New year's Rving Resolutions

We try to drive by "time" rather than "distance" and most of our days involve ~6-7 hours of driving. Since we try to stay away from either coast that translates to ~325-375 miles which works for us, especially when my wife takes over for a couple of hours. We can't exceed 65 mph when towing our CR-V and I don't feel comfortable going faster than that, anyway.

As for resolutions, I liked the way we arranged this year's >6,000 mile journey. The way things worked out we stayed in 3 "major" locations for 10-14 days each with several days of driving between stops. That gave us a chance to relax and not have to feel like we were going to pack up the next day and move again.

Joel (AKA docj)

 

One resolution I will make and hope to stick to it is to do my best to remain in good health. A second one will be to "be on the road" at least the same amount of time as we did this past year. More would of course be a bonus. As to driving times and distances we go by time just as Joel does. We try to limit our daily driving time to between 4 and 5 hours with 6 being absolute max. We like to leave early and arrive early as that give us afternoon time to relax, unwind, break out the flex straws, and pop the top of a gallon jug of Meadow Vista Red..........

BankShot..............(aka Terry)

 

We try to limit our driving time to no more than 4 hours. This winter our longest haul for our winter circuit through GA and FL will be 4:15, and the shortest will be 20 minutes. My New Years resolution is to make sure all preventative maintenance is completed on schedule to minimize the risk of any breakdowns.

 

We have no complaints. We don't plan to change any of our routine ('cause we don't have one) other than that we can only be in the US for 180 days per year.

Our resolution is to keep on RVing as long as our health and stamina allow us to.

Wishing all a happy and healthy new year.

Darrell & Jerry

 

Hey Ron - There's nothing much mo betta than spending a couple of winter months at an RV park just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the north, where the prairie winds blow and the temp dips down to well below zero most of that time. I feel you really owe it to yourself and your Sigoth (signifcant other) to make that trip one of these years and "live the experience" to its fullest..........

I imagine Darrell & Jerry would be more than happy to give you the names of a couple of great parks or campgrounds to toss the anchor out at........... You'd do that for Ron wouldn't you Darrell....

Happy New Year, Terry................(aka BankShot)

 

Thin Florida blood and northern Canada temps do not mix well it seems. I can empathize with that due to living a lot of my life in So. Calif. where the only time I would expose myself to freezing temps was when I opened the fridge door to grab a beer. I originally hail from B.C. Canada and did go thru some pretty cold winters as a kid. I actually did visit the Winnipeg, Manitoba area one time during the winter and that was enough for me to last a lifetime. Indeed we love our sun and "tolerable" winters where we live now and like you folks, we won't be following the Rolllin Ollens gang back to Alberta when they go home again............

BankShot.................(aka Terry)

 

We love visiting Canada in the summer. As much as we love the country we can't get our minds around being there in the winter. A couple of years ago our friends on PEI told us they had ~15 ft of snow on the ground by late April. I can't even comprehend what that would be like!

 

We live in Winnipeg Manitoba and believe me I don’t want to be here either. But this is home to us with our friends and family. We make the best of it by staying indoors with the heat cranked up. But come summer I think we have some of the country’s best provincial parks. Crystal clear lakes and temperatures that reach into the mid to high 30’s(+85 degrees to our southern neighbors). You owe it to yourselves to come up to the great white north to experience our beautiful lakes and forests.

 

We have spent ~5 of the past 8 years in Canada for at least part of the summer and plan to do so again this year. So far we've been in 10 provinces and territories. I think we're only missing NW Territory, Nunavut and Newfoundland!

 

Firstly, we can definitely recommend visiting some parts of Canada but non around the Winnipeg area. You will have to ask Fun Finders for that info. We have never been to Manitoba or further east than Saskatchewan. We will be visiting that area next fall on our way south though. Heavily stressing "depending on the weather".

Secondly, although we obviously do not have first hand knowledge of Manitoba winters, we have heard stories about the corner of Portage and Main (Winnipeg) in mid January as being one of the coldest places on earth. We can admit to having frozen our tail off sitting on a broken down ski lift in Calgary at -30C (-22 F) for almost 15 minutes which might be comparable to what it's like in Winnipeg. It ain't pleasant!! The only thing we miss about cold winters is skiing and we used to park our rig at ski hills. Winter camping is very possible and enjoyable. Our TT taken February 1990.



Right now, It's a little chilly in Texas, but a lot more tolerable than Canadian cold. Walking barefoot on a beach is a lot more to our liking than skiing is now day

We do recommend visiting Canada during the warmer months. There are many Americans that become "Summer Canadians". A lot of Texans have summer homes in the Victoria, British Columbia area.

We can personally recommend visiting Vancouver Island, the Okanagan and Shuswap areas. The mountains around Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper in Alberta. Kananaskis Country and the Foothills of the Rockies. If you are interested in Dinosaurs there are the Badlands around Drumheller and the Prairies around Brooks where you can find, see and feel real fossils.

The American dollar goes farther in Canada for most items. You will go into shock the first time you fill your fuel tank. Alcohol including Beer is very expensive. Groceries are about 30% more expensive. You will find that travel times are quicker...well not really but you will see distances measured in Kilometers which makes you think you arrive sooner.

If you want further information on areas we have knowledge of, don't hesitate to ask.

Darrell & Jerry

 

I understand there is now an all weather road to Tuktoyaktuk. I.m going to pass on this destination and Nunavut. We do plan on visiting Newfoundland though.

Darrell

 

This coming summer will probably be our last spent in Alberta. We will then move east to Ontario and the Maritime provinces. We think we will need three or four summers to see what we want there. After that...who knows.

Darrell & Jerry

 

I do recommend visiting the Canadian Rockies during the summer. The temps are very tolerable and the scenery is second to none. Sadly, there are not many campgrounds and RV Parks that aren't solidly booked these days. The area needs more parks.

Darrell

 

Well, I expect we could stay year round but then we would have to file tax returns for Uncle Sam and Canada plus we would not qualify for our FREE (but probably in reality, the worlds most expensive) Health Care. We are financially bound to Canada for about 185 days per year.

Darrell

 

Hmmm, it's only ~1,400 km from Whitehorse. Less than I would have imagined, but I'm not so sure that Coachnet can provide service there, if needed.

 

Without turning this into a political thread, my wife and I participate in the US's Medicare program of health insurance for seniors. This year we will have paid >$12k for premiums, drugs, etc, for a plan that ostensibly we have paid into for most of our lives. Don't criticize what you have until you know what the alternatives may be like.