We left home in our 2006 Ford F-350, towing our new, 2008 Montana 5th wheel heading for Tampa, Florida. It is our first trip with this rig. We had spent 2 days packing; planning to be on the road for a few weeks but packing as if we are full timers. We want to know what it is like to travel as full timers, which we hope to be soon enough.
We left at noon and drove 65 to 75 mph most of the way. We previously towed our pop-up camper over 8000 miles with our 2001 Lincoln Navigator. While the pop-up was small and lightweight, we were dissappointed with the transmission downshifting constantly and typical trailer wag. Driving this rig is not nearly as tiring. The torque from the Ford's Power Stroke Diesel V-8 is impressive, hauling the GCVW 22,000 pounds effortlessly. We are not experiencing severe downshifting and the 5th wheel has eliminated trailer wag completely. The 4 wheel disc brakes and Ford's integrated trailer brakes have stopped us as required without effort.
Our goal had been to set up before dark each evening, but we drove until 7 pm. Even so our first setup went smoothly. While Steve de-winterized the tanks and gave us a 1/3 tank of fresh water, I prepared dinner. We love having home cooked meals and relaxing in our own space, instead of eating in restaurants and sleeping in hotel rooms. Set up is also so much easier than setting up our pop-up. We relaxed a while and watched some television before nodding off to sleep around 11 pm.
It seems, our two Westies, Sarah and Rosemary like our new trailer as much as we do. When we stopped for lunch at a rest area they were able to lay in the trailer playing with a toy or eating a treat and had access to their water bowl. At bedtime, they were delighted to discover their beds right under each side of our king size bed since we don't have room in the trailer for their crates.
We were on the road Sunday morning by 9 am. Our first overnight at the Florence KOA was okay. It seems like a nice campground aside from the roar of the highway all night long. If we were to stay for long we would get used to that. It seemed they had most of the usual amenities too. But there doesn't seem much to attract me to Florence for long.
Just before getting back on I-95 we pulled into the Pilot truck stop and weighed the rig to discover we were slightly overweight, 150 pounds. I do tend to pack heavy, and we had added some water. We’ll have to watch our tanks carefully when we are on the road. We were impressed how simple it is to weigh each axle, right where the truckers weigh their rigs.
We were back on the road and soon enough the temperature hits 60 degrees. Yippee!! By early afternoon we are in Florida and it is 70 degrees. It is great to be away from winter!
We have driven through Jacksonville en route to Miami many times over the last 20 years, not once do I ever recall I-95 in Jacksonville not being under construction. Come to think of it the congestion and traffic is the first we've encountered since leaving Virginia. So, I guess I shouldn't complain. Soon enough we are heading west on I-4 through Orlando. This route is a great improvement since I last drove it nearly 30 years ago. As I recall back then it was not an expressway!
We left home without reservations anywhere. Once we were on the road Steve hooked up his AT&T "Tilt" to act as a modem for his computer. It is working great and causing limited frustrations. It has a GPS system and uses Google mapping at no additional charge, keeping us heading in the right direction. Using it as a modem he had gotten reservations at the KOA in Florence yesterday and today started searching for reservations in the Tampa area. Gay campground guides do not list any specific cg’s in those areas, so selecting from the “straight” cg’s was our only option. After calling several places and getting voice mail, he finally spoke with someone at Bay Bayou RV Resort just east of Oldsmar, Florida on Memorial Highway in Tampa. They closed at 3 pm on Sunday, but security would assist us with our check-in.
We arrived at Bay Bayou at 7:15 pm and setup was smooth. We are getting used to our new home. We called the family to let them know we had arrived safely. We relax after dinner and watch television. The pictures on the Olevia digital TV in the LR and the Samsung digital in the BR are incredible. Our digital TV’s in the stick house aren’t any better. We really like having a 5th wheel!
Read the next sequence of our blog: Can your dog walk on water? See how Rosemary walks on water!
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
