BCM Community

We left San Diego bound for Texas on September 3rd.  Our first stop, Sequoia CA was nice enough we expect to return. 

Our second stop was Yosemite and it was fantastic and we might return as early as May of next year.  We stayed at Dimond O campground on the Hetch-Hetchy side.  The road into the campground was more like a rundown private drive with patch over patch rather than a road.  The campground was fairly primitive without any services but we were only a mile from the Evergreen Lodge with entertainment options for the bored in your group.  Bigger busses might be challenged by the sharp turns in the campground even though the sites were really large with long blacktop parking pads.

We drove through the campgrounds in the main valley and Upper Pines campground is probably the best for large busses in the Village but the campground is a high use one where everybody is parked cheek and jowl.  Upper Pines also didn't look to have any sewer water or electrical service.

Leaving Yosemite from west-to-east is a special treat.  I highly recommend the drive.

Once in the desert we encountered 103 degree temps.  All I can say is Thank You guys for all the advice on how to drive and not reduce the engine to a puddle of molten slag either when climbing to 10,000 feet or in the desert on the way out.

As you know, we didn't have headlights when we left SD and it was a bigger pain than I expected.  We couldn't drive before the sun was up and we couldn't stay on the road too late.  This meant we stayed in Needles CA at the Desert View.  The campground was one of the better run ones we've encountered but Needles itself left a lot to be desired.

On the headlight front, a big Thanks goes to Geoff in Prescott AZ; he kept poking and prodding until the lights came on.  I am now ready to overdrive my headlights.

Miscellany,

Last year when I left on my fall trip one of the big topics on this board concerned tire temps.  My inside dual on the muffler side runs the hottest.  It is normally in the upper 150s when the ambient temp is 100.  The outside duals run in the low 140s and the fronts run upper 120s and low 130s.  All temps are from my toy temp gun.

First thousand miles has me down a quart of oil.  I expect it is from leakage as the car and back of bus is covered with oil.

So far I'm over just over 7 mpg towing a 3,500 car. 

BCO, having driven in both OK and AZ it is possible that your bus suffered metal fatigue from driving in OK.  The roads in AZ are a dream compared to OK.  OK is the only state, so far, where I've launched items off counters while driving slower than the posted speed limit on a state maintained road.

Luvrbus, I apologize for not reaching out when we drove through Kingman.  I misunderstood your post about TX and thought you were off attending a festival.

Tuesday the 27th we're leaving Prescott AZ for Albuquerque NM's hot air balloon festival.  We went last year for the first time and highly recommend the experience.  Dry camping on site is only $15.00 per night.  Last year we met the nicest people.

2+ years into bus ownership and it has proven to be one of the greatest adventures if not greatest bargains of all time.

I will update after the next part of the trip.

Mike

That is a good read.  People not too worried qabout where your going nor where you been.  Just pokin around the country is a pretty neat way to be.  I envy your situation ;D ;D