May 5, 2006 at 1:22 pm · Filed under Tips & Ideas
Courtesy parking is great, and we love to do it. It saves money, it’s usually fun, and we often get a local tour guide in the package. But if you plan to courtesy park your RV, keep in mind a few things we’ve learned over the past couple of years.
First off, unless your host has a similar RV to yours (particularly in terms of length), they will probably underestimate the amount of space you need to park. Several times when planning to courtesy park at homes of people who don’t own an RV themselves, we’ve heard “Oh, no problem, we have plenty of space for you.” Then we get there and find (a) low overhanging trees that would rip off the roof air conditioner; (b) an impossible turn in the driveway flanked by brick pillars; (c) no turn-around, so we’d have to back in for a long distance; (d) a wildly unlevel spot — or, (e) all of the above!
It’s hard for non-RV’ers to appreciate that a 30-foot trailer and tow vehicle amounts to a train nearly fifty feet long, and turning such a beast requires a LOT of space. You can’t expect them to be able to visualize what you need, so the burden is on you to ask specific questions — and be ready to go to Plan B if you get there and find an unsurmountable obstacle.
We’ve had people break out the pruning shears to trim back a bush so we could get in. In California we had to have three people to keep the Airstream from falling into a ditch while simultaneously passing under a massive branch with about 1 inch to spare. In Massachusetts we had to dodge old stone walls. In Connecticut, we had to borrow boards and blocks to lift the tongue four feet just to get close to level. In Michigan we had to back up 200 feet of S-turning driveway, in the dark!
My rule now is simple: if it doesn’t look good, don’t try to get in. After all, nobody’s guaranteeing you’ll be able to get back out again without damage.
Another thing your hosts may not understand is the need for hookups, if you are staying more than one night. We often courtesy park for several nights, which means we prefer to plug in to electricity and connect to the water, too. Murphy’s Law says that most of the time, the garden hose bibb will be on the other side of the house. Your host may not mention that until you arrive. Since it’s not a good idea to get your drinking water through their standard green garden hose, you’ve either got to have a lot of spare white hose with you, or do without a water connection. Best to arrive with a full fresh water tank, just in case.
Electric is easier, since everyone has a garage outlet or an exterior power outlet. Then you just need 50-100 feet of ordinary electric cord. We don’t bother with a 30-amp extension cord, since hardly anyone has a 30-amp outlet available.
You’re really lucky if your courtesy parking host has a place for you to dispose of graywater. More often, your gray capacity will be the limiting factor to your visit. If our host offers a way to get rid of it, that’s great, but we don’t like to put them on the spot by asking. The last thing we want to do is have a neighbor complain after we’re gone, and ruin the courtesy parking opportunity for everyone.
Speaking of neighbors, one of the first things we ask people who don’t own an RV is whether they have zoning or neighborhood deed restrictions that prohibit or restrict RV storage. This is for our protection as well as theirs. Nobody wants to get a call from an authority saying, “You’ve got to move that thing or be fined.”
Good courtesy parking etiquette means that the host is not obligated to provide anything other than a parking space. We don’t expect hookups, but we appreciate them when available. Most people will offer right away. Some will even offer dinner, and want to have us visit for a while. This is what we like, but we always stress that our hosts are under no obligation at all. They shouldn’t feel like they have houseguests to entertain, feed, or keep company. We don’t ask to use the shower, borrow the telephone, or get a ride into town.
On the other hand, when a host offers a nice bonus, like high speed Internet access, we usually accept. If they have wireless Internet in their house, you can often pick up the signal outside without coming in to bother them. I now carry a Linksys WRE54G “wireless extender” that I can plug in outside to repeat the wifi signal — which means I can pick it up easily from inside the aluminum skin of the trailer.
The last tip is to bring little gifts with you. We travel with tiny boxes of chocolates, “nips” of maple syrup, special Vermont cookies, Airstream Life magazines, Macadamia nuts, coffee, and other things to give our hosts. Hosts don’t usually expect anything except your company, so they are always pleased to get a little symbol of appreciation. If we stay for a long time, we usually take our host out to dinner, too. The money saved by not getting a campground at $20-30 per night can make for a very nice meal at a local restaurant.
Finally, when you are looking for courtesy parking, the easiest thing to do is just ask people you meet. Many people will say they don’t have space, but once in a while you’ll score a nice spot to stay and end up seeing things you would never have seen otherwise.
May 4, 2006 at 8:05 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Another small world story today: we stopped off in Canton TX to get lunch, and stumbled across this little local taco stand. There was room for the Airstream so of course we pulled in. After lunch, a car drove up to our trailer and a man inside said, ” …. Rich?”
It turned out to be blog reader and fellow Airstreamer Fred Richardson, who we had not seen since last year’s Homecoming event in Jackson Center. He saw the big silver thing parked by the road, and of course being a good Airstreamer, he made a U-turn to get a better look. Then he noticed the big graphics and realized it was us!
