ALTERNATE VEHICLES

WAYS TO GET AROUND WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A TOW CAR

Someone on FACEBOOK just provided this option:

 http://www.ricksesv.com/cricket-sx3

It looks cute.  But not sure yet if it's "Street legal."  

 

Otherwise, here are other options.



ELECTRIC BIKE/SCOOTER

EGO
I own an electric bike that I bought from a company currently located in California ( www.egovehicles.com ). I ordered it straight from them. (NOTE:  This company had temporarily gone out of business, but is now back in business, headquartered in Atascadero, CA!)  However, you MAY be able to get this bike locally if your city has a VESPA scooter dealer. VESPA Scooter dealers may carry the EGO bikes. This bike has two speeds, FAST and FAR. Fast goes about... 25 mph, more or less. FAR goes about 15 mph, more or less. The bike will go up to 25 miles on a charge. The great thing about this bike is that the charging cord is the cord from a desktop computer! When I got my bike, I called the EGOVEHICLE company and asked, and they said, indeed it was! I happen to have two extra cords from old computers, so now I have a total of three cords to use for charging cords.
Most of the parts on this scooter are bicycle parts. Replacement parts can be obtained at bicycle shops. But I do want to make one recommendation on the tires:

1. If the front tire goes flat or has any other problems, any bike shop can fix that.

2. If the rear tire has problems, you should take it to an authorized dealer, because fixing the rear tire involves messing with the drive belt. Bike shops aren't qualified to deal with this.

The best thing about this bike is that, in most states it does not require a license. (Check with your state to be sure.) My state indicated it's considered the same as a Segway, no license required.
One negative thing about this bike is that it does not do well on gravel or dirt roads. Since the bike uses regular bicycle parts, you may be able to get around this by using mountain bike tires, but I'm not sure if there are any that fit this bike.

On one of my trips, I had to take my cat to the vet on this bike! Kitty did not appreciate the ride. I put kitty in his carrier, put the carrier perpendicular to the foot rest area, and then I had to "hug" the carrier with my legs to hold it in place, and ride that way. Kitty howled the whole way, but I got him there.

As of 2014, I have owned this bike for ten years.  The battery finally went POOF, plus I had some minor issues I wanted fixed.  Luckily, I was in Gold Beach, OR, which just happened to be 137 miles from Eureka, CA, which had an authorized repair place, Henderson Center Bicycles.  They did a good job of replacing my battery, which was the largest cost, plus some other minor repairs I needed, about $600 worth of work.  My bike is practically new again!

E-WHEELS SCOOTERS

Just heard about this one.  E-WHEELS SCOOTERS .  This looks like an interesting option.  These appear to be more THREE WHEEL.  You might need to have an RV with a garage to carry these.


EVT
This is another electric scooter. I'm not as familiar with these. ( http://www.evtworld.com/scooters.html ) You would need a sturdy carrier on the back of the RV to carry these. Like the EGO, it would not require a license in most states, but check with your state just to be sure.


LIBERTY BIKES
Here is another type of electric scooter. ( http://iloveebikes.com/ ) It appears that some of these models can be folded up, and some would need a sturdy carrier on the back of the RV. I'm  not sure about licensing for the larger models.  Check with your state just to be sure.

LICENSING REQUIREMENTS:

My current state, Washington, does not require a license for electric scooters. I also rode it in Oregon without a licensing requirement.   North Dakota didn't specifically say I had to license it, but more that I wasn't allowed to use unlicensed vehicles in the state parks.  I didn't take the scooter to North Dakota in 2012 and 2013 because of this.  I took my scooter to Iowa in 2014 and 2015.  Initially, Iowa indicated I had to license it, and since the bike I had in 2014 was ten years old, they didn't make me jump through a lot of hoops to licnese it.  I paid $7 for a one year license while I was working the summer of 2014.  In 2015, I had my new bike, and Iowa got ridiculous to the point where they wanted me to pay a penalty for not registering it within 30 days of purchase.  When I tried to explain that I wasn't a resident, Iowa finally decided the bike was not required to be licensed.  But the local law enforcement at that point encouraged me to stay on less busy side streets and not ride on busy streets.  
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These bikes require a sturdy carrier on the back of the RV. The EVT is heavier than the EGO, so the carrier used will have to keep weight limits in mind. The carrier I am currently using is a Blue OX carrier, with a ramp that tilts. Although this carrier appears to have been made for handicapped scooters, such as "Hoverround," etc., it works for my bike. Further, the entire carrier folds up when I take the bike off the carrier. Why did I select this particular bike carrier? The RV dealer got it for me. Here is what happened: Previously, I had a 30 foot RV with a very nice heavy duty carrier that did NOT "fold up." I currently store my RV in a covered storage area meant for 30 foot RV's, but the carrier caused the RV to "stick out at the end a little" in the storage area. The owner/manager of the storage area was ok with this, as long as I didn't stick out too far and cause people not to be able to drive around. When I traded for the RV you see in the picture (which is a 31 foot RV), I knew that the one extra foot, along with the heavy duty carrier I was using, was going to "push the envelope" with the owner/manager of the place where I store my RV, and I would have to pay more money and move to a longer storage area. So, I told the RV dealer that "making the deal" was contingent on them finding a solution to my "RV storage" problem. The dealer found this carrier, and threw it in the deal at no extra charge.

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GAS SCOOTERS - These require a license.

VESPA
These are great little scooters that get good gas mileage. ( http://www.vespausa.com/ ) However, you will need a sturdy carrier on the back of the RV to carry these.
PIAGGIO
Another great little scooter that get good gas mileage. ( http://www.piaggiousa.com/ ) However, you will need a sturdy carrier on the back of the RV to carry these.
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CONVERT AN EXISTING BIKE


At one RV park where I stayed, the camp hosts, Babe and Chris, converted a mountain bike to an electric bike using an E-Bike Kit.


The top picture is the Lithium battery they ordered from some place in China.  The bottom picture is the complete set up.  Chris said it was really easy to install.




OR.......... THIS ALTERNATE IDEA!

