(07-01-2026 09:34 AM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  I would recommend traveling on parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway that may be at or near some of your destination points. I've thoroughly enjoyed the parkway over the 22+years I've lived in North Carolina. I've been on it from parts of the Smoky Mountains/Asheville, NC area to Boone, NC to southern Virginia. The Fall season is absolutely wonderful. On my bucket list is traversing the extreme northern section named Skyline Drive that runs through Shenandoah National Park. Always check the NP Service/Blue Ridge Parkway web pages for road closure/openings and wonderful outdoor events/places to visit along the route. It's not a NP, but Mount Mitchell State Park in NC features the highest peak (6,700 ft.) east of the Mississippi River. It has a great lodge and museum on the mountain

I've been on the Parkway a few times, but it was long ago. I plan to do that when I come back to the East coast next summer.

(07-01-2026 10:47 AM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 09:33 AM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  How will you handle medical care?

I think Andy is so old as to be beyond medical care.

LOL. For your information, I had a physical 2 weeks ago, and my GP gave me an A++. She said for a 79 year old, there is not even a hint of anything to worry about.

Take that, Junior!

(07-01-2026 11:02 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  If you're out that way, DO NOT miss going to Devil's Tower. It's the coolest place in America that I've ever visited. I went just before sundown and watched the setting sun behind it which was very cool and made for great photos. Since it was later in the day, there weren't many people there so it was incredibly serene. You could hear the wind blowing past it and it make a spiritual sound that filled me with an amazing peace. It was easy to see why the natives used it as a spiritual retreat.

That's definitely on my list, as is all of the Black Hills and Badlands NP. I am likely going to create my domicile in South Dakota, so that area will be the very first place I visit.

(07-01-2026 09:44 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 09:26 AM)olliebaba Wrote:  Hey Triple, instead of an ebike why not get a motorscooter. Most of them have a spot for a passenger too, just in case. They're a lot of fun but the slower ones aren't made for freeway driving. I tell my kids that I want one that goes 150 mph and one told me, "you'll kill yourself, dad". LOL The last time I drove a bike was when I was 14, but I haven't ever gotten one for me. For some reason I love motorscooters more than motorcycles and boy do they have a lot of options. I hope I can do that before I keel over.

Haha, Ollie I think you are a lot like me. I looked at motor scooters, too. I like those better, and I found one that will do 95.

But for now, I'm going to go out at first without anything extra, and see how I do. The RV is really not big (as I said before, the same exact size (length and width) as a Ford 350 pickup. Only the box is much higher.

I will try that at first and see if I actually need anything else. What works for me won't fit on a platform on the back of the RV, so I would have to tow something. Not my first choice. I'll let you know how it goes once I get on the road.

Your RV seems small enough to park at the grocery store and going places which is nice. No slides to pull in to have to go anywhere.

The biggest pain is breaking camp to have to go anywhere, but you can potentially go pretty lean. You will probably want water and power hooked up when in a site, but you can leave your sewer unhooked until you need to dump it just to make it faster to get out.

I would probably want some type of e-bike or electric scooter for going places inside the campground and nearby.

Places to go :

Utah gets a ton of love because of the national park density, but don’t sleep on northern New Mexico. There are absolutely beautiful areas. Capelin Volcano National Monument isn’t a NP but is managed by the park service. Just make sure you have your “low gear mountain descending” on point before you drive the RV up it.

Taos, Eagle Nest, Angel Fire area of New Mexico is gorgeous in the early summer.

On the Keys take a look at the middle keys around Marathon. Grassy Key I know is covered up with RV parks. I pass them in the boat every time we are down on Duck Key. Probably $3k a month but you could spend a really nice month down there in say October before the snow birds get there. There is a place way down one key up from Key West that is supposed to be the nicest RV park in the country, Bluewater Key RV Resort, that would be a great stay for a week and you could day trip to Ft Jefferson on the seaplane.

Evlis probably telling Andy about the 6 RVs he owns.

(07-01-2026 03:25 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  Evlis probably telling Andy about the 6 RVs he owns.

Be nice. This is not a political thread, and he's trying to help. We're all on the same side here. Americans touring our country.

Don't make me hunt you down and slap you around.

(07-01-2026 02:54 PM)U_of_Elvis Wrote:  Places to go :

Utah gets a ton of love because of the national park density, but don’t sleep on northern New Mexico. There are absolutely beautiful areas. Capelin Volcano National Monument isn’t a NP but is managed by the park service. Just make sure you have your “low gear mountain descending” on point before you drive the RV up it.

Taos, Eagle Nest, Angel Fire area of New Mexico is gorgeous in the early summer.

