heading south - Montana Owners Club

maintechfotog · 01-15-2010, 08:29 AM

We are finally getting on the road again, heading for Florida via I 75, and returning through Highway 81 and Virginia to Ontario, Canada.
We plan to stay in the Sarasota-Fort Myers area, for about 6 weeks. Can anyone recommend a quiet and inexpensive RV park?
We would like full service hookup and WiFi if possible.
We are aiming to stay in truck stops for the journey down, and probably in RV parks on the return until we get to where its too cold, and the camp grounds are closed, probably late March.
A couple of things I'm unsure of, how do I control the problem of freezing and the water system coming home, because I will have purged the anti-freeze when we get to the RV ground in Florida, Do I carry a jug, and pump it into the system when we leave North Carolina? Our Monty is the Arctic model, but I'm unwilling to risk burst plumbing.
Also, do I need to pre-book a site before we leave or are there enough reasonably priced sites in Florida to check out the competition when we arrive?
Any help will be much appreciated.
PS. Would a brief post on out experiences be of value to the forum?

Imp · 01-16-2010, 06:10 AM

A posting of your experiences is always of value to someone on the forum. Can't help you with Florida parks. Good luck.

sailer · 01-16-2010, 08:45 AM

For Feb and March you better get on the web and look and book as the good spots will be gone i am afraid;;;sailer

jimcol · 01-17-2010, 01:47 AM

When you head home and get to near freezing temps just set the furnace thermostat to a low setting and let the furnace run as you go down the road. Uses a little propane but better than bursted pipes. Make sure you have your gas bottles full when doing this. After a couple of days you will get a good feeling for how much propane you are consuming.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 01-17-2010, 02:44 AM

If we were headed back north, would be tempted to carry a couple of bottles of pink and add them when temps demanded. Otherwise, drain from the low point drains and drain hot water heater, etc.

That "Artic" word means nothing at this point, consider it PR and then do what you need to to protect your unit and investment.

Jan, Feb and March are the busiest months in any area that is warm. Many parks are full or nearly full, that said there are always cancellations. My preference is to have something lined up. Use your campground books to get an idea of what they offer and how they are rated. Check out any web sites.

OH, and have fun!

maintechfotog · 01-17-2010, 03:29 PM

Thanks to all who responded.
My concern re booking for longer than a week is what if the C/G is awful? We lose the deposit according to all the web sites we've checked. And then what?, find another or grin and bear it?
We expect to arrive in the Sarasota area about the 29th of Jan. Is that too late to find a choice for the following two months. We have no issue with moving after a month, but to do that weekly will be costly. If we book for a week and do not like the location and try for out-of-the-way C/G's will we be stuck? How have others handled this, please reply if you have experienced this,

thanks from Aileen and David.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 01-17-2010, 04:26 PM

Al uses the campground books ratings, in too many years to count the books have only been wrong maybe twice.

There are also sites like this one:

http://www.campgroundreviews.com/

where you can read up on the campgrounds from the user point of view.

Hopefully some of the MOCers that are familiar with Sarasota will check in here and help ya out with the names of places to stay away from!

Good luck.

the disclaimer: I know nothing about the web site I directed you too, other than it is there. User beware, eh??

maintechfotog · 01-21-2010, 02:55 PM

We found a park on line, Tropical Gardens RV park on 53rd Avenue East in Bradenton, Florida. The manager Dale was very friendly and accommodating, and says they can handle our rig for as long as we can stay, rates are reasonable and facilities appear to be sufficient for a quiet park. We are heading out on Monday early from Brampton, Ontario, via the 401 to Windsor and then down the I75. We expect to make our first overnight stop in Cincinnati, using either a Flying J or a Pilot truck plaza. If anyone has been to one in that area perhaps you could let us know how it was.
We found evidence of mice in our Monty today, after it has sat in the RV service place, Hughes of Orangeville, Ontario. So tonight I've set traps, and hope the critters are hungry!
Hughes are very agreeable people, and have reasonable rates for storage. They fitted a 1000Watt inverter into the battery compartment so we can run the electric blanket off the battery while still in the colder areas, also make coffee etc. We intend to run the propane heater at 50 deg., for about three hours prior to stopping for the night so that its not like going into an icebox for the night.

Will keep you posted as we make our trip,

regards to all,

Aileen & David

maintechfotog · 01-23-2010, 04:59 AM

Update on trip: After having the inverter fitted, we found it will not operate devices like the electric blanket, so we are waiting for Hughes to fix that. The unit they installed has a modified sine wave, and devices like electric blankets use a voltage chopping part like a triac to provide an adjustable power setting, like a dimmer for a light, and it needs to see a smooth wave form. The maker, Xantrex does produce inverters that handle variable devices like electric blankets, the RV dealer chose the wrong one, so we'll be using hot water bottles instead for this trip!
For those who have trusted fabric softener sheets to keep mice at bay: it's an urban myth, we found mouse poop on the extra sheets left in a drawer in our Monty!
We have just received the free Pilot Travel Guide via FedEx, and downloaded the Flying J maps and locations list. Now we plan to stop overnight in Walton, Kentucky, and Jackson, Georgia.
If anyone who lives in Canada must get a 3 month visitor visa, it pays to do so ahead of traveling. We have spent 3 or 4 hours at the border crossing, so now we make a day trip to the nearest border crossing and get it before we travel.

regards to all,

Aileen & David

maintechfotog · 01-30-2010, 02:48 AM

We arrived in Bradenton without any problems, except for the knuckle biting trying to get through Atlanta. The 10A exit comes up real quick, and you need to be in the extreme left lane before the sign says so!! I must have left several drivers wondering what kind of fool was driving the Monty. The Flying J's were convenient, but very noisy. We used the truck parking in Walton, KY but the RV area in Jackson GA. The GPS address for the Jackson Flying J placed us about 2 miles from the correct location, the staff did not know the street number either.
We got the rig washed next door, $37.00, they consider the Monty to be a small camper! Good to shed the salt and grime from up north.
RV park is fine, quiet and reasonable, management are excellent, WiFi $40/mo.
More to come,

Regards to all,

Aileen & David.

maintechfotog · 02-02-2010, 12:49 PM

If you had looked over the maintenance forum you would have seen a request for help about waste water that was caused by my stupid fault, forgetting there was ANOTHER drain valve for the galley. Terrific response from our fellow members saved the day. Again many thanks for you caring Monty owners. We found another cheaper camping alternative, mobile home parks who have several RV sites. At least 50% less than the average RV park, however it is a matter of booking early, and if possible a year in advance. One of our Canadian travelers pays $614/month, Jan thru' March for a lovely mobile home park, full hookups, but modest camp amenities. We are searching for our 2011 winter park while here.

regards,

David & Aileen

Emmel · 02-03-2010, 03:14 AM

David and Aileen, check out any of the gated resorts where you see park models. Our resort has lots available where the owner either lives on an adjucent lot or even out of state. We are at a very nice place with lots to do and the rent is bargained upon with you and the owners. We have a full cement pad for the Montana and patio and truck. Rent is $350 a month plus electric. Disney is about 15 miles away, far enough, but close enough!
Oh yeah, we also have a Lowes next door, Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie. Great places to eat and "shop" for the ladies.
Within an hour of us, I'd say there are probably 50 MOCers if we counted, some as close as the same resort.
At a resort, or not a camp ground, go to the office and see if they have a renters sheet. This sheet usually has the owners of the available lots for you to check out the lot and then call them.
The longer you stay may depend on how much you pay, I know if we stayed for 6 months instead of 4 that we would save another $25 a month.

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