Travel from Chicago to LA in December and January
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8530
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Topic: Travel from Chicago to LA in December and January
Posted By: tomfrech
Subject: Travel from Chicago to LA in December and January
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2016 at 5:21pm
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We recently got our new pod with the intention of spending December and January in sunny California. However we live in Chicago which is kinda cold that time of year. 1. Are we crazy for even thinking about going this time of year or 2. Has anyone done this? What would be the best route to get to LA that time of year so we could use our pod on the way? Go south till it gets warm and then go west? Winterize the pod and sleep in a motel (although that defeats the idea of camping out and saving money). Any help would be very much appreciated Thanks Tom & Pam ------------- Tom |
Replies:
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 06 Aug 2016 at 10:32pm
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Nothing crazy about that! If it stays above freezing before you leave, then hit the road and you'll be fine unless you hit freezing temps as you go over the mountains. If you need to winterize you can still stay in the pod, I've done many winter trips in my pod and current camper. Use RV antifreeze to flush the toilet at night and use truck stop showers on the way. Keep gallon jugs of water for drinking, teeth brushing and hand washing in the pod. Collect the water in a basin and dump it outside. Sleep with the vent open an inch and a window open an inch to vent moisture. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: Neserk
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2016 at 8:17pm
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I've driven East to West twice (Philadelphia to California and Florida to California). I recommend getting south as quickly as you can. You'll have to make your plans around weather, but given a normal winter, head for New Mexico and stay south in Arizona, driving through Phoenix. The I-10 will take you from PHX to LAX. I'd avoid Flagstaff in the winter. IOW, take the longer, warmer route. From Louisiana you can make a southern trip across TX and NM. --Denise |
Posted By: coopercdrkey
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2016 at 5:03pm
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Get your kicks on Route 66.... ------------- Bob and Joyce Jennifer and Baxter, the Campin' Cocker Spaniels RP 177 "Key Pod" Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT / Z71 |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2016 at 6:01pm
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We took 70-76-72-80 on our podyssey across country...in July. I definitely *would not* recommend that route anytime close to winter! Those big gates on the highway entrance ramps and overhead signs displaying High Wind Warnings in Wyoming convinced me I would want to avoid that route in winter! As far as leaving in winter, we've left New Jersey when it was 17F and headed south. First night stop in South Carolina was interesting. It was colder in the pod than it was outside. Quite a bit of condensation too. We quickly de-winterized, got out the grill and were thankful we had such a great winter bugout vehicle! Cheers to the crazy ones! fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: les olvera
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2016 at 7:44pm
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Take the trip to Calif. we welcome you there are plenty of places in this state that you can enjoy in the winter. As for the rout, I like the idea of the old rout 66 which only small sections exist. If you need ideas where to go in Calif. let me know.
------------- Les |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2016 at 7:45pm
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Our daughter and family just moved from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City. She wants us to visit at Christmastime. I plan on towing the R-Pod, but am concerned about the colder temperatures we can expect there. I figure that I will probably carry materials to winterize, and if it does hit a cold spell where I think things can freeze up, I will do a quick winterization. I also purchased an 8 gallon water container (Reliance Hydroller) so we can carry water in our T.V. Since we will be running the heat when we stop, it should be okay to leave the water container in the pod as long as the heat is running. The tricky part will be the black and gray water tanks/valves. We may have just a warm place to sleep, but need to use indoor facilities for necessary stops, showers, etc. Doug, when you use RV antifreeze to flush, do you use it full-strength or diluted? ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2016 at 8:23pm
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Full-strength, pour it right from the bottle. The water system stays winterized since it usually goes down to 10 F on the trips I do in January. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2016 at 9:16pm
In some places we have stayed, signs are posted that it is illegal to dump gray water on the ground. That would make it hard to use water unless we have a separate collection jug that we can pour out into a drain somewhere. http://www.ncdrought.org/documents/GraywaterFACTS-103007.pdf - This is North Carolina's rules on gray water . ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 24 Aug 2016 at 10:22pm
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Legally it is gray water after it travels through a sink drain. Collecting it in a basin (sitting in the sink or on the counter) gets around that. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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