2400 miles to our winter lily pad

 

Taking the long route - 6 overnight stops

With the condo sale proceeding, we left everything in the hands of the Realtor and our Attorney, packed the Roadtrek and headed to Arizona. I drove the Roadtrek and G drove the Chevy, which will replace the Malibu and will remain in AZ year around. We donated the Malibu to a veterans organization. It will be auctioned and proceeds go to vets.

We took the longer trek to avoid winter storms and sub-freezing weather.  In the past we've stayed at campgrounds which shut down all water, including the bathrooms when it gets below 32F.  We didn't want to repeat that experience.

We had prepared a travel itinerary.  It would take 6-1/2 days, with minimal stops.  We made reservations for each overnight stop.

The first leg of the trip, through Illinois on I-57 was a real pain.  Construction signs up and there were long stretches with the speed posted at 45 MPH.  It was a fitting "goodbye" to the state.  However, all real estate is local, and portions of DuPage County are near perfect places to live.  Just don't get run over by one of Chicago Mayor Lightfoot's shuttle busses, which drop off undesirables in the suburbs.  Chicago dumps them with a hotel voucher and an adios!  "Welcome to America".

Our first day was designed as a short-leg of 316 miles, which was helpful. We had packed non-freezables the night before and we got an earlier start to the day.  Temperatures were below freezing overnight, and the Roadtrek was off the grid.  I had installed Lithium-Ion battery technology during the previous summer.  The Battery Management System (BMS) of these batteries prevents charging at below-freezing temperatures.  It was about 21F when we started the Roadtrek.  I switched on the battery compartment DC heaters and we headed down the road at 10:15AM.

Heater test during installation last summer.  DC controllers are in C, AC controller is F

324 miles later we arrived at a KOA "Journey" at 3:30pm. This was a "Deluxe" site because of the length of the two vehicles.  However, because it was cold and end of season it was a nearly deserted campground with minimal amenities.  The current CEO of KOA is a "Glamping Queen" who has a marketing background.  It is her philosophy to increase prices by adding a slab, firepit and a couple of chairs and a picnic table to the sites.  This approach allows KOA to extract an additional $30 a night for a site, even when it is cold and snowing.  LOL.

I hooked up the AC and switched on the 120VAC battery heater.

The next morning it had warmed up and by 7:45am it was a balmy 39F. By 2:00 PM we had travelled a total of 656 miles and stopped at an independent campground in Grenada, MS.  It was 46F and overcast. We had a pleasant overnight stay and the campground hosts were very accommodating.  Overnight stay was $35.

And so it went.  Cool days, generally overcast with a little rain.  Nights at or below freezing.

Here were the daily miles for the route as shown above:

• Day 1 324 miles
• Day 2 330 miles
• Day 3 341 miles
• Day 4 341 miles
• Day 5 415 miles
• Day 6 407 miles
• Day 7 149 miles

We arrived at our location in Arizona at 10:00am local time; we had gained an hour due to time change.

We spent that day unpacking, hooking up the 5th wheel, etc.  I had purchased an improved, larger water filter before we left the previous season. I installed the new filter, regenerated the water softener, checked the anode in the hot water heater and flushed it once again.  Desert water contains a lot of minerals and an anode generally lasts for only one season.

I turned on the water, flushed the system of air (no need to winterize) and plugged in the Redwood.  I then ran the 5 slides out and turned on the refrigerator.  I removed the empty gallon jugs our summer care people fill periodically to assure that we have some humidity in the RV during the summer months and we were ready to move in.

Projects
This season I intend to add a reverse osmosis water treatment system to the Redwood.  I will also add another solar panel to the Roadtrek.  Etc. 

(c) 2022 N. Retzke