First cross country trip to NM.

[5er_tom]

Little Rock KOA North. Yes we spent one night there last June. It is okay. No worries. It is not in the middle of town.

[Charles Firth]

Thanks, I talked with them by phone last night. Didn't ask about the crime rate, just small talk about pull through sites and availability. Seemed to be friendly enough. She did inform me about the KOA discount card, I think she said it costs $30 and you get 10% off your site. Since I plan on staying at KOA's on this trip I will be saving money with the discount on the way back. I will tell you this forum has been a ton of help, I am not new to camping, but I am new to a trip like this. I am used to 1 day trips. Living in Va you have a lot of choices within 8 hrs. By the way, don't want to start anything but do most people travel armed ?? I usually do, but I do not advertise it at campgrounds. I have a permit that allows me to carry in all states.

[wetland]

I live in central Arkansas. The NLR KOA is in a safe area. No worries there. It is very convenient, just off I-430. Very few trucks on it so noise should not be a problem. It is less than a mile from I-40. Enjoy your stay.

[Mike Tav]

We came back from a western trip the same route your asking about. We stayed at NLR KOA, no problems. No issues finding fuel and KOA's are conveniently located this entire route.

[MKClark]

If you are going through Amarillo I suggest a stay at Palo Duro State Park, just south of Amarillo. Second largest canyon in the US. Grand Canyon only bigger.
Hope you have a Great Trip.
MK Clark
2819VS Windjammer

[sherman12]

I would not worry about any campground I'm staying at, other than the utilities, if I was just going to be pulling in for overnight stops. My priorities would be closeness to the highway, price, and pull through available. I would recommend to the OP to get yourself a good surge/power protector such as on from Progressive Industries that come with a lifetime warranty. Mine protected me from brown outs at a packed Michigan state park last summer, temps in the mid 90's and every AC unit out there screaming.

[BandJCarm]

Amarillo is about 8 hours from central Arkansas.

If you make it about 55 miles further west, stop at the Morrilton AR KOA instead of Little Rock. Smaller, right off freeway. There is another private campground on the next Morrilton exit also, don't remember name (only 2 exits).

Sayre City, OK has a $12 a night FCFS 'city park'. We're planning on staying there on first leg on a trip in April to Nevada.

Elk City OK has campground.

Amarillo of course, has a couple.

Try to plan your fuel stop to stop in Jackson, TN on I-40 as one stop. Go to the Speedway north of I-40 on Exit 87 (I am pretty sure of exit. Has a BBQ place next to it). Cheaper fuel, and the easiest to use, 'set apart' RV and Truck pumps in America.

Honk when you go by Exit 125 in Conway, AR!

[CedarCreekWoody]

Great advice Above!
I think you are wise to use campgrounds until you are comfortable with rest stops or truck stops, if at all. There are many small campgrounds along the route that are good for overnight stops. I expect you will rarely need any amenities.

[Theo]

Chuck -

Will both of you be driving or just one on you?

On a car trip in 2004, my smarter-half and I drove 8-hours a day on a 10,000 mile lap of America. We split the driving time each day 4 + 4. Never a harried moment in over 5 weeks and we returned happy and quite refreshed!

However,
1. We were in a car;
2. The weather (July/August) was predictable;
3. Driving was mostly shared.

Coming back from CA, my smarter-half got sick and I had to drive the full 8-hours for 3 days straight. Route was SF -> Yellowstone. I was so beat up after 3 days that we stayed an extra day at Yellowstone while my SO recovered and could share the drive.

I can only imagine what it would have been like if we were traveling in an RV and trying to work with the elevation changes, winds and unpredictable weather! My suggestion (especially if you will be the only driver) is to target fewer than 8-hours a day (if time allows). Believe me, you will have a more enjoyable journey and return with some semblance of sanity and body control!

Just my $0.02!

Theo

[Charles Firth]

Theo, I agree. I have the stops planned in 8-9 hr segments. Actually according to map quest , if that is correct, it should be 1- 7hr day; 1-8hr day and 2 - 6 hr days. Of course that is not allowing for fuel stops ( Hopefully one perhaps 2 stops on some days ) Really don't want to search for fuel, hitting loves and places like it, start looking for fuel at 1/2 tank. The wife is the navigator. She can drive, but does not feel comfortable while towing. I don't plan on wearing myself out. She would like to make the trip faster but that's not going to happen. Although the main destination is NM. Most of my site seeing on the way there will be through the windshield. Lots of great info on this site, from people who have been there done that. We are early risers and will hit the road early, and do not plan on driving in the dark. Hopefully parked in the pull through site before dark. At least that is the plan.

