| questions and thoughts on the great american RV trip [message #110481] |
Sat, 01 January 2011 09:52  |
hertfordnc
Messages: 1164
Registered: September 2009
Location: East NC
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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In 1976 My uncle invited me to join him and three of his kids for a trip from Massachusetts to Berkeley in a 24 foot Pace Arrow.
It was life changing. I was 16.
I've dreamed of recreating that trip ever since. I'm on my second marriage and a second set of young children. Summer of 2012 might be the year.
So here are some of my thoughts, assume each has a question mark attached to it and jump in with any other thoughts or corrections to my thinking.
First, the vehicle;
For the purposes of this conversation the Revcon is interchangeable with a GMC (I know,heresy) But everything that moves it down the road is subject to the same risks and resources as the GMC,minus the added complications of the vastly superior air bag system.
So, having said that, i'd like to do it in the Revcon but given the time constraints I wonder if a more dependable vehicle might be a better choice.
This board is filled with wonderful stories of people who had wonderful experiences during catastrophic failures, helped out of a jam by fellow GMCers, made new friends and had a wonderful time.
But a lot of those people are retired. I won't be able to afford a five day stop to locate and change a transmission.
So, an SOB class C with a modern drive train might be less likely to throw major part and easier to get repaired in a hurry at the nearest truck shop.
Then there's fuel economy; I believe gas will be at $5/gallon by then. So the difference between 8mpg and 12mpg is about $1400 for the trip.
I could shoot for the best MPG i can from the Revcon or maybe look at something like a Eurovan powered Rialta. They're supposed to get 18-20
They are stupidly expensive but I'm thinking the vehicle is just for this trip. I could sell it when i'm done.
Then there's the trip;
The rough sketch is Nagara,Yellowstone, Rushmore, relatives in Portland and Oakland, Grand Canyon, Tucson, Smokey mountains and return to East NC. - 7500 miles over 40 days, average of 180 miles per day with mostly 500 miles days between points.
Another option might be to have someone run the coach out to the west coast and fly to it.
I'm wide open to whatever anyone wants to add, even the snarky comments from Dan & Rob.
Happy New Year
Dave & Ellen Silva
Hertford, NC
76 Birchaven, 1-ton and other stuff
Currently planning the Great american Road Trip Summer 2021
It's gonna take a lot of Adderall to get this thing right.
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