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Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

Long Truong said:
Whats the usage case for using the transit to tow a teardrop? I'd convert the transit into a van life rig
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I gave this some thought as well, I think (for me), if I possessed one, I'd probably pursue a hybrid approach. I'd turn the van into a shower/bathroom and a 'living room' to watch TV on rainy afternoons. The problem with large vehicles is they are too appealing. Having owned larger RVs I found myself pulling in under the tree, throwing out the slides and going back inside.

Part of the "joy" of camp inn is that it forces you to get outside while giving you an amazing place to retire for the night and a very workable galley.
 
Sweeney said:
I gave this some thought as well, I think (for me), if I possessed one, I'd probably pursue a hybrid approach. I'd turn the van into a shower/bathroom and a 'living room' to watch TV on rainy afternoons. The problem with large vehicles is they are too appealing. Having owned larger RVs I found myself pulling in under the tree, throwing out the slides and going back inside.

Part of the "joy" of camp inn is that it forces you to get outside while giving you an amazing place to retire for the night and a very workable galley.
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Amen! That’s why I sold the 36ft Class A. I’m headed to Rainbow Springs State Park just west of Ocala, FL on Sunday for a week. Another review coming!
 
Van_and_Terri said:
Amen! That’s why I sold the 36ft Class A. I’m headed to Rainbow Springs State Park just west of Ocala, FL on Sunday for a week. Another review coming!
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Looking forward to that! I have a reservation at Silver Springs in November.

If you're a movie buff, Micanopy is an interesting roadside stop. We usually stop to walk around when we're heading south. I Its the filming location for "Doc Hollywood" an early Michael J Fox film. The hospital is there -- you get a 'feel' while you're there...don't look too hard for much else (like the Mechanic shop) some of it was sets created for the film...I'd need to re-research it to recall. Sill, its a cool side trip just a couple minutes off 75....and the teardrop fit nicely unlike the class A :D
 
Sweeney said:
I gave this some thought as well, I think (for me), if I possessed one, I'd probably pursue a hybrid approach. I'd turn the van into a shower/bathroom and a 'living room' to watch TV on rainy afternoons. The problem with large vehicles is they are too appealing. Having owned larger RVs I found myself pulling in under the tree, throwing out the slides and going back inside.

Part of the "joy" of camp inn is that it forces you to get outside while giving you an amazing place to retire for the night and a very workable galley.
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I don’t camp I travel and will often be traveling up until I go to bed. Truck stops, rest areas and Walmart are my most common stops. Pull in late and get out early and no one bothers me.
 
Sweeney said:
Looking forward to that! I have a reservation at Silver Springs in November.

If you're a movie buff, Micanopy is an interesting roadside stop. We usually stop to walk around when we're heading south. I Its the filming location for "Doc Hollywood" an early Michael J Fox film. The hospital is there -- you get a 'feel' while you're there...don't look too hard for much else (like the Mechanic shop) some of it was sets created for the film...I'd need to re-research it to recall. Sill, its a cool side trip just a couple minutes off 75....and the teardrop fit nicely unlike the class A :D
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We will be at Silver Springs during the week of Thanksgiving. 1 have a few nights reserved there in October as well. It’s about 1:20 from our house. We have kayaked the Silver River a few times. Fairly swift current going upstream towards the State Park from Wrays Wayside Park located on State Route 40. Just use your paddle as a rudder when returning downstream. We have seen the wild monkeys several times, but keep our distance as they carry a nasty virus. I made a reservation for Paynes Prairie next year which is very close to Micanopy. I need to watch Doc Hollywood before we go.
 
Tour 931 said:
I don’t camp I travel and will often be traveling up until I go to bed. Truck stops, rest areas and Walmart are my most common stops. Pull in late and get out early and no one bothers me.
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I've never tried that at a rest stop --- too noisy generally, and the though of a door knock and "move along" . I'll pass on travel plazas. I frankly find that a little annoying since OTR drivers go unmolested.

I have done the Walmart stop a couple of times, also Cabelas. In both teardrop and Class A. 3am is a lot easier in the class A :) If I'm traving solo, I would continue to do this....dual is more difficult for ...reasons.