[Jakieboy]

I admire your courage in planning this trip. There must be compelling reasons for spending so much time on the road to New Mexico without spending any time to see the sights along the way. None of my business.

My only suggestion is to take a few days to visit Santa Fe, NM, before heading back home. That is the REAL New Mexico experience, and the food is unforgettable.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Charles Firth

I will dump the black and grey tanks before departing the campground. I will only have a short amount of fresh water for flushing along the way my windjammer has heated tanks, but I think they are 110v not 12 volt. (but I am not sure , I will have to check that out ). We typically carry gallon containers of water, so they could be used for flushing if needed. The under belly is closed that should help some. I have never camped in super cold weather, so this will be a new experience. I am sure it will be warm and balmy for the entire trip (ha..Ha ..)

Your tanks are 12V heaters, as long as you fill your F/W tank and take off your F/W city hose and just use your pump you will be fine. Did you realize that Albaq. NM is higher elevation then Denver? Not a problem to worry about. You won't even know your climbing. Check your weather as mentioned all the time. If you have to wait a day just wait. I made the same trip on 40 5 years ago. DO NOT SPEED IN THE PAN HANDLE> they sit and wait for out of state plates. Lots of fuel stops no problem there. Have a safe trip, and if you can stop at that CG in Texas that Cam mentioned the home of the 72 oz steak. Have fun and don't push....

[dblr]

I agree on the drive times wearing you out. We went from Delaware to Taos NM last summer and I was the only driver, wife will not drive the HDT and 5th wheel, had 2 long days planned in the trip the first was 8 hours to Columbus Oh, not feeling bad when we got there. The 2nd long drive planned was 7.5 hours from Dodge City Ks to Taos, would not have been to bad except heavy storms and a very long curvy road with climbs from Angle Fire to Taos, that one exhausted me. So plan for the unexpected and good luck and enjoy

[Charles Firth]

Thanks, hopefully I have planned so there is only 1 8hr drive between destinations the others are shorter drives. We will get a early start each day and be in the campground by 5pm. Gonna be interesting. Thanks again for the response.

[aeblank]

Originally Posted by Charles Firth

there is only 1 8hr drive

Last summer.....
7 hours after work (plus an hour to get home *from* work)
Then 22 hours (well, 1300 miles) over the next two days.

2500HD and 23' TT.
1 driver and "setup" person; me.
Me, wife, son (4 years old at the time) and grandpa.
Too much?

It's interesting to hear how others do it.

Makes me curious how old people are, and if that's the biggest factor. I'm 38....... Or maybe just "stamina" or maybe something else. We've never been afraid to drive places. My work commute is nearly an hour, and doesn't bother me at all. Drove 6 hours to pick up the camper then 6 hours back home all in one day. Went from MI to Denver, CO to get a snowblower for my tractor. Did it over a 3-day weekend (st. joeseph MI to denver, CO in one day).

Just curious...... Carry on. Good luck with your trip.
We just decided we'll be going from MI to Moab, UT in March. Bring on the diesel!

[Charles Firth]

The trip will be interesting,works out well on paper. Lots of variables,traffic, weather, wrong turns, and lucky with no break downs. We have a plan but we all know what happens to plans. Mechanically the WINDJAMMER and F 250 are good to go. We need to pack food and clothes and away we go. If I forget something I am sure we can get it.along the way.

[Theo]

Originally Posted by aeblank

{snip}...Makes me curious how old people are, and if that's the biggest factor. I'm 38....... Or maybe just "stamina" or maybe something else. We've never been afraid to drive places...{snip}

Well, when we drive we like to enjoy the journey and all the surprises and Americana we find on the way (e.g.; "Worlds Largest Ball of Yarn"). Been doing that since the late seventies and (at 66) won't stop doing that.

I am sure you have outstanding stamina based on your travels! Remind me to hire you as a driver when we take the RV to Hawaii.

Theo

[Charles Firth]

I am just anxious to hit the road. Frankly I would prefer to take a more leisurely trip, but the wife seems to be on a tight schedule and can only take so much time off work. I would like to take more time to " smell the roses ". But I will take what I can get. I hope I have not bitten off more than I can chew. But it would be a great way to find out what can be done. It has been fun planning the stops along with examining the distances and drive times. We will see how accurate the estimated times are. Then I can plan our next our next trip accordingly. The wealth of info obtained here is outstanding and very helpful. The thing I like about this forum, is that you have real people giving advice its better to get info from " Been there done that " campers. Once again thanks for all the input, all info has been helpful.

[dblr]

Chuck, now your task is to keep us informed an how your trip is going, be safe but most of all ENJOY

[Charles Firth]

Thanks, let's hope everything goes well, and it goes as planned. Leaving 1 March for the first leg of the journey