We rented a Chrysler 300 in Hawaii. Nice car to drive. Accelerates very well and handles smoothly, at least compared to the XTERRA.
Nice to have a backup camera, and the proximity key is convenient. Took me awhile to realize the little button on the door handle locks/unlocks the doors if the key is nearby. Found the touch screen lacking, though I could get used to a navigation system.
Unrelatedly, I met a paramedic from the Seattle Fire Dept while hiking through a volcano crater. Took a photo with Dave Van V who knows Charles well.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Good news for summer travelers
Drivers can look forward to the lowest summer gas prices in 6 years; time to see the USA?
"NEW YORK — Drivers will see the lowest summer gasoline prices in about 6 years, according to the Energy Department.
The national average price is forecast to fall 32 percent from a year ago to $2.45 a gallon between April and September, the period when Americans do most of their driving. That would mark the lowest seasonal average since 2009"
I don't know about you guys but this sounds like a really good thing to me.
"NEW YORK — Drivers will see the lowest summer gasoline prices in about 6 years, according to the Energy Department.
The national average price is forecast to fall 32 percent from a year ago to $2.45 a gallon between April and September, the period when Americans do most of their driving. That would mark the lowest seasonal average since 2009"
I don't know about you guys but this sounds like a really good thing to me.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Announcement from Captain Obvious...
USA Today reports the following:
"California's snowpack is at historically low levels, a casualty of the state's wimpy winter and ongoing drought.
InNorthern California , the Sierra Nevada snowpack's water content is at its lowest late-March level since records began in 1950, at just 6% of the late-March average, the California Department of Water Resources said Monday"
With the ongoing drought conditions in California I expect that no matter where we stay we will find fire restrictions in effect. Which of course means no campfires. Which means no wiener roasts, limited BBQ and of course no swimming pools. Plan accordingly.
"California's snowpack is at historically low levels, a casualty of the state's wimpy winter and ongoing drought.
In
With the ongoing drought conditions in California I expect that no matter where we stay we will find fire restrictions in effect. Which of course means no campfires. Which means no wiener roasts, limited BBQ and of course no swimming pools. Plan accordingly.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Gas prices
Todd and I were having a sidebar conversation about what to drive from Edmonds to Mountain View. I offered to run the options though the AAA Gas Calculator tool and post the results. See below.
Please note all these prices are based on current prices and will change as summer approaches. We can rerun them as we get closer. Also the calculator asks for model year and I didn't have that so all vehicles are 2013 unless otherwise indicated.
1 way / Round Trip
Chevy suburban c1500 2wd $163.47/$326.94
Chevy suburban c2500 2wd $245.20$490.40
Chevy Impala $136.22/$272.44
Ford Fusion AWD $111.46/$222.92
Ford Fusion FWD $102.17/$204.34
Chrysler PT Cruiser('04) $129.05/$258.10
Todd, I can't recall exactly how much you said the rental would be but it looks like borrowing the suburban might be a wash. You'll have to decide how much you want to invest in that project.
Please note all these prices are based on current prices and will change as summer approaches. We can rerun them as we get closer. Also the calculator asks for model year and I didn't have that so all vehicles are 2013 unless otherwise indicated.
1 way / Round Trip
Chevy suburban c1500 2wd $163.47/$326.94
Chevy suburban c2500 2wd $245.20$490.40
Chevy Impala $136.22/$272.44
Ford Fusion AWD $111.46/$222.92
Ford Fusion FWD $102.17/$204.34
Chrysler PT Cruiser('04) $129.05/$258.10
Todd, I can't recall exactly how much you said the rental would be but it looks like borrowing the suburban might be a wash. You'll have to decide how much you want to invest in that project.
Friday, March 20, 2015
RV Parking at Walmart
I was reminded recently that Walmart often allows RV's to park in their lots overnight. Click here for a convenient video.
Walmart's website confirmed this convenient policy with some very reasonable caveats. Also I learned that up to 20 percent of Walmarts do not allow RV parking and frequently these stores are in some of the high tourist areas we are likely to be. The website has a convenient list of non-participating stores and a video of basic user protocols to follow when parking at a Walmart.
My conclusion after viewing the video is that while we might consider Walmart a reasonable follow up but I wouldn't plan on it up front.
