RE: Marble Quarry RV Park - Columbia, CA
Helpful review; Marble Quarry is one of only two games in town, and happens to be an upcoming stop for us. Parrott's Ferry Road is little twisty, but OK for most rigs. Which site were you in?
BTW, it's Columbia State Historic Park, not Columbia National Park. :)
RE: Chaco Culture NHM road to CG- ok for a TT?
http://www.nps.gov/chcu/planyourvisit/directions.htm
Up to you; the road is gravel, very dusty, rough, and about 16 miles long, IIRC. When the road is graded, the tracks of the grader (following the blade) add the "washboard" effect which shakes and rattles the rig; I don't know how it would be with a trailer, but I'd make sure that the connections between it and your tow vehicle are tight! :B
RE: western trip
The first stop to trip planning in any national park is the specific park's website; there is a LOT of information offered of all aspects of visiting a park, and almost every question that visitors might come up with is usually answered in the site's content. Here's the DV site; substitute "yose" and "seki" after the .gov/ for Yosemite and Sequoia/Kings Canyon:
http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm
RE: Fort Bragg, ca - Highway 1 north to 101?
I agree with those who advise taking 20 out of Ft. Bragg over to 101; the stretch of 101 from Westport (13 miles north of Fr. Bragg) to Leggett is 28 miles of *narrow*, i.e., about a lane and a half in most places, very curvy roadway, with a poorly-maintained surface, and with many ups and downs. In addition, the redwood (and other) trees are often right at the lane edge, and/or one is pinched against a bank when making a corner.
Take 20!
RE: Question on Grapevine vs Hwy 101
"I would not recommend 101 north of Paso Robles to Monterrey. IT will take hours to go the short distance."
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? 101 doesn't go to Monterey. You may be thinking of Hwy. 1, and in that case, to get from Paso Robles to Monterey, one would leave 101 at Paso, take 46 west to 1, then head up to Carmel/Monterey through Big Sur.
RE: San Francisco, Anyone?
"What about Half Moon Bay or Santa Cruz?"
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Staying in Half Moon Bay - and there are very limited options - and traveling to SF requires driving up Hwy. 1, then up Skyline, through the top of the park, then into the city; it can be a pretty drive if it's not fogged in, but it can also be a long, tedious, heavily-trafficked drive. Or, one has to drive over Hwy. 92, catch 280, and head into the city over 19th Ave.; this is another long, slow, trafficky trip.
Santa Cruz itself has virtually no place to stay; there is a place in Scotts Valley, and a couple up Hwy. 9 in Felton, the "Costanoan" KOA up the coast, and a "few" state parks in the general area; good luck getting into any of these in the summer. And, the commute up to SF is a long one.
As much as I am not a fan of KOAs, I agree with the other posters that, if one's primary objective is to visit the city, the KOA in Petaluma is a good option; they offer tours of the places that most tourists want to see in SF, and the visitor doesn't need to hassle parking.
RE: Slab City and California Desert - Best Time Through?
:h I'm mystified at the comment that Slab City should be on an RVer's "must-visit" list; WHY? Well, perhaps, if one's idea of a prime travel attraction is a landfill-cum-homeless encampment, but, otherwise, IMHO, a visit to the Slabs is about as appealing as a root canal. YMMV.
RE: Rt 9 West from Saratoga, CA
Big Basin Way (Hwy. 9) is narrow and curvy with trees very close to the edge of the road in many places; it's not an easy ride for a 40' 5th wheel. And, although you didn't mention the location of the possible workkamping job, if it's "Saratoga Springs RV Resort", you might want to check the place out carefully (as one would any place) before committing.
RE: El Centro - Brawley - Occotilla Wells
"Heading south on Hwy 86/78 turn left at the new signal, signage says Fredericks RD Hwy 78"
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So, this route takes one to Hwy.111 and south to I-8?
RE: El Centro - Brawley - Occotilla Wells
The bypass was supposed to open to traffic in November, according to this article:
http://articles.ivpressonline.com/2012-10-15/completion_34506004
Since I need to get from Hwy 86 to I-8 in a couple of months by whichever route is quickest/most direct/least hassle, this topic is of interest!
Hopefully, someone with up-to-date information as to whether the bypass is really open will respond!
RE: How long is 30 feet? Need California help
This page contains a list (scroll down) of CA state parks which offer camping; each park is *unique*, not only in general environment, types of camping allowed, level of maintenance and facilities, number of onsite personnel, and degree of crowding, but in *campsite size* and ease of interior road access. Not "harping on the negative" at all, but making sweeping generalizations about vehicle fit in CA state parks is pointless.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/ParkIndex/
RE: How long is 30 feet? Need California help
"bikendan" is right; it's rare to find anybody home at all to answer the phone at a CA state park, let alone to connect with a speaking human who is able to offer accurate information! Maybe, back in the day, it may have been feasible to rely on this service at a CA state park, but that was then; this is now.
RE: Mountain Directory West - recommended?
The MD is an essential reference for traveling in the western states in a "large" vehicle. If one never leaves the *freeway*, no, don't bother; otherwise, the resource is very valuable!
The prices on the MD website are essentially the same as what Amazon used to list:
https://www.mountaindirectory.com/mtnshop/
(MD publishes an eastern edition, too; this is also an excellent reference.)
RE: San Jose to Reno over Hwy. 80
I just checked the CA DOT site for current I-80 information between Sacramento and Reno; here's the link:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi
RE: Crossing the Golden Gate going north
Weight restrictions on 85 pertain to commercial vehicles, not to RVs; take 85 to 280 north and exit on 19th Ave. Stay in the "middle lane", i.e., NOT THE CURB LANE, on 19th through the park and onto the GG. Stay in the *right* lane on the bridge. Take your time, avoid heaviest commute times (although 19th is always "busy"), and pay attention to staying within the somewhat narrow, curvy lanes through the park.
RE: What do you think are the best RV class C manufacturers
catlover25, if you want a high-quality used rig, you might want to subscribe to the Life with a Lazy Daze RV message board and check out the "For Sale" listings of pre-loved Lazy Daze rigs.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/lifewithalazydazerv/
Subscribe, then go to Files (at page left of the board's home page) link, then the Buying and Selling folder, and scroll through; there are quite a few rigs for sale now.
RE: GPS warning
"mockturtle" said: "Since I travel alone now, I tried out a GPS to see if I liked it. I didn't. Its information is sometimes inaccurate in places I travel, the voice annoyed me no end and I found myself looking at the screen too often instead if the road. I've been a map person/navigator all my adult life and will stick to what works for me."
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Ditto on all counts!
