A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 103 miles from Palm Desert, California to Orange, California.
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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:
An interactive map of our route, with potential stops marked:
Leaving our site:
Toading up:
Leaving the campground:
Palm Springs overpass:
There were lots of yellow flowers below the wind turbines:
A stop at a rest area:
A school bus next to us at the rest area:
Exit:
Green hills:
Snowy mountains:
Exit:
Castle Park theme park:
Heavy traffic:
Green hills:
Exit:
Honda Center:
Our destination, 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:
Going the wrong way, and crossing grass, to pull through into our site:
Engine compartment door stop replacement
One weak point in our coach is the door stop of the rear engine compartment. Twice I’ve had it break.
Here’s the rear door:
It is held closed with a couple of latches, that hook onto door stops like this (the left one):
Twice the right-hand one has broken off:
So I ordered some replacements from Tiffin, part number 5116094 (“REAR ENGINE DOOR STOP BRE 2016”):
I didn’t have any of the weather stripping padding, so I used some self-adhesive cupboard bumpers instead, which works fine:
I now have a couple more spare, so if it breaks again, I’ll be ready!
Video: Thousand Trails Palm Springs campground timelapse
A timelapse of the Thousand Trails Palm Springs campground.
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:
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:
The electric and water utilities are at the back of the site, rather inconvenient:
The sewer is conveniently located, though, other than in terms of the palm trees:
Working outside:
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:
Other sites we considered:
A nice thing about this park is UPS, FedEx, and Amazon will deliver directly to the sites:
For USPS or packages without site numbers, they post a notice on a message board near the entrance:
Other sites:
Cabins:
Entrance:
Swimming pools:
The sky with palm trees:
Video: Yermo to Palm Desert, California motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 146 miles from Yermo to Palm Desert, California.
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:
Interactive map, showing our stops and other potential stops:
Truck lane:
Fuel stop:
Paladin in the steps:
Highway CA-247:
Cafe 247, an interesting lunch stop with parking big enough for us:
They were having a motorcycle gathering, which made it feel like a biker bar, but wasn’t:
We bought a loaf from Banana Bread Man out front:
8% grade:
Highway CA-62:
Wind turbines:
Mountains:
Palm Springs:
Our destination:
Phone holders
While driving our coach, we refer to maps on our iPhones, in addition to the built-in one.
To position the phones conveniently, we use phone holders from Amazon.
Jenn’s phone usually shows Apple Maps directions, in a holder suction-cupped onto the panel to the right of the AC controls:
My phone is usually showing either the RV Life GPS or Google Maps, while my Mac shows the Google Maps route. My phone holder is suctioned to a plate that is stuck on the edge of the pull-out passenger workstation:
It is easy to adjust them to the desired angle, or rotate them out of the way when not driving.
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:
Our site; we didn’t bother with the Magne Shade, since only a couple of nights:
Utilities:
So many tables and benches:
View of the freeway from our window:
Entrance:
Office:
Bike and archery rental (maybe in summer):
Mural:
Piano:
Artwork:
Playground:
Train car:
Deflated jump pad:
Pool:
Tent sites:
Cabins:
RV sites:
Video: Death Valley to Yermo, California motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 169 miles from Death Valley, California to Yermo, California.