My dad absolutely freaked out! He couldn't see my husband anywhere! he kept thinking: "i have to tell my pregnant daughter that I got her husband killed!" It wasn't until right before the exit point that the water was calm enough that my husband could safely emerge, and my dad could see him. 

 

On our next trip to AK, in our own motor home (the aforementioned 2000 Fleetwood Southwind) in 2010, all five of us went rafting down on the Kenai. We never got past Level 2 rapids, as the youngest two were 10 and 8, but we certainly told the kids about the 1998 raft trip!

 

Von, if you decide that RVing is right for you, I wish you all the best!

 

I intend this thread to be welcoming of all types of RVers. From super expensive multi-level Class A motor homes, to tents, motor cycles and jet skis. Most of us cannot cruise right now, but we can still bond one a mutual love of adventure.

 

 

[Roger88]

12 hours ago, MamaFej said:

I should have realized that was Waterton. We've been there, too. We had a great time in West Glacier last month.

 

Don't tell anyone I said this, but I think the Canadian Rockies are even more spectacular than the US Rockies.

I will pretend I havent seen or read it. But there is something true about what you are saying. I would say that US rockies hide way more secrets than the Canadian ones. In any case, they are both spectacular 

Edited November 9, 2020 by Roger88

[bennybear]

We will agree that all the Rockies are spectacular!   We were visiting Estes park and people asked why?  We loved the experience,  the beautiful towns,  the Anasazi dwellings,   Watching elk slide across patches of snow for fun.....    we also adore Glacier National Park,  many Glaciers lodge is also wonderful for great meals and serene views in a wonderful old lodge.   Not to mention Two Medicine Lake,   Shhhhh!   
Although you need to be prepared for anything,  while DH was fishing I was already nervous because a cow moose was separated from her calf,  when a mountain goat with horns ran in front of me.   I had just recovered, when a young grizzly charged by me and swam across the lake and up the mountain across from us,  meanwhile DH was oblivious to it all!  Hard to read! 

 

Edited November 9, 2020 by bennybear

[#55worktoplay]

On 11/7/2020 at 10:57 PM, MamaFej said:

Only you can know what's best for you. At one point, we were leaning toward the Tiffin Phaeton 37BH, but when the RED 340 38LL came out, we fell in love with the floor plan. It lacks some of the cool amenities on the higher end models, but floor plan was more important to us. The $75k price difference helped. We are more into practical than fancy. Different things are important to different people. PapaFej and I are in it alone most of the time, but it will also work well when our young adult kids join us, as we are hoping will happen for Thanksgiving. There is so much storage, that we have been able to deliberately leave a few cupboards and drawers empty for the offspring. 

 

I do wish that the passenger floor over the entry steps was automatic, as it is in the higher-end models, but we actually prefer the vinyl floor tile to the shiny ceramic. Under floor heating is not even available in the entry-level model we got, but we feel the vinyl is fine, easy to clean, and not slippery, which could be an issue once we have grandkids. 

 

We've added a bunch of what we feel are improvements, as well. I imagine I will discuss them further as the thread progresses.

Well the 33AL is a real contender as well but we have only seen the 33AA in real. We don’t have any dealers near to us and two within 200 miles from here. When the time comes we will window shop in Florida where we can likely see all models and floor plans and decide then. Budget is always the driver so very likely the 340 would suit me fine. It’s a drastic step up from our 17 yr old gas model and I will have to pinch myself all the way home with whatever we get.  We are not in any rush at all because the old girl is still in perfect condition and always gets us where we are going. 

[#55worktoplay]

20 hours ago, Von & John said:

Johnny & I have been toying w/ the idea of an RV for a number of years...
We haven't yet purchased one - but are following along - this may help us make the decision.

I grew up camping - pop-up tent camper & tent w/ friends...

We've spent much time together backpacking 🙂

I've also done the solo car/tent trip from FL zigzag across the US & Canada to AK - up to the Haul Road, spent the summer in Remote AK near Denali & then the trip back to Florida...

Not by motorcycle - although my '95 Mustang Convertible 5.0 GT did an amazing job 🙂

 

@MamaFej Thanks for starting this thread!

Cheers  --  Von

I remember your story about your solo trip and still find it fascinating.

 

When I visit you in Alaska and you have your own motorhome you will have to show us the way 😀

[Blizzard54]

On our last trip of the season I knew better but was not paying attention when wind picked up.  

Although the awning itself was ok, one end was no longer attached to the RV, the screws were pulled out.  By shoving some twigs into the wholes I was able get the screws in well enough to get home.  Today I pulled out the twigs and replaced them with some toothpicks soaked in Elmer's wood glue.  While I was at it I replaced the original screws with stainless steel ones. I used putty seal behind the bracket and will seal all around with silicone.

 

My wife actually asked about the possibility of driving to Alaska.  It came a big surprise but then I did a quick check and found that Anchorage is 1,000 miles closer than Miami.   

[Von & John]

@MamaFej 
Shhh - Denali Brewing still sells Purple Haze...
If you make it back up this way - let us know.

[Von & John]

6 hours ago, #55worktoplay said:

I remember your story about your solo trip and still find it fascinating.

 

When I visit you in Alaska and you have your own motorhome you will have to show us the way 😀

 

Hopefully you'll make it to AK sooner, rather than later...
Next summer we hope to get more time in tent camping w/ the Jeep...

[Von & John]

@Blizzard54
I've done both drives...
SEA to AK wins hands down!!!!

Have a fantastic time exploring in the trips you take!