Where to avoid?

[kwahl1]

I’d say avoid Kalifornia. The roads and traffic are horrible. It will tear up your rig Fuel will cost you a dollar more a gallon. This could add to your misery. Highest gas tax in the USA but the roads are the pits. I avoided Kalifornia this year coming down from Washington.

[LarryinID]

Originally Posted by Steve578

There are States that are more RV friendly than others. I would like to hear some opinions on States to avoid and reasons to avoid them. My experience in the Northeast States has not been the best. Members input on this would be helpful.

Much of the East is a disaster because of outrageous tolls.

CA made it illegal to leave your pet in the RV. Maybe they want us to have homeless look after them. At least we can ignore that gem.

[freestyle_freddy]

Originally Posted by TXTiger

Calif has the most expensive fuel prices, high levels of smog, expensive camp ground rates, crowded freeways, and a towing speed limit of 55 MPH.

X-10!!!!!!! We toured CA once & no need to go back. Some beautiful areas but out of control costs & restrictions.

[freestyle_freddy]

Originally Posted by winniman

I would avoid Florida and South Texas, and possibly Arizona. Nothing to see there, especially in the winter.

The 3 states you don't like are the 3 most popular winter destinations. We've been to every state more than once & Alaska twice. We like:
Florida in the winter for the Everglades, the Keys, the white sand beaches of the Panhandle.
We like South Texas for Padre Island, it's state parks, Big Bend NP & it's many boondocking areas.
We like Arizona for it's variety of altitudes for year round travel, Grand Canyon NP, The desert which is beautiful in it's own way, endless boondocking opportunities, many small to med interesting cities

[SteveNSue]

We stayed in Tom Sawyer in West Memphis. A traffic accident in I40 stopped us for a couple of hours so we showed up late but they had a card showing which site was ours. All evening we heard the sound of racing engines and wondered if they had drag boats or mud runs. The next morning we saw the trailers with rail dune buggies with big mud tires. It was Friday night but after a long drive a good night sleep was hard to find.


Last summer we had business in LA. Previously, we stayed in Long Beach or at the county park on the beach near the airport. For an extended stay neither were good options, so we stayed in the driveway of our rental house. We hooked up water, power, and sewer so at least we would be comfortable. Neighbors from far and wide made a point to walk by to check out the RV, fearing that a homeless family was squatting. Even the LA County Sheriff drove by to check on us, in fact several times over three weeks. I guess they ran our plates and saw that we belonged there. Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and his wife walked by. He's kind of hard to miss.

[followingsea]

Originally Posted by sbleiweiss

Fuel prices would be one measure of RV friendly. On that basis CA would be a good one to avoid.

California has become the no state. One example example is the 'no parking 2 am to 4am' signs every 500 years on the Pacific Coast.

The area from the Redwoods to Susanville is not as bad or at lease I have not have 4 police officers with there hands on there weapons enforcing a parking sign. Went from where I used to have my boat to where I used to work and parked next to a homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk.

Public Safety officers making the you less safe!

As far a fuel prices go, I can get the last FredMeyers in Oregon to the first Smiths in Reno. Of course if you were buying Diesel in Texas, you would not be happy with prices to the west.

[StageCoachDr]

California has some beautiful sites, but, if you're towing (even a toad), the speed limit is 55MHP and you must stay in the right lane.


Also, I just saw where a class action law suit is being brought against the Kansas Highway Patrol claiming 97% of the vehicles they pull over have out of state plates.

[jamesham]

Your question is so broad that the answers will also be very broad generalizations. States to avoid is too broad. Some cities and towns should be avoided because they have passed laws and RV restrictions that make it clear they do not even want our gas money while passing thru. A little dump town outside El Paso jumps to mind.

In general the New England states are smaller, more expensive, and the dense population reflects lack of campsites due to housing developments. Many small towns in the Midwest offer free camping in their city parks because they want the meager few tourist dollars that come their way.

CA is another country, not like the rest of the USA. Florida in winter is vastly different than summer in crowds and age of RVers.

The BEST part of an RV is that if a campsite gets a little bad and your gut says trouble, you can always start the engine and move.

Originally Posted by Steve578

There are States that are more RV friendly than others. I would like to hear some opinions on States to avoid and reasons to avoid them. My experience in the Northeast States has not been the best. Members input on this would be helpful.

[Steve 716]

Do your homework and see what locations in a given state are on your bucket list. If not then you can avoid it. If you are simply driving through a state to get to another state then drive through it. I try to avoid one state and don;t fuel up in another. The first is Indiana and I avoid it because the roads are generally in horrible shape and there is the very real possibility of suspension damage. The second is New Mexico, sort of. New Mexico has much to offer the traveler and I always like to spend time there. The issue is biodiesel. All truck stops and many regular service stations sell only biodiesel. Cummins says do not use biodiesel. I fill up my coach before entering New Mexico and after leaving, but never while there. Cummins recommends the Kleen Diesel additive and I use it at every RV fill up but still avoid biodiesel.

[tomgauger]

Sarcasm? Or grossly misinformed?

Originally Posted by winniman

I would avoid Florida and South Texas, and possibly Arizona. Nothing to see there, especially in the winter.

[Steverino]

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

It's fashionable to conflate the problems of large cities with an entire state in some social circles and there is a persistent judgment that Californians "ain't like us" going around, too... Sure, there's stuff to not like almost anywhere one goes but California offers much, much more than just SF or LA.

Having grown up in SoCal there is plenty to see, do, and experience. One of the things I loved about the area was that I could be skiing, camping in the desert or Sierra Nevadas, or be at the beach with a 2 or 3 hour drive. Folks can hate the state all they want, but that's a combination of destinations found only in a relatively small number of places.

So that said, everywhere sucks and no place sucks - it's what you make of it and using the cautions that feel prudent. As for fueling elsewhere, that's common practice, surely... but frankly most of us travel enough that the 1 tank of fuel, the extra $100 or so, is relatively trivial when compared to the total costs of owning and operating an RV. Objections other than price are likely motivated by non-financial perceptions.

Yes, exactly what he said! I was born and raised in L.A., couple of miles from the beach. Have lived the last 22 years in PA. I think my quality of life is better here, but I miss the natural beauty of CA. Forget the politics and other crap and go see the golden state. The Sierra Nevadas are beyond compare. Take your time on Pacific Coast Highway. Go to Eureka and see the big trees. Trust me, it is totally worth it.

[Hicks3456]

Originally Posted by TXTiger

Calif has the most expensive fuel prices, high levels of smog, expensive camp ground rates, crowded freeways, and a towing speed limit of 55 MPH.

You forgot the worst roads in the country - driving down I5 is more like 4 wheeling than an interstate highway - also polution on all roads and waterways - earthquakes - wildfires - illegal immigrants - homeless everywhere

Yeh you might want to avoid California!

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by tomgauger

Sarcasm? Or grossly misinformed?

Applied irony.

Tom, did you overlook the smilies?

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by Hicks3456

You forgot the worst roads in the country - driving down I5 is more like 4 wheeling than an interstate highway - also polution on all roads and waterways - earthquakes - wildfires - illegal immigrants - homeless everywhere

Yeh you might want to avoid California!

You'll want to avoid Oklahoma. Earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, immigrants whose life situations that may meet with your disapproval. Toss in Kansas and Texas, too.

I70 through Indiana is a bone jarring experience. The chuck holes are so big they are called by full name Charles and get their own zip codes.