Live and learn

[Ramblin Roadrunners]

As cold as it been it may take a few days to get to warmer weather. LOL

[1retired06]

We never stay in Motels, one reason we have the Montana

[Ramblin Roadrunners]

You are seasoned vet's. These people are new and not as expierenced.

[bigskyjimmy]

Yep, just mess'in with ya in no time you will be able to set up in about 15 min especially if you have the auto level up system and be kicking back in the recliners watching TV with a glass of vino and the fireplace going and saying AAAAAHHHHH this is Nice

[Ramblin Roadrunners]

Nice words Bigskyjimmy. I'm going to be ne to towing this summer. I have owned a SOB for 12 years but never pulled it. Please be nice !!! I get my little ole feelings hurt real easy. LOL

[bigskyjimmy]

Believe me when I first started out Rving I took FOREVER to set up and have made many mistakes, costly ones and just dang embarrassing ones too many too mention here as have the rest of us, if you do anything enough times you get pretty dang good at it but in the early years I have provided endless entertainment for the old timers at the campgrounds watching me back up and set up and now it is MY turn to get some entertaiment it was cool when me and wife got the "routine"down to about 15 min and POP the cork

[TLightning]

One secret is to drive less and stop sooner. I don't like to set up in the dark, especially at a new to me CG.

[mhs4771]

Since your most of the way to here in Florida this is probably a moot point, but our first trip South with our Montana was in the beginning of February 2011 when all those storms were moving up the East Coast, coming from Snow Country of Western NY (Rochester/Buffalo area). We started at or just before dawn, travel until just before dark and arrived at a CG in Virginia with a pull-thru site. Pull in, put the landing gear down just enough to take a little weight off the TV (didn't unhook), hookup the power and then put the slides out, takes less than a minute and crank up the furnace. Next morning repeat the process and get to Georgia before dark and repeat the previous nites routine. On the third day we're in the Tampa area by mid-afternoon. This routine works for us, but we are also traveling with four cats so it's easier to get them from the TV to the RV than trying to find a Motel that will take us, then worry about whats under the bed or possible holes in the wall that they could fine.

[Firstrmc]

Just to catch everybody up we finally made it to our first destination outside "the Villages" near Ocala Florida. Got here around 3pm yesterday and sat in Campers World for two hours waiting for them to swap out our microwaves which failed on us before we left. Warranty work was arranged before hand so we only had to pay for expedited shipping to insure the microwave arrived before we did. That way we didn't have to set up, break down to go to CW, and then set up again. Finally got to the campground and finished setting up, went to have a quick dinner and settled in for a nice winter' snap (wait ... That's a different story).

Now to relate some of our issues during our maiden voyage. First is that I simply have to change my old driving habits. As a retired State Trooper I'm used to driving for long hours so on previous car trips I would drive for 10 - 12 hours before stopping and then do the same the next day. Obviously not going to work while pulling the RV plus, being retired now, we have to learn to take our time. Another issue that anyone living in the great northeast can understand is the general traffic in the corridor from New York City throu Washington DC. Not many places to comfortably stop for the night and the desire to get below Washington and out of the madness. 6+ hours before taking into consideration construction zones and rush hour traffic. Do I sound like I'm whining yet?

My biggest complaint overall was at the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore Md. I knew beforehand there were restrictions on transporting propane so I looked them up prior to leaving. Good boy, right? Found that I was under the limit so off we go. Just before the last exit prior to the tunnel I see a sign similar to those "no smoking" sign only it indicates "no propane tanks". Not wanting to get hung up at the toll booth I tKe the exit and find a place to stop and cll the transportation authority. I'm connected with a toll collector who tells me no propane allowed through the tunnel. I mention the restrictions I found allowed it under certain limits and she goes through the "I've been working here 15 years and propane has never been allowed" spiel. Needless to say she was not going to relent. So I had to backtrack about 5 - 6 miles and take the city bypass which, along with the time I've already wasted, added another 30 minutes out of the way. While we were driving my wife pulls up the Fort McHenry website and finds that I was right and we should have been allowed through the tunnel with our limited amount of propane. Back to my original posting ... Live and learn.

