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Old 12-10-2008, 06:59 PM   #41
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Lex,

Do you like extreme hot weather? I looked at your map and looked at the months you plan on going and can't believe anyone would want to travel that route in the summer.

Maybe I misunderstand your schedule.

The people you talked to, did they do that route in the summer?

Good luck, take lots of water.

Nancy in northern MN
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Old 12-10-2008, 11:45 PM   #42
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Quote:
Lex,

Do you like extreme hot weather? I looked at your map and looked at the months you plan on going and can't believe anyone would want to travel that route in the summer.

Maybe I misunderstand your schedule.

The people you talked to, did they do that route in the summer?

Good luck, take lots of water.

Nancy in northern MN
Nancy, we thought spending april, may and june in the south.
Will that be a problem?
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Old 12-11-2008, 12:12 AM   #43
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This is a very big country, there is no way to see it all in 6 months. Have you considered storing car and trailer here and returning the following year. If you are only allowed to have it here for 6 months, perhaps you could drive it across the canadian border and store it there. You don't want to go to Mexico right now.

Almost no one tows with a car in the states. SUVs and pick-up trucks are the normal tow vehicles.

US and european trailer wiring connecters are different. Adaptation would require changing a plug on the wiring.
Domestic power is 110 volts 60 cycles. I saw an english visitor who ran everything on his battery and recharged it using a cheap battery charger that he bought here in the states. The difference between a 50mm and a 2inch hitch ball is not significant.
Propane supply could be a problem. It might be necessary to make an adaptor to fill your tank.

It sounds like a wonderful adventure. Don't give up on it.
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Old 12-11-2008, 02:37 AM   #44
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Almost no one tows with a car in the states. SUVs and pick-up trucks are the normal tow vehicles.
While it's true that many/most people tow with (and drive) trucks and SUVs in the US, there are definitely some of us who do fine with cars, so I would say don't rule it out on that basis. If you know your vehicle, and it's well-matched to the rig, you might prefer it to a "new" one here. I'm not sure what type of vehicle you'd be bringing, but of course you would want to consider parts availability.

Just know that not everyone drives a big 'ole truck

Raya
(Swedish station wagon)
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Old 12-11-2008, 03:22 AM   #45
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While it's true that many/most people tow with (and drive) trucks and SUVs in the US, there are definitely some of us who do fine with cars, so I would say don't rule it out on that basis. If you know your vehicle, and it's well-matched to the rig, you might prefer it to a "new" one here. I'm not sure what type of vehicle you'd be bringing, but of course you would want to consider parts availability.

Just know that not everyone drives a big 'ole truck

Raya
(Swedish station wagon)
We own a Volvo V70 D5.
It 's good for the job :-)
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Old 12-11-2008, 04:39 AM   #46
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RV parks intended for BulgeMobiles have a 50Amp[at]240VAC service on the pedestal -- The RV breaks that down into two 50Amp[at]120VAC services, however, it would be possible to make a Euro to 50Amp[at]240VAC cable up for a Euro-spec camper.

The trick would be to bring the camper-end connector with you because an electrician here in US/CA likely couldn't find those parts -- Likewise, it would be hard to make up the cable in Europe because of difficulty getting the US/CA parts.

Also, there will be a problem refilling propane tanks because the US/CA fittings are different from the Euro fittings. Again, bringing the parts will help.

Summer in the Western states can really get hot and uncomfortable...
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Old 12-12-2008, 12:02 AM   #47
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Hi Lex,

Try this site to get weather info for places you want to visit.

http://www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp

For example I put in Houston, TX for June 7-9. Be sure to scroll down to read what it says under humidity (dew point). It says you have a 93% chance of a "sweltering day".

Next I put in Carlsbad, NM. It was not a pretty picture either.

I didn't go for Alamogordo (White Sands area) because I roasted at just the thought. We were there in late April - early May and it was warm then.

Sorry the above site does not use Celsius. I've seen a site that reports both but can't remember where that is. If I find it I'll post again.

By the way. We live near the Canadian border and when we go to Oregon in July we often have to motel when crossing the states because we do not have an air conditioner in our trailer. We take a northern route and when it is 100 degrees out there at bedtime we can't sleep. When we can get to the high desert it isn't so bad at night.

Thumbs up for Oregon coast in July.

