Renting an RV?

[kcowyo]

So here's the deal...

We have a wedding to attend in September in North Carolina. NC is a solid 3 days drive from here. Rather than spend 6 days on the road (back & forth) blasting across Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, etc. we're going to fly to NC. I haven't flown since before 9/11, so I'm not really excited about that, but in the interest of time, I'll do it. Plus we'll fly out of Jackson Hole right by the Tetons, which should be an incredible experience.

Since I am a NC native who has not been back there in 10 years, we've decided to extend our stay to 10 days so I may show my lady the coast and mountains, where I grew up, went to school, etc. But here's the kicker... that week falls over Labor Day weekend. I'm not willing to lock myself into an itinerary by booking hotel rooms now, as I would rather be free go where the mood leads us. Plus the prime season rates for hotel rooms are absurd.

So here's my thought - fly in and rent an RV for the week. Then we're not at the mercy of finding hotels or even campgrounds (a Wal-Mart parking lot or rest area will do in a pinch). I've crunched the numbers and the cost will be nearly a wash vs. renting a car, staying in hotels and eating out. I thought about renting a car & bringing my ground tent but that still puts us at the mercy of the weather and available camping. In an RV, we're free to come & go and have all we need with us.

That said, does anyone here have any experience, good or bad, with renting an RV? We're looking at the company "Cruise America", whose vehicles I assume we've all seen, cruising the national parks and highways with their big "Rent Me!" decals plastered all over. Their prices are ok, and they offer a smaller 19ft unit, plenty big enough for the two of us for a week.

Thought, opinions, experiences, nightmares to relate....?

Oh, and how do you like this for a non-fan of flying. Our return date? September 11. Yikes....

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[chnlisle]

I am not a superstitious man but what are the chances of lightning striking twice? You are more than safe.

 

[Barko1]

Well.....

HAMLIN, Pa. — Lightning can strike twice. Just ask Don Frick.

Frick said he survived his second lightning strike Friday — 27 years to the day of his first bout with a bolt — and emerged a bit shaken with only a burned zipper and a hole in the back of his jeans.

"I'm lucky I'm alive," Frick said in a phone interview Sunday night.

Frick was attending Hamlin's Ole Tyme Daz festival on Friday afternoon when a storm came up quickly. He and six others sought refuge in a nearby shed shortly before lightning struck the ground nearby. The strike sent a shock through Frick and four others in the shed.

"It put me up against the wall," the 68-year-old Frick said. "When I came to and realized I was alive, the first thing that came to my mind was that I'm pretty lucky.

"It burned my zipper off, burned my pockets, but didn't burn me."

None of the others in the shed were seriously injured, said Frick, whose experience was first reported by WNEP-TV.


Twenty-seven years earlier, Frick was driving a tractor-trailer in Lenox, Pa., when, he said, the antenna of the truck was struck by lightning. He said his left side was injured in that strike and that he was laid up for three-to-four weeks.

What has odds of 1 in 9 million? Hit twice by lightning - and he was


By Ari Bloomekatz
Enquirer staff writer

Larry Reynolds might want to think about becoming a professional gambler, because after he was hit by lightning Thursday night for the second time, he proved he could beat the odds.

Reynolds, 57, was wiping his shower dry after washing and shaving Thursday night in his home in Hanover Township when he said he felt a shock. "All of a sudden there was a bright flashing light and the next thing I know I was on my hands and knees on the floor, and I knew I had been shocked," Reynolds said.

A blanket was on fire near the shower, and Reynolds said he was able to stomp the blaze out. Wet from the shower, he heard someone knocking on his door, telling him his roof was on fire.

Reynolds said a stranger was driving by his house, witnessed the fire and stopped to warn him. The stranger then hopped on his roof and put the fire out with a hose, while Reynolds said he made sure his 1967 Corvette inside his garage was safe.

In 1987, Reynolds said he was also struck by lightning while standing on a building's scaffolding and doing electronic work.

Chances of being struck by lightning once in a person's lifetime are one in 3,000, according to the National Weather Service. But chances of being struck by lightning twice in a lifetime are one in 9 million.

Only 10 percent of lightning strikes result in fatalities, but strikes can also cause injuries or disabilities.

Reynolds said he is happy to be alive and that the only physical damage was a burn on the end of his left index finger.

 

[craig333]

I looked into it when I went to Moab. Price wasn't bad but they had some odd policies about towing. I wanted to tow my Jeep. I think its a good idea. Cruise America has been around a long time. I'm sure you could find some horror stories but they wouldn't still be around if they weren't a good company.

