How do you plan for interesting places?

[ellenw]

Dawn, I really like your question. I'll be watching for someone to chime in.

[Sandersmr]

Dawn I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the majority of truck stops are going to be off the interstates since most truckers are going to use interstates as much as possible - that was one of the main reasons the interstates were built. There will then also be a some on the major US highways.

Flying J/Pilot has a list of their stores on their website as does Loves. A quick check can give you ideas where they are located. One thing you can do is plan your route so that you intersect the major highway where the truck stop is located.

One thing you can look for on the secondary roads is many of the older stations have the pumps parallel to the road which makes getting in and out easier. You just have to worry about overhang height then. The thing is to start looking for gas before it gets critical so that you can be more choosy about where you stop.

[Dawn309]

Maggie, thanks for the info. I figure I will start looking for gas stations when I hit about a half a tank when on the road. I know I will need to be able to pull straight in and then pull straight out, especially pulling Mom's toad. I guess I will get used to this. I am getting nervous about having a tow vehicle. More things to remember and think about. I know I see 18 wheelers on the secondary roads here in Texas and they have to be able to get gas or diesel. I know on 287 there are truck stops because Chuck and I always took 287 when heading to Colorado or New Mexico. This may be just my nerves talking again.

[longdog2]

Maggie's comments were really on the mark. If you can find regular gas stations that have an easy enough in and out, the gas and diesel is generally cheaper. Safety is the biggest concern but cost is also important. I think it is interesting how much extra Flying J/Pilot charges for that "ease of access" feature. Their gas is often $ .10 to $ .20 higher than other gas stations in the area.

[Redwahine]

Safety is the biggest concern but cost is also important. I think it is interesting how much extra Flying J/Pilot charges for that "ease of access" feature. Their gas is often $ .10 to $ .20 higher than other gas stations in the area.

We found this to be true on our first trip. The cheaper prices for diesel were at the regular stations. Fly J/ Pilot were charging $3.95 gal cash/ $4.05 gal credit. While we found the lowest price at HEB @ $3.75 gal. And on the Indian res at Coushatta, the price was $3.85. That's a big difference. But with the 5er hooked up, we are limited to the stations with really tall covers.

[MaliasMiles]

Joan,

I'm a control freak, too, but I like your advice to yourself to relax more when traveling.

Since one of my talents is NOT reading maps, I use Streets & Trips to plan my route and places to stay along the way. I also plug that into my Garmin GPS since as a solo RVer, I want to be sure I know where I am at all times and how to detour if I need to.

I map out where likely campgrounds (or even WalMarts) are for overnight stays along the way to my major destination since I rarely drive over 250 miles in one day.

My destinations are usually state or national parks as I prefer them over "cookie cutter" RV parks.

One of my most memorable carefully planned trips was the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was determined I wanted to see every single milepost of it and I wanted to drive it in two seasons. So wherever I stopped along the way, I made sure I came right back to where I had left the Parkway. I drove up in the spring, spent the summer in Shenandoah area, and drove back in the fall for the leaves turning.

Here's the link to the beginning of my love affair with the Blue RIdge Parkway: http://www.maliasmiles.com/blueridge/parkway.htm

My mother joined me for the trip northbound and she counts that as one of the best times of her life, too! I also did some pages for my more personal "Inspiration's Journey" website about that: http://www.maliasrv.com/blueridge/parkway1.htm

I rarely make reservations, either. I more like to leave things open for those special serendipity moments that you just can't plan for.

Only thing left to say is Happy Trails!
Malia

[cnq50b]

Malia,
Thanks for posting on this thread bringing it back to the front.

I'm a newbie & I've had many of the same questions Joan posed. I'm used to 'winging' it in my minivan, but found driving my mega-van required a bit more forethought & planning. Have my mega-trip coming up in Aug (5000 miles in 3 weeks) & wanted to know how everyone plans - I HATE reservations/commitments - that's the whole point in taking all the comforts of home with me.
So to everyone who joined in on Joan's initial question - THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Malia,
I have bookmarked your travels thru the Blue Ridge Parkway. I loved the detail & pics. It will definitely be a good guide for me someday.
So thanks, again - glad you've joined the group!