Hope this helps.
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Old 12-12-2008, 12:48 AM   #48
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Lex,

Here is a site I use daily, but it is not as user friendly as the link above.

http://www.intellicast.com/

At this site you must put in the city and state. That will give you current weather for that place. Next to current weather there is an F for us. Click on that and it turns into a C for you.

One of the options across the top says "historical". Click on that for the historical weather for the place you want. Scroll down and click on the month you are interested in. While I was doing this I kept getting back to F instead of C. I also stumbled and found -44 degrees possible in March in Baltimore....NO it wasn't. The site had switched me back to my northern town historical!

If you use intellicast be sure to keep an eye on what town you are in for the data you are looking at.

Would probably be easier to find your comfort zone and convert that to F degrees. For me going to C I want to be between 10 and 25. Above 30 and I'm not a happy camper.

Nancy
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Old 12-12-2008, 01:43 AM   #49
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My goal too is to do trips like this. but travel back roads (fire roads, logging trails) as much as I can from place to place. Meeting up with Jeepers and the likes along the way. dropping off the jacked up Egg 5er and going wheeling with the local rednecks in the TV before heading out on the next leg of the journey.

all of course fueled by waste cooking oil and also publishing a journal about the trips in 4x4 rag and/or a scentific rag. maybe trailer life too?? Kinda of a lowbuck version of the Turtle Expedition.

1962 dieselized MB Unimog towing 1985 5er mounted on a US military trailer.
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Old 12-12-2008, 08:02 AM   #50
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For what it's worth, there is a "Edit my Page Preferences." right at the top of the page at wunderground and it will let you change to metric.

Bill K


Quote:
Hi Lex,

Try this site to get weather info for places you want to visit.

http://www.wunderground.com/tripplanner/index.asp


Sorry the above site does not use Celsius. I've seen a site that reports both but can't remember where that is. If I find it I'll post again.



Hope this helps.
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Old 12-12-2008, 11:25 AM   #51
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For what it's worth, there is a "Edit my Page Preferences." right at the top of the page at wunderground and it will let you change to metric.

Bill K
The site is able to determine the location of my ip address.
It is partly in Dutch and metricin Celsius etc. :-)
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Old 12-13-2008, 01:08 PM   #52
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You may already know this, but the humidity is important because moist air forms a "blanket" over the earth, allowing the sunlight to enter during day to heat everything up and then slowing down the loss of heat during the night.

That's why summer nights in Arizona, New Mexico, etc., are cool and nights in Florida are not!
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Old 01-07-2009, 04:39 AM   #53
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After a visit to the US consulate in the morning of jan 5, an old fashioned freezing, windchill rich day, we got our visas. So the train is moving ;-)
The plan is now to ship the rig on feb 20 from Amsterdam to Jacksonville (scheduled to arrive march 21).
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Old 01-07-2009, 05:48 PM   #54
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Lex that's very exciting! Congratulations on moving ahead with your plan!
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Old 01-08-2009, 08:06 PM   #55
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Hi, ya, Lex!

I haven't been here for a bit, but we'd spoken about exchanging rigs, you use mine here in the US and I there. Glad to hear you are coming! No doubt, it will be a wonderful trip!

I'm going to PM you for some additional thoughts.

BTW, we thought about the Netherlands this year but opted for Italy again and finishing the trip with a week in Palermo. The warmth is too enticing for this South Dakotan!

Cheers, we'll be in touch!
Gigi
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Old 01-09-2009, 03:15 AM   #56
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Hi, ya, Lex!

I haven't been here for a bit, but we'd spoken about exchanging rigs, you use mine here in the US and I there. Glad to hear you are coming! No doubt, it will be a wonderful trip!

I'm going to PM you for some additional thoughts.

BTW, we thought about the Netherlands this year but opted for Italy again and finishing the trip with a week in Palermo. The warmth is too enticing for this South Dakotan!

Cheers, we'll be in touch!
Gigi
Hi Gigi,
Pity (?) we can't compete with the Italian weather ;-)

Please use email ( rilex[at]biod.info ) in stead of PM (if you don't object)

Lex
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Old 01-11-2009, 01:43 AM   #57
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I try to figure out what is the best way for me (I hate flying) to cross the Atlantic.
I selected 3 options:
1 Fly to Atlanta (10 hrs) + car hire to Jacksonville.
2 Fly to Miami (11 hrs) + car hire or train to Jacksonville.
3 Fly to Washington DC (8:40 hrs) + train to Jacksonville.
Are this realistic options? How about option 3?
Option 3 gives the possibility to embark the rig in Baltimore.
Thanks.
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Old 01-11-2009, 02:46 AM   #58
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I probably shouldn't tell you this, but as I hate flying too, when I went to France some years ago, I went as a passenger on a freighter. As it turned out there were two other passengers, in the form of a retired British couple who had brought their Peugeot mini camper (like a wide Westfalia VW) over in the hold, toured Canada and the US, and were on their way back home. They'd done it once before about ten years prior, too. I think at that point they said it was about $900 for the camper van's passage.

