Finally home after 2 1/2 months
We picked up our Escape 19 Oct 1 in Sumas, WA. After a fairly fast drive to AZ where we were able to licence, tag, and pay taxes on the new trailer we headed off to FL. We drive 300 miles/day more or less cruising at 62 mph. Our Diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee averaged 20 mpg east bound. After 5 weeks in Fort Pierce, FL at the Savannas County Park we headed home. We never hooked up to power as the solar panel kept us topped up for the entire stay. The Savannas park goes for $25/day before Nov 1 then $29/day after that for full hookups. Showers, bathrooms, nature trails, canoe rentals, bike paths, tennis courts, it really is a nice facility. There are about 50 spaces with another 16 spaces under construction.
Our weather was pretty crappy on the return, we managed to go through 3 cold fronts in 10 days. We ran the furnace every night after we left Ft Pierce and emptied a 20# propane tank in 7 days. We normally are using 20# in 15 days with refrig and cooking. One of our surprises on the return trip was the JGC got as low as 15 mpg and only 18 mpg as the high. Likely, headwinds and a steady climb from Houston west.
From Ft Pierce we headed to a FL state park, Suwannee River State Park, cold weather with rain and below freezing at night. Hot showers and 50 cent washers and dryers for $30/night. Next night was Mobile, AL where we stayed at a private park near Grand Bay. It was a dump at $35/night. The bathhouse had peeling floors, rotting doors on the building and we never hope to see it again. Temps were several degrees below freezing. In Louisiana we stopped at Sam Houston Jones State Park, fee was $28/night. No hot water in showers, very clean campground with many trails. Again at or slightly below freezing at night. We spent 3 nights in Houston near the kids and grandkids. We planned on 2 nights but a 30 mph wind was headed our way, we stayed an extra night to avoid it. Temps were above freezing and not quite as warm as FL.
From Houston we headed to Menard, TX. There are at least 2 parks that are suitable for boondocking, it is even encouraged here. We opted for the shower and toilet provided park at $15/night. Nice parklike grounds, bathrooms not too clean but workable. Temps were again below freezing at night. Our last night in TX was at Van Horn, home of train tracks and nothing far from a busy i-10. Good Sam RV park allowed us a dry camp site for $25/night. Hot showers, clean bathrooms, nice gravel at the sites. We never hook up to anything, the solar panel keeps us topped up, we are really picky about the taste of our water and don't want funky tastes. In Las Cruces, NM we boondocked in a residential street at a friend's house. Home to Phoenix after that. We'll winterize the trailer and move it to our mountain home next week.
Our entire trip has been 6850 miles, the 1500 watt inverter died but was replaced at no cost by Go Power, a clamp on the Carefree Awning would not grab but Carefree sent us a replacement at no cost. We are very happy with this trailer and our build. We ordered accessories for boondocking and it works as we hoped. We ordered the insulated floor and thermo windows and like how warm we stayed on the cold return trip. So far, we have not had any regrets about accessories not ordered nor accessories that we wished we had ordered.
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