Travel from Palm Desert to Orange, California

We drove our coach 103 miles, about two hours of driving, from Palm Desert, California to Orange (Los Angeles), California.

Here’s the map route, heading west:

Route

An interactive map of our route, with potential stops marked:

Leaving our site:

Leaving our site

Toading up:

Toading up

Toading up

Leaving the campground:

Leaving campground

Palm Springs overpass:

Palm Springs overpass

There were lots of yellow flowers below the wind turbines:

Wind turbines and yellow flowers

A stop at a rest area:

Rest area

A school bus next to us at the rest area:

School bus

Exit:

Exit

Green hills:

Hills

Snowy mountains:

Snowy mountains

Exit:

Exit

Castle Park theme park:

Castle Park theme park

Heavy traffic:

Traffic

Green hills:

Green hills

Exit:

Exit

Honda Center:

Honda Center

Our destination, Orangeland RV Park:

Orangeland RV Park

Orangeland RV Park

Guided to our site by a guy on a Segway; the site was that empty one on the left, but we needed to loop around the block to get into it:

Orangeland RV Park

Going the wrong way, and crossing grass, to pull through into our site:

Orangeland RV Park

Thousand Trails Palm Springs

We stayed at Thousand Trails Palm Springs in Palm Desert, California. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Our second stay here; a working date palm farm as a Thousand Trails park. Tricky to get positioned, but convenient once there.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-03-25
  • Check out: 2023-04-01
  • 7 nights

Weather:

  • Mostly sunny
  • High temps ranging between 65-76°F, lows around 47-51°F
  • Little wind; one day of 24 MPH gusts

Noise:

  • Distant freeway noise
  • Some train noise, but no horns most of the time
  • Some neighbor noise

Site:

  • #282, back in, sand
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked beside coach
  • Fairly level
  • Small site: about 45 feet long by about 25 feet wide
  • Picnic table on concrete pad palm trees
  • Super difficult to park due to palm trees, light post, and wacky sewer position

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, very inconveniently located
  • 50 PSI water, very inconveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 26-88 Mbps down, 60 Mbps up, 35 ms ping
  • AT&T: 3 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 8 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Swimming pool
  • Package delivery to site

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Parking here is not for the faint of heart

This was our second stay, and it was pretty much the same as the last time. The check-in staff are very helpful and informative, giving you a rundown of the park and the best way to wedge your RV between the trees. With a 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle, the best way to find a site is to park your rig by the pool, unhook, and then drive the tow vehicle around to scope a decent site. Not all sites are created equal; some have palm trees that lean more than others, some are quite a bit shorter than others, and some are narrower. Once you find the best site you can, parking your rig in it is a community endeavor. Between the trees and the narrow roads, you may have to enlist the aid of your neighbors to move their vehicles so you can back in. Compromise may be required. I saw smaller rigs than ours balk at sites along our row. But once you get in, it’s very nice under the palms. We camped at Thousand Trails Palm Springs in a Motorhome.

Interactive map:

Campground map:

Map

Our site; it took literally half an hour to get positioned between the trees, sewer, and light pole; the most difficult park to get situated in. But once set up, we enjoy the proximity to Joshua Tree National Park and the desert cities:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

The electric and water utilities are at the back of the site, rather inconvenient:

Utilities

The sewer is conveniently located, though, other than in terms of the palm trees:

Utilities

Working outside:

David

We drove our truck around to scout for a site (this being Thousand Trails). This is the site we chose; a little tight between the palm tree and sewer at the rear, and a light pole and another palm tree at the front:

Our site when scouting

Other sites we considered:

Scouting for sites

Scouting for sites

Scouting for sites

Scouting for sites

Scouting for sites

A nice thing about this park is UPS, FedEx, and Amazon will deliver directly to the sites:

Delivery to the site

For USPS or packages without site numbers, they post a notice on a message board near the entrance:

Message baord

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Cabins:

Cabins

Cabins

Entrance:

Entrance

Swimming pools:

Swimming pools

The sky with palm trees:

Sky

Sky

Sky

Travel from Yermo to Palm Desert, California

We drove our coach 146 miles, about three hours of driving, from Yermo, California to Palm Desert, California.

