RE: New England Trip
As someone else posted, if you have never seen Boston try to include it. It is not just a big city, it is an American history wonderland. Don't even try to drive downtown, catch the subway in a suburb. The subway makes it easy to get anywhere. I have made two trips there and am going back as soon as possible.
Now you tell us about the subway! ;) We drove into Boston but it wasn't that bad. We found parking in a parking garage and walked the Freedom Trail.
Utahtea
RE: New England Trip
I have not stayed at this campground but it does get good reviews on rvparkreviews dot com. If you have a chance of a camping spot in the Stowe area on Columbus Day weekend GRAB IT. This is one of the most scenic areas in VT. Be sure to take your toad and travel route 108 through Smuggler's Notch, you will not be disappointed. After your stay in Stowe take route 100 south it will afford you the best opportunity for foliage viewing. Another must is Quechee Gorge near White River Junction.
Safe travels,
Brenda
We took your advise and made reservations for the weekend. I wanted to report back incase someone else wants to know about the Goldbrook Campground. We arrived on Monday and we were very happy with the campground. The campground is in a beauitful setting. We have a campsite with a great view and full hookups. For the weekend we were going to have to move to a spot closer to the road and without sewer or cable, but someone cancelled and they let us change to the full hook up spot. We will have to move tomorrow down two spots, but that's fine considering we waited so late to make reservations for the Columbus Day weekend. We will have the same great view.
We are hoping to do Hwy 100 south on Saturday. We've already done Smuggler's Notch twice. We stopped at the Trapp Family Lodge this evening...WOW..what a VIEW!
Utahtea
RE: New England Trip
You can take the CAT from Bar Harbor to NS, leave the rv behind- walk on or take your car for a day trip-or overnight. 3 hrs on the CAT each way- so bring those passports!!!!!
We looked into taking the CAT for the day and found out from a local person that going though customs takes almost 3 hours so you have only a very short time on Nova Scotia and we didn't want to spend the night away from the RV.
RE: New England Trip
We are in Twin Mountain, New Hampshire right now. Can you say RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. They say that color is peak right now and it is beautiful, but would love a couple days in a row of nice weather.
Quick count. Had lobster 5 times! WOOT! First time we ate out and the last 4 times I had lobster boiled at a Lobster shake right across from our campground on Bar Harbor. YUM!
We saw 4 moose in the two weeks we were in Maine. Two in the Moosehead Lake area and a mom and her baby ran right in front of us crossing the road south of Rangeley!
My question now is about Vermont. We are heading there on Monday and we've had two couples recommend Gold Brook Campground in Stowe, Vermont. I called and they have a water and electric site for the Columbus day weekend. Anyone ever stay there or can you recommend a campground in that general area?
Utahtea
RE: New England Trip
if I understand your route, you plan to head north from DE area??(If you are south of Baltimore, you cannot go through I 95 tunnel (McHenry) You definitely want to avoid 95 in the NY area, traffic and road conditions are awful. May I suggest this: I95 cross DE Memorial Br-to NJTP- to exit 10-to 287N-to NY 87 Thruway. From there you can pick up Rt 7 (VT 9) at Troy. Bennington area is great, in southern VT. From there you can head north in VT-cross into NH - then continue east to Maine.
Problem with this route, if I'm reading it correctly, is we would miss Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusettes. We have the time and want to visit these states too.
I know a few have suggested doing the trip in reverse but we want to be in Maine, New Hampshire & Vermont for the fall color which I thought was anywhere from late September to mid October. So, that's why I want to do the coastal states first in late August to mid to late september and then move inland.
If I'm wrong about the timing, please let me know. We do want to start heading home to California in mid-October.
Utahtea
RE: West yellowstone to Bryce canyon
After SLC head down I-15 and exit at Scipio to Hwy 50. Then take Hwy 24 south to Torrey, Utah and 11 miles farther is Capitol Reef National Park. The Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef is a beautiful shady campground that we love to stay in. It's first come, first serve and no hook ups. If you have to have hook ups, stay in Torrey. Capitol Reef is worth a couple days of exploring.