I am actually kind of surprised --- I see a business opportunity here. RV overnight parking. Simple gated access with credit card processing, then narrow sites just wide enough for an RV to park with hookups (optional of course) --- nothing more than a parking lot to stop and rest without worry of midnight door knock.

Van_and_Terri said:
We will be at Silver Springs during the week of Thanksgiving. 1 have a few nights reserved there in October as well. It’s about 1:20 from our house. We have kayaked the Silver River a few times. Fairly swift current going upstream towards the State Park from Wrays Wayside Park located on State Route 40. Just use your paddle as a rudder when returning downstream. We have seen the wild monkeys several times, but keep our distance as they carry a nasty virus. I made a reservation for Paynes Prairie next year which is very close to Micanopy. I need to watch Doc Hollywood before we go.
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You posted this earlier, that is when I looked to see if any sites were available :) We should be there on Halloween week.

I'm hoping to have Kayaks by then. I had 2 14'ers....we just had no place to store them and had to re-home them, thinking we wouldn't miss them. This was mostly true when we had to go to a place specifically for them --- the waters around me are generally blue-green algae-infested reservoirs. Now that we have the campinn, its not a special trip to some better locations.

We'll see --- lots of things to get in the way in the intervening time. The only thing we saw when we were there last was gators....so...maybe rethink the kayaks :D Those things scare me.
 
Sweeney said:
I've never tried that at a rest stop --- too noisy generally, and the though of a door knock and "move along" . I'll pass on travel plazas. I frankly find that a little annoying since OTR drivers go unmolested.

I have done the Walmart stop a couple of times, also Cabelas. In both teardrop and Class A. 3am is a lot easier in the class A :) If I'm traving solo, I would continue to do this....dual is more difficult for ...reasons.

I am actually kind of surprised --- I see a business opportunity here. RV overnight parking. Simple gated access with credit card processing, then narrow sites just wide enough for an RV to park with hookups (optional of course) --- nothing more than a parking lot to stop and rest without worry of midnight door knock.
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I’ve spent hundreds of nights at truck stops and rest areas and have never had a knock on the door.
 
Tour 931 said:
I’ve spent hundreds of nights at truck stops and rest areas and have never had a knock on the door.
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Course it helped you were in a kenworth right :D

More than the doorknock, if it did happen the worse that would likely happen is being sent on your way. For some people I know that would be bad --- takes them an hour to wake up. The family joke is "There is no Gabby, only Zuhl..." for the first hour. Me, I can function well enough to fake it. The bigger problem is that at night, I just can't see that well and I really don't feel 'safe' any more. Perhaps it is just out of practice, i haven't driven at night in probably 4 years....Suspect I'll be trying this next week though :)
 
Truck stops are not so good due to engines and reefers running all night. Rest areas are iffy: We've been chased out by the Highway Patrol, telling us to move on, this is a rest stop, not an overnight stop.
 
Lipster said:
Truck stops are not so good due to engines and reefers running all night. Rest areas are iffy: We've been chased out by the Highway Patrol, telling us to move on, this is a rest stop, not an overnight stop.
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You can't win that, but what is a "rest" by the laws of the state? I can see them getting upset if people set out furniture and awnings...I've seen that at Walmart. I just wish the law was more clear --- Parking for 3 hours maximum for example...but frankly, the same law should apply to both me AND commercial trucks. Truckers have a hard life --- I get that. But when I am traveling, I am just as tired as they are and just as dangerous.

Other thing about rest areas --- I've noticed a lof of them smell like urinals in the past couple years. Yuck fellas...that's nasty.
 
Lipster said:
Truck stops are not so good due to engines and reefers running all night. Rest areas are iffy: We've been chased out by the Highway Patrol, telling us to move on, this is a rest stop, not an overnight stop.
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I park with the cars at truck stops and rest areas. Usually there are places near the edges where you will see the smaller trucks and trailers. I bought my first teardrop in 2007 and every year have traveled in it from a high of seven months to a low of one month. I suspect three months is a good average so I bet I’ve spent 1,500 nights on the road in a teardrop.
 
