Places Go

[bcruzen]

Looking for a place to get away in the old AC. Anyone have any ideas? I’m in Yakima, WA and just need to get on the road.

[Xmcdog]

Sure. Know of a great place.
It is called home.
Not being rude or sarcastic.
Right now we should all stay home.
I know how you feel. The weather is improving etc.
Smell of the open road.
But with the pandemic, please stay at home.

[Alpine36]

Originally Posted by bcruzen

Looking for a place to get away in the old AC. Anyone have any ideas? I’m in Yakima, WA and just need to get on the road.

Man, I hear ya but going to agree with Xmcdog.
I guess you could drive to the gas station and fill up since fuel prices are so low, kinda like a bald guy winning a hair brush though.
We're just "camping" in the driveway for kix.

[okcnewbie]

Originally Posted by bcruzen

Looking for a place to get away in the old AC. Anyone have any ideas? I’m in Yakima, WA and just need to get on the road.

Have you checked with your wife on this? Me thinks this isn't a great time to be "hitting the road".
I'm all for ft'ers having a place to hunker down but choosing to move around just doesn't seem like a good idea.


[Moderator Edit]

[RVPioneer]

WA and OR State parks and campgrounds are all closed. You’d probably be limited to boondocking or an open RV resort. With an online reservation and a loaded coach, it may actually be easier to avoid a trip to the grocery store for 5 days or so (human contact) than “staying at home”.

[paul65k]

I understand the feeling......we wanna hit the road something awful but we're just gonna stay put for the time being and stay safe until things settle down a little......hoping May will be better.

[Hayduke]

You could do what we did and drive to Florida via Arizona.

Of course we left Spokane the first week of December.


I am in the high risk group for this virus, and I think you can travel safely in an RV. We just finished driving from AZ to FL. We went into a few walmarts on the way, so that was likely our riskiest possible contact. How is that different from visiting any store for food at home?

As others said, finding a place to camp for awhile could be challenging. We were only doing single night parking/camping. We mostly used rest areas and welcome centers. We stayed in one state park in MS. I suspect they closed shortly after we left on March 23rd. We got lucky to have that place for 3 nights to visit our son. While in MS we also went out to eat twice with our son and his GF.

If you really just want to get out and feel the wheels rolling underneath you, rest stops are always open. Based on my recent trip, I do have one tip... when an interstate crosses a state line, they will usually have a welcome center. This is like a super sized rest area. These are much nicer to park in as you can often find a quieter place to park away form the semis running their engines all night. We even found a couple that had seperate parking just for RVs

I agree that air travel is very risky right now. I have to fly back to AZ soon too At least tickets are cheap

I agree a long trip in a car could be risky. You would have to expose yourself far too often along the way as well as at your destination. Hotels sound like about the worst possible place to be right now.

I don't agree RV travel is anymore risky than being home. You are "staying home" while in the RV. Use sanitizer after fueling or shopping for supplies. Same as you are doing at home.

Have fun. Be safe. Share pictures.

[winniman]

[Alpine36]

"I am in the high risk group for this virus, and I think you can travel safely in an RV. We just finished driving from AZ to FL. We went into a few walmarts on the way, so that was likely our riskiest possible contact. How is that different from visiting any store for food at home?"

Well, this for instance....just sayin'

[RVPioneer]

Originally Posted by Alpine36

"I am in the high risk group for this virus, and I think you can travel safely in an RV. We just finished driving from AZ to FL. We went into a few walmarts on the way, so that was likely our riskiest possible contact. How is that different from visiting any store for food at home?"

Well, this for instance....just sayin'

With theaters closed, Walmart seems like a great place to get supplies and enjoy some free entertainment.

[NLOVNIT]

My idea would be for you to stay put. Non-essential travel is really not advisable right now. Stay home & stay safe.

Lori-

[Jeep401]

You're going to come in contact with way more people while traveling than staying home if you are doing what you are supposed to and only going out for essentials. Fuel stops???what happens if you break down while on the road??? What if you are involved in a accident??? Just to name a couple of possible things that could happen.
You are putting yourself and others at unnecessary risk!
This isn't the time to go on vacation!

Trust me I'm not happy about sitting home canceling my vacation plans and looking at my coach sitting in my yard not getting used, but it's what has to happen.

[Hayduke]

I realize my opinion will be in the minority. (not the first, or last, time)

bcruzin did not say he wanted to take a vacation. He said he wanted to take his Alpine Coach for a drive.

Typical 'vacation' style travel in an RV could present many possible dangerous activities such as eating out, visiting historic sites or museums, visiting shops in small towns along the way, etc.

You don't have to travel that way. Maybe you don't want to go at all if you can't do all those activities you usually do when traveling in your RV. I get that, but maybe you're willing to forgo that sort of thing just to get some windshield time and see the countryside. Spring is a beautiful time to drive around and explore.

I still firmly believe RV travel can be safe to you and others. You are staying at home. Your home just moves. I still don't see how it's different from staying in your S&B home.

To address the specific concerns just mentioned...
At fuel fill ups, I wear disposable gloves and have fuel shoes already. Diesel smells and lingers. I don't want it inside the coach.

What if I break down or have an accident? Can't that happen in the car going to walmart from my S&B? How is it different? How risky is this? If either happens, you won't be dealing with a large crowd or not be able to maintain a safe distance.

We can come up with 'what ifs' all day long. Are there any specific to a motor home that would increase your risk of exposure?



I'm not the only one that thinks it's a safe way to travel.
https://rvlife.com/rving-after-covid-19/
While they won't be as bold to suggest it's safe now, mostly their points still apply now.

bcruzin, If I was starting in Yakima, I would at least avoid the areas worst affected by the pandemic. I'd head east into the states that have very few cases.

hmmm maybe traveling in the RV is actually safer than staying home. If my home was in an area with rampant spread, I might be better off parked at a rest stop 3 states over.

[bcruzen]

I know a lot of you have really jumped at staying home, but my coach is my home on the road. Plan on being completely responsible that way. Take all my food with me, we typically don’t eat out anyway as my wife and I love to cook. Was just thinking of a way to change the scenery while still being secluded to our motor home. I’m an First Responder EMT, so very aware of all of this - and very paranoid so to speak. Haven’t seen my parents face to face in over 3 weeks now and they live 200 yards from me. I’ve been their grocery runner, they leave money on the porch and I drop all their supplies off on the porch and my Dad then dons gloves and wipes everything down before bringing inside. We played Yahtzee via face time with my parents last night. That was fun. Putting together puzzles or playing cards on a picnic table at a lake would be better than the dining room table. Just saying.