Solo Trip to HWH - advice

[Victory Blue]

Hi Lynn,

We’re sorry to hear about Dan’s health problems and hope you’ll keep us all updated on his progress. We don’t have any advice to offer that isn’t already in the thread, but want to lend our moral support.

Having met you a couple of times we have no reservations about you making the trip; it’s going to be an adventure. We are, however, prepared to be jealous of the HWH system you’re getting and look forward to hearing about it in future posts.

[MoHoGo]

Gary, hear what you are saying about truck stops, there are times when we think some of the OTR drivers are running the Indy 500. We have had a lot of luck at Flying J and some Loves, Walmarts work too, but don't like many of the parking lots as some idiots tend to do everything they can to block you in. BTW, not to be critical, but it is not a good practice to put slides out in Walmart. We will do it if we can park on the perimeter and have grass on one side, but still don't be surprised if some other RVer doesn't complain to you or management.

What we do at FJ is to pull in to the spots next to the light poles and that gets us a barrier area that is good to put a slide out as trucks cannot move past that side. We usually use google sat view to look them over first to find the ones you can pull through. BTW, flying j will also allow you to reserve a spot, but they are typically back in so they don't work with a toad.

[Gary.Jones]

Jim

The ONLY time I put out any slide is if I can safely park the coach with the driver side of the coach along a curb (usually a curb with grass or trees behind the curb). Virtually always that is a perimeter road or perimeter of the parking lot and the ONLY slide that I ever put out is the bed slide.

I have never put out all slides or any slide out in the general parking lot of a WalMart or general store. I consider that very bad manners.

It is good that you raise the issue, because there are lots of people who think nothing of putting out all the slides in their 5ers or bumper pulls or even motorhomes.

Gary

[smlranger]

I don't think anyone answered your questions about HWH. We had work done there two years ago. They are nice, helpful folks.



They have several parking sites with 50 amp service. From talking with other folks there having work done, they do allow you to stay in your coach even while they are working on it. It is a factory and they had a crew working all night and there was a lot of banging noise coming from inside all night. If your coach is stuck inside having the Active Air installed and you are staying in it at night, not sure how much of that noise you will hear.



The place is not fancy....in fact it was rather crude in my opinion. It had rained a lot just before our arrival so the lot (and the ground around the RV 'sites' was a muddy mess). They have a rather rudimentary waiting room and bathrooms with showers. I believe they also have washer/dryer but not sure about that.



There is nothing nearby. The factory is off I-80 in the middle of a field. The little town of Tipton is a few miles north. There are a few fast food places, and one or two locally owned restaurants/diners, and a very small Walmart. Maybe you might want to consider renting a car while you are there so you can get around a bit. We were there overnight one night so did not go into the town of Moscow. Not sure what is there.


Good luck and have a safe trip. Best wishes to your DH as he gets treatment.

[ghaynes754]

Tipton has a great cafe on the SW corner of the town square. Wilton has a few restaurants. After those two it's a bit longer down to Muscatine. Check and see if you can get Uber or Lyft in that area.

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by ghaynes754

Tipton has a great cafe on the SW corner of the town square. Wilton has a few restaurants. After those two it's a bit longer down to Muscatine. Check and see if you can get Uber or Lyft in that area.

Thanks. There is a possibility that Lyft is in the area, however, unless I start to go stir crazy ... I'll probably just hang in the MH.

[Matt D]

Lynn, our prayers for Dans swift and complete recovery.

Regarding Rest Stops, we use them as needed to ensure proper rest. You are best if stopping before 9PM local as later in the evening finding a spot can be iffy.

Regardless of when you stop, DO NOT ever take a space on the exit ramp, or any of the first few parking spots on the entrance side of the rest area. OTR drivers can, and do suffer fatigue and I’ve heard of one, and personally seen one OTR driver take a nap exiting the highway. The first one resulted in a double fatal to the retired couple sleeping in the rear of their coach. The second was a single vehicle accident that didn’t look pretty.

Second, give yourself enough room to cut the wheel and get out, even if the guy in front doesn’t move. If something hinky happens, drive on.

Third, be super careful. Rest Stops are typically good places to rest, with some solid precautions. Be mindful of predators and how vulnerable you are.

In your case, 1000 miles over 3 days would make me lean in favor of a CG. You’re not knocking down enough miles in one day to require maximum effort, so go with the flow. In fact, I’d suggest 4 days so you can really take it easy and compose yourself upon arrival.