Sweeney said:
You can't win that, but what is a "rest" by the laws of the state? I can see them getting upset if people set out furniture and awnings...I've seen that at Walmart. I just wish the law was more clear --- Parking for 3 hours maximum for example...but frankly, the same law should apply to both me AND commercial trucks. Truckers have a hard life --- I get that. But when I am traveling, I am just as tired as they are and just as dangerous.

Other thing about rest areas --- I've noticed a lof of them smell like urinals in the past couple years. Yuck fellas...that's nasty.
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Truckers fall into federal regulations. A lot of states impose 8 hour limits yet truckers are required to rest for 10. Other states simply say no sleeping except that does not apply to drivers with a commercial license. Not all the regulations are posted at the rest areas. Go to the state DOT website and they list all the rules and regulations.

Almost 100% of my travel has been in the western 18 states and I’m familiar with those states. Now that I live east of the Mississippi I’ll have to become familiar with the rest of the states.
 
Tour 931 said:
Truckers fall into federal regulations. A lot of states impose 8 hour limits yet truckers are required to rest for 10. Other states simply say no sleeping except that does not apply to drivers with a commercial license. Not all the regulations are posted at the rest areas. Go to the state DOT website and they list all the rules and regulations.

Almost 100% of my travel has been in the western 18 states and I’m familiar with those states. Now that I live east of the Mississippi I’ll have to become familiar with the rest of the states.
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There's the answer --- get a CDL with a sign on the door "Commercial Driver" I know what the laws are (more or less - if take a lawyer's mind to understand the hours in service regulation) -- I just think that passenger (and RV/Trailer by extension) get a raw deal. I should be able to stop and sleep if I'm dangerous. I CERTAINLY understand restricting 'camping' --- the folks at Walmart with their awnings out, furniture, grills...yah. No.
 
Sweeney said:
There's the answer --- get a CDL with a sign on the door "Commercial Driver" I know what the laws are (more or less - if take a lawyer's mind to understand the hours in service regulation) -- I just think that passenger (and RV/Trailer by extension) get a raw deal. I should be able to stop and sleep if I'm dangerous. I CERTAINLY understand restricting 'camping' --- the folks at Walmart with their awnings out, furniture, grills...yah. No.
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I think the log books are based on a high school level and you can learn to keep a log book with 8 hours training.
Log books now are generated from your truck and satellite. Everything is recorded -speed, gear, windshield wiper usage, turn signals even the volume of the radio. We use to joke and say you can’t even fart without the feds knowing it.
 
Hoosier Spring Gathering is this weekend --- I'm sad to say many have 'upgraded" --- there are a couple of teardrop(ish) trailers...canned hams, and a LoHi....but not what the group used to be. I suspect many getting older wanted bigger to be 'easier.'

But, I"m here, on a Thursday for a long weekend. Its quiet tonight. My bride will join me tomorrow, so until then I'm just going to try to relax and perhaps do some paperwork that I've been trying to do for 2 months.

Tonight, I may light the solostove and enjoy an evening here or go inside and watch an episode of Better Call Saul, or an episode of Longmire....a show that ended far too soon.

Lastly, here's the new rig -- I want to build a plywood shelf system to put in the back --- fold the seat down and make a semi-permanent storage system just for camping gear. Grill, Generator, Toilet, Tents, and chairs. That way I can keep packed and ready to go on short notice without a panic to gather all the bits and bobs.

I wanted a van --- but the prices are just too high. MAYBE if sanity returns I'll get what I REALLY want....but until then this should do. It's in pretty good shape --- needs some minor rust remediation on the fenders under the plastic on the drivers side on the rear wheel. But its mostly rust free...the frame certainly is 100% clean. Its amazing how differently they built cars just 25 years ago.

I had the front steering and suspension, as well as the rear springs/shocks redone --- so it drives like a "new" jeep --- in 1998.

The teardop is slightly taller than the Cherokee --- but it still tows beautifully. I think this will be a great addition to our camping routine.

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