From Capitol Reef take scenic Hwy 12 down to Bryce Canyon.
After Bryce you might consider Zion National Park and the North and South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
RE: New England Trip
Lot’s of great suggestions – a couple of things to remember – Traffic near the cities – rush hour – small narrow roads in the country. Surprising to me that I have seen very little about New York – places everyone should see – Upstate is just Beautiful -- Finger Lakes – Great Lakes – Lake Placid – Adirondacks – Sarasota Springs – Catskills -- New York City, yes come into town and see the city, it’s just like a National Park.
IMHO the state of New York is one of the most beautiful areas of the country, the issue is so few really get to experience the wild and beautiful areas that are available – one of the problems is the number of quality camp sites – they are around, just takes a little effort to find the good ones. One other thing I would second, is the thought of reversing the trip, get north and just sort of bump your way down, following the leaves and the Fall colors. Earlier this year (Spring) I had the pleasure of driving up to Sarasota Springs and it was a truly a beautiful spring drive that rivals anything I have ever seen out West.
If you come into Maryland I might suggest Rocky Gap State Park – Sunsets to die for, right off I-70, little lake, golf course and a great place to just get your wit’s before you enter, or after you leave the crazy Mid Atlantic.
One last thing to try to capture this trip or the next one might see the Blue Ridge Mountains and Ashville and the rest of the wildest parts of North and South Carolina – Have you thought about leaving the Coach out here for a week or two and flying home, seeing the grand kids, then coming back to finish the trip. We have done this often when we are in the Coach and need a Kid fix – saves a lot of time and money, not to speak of allowing us to extend our trips on the other side of the country.
Enjoy the trip and best of luck, so much to see on the other sides of the country,
We plan to spend some time in New York. Haven't decided on NYC yet..it's a maybe. We were going to try for the Statue of Liberty but then the 354 steps would be a killer on my DH's knees. We will spend some time in upstate NY for sure.
We've done the south before so this time we are concentrating on the New England States and W. Virgina since it got missed before.
My DH hates to fly so I don't see us flying home to see Grandson. Besides November has a lot of family birthdays and Thanksgiving. My Dad recently passed away and I don't want my Mom home alone on her birthday which is mid November. There's always next time.
Utahtea
RE: New England Trip
No kidding, I grew up in Omaha and still have an Aunt & Uncle there as well.
I've done the drive from the Bay Area to Omaha 4 times now, and countless trips with my parents growing up (trips to Colorado/Wyoming)
It's the fastest route, but so darned boring.
We just did half the trip to Omaha this year. Rather than I80, took HWY120 (thorough Yosemite) and then HWY6 across Nevada & Utah, on up to SLC. As far as the rest of the way to Omaha, I70 across the Colorado Rockies, then I76 connecting to HWY across Nebraska. Yes, it's slower, so if you're needing to make time, gotta take I80.
While your in Omaha, grab a burger at one of the Don & Millie's, Omaha's equivalent to In-N-Out. I believe there are about 6 in Omaha.
My Aunt and Uncle just recently moved to Omaha from S. California to be near their son and family, so we've never been there before.
I love driving over Tioga pass and taking Hwy 6 or Hwy 50 though Nevada. There's hardly a major road that we haven't been on in Nevada. If there wasn't half a chance that we were coming home on I-70, we'd probably take it going out.
Utahtea
RE: New England Trip
Okay -- then another alternative to miss Chicago (nightmare traffic and construction, and buncha toll stops that are short-distance stop and goes) don't know why they don't just toll the exits and let you drive)
Drive Minnesota and go into Canada, cross above the G Lakes, and back into USA at Buffalo NY. We did that last time, and it was a great side excursion ... YOU NEED PASSPORTS ...
IT's been years since I drove Chicago, and am guessing it's still a hassle - but any decision to miss it will be a good one regardless. IT's not just Chicago either, that's just the center, it runs for hundreds of miles and miles miles and miles before and after especially driving an Allegro ...