On the Keys take a look at the middle keys around Marathon. Grassy Key I know is covered up with RV parks. I pass them in the boat every time we are down on Duck Key. Probably $3k a month but you could spend a really nice month down there in say October before the snow birds get there. There is a place way down one key up from Key West that is supposed to be the nicest RV park in the country, Bluewater Key RV Resort, that would be a great stay for a week and you could day trip to Ft Jefferson on the seaplane.

Thanks, E, good ideas, but I have been all over both of those places. Just not to the RV parks.

I'm going down there again, though, eventually.

(07-01-2026 03:47 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 03:25 PM)BartlettTigerFan Wrote:  Evlis probably telling Andy about the 6 RVs he owns.

Be nice. This is not a political thread, and he's trying to help. We're all on the same side here. Americans touring our country.

Don't make me hunt you down and slap you around.

Ok, it’s your thread, he’s just one of the ones we talked about earlier.

I'll make it political..

You wouldn't dare try this in a democratic economy, ha..

Safe travels Trips. I look forward to seeing where your adventure takes you.

Check the license plates of vehicles as you drive. If you spot a collective three from Alaska and Hawaii within the first 1,000 miles ... you know you are in for a special experience.

Rock and roll, Andy!

You mentioned starlink mini. Out west with the more wide open campsites you can have it clamped to the RV ladder, etc. you can also just put it on the dash and let it shoot through the windshield. I have run mine through the windshield, through the moonroof of the truck, and straight through the hard top of a Bronco. Depending on your RV roof construction it may work from inside right through it, just like the bronco. You can keep it on $10 a month standby (1mbit data) until you need it then can activate a month of roam at $55/80/175 tier.

In the more wooded areas your campsite might not be in an open enough area and you may need to put the mini on a tripod.

Power wise the mini generally works fine off the alternator when it is running, but probably won’t like your RV house battery. The minimum is 12v and if it drops below it at all it will reboot. The best way to install it off the house battery is with a switch and 12v to 24v converter (starlink takes 12-40)

This plug and converter I haven’t used, but I have used this companies cigarette adapter extensively and it is great. This is what I would get to connect house battery - https://stargear-solutions.com/product/s...v-adapter/

For running off of cigarette lighter the star gear 12v cigarette adapter works great. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FH6ZMDZF

(07-01-2026 09:12 AM)olliebaba Wrote:  Don't forget to go to Pikes Peak and take the tram up to the summit. It's a sight to behold. My BIL drove it to the top, I don't have the guts to do that, I worry that my brakes will give out coming down. It's more leisurely taking the tram and you'll be sightseeing instead of worry about dropping off the road.

And remember its 14,000 feet. I was fine, but my wife and on an earlier trip when I was in my 20s, my friend, both got headaches after about 10 minutes.

(07-01-2026 11:16 AM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 11:02 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  If you're out that way, DO NOT miss going to Devil's Tower. It's the coolest place in America that I've ever visited. I went just before sundown and watched the setting sun behind it which was very cool and made for great photos. Since it was later in the day, there weren't many people there so it was incredibly serene. You could hear the wind blowing past it and it make a spiritual sound that filled me with an amazing peace. It was easy to see why the natives used it as a spiritual retreat.

That's definitely on my list, as is all of the Black Hills and Badlands NP. I am likely going to create my domicile in South Dakota, so that area will be the very first place I visit.

Its pretty cool.

Warning. Hail is common in South Dakota in the summer. We got in a big storm near Custer State Park, but didn't get the worst of it, merely about 5 minutes of golf ball size. The next town looked like it had snowed. We saw a couple cars in the parking lot at our hotel that looked like golf balls with all the dimples. There was a couple on motorcycles stopping in a tunnel and the woman looked pretty dazed.

Probably said this in the original thread, but Wind Caves NP and Custer State Park are really worth it for the buffalo herds. And if its hot, it will feel GREAT being in the cave. Don't miss Wall Drug Store when you go to Badlands. Its not possible to miss all the billboards! The MinuteMan Missile NHS near Badlands is also worth the stop.

We went in the summer of 2021 just after all the quarantines were lifted. We flew into Rapid City and rented a car and of course did Badlands and Mt. Rushmore. Didn't get to Crazy Horse. Didn't have time to do the Deadwood old West Town. Then we went on to Glacier NP and did Teddy Roosevelt NP in North Dakota. Teddy Roosevelt was nice, but the buffalo herds paled in comparison to Wind Caves and Custer.

And in case you haven't already, you need to figure out the restrictions on the National Parks. We had to get into Glacier before 6 am. There were supposedly daily reservations freed every day at 8am, but we could never get through the phone line. It wasn't bad since it was less crowded. After we did Going to the Sun Road, we tried to enter the east side of the park in one of the unrestricted entrances. But it was closed for an undetermined amount of time because they had no parking. It was 4 or 5 at that point, so we headed back to Whitefish where we were staying. And if you are planning on eating out at a restaurant, Whitefish was completely booked up. We drove down to Kalispell to eat.