It was great to see Fred, since we owed him thanks for arranging our visit to Taylor, for some of the best barbecue in Texas. We gave him a quick tour of our trailer, talked about disc brakes and Hensley hitches, and then waved goodbye as we headed west on I-20. We’ll see him and his wife again someday, I’m sure.
Tonight we are courtesy parking at the home of Stan and Eileen, in Grapevine, which is north of DFW Airport. At the moment we are parked right in front, in the midst of a very neatly trimmed suburban neighborhood of brick homes, but when Eileen gets home we may move to the driveway. It seems a very nice place to be parked for a few days, but our concern is whether the nights will be too hot. At 5 pm, it’s still well into the 80s. Stan and Eileen don’t have a 30-amp power outlet for us to plug into, which means we can’t run the A/C. We’ll probably be fine with the Fantastic Vents … I hope …
Here’s a sign of the week. If you know you are going to Jefferson, turn left. If not, turn right.
May 3, 2006 at 11:59 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
First of all, I am under orders to acknowledge something that I did not mention in yesterday’s blog: Eleanor towed the trailer! You may not realize that of the 20,000 miles we have driven since last September, 100% of the towing has been done by me. Eleanor has until now refused to even try, but a few lectures from fellow Airstreamers about the need for backup, and a stretch of quiet roadway (Natchez Trace Parkway) finally got her into the driver’s seat. It was even her idea!
So she towed over 50 miles yesterday, and made several tight turns with a 30-foot trailer behind her, and nothing awful happened. The trailer is intact and not even scratched. We’re all hoping she’ll feel brave enough to try again soon.
It was not quite as exciting today wandering through Louisiana as we had hoped. Rt 84 west from Natchez is an historic route but not comparable to the Natchez Trace or old Route 66. I think things hit a low when, to entertain themselves, Emma and Eleanor began dressing up stuffed animals for an in-car beauty contest. After a few hours of not much, we hit boring (but fast) I-49 and zipped up to Shreveport for some groceries.
It has been in the upper 80s, and a little more humid, so the inevitable began to happen: thunderstorms. We were lucky and avoided the worst of them, but everywhere in northern Louisiana and Texas along I-20 we could see them building.
At exit 635 off I-20, you’ll find this place: Jim’s Bar-B-Q and Catfish. We parked the Airstream in the lane next to their drive-thru and ordered a 10-piece Cajun-fried catfish dinner. It fed two of us with a piece left over. (Emma prefers chicken, poor thing. She doesn’t know the pleasure of Cajun-fried catfish.) It came with hush puppies, pickled green tomatoes (delicious), and cole slaw. All for $11.99. I love a bargain.
Right now, Eleanor and Emma are at the table identifying a large black butterfly we spotted yesterday on the Natchez Trace. According to Emma’s identification book, it is a Pipevine Swallowtail. Later this evening, she’ll be practicing the game of Uno, because we plan to meet a friend who is obsessed with it. Emma plans to give him a good challenge.
Tonight’s stop is Caddo Lake State Park. Nice place, especially if you’ve got a boat. Water and electric for $12 ““ another bargain! But there’s no Sprint coverage and my Verizon phone is on “extended network”, which means both my primary and backup Internet connections are unavailable. (I’m posting this from a rest area on I-20 at noon Thursday and back-dating it.) So, we’ll only spend one night here and then head further west. We have plans for the weekend and friends to meet on Friday near the Dallas/Ft Worth area.
May 2, 2006 at 8:47 pm · Filed under Places to go
Forget what you thought of Mississippi. It’s got some really interesting spots in it, and we found two of them today. First stop was the very large, high-tech, and impressive new Nissan assembly plant in Canton. Only opened to tours last month, this place is absolutely monstrous — and well worth the visit.
We parked right in front. (The nice thing about visiting auto plants with the trailer is that they always have plenty of parking!) I tried to take a photo of the trailer and the factory, but this place is so huge you need an airplane to see it all at once. You can see the north end of the factory building in the picture above …
… and the south end of the building off in the horizon in the second picture. Believe it or not, that is all one giant building.
Of course the Tour trailer got a bit of attention too. While I was on the factory tour, somebody from the plant came out with a notebook and wrote down our URL. (Whoever you are, welcome!)
As with other auto tours, there’s no photography allowed inside, so you’re going to have to take my word for it that this is one awesome tour for anyone who likes to see stuff built, or who likes cars. Hundreds of industrial robots, sparks flying, giant metal presses five stories tall, and eventually 2,500 individual parts assembled into an American-made Nissan Armada or Titan. I got a nice feeling about our Armada, having seen how carefully it was built, and I got a good look at the innards (chassis, engine, transmission), too. I only wish I could have been there when ours was built!
The price is right: $free. But the tour is booked solid into September, so if you want to check it out, reserve early. And stop in on downtown Canton, just a couple of miles north of the plant on Rt 51. They’ve got an interesting downtown square with great historic architecture.