Just own an RV that is small enough to drive as a car (posted from one of the blog readers).
 
AND.......... HERE IS ANOTHER GREAT IDEA!

Would you believe......... used bumper cars from an amusement park can be made street legal if you put them on top of motorcycle motors?

Yes, you read  that right; these little beasties are street legal. They run on either   Kawasaki or Honda motorcycle engines and co-opt vintage bumper car bodies into  the most awesome form of mini-car we've seen in too long.  There are seven  of these little monsters floating around California, and they're all the  creation of one man, Tom Wright, a builder in the outskirts of San  Diego who figured the leftovers of the Long Beach Pike amusement park  needed a more dignified end than the trash heap.  They were originally  powered by two cylinder Harley Davidson Motorcycle engines but they rattled  like heck because of the two cylinder vibration and Tom replaces them with  four cylinder Honda or  Kawasaki 750's and a couple have been measured as  capable of 160 MPH, which is terrifyingly fast in machines with such a short  wheelbase.  By the way, they are almost  indestructible in accidents!

Latest Adventure

THIS   SECTION   IS   FOR   THE   PLACE   I'M   CURRENTLY   WORKING:

EMERGENCIES AND CREATIVE SITUATIONS

Situations where not having a tow car created an issue I had to "creatively" deal with.



PET EMERGENCIES

ALTOONA, IA During my 2015 stay at Adventureland in Altoona, Iowa, my cat (17 years old and elderly) had an emergency at 1:00 AM.  Yellow Cab to the rescue!  I called Yellow Cab, and a driver was able to come right away!  As long as my cat was crated, I could take it in a cab.  I took my cat to Iowa Veterinary Specialties, a 24 hour vet service.  The driver that took me there was also able to take me back to my campground three hours later.

A couple weeks later, I sadly had to send my beloved cat to Rainbow Bridge.  Capitol Cab was also very good in this. I was able to get my cat to the vet for a beloved sendoff to Rainbow Bridge, and was able to use them to tranport my cat's things to Animal Rescue League of Iowa who happily accepted all of it.  

SEQUIM, WA One time, my pet cat, age 10, suffered urinary blockage when I was in Sequim, WA (June 2008) at an RV Park. (This was the second blockage since his first one in 2002). Fortunately, I was at a park that was in town , had WiFi, and it was a weekday. I located vets in Sequim and started calling around. I contacted a vet that was only ONE MILE from the RV park, and they happened to have an open appointment time. I travel with a scooter bike. I put the cat in his carrier, placed the carrier across the foot area of the scooter bike, hugged the carrier with my legs, and got kitty to the vet on the carrier. Kitty did not appreciate the ride and howled all the way, poor kitty! I could not have parked my RV at this clinic, they didn't have room in the parking lot.

The blockage in June 2008 created scar tissue, and kitty didn't fully recover. In August 2008, I was at an RV park in Twisp . Kitty suffered a blockage again. This was a SATURDAY! Hard to find vets open on a Saturday! Dr. Dan DeWeert of Valley Veterinary in Twisp took care of my precious kitty! On a Saturday! And his prices were reasonable, even with an "emergency after hours" fee tacked on to the bill! "Dr. Dan" is mostly a horse and large animal vet. His wife is the small animal vet. However, his wife was out of town and unavailable. "Dr. Dan" managed to get my cat unblocked, and stabilized enough so I could tranport him back home (250 miles) to my regular vet for surgery. Now, in this case, I was staying at a park along Highway 20, two miles from Twisp. Highway 20 is a VERY BUSY highway through the North Cascades in Washington State. No way was I riding the scooter to the vet. So how did I get my cat there? Well, the wonderful managers at Riverbend RV Park let me have "in and out" priviledges with my RV! (Parks don't normally do that.....) And, Dr. DeWeert's vet clinic had LOTS of room to park my RV (because they usually get horses in horse trailers!). I really appreciate the efforts of Dr. Dan DeWeert, and the folks at Riverbend RV Park in Twisp.

MY OWN MEDICAL EMERGENCY

During the summer of 2012, I was camp hosting in North Dakota (and I had a WONDERFUL time!).  While there, I stepped out of my RV and fell, injuring my ankle.  The injury required medical attention.  I was fortunate.  A wonderful friend was visiting at the time, and the wonderful friend took me to the doctor.  Doctor diagnosed "minor torn ligaments" in my ankle, gave me a velcro boot and said I should be walking in two weeks.  DIDN'T HAPPEN!  My ankle still hurt, and I was experiencing issues with my arch and my heel. Fortunatly a North Dakota "Standby Sam" of the Good Sam Club got me some crutches.  In late September, I drove back home 1500 miles, still on crutches.  Having to set up and take down an RV on crutches was miserable!  Sometimes I got lucky and people helped.  I appreciated the help of all who pitched in.  Four more doctors later, and we still don't know why I'm having issues with my foot, but I was able to get physical therapy and this helped!

What was interesting was the sequence of events that followed the injury.  While enroute back home from North Dakota, I saw a job vacancy for an Office Assistant for an RV Park. I applied, and got the job.  I worked at the RV park, while on crutches, from October 2012 - early April 2013.  The RV Park was 150 miles away from where I store my car.  So, I rented a small small U-Haul Truck (because it's easier to rent those one way than to rent a car one way), drove the small U-Haul Truck down to where I store my car, dropped it off, got my car and drove back.  So, I had my car while I was working at the RV Park.  When my employment ended early April 2013, I did the reverse.  Took my car back, drove a U-Haul back. 

Since I had my car, I was able to drive to a doctor and physical therapist.  I also joined a gym to supplement the physcial therapy.  My thanks to the manager of Klahanie Fitness Center for letting me have a temporary membership.  It helped!  I had great hours at the RV Park where I worked; the hours scheduled allowed me time for the physical therapy and to go to the gym.  I am so grateful.

This again proved my RV mantra:  If you need it, it will be there for you.



