New Member from Minnesota

[LaMonster]

Hello, I am a proud new owner of a 2004 Chevy Express 5.3L V8 camper van, which I bought in December in CA. I then drove it back to Minnesota, so my first trip was a 2091 mile adventure, complete with a snowstorm that shut I90 down in SD! 

It's a great story so that's cool.

I just dropped my Bertha off at my mechanic this morning to have her checked out and get any needed maintenance before heading down to Texas at the end of the month to visit my snowbird father. Then I plan to drive over to NOLA so I can hit my 49th state while my hubby will fly into NOLA so we can cross into Alabama and hit our 50th state together! 

This past weekend, my EE husband gave me an educational lesson on my solar system so I understand my watt hours and what I can use in my van versus when I might need electricity. Right now, I plan to be doing most of my travel solo, although hubby might join me at times.

I told my mechanic that it would be great if I could find swivel seats for my van, as the current seats are pretty beat up. He thought that sounded like a great idea, so if anyone knows if those are a possibility I'd love to hear about it!

Looking forward to getting to know people here.

Thanks for reading  :shy:

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the CRVL Forums  

YES !   A long trip across the USA can be quite invigorating.  

I once spoke with an Airline Pilot who had just purchased an RV and he told me that he flew over the 
USA all of the time and saw so many interesting places from the air.  It's why he bought the RV so that
he could go see them from the ground.   He explained that when he was a student pilot he flew for a 
Mortuary Transport Service in a light single engine plane which flew at a much lower altitude than the airliners.  It allowed him to spot intriguing things on the ground and take note of them.   Now he could finally visit those locations. 

So enjoy your travels too.

 

[Gardenias]

Welcome!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums LaMonster! Congratulations! You're off to a great start!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[LaMonster]

Welcome to the CRVL Forums  

YES !   A long trip across the USA can be quite invigorating.  

I once spoke with an Airline Pilot who had just purchased an RV and he told me that he flew over the 
USA all of the time and saw so many interesting places from the air.  It's why he bought the RV so that
he could go see them from the ground.   He explained that when he was a student pilot he flew for a 
Mortuary Transport Service in a light single engine plane which flew at a much lower altitude than the airliners.  It allowed him to spot intriguing things on the ground and take note of them.   Now he could finally visit those locations. 

So enjoy your travels too.

Yes, I agree. The plus of the snowstorm is that we stopped and spent time in Custer, SD and Wall, SD (the Badlands, actually) to stay behind the snowstorm and see the sites and animals. I don't remember being out there as a young child, so I was glad we took the time to do that.

The Interestate is handy for getting places, but it's not very interesting.

 

[eDJ_]

I agree,  those "blue highways" (secondary roads on the map in blue)  are so much more revealing of small towns, countryside, and unique creations that inventive people have constructed.  Just drive thru some of the Amish countryside,  or Portuguese neighborhoods along the coast to see some of that. 

The bottom link below is a Portal site for travelers.  In the lower portion ....LINKS.....at the upper left of that section are some links to trip planning sites that can help you set up an itinerary for a long trip or day by day.  They may ask you how far off your path you are willing to go to see interesting sites & places and then offer you a street view (using the orange Google "Peg Man") so you can actually preview any place along your way.  Once anyone gets used to using these they may really discover how much fun being a Van Nomad can be. (and get so much more out of their travel cost dollars)

 

[txmnjim]

welcome! good luck in your adventures.
jim

 

[LaMonster]

Thanks!

I am now planning a trip down to Texas to visit my Dad, as he snowbirds down there. 

Then I plan to drive over to NOLA and pick up my 49th and 50th states, which are LA and AL.

If it works out, my daughter will fly in and join me for a couple of days, then I will drive back to MN.

I am hoping to use a couple of campgrounds and RV parks on this trip and I realized I don't really know if I have good pots or pans to use on a campfire, so I need to sort that out. 

Also, do most people bring their own ring or system to hold their pots or do most campgrounds have them in the fire pits? I am guessing it is probably better to be safe than sorry. So I need to sort that out too.

 

[eDJ_]

Most campgrounds that I have visited do have some provision for a camp fire.  Rough camping is a different matter. 

The only camp fire extra I carry when traveling is a tripod with grill.  It's 5 ft long legs are in 3 pieces with a pulley at the top and cable so you can adjust it's grill height over the fire. Easy & quick to set up and knock down,  steady-sturdy,  you can place a coffee pot or sauce pans on the grill to heat them.  If you cook meat on it and there is a stream or pond near by, just set the grill in the water overnight.  Those [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]little minnows can[/font] do a nice job of cleaning it up for you. 

Unless you are intending to set up a camp and be there for awhile, a lot of campfire equipment will be an added burden.
(and take up space in your rig)

 

[LaMonster]

Yes, thank you. That tripod with the grill is exactly what I am thinking of -- I just didn't know what to call it. That's what I need to get.

``````````
Trip Update

My mechanic has confirmed he'll have my work done when I need it, AND he managed to find some used swivel seats to put into my van. It's a bit of a splurge because they are too tall so he is going to have to spend some time getting them to work, but it will help me have some decent seating in there.

I was going to get a Yeti cushion for my cooler until I saw their prices. So either I find another option or sort out how to make my own. I am thinking about a waterproof case with some felted wool over it might work well enough. Anyways, having good seats will help a lot.

Last night both family members booked their flight to come travel with me as I go. Now I need to start working on my route and sleeping plans. It's pretty much a straight shot down I35 to get there.

 

[maki2]

You can make insulated cooler covers out of the EVA foam sleeping pads. Here is one such option that even has a heat reflective coating on one side. The reflective surface faces to the outside to bounce the heat away from the cooler.
https://www.amazon.com/Exercise-Sleeping-Cushion-blue-TD-Fishing/dp/B00P1JZ5BO

 

[txmnjim]

"It's pretty much a straight shot down I35 to get there."

it is, don't even need a map (just pay attention driving through KC!)
i picked up a small Weber grill for when we went camping as many of
those campground grills don't cut it. bon voyage!

 

[GypsyJan]

" many of
those campground grills don't cut it"

I pack a small Coleman propane grill for the same reason. It's great for reheating foil packets of left overs & doggie bags. I like that foil packets can double as a dish and can be just dropped in the trash afterwards.

 

[LaMonster]

" many of
those campground grills don't cut it"

I pack a small Coleman propane grill for the same reason. It's great for reheating foil packets of left overs & doggie bags. I like that foil packets can double as a dish and can be just dropped in the trash afterwards.

Actually I think I have an small portable grill, so I should probably dig it out and see if I can fit it on the van. I am going to start running out of room. LOL

But a good idea, thanks to both of you for the suggestion.

 

[NctryBen]

Well LaMonster, are ya basking in the sun these days yet? Sounds like a good deal to have people traveling with you. Driving straight through? Or staying in hotels... sleeping three in a van might be a stretch. Safe travels, I’ve done a lot of traveling the last six years In between a number of surgeries. Over 300,000 miles during that time. Texas isn’t bad if you can avoid big cities... NOLA is kinda cool also. Lot’s of people! Drive safe! I’m with Bob Wells on the idea west is better. But south isn’t bad either.