I use two main sources for locating campgrounds - a book titled Big Rigs Best Bets, and a website, rvparkreviews.com. Big Rigs is updated annually, has a web version, and was created by a husband and wife team who have traveled around the U.S. for several years. rvparkreviews contains entries by people who write reviews as they travel, and most campgrounds have several reviews. I look for campgrounds that are clean, well maintained, and not too close to the noise of freeways or railroads (surprisingly hard to find). I also look at the campgrounds using google Earth. I like to know how close the sites are to one another, and how many trees there are. Lee likes fewer trees, so that his satellite dish for TV works (I am not kidding). I also look for level sites, and paved or gravel roads rather than dirt, especially if I know it is going to rain. And then I make reservations, but not too far ahead. You never know when your plans might change.
I also try to plan for a drive of about three hours per day, because Munchkin gets cranky if it is much longer. On this leg of the trip, however, we have been driving longer, up to five hours, to make it back to Philly before the end of April. Gardening awaits! Munchkin is adjusting, and I have learned which cry means he is thirsty (I am not kidding).
I also watch the weather. To be honest, I am a little anxious about driving through Louisiana, Mississippi, and the panhandle of Florida, but we will scoot through between storms. We will then drive up the eastern seaboard. For those who may be wondering, the tornadoes that hit Dallas two days ago were four hours north of us. It was cloudy in San Antonio, and there were a few drizzles, but nothing more.
Lee looks for "Flying J" gas stations. They are along the freeways, and they service trucks, cars and RVs. Lee has a program on his laptop that shows all kinds of "points of interest", like gas stations, low bridges, and other things that one might not think of. I also check websites of each state that we drive through - some states have road restrictions. For example, in California, no vehicles over a certain weight or length are allowed on sections of Hwy 1 along the California coast. Some states require that trucks and vehicles towing travel at a slower speed than that which is posted for cars. Each state is different. Of all the states we have traveled so far, Texas has the fewest restrictions.
As to vehicle maintenance, we do try to plan ahead although some things are just plain unpredictable. We stayed an extra day in Las Cruces NM to replace the tires on the Jeep. Being towed wears the tires just as much as driving. Yesterday the battery and alternator quit working, so we towed the Jeep to our next stop (east of Houston), and Lee found a place last night that could take care of the problem. Currently the gas stove top isn't working, so we will have to contact an RV mechanic who visits campgrounds to fix the problem.
We planned extra time in San Antonio for routine maintenance on the RV. The chassis' 6,000 mile checkup was due. Lee called four places between San Antonio and New Orleans, and the place in San Antonio was the only one that could fit us into their schedule. Most of these places do not like anyone (including pets) in the RV while they are doing the work, so we had to find a place to keep the birds for a day. The KOA in San Antonio was very accommodating - they allowed us to rent a cabin for a day. So, at 7 a.m., we moved the birds in their cages from the RV to the cabin and turned on the air conditioner. Lee drove the RV to Frieghtliner, while I stayed with the birds to make sure they were safe and comfortable, and finished reading a book.
I may have mentioned this before, but we have found two categories of RV travelers on this trip. There is the category that complains about all the problems. These people don't last long, so you don't meet too many of them. Then there is the group that shrugs off the problems and "goes with the flow". To be successful at traveling in an RV, you definitely have to be the latter.
We have also met many people who live in their motor homes full-time. They have sold their houses, and have been on the road for 5 to 10 years or more. Some work in campgrounds part-time, in exchange for free rent. Now that I have lived in a motorhome for a year, I can actually imagine doing this. It is a very comfortable lifestyle. Not that we will do this, but I have enjoyed the experience enormously.