All-in-all I'm still happy with our trailer and glad that we're sitting in 68 degree sunshine and cold and snowy in upstate New York!

[Firstrmc]

Really don't like typing on my I-pad. It always tends to read like I'm illiterate.

[Mynabird]

quote:Originally posted by Firstrmc

Just to catch everybody up we finally made it to our first destination outside "the Villages" near Ocala Florida. Got here around 3pm yesterday and sat in Campers World for two hours waiting for them to swap out our microwaves which failed on us before we left. Warranty work was arranged before hand so we only had to pay for expedited shipping to insure the microwave arrived before we did. That way we didn't have to set up, break down to go to CW, and then set up again. Finally got to the campground and finished setting up, went to have a quick dinner and settled in for a nice winter' snap (wait ... That's a different story).

Now to relate some of our issues during our maiden voyage. First is that I simply have to change my old driving habits. As a retired State Trooper I'm used to driving for long hours so on previous car trips I would drive for 10 - 12 hours before stopping and then do the same the next day. Obviously not going to work while pulling the RV plus, being retired now, we have to learn to take our time. Another issue that anyone living in the great northeast can understand is the general traffic in the corridor from New York City throu Washington DC. Not many places to comfortably stop for the night and the desire to get below Washington and out of the madness. 6+ hours before taking into consideration construction zones and rush hour traffic. Do I sound like I'm whining yet?

My biggest complaint overall was at the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore Md. I knew beforehand there were restrictions on transporting propane so I looked them up prior to leaving. Good boy, right? Found that I was under the limit so off we go. Just before the last exit prior to the tunnel I see a sign similar to those "no smoking" sign only it indicates "no propane tanks". Not wanting to get hung up at the toll booth I tKe the exit and find a place to stop and cll the transportation authority. I'm connected with a toll collector who tells me no propane allowed through the tunnel. I mention the restrictions I found allowed it under certain limits and she goes through the "I've been working here 15 years and propane has never been allowed" spiel. Needless to say she was not going to relent. So I had to backtrack about 5 - 6 miles and take the city bypass which, along with the time I've already wasted, added another 30 minutes out of the way. While we were driving my wife pulls up the Fort McHenry website and finds that I was right and we should have been allowed through the tunnel with our limited amount of propane. Back to my original posting ... Live and learn.

All-in-all I'm still happy with our trailer and glad that we're sitting in 68 degree sunshine and cold and snowy in upstate New York!

Welcome to the greatest forum on the web!. As you can tell we like to have a good time and sometimes it is at our own experience. We have all been in the "starting out" phase and each trip can be a exciting learning trip!.

Retirement brings new routines and new habits that do NOT have to apply anymore!. That is what we all looked forward to when we no longer had to have an alarm clock or a deadline to "hurry up and get there"!.

So welcome to the "Learning and Adjusting Club". As you can tell our numbers are many!. There is a lot to learn from this Club with all our experiences!

[HOOK]

Sometimes we stop in CGs, sometimes Walmart, sometimes FJs, rare but occasional rest area. Many times , in CGs, we only hook up electric, not even unhitching. Some will surely disagree , but in cold weather , we leave the furnace on at 50. We feel our RV is for our comfort and pleasure. I agree with others that 4-6 hrs a day is enough. We like to be off the road before dark if possible, especially when parking in an unknown area. Find your own comfort zone, that's what RVing is about. There is a publication (Next Exit) that let's you know what is every exit along most roads and makes planning your stops easier. Welcome again ! and pleasant travels!

[JandC]

Welcome FIRSTRMC to the site. We have only been in our RV full time for 10 months so at times we feel we are still trying to figure things out too. This forum is great! I also am a retired Trooper (Illinois). We are about 3 days behind you since we decided to stay in Nashville for a couple extra days and explore. Good luck with the rest of your trip and again, welcome!