mother-in-law on cross country trip

[relder]

Greetings all,
My wife and I are taking her 85 year old mother on a bucket list cross country trip bucket list starting next week. We will go down through Florida for a few weeks, and than head up toward I10 to start heading west. All weather dependent, but places we plan on hitting are port Canaveral, Key west, Sarasota, Tampa, Nashville, New Orleans, Bass Pro shop in Memphis, Fayette Missouri, and various stops in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and eventually California. Plan is to travel 100 to 200 miles a day and stay several days or a week or so in interesting stops.

Grand-ma will have a Pride scooter for local mobility. We do not have a toad. This group sounds well traveled, so hoping to tap into some of that knowledge.

Are there any suggestions of favorite places to stay along this southern trip? From reading various travel guides, I am over whelmed with places to stay, so hoping some "local" knowledge might be available to help filter this out.
Thanks

[srh]

It sounds like an awesome trip! Your mother-in-law is very lucky to be able to physically do it not to mention the fact to have a son-in-law that is willing to take her on such a great adventure. My mother-in-law at exactly the same age as hers is in a nursing home and is barely able to move.
Have a safe journey, take your time and enjoy the trip!

[Podivin]

In the keys you're likely going to have a hard time finding spots to stay. I'd suggest you call ahead as early as possible to reserve a spot.
It's Snowbird season in Florida, so the parks have got plenty of business.
Additionally, many of the parks in the Keys were damaged by the hurricane and some have not fully recovered, I believe there are some that are still completely closed.
The app RVParky will help you to find places to stay.

Near Canaveral look into Jetty Park Campground.
I've never been there but a buddy of mines says it's nice - and has great views of in- and out-bound ships.

It sounds like a great trip, enjoy!

[BuzzWolfAR]

Near Memphis is Tom Sawyer's Mississippi River Park. Safe, good sites and can watch the boats going up and down the river. Is actually in West Memphis Arkansas.

[wildtoad]

Have a nice trip. Can’t imagine taking my MIL (neither can my wife) on such as long trip. Make sure you get the 800 numbers for Enterprise car rental and several others. You will want to go places without taking the RV.

[relder]

One way or another, this will be an adventure. The hardest problem is keeping her in the loop about deciding on what to see, where to go, etc. She easily falls into this "I don't care" mode putting lots of extra work on us to make sure we don't stomp all over here needs. It begins on Jan 9th with with the first week or 2 in Florida.

[Bosunmate]

Your a good man. Have a good, safe trip. Post trip reports when you can.

Patrick

[Tha_Rooster]

Originally Posted by relder

Greetings all,
My wife and I are taking her 85 year old mother on a bucket list cross country trip bucket list starting next week. We will go down through Florida for a few weeks, and than head up toward I10 to start heading west. All weather dependent, but places we plan on hitting are port Canaveral, Key west, Sarasota, Tampa, Nashville, New Orleans, Bass Pro shop in Memphis, Fayette Missouri, and various stops in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and eventually California. Plan is to travel 100 to 200 miles a day and stay several days or a week or so in interesting stops.

Grand-ma will have a Pride scooter for local mobility. We do not have a toad. This group sounds well traveled, so hoping to tap into some of that knowledge.

Are there any suggestions of favorite places to stay along this southern trip? From reading various travel guides, I am over whelmed with places to stay, so hoping some "local" knowledge might be available to help filter this out.
Thanks

You have a lot of patience, at 100-200 miles each time it could take along time to get to California.

[Forkyfork]

Make a list, break it down by state. Have her circle the things she is interested in and work around that. Remember this is for her.

If she is like my MIL she will get wore out real quick. The problem with the scooter is she has to work it so she can’t have a nap while you push her around. Many places will have a wheelchair you can use but you might look into getting a transport chair. It may come in handy at campgrounds. They aren’t regular wheelchairs and much lighter.

Whatever you think will take at a stop multiply by 2 or more lol.

