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| Trip Report from a novice (Maiden Voyage) [message #204410] |
Thu, 11 April 2013 21:43  |
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Richard Andis
Messages: 261
Registered: January 2013
Location: HELL Paso, TX
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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1978 GMC Royale (AKA “Valhava”) + 1974 VW Thing (AKA “Walkure”)
Poulsbo, WA to El Paso, TX
Total distance – Approx 2200 Miles
Known Coach Deficiencies
Engine Water Light always on – faulty switch module or radiator sensor
Water leak under side bath sink – still trying to locate source. Discovered when checking out city water system. Using manual water fill.
Small leak on black tank near outlet. No real time, place, resources to do a field repair. Toilet relegated to #1 use only
Coach air-conditioning doesn’t appear to be functional. Rooftop still to be tested
Remote Start/Stop Switch for Onan not working. Discovered rat’s nest of wires under the generator. Will clean up in El Paso. Generator still lights off with local switch.
Souls onboard – 3 - Wife, Myself, and Navi the Wonder cat
Proposed route
Poulsbo, WA to Maryhill Washington State Park – Distance : 283.45 miles
Maryhill State Park to Boise, ID – Distance 319.47 miles
Boise , ID to Ogden, UT – Distance- 313.46 miles
Ogden, UT to Las Vegas, NV – Distance 456.67 miles
Las Vegas, NV to Sedona, AZ – Distance 275.83 miles
Sedona, AZ to Chandler, AZ Distance - 138.81 miles
Chandler, AZ to El Paso, TX Distance 413.1 miles
April 8th - Leg 1 (Poulsbo to Maryhill Washington State Park)
Fuel Tanks full of ethanol free gas (Cenex). Finally got on the road around 11:30 AM . I need to work on breaking down quicker. Discovered that motorhome needs to be fully butt down in order for tow hitch to hookup or release. RV preformed well. Engine temp stayed steady on 1/3 throughout trip. Still getting my RV road skills honed. Cat hid in bathroom most of the trip. We arrived at Maryhill State Park around 6:00PM. We found a gorgeous spot right along the Columbia River. Water, sewer and electric hook-ups were available. No internet but the McDonald’s across the water had some. Bathrooms and showers available, bring quarters. We did a little exploring with the toad before it got dark. Local area was pretty dead at this point of the season. Wineries, vegetable and fruit stands galore when in season. We did visit the Stonehenge replica War Memorial. We spent some time picking up cigarette butts (some people). Definitely worth the visit if passing through.
April 9th - Leg 2 (Maryhill State Park to Boise, ID)
Up early, and on the road by 10:00AM. Filled up with mid grade ethanol gas (34 Gal) estimated MPG around 10 for leg 1). Hill climbing and more hill climbing. Towing + Ethanol gas + mountains = Bad MPG (probably not more than 8 MPG). Sometimes speed was down to 30MPH. Glad it was over with. I was expecting low level fuel light to come on but I chickened out and switched to Aux before it did. I didn’t want to take the chance of losing engine, steering and brakes if I ran it dry. Stopped in Ontario, OR for fuel (ethanol again) and put in 40 gallons. . Asked where we could find a propane refill. We were directed to the Cenex two blocks down (Yes, it had ethanol free fuel). Lesson learned: Research ethanol free locations better. We got in to Boise around 6:00PM. Still don’t know if low fuel light works. Is there some sort of test? Cat’s happy place still in bathroom.
April 10th 2013 - Leg3 (Boise, ID to Jackpot, NV)
Route Change. On the advice of some family members that we were visiting in Boise, ID we elected to go the desert route via US30 and then US93. They cited traffic issues and blah scenery. We bit the bullet and took the new route. Absolutely no traffic and beautiful drive. It seemed like must have crossed the Snake river at least a half a dozen times. Waterfalls along US30 were also very nice. No complaints from the motorhome, wife, or cat. Because of a late start out of Boise (2:00 PM) we elected to stop in a little town (or was it a big casino) just across the Nevada border called Jackpot. Had to park in RV Overflow. Electricity and sewer available. Water doesn't get turned on until May 15th for fear of freezing pipes. Current temp 61 degrees but got down to mid 40s at night. There is wireless internet but signal too weak to connect. Good side of the deal it was only $18. Lots of oversized and overpriced SOBs in the park. I strongly recommend getting reservation if you plan stopping here. Main RV park cost $20. Bathrooms, showers, and many casinos available. Took a walk through the casino, my lungs may never recover. Guess we should consider ourselves lucky because there were at least 3 dozen RVs parked in the parking lot with gennys running. Cat has now claimed bathroom as hers. Visitors welcome by invitation only. Tomorrow we head out to Ely, NV. Distance looks to be around 210 Miles. It’s a short run but Vegas is too far and not much between Ely and Las Vegas.
April 11th 2013 Leg4 (Jackpot, NV to Las Vegas)
Got an early start and on the road by 9:00AM. Most of all the other RVers had already left. Never heard them leave. Fueled up at the local Chevron as options were limited. Put in 30 gallons of Ethanol mid grade giving this last leg somewhere around 7 MPG. Put another 28 Gallons of ethanol laced fuel in Ely. The drive was absolutely beautiful. Confirmed the coach AC system is out of commission but the rooftop still works nicely. Didn’t get too uncomfortable without the coach AC but definitely needs to be fixed by summer. The desert floor was covered with greenish flora and snow still capped many of the mountain tops. Absolutely a beautiful drive this time of the year. Very little traffic as well. Got into Las Vegas around 6:00PM and checked in to the Desert Eagle RV park on Nellis Air Force base. Fair price at around $27. Oh, if you plan to check into one of the downtown hotels and need a place to temp store your RV it’s only $4 a day. Drove a total of around 450 miles on this leg…..and I feel it. Cat is doing better.
We'll be staying in Vegas for the next 5 or six days. Back on the road on the 17th,......or is it the 18th?
Note: Everything at this point has been written offline as no reliable internet connections have been available. Will post when available.
Valhalla - 1978 GMC Royale rear twin [SOLD]
Walküre - 1974 VW Thing (Toad)
[Updated on: Thu, 11 April 2013 21:46] Report message to a moderator |
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