Ohio to Key West (and back) 2015-16

[FJ40Jim]

Trip report 12/23/2015-1/11/2016 (20 days of confined space training)

Summary: Scamp out from Ohio to key west,
then come back to frigid winter weather.

Statistical abstract:

Rolling stock: 2001 VW Golf TDI, 1983 Scamp13, 2 bicycles
Pax: 2 humans, 1 canine
Route: OH-WV-VA-NC-SC-GA-FL-GA-SC-NC-VA-WV-OH
Depart ODO: 221515
Return ODO: 224680
Total mileage: 3228 (corrected)
Longest leg: 355mi, Lancaster OH to Mayberry NC (x2)
Shortest leg: 40mi. Faver-Dykes SP to Tomoka SP
Towing miles: 2800
Bobtail miles: 428
Total fuel burn: 113.2gals
Avg fuel econ: 28.5 MPG (ouch)
Total fuel cost: $250.68
Avg price/gal: $2.21
total CGs stayed at: 9
Northernmost point: OH
Easternmost: Myrtle Beach, SC
Southernmost: Key West, FL
Westernmost: Palmetto, FL

[Carl Pa]

Wow, am going to do a similar trip like that sometime this year or next. From PA to the Keys. Carl

[FJ40Jim]

Trying to add pics off our android phones, but it's proving to be very difficult....

Edit: pretty impossible. What has worked (I think) is sending the pics from the phone to a folder in Google Drive, then download that whole folder to the real computer, then upload the whole folder to a user friendly photo sharing site (photobucket in this case).

[FJ40Jim]

We left Ohio around Noon, Dec 23rd. The fully laden rig looks like this (I'm cheating, this pic is from the end of the trip, but you get the idea):



Other than getting slightly lost looking for lunch in Charleston WV, it was pretty uneventful. Arrived at Mayberry CG around 7PM. The office was closed up, but they had written on the bulletin board which sites were still open for late arrivals. We plopped down in the spot closest to the bathrooms (priorities, we haz 'em) and commenced to eating supper. It was rainy & windy all night, so we did nothing outside, just hunkered down and read.

The 24th the rain had changed to fog/mist/drizzle, so we broke camp and got back on the road. The grey weather stayed with us all the way to Myrtle beach. The State park was above average, with it's own big beachfront, fishing pier, bike trails, boardwalk, etc. We drove to the city beachfront area and walked the boardwalk & beach there for Christmas eve.

Christmas day was still foggy & moist, but no rain. DW put on an x-mas party dress to unwrap her new bike & take it for a ride.



At the end of the boardwalk we wanted to get a pic of the big pier going out into the ocean, but instead got a pic of fog.



So we rode our bikes around and did as little as possible on Christmas day. Because vacation.
By the end of the day, the warm sun had burned off most of the fog.



The next day we blasted off for Charleston SC. Pics when I get them off her phone...

[Mike Magee]

Wow, imagine a 3200 mile trip with a trailer in tow, and spending only $250. And you say, "ouch"??? You're the envy of nearly all RVers!

I can see why you would take many pictures, with such a photogenic subject. And the wife looks good too.... NO, I'm just kidding, your wife looks fabulous!

[FJ40Jim]

Mike, the fuel prices were higher than I was used to. I filled the car last night at the local cheap truck stop for $1.79 a gallon. Getting stuck paying $2.45 on the interstate was kinda ouchy by comparison. And the fuel consumption was much worse than I anticipated because of higher speeds on some sections of interstate, climbing all the mountains in WV, VA & NC, and some serious windstorms along the way. Was hoping for 30-32 MPG. But it costs what it costs. Staying home would be cheaper, but where's the fun in that?

Backing up a bit, there were some mods & upgrades for this trip. Most obvious is the rear receiver to carry the bike rack. Pretty basic install. Cut a hole in the bumper & body for the 1-1/4 receiver tube to go forward under the floor, weld an extension to that, weld a tube crossmember between the frame rails, weld the receiver & extension to the crossmember & bumper, clean & paint everything black, add conspicuity tape to rear bumper. Since it's not a real hitch, there no messing around with trailer wiring. Pics to come.

Adding the receiver, hitch & bikes was about 75# at the rear, which meant re-distributing weight inside the Scamp. Every heavy thing in the rear lockers was jammed into the front curbside locker: water bottles, canned food, propane cans, dogfood.... Other stuff that rode on the rear bed (guitar, pillows, backpack) was on the front couch. Bike front wheels and seats were also inside at the front. Overall, the positive stability was decreased, but it was still positive. Fully loaded, a quick jank on the steering wheel would result in 3 oscillations before fully damping out, compared to 1 oscillation without bikes & rack.

In anticipation of beach sand, the old carpet had to go. It was replaced with floating sheet vinyl. Cheap, lightweight, waterproof, easy to sweep out... It was great.

From this:



To this:



Another small but very useful upgrade was adding folding cupholders to the interior. Pics will be posted soon.

[John in Michigan]

Beautiful interior Jim! Can you tell me what brand / model is your new flooring? I'm also interesting in using waterproof floating vinyl flooring in my Trillium. Thanks

John

[FJ40Jim]

John, more details on the flooring are in another post from a couple months back.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post557929

HTH!

[FRED SMAILES]

Well Jim I must say I'm a little green,,, with envy,,,
Over the last few years it was I posting pics of our trip south in the winter
but with our dollar value such as it is(about50% of the US dollar) were busy
keeping the wood stove going.
Enjoy your Scamp!
Fred

[John in Michigan]

thanks Jim!

[MRClaus]

what are you holding in your hand ?

[FJ40Jim]

That is a Walky Dog bike leash. It connects the dog to the bike in a safe manner so he can trot along with us when biking. Inside the metal tube handle is a long compression spring, and the cord itself is a bungee cord. So the dog is kept near the end of the stick, but he can stretch it a good amount if necessary.

[Raff]

We were in the keys recently and really enjoyed Long Key SP and are really missing it right now.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[Sheryl M]

>>Avg fuel econ: 28.5 MPG (ouch)<<

We used to own two 00-01 Beetle TDI's. I definitely understand the ouch part! :-)