Walmart's website confirmed this convenient policy with some very reasonable caveats. Also I learned that up to 20 percent of Walmarts do not allow RV parking and frequently these stores are in some of the high tourist areas we are likely to be. The website has a convenient list of non-participating stores and a video of basic user protocols to follow when parking at a Walmart.
My conclusion after viewing the video is that while we might consider Walmart a reasonable follow up but I wouldn't plan on it up front.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Some RV campground results
O.K. here are some initial findings for where we can park the R.V. by region, showing availability
WINE COUNTRY
Dutcher Creek RV Park
Dutcher Creek Village, 230 Theresa Drive, Cloverdale, CA 95425
(about 2 1/2 hrs from Mountain View)
Full hookup = $55 + tax per night
Currently has spots available. Could not advise how fast they would fill up but my impression that while this is the best option it has fewer spaces than other sites.
Website blurb" Plan day trips to the Bay Area, the Northern California coast, historic sites, Lake Sonoma, the Russian River, The Solar Living Institute and redwood forests. Or, visit the local wineries & vineyards for your own personal wine tasting tour; by bike (bikes can be rented in nearby Cloverdale), " Also has swimming pool and trails. Location has spots with a view of adjoining vineyards. My first choice for wine country.
Novato RV park
1530 Armstrong AveNovato, CA 94945
(about 1 1/2 hours from Mountain View)
$65.25 pernight with AAA/Good Sam membership (I have AAA we can use mine)
Good Sam: ratings 9.5/10+/9.5
A call to the desk advised that we should plan on waiting no more than another month as they are starting to fill up.
Note: website says free Wi-Fi but reviews say it is really limited bandwidth. Has a good looking pool (If you link to the website you have to hunt for the photo gallery, its on the Right margin at the bottom.) I wasn't big on this one at first but the reviews are strong, it has good facilities, (deli/store, pool, clean laundry) and is the closest to both San Francisco and Wine Country. Saw some Yelp posts that said the bathrooms were old and worn but the manager said that was "next years project" since the post was 2 years old that may be out of date, and I wasn't planning on using the camps toilets anyway right?
NOR CAL
Railroad RV Park
100 Railroad Park Road, Dunsmuir CA.
$37.00 per night plus tax
Checking the Availability on the website shows 21 of 45 RV sites available. Based on what I'm seeing on the website my guess is this place will fill up fast.
Erik & Charlie will remember Dunsmuir, CA will fondness from the Graduation Trip the 3 of us took on the Coast Starlight with a brief stopover while waiting for the return train. Here's a chance to see what we missed. Looks like a lot.
This place is not just an RV site. They have a railroad theme going, (the only Themed RV park I've seen so far). There are cabins and tent sites but the real draw appears to be hotel quality train cars available for rental, mostly cabooses but also a box car and a genuine restaurant/lounge in train cars.
They bill as a railroad resort, not just a campground, advertise the railroad engines and specialty cars they have available to see. This appears to be consistent with the tourism theme for nearby Dunsmuir (2 miles). " offers creek side camping in the tall pines. " and "Everyone is welcome to enjoy the Game Room with Pool Table, Group BBQ Pit and Recreation Lawn. Ice and Wood are available for purchase at the entrance station" also "features trout fishing at it's finest. Many area lakes and creeks are stocked with trout, bass, salmon and catfish. Area fishing guides are located in Dunsmuir." While not mentioned above I did see a pool in the photo gallery. I suggest you browse the gallery at least once because even if we don't make it to this spot you'll want to catch a glimpse of the classic cars, the view of Mt Shasta and the railroad bar/restaurant. This place looks really nice.
Yreka RV camp
767 Montague Road, Yreka, CA 96097
$37.58 per night.
This place doesn't seem to have much going for other than the curious name. (I've always liked the sound of the names of Eureka,CA and Yreka, CA,) That and the free coffee and local paper are about the only thing it has going. Probably explains why this spot has the lowest rates. Also it's Airstream friendly. I'm told that has certain connotations in the R.V. community. If anybody knows something about that maybe they can fill us in? This is the closest camp to Mt. Shasta that I reviewed.
