RE: U.S. RT. 285 Fairplay, Co to Denver, Co
Actually the worst and scariest part of this route is right before you get into Denver. It's called turkey creek canyon and it's 4 lanes (divided) but it's curvy and steep steep descent (like 8% IIRC). do not exceed the posted "advisory" signs and it's no problem, but don't get cocky as you come into it because you are almost there.
RE: Have you ever been stopped by the POLICE ?
When I bought my rig it was in Yuma, AZ. On the way home I went through 3 separate Border Patrol Checkpoints. All 3 wanted me to participate in a secondary inspection. I played along on the first 2, but the 3rd was a bit more than I could chew considering they are all within 100 miles of each other. On the 3rd when they asked me to move to the 2ndry inspection area I pointed out that I have already been inspected twice, once outside Yuma, once after I entered California by both the State Ag folks and the BP folks, and I felt it was a bit much for a 3rd one just outside Brawley. I thought they could just call and ask, but they refused to call, I refused to let them search, told them I had not left the US, and of they wanted to search, they could go get a Search Warrant. The first BP Agent went into the office they had set up, and a Sgt emerged with him. He explained they had the right to search, I asked to see it in writing, he could not. I explained they had already searched twice, so if they wanted a third they could get a Search Warrant, and present to the Magistrate as to why they had probable cause to search. I had not left the US, just went from AZ to CA, and the only time I am required to allow a warrantless search by them is at a US Point of Entry, which this was not, and the other 2 were also not. He called someone, and I was on my way as soon as he hung up, less than 20 minutes, beats the 2 hours I would have wasted. I don't mind folks doing their job, but 3 in less than 100 miles is a bit much for me, and each one will have you sitting for at least 2 hours.Sorry, but your knowledge of the law, when the DHS at or near the US border are involved is wrong. They have the "right" to do a warrantless search within at least 100 miles of the border and that distance may have been increased recently. You were very lucky that they allowed you to proceed, as they could have placed you in a holding cell and done a "very through" inspection, which would not have been a pretty sight. If you disagree, then go to the CBP.Gov website and see what they have to say.
If you look on that site there is nothing in there about consenting to a search without crossing a border, or at least I could not find one. Using your 100 mile example, folks in San Diego would have to let the Border Patrol search their homes and cars without a warrant, as well as just about anyone else living on the border. If you can find the 100 mile rule there post a link, as I said, i can't find it.
darn pesky constitution, who needs it anyway? (s/b sarcasm, but isn't :-( )
I made sure the MH I bought had a roll down window on the driver's side. Without a warrant, they are not getting thru that door.
Not that i EVER see MH's pulled over. (except down in drug areas)
RE: Running Refrigerator on Battery Power
I can tell you from just doing this that leaving the inverter on all day while I was gone hunting pretty much brought the batteries down to 10% or so. (6 batteries)
keeping the inverter off (no fridge) the batteries were at like 75% even with running the heater.
it's gotta be the fridge, everything else is off from the inverter.
RE: Prepaying for diesel at the truck pumps
You leave your card inside (because who knows how much you need). Even as a truck driver, this is what I did. You walk in, drop your card "pump #5" and walk back out.
Pump away
go back in, get healthy hot dog and soda (or not) and pay.
Never been an issue.
All the truck side expects you to have to go in twice.
RE: Do you use RV Park Reviews dot com?
i really enjoy the site, it's one of my first pieces of research. You do have to read the reviews, not just look at numbers.
More importantly, when I'm at a site, I try to look at all the things, not just items that are important to me. While the wife is doing the Sunday cleaning of the rig, I'm wandering around the park making notes.
how are the bathrooms?
how are the showers?
where are the sites?
are some sites better than others?
could people of big rigs (since i have a big rig) get in or not.
things for kids to do?
etc
so people can ready my (long winded) reviews and get at least an idea of what the park was like on that day and things that might jog their memory that to ask the park owner/manager.
Oh yes, as someone else mentioned, I always put in how long my rig is. Saying you have a 5th wheel is ok, but saying you have a 40' fifth wheel tells me much more.
Great resource.
RE: Steamboat Spgs. CO, to Breckinridge, CO, best route?
Best route from Steamboat Spgs, CO, to Breckinridge, CO,....CO 131 to I70 to CO 9, (Vail Pass)....or CO 40 to CO 9, (Rabbit Ears Pass) ??? 40' class A with toad.
CO 40 to CO 9, (Rabbit Ears Pass)
It is really easy,
BOL,
yeah, this is the easiest run.
you only go up over rabbit ears (which you have to do anyway) then 9 pretty much follows the blue river up.
RE: Colorado areas to spend two weeks or more
I'm a native and by FAR the best part of Colorado is the southwest corner. (the San Jaun's). Find someplace there and just work out from there.
