Corona Virus

[MobileCabin]

Thank you. So the rest stops will be more crowded than usual with lots of new people pulling trailers.

[NFRicaS]

Originally Posted by MobileCabin

Thank you. So the rest stops will be more crowded than usual with lots of new people pulling trailers.

I drove from Austin, TX to Ogunquit, Maine in early May...felt very safe everywhere I stopped...rest rooms at Campgrounds closed, paid remotely, was away by at least 10-15 ft from any other RV...gas stops used mask and bag at pump..Rest areas often had doors open, if not, I had covering on my hand, didn’t sit on seat...washed hands and used hand sanitizer...I am headed to Northern Maine for a couple of days in a week, will use same procedure...I am in a high risk category, age, heart, etc....but feel I am going to be OK as long as I am being smart...living life as best we can in these days of uncertainty...

[Dogman]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Going to a Walmart is a need. Walking in a park is a want. Other than the "invincible" youth I doubt anyone has deliberately flaunted the recommendations other than the Darwin prone. However, you do have to take calculated risk to survive. Very few people are capable of growing their own food.

DAVYDD,

I have been reading your post as they kind of relate in a bit to ourselves here in Florida. This site may be helpful. The very popular site and kept up-to-date. PRAY you and your wife are safe and doing well as we keep foraging forward into what will be. sorry to learn of your stroke and the wife, seems we don't do very well with the other half is down for the count, Truly hope this finds you both doing well.

http://coronaVirus.gov

[Jon in AZ]

Walmart is not a need. Going to a park is not a need.

Food and exercise are needs.

The challenge is meeting those needs at a time when recommended mitigation measures are being routinely ignored by a significant segment of the population. Whether Walmart or a public park is the best way to get food or exercise right now depends on how people are conducting themselves at specific Walmarts and parks. Ours are overrun by tourists escaping the Phoenix heat, and social distancing is pretty much out the window.

I have come to understand what they mean by "decision fatigue." Countless daily actions that used to require little or no conscious thought now demand continuous vigilance and decision-making.

A lot of it seems to be about figuring out what everyone else is thinking and choosing a different path. The masses appear to be deciding camping and RVing are the safest summer vacations, so that's what we will not be doing.

After spending two months leading an analog organization digitally and helping two teens navigate remote learning, my only thought was to survive until summer. Now it's here, and it's like, "Now what?!"
Now What.jpg

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by MobileCabin

I no longer have a subscription to the WSJ, but if others do, what was the substance of their May 16th article " RV Vacations: The Safest Way to Travel This Summer" https://www.wsj.com/articles/rv-vaca...er-11589601600.


Thanks,
Pat

seen a number of similar articles these past 2 days incl. CBC.ca and on my own TV news


must be a PR push by RV marketing


Mike

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

seen a number of similar articles these past 2 days incl. CBC.ca and on my own TV news


must be a PR push by RV marketing


Mike

I'm kind of skeptical too, especially of headlines like the one I read yesterday "RV Rentals Up 650%" (don't remember the source; took it as click-bait and brushed it off).

On the other hand, the number of RV's I'm seeing in town and on the road, including some that are marked as rentals, indicates people are out and about in mass. Local campgrounds are booked solid through most of the summer. I made a gas stop in Holbrook on I-40 while delivering relief supplies, and RVs were everywhere from many states.

I think some folks are buying the hype.

Saw a really cool 4x4 Transit Class B. I was a little jealous. I would love to be driving my camper for these supply runs, but the Roadtrek isn't made for back roads on the Navajo nation.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Walmart is not a need. Going to a park is not a need.]\

If you are referring to my comment, I said Walmart is a need in terms of you have to go out and shop for food. I could have said Target, Kroger, HEB, Costco, etc. but most every RVer knows about Walmart and I didn't think anyone would interpret someone would want to go to Walmart to camp.

[GallenH]

Based in Phoenix. Temps now 100-110. Typically we go to the White Mountains near Alpine. Stay at Winn campground; much less crowded than Big Lake. Would really like to escape heat but remain grounded. Since March 10th we've had 2 food deliveries, 4 food pickups, 1 pool chemical pickup. IOW have never gone into a store. That is THE extent of our venturing out. Ok. We do hiking and biking. And I forgot to mention 2 deliveries from Total Wine for tequila and triple sec plus wine plus beer.

[Best margarita = equal parts tequila, triple sec and fresh lime juice.]

So we have been very isolated/quarantined. We could travel, self-contained, except for gas which we could handle well and wouldn't have to go to stores or restaurants.

But, right now there are a lot of unknowns with regard to the virus spread. Northern Arizona is especially fragile with the indian reservations and the lack of abundant hospital resources. It seems best to wait a month and see how things shake out.

Hard, but we're willing to wait. Hope that all of you are doing well and safe.