Similar to almost every place I have talked too they advise making a reservation "by the end of this month" for a space during the week of July 12-18. Looks like we have a sunset date for how long we can keep our options open on picking a campground. Best by the end of march, last chance likely near Tax Day (April 15).
I'll put more up as I find 'em. I'd love to hear some opinions.
WINE COUNTRY
Dutcher Creek RV Park
Dutcher Creek Village, 230 Theresa Drive, Cloverdale, CA 95425
(about 2 1/2 hrs from Mountain View)
Full hookup = $55 + tax per night
Currently has spots available. Could not advise how fast they would fill up but my impression that while this is the best option it has fewer spaces than other sites.
Website blurb" Plan day trips to the Bay Area, the Northern California coast, historic sites, Lake Sonoma, the Russian River, The Solar Living Institute and redwood forests. Or, visit the local wineries & vineyards for your own personal wine tasting tour; by bike (bikes can be rented in nearby Cloverdale), " Also has swimming pool and trails. Location has spots with a view of adjoining vineyards. My first choice for wine country.
Novato RV park
1530 Armstrong AveNovato, CA 94945
(about 1 1/2 hours from Mountain View)
$65.25 pernight with AAA/Good Sam membership (I have AAA we can use mine)
Good Sam: ratings 9.5/10+/9.5
A call to the desk advised that we should plan on waiting no more than another month as they are starting to fill up.
Note: website says free Wi-Fi but reviews say it is really limited bandwidth. Has a good looking pool (If you link to the website you have to hunt for the photo gallery, its on the Right margin at the bottom.) I wasn't big on this one at first but the reviews are strong, it has good facilities, (deli/store, pool, clean laundry) and is the closest to both San Francisco and Wine Country. Saw some Yelp posts that said the bathrooms were old and worn but the manager said that was "next years project" since the post was 2 years old that may be out of date, and I wasn't planning on using the camps toilets anyway right?
NOR CAL
Railroad RV Park
100 Railroad Park Road, Dunsmuir CA.
$37.00 per night plus tax
Checking the Availability on the website shows 21 of 45 RV sites available. Based on what I'm seeing on the website my guess is this place will fill up fast.
Erik & Charlie will remember Dunsmuir, CA will fondness from the Graduation Trip the 3 of us took on the Coast Starlight with a brief stopover while waiting for the return train. Here's a chance to see what we missed. Looks like a lot.
This place is not just an RV site. They have a railroad theme going, (the only Themed RV park I've seen so far). There are cabins and tent sites but the real draw appears to be hotel quality train cars available for rental, mostly cabooses but also a box car and a genuine restaurant/lounge in train cars.
They bill as a railroad resort, not just a campground, advertise the railroad engines and specialty cars they have available to see. This appears to be consistent with the tourism theme for nearby Dunsmuir (2 miles). " offers creek side camping in the tall pines. " and "Everyone is welcome to enjoy the Game Room with Pool Table, Group BBQ Pit and Recreation Lawn. Ice and Wood are available for purchase at the entrance station" also "features trout fishing at it's finest. Many area lakes and creeks are stocked with trout, bass, salmon and catfish. Area fishing guides are located in Dunsmuir." While not mentioned above I did see a pool in the photo gallery. I suggest you browse the gallery at least once because even if we don't make it to this spot you'll want to catch a glimpse of the classic cars, the view of Mt Shasta and the railroad bar/restaurant. This place looks really nice.
Yreka RV camp
767 Montague Road, Yreka, CA 96097
$37.58 per night.
This place doesn't seem to have much going for other than the curious name. (I've always liked the sound of the names of Eureka,CA and Yreka, CA,) That and the free coffee and local paper are about the only thing it has going. Probably explains why this spot has the lowest rates. Also it's Airstream friendly. I'm told that has certain connotations in the R.V. community. If anybody knows something about that maybe they can fill us in? This is the closest camp to Mt. Shasta that I reviewed.
Similar to almost every place I have talked too they advise making a reservation "by the end of this month" for a space during the week of July 12-18. Looks like we have a sunset date for how long we can keep our options open on picking a campground. Best by the end of march, last chance likely near Tax Day (April 15).
I'll put more up as I find 'em. I'd love to hear some opinions.
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