New owner about to go cross country

[Solanopete]

There are no national parks located conveniently near I-80 for a rig wanting to make good daily progress to CA. The downslope canyon run starting about 30 miles east of Salt Lake can be nerve racking the first time ... take it easy. Although the open, arid space across Nevada looks desolate, I'm glad we have this open country. As you climb up the Continental Divide West of Cheyenne, think about how tough were the pioneers who ran almost the same path to Sacramento in covered wagons. There is a GREAT little pioneer museum right on I-80 in the Great Basin of Nevada run by BLM that should be seen.

[gardenburd]

Welcome to Thor and CA! My advice is watch the weather - springtime on 80 can be a little bit exciting! Keep a "plan B" in mind just in case. AAA online trip-tiks are handy if you already are a member. Good Luck and please keep us posted as you can! I live in San Diego having moved here in '78 from MN.

[Golfbum18]

Originally Posted by smacdermott

Hi,

I currently live in CT and we are moving to CA in our new Thor 28A next week. My Dad can't fly, so we are going the RV route. I am an RV newbie and have all kinds of questions about rest stops and power, how long the house battery lasts, etc. etc.

Any tips on cross country stops along I-80 would be appreciated - we will be trying to get there pretty quickly in time for our furniture.

Any and all advice welcome!

Siobhan

If you can find a day/night before you go, you should take it to a campground and do a hookup and trial run.....just to make sure all your systems are working. We planned a trip some years ago for a month with a new Freedom Elite we had back then. Took it for a trial run to a nearby campground and found there was no hot water. With some teeth gnashing, we got it fixed under warranty before we left the following week. WIthout that trial run, we would have been on the road trying to find a dealer who could fix it. You'll find with the RV industry, it's not like a car....hardly ever can you call them and tell them you need such and such fixed..."can you do it in the next day or so?"

[Sonny]

[QUOTE=smacdermott;233451]Hi,

I currently live in CT and we are moving to CA in our new Thor 28A next week. My Dad can't fly, so we are going the RV route. I am an RV newbie and have all kinds of questions about rest stops and power, how long the house battery lasts, etc. etc.

Any tips on cross country stops along I-80 would be appreciated - we will be trying to get there pretty quickly in time for our furniture.

Any and all advice welcome!

Siobhan[ i know there are alot of suggestions for travel Apps. So ill add mine. We started in Torrance, Ca and traveled coast to coast traveling about 7500 miles. We used allstay.com. Good luck.

[Dilley Dilley]

Originally Posted by smacdermott

Hi,

I currently live in CT and we are moving to CA in our new Thor 28A next week. My Dad can't fly, so we are going the RV route. I am an RV newbie and have all kinds of questions about rest stops and power, how long the house battery lasts, etc. etc.

Any tips on cross country stops along I-80 would be appreciated - we will be trying to get there pretty quickly in time for our furniture.

Any and all advice welcome!

Siobhan

Have a safe trip and welcome California when you get here. How long the House Batteries last is going to be dependent on how much use. While you are diving, while you run the generator, or while you are hooked to electrical they will charge up. Not everything in your Motorhome is able to be powered by the house batteries alone bevause of the fact the house batteries alone can’t support certain current draw requirements. During the times when you might not have an electrical hookup you’ll have to use the generator to operate most outlets, the microwave, rooftop air conditioners. The only things that will work solely off the house batteries are things that are wired through the inverter. Items likely wired to the inverter are the LED lighting, T.V.’s, Residential Fridge, maybe a couple outlets. If running off your house batteries only you just have to watch yourself and manage the usage. Don’t open the refer many times or leave the door open for extended periods so that the compressor doesn’t have to keep coming on. That used a lot of power. Once the refer is cold it can stay cold if you play it right. If the house batteries get drawn down then you just have to charge them when you can while driving or with the generator. The other thing you want to make sure if is that you have the water level correct in your house batteries. Check the level and fill them and fill them with distilled water if they need it. Last advice is drive safe. If you run into weather that hinders your progress don’t push it. Good luck and stay safe.