RE: Fort Wilkins State Park, MI
I agree with you, DennisH. A lot of the lower penninsula state parks have had some bad experiences - rowdyness, overcrowding, noisy. But Fort Wilkins is truly one of the nicest I've stayed in. And the fact that it's 600 miles from Detroit makes it that much more so. It's the kind of location that people only get to every so often, which, along with the scenery, makes it a special destination. And if you somehow were able to move it 550 miles closer to Detroit, it would be just another metro area campground.
RE: RV Parks - Florida West Coast
If your going to pay your money for warm weather you have to get south of Tampa, north Florida you get below freezing at nights,I want warm weather is what I pay mine for, so I go south. the main part of Florida is 400 miles long so big change from the top to the bottom, and that's not counting the keys.Maybe a max of 5 nights a winter and then during the day, it climbs right back into the 70s. We live a 100 miles north of Tampa and I can't see paying a $400 to $600 a month price difference south of Tampa, for those 5 nights myself.
Exactly right, Texan. We spent two winters in north and northwest Florida, and I can count on one hand (with a finger or two left over) the number of times it went below freezing - and that's for both years combined. In addition, IF it drops down into the 30's, it usually occurs between 4 and 6 in the morning, and then starts warming up. By the time the sun is up, around 8 AM, the temps are up into the 50's or 60's, and heading towards the 70's. Trust me, "COLD" in Florida is springtime weather in any of the northern states. And the bonus is, all the people that aren't happy unless it's in the 80's or 90's are way down south, sitting in congested traffic, so we hardier snowbirds are driving around at posted speeds! :B
RE: Grandparents missing - Destin 5th Wheel rental
I would also consider the cabin rental. These are park models, and they are beautiful, nicely landscaped and in their own section. Seems to me they were about $700 per week. I would think that if you even found an RV dealer that would rent a fifth wheel, after paying the rental, transportation, cleaning fees, insurance, and any other miscellaneous fees, the cost would be even higher than that.
RE: Storing RV at Michigan State Park Campground
Michigan has a new program this year. You can store your RV for up to two weeks at a state park campground for free. They are trying to entice people to camp multiple times up north without hauling your unit back and forth.
I think it's something that would work for a few people, but only those few that want to make several short trips to the same location over a two week period. Most people want to stay the whole time, or move on to other locales. It's also a good indicator of just how empty the state campgrounds have been. If Michigan is trying to entice people back to the state park campgrounds, they might consider cutting back on some of the charges that they have added or increased lately. That's the cause of most of the complaints that I hear.
RE: Sandy Oaks RV Resort
Beerman (love that user name), I would suspect that the hum is only part of it. Some people feel that the electromagnetic field around power lines is a health hazard, while others feel that the falling lines during a wind storm is a REAL BAD health hazard, and some just feel that the lines are not aesthetically pleasing to look at. If everything else is as you like it, I think the presence of power lines would be way down the list of priorities (unless you're purchasing the property as opposed to renting it for a few months).
RE: Cross Country Trip-Are these good CGs or should I Avoid?
You have a winner with Audubon Point south of Memphis. Nice wide paved roads for easy manuevering, long wide paved pull thru sites, great cable TV and Wi-Fi at each site, and the biggest, cleanest showers/washrooms you'll ever use. They have a store, propane, pool, activity room, new facility, and easy in / easy out. We've stayed there several times now.
RE: Too Hot
I don't think going north will get you to cool weather, unless you're willing to travel to the far north, like northern Canada, but it WILL get you away from the continuous hot, humid weather that you experience in Florida. Here in Michigan, we have had temps in the high 80's for a while, but today it will only get into the 70's. So, it gets hot here, but only for relatively short periods of time.....then it gets broken up by cooler weather. Next week it could be in the 90's for several days, but then drop back down again.
I am thinking the U.P. on Lake Superior should be really nice right now.
Yep, typically a little cooler there. However, two years ago we were up there in Baraga and Copper Harbor, and it was in the 90's every day for two weeks straight, and so muggy you could grab air by the handful. Again, it still gets hot and humid, but just not for the whole summer without any letup. It is better than Florida, during the summer, and Louisiana too, I bet.
RE: Too Hot
I don't think going north will get you to cool weather, unless you're willing to travel to the far north, like northern Canada, but it WILL get you away from the continuous hot, humid weather that you experience in Florida. Here in Michigan, we have had temps in the high 80's for a while, but today it will only get into the 70's. So, it gets hot here, but only for relatively short periods of time.....then it gets broken up by cooler weather. Next week it could be in the 90's for several days, but then drop back down again.
RE: Ahhhh---man!!!
Couldn't you close the deal on the 5er and then pay a small hold fee to the dealer until you picked it up?
That's what I did on my last purchase. They agreed to hold it for two weeks for free. Or, you could probably find out if one of the employees of the dealership has a suitable TV, and hire him to tow it to your storage location until your truck comes in. I wouldn't let a good deal get away without a fight! :B
RE: Campgrounds turning away business
The funny thing is these CG's want to complain if we stay overnight at Walmart, but they don't want us overnight! I can see their side to a point, but you would think when you're talking about one night within a week of the call, they would be able to make the call on availability.
This is an excellent point. If these campgrounds want to keep their business from going to the nearest Walmart lot, they had better start reserving a few sites for overnight stays.