And, that trip back thru WV etc - try the BRM then -- it's a Not2Miss drive, and although winding and narrow, MH can easily do it ... it's probably one of the most scenic drives east of the Mississippi... good luck with it all - Matter of fact, I'm doing hte reverse of that trip beginning in August and eventually passing thru (or around) SF as well ... on the way south along the coastal areas....
Just talked to DH and we have decided to forget Minnosota this time because we've been there before and we will concentrate on the states we haven't been to. SO, I was thinking that after Omaha, we'd stay on I-80 driving though Iowa since we've been all around this state but never in it, then drop down on I-74 to Indianapolis and pick up I-70 there. We've been close enough to Chicago to know we don't want to drive near it!
RE: New England Trip
Having done the coast to coast trip numerous times, I recommend you travel on I-70 rather than I-80 or I-90 ... when you get anywhere near Chicago, you'll have traffic nightmares all the way past Buffalo NY... So, one side-trip worth the effort is I-70 into Virginia, then hit the Blue Ridge Parkway and take it north ... some scenery you don't want to miss - especially the Skyline Drive - and BRP has camping all along it. You come out in Pa, and then go north to pick up either I-80 or I-90 then and head into NE ... If you want specifics of that route, you're welcome to PM me -- I lived in CA for years and traveled from CA to NE many many times.
If you don't want BRP, then take I-81 north instead ... but no matter what you choose, I recommend you stay off I-95 above NY City coming into NE ...
I have an Aunt and Uncle in Omaha, Nebraska that I want to see so from California we will probably take I-80 at least this far. I know how boring it is in Wyoming, but we've never taken it all the though Nebraska. Depending on when we leave in August, we might even go up to Minnesota. We did the Lake Superior coast a few years back but didn't get up that far north as Grand Portage. If we do this we'd come back south though Michigan. But we haven't decided yet.
If we don't then I'm open to route suggestions. I have a friend in Kenwood Beach Maryland that I want to see before we start our adventure thought the New England States. I am totally open for suggestions from here on out!
On the way home I want to stop drive though West Virginia. (Long story, short...we were suppose to do this back in 1990 but missed the highway signs due to a big rig in front of us and end up in Ohio instead) I also want to stop in St. Louis to see my neice. Depending on how much time we have left, we will decide at this point to come home either on I-70 or drop down to visit other friends in Texas and come back on I-40. BTW, we're in Northern California.
RE: New England Trip
Hmmm. We're from Maine. We have never seen a live moose here, other than a penned-in one at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. Just deceased ones on the side of the road. We had to get out to Yellowstone and GTNP in June to see one, so don't get your hopes up too high! Just pray that you don't see one on the hood of your car. :(
No moose in Maine! Really? What a bummer. No moose, even in the Baxter State Park and Moose Lake areas? I thought they were everywhere and a pest to residents.
The last two times we were in Yellowstone (06 & 08) we didn't see any moose in Yellowstone and only saw moose at the Grand Tetons in 06.
RE: New England Trip
Since you're looking for more natural settings, have you considered touring a bit in Canada, such as Nova Scotia? In our 2005 three week trip to New England, we cut short our New England portion by 5 days and spent that time in Nova Scotia, and wish we had a bit more time up there, especially Cape Breton and Fortress Louisbourg, as well as the Bay of Fundy on the way up.
Granted, if you don't have passports, it's too late for this suggestion to work.
Well, our summer plans that got cancelled were to the Canadian Rockies so we have brand new passports that we are just itching to use! I would love to get to Nova Scotia if we can. My Grandfather came from Russia to Nova Scotia when he was a young man. Thanks for the suggestions!
RE: New England Trip
WOW..thank you all for your post! I've got to get a spread sheet going with all these places and ideas!
I figured Labor Day weekend would be bad, but hadn't given Columbus day much thought because not many people get it off here in California any longer...but now that you mention it...I can see why it would be big in the east!