2nd choice would be Buena Vista (lot of nice parks there), and it's pretty well central to the state. But it's not spectacular like the southwest corner is.
Geez, we just came back from 9 days on the Arkansas River in Cotopaxi, and day-tripped everywhere from Colorado Springs to Fairplay and points in between. In addition took highway 69 thru the "wet valley" coming and going from Texas. All of those mountains, the river, and the surrounding scenery, was pretty darn spectacular.
Will have to put the SW corner on our list for a future trip.
Yeah, that area is ok, but it's' just triple A ball.
big leagues: (up above Telluride, web photo, not mine, but it really does look like this all thru that area)
http://www.outdoorswallpaper.com/images/wmwallpapers/Telluride-Colorado-1.jpeg
RE: Should I be worried about an RV that is too long?
don't forget your class A license (not a CDL, but you do need more than the regular driver's license over 26,000lbs combined GVW)
you can do it, lots of people do, every day, and most of them do fine. But when it goes wrong, it's going to go wrong in a big way.
IMHO (and it's just my opinion) you need something like a 450/550 4500/5500 to tow something that size. Not for the go, but for the whoa and the control.
I appreciate what you're saying here.
I checked the Dodge site, and the 4500/5500 takes you to the commercial site, and then nothing shows up with a truck bed. Or am I missing something?
i dunno, maybe for Dodge you have to geta custom bed?????? I know you can buy Ford's F450/550's that are just pickups.
If you are in Denver go out to Christopher Dodge world (Colfax and I-70 on the west side more or less). They are an enormous volume dealer. They'll know or put in touch with the right people. (not a recommendation to buy, just to go look, if they don't have one, nobody in the area does)
RE: Colorado areas to spend two weeks or more
I'm a native and by FAR the best part of Colorado is the southwest corner. (the San Jaun's). Find someplace there and just work out from there.
2nd choice would be Buena Vista (lot of nice parks there), and it's pretty well central to the state. But it's not spectacular like the southwest corner is.
Estes Park is a touristy overcrowded overpriced mess.
RE: Should I be worried about an RV that is too long?
a 40' fifth wheel is certainly overweight for a 3500 1 ton.
:h:h:h
I am not sure what you are basing that statement on. There are TONS of 40' fivers that can be safely hauled by a 1-ton truck.... TONS! Even toy haulers - we tow a 43' toy hauler with a 1-ton Dodge dually.
No
Ok, I checked 2012 dodge's site. a 3500 (dually, they don't seem to come as SRW's in 3500 but I could have missed it) with 4.10 gears has a tow rating of 17,950lbs
most (although you are correct, not all) 40' toy haulers have GVWR's in the 18,000lb and up range ( I looked around). So, even if you do find one that's under 17,950 you are literally right on the edge.
non-toy haulers (regular 5th wheels) are worse. 40' Teton's, 24,000lbs GVW (my favorite) And I think we'll all agree that most 5th wheels on the road are overloaded.
but even if you get it under the tow rating, you are right at the edge. You are talking about a 30,000lb vehicle with hydraulic brakes and crappy electric brakes (all electric brakes are crappy).
and then you have to consider pin weight. The 3500 dually's appear to have a payload of 3000lbs. But that includes passengers and "stuff" in addition to pin weight.
don't forget your class A license (not a CDL, but you do need more than the regular driver's license over 26,000lbs combined GVW)
you can do it, lots of people do, every day, and most of them do fine. But when it goes wrong, it's going to go wrong in a big way.
IMHO (and it's just my opinion) you need something like a 450/550 4500/5500 to tow something that size. Not for the go, but for the whoa and the control.
RE: Negotiating
Watch a few episodes of "American Pickers" or "Pawn Stars" they do it all the time.
1) Learn to flinch.
The flinch is one of the oldest negotiation tactics but one of the least used. A flinch is a visible reaction to an offer or price. The objective of this negotiation tactic is to make the other people feel uncomfortable about the offer they presented.
2) Recognize that people often ask for more than they expect to get.
This means you need to resist the temptation to automatically reduce your price or offer a discount.
3) The person with the most information usually does better.
You need to learn as much about the other person's situation as possible.
4) Practice at every opportunity.
Most people hesitate to negotiate because they lack the confidence. Develop this confidence by negotiating more frequently. Ask for discounts from your suppliers. As a consumer, develop the habit of asking for a price break when you buy from a retail store. Here are a few questions or statements you can use to practice your negotiation skills:
"You'll have to do better than that."
"What kind of discount are you offering today?"
"That's too expensive." Wait for their response afterwards.
Be pleasant and persistent but not demanding. Condition yourself to negotiate at every opportunity will help you become more comfortable, confident and successful.
5) Maintain your walk away power.
