Maiden Voyage: Summary

wednesday, 7 July 2010

Here it is — our adjusted route map for the maiden voyage. We made only one change to the route (to avoid the Chicago area), but were otherwise good about staying on plan. I can tell you that it was hard not to deviate when we saw exit signs pointing to places of interest along the way (we could be enjoying ourselves at Yellowstone now, for example), but we behaved ourselves.

Across the US in six days.

2,900 miles [4600+ km] — 2,887 to be exact — in 57:59:59 driving hours, according to the onboard trip computer. Hopefully, our next cross-country trip will be measured in weeks and months, and not in hours and days.

With nightly rates ranging from $27 to $37, we spent an average of $31 in camping fees for pull-through sites with 50-amp service and full hookups. Couldn’t have done that had we been staying in hotels along the way. Fuel costs were much higher than they would have been had we been traveling by car, of course, so maybe it all averaged out this time.

We utilized truck plazas in order to take advantage of the faster pump speeds; it made a huge difference. Diesel ranged in price from $2.76 to $3.01 per gallon; if there was a cash discount (usually $.06), we took it. With a total fuel purchase of 325.55 gallons [1,237 liters], we averaged around 9 miles [14.5 km] per gallon on this trip. Our average speed of 65 mph [104 kph] was a bit more than the optimum; we’ll slow down on our leisure trips.

time for Q&A

Before I close, a friend asked me a few “comfort” questions, so let me address them.

Bed good? The RVs we looked at before buying the Phaeton all had queen beds. We wanted a king. Luckily, so did the former owners of the coach. Specifically, we have a Sleep Number California King with dual controls. Overall, we’re quite happy with the bed, though we’re still fiddling around with the controls to find the perfect sleep number for each of us. I took a survey on the Sleep Number website and came up with 45, but I found that number to be a bit soft for me. I’m up to 55 now; I think I’ll try 60 the next time we take the Phaeton out.

Cool enough? A/C noisy? Short answer to the first part —yes. On the hottest two days on the road, with the sun streaming in, we did use the fans suspended from the top of the windshield to circulate the air coming out of the A/C vents. Overall, however, the temperature in the coach was plenty comfortable in the cockpit and mid-section. It did get hot in the bedroom (the diesel pusher is back there, after all), but that was easily taken care of by turning on the rear A/C unit once we were on shore power.

As for the A/C being noisy. I don’t think it was; especially with the fan on normal speed (Mui noted that we have good insulation in the roof). I’d say that it was maybe a tad louder than the average house unit.

There were a few times when Mui had trouble hearing me, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the A/C being on at the time. He, like all husbands, is afflicted with SITHW (selective inability to hear wife) Syndrome.

Shower pressure decent, water pump adequate? Yes and yes; the caveat being that we were on city water at each campsite, so the Shurflo pump was not in play for the morning shower. When we were on the road, the water pump certainly seemed more than adequate to wash dishes and flush the toilet. Will report back if we find that the pump is not satisfactory for showers when we boondock (as we hope to do in the future).

Speaking of toilets, let me pass along a tip that we read in a blog. Some might think this is TMI; so be it. We found the tip useful, and other newbies will probably do so too. Line the toilet bowl with criss-crossed strips of toilet paper before you do #2 business. No skid-marks, as Mui would say, when you flush the toilet. (No need to invest in toilet bowl liners IMHO.)

Small dining table workable? Absolutely. We wanted a free-standing dinette instead of a booth. Again, we lucked out with the previous owners having already exercised that option. Four around the table would be a bit of a squeeze even with the table pulled out to its full length, but you could seat three comfortably. As there’s just the two of us in the “condo on wheels,” we don’t see it as a problem.
(Updated 07/16/2010: thanks Jeff for letting us know that the table pulls out a bit more.)

Keep the questions coming. If you’re not privy to my email, just leave a comment here and I will post a response.

Our next adventure is coming up … stayed tuned.