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[Pete'sMH]

DW and I - newly retired - purchased a new 2017 Freedom Elite 26HE in January. After several short local shake down trips we took off on a 3 week, 4100 mile, 10 state tour. Drove in dramatic thunderstorms in Missouri, wind advisories ("gusts to 50mph"!) in New Mexico, stayed for a while at the Grand Canyon, up and down the Rocky Mountains in Utah and Wyoming and in city traffic in Kansas City and St.Louis. I'm no longer intimidated by driving this thing! We got 8.12mpg driving mostly at about 70mph. There were lots of mountains and gusty western winds though so I didn't think that was too bad. I even tried driving at 80mph once or twice as that was the speed limit for much of the trip. The machine didn't object to going that fast but I didn't enjoy it much. In most of the country I think 65-68 is the happy compromise with traffic and economy. We used ALL of our coach's systems - furnace in snow covered mountains, air conditioner in the desert, generator when the power went out at one park etc. The machine worked wonderfully the only problem being that the wheel well mud flap in front of one of the dual wheels failed. E-mailed Thor and the replacement parts were waiting for me when we got home. No big deal. Mods to the coach prior to departure included adding a Tire Minder TPMS which was reliable as an anvil and provided much piece of mind and a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer. Also added a spare tire (just in case), black water tank flusher, a Scan Gauge, and a home-made sewer hose carrier. Stayed at some wonderful parks and met some wonderful people. Not to mention seeing some of the most beautiful country in the world. Learned to stop by 3:00 (+\-) so we could walk, stretch, read and cook. (If you aren't careful you can find yourself spending 23 hours a day IN your RV what with driving, eating and sleeping!). We love our coach in all particulars! I expected to enjoy the trip but genuinely was surprised how much we both enjoyed it. Can't wait to go on our next trip. My advice for anyone thinking about an RV or for current owners who haven't tried touring is to just go for it. It's WONDERFUL.