(07-01-2026 04:58 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Check the license plates of vehicles as you drive. If you spot a collective three from Alaska and Hawaii within the first 1,000 miles ... you know you are in for a special experience.

Rock and roll, Andy!

Yeah, like the Twilight Zone.

I've been trying since 1990 to eventually do all the continental national parks. I've done 34 since 1990 and 5 others before that (a half dozen I did before 1990 but have done again since then. The problem is they keep adding new parks! I've got 14 (edit-15) to go, but 10 of them are relatively new.

(07-01-2026 05:52 PM)U_of_Elvis Wrote:  You mentioned starlink mini. Out west with the more wide open campsites you can have it clamped to the RV ladder, etc. you can also just put it on the dash and let it shoot through the windshield. I have run mine through the windshield, through the moonroof of the truck, and straight through the hard top of a Bronco. Depending on your RV roof construction it may work from inside right through it, just like the bronco. You can keep it on $10 a month standby (1mbit data) until you need it then can activate a month of roam at $55/80/175 tier.

In the more wooded areas your campsite might not be in an open enough area and you may need to put the mini on a tripod.

Power wise the mini generally works fine off the alternator when it is running, but probably won’t like your RV house battery. The minimum is 12v and if it drops below it at all it will reboot. The best way to install it off the house battery is with a switch and 12v to 24v converter (starlink takes 12-40)

This plug and converter I haven’t used, but I have used this companies cigarette adapter extensively and it is great. This is what I would get to connect house battery - https://stargear-solutions.com/product/s...v-adapter/

For running off of cigarette lighter the star gear 12v cigarette adapter works great. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FH6ZMDZF

The roof is one piece of seamless fiberglass. I bet the mini will go right through the roof. As for the other connections, I appreciate the input. So many choices.

No ladder for roof or over-cab bunk. They dropped them due to liability issues. So I have to buy my own or improvise. I'll decide later.

Btw I will have a 4000W generator that comes standard already onboard, plus the 12V battery standard, plus 400W of solar on the roof.

2 pages and ya haven't left the driveway ... and you were 'concerned' about "interest" ...

I see this thread turning into the old dudes enjoying coffee and sharing stories in the morning - americana style...

after what you've gone thru, Trips, I don't think you'd find a better version of pro bono aroma therapy ... and you get to drive the bus!!!

what's not to like...

#GumpOnBBSwheels

Btw, I have been talking for a few weeks to Gemini, Google's version of AI. I currently have copied and pasted 408 pages of our chats, for reference. It's like drinking from a fire hose, but I have pulled a lot of good info from it. Just have to double check before I act on anything, and eventually winnow out the suggestions down to the critical items.

(07-01-2026 07:37 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(07-01-2026 05:52 PM)U_of_Elvis Wrote:  You mentioned starlink mini. Out west with the more wide open campsites you can have it clamped to the RV ladder, etc. you can also just put it on the dash and let it shoot through the windshield. I have run mine through the windshield, through the moonroof of the truck, and straight through the hard top of a Bronco. Depending on your RV roof construction it may work from inside right through it, just like the bronco. You can keep it on $10 a month standby (1mbit data) until you need it then can activate a month of roam at $55/80/175 tier.

In the more wooded areas your campsite might not be in an open enough area and you may need to put the mini on a tripod.

Power wise the mini generally works fine off the alternator when it is running, but probably won’t like your RV house battery. The minimum is 12v and if it drops below it at all it will reboot. The best way to install it off the house battery is with a switch and 12v to 24v converter (starlink takes 12-40)

This plug and converter I haven’t used, but I have used this companies cigarette adapter extensively and it is great. This is what I would get to connect house battery - https://stargear-solutions.com/product/s...v-adapter/

For running off of cigarette lighter the star gear 12v cigarette adapter works great. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FH6ZMDZF

The roof is one piece of seamless fiberglass. I bet the mini will go right through the roof. As for the other connections, I appreciate the input. So many choices.

No ladder for roof or over-cab bunk. They dropped them due to liability issues. So I have to buy my own or improvise. I'll decide later.

Sounds like the mini should shoot right through unless they have some type of foil vapor barrier.

I use this 12-24 converter to power starlink on my boat, but it’s probably overkill for a RV. https://www.westmarine.com/victron-victr...62629.html

With a bulkhead like this : https://adrconceptdesign.com/products/pa...rlink-mini

It’s been rock solid but probably overkill for RV.