Thinking of heading west
- Thread starter Natgreen
- Start date
Help Support Van Living Forum:
highdesertranger
R.I.P HDR
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2012
- Messages
- 22,892
- Reaction score
- 86
first off unless you are planning to go to some high elevation places right now I would wait at least a month or month and a half. you could also go north as the temps up north are starting to moderate.
second I am sure you will get a lot of advice on were to go out here. boondocking is easy, once you get some time under your belt you will see.
highdesertranger
second I am sure you will get a lot of advice on were to go out here. boondocking is easy, once you get some time under your belt you will see.
highdesertranger
Sitting here with a sweater on, on the Olympic peninsula. Forewarnings wait till after
Labor Day to get here it’s packed on the whole peninsula and up to Cascade mountain range. Got lucky and found a unsanctioned campground for free.
Labor Day to get here it’s packed on the whole peninsula and up to Cascade mountain range. Got lucky and found a unsanctioned campground for free.
Natgreen said:
you can start your journey by going south to Florida, then along the gulf coast down to Padre Island in Texas, on over to Big Bend Park in West Texas. Then across southern New Mexico to Arizona and of course there is also California. The Pacific coast has some reasonably mild winters, it will get into the 40s at night and sometimes during the days the farther north you go. But it is not the severe cold of the norther East Coast if you stay on the coast along the waters of the Pacific.
Remember everyone is unfamiliar with where they are going when they begin a journey. Also you might find someplace along the way where you want to linger for a long while. Don't worry too much about setting an agenda of places to be at certain times unless you are planning on attending events such as the RTR in January. Of course in the winter storms happen, weather changes etc. Sometimes even Phoenix has been known to get freezing cold and snow but it won't last for all that long when it happens.
AZ by way of Florida and Texas sounds like a good trip, maybe after October. Remember that typical temperatures around Quartzsite get down to near freezing in the winter, or a year ago when I was there, it was 24F at night. So it's not like Miami Beach.
Random Painted Highway
Well-known member
Do you know how long in the morning, in general, that it takes to warm up above freezing? I wonder if the sun warm things up quick even to 50 if that is the high for the day or is it a slow climb to the daily high?
Random Painted Highway
Well-known member
I think south to Florida and then west is a great plan!
Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to fly to Columbia in October. I plan for 2 weeks but that could change. When I come back I don't want to hang around PA for the winter. Texas pipeline work been calling me for awhile too. But I don't need or want to work for awhile. I'm setup for a long sabaticle. Getting south dakota residency has been on the radar for me too but the winter would be the worst time. I was in Montana one winter. Never again.
RTR in January sounds like a worthwhile trip.
RTR in January sounds like a worthwhile trip.
highdesertranger
R.I.P HDR
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2012
- Messages
- 22,892
- Reaction score
- 86
yeah by the end of October it's bearable everywhere. I hope, LOL. as in it has cooled down. the mountains will be quite chilly by then.
24° in Quartzsite is rare it does happen but it's rare. does it warm up fast? that depends on the weather if it's cloudy, no. but if it's cloudy it not going to be 24°.
now the wind and the wind chill is a whole other ball game. it can be quite chilly and you know what they say about the desert, it's always windy. no wind is an anomaly.
highdesertranger
24° in Quartzsite is rare it does happen but it's rare. does it warm up fast? that depends on the weather if it's cloudy, no. but if it's cloudy it not going to be 24°.
now the wind and the wind chill is a whole other ball game. it can be quite chilly and you know what they say about the desert, it's always windy. no wind is an anomaly.
highdesertranger
If it helps here at Bullfrog on Lake Powell at elevations between 3,700' to 4,000' winterizations on houseboats at guaranteed if done before November 5. We can usually make it through Flagstaff without delays or severe cold weather if we leave before mid November but many times have hit snow and cold temps if we wait till late December. I always plan on it being cold and carry warm clothing and several thick sleeping bags in case of emergencies. The remote areas and elevation changes we travel makes it necessary. A hundred miles between any reliable communications or weather tight structures makes you cautious, as in winter many times we never see another vehicle the entire trip out to Mexican Hat or Hanksville depending on how we go. One of the big differences out west is there are many remote areas with BLM land or reservations that require a few precautions even if you are just passing through.
Food, water, flashlights, first aid kit, insulated coveralls, heavy jacket with a hood preferably one that sheds water, gloves, a couple of bright orange sleeping bags, way to start a fire and a shovel always when traveling more than walking distance from assistance.
To answer a few questions, I was around Quartzsite and SoCal from around Jan 1 to Mar 15 this last winter and it got down to near freezing a lot but not below. The previous year with 24F when I was there was probably an anomaly. OTOH, Quartzsite is at 1100' I think, and if you go up in elevation by 1000-2000' it'll be cooler. Flagstaff at 7000' has snow in the winter. You can go there if you get homesick for PA weather, lol.
So you need a good sleeping bag in any case. It does warm up significantly once the sun comes up. As HDR mentioned, in the west, if the sky is clear at night, the temperature plummets, but if cloudy it stays a lot warmer. Also as he said, there is a lot of wind much of the time, so you need warm clothing in the morning. You'll run across a million more regular RVers than gypsies, but stay away from Slab City near Niland CA in any case. If boondocking, stay where a lot of RVs are, and they're everywhere. And look for the CRVL caravans.
Precautions: carry summer clothing, a hat, and also PA winter clothing. Plus all the boring (ie common sense) stuff bullfrog mentioned. You'll be driving for long distances across endless tracts, so be prepared just in case. For that matter, you'll probably never be too far from some sort of civilization unless you really get lost. Get some tow insurance.
So you need a good sleeping bag in any case. It does warm up significantly once the sun comes up. As HDR mentioned, in the west, if the sky is clear at night, the temperature plummets, but if cloudy it stays a lot warmer. Also as he said, there is a lot of wind much of the time, so you need warm clothing in the morning. You'll run across a million more regular RVers than gypsies, but stay away from Slab City near Niland CA in any case. If boondocking, stay where a lot of RVs are, and they're everywhere. And look for the CRVL caravans.
Precautions: carry summer clothing, a hat, and also PA winter clothing. Plus all the boring (ie common sense) stuff bullfrog mentioned. You'll be driving for long distances across endless tracts, so be prepared just in case. For that matter, you'll probably never be too far from some sort of civilization unless you really get lost. Get some tow insurance.
B and C
Well-known member
CRVL = Cheap RV Living (this website).
Slab city, no clue. Don't plan on going as it doesn't sound like my cup of tea.
Slab city, no clue. Don't plan on going as it doesn't sound like my cup of tea.
Utopia, right. You're the guy what disavowed wanting to deal with gypsies. SC is the only place I've really seen anything akin to such in america. When I was there, I didn't so much mind most of it, but was a little bit put off by piles and piles of garbage, literally blowin' in the wind. You can always stop and see for yourself if you like it. WTH.Natgreen said:
https://www.google.com/search?q=slab+city+homes&tbm=isch&sa=X
