Some Observations Regarding Our Recent Trip

[Lin]

We got back from our trip up Hwy 395 this morning.  Round trip was 1700-1800 miles.  It took 18 days to get up to and finish looking at Lassen Volcanic National Park, and a day and a half to get back home.  Six nights were spent in private campgrounds, and the rest was dry camping mostly in National Forest Service campgrounds. 

The 5a ran great.  I have decided that it is a fine vehicle for highway driving in the flats, but not really so wonderful for twisting through the mountains.  Most of the forward journey was at altitudes between 6000 and 10000 feet.  This is not the best showcase for a non-turbo 8v71 (note of self: next bus has turbo).  Fuel mileage dropped to between 5-6 mpg.  In contrast, I have gotten as high as 7.9 in the flats at sea level (that's without pulling the Jeep though).  I certainly will be willing to do the mountain thing again soon, but I must admit that return trip on the slab was a lot easier.

I like the park camping, but there are some adapting we will have to do in the future.  One thing that I will be considering is a better leveling option than wood blocks.  These park campgrounds will say that they can accommodate large motorhomes without any thought of anything beyond the length of the spot.  Access in or out is ignored, so it is best to scout the campground before committing.  Further, some of the spots would take a feat of engineering to level a bus.  I have seen RV's with leveling jacks using large blocks beneath them trying to raise the back/front far enough off the ground.  Park personnel try to be very helpful, but their skill at determining where a 35 foot bus will fit varies.  One ranger at Lassen directed us to a campground 23 miles away saying it would fit us.  Fortunately, we parked in the visitor center parking lot and checked to place out by car.  The road was a pretty good winder that went over an 8500 foot pass, and I doubt I could have gotten into any of the spaces available.  One ranger in Mammoth sent us 15 miles up a narrow road to a beautiful campground.  We did stay there, but the only way to get out of the space that worked was to back out the road we came in on.

Another thing to watch for, which brings us to the only real mishap of the trip, is large rocks hidden behind bushes.  Going around some of the loops in these campgrounds is pretty tight.  While coming around one corner, I thought that slightly brushing against on little bush would be harmless.  It would have been if the rock was not hiding behind it.  So I have another blemish added to my collection.

Either the Centramatic balancers really work well, or I have managed to fool myself into thinking they do.  The ride was noticeably smoother and I found that steering required a lot less compensation.  Tracking had been one of my big complaints since buying this bus. Although changing to integral power steering would be best, it now seems acceptable to me.  The quest to get to this point included changing the steering column, adding Koni shocks, adjusting the ride height, and adding the balancers.  All four helped.

Jakes are a must! 

If I have any other thoughts, I will add them later.

[mike802]

Thanks Lin, this is good stuff to know for those of us still building.

[Lin]

Thought of one more thing.  MCI's and particularly mine have a handicap in these rough campgrounds.  The MCI cooling system throws a lot of wind at the ground.  This kicks up a lot of dust.  Further, our exhaust points directly at the ground kicking up more dust.  I doubt that we make many friends with the massive dust storm we set going as we ride through some of these unpaved campgrounds.

Anyway, here's a link to the pictures.  Don't feel obligated to watch the whole slide show.  I didn't!

http://s713.photobucket.com/albums/ww140/moehollow/395%20Trip/?albumview=slideshow&track=share_email_album_view_click

Note:  My phone camera has a panorama feature that I am addicted too.

[Barn Owl]

Great shots. That is one of the parks on my want to visit list.

[Dreamscape]

Great pics Lin.

That destination is on our "Bucket List"!

[David Anderson]

One ranger in Mammoth sent us 15 miles up a narrow road to a beautiful campground.  We did stay there, but the only way to get out of the space that worked was to back out the road we came in on.

You didn't back out 15 miles did you?   I backed up 2 miles once an it was a tough experience.

David

[Lin]

Only had to back up about 100 yards to a place we could do a back and forth U-turn.  The loop we would have been expected to drive through included a left turn a bit short of 90 degrees between two trees about 15 foot apart.  I thought it could be almost possible if we could swing a bit right first.  However, that roadside was perfectly humped to be high-centered on.  Definitely skoolie country.

[WEC4104]

I watched the entire slide show, and I have trip envy!!

[longjohn]

Nice Photos!