I have done some LONG solo trips, and the risk is no co-pilot to help moderate your inclinations. Making a bad judgement call is kinda pass/fail. Planned rest in a Rest Stop or Truck Stop is a formula for fatigue to set in.

My wife is more likely to pull the plug than I am, and I’m thankful for that.

BTW, Tom Sawyers is closed as of March from flooding. Hopefully they have reopened, but best to check.

-Matt

[DebbieMH]

Thanks Matt. I'm going to do campgrounds ... probably first night will be either the one in South Haven, MS or the KOA right over the border in Arkansas. Second night, probably something a little north of St. Louis. I'm not going to have TV while in the building at HWH ... so, might as well enjoy it the nights on the road and I can put up my satellite dish.

Got the motorhome to NOLA yesterday and took Dan in for another infusion today. Will take him for another on Thursday and then I'll head out on Friday.
Again, thanks for y'all's advice. :-)

[saddlesore]

Due north of HWH is Tipton, IA.. they do have a motel on the south end of town (behind a bank) reasonable rates and several very good eateries.. Might even be able to hitch a ride into and from town with one of the employees..

[MxChief66-1]

Originally Posted by DebbieMH

Thanks Matt. I'm going to do campgrounds ... probably first night will be either the one in South Haven, MS or the KOA right over the border in Arkansas. Second night, probably something a little north of St. Louis. I'm not going to have TV while in the building at HWH ... so, might as well enjoy it the nights on the road and I can put up my satellite dish.



Got the motorhome to NOLA yesterday and took Dan in for another infusion today. Will take him for another on Thursday and then I'll head out on Friday.

Again, thanks for y'all's advice. :-)

Lynn, while we were there last September there was an aerial drop available to pick up local tv channels.

Be sure to text me if you have any questions while there. We expect to leave EC sometime around 11 June. We now have 3 stops to make in Iowa before heading to Summerfest, one of them will be HWH for an annual checkup. Maybe we’ll see you there!

Mark

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by MxChief66-1

Lynn, while we were there last September there was an aerial drop available to pick up local tv channels.

Be sure to text me if you have any questions while there. We expect to leave EC sometime around 11 June. We now have 3 stops to make in Iowa before heading to Summerfest, one of them will be HWH for an annual checkup. Maybe we’ll see you there!

Mark

I'd really like that, Mark! Hope to be able to see y'all ... and if you drive, I'll buy you two dinner at one of the diners :-)

[brianw8602]

Lynn,

When we were there one of the techs gave us the password for the wifi. Was great for checking email and such during normal business hours. Not wanting to soak up their bandwidth, we waited until after the shops started closing down around 5 PM and could easily watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. Might be a good time to binge watch one of those shows you've been meaning to catch up on

Headed to BT this morning if you need us to check on anything for you guys. Best to Dan and let him know I've got a new item I'm looking at I'm certain he will want to add

Brian

[brobox]

Originally Posted by DebbieMH

Thanks Matt. I'm going to do campgrounds ... probably first night will be either the one in South Haven, MS or the KOA right over the border in Arkansas. Second night, probably something a little north of St. Louis. I'm not going to have TV while in the building at HWH ... so, might as well enjoy it the nights on the road and I can put up my satellite dish.
:-)

Lynn, if you'll have wifi, one of the plug in devices, we use Amazon Firestick will allow you to stream from inside of the building. I tried it in my hanger, works great. Best $29 upgrade we have done, I was able to watch Hurricane Irma live while sitting in MI and still use it for "free" movies from Prime.

Have a safe trip and let us know how you are doing along the way.

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by brianw8602

Lynn,

When we were there one of the techs gave us the password for the wifi. Was great for checking email and such during normal business hours. Not wanting to soak up their bandwidth, we waited until after the shops started closing down around 5 PM and could easily watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. Might be a good time to binge watch one of those shows you've been meaning to catch up on

Headed to BT this morning if you need us to check on anything for you guys. Best to Dan and let him know I've got a new item I'm looking at I'm certain he will want to add

Brian

Cool .... guess I will be very busy in the coach after all. One of my main objectives is also to do a MAJOR cleaning job inside. Without Dan and the two pups under foot ... I should be able to get it spic and span!

I really enjoyed seeing your adventures in Europe on FB. Looks like y'all had a grand time :-) ... When you are on your morning walk, stop by our lot and check out the sugar kettle fire pit we brought from our S&B to BT ... and the top I just got for it to make it into a table when there isn't a fire in it. It's pretty

Safe travels ....