We will probably start heading home about mid-October. To the person who suggested another month...well...I can only stand being away from my grandson for only so long! ;) Besides, we have to leave something for our next trip out this way.
New England Trip
Our summer plans got canceled so now we've decided to finally take the trip to the New England states. We will be leaving California in mid to late August and want to get home by the end of October. We will have about a month to spend in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey and will be traveling in our 30 foot motorhome and towing our Jeep Liberty. We are thinking about spending the majority of the time in Maine, NH and Vermont and would like to be there for the fall colors.
We like scenery, waterfalls, views, and history. I love moose and puffins! We like to do short hikes of up to three miles. We aren't into big cities, shopping or eating out but do want one lobster dinner (probably in Maine).
We don’t always have to have hook ups, but will want some private campgrounds or state campgrounds that have hook ups.
The plan is to drive east visiting a few family members on the way until we hit Maryland (have a friend there) and then starting in Delware work our way up the coast and then when we reach Maine, go inland and come back down though West Virginia before heading home.
With all this in mind, what are the must sees in each of these states? What would be a good itinerary or route? What are some good campgrounds to stay at? We would rather not have to make reservations...are we out of our minds?
Thanks in advance,
RE: What's the oldest item you use with your RV?
A food slicer that was my Grandmothers and she died in 1950. I'd bet she had it for years. I also have a coffee pot that was my husband's Grandmothers and probably as old or older than the food slicer.
RE: Popup camping in Yellowstone
They say you can't leave any food items or items like toothpaste that smell in the pop-up. You have to put them in the bear containers, but they don't have that many bear containers around!
If you know your dates, I'd recommend making reservations. If you don't know your dates, then call as soon as you get near to make sure they have a space available.
RE: What not to miss at Bryce Canyon and Zion for short trip?
My favorite place to be for sunset in Zion is the Watchman campground to see the sunset on Watchman. It glows red towards the end. Watchman campground is also a good place to be for sunrise too!
The Pa'rus Trail which you can access from South campground is a nice level hike for early morning and late evening. You can go as far as you want or go all the way to the bridge and then ride the shuttles back to the visitor center which is right next to Watchman campground. The Riverside walk is an easy 2 mile round trip hike but not really good for sunset or sunrise because you are in a pretty narrow canyon.
Utahtea
RE: tire blow out
just the other day I saw pieces of tire on the interstate, then a family with travel trailer assesing the damage on the side of the road about a half mile down the road. First thing that came to mind for me was I wondered if they took time to inspect the tires and pressure for each before towing. I am thinking of getting a gasoline fueled air compressor as a permanent attachment to my tow vehicle.
We not only had our tires rotated and checked by Big O before we left on our trip, DH also monitors tires by keeping records of tread wear and tread depth in a little book. This guy is obsessed with tires and their pressure. I don't know how many of the tires on our suburban and old motorhome he noticed had a small bulge in them that even the people at Big O couldn't detect before they replaced them.
Anyways on this one trip it was our first day on the road, we had stopped at a rest area after driving a little over 200 miles and as usual, DH had just checked the tires. We took off heading for Bakersfield, California on Hwy 58 which is a 2 lane highway and we hadn't gone 20 miles before one of the rear suburban tires blew and DH lost control when the trailer swerved on to the sandy shoulder. We were so lucky that no one was coming because we ended up jack knifing in the middle of Hwy 58 and totalling the trailer and doing a lot of damage to our suburban. BTW, I called this the trip to hell and back. We spent 12 hours going 450 miles only to end up back home. We collected the propane tank that went flying across the road and duct taped up the trailer and limped home.
If a blow out can happen to DH, it can happen to anyone!
RE: Campgrounds aground Yellowstone
We like Madison for location inside the park, but you will want to call and make see if they have any sites large enough available for your dates and then make reservations.
RE: Captial Reef - Fruita CG
The pies are $5 and are plenty big enough for two
Small eater. Some of us consider those pies as mere appetizers. :)
Half a pie or whole pie..they are GOOD!
