Arrived back home 2 days ago...just in time for hurricane Dorian's coming arrival!
First, as a frequent critic of Thor and it's products, I have to say that
our Axis performed almost flawlessly over our 24 day, 4700+ mile venture. Only issue was the 'check engine' light that came on and went off twice, for as yet still unknown reason(s). Whatever it was couldn't have been much because it never affected it's running, mileage, etc. Speaking of mileage, we averaged, overall, about 9.7 mpg. Worst tank full average was 9.3, in mountains. Best was 10.4 in the flatlands of SC, GA & FL. No toad.
As to the trip, overall it was good. But, have to say, a bit disappointing, which was partly our fault. We didn't do much planning. Altho we wanted to do this trip for several years, when we decided to go, we, with our old dog, Louie, basically just jumped in the Axis and left. No attraction or RV park reservations, deadlines or schedules. And, not having all that really wasn't a problem. I think our ages played a part in some of our disappointment. At 75 and 72, we just ain't up to a lot of what we used to do and enjoy, anymore. Driving is a good example. In past years of RV'ing, knocking out 500 miles per day was easy. Now, after about 5 to 6 hrs behind the wheel, I'm done. So, that limits you to 250 to 300 miles per day.
As to the disappointing aspects of the trip, first were the road conditions in PA, NY state, VT, NH and Maine. Many are no less than horrible, with patches on patches, potholes in larger potholes and large, uneven gaps in the expansion joints, especially where they join brides. I'm sure that if I went to a dentist, they'd find several loose fillings in my teeth! The sorry conditions of our American roadways is sharply contrasted by the great and almost perfect roadways we encountered, once we arrived in Canada. I don't know if Canada builds better roads to begin with and/or maintains them better or if there's less heavy truck traffic up there, but Canada's roads are, to say the least, much better.
Another disappointment was the distances between things we wanted to see in Canada. Canada is a big country, with large spances of beautiful countryside but it seemed like everything was 200 to 300 miles away...or, for us, basically a day's drive. Not having a toad aggravated this issue. After spending several days in both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, we scrubbed our plan to head up to Cape Breton. Just getting there and back would have been 5 more days of driving. So, we missed that.
Another 'surprise' for us that probably could have been discovered with better planning on our part, was the prices of campgrounds in the upper US states and Canada. Due to the harsh winters, campgrounds and RV parks only have about a 6 month season annually. Most close sometime between the end of Sept. and mid-Oct. So, they seem to basically double their prices, to make up for their 'downtime'. Again, we can be our own worst enemies, because we generally don't seek out the least expensive alternatives. Usually, once we arrive at a park, we'll stay, irregardless of the price. As an example, in upstate NY, we paid $40 for an overnight stay
in a state park.
Fuel in Canada is sold by the liter, with the price averaging around $1.29 (Canadian) per liter. Yes, you wind up with an Imperial gallon, which is about 5 quarts, but you're still paying close to $5 per gal, Canadian or about $4 per gal, US. As we've learned to do from our travels in other foreign countries, we just put everything on a credit card and let the credit card company figure out the actual US costs of whatever we buy. Just easier that way.
And, the final disappointment was our expectations. Having been to Peggy's Cove, near Halifax, NS, several times over the years, I guess we expected all the little fishing villages throughout Canada to be quaint, beautiful and picturesque like the the "Cove". Well, most of the ones we visited were modern, mechanized and commercialized. I'm sure its good for their industry but, they seemed no different than any other commercial fishing operation you'd see here in America. And, to us, at least, not worth a day's drive to go see.
So, with my DW not appreciating camping and RV'ing as much as I do, relatives to visit on our way home, in both NH and VA, we nosed the Axis South and slowly worked our way back home. Again, overall, it was good. And, it was great that everything mechanical and electronic worked well throughout the trip. But, we've decided that, given our ages and all the other factors, from now on, any long distance trips we'll take will be to fly, rent a car and stay in hotels.