Road trip!

oscarvan

Well-known member
Eastern PA to Douglas GA, home of the cheap trailer. Chooching down I-95, now 5 hours in. Getting around DC was annoying but doable. 49 mph average so far. We'll improve on that. So...... I custom ordered a single axle 6x10 "luggage cart" for the Sprinter: Matchy matchy grey (I hope, looked good on paper), blackout package, 7' tall interior (for reasons, and it's still drafting behind the van) and a few other doodads. Parked at a Love's, filled up the 47G tank with $4.03 diesel and had some dinner..... a few more hours in me before I go find a place to take a nap. (Avocado, humus, tomato, kielbasa, smoked salmon and a few GF crackers) Still the best way to travel.

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EBS-P

Well-known member
Can’t wait for a picture of the whole combo. I have been thinking something like that. Pedal bike hauler/ bunkhouse for 7.
 

oscarvan

Well-known member
Good nap at a NC rest area. Breakfast is banana, GF granola and DF yoghurt. Green tea. Heating up the water with a 120V/1500W kettle took 2% out of the battery. I'll take that. 450 to go today to be at the door 8am tomorrow. Wouldn't mind find somewhere with electricity nearby. (Douglas GA) Let's see if I can get into a campground without an RVIA sticker by the door......


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oscarvan

Well-known member
Comfortably ensconced, as in plugged in and AC running, at the “Small Living RV Park” in Baxley Georgia. 25 spots, about 15 campers here, with cars….. however not a living soul, or dog, to be seen. Got set up JUST before the sky opened up. And, just found out there's WIFI which is a good thing as I was pulling down a solid 1.3 Mbps with my phone......Stopped at the local food store for some stuff….. The organic section was non existent. Forget GF or DF. There was however a large display of children’s bible story books, on sale. Surprisingly, there were no political signs anywhere…… EVERYONE wished me a happy Fathers day. The trailer place is 45 minutes away. I’ll be there when it opens at 8am. Now for some improvised culinary activities.

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marklg

Well-known member
And, just found out there's WIFI which is a good thing as I was pulling down a solid 1.3 Mbps with my phone.......
Starlink. You'd have 150 Mbps or so with that open sky.

We found plenty of GF items in the Atlanta suburbs , even a GF bakery at a farmer's market. I definitely bring my own along though. That's a big reason we got the van with a full conversion.

Regards,

Mark
 

oscarvan

Well-known member
Starlink. You'd have 150 Mbps or so with that open sky.

We found plenty of GF items in the Atlanta suburbs , even a GF bakery at a farmer's market. I definitely bring my own along though. That's a big reason we got the van with a full conversion.

Regards,

Mark
If I was spending a LOT of time in the van I would definitely get something better. I may put a cell booster on the roof..... do they work? Anyone have any suggestions?
 

vreihen

🇺🇸 2014 NCV3 170" cargo with OM651
We found plenty of GF items in the Atlanta suburbs , even a GF bakery at a farmer's market.

He's in banjo music country, not an Atlanta suburb. I know from being in a similar area in the southeast right now that I can't get Bubly or any similar infused seltzer, and the things that they call bagels are a crime compared with the absolute worst bakery in the northeast. On the bright side, the BBQ is great and non-vegan collard greens are to die for.....
 
Starlink. You'd have 150 Mbps or so with that open sky.
Starlink is rapidly destroying the night sky.

I like to camp in Dark Sky areas, and nowadays, one can never escape the constant intrusion of satellites traversing the sky at night. They're approaching making long-exposure photography of the night sky impossible.

For the same reason, Starlink is impacting ground-based astronomy at the professional level as well. Note that ground-based astronomy is the preferred way to observe the Universe (space-based telescopes will never come close to matching the resolution of modern ground-based telescopes).

There are currently ~ 17,000 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), 70% of which are from Starlink. Musk has stated his goal of having 40,000-50,000 Starlink satellites in orbit within the next few years (he's actually suggested launching an additional one million satellites for use in space-based AI, but I think even Musk himself knows that this is just boastful posturing on his part).

There is something called the Kessler syndrome, which states that at some point, the number of satellites in LEO will render space travel impossible. In other words, once the Kessler syndrome is in effect, humans will be trapped to the Earth's surface forever. Even at 17,000 satellites, the sheer number of objects and debris currently in orbit is already creating existential threats for present-day spacecraft and space stations. One estimate for the Kessler syndrome's threshold is 72,000 satellites, although there are other estimates that place this threshold at much lower values, e.g., 45,000 satellites.

IMO, Starlink and the growing number of satellites from other companies represent a real threat for what amounts to environmental genocide. I don't think less of people who use Starlink, but I myself can't recommend Starlink with a clear conscience.
 

oscarvan

Well-known member
The power pedestal chef presents: Chicken with black beans and tomatoes..... Quite tasty.
 

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vreihen

🇺🇸 2014 NCV3 170" cargo with OM651
The power pedestal chef presents:

That's exactly how my DW makes her coffee every morning! She has a go-box like that, where she stores the coffee maker, cups, and supplies that she uses as a work platform just like you did.

