Hitting the Road in Ten Days!

[Damian Rolling]

Greetings all - 

I have been a avid reader of this forum for a long time and want to introduce myself now that I have become a van dweller. In June I got a Sprinter class B and have been full-time in it since.

Next week I’ll take an early retirement and will start on a long tour of the U.S. and Canada. I plan to go to every state and province. I’ll leave Virginia and first head to San Diego to spend Thanksgiving with family. It is my first cross country drive and I’ll start a thread in ‘Captains’ Logs’ when I have something interesting to share.

I have learned a LOT from this forum and Bob’s book (read twice). I will be at the RTR in January and I am really looking forward to meeting folks!

 

[WriterMs]

Wow.... impressive you already have in almost a half year while you are working.

Sounds like you have a lot of adventure ahead...and time to get clear of where the worst winter weather will be before the core of winter.

Hope to see you at RTR.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Welcome and congrats on the retirement

We'll be looking for ya at RTR.

 

[rvpopeye]

Welcome and sounds like you're starting out in style !
I went to the local Mercedes dealer and checked out one of those Sprinter class Bs.
Nice! You'll have plenty of requests to see it at RTR.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Damian! Have a good trip across the country! Let us know how it goes.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[Damian Rolling]

Wow.... impressive you already have in almost a half year while you are working.

Sounds like you have a lot of adventure ahead...and time to get clear of where the worst winter weather will be before the core of winter.

Hope to see you at RTR.

It is funny you mention that; the cold weather is the one thing I am concerned about right now.

I can handle the cold (although some mornings it takes serious motivation to get out from under the covers). My concern is for my water lines if the temps get to 32F. So far it has only happened once and just for a couple of hours. But to be on the safe side I went south for the night about 50 miles where it was a bit warmer.

This coming Sunday the overnight forecast again says it will get to 32F and I will again go south for the night. For the rest of the week the forecast looks good until I hit the road!

 

[MikeRuth]

Welcome aboard. Is there a way to purge the lines when you can forecast freezing ahead? Maybe that's all you need to do if you find your self in that kind of weather.

Have fun out there.

Mike

 

[rvwandering]

Ask about the water lines for your particular model on a RV forum. You shouldn't have a problem if the temperature goes down to 32 degrees for just a few hours. Of course it depends on whether the lines are run along the exterior or not but many RVs are capable of having operable water systems in below freezing weather. Even if your water lines are okay you could have a problem with your waste tanks freezing if you spend an extended amount of time in a cold climate. That usually doesn't harm anything but you do have to wait for them to thaw out before you can dump. :-D

 

[Damian Rolling]

Welcome aboard. Is there a way to purge the lines when you can forecast freezing ahead? 

Since it is just one night, and in my final week here, it is easier to drive the 50 miles. As soon as I am on the road I should be able to to avoid freezing temperatures.