Driving motorhomes over 30 feet

[Gary - K7GLD]

YUP - many older parks and CG's were not designed for today's longer, taller and wider rigs - and it's not unusual to find areas where there simply is NOT room enough for a longer rig to make a smooth turn without extra maneuvering - just as many spaces will NOT present enough room to back or pull into - and obstructions, trees, posts and other barriers MUST be watched out for!

IF in doubt or unsure - WALK the travel route inside a CG to your desired or assigned site, and be SURE it's accessible for your skills and rig.

Out on the road, an enemy as large as "first-timer's" tension, is "Old-timer's" complacency, over-confidence, and failure to maintain reasonable alertness for changing road and traffic conditions - that can easily and instantly escalate into serious damage, injury, and death!

[Tom and Patty]

Faye,

We went from a car to the Alpine. I had however driven a farm tractor pulling a wagon, and once in a while a few 24-26 box trucks. I was comfortable with our test drives of the Alpine on country roads.

It all changed when we took delivery and in 300 miles ended up in Salt Lake City at rush hour with K rails on our right. Patty was just chatting away about how wonderful it was to be so high and see so far, plus just the fact of having a MH. Pretty soon it was BLA BLA BLA. I told Patty that I couldn't talk with her, and I wasn't able to pay attention to her at all. I had my hands full keeping the MH off the K rails and not sideswiping the car or truck to our left. It was like the lanes were only as wide as the cars. I was constantly making lane adjustments....looking directly in front of me, then up at the traffic.

By the time we arrived in Iowa I was able to drive the MH like I drove a car. Of course, I'm still aware of the size of the coach, and when we get into heavy traffic, hills, unknown downgrades Patty knows I will always get quiet.

Happy travels.