I only installed a 15A shore power inlet, and don't want to throw 12+ amps of coffee maker on the same inlet circuit as the refrigerator, water cooler, and ice maker.....
 

oscarvan

Well-known member
Picked up the "luggage cart" at the factory in Douglas GA this AM. The grey is close-enough-ish. Squint when you look at it. The size is PERFECT. It fit's inside the aerodynamic footprint of the van perfectly. I got the double tail light option. You can SEE me. The 7way plug did NOT want to go into the factory receptacle on the van. Too tight.... Had to shave it down a little and grunt, hard. Will work on that when I get home. It's not the plug. Not sure what it weighs, guessing 11-1200 pounds or so.. You can definitely tell it's there, although it tracks fine. This van is not built for pulling, then again I may have been spoiled by my RAM 3500 dually. That said, with my foot in there it did do the hills OK..... Mileage went from 17-18 at 75-85mph to Low 15's at 70-75mph. (No one start with me, the speed limit was 65-70 in many places and I don't want to get run over by a semi.) 12 hours, a little over 650 miles, 51mph average. Thought I had enough DEF when I left home, but ended up at 40% with the thing yelling at me. Stopped at MB of Augusta GA for some 2026 Chateau Add Blue. Van is chooching nicely. Sure is nice to have your house with you. 94º outside one stop, massive thunderstorm the next one. Actually got off the road to ride it out in the parking lot of a shuttered no-tell motel when I saw the sky and checked radar. Continuous cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightning. All from the comfort of inside with snacks and potty. I dig it.

Interesting side note.... (Just an observation NOT a political statement, please don't start on this thread.)

350 miles on two lane roads through GA farmland (onions anyone?), with an occasional town with band stand and blueberry festival next week, or a short commercial strip with 5 mobile home dealers ($7500 will get YOU into a house) a pawn and bait shop, a Dollar General and lots of rural homes. (There's an attorney Swindell in Bellview GA..... you can't make this shit up.) Anywho there was not ONE, and I mean not a one single political sign anywhere in these hundreds of square miles, not even at the 50 year old single wide on blocks with flaking paint, rusted roof and 125 dead lawn mowers in the front yard.. They sure as heck were there when I came through a few years ago, with clear leanings...........

(Note the fashion colored green trailer, forgot to shoot a pic of the purple ones..... didn't want to hurt my lens.)

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oscarvan

Well-known member
Back home after 350 more miles in rain and one particularly homicidal truck driver. Came into my lane hard and I had two feet between me and the Jersey barriers. He pulled it back just as hard in time............

Lots of things in the "living" flow and process that worked. Some need improvement. Van performed well. I slept like a rock in a rest area. Today in the hills of VA the mileage deteriorated to below 14 mpg (Increased downshifting to maintain 70-75 mph amd again, don't start with me.... I am NOT going to drive slower than the traffic around me). Oh well, we entered the "If you have to worry about fuel you can't afford this" territory a long time ago.
 

Canboy

2024 Sprinter.
My first real trip since finishing my build. Took a drive up Highway 95 in BC from Cranbrook to Golden thorough the Columbia Valley along the rocky Mountains and camped out a few time in between.
 

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oscarvan

Well-known member
BUT WAIT THERE"S MORE.........

Another attempted assault with a semi..... Sudden stopped traffic due a traffic stop which was taking place inches from the line for some reason.... (I was cruising in left lane, 70mph). As I get it stopped with some effort I look in the right mirror and see the front of a semi getting larger, WAY too fast. I got out of the lane to the left, half on the pavement half on the grass, begging the forgiveness of the car in front of me for what was about to happen..... At least it gave the semi 60-70 more feet to work with. Fortunately the right lane was open for him and he blew by us with the trailer brakes locked up in a massive cloud of rubber smoke..... There were many expletives including those coming from my lovely bride.

But what really took the cake was that after driving over 1000 miles out of the factory with the new trailer a good samaritan pulled me over and told me the trailer turn signals were REVERSED...... For 1000 miles I had been doing the opposite of what I was telling everyone I was going to do...... I emailed the company..... crickets so far.

You can't make this shit up.
 

Green Maned Lion

Der Unverbesserliche.
BUT WAIT THERE"S MORE.........

Another attempted assault with a semi..... Sudden stopped traffic due a traffic stop which was taking place inches from the line for some reason.... (I was cruising in left lane, 70mph). As I get it stopped with some effort I look in the right mirror and see the front of a semi getting larger, WAY too fast. I got out of the lane to the left, half on the pavement half on the grass, begging the forgiveness of the car in front of me for what was about to happen..... At least it gave the semi 60-70 more feet to work with. Fortunately the right lane was open for him and he blew by us with the trailer brakes locked up in a massive cloud of rubber smoke..... There were many expletives including those coming from my lovely bride.

But what really took the cake was that after driving over 1000 miles out of the factory with the new trailer a good samaritan pulled me over and told me the trailer turn signals were REVERSED...... For 1000 miles I had been doing the opposite of what I was telling everyone I was going to do...... I emailed the company..... crickets so far.

You can't make this shit up.
Welcome to 2026.
 

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