My MIL and FIL managed to make a 9 hour drive take 14 hours. And then they had the nerve to complain about the time. I wasn’t the shining star when I said ok well on the way back we are hitting McDonald’s for lunch. Haha

She also won’t be stable going potty while underway. Plan on how you are going to work that. It’s easier to just hit rest stops as you come across them instead of finding one after the request. I have a 1 hour bladder, we used to plan accordingly before the MH.

Our door is a hazard because the steps are across from the island and it’s easy to fall in the hole. We have a floor we drop in with a rope to get it out of the way in an emergency.
ALWAYS LOCK THE DOOR I looked at one rig where they told me someone fell down the steps and hit the door handle and it pooped them down the extending steps onto the ground.

[3boxerss]

MY mom is 84 and she does the I dont care too. I found if I give her 3 places and tell her I cant decide an need her help she will actually pick one or tell me one she doesnt like. With her its all how u put it to her. Has she ever been in your RV before? Especially if its moving. You may do well with a shorter trial day trip and then you will be able to adjust some things you may not of thought of before the big trip..

[F76Marion]

Bob,

I can only contribute two things.

If you can outline the stops ahead of time so MIL can start considering, you will almost never get an ambivalent answer.

The battery range of most scooters is not all that great. Be ready to rent a mini van to transport it in some locations.

I don't know how you plan to carry the scooter in a 27' coach, but I suggest that you start working on both that and charging right now. I friend has a disable wife, and he manages to charge the scooter from ships power when underway.

Frank

[Forkyfork]

A lot of places have public flex transit. You call they come to you, Uber on the citi s dime.

[MisterT]

if you are trying to 'plan' this trip, you will EASILY get overwhelmed, ESPECIALLY if you are trying to make reservations at RV Parks and Campgrounds well in advance. This could get very overwhelming EVEN IF YOU DON'T plan on making advance reservations!

- get the 'MAIN' stops for your journey(and this WILL BE a journey!) tacked on your MAP, and then let everything else along the way be part of the 'trip'. Every mile will NOT be interesting to you, and certainly not her, since she is not driving - it could actually get very boring for many hours every day.

- several days or a week at a specific stop? Naw, I would throw that idea out ahead of time. Make the 'Main' points be a two-day stop at most. She'll get the picture pretty quickly, especially if you are trying to 'cross-country' your mother-in-law - she may not realize what she is asking for!

- be proactive each morning, before you start, to get a general idea of what lies ahead, and where you might 'bed down' for the night. With your mother-in-law most likely in need of the 'regular' night time routine and expectations of water and electricity, RV Parks are going to be your best friend. Not campgrounds, but RV Parks. Parks are designed for overnighting, are close to traffic lanes, are usually much better 'equipped' for full-hookups and amenities like LAUNDRY(don't forget the dirty clothes!), and sometimes just a place to vent with other RVrs. RV Parks are also generally nearing to grocery stores, fuel stations, and all the things you need to stop for along the way, unless you hit these before your nightly stop.

- Don't be afraid to 'drive right up' to your destination, rather than trying to park the rig at an RV Park and then find a 'ride' to destinations. Most any road and parking lot that handles general vehicles will be able to handle your rig - don't be afraid to park close to what you are wanting to see or do. We just went to Florida for a week, with no toad - we did not miss any destination, park, beach, or restaurant we wanted to see! Be brave.

- A quick look with Google Maps 'overview' of the area you are to reach for the night, and a search term of 'rv park' or similar, will show many different options of RV Parks and information on each, even including the website and phone number to call while you are underway in that direction. The overview is also very helpful in knowing exactly where the park is in relation to other places in the same area. Sometimes restaurants and grocery stores in walking distance are very nice.

enjoy, but don't rush. I like the idea of 100 or so per day, since that will take the 'rush' out of the equation, but that also means that you could be on this journey for 6 months!

[mernmb]

check out https://www.harperone.com/drivingmissnorma/ might give you some ideas. Enjoy- when the weather lets up and you head out.