Here’s the map route, heading south:

Route

Interactive map, showing our stops and other potential stops:

Truck lane:

Truck lane

Fuel stop:

Fuel stop

Diesel

Paladin in the steps:

Paladin in the steps

Highway CA-247:

Highway CA-247

Highway CA-247

Highway CA-247

Highway CA-247

Highway CA-247

Cafe 247, an interesting lunch stop with parking big enough for us:

Cafe 247

They were having a motorcycle gathering, which made it feel like a biker bar, but wasn’t:

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

We bought a loaf from Banana Bread Man out front:

Banana Bread Man

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

Cafe 247

Highway CA-247

Highway CA-247

8% grade:

8% grade

Highway CA-62:

Highway CA-62

Wind turbines:

Wind turbines

Mountains:

Mountains

Palm Springs:

Palm Springs

Our destination:

Our destination

Our destination

Barstow / Calico KOA Holiday

We stayed at Barstow / Calico KOA Holiday in Yermo, California. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Rather short site, and too much freeway noise, but okay for a couple of days.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-03-23
  • Check out: 2023-03-25
  • 2 nights

Weather:

  • Partly sunny
  • High temps ranging between 58-60°F, lows around 35-39°F
  • Wind gusts to 37 MPH

Noise:

  • Loud freeway noise; no train noise

Site:

  • #39, pull-through, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked beside coach
  • Level
  • Small site: about 50 feet long by about 30 feet wide
  • Picnic tables, charcoal grill, gravel, shrubs

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 38 Mbps down, 42-69 Mbps up, 27 ms ping
  • AT&T: 12-17 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • Verizon: 1 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 300 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage bins
  • Closed pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Convenient stop along I-15

We stayed for two nights, which was about the right length of time. It’s an older KOA in need of some TLC with convenient access to the interstate; which means you do get constant road noise. The sites are pretty short, and we definitely had to unhook the tow and park alongside the coach. The site also seemed a bit narrow, but that may have been because it had an excess of tables and chairs (2 picnic tables, a concrete table and benches, and a park bench). We camped at Barstow / Calico KOA Holiday in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Check out the Calico Ghost Town and Peggy Sue’s Diner. Both were good, kitschy fun.

Interactive map:

Campground map:

Map

Our site; we didn’t bother with the Magne Shade, since only a couple of nights:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

So many tables and benches:

Tables

View of the freeway from our window:

View of freeway

Entrance:

Entrance

Office:

Office

Bike and archery rental (maybe in summer):

Bike and archery rental

Mural:

Mural

Piano:

Piano

Artwork:

Artwork

Playground:

Playground

Train car:

Train car

Deflated jump pad:

Deflated jump pad

Pool:

Pool

Tent sites:

Tent sites

Cabins:

Cabins

RV sites:

RV sites

RV sites

RV sites

Where I have been

Lots of people on Micro.blog have been posting lists of places they’ve been, so I thought I’d join the fun.

Despite living full-time in a motorhome, I actually haven’t been all that many places yet. But we’re working on it.

My list, with emojis inspired by Jean’s much more impressive list:

  • 🇳🇿 New Zealand
  • 🇨🇦 Canada:
    • 🇬🇧 British Columbia
  • 🇲🇽 Mexico
  • 🇺🇸 United States:
    • 🏜️ Arizona
    • 🏄‍♂️ California
    • 🏔️ Colorado
    • 🏛️ DC
    • ☀️ Florida
    • 🥜 Georgia
    • 🌈 Hawaii
    • 🥔 Idaho
    • 🎣 Montana
    • 🎰 Nevada
    • 🌶️ New Mexico
    • 🗽 New York
    • 🦫 Oregon
    • ⭐️ Texas
    • 🏝️ US Virgin Islands
    • 🐝 Utah
    • 🌲 Washington
    • 🤠 Wyoming

We have a map on our coach for places we’ve visited since buying it, which is a shorter list — Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas:

Map

Map

We’ll pick up 10 more states later this year — North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida (I’ve been to Florida before, but not in the coach):

Timezones 2023

Death Valley Furnace Creek Campground

We stayed at Furnace Creek Campground within Death Valley National Park, California. (Campground Reviews listing.)

The first time we’ve ever stayed inside a national park in our coach.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-03-20
  • Check out: 2023-03-23
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Partly sunny, a couple days of drizzle
  • High temps ranging between 61-73°F, lows around 43-50°F
  • Wind gusts to 37 MPH

Noise:

  • No road or train noise
  • Some neighbor kid noise, not too bad

Site:

  • #69, pull-through, asphalt
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind and in front of coach
  • Level
  • Large site: about 95 feet long by about 50 feet wide
  • Picnic table, fire pit, gravel

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 55 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Starlink: 43-148 Mbps down, 11-23 Mbps up, 29-40 ms ping
  • T-Mobile: no service
  • AT&T: no service
  • Verizon: no service
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • National Park!
  • Visitor center
  • General store
  • Restaurant

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Great campground in the heart of Death Valley NP

There are two things I wish about this place: 1) That they had more full hookup sites, and 2) that we’d gotten to stay longer. We originally booked a dry camping spot but were lucky enough to snag a cancellation for a full hookup and I’m so glad we did. I would have stayed here either way, as it’s truly the best place to stay in or near the park. The pull-through sites are incredibly long and every site is large so you’re not cramped against your neighbor, which is appropriate when staying in the largest National Park in the contiguous 48 states. It’s also very convenient to all the “must-see” places in the park. If you need internet while staying here, you must have Starlink. Cellular data was non-existent for any carrier. There is WiFi at the Furnace Creek Ranch. We camped at Furnace Creek in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Gas in Stovepipe Wells was quite a bit cheaper than at Furnace Creek and the food was better at the restaurant there, too.