[Dogman]

The current Number of "CASES in the US, WORLD, STATES, and COUNTIES" by CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...ses-in-us.html

TRAVEL QUESTIONS & FAQ: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...ers/index.html

The above and more came from the CDC: https://www.coronavirus.gov/

Be Alert, Stay Safe, and Wash Hands frequently.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Davydd

If you are referring to my comment, I said Walmart is a need in terms of you have to go out and shop for food. I could have said Target, Kroger, HEB, Costco, etc. but most every RVer knows about Walmart and I didn't think anyone would interpret someone would want to go to Walmart to camp.

I was, but I think you mistook my point. Walmart is the last place on earth I would want to "camp" (or buy food for that matter).

I took your point as "food is a necessity, outdoor recreation is not."

My counterpoint is human needs go beyond the mere survival level of food and medicine. Exercise and outdoor activity are among them. It is only possible to live at the basic survival level for so long. The meter has expired.

But just as Walmart may not be the best place to get your food right now, suddenly crowded public parks may not be the best places to satisfy the need for exercise and outdoor recreation.

Nor is a Walmart parking lot.

As the time to "hunker down" draws to a close, we now have to re-think the whole business of living in light of the corona virus. It's not going away.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I was, but I think you mistook my point. Walmart is the last place on earth I would want to "camp" (or buy food for that matter).

I took your point as "food is a necessity, outdoor recreation is not."

My point was that human needs go beyond the mere survival level of food and medicine. Exercise and outdoor activity are among them. It is only possible to live at the basic survival level for short periods of time. The meter has expired.

But just as Walmart may not be the best place to get your food right now, suddenly crowded public parks may not be the best places to satisfy the need for exercise and outdoor recreation.

Nor is a Walmart parking lot.

I think a lot of this all depends your own personality and where you happen to live. I am not an overly social type (DW would say that is a big understatement, though), we we live in the exurb suburbs of the Twin Cities (30 miles from the current problems), in a neighborhood of 2.5 acre lots, I have my quite large garage and workshop and plenty of stuff to do and play with, so the stay at home stuff is not as big a deal for me. We can walk in the pleasant neighborhood and not see many people, good bike riding right out the door of home. Went on a drive through, never get out of the car or park if you don't want, classic car cruise last night to see what was going on as it was close to home. Interesting format for a cruise or car show.

Things would be totally different for me/us if we were still on the 40 ft lot in the city, or even worse in a city condo or apartment, so I do understand why many people are going stir crazy.

Yeah, we do miss going on the road and seeing new and favorite places, but compared to many others the downsides for us are quite small right now. For us, the risks outweigh the downsides right now, but obviously that isn't true for lots of other people.

[Davydd]

We are also 25 miles from Lake Street the center of the Minneapolis protest. I once had my architectural office on Lake Street in the Uptown neighborhood that was the scene of the action and lived one block off Lake Street in Minneapolis just one mile west.

Now we live in a one story home on a private cul-de-sac but are backed up on a 3,700 acre regional park with 25 miles of walking trails wooded and paved.

[GeorgeRa]

Last Friday we drove our Sprinter from Portland OR to Tillamook, Newport and back home, about 270 miles round trip. Weather was great, just above 60F on the coast, practically all campgrounds were closed, most of vista points overlooking Pacific Ocean were cordoned-off. Often fully loaded shore parking in the Depoe Bay was just half full. Gorgeous ride.

After coming home, I calculated this trip gas mileage at 21.8 mpg.

[NFRicaS]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Last Friday we drove our Sprinter from Portland OR to Tillamook, Newport and back home, about 270 miles round trip. Weather was great, just above 60F on the coast, practically all campgrounds were closed, most of vista points overlooking Pacific Ocean were cordoned-off. Often fully loaded shore parking in the Depoe Bay was just half full. Gorgeous ride.

After coming home, I calculated this trip gas mileage at 21.8 mpg.

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!!

[booster]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Last Friday we drove our Sprinter from Portland OR to Tillamook, Newport and back home, about 270 miles round trip. Weather was great, just above 60F on the coast, practically all campgrounds were closed, most of vista points overlooking Pacific Ocean were cordoned-off. Often fully loaded shore parking in the Depoe Bay was just half full. Gorgeous ride.

After coming home, I calculated this trip gas mileage at 21.8 mpg.

We did a scenic route one day loop drive a number of weeks ago and never needed to get out the van except to get gas at the beginning. Great way to be able to spend an entire day, see some good sights and stay safe, all at once. We have done a couple of 3-4 hour drives in the old Buick wagon since as that is about the no potty stop limit for us What is surprising is that the 5000# Buick gets really good mileage, especially compared to the Chevy van. Last trip, the Buick got 26mpg and the van on the day trip got 16mpg. Ratio wise the van did well, but it is very heavy by comparison.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Last Friday we drove our Sprinter from Portland OR to Tillamook, Newport and back home, about 270 miles round trip. Weather was great, just above 60F on the coast, practically all campgrounds were closed, most of vista points overlooking Pacific Ocean were cordoned-off. Often fully loaded shore parking in the Depoe Bay was just half full. Gorgeous ride.

After coming home, I calculated this trip gas mileage at 21.8 mpg.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, you got your diesel at a bargain price!