We became good friends and I later visited them at their home in England. I was coming over on the ferry from France and my boat arrived at about 6 a.m. after an overnight passage. D. was waiting there in the Peugeot with the kettle on and toast and jam. He'd driven over the night before and camped in the parking lot. So my intro to England was taking a camper van across the moors

The liked to "camp wild" as they called (i.e. just pulling over somewhere on a side road or off the beaten track), and had taken some really adventurous trips on the continent - such as to the slavic countries back in the 70s and 80s.

I realize that you're probably not going to suddenly book ship's passage for yourself, but your mentioning being a fellow reluctant flyer reminded me of the British couple.

On topic of your questions, I love train travel, but it might be really lengthy and not that wonderful going down the main east coast corridor on one of our trains (I've only taken the out west train trips, which are expensive and slow but amazing as they go through roadless mountains and along rivers and such).

The Miami airport is a real zoo. I once flew to Florida and was advised by a local to fly in to Fort Lauderdale instead. I didn't listen, and took the cheaper flight to Miami. Never again. The airport was so packed with people that I had to sit on the floor. Not ONE empty place to sit, even in the "back forty."

Atlanta is a nice, efficient airport, and only probably five or so hours' drive to Jacksonville. I would probably choose that if the fare is not crazy expensive.

Dulles maybe if the train works out and it's inexpensive compared to Atlanta; but the drive down I-95 is not one of your more wonderful "open road" drives (to say the least). Of course if you are embarking the rig in Baltimore it makes perfect sense.

I find that flying is less stressful for me if I make sure to get on a "nice" plane like a 777, where I'll have my "own" TV screen to distract me. I also check seatguru.com to choose a good seat once I know which plane model I'll be flying on. Hey, for 8 hours or more it makes a difference!

Rachel
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Old 01-11-2009, 08:02 AM   #59
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- do you think it is worth working out the idea?


- do you think it is possible to sell the trailer in the US?

Yes, but title registration might be a bit of a hassle.

- what would be the best period of the year?

I'd suggest starting the journey in the northeast in late August, and working southward and westward through the autumn, reaching sunny southern California or Mexico before winter sets in to the north.

Best advice: just do it. Problems will resolve themselves as you go.
Selling trailer sans title might, in fact, be doable as some states in US do not register trailers. All you get/give in event of sale is a handwritten bill of sale which should suffice when purchaser registers trailer in his/her home state for tag and paying of appropriate sales taxes, which is what they really want anyway.. If you go this route, list the intent of sale with a foto of your trailer on one of the sites and thousands of like-minded folks will consider the offer. IK suspect the sale will be more or less effortless

Start your trek in the southern states if you wish to leave early and work your way westward and then northward and eastward as the cold and snow and ice recedes. It saves on air conditioning. Buy a surf rod and tackle here and spend time along the sea wading out in the waves and surf fishing. Its a great past time and you may eat your catch (saving even more money), something you cannot do with those goofy golf balls some folks seem to enjoy beating to death after paying for tghe privilege of doing so. Surf fishing could be free.

Another point to consider: Learn about boon docking to really save money. There are loads of online sites that explain the finer points of doing it.

Good Luck on your adventure
And, try and keep us posted while on it
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Old 01-11-2009, 03:03 PM   #60
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Whether or not you have a title, I suspect it will be like when someone here in the US imports a trailer from Canada, in that a lot will depend on the rules of the buyer's state. Still probably very doable -- I'm not saying it isn't -- but the forms and such required will be dictated mostly at the state level. Some states have a list of forms and actions required (and give titles); others don't really care and don't issue titles; and many somewhere in between.

(There may be more to it if the trailer is less than 25 years old; that's the point at which they get more interested in whether the trailer meets certain criteria on the US level. Like most of this sort of thing, it'd probably be in large part checking on the rules and then in an equal part which people you happen to get when you deal with the officialdom.)
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