Interactive map:

The campground map:

Map

Death Valley National Park is interesting in that it is mostly below sea level. The campground has an elevation of -190 feet:

-190 feet elevation

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Death Valley is the hottest and driest national park… so of course it was cool and rainy:

Rain and mud

Entrance:

Entrance

Dishwashing station:

Dishwashing station

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Travel from Las Vegas, Nevada to Death Valley, California

We drove our coach 121 miles, about three hours of driving, from Las Vegas, Nevada to Death Valley, California.

Here’s the map route, heading west:

Death Valley route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

Horses artwork:

Horses artwork

Driving past the buildings of the Vegas strip:

Vegas

Vegas

Vegas

Overpass artwork:

Overpass artwork

Snowy mountains:

Mountains

A snack while driving:

Snack

Paladin in his safe space:

Paladin

Mountain:

Mountain

We stopped for lunch at the Area 51 Alien Center:

Area 51 Alien Center

It’s Nevada, so there’s also the Alien Cathouse Brothel:

Alien Cathouse Brothel

The Area 51 Alien Center:

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Our coach

They have a cafe, but it was closed, so we grabbed packaged sandwiches for lunch:

Lunch

Cow artwork:

Cow artwork

Leaving Nevada, entering California (no welcome sign, just “click it or ticket”; real friendly there, California):

Nevada to California

Bumpy road:

Bumpy road

Enering Death Valley National Park:

Enering Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Most of the park is below sea level; passing sea level elevation, heading down:

Sea level elevation

-5 elevation:

-5 elevation

The Ranch at Death Valley, at -190 feet elevation:

The Ranch at Death Valley

Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort

We stayed at Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A large RV resort, just down the road from the Vegas Strip.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-03-13
  • Check out: 2023-03-20
  • 7 nights

Weather:

  • Mostly sunny, a couple days of drizzle, one day of nearby thunderstorms
  • High temps ranging between 63-72°F, lows around 41-54°F
  • Some wind

Noise:

  • Fairly loud freeway noise, though more like a background noise
  • No train noise
  • Airplane noise; in the flight path for the big airport

Site:

  • #108, pull-through, concrete
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
  • Level
  • Small site: about 55 feet long by about 25 feet wide
  • Concrete patio, picnic table, grass

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 55 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Fair sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe, 1 2-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 25 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 20 ms ping
  • AT&T: 22 Mbps down, 15 Mbps up, 44 ms ping
  • Verizon: 25-35 Mbps down, 8-16 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage bins
  • Pools and hot tub
  • Restaurant

Our ranty review on Campground Reviews:

Large resort, near The Strip

This could have been so much better than it was, but the annoyances started early and kept adding on:

– Upon arrival, we had to wait for a long line of RVs to be checked in. When it was our turn, we found out why it took so long: they checked every rig for the “RVIA sticker”. I’ve never had that before and it was weird because our rig was originally bought in Canada so it had a different sticker than they were used to. Look, if you’re just looking to keep Schoolies and homemade conversions out of the park “for insurance reasons”, I get it, but when someone shows up in a pretty well-known make and model, just wave them through.

– Once you get inside the gate, you have to sign some paperwork and head inside to registration, which was incredibly slow even with four people on duty. Got through that process where I signed as much paperwork as when we sold or bought a house.

– On our way out the door we were accosted by a “Good Sam Rep” that had obviously been waiting for the tired and weary travelers to try to Shanghai them into a timeshare presentation without knowing what was going on. We were halfway through signing up for the seminar when we cottoned on to the shenanigans and walked out.

– Got to our “Premium Pull-through site” and it was quite a squeeze to fit the 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle on the pad. We had to unhook and park the truck diagonally across the pad to keep our bumpers out of the road, also being sure to avoid the lamp post, the garbage can, and the sprinkler heads.

– They have an extensive rule booklet, but nobody else seemed to read it and nobody in the park actually enforced the rules.

– Went to soak in the hot tub, which is a welcome perk after a day of driving, and despite being “adults only” there were many, many children jumping into it with no parents around.

– Wanted to partake in the café, but it was only open sporadically. The one time we did get in, though, the martinis were strong and the tater tots were amazing.