RE: Port Aransas Texas campgrounds??
The folks having had problems with Gulf Waters should go to RVParkreviews.com and post your experiences. They have very high ratings, and we almost reserved there, but these are the things we like to know about before we book a site.
RE: Sandy Oaks RV Resort
I don't know if you are familiar with RV Park Reviews but if you click on this site, then click on Florida, then click on Beverly Hills, you'll find three reviews with some info as well.
RE: Anyone have a crystal ball? I need opinions
Well, just a few other ideas for you to consider:
First, if Fleetwood goes under, like another already said, you should still get service to most of the individual components. Also, the warranty period isn't that long, and the stuff that goes out usually isn't covered by warranty anyhow. :B At least not in my case!
Second, I don't see the RV industry collapsing, just changing. Already a friend who sells RV's said they are giving top dollar to towables on trade in, and very little on motorhomes. You'll probably see more class B's and C's developed over the next few years getting better gas mileage, but maybe less demand for class A's.
Third, if you're concerned about gas going to $10 per gallon, you might consider a towable instead. That way you can park it and leave it if you wish, but still have the use of the tow vehicle with better gas mileage while it's not towing the trailer.
Finally, as someone else touched upon, if you're not absolutely certain, then maybe it's not the right decision right now. Don't jump into something just because of the rebate. It sounds like maybe there is some more thinking and discussion that needs to take place. And since people are citing quotations, here's one: Buy in haste, repent in leisure. I don't know who said that, but it's kept me from more than one instance of buyers remorse!
RE: Where could we ride our Seadoo in the Rio Grande Valley?
I am from South Texas. I would not attempt to ride your Sea Doo at Falcon Lake. In contrast to the previous poster, I would not attempt to ride that lake. We went fishing there on 20 foot bowrider one time and pulled up more garbage from the bottom than fish. The lake (as well as Laredo) is also a "hot spot" for drugs and other illegal activities.
As far as the Rio Grande River, in most places there is usually not enough water in the Rio Grande to float a boat, hence the "ease" of illegal aliens coming and going from one country to another.
You might try Lake Corpus Christi or Choke Canyon, but these lakes are a bit further north. Both of these lakes are decent.
These two lakes or the ocean/bay is about your only choice. I have no experience with putting a SeaDoo in the ocean as we keep ours fresh water only.
Wow. Just goes to show, you can't go on appearances. The lake looked nice, as was the park, but we didn't boat there so have no first hand knowledge. I would defer to moparmaga2's information as it comes from someone who knows the area.
RE: CG's in LA or MS?
I would second Tickfaw State Park. It's just a couple of miles south of I-12, just west of I-55, and has water and electric, plus nice restrooms/showers. I can't remember what we paid last winter, but we stayed one night for either $12 or $16. Well worth the cost - clean, well maintained, very nice. Call and ask the rangers for directions before you exit I-12.
RE: Where could we ride our Seadoo in the Rio Grande Valley?
We spent part of last winter in the RGV, and one of the reasons we didn't like it much was the lack of lakes, streams and recreation areas. However, besides the South Padre Island area, one spot you can check out for PWC usage is Falcon State Park, about an hour and a half west of the Mission, McAllen, Pharr area (approximately midway between Mission and Laredo). It was beautiful, and our only regret was that we didn't find it sooner in our stay. Beautiful campground, great fishing/boating area (a manmade lake created by a dam across the Rio Grande River), great birdwatching, nice all-around outdoor enjoyment park.
RE: First Time Snowbird
After our first winter down south, we found that the rule of thumb is to pack the clothes we think we'll need, then leave half of them behind. We've run into very few people who didn't say that they packed too many clothes. A light weight jacket that is waterproof (you'll see more rainy weather than cold weather) is probably all you'll need down there other than spring/summer clothes. HOWEVER, depending on when you're heading down there, and coming back, be prepared for the possibility of snow, ice storms, or whatever during the trip. We always take a jacket with a zip-out lining that will double for really cold temps, as well as gloves, hat and boots. All of that, except for the jacket shell, goes into a storage place until time to make the trip back, and then it gets placed in an easily accessible location, just in case.
RE: RV Parks - Florida West Coast
tatest gives a great description of the Gulf coast. And we did the same thing that Robare did - traveling around until we found what suited us the best. Here are a few things that I would mention:
Traffic is great from Spring Hill north, but you will find that the coastal area is marshy with few beaches. The good beaches start around Tarpon Springs and south from there, but the traffic and congestion gets worse as well, and gets even worse the further south you go. Staying in one spot for the whole winter tends to be cheaper because you get the long-term rates, but then you don't get to see as much of the state. You may want to consider staying for one month at each of several different RV parks. That way you'll get the discounted monthly rate, and you'll still be able to see several different areas during the winter. You can do some exploring with the toad in each of the areas you stay in to gather more information about a particular locale. Also, as stated by others, temps in the northern part of the state tend to be cooler, but that's a relative thing. To us, being from Michigan, 50's at night never bothered us, nor did temps in the 70's during the day, and we actually found that to be our ideal temperature range :C , but many folks find that too cool for them, so they head to Tampa and south. Also, if cost is a consideration, the further inland you go, the less expensive as well. Click on this link to check out some Florida Campgrounds with Websites and start searching by city. Make your reservations soon too, because they fill up fast - especially for the stays of a month or longer. Have fun.
