Bay Area RV parks that accept buses

bud4106 · February 06, 2014, 06:23:37 AM

I am looking at maybe working in Mountain View, CA for a while. I have done a bit of looking for RV parks in the area and one thing I am seeing is they only accept vehicles 15 yrs old or younger. My 63 model 4106 won't qualify for that of course.
I do not know anything of the area or where to look so I thought I'd ask if some of you might enlighten me a little.
From what I can tell I could get a ride into Mountain View to work from most of the area, but I have no clue where to look.

grantgoold · February 06, 2014, 07:52:08 AM

You might want to consider using the BART system and find a park farther away from the Mountain View area. The commute might be more of a hassle but you could say big on housing costs. Look up how far away the closest BART station is from your new workplace.

travlinman · February 06, 2014, 09:56:07 AM

Bud,

Having family in the valley I have taken my 4106 there many times. Options on the peninsula are limited and expensive. If you want to stay in an RV park Trailer Villa in Redwood City is the only real option. This place is really expensive and in the worst possible location next to the 101 freeway. There are other trailer parks in the area that could be an option but my time spent there is usually brief and these places are a bit grim so I have not looked into them further.

This blog post from Sean gives some good insight into some alternative options- http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2012/11/72-hour-hold.html

If I was going to have a job in that area I would find a short term rental on Craigslist and just put my bus in storage in Reno on my way in...

Cheers

TM

RJ · February 06, 2014, 03:31:27 PM

Bud -

Those parks with the "nothing older than 15 years" rule will often ignore their own rule if you pull up in a really nice, clean coach conversion. Often it sparks enough curiosity that you become the highlight of the park. But if your coach looks bad from a distance, they'll say no before you even get the front door open to ask. Bad memories of "hippie buses" is what prompts the rule.

Gordie Allen was out here recently, and he stayed at the Candlestick RV park. Not cheap, he said. . .

There are some RV parks along the Monterey Highway in Morgan Hill, south of San Jose. You could stay there and ride CalTrain to MV. Or if you have a toad, simply commute.

TM's idea is a good one - maybe ChromeDome would let you park your coach at his place in Roseville!

Sean's the master of stealth parking, btw!

FWIW & HTH. . .

grantgoold · February 06, 2014, 06:25:42 PM

Are you looking only to store the bus or do you need hook ups and desire to live in the bus? Many more options open up if you are simply looking at storage! How long are you planning on staying in the area?

Grant

bud4106 · February 06, 2014, 07:57:43 PM

Thanks everyone. This is exactly what I was trying to figure out.
I don't yet have a deal, but if we can make one it'll be at least a year.- My thought was staying in the bus would be less expensive.
My bus does look very good and it always draws attention wherever we go. So it's good to know there might be a chance of the rules being bent.
With all this information I can see I have several options. This is what I needed to know to negotiate.

Thanks very much I really appreciate it.

Bud

Lin · February 06, 2014, 08:50:37 PM

Since you plan to stay in one place for a long period, maybe you could contact mobile home parks and see if one would let you move in.

Dave5Cs · February 06, 2014, 10:47:23 PM

What we do is send a picture with the request and so far they have said beautiful bus come ahead .

Gee thanks Russ?!...

Gordie Allen · February 07, 2014, 12:54:35 PM

We stayed at Candlestick Park RV. They have the 15 yr. rule, but the Manager waived it. Our bus looks pretty bad on the outside, as all my work so far has been on mechanical and interior. Their daily rate is pretty high - like $79.00, but they have weekly and monthly rates. We opted for a month and I believe it was $1100 or $37.00 a night. Still pricey. The park is well maintained. Showers, and laundry. Gated with security at the gate all night. Very friendly staff. The park was about 10% occupied when we were there. Since the 49ers will no longer be playing there, the rates may go down. Also I think you could negotiate a long term deal. On most days the commute would take about 40 min. Closest BART is about 2 mi.
Good luck
Gordie

grayhound · February 08, 2014, 04:41:52 AM

]We just stayed at French Camp RV in French Camp Ca outside of Mantech for 12 weeks. Good and clean only 6 miles from Bart. And on a golf. Cost was I think 600 a mo.+elect

napamikey · February 12, 2014, 09:40:44 AM

BART does not service Mountain View but Caltrain does, so that would be your only real non driving option.
I live in San Francisco and finding a place anywhere on the peninsula (from San Francisco to San Jose) will be difficult. I would suggest looking south of San Jose in Gilroy or Morgan Hill. Both have Caltrain stations to you could commute that way if you don't want to drive. Traffic is definitely not pretty down there. You may also find something in the mountains out west, I think there is a trailer park in La Honda, but I have no idea on the availability. You may have to work the community. Good Luck!