 

[pods8]

but they wouldn't still be around if they weren't a good company.

And yet jiffy lube is still in business...

 

[craig333]

Good point. I only went there one time. Never again.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

maybe try and contact our new dealer out there ?

he might be able to point you in the right direction ?

shoot, who knows, maybe he will rent you an FWC




His name is Mike.

HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA:
Xtreme Campers
1019 Finch Avenue
High Point, North Carolina, 27263
Local # (336) 887-0048
Local # (704) 557-0048
Fax # (888) 230-0064
General E-mail & Inquiries = happycamper@xtremecampers.com

Xtreme Campers independent company web site = http://xtremecampers.com








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[kcowyo]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I have yet to hear or read any real horror stories about Cruise America, so I think we'll give it a shot. I like Stan's idea too and we're flying into Greensboro, which is right next door to High Point. That could work out well for us. I'll call Mike just in case.

More good news - we had a garage sale yesterday and not only cleared out a ton of extra junk we didn't need, but we made $583! That will almost cover the $640 to rent an RV for the week. So now the lady can finally park in the garage and we have the funds to help us on our trip. Seems like things are starting to come together...



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[RonSchon]

Ok... This idea has possibilities - but among those possibilities is bad experience... Having said that, you'll find bad experiences everywhere you turn. Here in Denver, probably economy related, dozens of people are renting their Class C's out by the week. When I say dozens, I mean if you go to Craigslist Denver, each day you'll see a dozen adds for personal/private owners renting.

Their prices for the most part are somewhat cheaper than prices I encountered when I rented my first TT about 7 years ago.

Maybe before you lock in with CruiseAmerica give the RV's section of CL in the local NC city you are flying into and see if there are any people doing individual rentals of units that would suit your needs at prices that sound right - and then see if it "feels" right. If the rentor feels right, and you can save a couple benji's, I'd think about it.

Either way, clarify with your insurance agent whether or not your policy covers you in a rental unit - that's often an area where we buy something that we don't need because we're already covered on our policy.

As for flying... I work for a small Airline, but even as a very small airline, we fly about 300 one way flights each and every day. It's a pretty darn safe industry. I probably fly once or twice a month, it's hard to beat 500 mph as the crow flies. I guess the hardest part of flying for a lot of people is the lack of control that you have if something goes wrong. Not much you can do about that except understand the statistics. If you spend an hour going over the statistics you'd be afraid to get in your car.

 

[mtn-high]

Well, ya certainly won't get snowed on in NC like ya might have in Colorado on Sept 11 on the Alpine Loop trip

have fun in the big bus!

mtn

 

[RonSchon]

Well, ya certainly won't get snowed on in NC like ya might have in Colorado on Sept 11 on the Alpine Loop trip

have fun in the big bus!

mtn
And Ed McCafferey will not break his leg again...

 

[mtn-high]

And Ed McCafferey will not break his leg again...

Um...unless, that is, he falls off his "Good Feet" insoles...

 

[kcowyo]

Well so much for this idea....

There had been some doubt that on the wedding invitation for my lady friend whether it would read (for me) Plus 1 or not. Turns out we jumped the gun when her parents mentioned the cousins wedding. When the formal invitation finally showed up, well actually, it didn't show up...

Turns out even though her extended family normally invites everybody to a family function, not everyone was invited to this wedding. So not only am I not going as the Plus 1, but my lady friend wasn't invited either, just her parents. The good news is I'm not even offended as I don't really like going to weddings anyhow.

We talked about going to NC anyway since the plane tix were fairly cheap, but I think we're going to hold off for now. Especially if that's Labor Day weekend. Why fight the crowds and heat?

Thanks for the feedback and thread swerving gents!

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[Tomas Tierra]

I can stop drooling

so much for you overnighting me a White Swann NC BBQ snadwich.....Dam it!

GO HEELS!!

TT

 

[RonSchon]

KCO, you should buy a lotto ticket - you are on a lucky streak... -1 Weddings, -1 Air travel on labor day weekend.

The last 2 years in a row I had to use up half my vacation to go to my wife's sisters "destination" weddings. I like travel, but when you are hanging out with 7 stressed out women, nobody is having a good time except for that small slice of time where they have that perfect slice of annebriation - I call it the sweet spot - Like my golf game, very little time is spent in the sweet spot.