Community Forums

sharonf · 04-14-2019, 04:28 AM

Well, we did it! We (and by "we" I mean my hubby, Fred) drove from New Hampshire to Savannah, GA on our first real long trip. Oh, the lessons we have learned! We are both pilots, we need 'ground school' to figure out some of the systems on our new Dutch Star. It is beautiful and amazing, and slightly complicated for newbies like us.
*That being said, it took a day longer to get here than planned. (Traffic? Who plans for traffic?

LESSON LEARNED.
*Secondly, we are not long haul truckers. We are old people driving a motorhome. There is setting up, and unpacking and packing up and closing up. Everyday we are on the road. Yeah we expected it...but...there was no ground school on this, and we are not actually as young as our brains keep telling us! LESSON LEARNED.
*There have been hundreds of little things we have learned along the way. What does this do? Make sure the fridge is locked! Yikes, a bottle of OJ bounced out of the unlocked fridge on the floor in front of our "very-new-to-camping" Maine Coon kitty, Leo! LESSONS LEARNED
We are here in a cute little site on a cute little 'lake' (pond really) all set up an enjoying being in your world!

Sharon and Fred, with Leo and Gidget (the ragdoll kitty)
2018 Newmar Dutch Star (her name is Dilly)
2017 Chevy Equinox (Kermit the Toad)

KennyGolub · 04-14-2019, 04:36 AM

Well, I guess someone should cut your T-Shirt up and date it

Congrats on the first solo flight !

Just as you learn to recognize things when flying, you're doing the same with your new coach. You'll always find faster and easier ways to do things as long as you are camping. Some, you will learn from others you meet, and others will come at a DOH

moment.

Enjoy.

.

timjet · 04-14-2019, 04:50 AM

You're doing everything exactly right, and that's looking at the big picture which is of course having the right attitude.

There is no ground school just the school of hard knocks. To reduce the hard knocks do what every pilot does, use a check list.

I have 3 checklists I use EVERY time.
1. Departing the campground
2. Arriving the campground
3. Stowing the motorhome

By using these checklists I have not forgot to
a. stow the OTA antenna
b. lock the refrig doors
c. turn on the water heater upon arrival
d. stow the flag pole on the back bumper when leaving.
e. disconnect utilities

There are about 20 items on each checklist that I developed over several months of use. I laminated the 5.5 x 8" checklist and it resides next to the drivers seat.

Winemaker2 · 04-14-2019, 04:50 AM

Welcome
I like your attitude!
Sounds like you will do just fine and learn a lot along with enjoying the adventures.

MSHappyCampers · 04-14-2019, 11:34 AM

Hi Sharon & Fred! Congrats on the new rig! Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

momdoc · 04-14-2019, 02:41 PM

Congrats on the new coach. The learning curve is long, very long but thankfully only steep in the beginning.

We go by the 2.5/2,5/2 rule and this helps with the "hurried" feeling.
1. Drive a max of 250 miiles on any one day
2. Into camp by 2:30PM giving time to set up and relax. Good time for an afternoon adult drink

3. Stay at each stop a minimum of 2 days. We actually try for between 4 and 9 nights at each stop

Enjoy the new adventure!

sharonf · 04-24-2019, 04:53 AM

Thanks for the comments and ideas, everyone. We want to do it right more often than we do it wrong! So far, so good. Wave to us when you see us!

Sharon and Fred, with Leo (the Maine Coon) and Gidget (the ragdoll kitty)
2018 Newmar Dutch Star 4369 (her name is Dilly)
2017 Chevy Equinox (Kermit the Toad)

NH Dave · 04-26-2019, 05:24 PM

Hello from NH!

Experience is the best teacher, and this site is a great resource for information! There are many fine folks on here willing to share helpful/useful info, so don't be afraid to ask!

Welcome, congrats, enjoy and many happy miles to you!

sharonf · 04-27-2019, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KennyGolub

Well, I guess someone should cut your T-Shirt up and date it

Congrats on the first solo flight !

.

Haha! Thank you. I may need my t-shirt as we make our way back to New Hampshire, where the weather has not been nearly as nice as in Georgia and South Carolina. We are now headed from 80º and sunny to 47º and rainy!

sharonf · 04-27-2019, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timjet

Y

"There is no ground school just the school of hard knocks. To reduce the hard knocks do what every pilot does, use a check list."

Thanks, Tim. Checklists are now developed and are being modified as we travel. Also, we are trying to assemble the boatload of manuals and paperwork that came with our RV in sort of a 'flight bag' all jumbled up into some semblance of a "flight manual." We are grateful of our years of experience handling heavy (and expensive) equipment and know how to conduct a good preflight, flight plan, and follow the checklists! #homeishwerewedriveto

Sharon

99dart · 04-27-2019, 08:26 AM

Reading the manuals while IN the motorhome helps me the most. As, I can go to the item I am reading about and apply the written word to the item. There are "system secrets" I like to call them. That you learn from reading this or other forums and asking questions here and/or a an RV shop. How to reset this or that system after a malfunction is one of my most frequent issues.
Most of all, learn to slow down in retirement and enjoy the adventure!

Ron & Peri · 05-07-2019, 08:50 PM

sharonf · 05-08-2019, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron & Peri

Attachment 245171

kgb6days · 05-12-2019, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharonf

Well,
*Secondly, we are not long haul truckers. We are old people driving a motorhome.
Sharon and Fred, with Leo and Gidget (the ragdoll kitty)
2018 Newmar Dutch Star (her name is Dilly)
2017 Chevy Equinox (Kermit the Toad)

Hahaha - love this. This is exactly how we feel. We are planning a 3-4 month trip next year and have decided we don't want to drive over 4 - 5 hours a day. We are old people driving a motorhome.