After a three-mile tram ride through the factory and two videos, I rejoined Eleanor and Emma back in the trailer where they were doing some homeschooling. I caught up on some work, and then we picked up the Natchez Trace Parkway just south of Canton and spent the afternoon slowly meandering down this very scenic road through 200 years of American history.
The Trace is limited to non-commercial vehicles, and the speed limit is generally 50 MPH, and it doesn’t really go anywhere in particular. So for the most part it is quiet and uncrowded, with gentle bends and plenty of historic pull-outs. We stopped about six times, taking one hike, and learning quite a bit about the history of this ancient trail from the interpretive signs. In about four hours we covered only 90 miles but it was some of the most pleasant driving we’ve done since we were on Route 1 in California. Even Emma liked it.
Our stop tonight is the Natchez Trace State Park, along the southernmost ten miles of the parkway. There’s a lot more north of our entry point at Canton, but we won’t get to drive it on this trip. We are going to exit at Natchez tomorrow morning. We have some extra time to explore as we head west this week, so our plan is to head into Louisiana and just let things find us.
May 1, 2006 at 7:15 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Another long drive … but it is going to be worth it. Our overnight stop today is Roosevelt State Park — a very pretty spot with campsites situated around a pond. I can’t believe it’s considered off season here, because the weather couldn’t be better. Mid-70s, dry, green, quiet … and yet the camp store and other amenities of the park are shut down until the season starts.
Are they waiting for Mississippi humidity and 90+ degree temperatures to strike? I don’t get it, but on the other hand it’s fine with us since the park is deserted and peaceful. We have a neighbor, also in an Airstream, but we haven’t seen them yet. Otherwise, we are alone with the turtles in the pond.
As pleasant as it is here, this is just a stop along the way for us. Tomorrow we will drive up to the Nissan plant in Canton to take the factory tour. They build our tow vehicle, the Armada, along with the similar Infiniti Q56, so it’s a homecoming of sorts. I was lucky to get a tour spot since they are booked up through the summer. Fortunately there was a cancellation.
The factory rules say no kids under 10, no cameras, no cell phones, and there’s a dress code too (for safety reasons). So Eleanor and Emma and my camera will stay back in the trailer as they did in Bowling Green when I toured the Corvette plant.
We’re playing around with the idea of driving part of the Natchez Trace over the next couple of days, too. We don’t need to be in Texas until Friday, so there’s a bit of spare time to take the scenic route. We’ll decide tomorrow.
April 30, 2006 at 8:24 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
It has been uneventful day of towing but good things are happening nonetheless. We broke camp this morning in the strongest wind we’ve had at Myrtle Beach yet. It felt like a steady 20+ MPH. I had to hold things down to keep them from blowing away.
Goodbye, Myrtle Beach!
While towing west, I talked on the phone with a few friends (fellow Airstreamers). Brett is making plans to join us at the International Rally in Oregon this summer. Rich C is going to try to hook up with us in New Mexico and caravan with us for a month or so. Adam and Susan are going to meet us at International and caravan with us to Montana. And in Montana, we’ll meet up with Bert and Janie for a week or so!
Meanwhile, Eleanor was on the laptop from the passenger seat, researching flights for our visit home (Vermont). It’s great to be able to make productive use of the road time with the Internet and a cell phone. Emma was in the back chatting on the phone, coloring, playing with her Leap Pad, and playing with her stuffed animals, so we all managed to make the 7+ hours of driving not as horrible as it could have been. And now, here we are … at Cracker Barrel.
Tomorrow will be a shorter day of towing. We are going to try to intersperse the long days with short days, as we head 1200 miles west to our next major stop in Weatherford TX. As I mentioned, we are going to have a bunch of cool upgrades done to our rolling home at Roger Williams Airstream in Weatherford, so if you live nearby let me know if you can meet us there! We’re getting disc brakes, solar panels, and some Vista Views too. Should be very interesting to watch!
April 29, 2006 at 9:10 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
One of my favorite events at a rally is the Vintage Open House. All the owners of trailers 25 years or older throw open the doors to socialize and show off their very cool rigs.
Photographically, it’s a great event to attend, but I recommend strong sunglasses on a shiny day. The polished trailers can be hard on the eyes!
Bob Clark and his 1972 Airstream
We often see familiar people at these events. We haven’t seen the folks below, Janea and Ed Whitacre, since last summer at the International Rally in Springfield MO. I’ve been lusting after their 1972 Globetrotter for years, but I can’t convince them to sell it!
Janea and Ed Whiteacre
I went over to Fred Bothwell’s new toyhauler project. He thinks his cut-down Globetrotter is smaller than the smallest Airstream ever made. No interior yet. It will be perfect to haul his golf cart.
Emma’s evening was spent with the other girls at a pizza party. She says she doesn’t want to leave Myrtle Beach, which is her way of saying she’s had a good week. But tonight we are planning our departure. Tomorrow, we begin heading west …
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