Everything is worth negotiating.
this is a great post.
Also another add on.
First person to name a number loses. (watch Pawn stars, he knows what it's worth, he knows what he is willing to pay for it and he always makes the other guy name a number)
RE: Can't use shore power on GF breakers
I had an electrician wire me a new shore power outlet at my house (same thing, it was tripping the GFCI outlet)
First thing he asks is "does the motorhome have an electric fridge?"
yep
that's why.
He even said, look at your house, your entire kitchen will be GFCI except a dedicated non-GFCI circuit for your fridge.
RE: Colorado 71
straight as an arrow
rather rough, little shoulder
typical crappy over taxed, under maintained colorado state highway.
but I wouldn't hesitate to drive an RV down it
watch for farm vehicles.
probably little chance for fuel, fill up in Limon or Brush.
RE: How do you weigh the pin?
the truck stop at Ward Rd and I-70 has a scale, they can do it. ($7 or $8 IIRC) and they aren't real busy in the middle of the day.
I'm sure the truck stop at I-70 by the Purina plant (York?) has one, but that is one busy truck stop, that wouldn't be my suggestion, busy busy busy place.
There's a Loves at I-76 and hwy 52 (Hudson) that has one and there is also a Loves at I-70 at Bennett road out east. I also think there is a scale at the truck stop at I-70 and Manila road out east.
There are none south of I-70 until you are south of Colorado Springs
most rock yards can do it, but you won't get a certified number and you'll only get one number instead of each axle.
RE: RV Parks Reviews
I love that site. It's my go to site for deciding where I want to go. I don't pay all that much attention to the numbers, but as someone said "a trend" and I read every review. On bigger sites I might read back 20 or 30 reviews. The longer and more descriptive the review, the more helpful it is. It has this and that other thing but not this. To one person that's important, to another it's not, but it's helpful to know if it exists or not and what people's experience with it was.
I've not found the reviews to be off by much.
I review every place I've been. Good bad, amenities and warts, so other people can make a decision also.
I don't find pictures to be all that useful. Ever buy a house? And the realtor posts all these beautiful pictures and you get to the house and it's nothing at all like the pictures. Every see a campground website and it's got all these beautiful pictures and then you get there......................
If people take the time to go over their experiences, it adds value to my decision and my money.
I buy things online this way too. If there are 3 options and they all have reviews, I'm reading them and deciding on them that way.
the multiple reviews are to protect them from people trying to scam the system. If you are camping around, the next one you review will make them all post. It doesn't seem unreasonable.
RE: Should I be worried about an RV that is too long?
a 40' fifth wheel is certainly overweight for a 3500 1 ton.
but ignoring that for the moment.
5th wheels turn WAY better than TT's, it's effective length is really quite a bit shorter (between the overhang, etc) and you can truly jack knife it (on purpose)
You have to watch your tail swing. You can clear your obstacle and then whack the other (blind) side with the tail swinging around.
5th wheels are TALL (also gives you lots of head room)
I'm in Longmont (just north) and I've got a 45' motorhome and there have been only a few RV parks locally we haven't been able to get into. (and they clearly tell you that up front, we don't try). Make sure you tell the park people when making a reservation how big your rig is, they'll put you in the right spot.
It takes a long time to clean a bigger rig. (both inside and out) but we love that king size bed.!!!!!!
RE: Ridgway to Estes Park
550 north to montrose
50 east to Poncha Springs/285
285 north to Denver
C-470 north (not a toll road) to I-70 east to I-76 east (left lane exit) (I-76 is in BAD shape, some huge ruts, be careful, it's only about 5 miles long) you should skip most of the traffic in Denver proper.
north on I-25 to hwy 66
hwy 66 west to Lyons, road magically turns into 36 (stay on road)
to Estes Park
1 real pass (Monarch, between Gunnison and Poncha Springs), which isn't bad)
285 has two passes, but neither one is real bad, actually barely noticeable. but it's a long way down turkey creek canyon. Just watch the yellow advisory speed signs (the ones for big trucks) and you'll do fine)
all these roads are big, wide and have passing zones. easy pulls.
peak to peak highway sucks. lots of traffic, cops, etc
do NOT go thru Colorado Springs, HUGE fire there, very bad.
RE: Colorado highways
Just what are you wanting to KNOW about these routes? I don't see any of them I have not used towing my trailer and MOST of them are quite scenic. All are two lane mostly mountain roads and perfectly suited for anyone comfortable with mountain driving. IN the case of US 50 and 160, not even MUCH mountain road with each having one relatively easy pass. Watch the fires out there and keep current because new ones most every day.
this is it exactly
here's the CDOT website
http://www.cotrip.org/roadConditions.htm#
gives you the map, scroll in and out, weather conditions, camera's, closures, road construction, everything