[HorizonSeeker]

A lot of times I have a general idea of where I'm going and the route I'll take (as little on the big highways as possible) and then I check out Roadside America.com. It has pictures and info of lots of quirky attractions along the way. I have a thing for the Eiffel Tower so I love to stop at anything that resemble it (the one in Paris, TX is topped off with a 10 gallon hat, the one in Paris, TN was built by college students) but I often finds things that are thought provoking. Also, I love to come across some of the places mentioned in the book Blue Highways and seeing how much things have changed since then.

[Redwahine]

OK, I'm still a newbie, but our last trip had a destination (Quartzsite, AZ) but no route or CGs planned. We hit the road and headed west. When we felt like it was time to stop soon, I used this app I have, found CGs, read the reviews and called and secured us a parking spot for the night. It really came in handy when we needed a rest stop or gas station. I also used info from ladies here to find acceptable CGs.

I bought the APP called AllStays for my droid phone and iPad. It opens as a map and shows your location along with a big list of services travelers are interested in. It shows all the CGs (private, Fed, COE, city, co, state) with links to reviews and the site's website. It also shows Walmarts ( red means no overnights allowed, yellow means ask, green means yes), truck stops, rest stops ( indicates services at stop), LPG, RV service, low clearance. You can type in any location and it show all the services. You can filter what pops up on the map. I really like this app except when we are not in cell phone range

[JoanE]

I was smiling as I reread this thread. My anxiety in July 11 was already lessening in Aug 11 as I had probably found out that I would not get into too much trouble out there. By the time I had driven from FL to Acadia ME, I was really relaxed. Crossed the mountains in NH without making a reservation at a SP on a holiday weekend. That was a mistake! Lucked out very late in the evening at a commercial CG on the other side of the mountain by asking for help at a little resort. I snagged the very last spot.

Back in NYS, where I lived most of my life, I decided to let my GPS lead me on a scenic route from Cooperstown to Niagara Falls. I saw beautiful countryside and very large farms but no services and it seemed like no people for miles and miles. Ended up at a CG with its own vineyard and was told to help myself to all the grapes I could pick.

I've never been shy about approaching people to chat or ask for advice. Most CGs were happy to help out in so many ways from recommendations to telling me where I could park my rig in a town during their big fall festival where parking was non-existent. Turns out they owned a gas station in town and had some room behind it for me. However when I asked two ladies at one tourist stop for recommendations of other "can't miss" things to do in the area, they looked at each other blankly and said there was nothing to do. So sad.

I never let my gas tank get below half a tank. Insures that I can run my generator if necessary and that I have wiggle room if I find myself in an area without services.

Louise, re Washington's Crossing, I lived right across the Delaware River near the bridge. They do the reenactment every winter right there.
Malia, the BRP is one of my favorites. I did not travel it in my rig but the ex and I went up there almost every year to stay a week or two. We covered it over the years. What I hadn't done and finally did it with my daughter last August is Shenandoah NP and Skyline.

I was good to read everyone's suggestions again.

[MaliasMiles]

You found out the same thing I did, Joan. Your fears about something are usually not nearly as bad as the reality turns out to be and somehow everything always works out okay even if not exactly as planned.

And you're so right that people are usually happy to help, but I've had the very same experience with locals at places with lots of neat things to visit. They just take their own home town for granted and just don't look at it that way.

It's nice to have forums like this, too, where we can share ideas and ask questions.

Malia

[JudyJB]

I tend to be an overplanner, so finding campsites and making reservations is something I do, especially in the high season months. That's just my style. I do not want to have to worry about not finding a place to stay. My obsession with planning also has gotten me into some campgrounds that are almost impossible to get into--like where I am right now within walking distance to the ocean and the upcoming weeks directly on the ocean in Florida state parks.

In off-season months, I usually only plan ahead a few days, but for next July and AUgust, I want to visit some very busy national and state parks, so I already have reservations for most nights.

I guess my thinking is that you can always cancel with a small fee, but you cannot get reservations in some places at the last minute.

One thing to know is that commercial campgrounds such as KOAs almost always have availability, but state parks in scenic places don't.