Opinions for maiden voyage?

schab3ng3l · 08-31-2015, 01:03 PM

Where did you go for your maiden voyage? We are going to camp in our drive way then my parents land which is 5 miles away to see waht we need and forget so we aren't to far. But how far should we go for our first voyage which is in October. What did you do? What is the top five or ten things I can't forget? What is the best place to travel to in the west in October? We will have a week to ten days. I would love a nice quiet place off the ocean but my husband wants to go to San Diego which is 5 hours from us. Thansk for all and any opinions and answers!

Carleen · 08-31-2015, 01:11 PM

A good toolbox helps! Went without one on my first trip and needed a wrench to tighten the hot water tank plug- one of those nasty little nylon ones. Had to deal with a leaking hot water tank the whole time. Now I keep one in the trailer all the time for on-the-road repairs that are often needed.

Hattie · 08-31-2015, 01:25 PM

Take a couple of shake-down trips so you can 'test' dry camping, full-hookup camping, and towing over tough roads. Don't know where you are in "The Valley", but in October we stayed at San Luis Reservoir (Basalt Flats) near Los Banos and it was great for dry camping. Not sure which part of the coast you are thinking about but remember the further north - the cooler the temps. My DH took a week-long workshop in Irwindale so we did the Grapevine and stayed in San Dimas at the East Shore RV Park for 9 days with full hookups and really enjoyed it (I was park-bound 8-6 while he was in class); we also stayed at a Good Sam with elec/water hook-up in Stockton for two more classes - inside a gated area with campsites on the delta, also very nice and different yet again. Think also about going someplace new and interesting, like Columbia State Park off of Highway 49.

schab3ng3l · 08-31-2015, 02:14 PM

Hattie,
Thanks so much for the information!
We live in the Phoenix valley of AZ. I forget so many other valleys exist in the surrounding areas alone not to mention the nation! California is one of my favorite places to visit and I have so much to look into!
Have you ever camped at arroyo seco around the monterey bay area? Or San Siemon around Hearst Castle? those are the only open options for thanksgiving. There is a open beach option for thanksgiving called San Onofre but there is a nuclear station next to it so I'm pretty hesitant to stay there.
thanks for all the information!

Hattie · 08-31-2015, 03:19 PM

~ San Simeon would be great fun - Hearst Castle is interesting (not so much for a little one).
~ San Onofre is safe, just not the best view.
~ Monterey area, If there are openings, gets my vote - it is wonderful, there is a Dennis the Menace Park, the fantastic Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the 17-mile drive with BEAUTIFUL WHITE SAND beaches. Go for it ... but understand it might be cool/cold/rainy, and check out these dinner locales and see if you can guess which one is owned by Clint Eastwood!

oobedoob · 08-31-2015, 03:34 PM

We went 30 minutes from home to a full hookup campground with friends with their trailer. Great to go with someone who will probably have those little things you might forget yourself!

Plus, I had my first shower with the holding tank closed and realized how quickly you can fill that up if you don't really conserve water. Great way to gauge your capacity without running into trouble without hookups.

Hattie · 08-31-2015, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schab3ng3l

Hattie,Have you ever camped at arroyo seco around the monterey bay area?

Have not camped at Arroyo Seco. Have camped at Laguna Seca (Raceway) Recreation Area ... avoid if there are races underway as it is very noisy and filled with very nice race people (workers, participants, crews, fans, vendors, etc.).

Jagiven · 08-31-2015, 04:48 PM

Our first trip was about 30 miles from home.

As for critical items. Toothbrush and a change or two of cloths.

Seriously, a simple toolbox. If you look around your tt, it is assembled, primarily from #2 Sq drive screws. A couple multiple function wrenches. EXTRA FUSES! A jack and lugnut wreck to change a tire, the ones in you TV most likely will not work.

If you sit down write out what you are going to eat and do. Make a list of what you need for those tasks, you'll be able to get by comfortably.

mohok1 · 08-31-2015, 04:51 PM

My opinion is, don't forget the maiden!!!

ngaraiderman · 09-01-2015, 08:46 AM

I wouldnt be worried about staying near San Onofre Nuclear plant. It is currently shudown and being decommisioned. But even if it was up and running, I would not hesitate to stay near it. Or maybe im not afraid because I'm already at one for 12 hours a day.

cekkk · 09-01-2015, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schab3ng3l

There is a open beach option for thanksgiving called San Onofre but there is a nuclear station next to it so I'm pretty hesitant to stay there.

Don't let loony babblers like you'll see on the Huffington Post scare you, you're in far more danger from crime in the Valley or on the beach than from SO. Keep Three Mile Island in mind. An almost impossible series of failures and a catastrophic event. And no one was hurt. Go and enjoy the ocean! (But danger does lurk - on the highway!)

jillntim · 09-02-2015, 06:15 PM

We also live in the valley, the east valley specifically. We did one of our first shake down trips in Lost Dutchman SP (Apache Junction area) last spring. I think most of the people in there were doing shake down visits that time of year (full hook ups as we ran the A/C that weekend and let the kids watch movies - not our normal "camping" experience). I believe there is another campground near Cave Creek that would do too. We do a lot of camping near Payson and up on the rim, but our first shake down trip I was glad we were closer to home. We needed a totally different weight distributing hitch and we were pretty terrified that first trip out with the amount of sway we were getting! We switched to the Equalizer hitch and have never had any sway since and we have already towed it all over the western US.

FYI... we were able to get reservations for one of the California beaches near Carlsbad for fall break. We had to book the day the dates were available to get them which is 6 months out (booked last spring). I have been trying to get those reservations for years! I actually put it in my Google calendar to remember to make the reservation and even then I got the LAST site available.

Bassdogs · 09-03-2015, 07:45 AM

Like others have said, stay close to home. Where you go is not very important but you don't want to jump into the deep end of the pool before getting your feet wet. Also go with a friend with previous Rv experience. Spend an afternoon at home with your friend to get your unit equipped with the most important basics. You are not trying to completely furnish your RV for this virgin trip.

Obviously you'll need food, clothes, and something to eat with and sleep under. Beyond that just the basics. Remember to take a notebook and record the things that come up on the trip. An adult beverage or 2 [if you partake] is a good thing for sitting around that first campfire. Did you remember to bring a couple camp chairs?

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