OTHER INTERESTING SITUATIONS

BIKE PROBLEM: I accidentally scraped the sidewall of the front tire of my EGO bike. It was a small scrape, but some interior threads within the rubber were showing. I feared that if I rode the bike, I would have a "blowout." I was in Olympia, WA at the time. I contacted BikeTech in Olympia to fix my bike. I asked them if there was room to park my RV. I was told, "right in front of the shop." Yeah, right! There was room for me to park in front of the shop, but it was near a fire hydrant. I think you aren't supposed to park a certain number of feet...... I forgot what the distance was...... away from one of those things. Well, I parked my RV in front of their shop and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't get a ticket for being too close to a fire hydrant. BikeTech got a new tire on my bike in 15 minutes. I got out of there and didn't get a ticket, WHEW! Thank you to the people at BikeTech!

COMPUTER PROBLEM: - June 2009. My laptop is making noises. Thanks to a suggestion from someone on Twitter, I found a computer place in Somerset, PA, Somerset Computer Center. I took laptop there, had to park my RV at a neighboring business, TC Fuel Injection. Somerset Computer Center only charged me $20, said hard disk ok, but think what made the noise might have been the fan.

ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IN MY RV - June 2009. While in West Virginia, one of my breakers blew. Stopped at an RV place in Lexington, they could not find a problem. After I got to Jamestown, I kept having electrical problems, my coach battery would drain quickly, and just as quickly could be charged by running the chasis engine. Finally diagnosed by Dave LeMay's Mobile RV in Bowling Green, KY, as a bad converter. Got converter replaced. 

GETTING MY CAR WHEN I'M CLOSE ENOUGH TO DO SO - Had a couple situations where U-Haul Trucks were my best option.
 

A.  RELOCATION (How do I get both my car and my new RV to the site I'm moving TO?) - April 2011 - I moved from Point A to Point B, 200 miles away.  Problem:  Since I'm too chicken to tow my car behind my RV, how do I get my car and my RV to the new location?  The place  I moved to (Point B) did not have a rental car company.  There was public transportation at Point B that would have taken me to a nearby town that did have a rental car company, but this option proved too cumbersome.  U-HAUL to the rescue!  There was a U-Haul facility in both Point B and Point A.  On the day I took my last load of belongings down from Point A to Point B, I went to a U-Haul facility and asked for the SMALLEST truck they had, as I wasn't hauling anything.  I just needed the one way rental.  They had a 10 foot small truck.  I had to pay $150 to drive it back to Point A to get my RV.  When I got to Point A to turn it in, the very nice folks at the drop off site gave me a ride to my RV!    

B.  I'M CLOSE ENOUGH TO GET MY CAR AND I WANT IT! I worked at an RV park that was 150 miles from my home base.  My only option was U-HAUL again!  The closest U-Haul place was six miles from the RV Park.  I couldn't get a taxi to take me there, so the RV Park Manager was nice enough to give me a ride.  I rented the U-Haul, and drove it to the nearest drop off point, which just happened to be a couple blocks from where I store my car in a rented garage.  At the end of my employment, just did the reverse.   I had my car for my employment.

RENTAL CARS

 I am changing the name of this section to "RENTAL CARS."  Most of my experience has been with
Enterprise, as they pick you up.  However, I want to add a section on renting from Hertz.


INSURANCE ISSUES

I'm at the point where having a car that I store in a garage while I travel in my RV is starting to become inconvenient.  I have come home to dead batteries a couple times. .One time, I was able to start the car with a device such as this one, and another time, I was unable to start it, and had to have it towed to a dealer.  So, I am researching the idea of not owning a separate car (which would save me on storage rental charges, as I could downsize) and just using rentals when I need one, even when I'm at my "home" area and not technically traveling.  I ran the numbers, and NOT owning a car may not necessarily save money. The reason is that if you do not own a car and you rent a car, you really should buy the "optional" insurance which is pretty pricey.  Or you could take your chances and not buy the optional insurance.  When you own a car and carry insurance, the insurance usually transfers to a rental car.

I contacted one major insurance carrier to inquire about getting an insurance policy to drive rental cars, and was told that there is "no such policy."  I did some googling, I found this:  Non-Owner Car Insurance .  According to this article, "Non Owner Car Insurance" only covers liability if you are at fault.  It doesn't cover the actual vehicle, because you don't own the car.  Therefore, if you have the "non-owner" insurance, you can decline the "optional" liability insurance on a rental, but you should still take the "optional" collision and comprehensive.

On the other hand, major credit cards may or may not have adequate coverage.  This article explains some of the benefits.

Bottom line, between the Non-Owner car insurance and what your major credit card may or may not offer, there may still be "gaps" in the coverage which suggest you should consider paying the rental car insurance, even if the rates are totally ridiculous.  

I am continuing to research this.






HERTZ

To my knowledge, Hertz doesn't pick you up.  But, if you can take alternate transportation to get a car from HERTZ, AAA Motor Club has great discounts.  Pretty easy to reserve from the AAA web site:

RESERVE A HERTZ CAR HERE

Make your reservation and pick out a promo code.  There were a lot of codes to choose from for a variety of discounts. What I liked was that you didn't have to give out a whole lot of personal information.   I once took a county bus from where I was staying to a HERTZ location, this worked out fine for me.


 ENTERPRISE


ENTERPRISE Rent A Car will either pick you up and get you to their office. Click here and enter the city and state you are currently located to get office hours for your location.

The only issue I have with Enterprise is that their current practice is to pass your phone number to a third party that will contact you after your rental for "market research." When I rented a car in Spokane, I screamed and stamped my feet and said, "I don't want the call" and I never got it. When I rented in Grants Pass, I tried to scream and stamp my feet and I was told, "we don't have any control over this." My understanding, under the DO NOT CALL rules, is that if you insist that you are on the DO NOT CALL list, and you insist that you don't want to be called, they are obligated to honor that request. I sent a formal complaint to the Regional Office, and I was told I was put on their internal "Do Not Call" list. However, the manager who did this for me didn't know whether the internal list covered nationwide, or whether it covered just that Region.

IOWA

DES MOINES/ALTOONA, IA

While working at  Adventureland in Iowa     I made frequent use of  Enterprise on Euclid Avenue.  I walked to the RV park office and had them pick me up there.

COLORADO

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

In May 2011, I stayed at  Fountain Creek RV Park in Colorado Springs.  The branch office is on the same street as this campground.  Car got delivered to me, no problem.  The office was a couple miles from the campground.

NORTH CAROLINA

RALEIGH, NC

In December 2011, I stayed at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds on Blue Ridge Road.  There is a branch office right around the corner on Hillsborough Street.  It's 2/3 of a mile to walk to this office if you are in the mood to walk.                  

OREGON

GRANTS PASS, OR

There is a good selection of RV Parks in Grants Pass ( http://www.rvparkreviews.com/regions/Oregon/Grants_Pass.html ) where cars can be delivered to you. The two closest RV parks are Jack's Landing and Rogue Valley Overnighters.

NEWPORT, OR

There is an Enterprise site in Newport. Here are some RV parks available. I haven't personally stayed at any of these sites, just noting that it's there.

WASHINGTON

ANACORTES, WA
You can stay at either:
Fidalgo Bay RV Resort
or
Pioneer Trails RV Resort
and have Enterprise pick you up to get a car for the duration of your stay.

ELLENSBURG, WA

The college town of Ellensburg, WA now has an Enterprise Rental Car  company.  If you stay in Ellensburg area, you can get a car from this place.  The only RV parks I am aware of are E & J RV Park which is an RV park located with a motel; and Yakima River RV Park.  I have stayed at both.   However, if you stay in Vantage (30 miles away), this is not in their jurisdiction so they won't pick you up there.  During March 2015, I camp hosted at the state park in Vantage, WA and got a rental car from Enterprise.  A nice person gave me a ride from Vantage to Ellensburg to pick the car up; and again from Ellensburg back to Vantage when I returned the car.  However there is a taxi service that can come get you in Vantage if you need.  It's Rodeo Town Taxi at (509) 929-4222.   I spoke to them by phone and was told they charge (as of this date) about $2.50 per mile. 

SPOKANE, WA

If you stay at Riverside State Park, there is an Enterprise office at 1426 East Francis Avenue. This office indicated to me that they were the closest to the State Park and can pick you up. I tried this option. I called in advance and THOUGHT I had made a reservation, and was even quoted a final price, but somehow I didn't get a confirmation number. I called on the day of pickup and found out I didn't have a reservation, but no problem, plenty of cars, they will redo the reservation. I showed up and called for them to pick me up. They picked me up, no problem. I got to the office, and STILL no reservation, but no problem, plenty of cars, they will give me a car for the price quoted. Despite the reservation snafu, I got a car, a PT Cruiser. THEN! I show up at the State Park. Park Ranger tells me that the rental car is ok, as it is within the "one RV and one car" allowance. However, the Camp Host told me that since I did not TOW the car in, it was considered an "extra vehicle" and I would have to pay the "extra vehicle" fee. NO WAY! The Park Ranger over-ruled that one! Other than the snafus, everything went fine. I returned the car the night before I left, and left the next morning.

LOCATIONS WITH GOOD PUBLIC TRANSIT SERVICE

New additions will be shown at the top in green, then later moved down to alphabetical order, by State, then by city.

MASS TRANSIT

CALIFORNIA

EUREKA, CA

I have to tell you, Eureka, CA is NOT RV friendly.  Don't even try to shop in your RV in Eureka.  The access points to all the parking lots for "big box" stores have this "dip" that causes you to scrape bottom.  I scraped bottom at Rite Aid because I parked there take my EGO bike to a repair shop two blocks away.  Also, I tried to go to Costco and had the same problem, scraping bottom when I tried to get into the parking lot.  I did see a WinCo Foods that looked promising for parking next time I come here (when I pick my bike up), or, I may just set up in an RV park and take a taxi to the bike repair place, then ride the bike back to the RV park.  

COLORADO

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

These three RV parks are very close together (within a five mile range), and all three of them are located on Mountain Metropolitan Transit Route #3:

Fountain Creek RV Park - Colorado Springs, near shops, banks, and restaurants
Garden of the Gods Campground - in Colorado Springs, Colorado (very close to Manitou Springs)
Pikes Peak RV Park & Campground - in Manitou Springs, very close to shops

I stayed at Garden of the Gods Campground and I rode three of the bus routes. The online schedules don't publish "transfer" information to other buses, and the downtown transfer terminal didn't have any printed schedules. Maybe they want to save paper by not having these. However, there was a kiosk where you could map out your trip, but it wasn't real user friendly to me. On the good side, the downtown terminal did have employees who could direct you to what buses you need to take, so that was helpful.

TOWAOC/CORTEZ, CO

If you stay at Sleeping Ute Mountain RV Park in Towaoc, Colorado; the casino has an hourly shuttle that will take you to Cortez (10 miles away) for any needs. Although I did have a nice overnite stay at the RV park, I didn't personally try out the shuttle. I'm just noting that it is there.

I D A H O

COEUR D'ALENE, ID

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho has become quite the resort town. The city has a small transit service called "City Link" that can take you up and down the main part of town, or to other nearby points in Idaho, such as the Coeur d' Alene Casino in Worley, Idaho. Guess what, it's FREE!!! If you stay at River Walk RV Park , you can catch the City Link bus three blocks away at the Riverwalk Transfer Station.

IOWA

DES MOINES, IA

I worked at Adventureland in Iowa .  Although there is a bus system, it didn't go to locations or run with the frequency I preferred.  I made use of Capitol/Yellow Cab  (they are basically the same company) and of  Enterprise Rental Car.  When I worked there in 2014, I used the rental car service a lot.   In 2015, I found that it was cheaper to just use the taxi service when I needed it.  For trips of short duration, my EGO Electric Scooter got me to Wal-Mart, a Vet for my cat, and a doctor's walk in clinic when I needed them, all within a mile of Adventureland.

NORTH CAROLINA

RALEIGH, NC

TRIANGLE TRANSIT operates in Raleigh, NC.  I checked the web site and Triangle Transit appears to have frequent service to most places you might want to go to.  I did not get an opportunity to ride the transit system, however. 

MINNESOTA

EAST GRAND FORKS, MN

If you stay at Red River State Recreation Area  in East Grand Forks, you are right in the middle of downtown East Grand Forks.  You can walk a brisk short distance and catch Cities Area Transit (CAT)     Bus Route 11  in front of Cabela's and ride around the area.

OREGON

CURRY COUNTY/GOLD BEACH, OR


If you stay in one of the many fine parks in Gold Beach, OR, you can ride  Curry Public Transit from the park you are staying, in to Gold Beach.   However, the service is rather limited.  If you are staying in an RV Park outside Gold Beach, the Dial A Ride will pick you up at 9:30 at the earliest, and you can get a return ride back to your park at 2:00 PM at the latest.  The Dial A Ride will pick you up at your RV site.  But.... this service only runs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (not Thursday or weekends).  The Coastal Express will take you up and down Highway 101 from North Bend, OR, all the way down to Smith River, CA and runs Monday - Friday.

With the limited schedule, it's impossible to use the transit system to "spend a day" away from Gold Beach.  Just to go to Brookings, you would have Dial A Ride pick you up at 9:30, then you can ride the Coastal Express at 10:00 and arrive in Brookings at 10:45.  But, you would have to return  on the 11:15 bus back up to Gold Beach to catch a Dial A Ride back to your RV site.  If you miss the 11:15 bus from Brookings, there isn't another bus until 3:00, which is too late to get a Dial A Ride in Gold Beach.  Not a problem if your RV park is in town.  But if you are staying in an RV park outside of town, you can have the Coastal Express drop you off along Highway 101 and you can walk back to your park.  

Another option if you are staying at a park outside Gold Beach ( Turtle Rock Resort, for example, 1.5 miles south of Gold Beach), is that you can get on Curry Public Transit by walking 3/4 of a mile to Highway 101, and standing on Highway 101 and flagging them down.  If you do this, you need to call the phone number shown on the website and let them know you are doing this.  You could go Northbound as early as 7:45 AM and as late as 3:30 PM, or Southbound as early as 10:15 AM or as late as 5:30 PM.

If you plan carefully, you can use Dial A Ride to get most anything you might need in Gold Beach.

On the other hand, there are two places in Brookings and one place in Gold Beach where you can rent a car.  

A.  BROOKINGS:  In Brookings, as of this writing, basically the prices are $39.95 a day (24 hour period) wir eth 50 miles included and 25 cents a mile charge for miles over 50; or $59.95 a day with unlimited miles.  One of the rental car places (Carpenter Auto) is located next door to where the Curry Public Transit drops you off in Brookings.  The other (Little Bay Motor Company) is a ways down Highway 101.  It's not a drop off place for Curry Public Transit, but you can request to be dropped off there.  Curry Public Transit is pretty flexible about "stops" as long as the "stop" is on the route.  (I used Carpenter Auto because of their proximity to the Curry Public Transit drop off point.) 

B.  GOLD BEACH  The Port of Gold Beach  has two cars and rents them for $25 a day and 25 cents a mile, there is no option for unlimited miles.  However, the pricing at the Port is not based on 24 hour periods, it's based on "days."  For example, if you pick up a car at 10:00 AM on Monday and return it at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, you will pay $50 (plus 25 cents a mile), not $25, even though it's a 24 hour period.  The rationale is that you had the car on two different days.  So, pick it up as early as possible on pick up day and return it as late as possible on return day, it doesn't really matter.  Port of Gold Beach will not do "turnaround" rentals.  For example, if you are returning a car on, say, Tuesday morning, the Port will not re-rent the car to someone else the same day.  

I recommend using Port rentals for local travel around Gold Beach (use Dial A Ride to pick up the car).  For trips farther out, I recommend taking Curry Public Transit down to Brookings and renting a car down there. 

TILLAMOOK COUNTY, OR

If you stay at RV Parks along Highway 101 in Tillamook County, Oregon (anywhere from Pacific City, south of Tillamook, to Cannon Beach, north of Tillamook), you can ride a bus anywhere up and down Highway 101 between these locations. Here is the route schedule: http://www.tillamookbus.com/route-schedules.htm . Keep in mind, depending on the location, there are only 3-6 routes a day, daytime hours, and Monday through Saturday. However, within the city of Tillamook, there are many "town loop" routes during the day for sightseeing (such as, the Tillamook Cheese Factory within Tillamook. I stayed at one RV park south of Tillamook, Pleasant Valley RV Park that had a bus stop at the entry way. I did not get an opportunity to try out the bus line, I am just noting that it is available.

W A S H I N G T O N

LONG BEACH, WA
If you stay at Andersens RV Resort, you will be staying right on the dunes! However, this park is a few miles out of town. Pacific Transit has daytime only service on Monday - Friday, limited service on Saturday, and no service on Sunday.
If you stay at either Driftwood RV Park or Sand Castle RV Park , you will be right in town, along Highway 101, close to most businesses. At Driftwood, you are a couple blocks, very short walk, from the beach. At Sand Castle, you can still walk to the beach, but it's a bit farther, more of a "brisk" walk. For both RV parks, there are some places within walking distance, other places are a "brisk walk," and you can take Pacific Transit for anything else you might need in Long Beach. I have stayed at both parks previously.

OCEAN SHORES, WA

I camp hosted at Ocean City State Park near Ocean Shores, WA during December 2010.  Grays Harbor Transit has service between Ocean Shores and Aberdeen, but it's at limited times.  However, to just go to Ocean Shores, you can stand outside the entrance to the State Park and flag down any bus going between North Beach Casino and Ocean Shores.  You just stand there and wave, and the bus will stop for you.  The Dispatcher told me to use the"Ocean Shores Chance a la Mer" column and subtract 15 minutes.  

On the other hand, if you are staying at one of the private parks in Ocean Shores, such as Quinault Marina & RV Park you can contact Dial-A-Ride at 360-532-2770, have them pick you up where you are staying, and take you to the Chance-a-la-Mer Bus Station.  At that Station, you can take another Bus from Ocean Shores to Aberdeen Wishkah Station.  Then, you can walk a short walk to Hertz Rental Car. Unfortunately, there isn't an Enterprise Rental (the company that picks you up) in Aberdeen.  This can be done, but it takes some planning.  And, the rental cost for a car in Aberdeen isn't cheap!  Because it's a rather remote station, there are a myriad of fees that practically double the rental rate.  I obtained a one week rental in this area and it cost me about $400. 

PORT TOWNSEND, WA

JEFFERSON COUNTY TRANSIT operates in Port Townsend, WA.  You can take Jefferson County Transit to most locations in the Olympic Peninsula area. You can travel and transfer to the following bus systems to go around the Olympic Peninsula:

Clallam Transit  for travel to Sequim, Port Angeles, and Forks
Grays Harbor Transit for travel to Aberdeen and Ocean Shores
Kitsap Transit  for travel to Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Bremerton
Mason Transit for travel to Shelton and Olympia
Island Transit for travel via Washington State Ferries to Coupeville, WA

I went from Port Townsend (Jefferson County) to Port Angeles, (Clallam County) and it only cost me $3.75 for the whole trip!  Driving a car would have cost much more!

The  JEFFERSON COUNTY TRANSIT website has a Trip Planner that you can use as a guide.  However, I wouldn't depend completely on it for inter county transportation, just use it as a guide.  Consult the individual county transit schedules and plan accordingly.  The trip planner assumes the closest transfer, even if it's ONE MINUTE.  One minute is too close for my comfort. I used the suggestions given by the trip planner and ultimately needed two bus drivers to intervene because the transfer was too close.  The trip planner suggested I do the following for a trip from Port Townsend to Port Angeles:

11:35 AM, take Jefferson Transit Route 11B to Haines Park & Ride to transfer to Route 8
11:45 AM, take Route 8 to Sequim
12:45 PM, take Clallam  Transit Route 30 to Port Angeles

I boarded the Route 11B at 11:45 AM, only to have the driver tell me the transfer was "too close" and I would miss it by 2 minutes.  Route 8 to Sequim has infrequent service (every 2 hours or so).  The very nice bus driver for Route 11B radioed the driver of Route 8 and asked him to wait.  The gracious Route 8 driver agreed to wait.  As a result, I had a pleasant trip to Port Townsend.  My thanks to those two drivers! 

For my return trip, the Trip Planner suggested the following:

3:40 PM take Clallam Transit Route 30 to Sequim
4:20 PM take Jefferson Transit Route 8 to Port Townsend Haines Park & Ride
5:30 PM take Jefferson Transit Route 11B back to my destination

Instead of taking the 3:40 bus, I decided to leave at 3:10.  Good thing!  Route 101 had an accident which slowed down traffic, to include the bus I was on.  Had I taken the 3:40 bus, I would have been 5 minutes late for transferring to Route 8, which ran infrequently (about every 2 to 2.5 hours). 



Again, use the Trip Planner on the Jefferson Transit web site as a guide, but check each transit system schedule and plan accordingly.  With some good planning, you can have a pleasant trip from Port Townsend to most places in the Olympic Peninsula using Public Transportation!  Or you can just use Jefferson Transit to travel around Port Townsend! 

SPOKANE, WA
Park Lane Motel and RV Park is located on Sprague Avenue on a bus line with frequent daily service to downtown Spokane. The initial bus you would need to take is #90. Check here for schedules for Bus Route 90: ( http://www.spokanetransit.com/ridesta/routesschedules.asp ). This RV park location is also good if you wish to attend an event at the Spokane Fairgrounds.


W Y O M I N G

RAWLINS, WY

There are basically three campgrounds  in Rawlins, Wyoming.  I stayed at Western Hills Campground in Rawlins, Wyoming in late April 2014, with the intention of staying one night and moving on.  However, due to a wind storm, I ended up staying four nights.  The three campgrounds are on one end of town, the shopping area is at the other end of town, not withing walking distance.  It was too windy to ride my EGO bike.  I got desperate to get out and go somewhere.  So, I did some googling and found out there is actually a taxi service in Rawlins, Carbon County Cab (307-324-9442).  So, I called and got a ride for $8 to the grocery store.  They came within 20 minutes after I called, picked me up at the campground.  When I was ready to call them back for a return ride, I noticed another taxi service picking up other passengers at the same grocery store (City Market, which is part of the Kroger chain).  This one did not show up when I did a google search, but it is also in Rawlins.  S&W Taxi at 307-324-9466.  I used them to go back to the RV park.  They charged $7 per ride.  


***********************************************************************************
ZIPCAR -  This is an option I want to try one of these days. It's a car sharing service.  Costs appear to be cheaper than a rental car.  However, they are located only in VERY MAJOR cities, and not in locations I usually travel to.  But I do intend to try them one of these days!

PLACES WHERE YOU CAN BIKE OR WALK

New additions will be shown at the top in green, then later moved down to alphabetical order, by State, then by city.


 


C O L O R A D O

COLORADO SPRINGS/MANITOU SPRINGS, CO

These three parks  are within walking distance of a lot of things:

Fountain Creek RV Park - Colorado Springs, near shops, banks, and restaurants
Garden of the Gods Campground - in Colorado Springs (very close to Manitou Springs)
Pikes Peak RV Park & Campground - in Manitou Springs, very close to shops

At Fountain Creek RV Park, you are close to a really cute "older" area of Colorado Springs, with shops. This park is one block from some fast food restaurants, and a brisk walk to the Safeway grocery store. You can also walk to some banks.

At Garden of the Gods Campground in Colorado Springs, there is a Mexican restaurant across the street. However, there are no sidewalks in this particular block, it's dicey to cross the street. Some banks and a Safeway grocery store are a few brisk blocks down, but you have to be very careful as it takes three or four blocks before you get an actual sidewalk.

Pikes Peak RV Park & Campground is actually in Manitou Springs. You could walk to shops if ou are ambitious, or take a short bus ride (see "Places with Transportation" section).

I D A H O

CALDWELL (Sand Hollow), ID

This location is a little stop just west of Caldwell, off Exit 17. Country Corners RV Park is a small park, very inexpensive. The owner brags that in the summer, he has a vegetable garden and guests can pick what they want, no charge! I wish I had stayed here in summer! If you don't feel like cooking, there is a small cafe withhin a very short walk from this park. Good for an overnight stay while enroute on Interstate 84.

COEUR D'ALENE, ID

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho has become quite the resort town. If you stay at River Walk RV Park, you are close to the North Idaho Centennial Trail, a good place to walk or bike. It's a brisk walk, or a short bike ride to the Riverwalk area where you can get to the trail.

MOUNTAIN HOME, ID

Mountain Home RV Park is located within a short, but brisk walk from a very large Wal-Mart. Just remember, if you are walking, don't buy more than you can comfortably carry, or else you will be lifting weights while you walk back. Mountain Home RV Park is a lovely park, great for full-timers. And, if you need a mailing service and want to use an Idaho address, UPS Store is conveniently located also within that short, brisk walking distance. Also, next door to the park is a Chinese restaurant that the RV park hosts highly recommend. 

MINNESOTA

EAST GRAND FORKS, MN

Red River State Recreation Area  is located within downtown East Grand Forks, MN 
This state park was created after the flood of 1997.  Once you are in the park, you don't really "feel" the city, except for the overhead freeway in the distance.  You can walk to a good selection of restaurants, a Cabela's store, a movie theater, and a day spa. 


M O N T A N A

Fairmont Hot Springs

Fairmont RV Park is open May 15 - October 15, and is located on Exit 211 off Interstate 90.  The park is located within a short walk to Fairmont Hot Springs Resort,  which is open year round.

O R E G O N

BEND, OR
If you stay at Scandia RV Park (no web site), along the south end of Business 97, you can walk to fast food restaurants, pizzeria, and a good supermarket (Fred Meyer, which also has a gas station if you need). There are signs along Business 97 indicating bus/transit service, but apparently, transit service is a "political hot potato" in Bend right now. The transit service was started around early 2007 even though voters voted "no" twice. Then they had problems with the busses. As of this writing, I couldn't find the web site for the transit service, and didn't see any busses running.

DEPOE BAY, OR
If you stay at Fogarty Creek RV Park or Sea and Sand RV Park along Highway 101, you can walk to the beach. There are also a couple of restaurants and a good grocery market within walking distance. The city of Depoe Bay is two miles south from these RV parks. There is a bike path along Highway 101, which is a pretty busy and well-traveled highway, so be careful!


FLORENCE, OR
If you stay at Heceta Beach RV Park, you can walk to the beach. You can bike in to Florence. I rode my electric bike down through Florence and got a flat tire. I had to walk my bike 6 miles back to the RV park. Flat tires on a bike/scooter are no fun!

GARIBALDI, OR
Garibaldi is a cute small town with a harbor and plenty of fresh seafood. If you are a deep sea fishing enthusiast, there are several charter boat trips you can try. If you need a cup of coffee and a donut to get you going for those 4:00 AM charter rentals, Bay Front Bakery opens at 3:00 AM with coffee and great donuts; and you can purchase sandwiches for your charter boat trip.
Three RV parks are located in Garibaldi that are within walking distance of the harbor and the charter boat trips, or anywhere you would want to visit (restaurants, grocery store, pharmacy, museum):

- Biak By The Sea

- Harborview Inn & RV Park

- The Old Mill

All three parks are along the harbor. The first two parks are near a Weyerhaeuser lumber plant, and could be quite noisy during the day. If you don't want the lumber mill noise, stay at Old Mill. Personally, I'm not saying any of the parks are better or worse than the others (I stayed at Harborview during my visit). These are the parks available if you just want to kick around Garibaldi, and all are within walking distance of anything in Garibaldi. Regardless of where you stay, you must walk to Fishermans Korner for the best Fish & Chips you have ever had!

If you want to spend more than a couple days in Garibaldi, but want to venture out, you can catch a Tillamook County Bus in Garibaldi and ride up to Cannon Beach or down to Tillamook. There are 6 routes a day, Monday - Saturday (excluding holidays), and daytime hours only.


GRANTS PASS, OR
If you stay at Jack's Landing RV Resort, you are within walking distance of lots of restaurants, both fast food and sit down. Jack's Landing is a nice place to relax for a few days. Grocery store is about four blocks down. 6th and 7th Avenues, which are bothone way streets and are "main drags," have bike lanes if you wish to journey further. Another place you can stay is Rogue Valley Overnighters. I walked past this place, I would only use it for exactly as the name says, "overnight."

Most of the surface streets of Grants Pass have bike lanes.

MANZANITA/NEHALEM, OR

If you stay at Nehalem Bay State Park in Manzanita, you can walk right to the ocean! You need reservations to stay in Loop A (closest to the beach), even in the winter time, even if it's not full. In the off season, you can stay in Loops B and C without reservations. On the other hand, the state park is maybe a couple miles from town. If you need supplies, you may need to walk or ride a bike. If you are willing to take a brisk walk, you can walk to a restaurant on Highway 101.

S O U T H D A K O T A

MITCHELL, SD

If you decide to overnight in Mitchell, South Dakota, there are some good options:

Exit 330 off Interstate 90: If you stay at Lake Mitchell Campground, you are within a brisk walk of a good grocery store, ShopKo, and some pizza restaurants.

Exit 332 off Interestate 90: You can dry camp overnight at Cabellas. There is a no cost RV dump station in the Cabellas RV Parking section. (Here is information with directions from FreeCampgrounds.com) You can walk to Wal-Mart.


UTAH

MOAB, UT

If you stay at CanyonLands Campground, which is located at the south end of Main Street in Moab, you can walk to most anyplace in downtown. I didn't get to stay there, but just observed it in passing.


W A S H I N G T O N

BIRCH BAY, WA
If you stay at Birch Bay State Park, you can walk to the little town of Birch Bay. It will be a hefty walk, but it can be done if you are in reasonably good health.

CASTLE ROCK, WA
If you stay at Mt. St. Helen's RV Park, you can bike, or ride a scooter around. The side of the road has a small narrow shoulder lane that bikes could ride along. In fact, at this park, you are about 4-5 miles from the Mt. St. Helen's Visitors Center. On the other hand, if you want to go to Coldwater Lake or Johnson Ridge, those will require a car.

CLARKSTON, WA
If you stay at Granite Lake RV Resort (which is now part of Premier Resorts, http://www.premierrvresorts.com/ click on Locations, then Clarkston), you are within walking distance of a Costco warehouse, and an Albertsons grocery store.

CLE ELUM, WA

Cle Elum, WA is a cute little town just east of Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 across Washington.  There is a great little RV park called Whispering Pines.  Even better, this park is next door to an RV service and repair establishment.   This park is within walking distance of Cle Elum, but you do have to walk on an overpass to the freeway.  There are some good restaurants, and a Safeway grocery store.  And, if you need to "lighten your load," there is a great thrift store where you can donate used goods.

MARBLEMOUNT, WA

There are a couple of RV parks in Marblemount, but the best one to stay at is Alpine RV Park. However, this park is two miles east of Marblemount, kind of a hefty walk. Right now, the prices are pretty cheap, and even include free WiFi. Rumor has it that the park is under new ownership and the new owner has grandiose plans for the park. Right now it's just a relaxing "getaway." If you have bicycles or scooters, you can ride into Marblemount. However, US Highway 20 tends to be somewhat busy as it's the gateway to the Cascade Mountains. Marblemount doesn't have much to do, but there are a few restaurants if you don't want to cook. The best one is Buffalo Run.  During the summer, they have outdoor dining.

PORT ANGELES, WA

This is a very cute seaport town with lots of antique stores to look around. I got here by traveling from Port Townsend, WA, by bus, and transferring between the different county busses.  Only cost me $3.75 round trip!  I did note that an RV park named Peabody Creek RV Park is located right in town, and within walking distance of most things you might want to visit.  I didn't get to check the park out.  You may wish to consult RVParkReviews.com and scroll down to Peabody Creek RV Park and check the reviews before you decide to stay there.  I had a great Fish Taco lunch at Smugglers Landing .                   

PORT TOWNSEND, WA
 

Port Townsend is a quaint Victorian town. If you stay at Point Hudson Marina and Resort, you can walk to downtown Port Townsend. The RV park seems to do a good business.  Mid week, you can get in without reservations.  But for weekends, reservations highly suggested, even in winter!  Water view spots are $5 extra.  However, I had site 303, which isn't a "water view" site.  But if no one stays next to you in sites 305 and 306, it will be like getting a water view site without paying the $5 extra!  You can watch sailboats, and watch one of the fabulous Washington State Ferries come in to Port Townsend from Coupleville (Keystone), WA.  The park is at the end of Water Street, but you do have to do some weasling around some narrow streets to find it. But you do stay at the marina and have a view of the bay.  I paid $30 in April of 2012, and it was well worth it for me!  However, in summer, their rates go up to $50+!  Recommend staying during winter, well worth it. 

- Fort Worden State Park

If you stay at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, no need for a car for a few days as long as you are stocked with food. This is a beautiful state park that used to be an Army installation. It is now used as a conference center, to include two great RV campgrounds: one "upper"   campground in the trees, and one down on the beach. You can buy food cards in increments of $5 and use them at the "commons." It's highly recommended that you try the "Sunday Brunch" which is offered first Sunday of each month.

On the other hand, if you need to travel into nearby Port Townsend, then you may need some type of transportation.

SEQUIM, WA

If you stay at Gilgal Oasis RV Park, which is right in town, you can walk or bike to most businesses you might need! There is a good QFC grocery store and a Les Schwab Tire Store one block away. There is a Costco and a PetCo (for Pets) within biking distance. Also, if you have a pet and need medical service for it, there is a Veterinarian ( http://www.greywolfvet.com/ ) less than a mile away.


TWISP/WINTHROP, WA

If you stay at Riverbend RV Park, which is two miles north of Twisp, you can bike to either Twisp or Winthrop. Keep in mind, Highway 20 is pretty busy! Walking might be a bit much. There is a good grocery store in Twisp. Also, if you have a pet and need medical attention for it, there is a Veterinarian two miles south of Twisp, and another one in Winthrop. My cat suffered a medical emergency and the Twisp Vet, Dr. Dan Deweerts of Valley Veterinary, took care of my cat on a Saturday even though the clinic was closed.


W Y O M I N G

In Southern Wyoming, along Interstate 80, there aren't a lot of campgrounds. In April 2009, I was driving along I-80 in horrible fog, you could not see five feet in front of you. I tried to stop at Curt Gowdy State Park near Cheyenne. The park was 12 miles off the freeway, and once I found it, I couldn't find the "hookup" area. So, I got back on the freeway. I tried to stop at Arlington Outpost, because it was mentioned in a Wyoming tour guide, but once I saw it, I decided I would rather keep driving in the fog. Larmie, Wyoming has only a KOA available during winter months. However, I will not stay at KOA's because I got junk mailed (by the KOA organization) after staying at one. But I thought I would mention it for anyone else. Decided to keep on driving in the fog. I ended up at Rawlins dealing with an oncoming snow/wind storm.

RAWLINS, WY

These three campgrounds are located in Rawlins:

Western Hills
RV World
Rawlins KOA

I also saw one called "Golden Eagle" Campground, but I couldn't find a web site for it. I stayed at Western Hills, but RV World is also close by. Both parks are within walking distance of a restaurant. However, reviews of this restaurant that I found in the internet were just so-so. After the snow and fog cleared, I rode around the area. Both Western Hills and RV World are very close to an urgent care clinic and a hospital, if you need medical services, but Western Hills is closest. I didn't get a chance to see the KOA.