– When you leave the park and come back you have to sit in the long line of RVs checking in because there isn’t a separate line for checking in versus returning.

– On the other hand, it was a conveniently short drive to The Strip.

 We camped at Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Convenient to The Strip, but if you want a bit of nature and amazing scenery, Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire are each a decent day trip.

Interactive map:

Campground map:

Map

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

When one enters the park, they first need to check in with security, that hands over a registration form:

Security

Then one parks in one of the several registration lanes:

Registration lanes

And goes into the office:

Office

To the registration desk:

Registration

They really like their paperwork and inefficient procedures. Perhaps necessary with such a large park, but it didn’t seem very streamlined.

Swimming pools:

Swimming pools

Swimming pools

We used the hot tub, though despite all the signs about no kids in the hot tub, there were several that used it:

Hot tub

They have family and adult swimming pools; this is the family one, which nobody was using as it wasn’t heated — so of course all the kids were in the adults-only pool. Yay:

Swimming pool

A fairly large store:

Store

Always nice to have an on-site restaurant too; we had dinner there once (and were going to another couple of nights, but they were closed — having an onsite restaurant is well and good, but having it closed unexpectedly is almost worse than not having one, though I know lots of restaurants struggle with staffing nowadays):

Restaurant

Tasty martinis; yes, they had a full bar:

Martinis

Jenn’s sandwich and tots:

Sandwich and tots

My burger and lots of fries:

Burger and fries

Also nice when an RV park has a mail room; we got several packages delivered here:

Mail room

Outdoor game area:

Game area

Games

Bathrooms:

Bathrooms

Other RVs:

Other RVs

Other RVs

The elevated freeway was very near, resulting in a constant hum of noise:

Freeway

The big Las Vegas airport was also nearby, so planes would frequently fly over:

Plane

The entrance at night:

Entrance at night

A nice RV resort; not great, but good, and close to the Vegas attractions. We might stay here again, but would probably prefer to try another place, or go back to Lake Mead.

Travel from Kingman, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada

We drove our coach 114 miles, about two hours of driving, from Kingman, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Here’s the map route, heading northwest:

Vegas route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

I-40:

I-40

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Rough road:

Rough road

Rough road

Interesting rocks:

Interesting rocks

Lake Mead National Recreation Area:

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

6% downgrade:

6% downgrade

Bridge:

Bridge

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead:

Hover Dam and Lake Mead

Hover Dam and Lake Mead

Entering Nevada:

Entering Nevada

Lake Mead:

Lake Mead

Artwork:

Artwork

Artwork

Artwork

Las Vegas:

Las Vegas

Our destination:

Our destination

Kingman KOA Journey

We stayed at Kingman KOA Journey in Kingman, Arizona. (Campground Reviews listing.)

We were going to stay somewhere else, but changed our plans due to our NIRVC stay, so this was a last-minute reservation.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-03-10
  • Check out: 2023-03-13
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Mostly sunny
  • High temps ranging between 64-66°F, lows around 41-49°F
  • Wind gusts to 28 MPH

Noise:

  • A little distant road noise, no train noise

Site:

  • #96, pull-through, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked in front of coach
  • A little unlevel
  • Medium site: about 50 feet long by about 40 feet wide
  • Concrete patio site with patio table & chairs, fire pit, grill

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 45 PSI water, conveniently located
  • A little loose sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed); it had an underground leak that spilled onto the ground

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 12-16 Mbps down, 14-19 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • AT&T: 17-41 Mbps down, 12-23 Mbps up, 146 ms ping
  • Verizon: 5 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Closed pool
  • Mini-golf

Our review on Campground Reviews:

A good place to stop between Phoenix & Vegas

This was a last-minute reservation as we had to change our plans between Phoenix & Vegas. The KOA website is always straightforward and convenient. The staff were nice and helpful, including guiding us to our spot. We had a nice end patio spot with a view of the mountains. There’s a small bit of noise from the interstate, but not too bad. Roads inside the park were a little tight on some of the corners. We camped at Kingman KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Convenient day trip to Grand Canyon West and the Sky Walk.

Interactive map:

RV park map:

Map

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Patio:

Patio

The electrical pedestal was a bit strange, with the outlets on the side:

Electric pedistal

And the two 50 amp switches were not connected:

Electric pedistal

Sign:

Sign

Entrance:

Entrance

Office:

Office

Office

Office

Closed swimming pool:

Closed swimming pool

Mini golf:

Mini golf

Playground:

Playground

When we arrived we had to wait for this RV and Jeep to untoad, as they didn’t make the turn after the entrance:

Didn't make the turn

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Mobile homes for 55+ long-term residents:

Mobile homes

Mobile homes

Mountain views:

Mountains