06-02-2013, 09:24 PM
howdy all,
i am nowhere as experienced as many of you in traveling in our coach. this is our 4th coach and 2nd newell but to be honest never had the time to do lots of use on them. i have probably 20k miles between my two newells i have used them on. that said, i am still learning big time on what is a big rig and how to find a place to stay that accommodate our 45'8" newell along with towing our CRV.
i cant say how many times i have called ahead and asked if they can handle big rigs. they almost always say yes. we pulled into a park in indiana last summer and i had asked and described several times over the phone the size of this beast. always got a "no problem" we pulled in and stopped in front of the office and gazed at the not so big sites that each had rocks on the corners outlining the spot and thought "uh oh" when i went in the office and the girl was looking out the window in wonderment and said" i dont think my dad knew it was THAT big". we unhooked the car and got in the spot, but had a fun time getting out.
one of the additional challenges we have with our newells is the low clearance. i had to use the leveling over ride and lift the rig up 4 inches to back into our friends driveway.
i was staying at a park in riodoso nm 5 years ago and it was terraced. they said...no problem. yea right. that place was pretty, but pretty for much smaller rigs.
we stayed at a nice koa while visiting richard and rhonda in WV last summer. they neglected to tell us that it was a hairpin turn into the park and that you needed to come in from the opposite direction we came. i turned in, promptly got stuck in the turn, the coach and car was sticking out into the highway. we quickly got out, stopped traffic and unhooked the car and once in the park it was plenty roomy. a few nights later it was rainy and dark at the same park and we were coming back from their home and i saw a set of headlights coming down the highway the same way we did with the turn signal on and i could tell from a ways away it was a big wanderlodge. we pulled over at the hairpin curve but it was too late. he was stuck. so i stopped traffic while he unhooked his car.
our first stop on this trip was 90 miles in and at a walmart in payson arizona. none of our vehicles can pass that place. we have a cabin north of it and stop every time for something. we were trying to follow clarke and elaines example of stopping frequently. we got stuck in the parking lot and had to wait for a lady in a pickup truck to get done shopping and drive away. as we were negotiating our way out of the parking lot, another truck stopped to let us by. darlene was looking at him and she said she could see him mouth the words..."WOW"
i subscribe to big rigs, and read reviews on parks and research them, but not everywhere we go has a place that is in these books.
the people in the parks are usually nice, but dont really care if you damage your coach trying to get around in their park.
we were staying at a park in ohio near our son scott. the park was nice and the spot nice. but getting out would have been very easy if they would have let us just pull through and go out a gate that was locked shut. they wouldnt. they made us do funky turns and barely make it around. what are some of these places thinking?
trees are another issue. having trees is very nice. as long as they dont rub on the sides of the coach while getting in, getting out or while just plain sitting there.
it doesnt help that most rv parks were designed in the days where 40 footer that was 11.5 foot tall was the biggest rig they ever saw.
it also doesnt help that i am paranoid about hitting something...
but i have to say i have met the nicest people at rv parks. in general they are out to enjoy themselves and want to meet and talk. of course, i talk to everyone.
so....what is a big rig and how do you describe it? because none of my descriptions have been adequate so far....
tom
i am nowhere as experienced as many of you in traveling in our coach. this is our 4th coach and 2nd newell but to be honest never had the time to do lots of use on them. i have probably 20k miles between my two newells i have used them on. that said, i am still learning big time on what is a big rig and how to find a place to stay that accommodate our 45'8" newell along with towing our CRV.
i cant say how many times i have called ahead and asked if they can handle big rigs. they almost always say yes. we pulled into a park in indiana last summer and i had asked and described several times over the phone the size of this beast. always got a "no problem" we pulled in and stopped in front of the office and gazed at the not so big sites that each had rocks on the corners outlining the spot and thought "uh oh" when i went in the office and the girl was looking out the window in wonderment and said" i dont think my dad knew it was THAT big". we unhooked the car and got in the spot, but had a fun time getting out.
one of the additional challenges we have with our newells is the low clearance. i had to use the leveling over ride and lift the rig up 4 inches to back into our friends driveway.
i was staying at a park in riodoso nm 5 years ago and it was terraced. they said...no problem. yea right. that place was pretty, but pretty for much smaller rigs.
we stayed at a nice koa while visiting richard and rhonda in WV last summer. they neglected to tell us that it was a hairpin turn into the park and that you needed to come in from the opposite direction we came. i turned in, promptly got stuck in the turn, the coach and car was sticking out into the highway. we quickly got out, stopped traffic and unhooked the car and once in the park it was plenty roomy. a few nights later it was rainy and dark at the same park and we were coming back from their home and i saw a set of headlights coming down the highway the same way we did with the turn signal on and i could tell from a ways away it was a big wanderlodge. we pulled over at the hairpin curve but it was too late. he was stuck. so i stopped traffic while he unhooked his car.
our first stop on this trip was 90 miles in and at a walmart in payson arizona. none of our vehicles can pass that place. we have a cabin north of it and stop every time for something. we were trying to follow clarke and elaines example of stopping frequently. we got stuck in the parking lot and had to wait for a lady in a pickup truck to get done shopping and drive away. as we were negotiating our way out of the parking lot, another truck stopped to let us by. darlene was looking at him and she said she could see him mouth the words..."WOW"
i subscribe to big rigs, and read reviews on parks and research them, but not everywhere we go has a place that is in these books.
the people in the parks are usually nice, but dont really care if you damage your coach trying to get around in their park.
we were staying at a park in ohio near our son scott. the park was nice and the spot nice. but getting out would have been very easy if they would have let us just pull through and go out a gate that was locked shut. they wouldnt. they made us do funky turns and barely make it around. what are some of these places thinking?
trees are another issue. having trees is very nice. as long as they dont rub on the sides of the coach while getting in, getting out or while just plain sitting there.
it doesnt help that most rv parks were designed in the days where 40 footer that was 11.5 foot tall was the biggest rig they ever saw.
it also doesnt help that i am paranoid about hitting something...
but i have to say i have met the nicest people at rv parks. in general they are out to enjoy themselves and want to meet and talk. of course, i talk to everyone.
so....what is a big rig and how do you describe it? because none of my descriptions have been adequate so far....
tom
2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608 Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH