Wnnabee no more (hopefully)

eric.henning

New member
Jan 31, 2000
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Greetings All,

Well, hopefully this friday I will go from wannabee to newbie. Taking delivery
of a very clean, mostly original, well cared for, 1973 Sequoia 260.
The family is very excited.
I am a little nervous. Presently all our camping was done in my 1980 air cooled
VW Westfalia, so the GMC will seem like a luxurious
four star hotel. This leads to my question: I have never RV'd in such a
vehicle. This summer we are planning on going cross country in the GMC
(will do several, more local and one 1000 mile trip beforehand). This may seem
like a beginner question, but, can you pull into any campground
and expect sites large enough? I know some do not have hook-ups, but generally
speaking will there be any trouble finding palces to camp?
I have made reservations in some national parks and told then I would have a 26
foot RV so no problem there. I saw a recent post from somebody else in the same
boat. Can someone be so kind as to post a "So your new to GMC's, here's how to
enjoy it" faq?

Having an old VW and an old Jaguar, the mechanical aspects of running a 27 year
GMC doesn't scare me too much. I can deal with
repairing, I just don't have any experience in traveling in one of these
beauties.

Thanks

eric.henning
doylestown, PA
1973 Sequoia (if all goes well)
 
I would say the size is not a problem. I used to camp with a tent trailer
and the combination of van and tent trailer was longer than my GMC. I
often park in no services slots set up for tents and trailers. Some spots
are car length only but most have slots for trailers that are longer than
we are. Even in Forest service camp grounds, they have these slots.
Since we are so low and narrow, I find I can park quite easily. The Toad
is another thing, I will often disconnect the toad and then park the GMC.
Still we are small compared to most motor homes, and I can usually park the
toad next to the GMC.

gene

>
>
>Greetings All,
>
>Well, hopefully this friday I will go from wannabee to newbie. Taking
delivery
>of a very clean, mostly original, well cared for, 1973 Sequoia 260.
>The family is very excited.
>I am a little nervous. Presently all our camping was done in my 1980 air
cooled
>VW Westfalia, so the GMC will seem like a luxurious
>four star hotel. This leads to my question: I have never RV'd in such a
>vehicle. This summer we are planning on going cross country in the GMC
>(will do several, more local and one 1000 mile trip beforehand). This may
seem
>like a beginner question, but, can you pull into any campground
>and expect sites large enough? I know some do not have hook-ups, but
generally
>speaking will there be any trouble finding palces to camp?
>I have made reservations in some national parks and told then I would have
a 26
>foot RV so no problem there. I saw a recent post from somebody else in
the same
>boat. Can someone be so kind as to post a "So your new to GMC's, here's
how to
>enjoy it" faq?
>
>Having an old VW and an old Jaguar, the mechanical aspects of running a 27
year
>GMC doesn't scare me too much. I can deal with
>repairing, I just don't have any experience in traveling in one of these
>beauties.
>
>Thanks
>
>eric.henning
>doylestown, PA
>1973 Sequoia (if all goes well)
>
>
>
Genef -- 77PB/ore/ca
GMC MOTORHOME INFORMATION
mr.erf
http://www.california.com/~eagle/
 
>
> Greetings All,
>
> Well, hopefully this friday I will go from wannabee to newbie. Taking
delivery
> of a very clean, mostly original, well cared for, 1973 Sequoia 260.
> The family is very excited.

Early Congrats!, Eric.

can you pull into any campground
> and expect sites large enough?

This is not a large RV by today's standards. You should not have any
problems at all, even in Federal campgrounds. If you tow a car and will
be overnighting only, ask for a "Pull-Thru" site so you don't have to
unhook the car.

I know some do not have hook-ups, but generally
> speaking will there be any trouble finding palces to camp?

Invest in a campground guide. That way there are no surprises. Every
private CG has hookups and most federal ones do. If the CG is cited as
"primitive" then there will be no hookups.

> I have made reservations in some national parks and told then I would
have a 26
> foot RV so no problem there. I saw a recent post from somebody else
in the same
> boat. Can someone be so kind as to post a "So your new to GMC's,
> here's how to
> enjoy it" faq?
>
This is a good idea. Perhaps it would wise to have a newbie do this as
the old timers take all the steps to happy camping for granted. I would
suggest to initially watch what others do, be a good camper as far as
when you dump your holding tank, and cleaning up after pets, and keep
noise within reasonable limits. These are the major things that your
camping neighbors will notice.

It is always a good idea to plug a polarity tester into the outlet you
will using to ensure you are getting good power, especially in older
campgrounds. In hot climates I generally uncoil all of my power cord from
the storage compartment to avoid excessive heat that builds up when
drawing lots of amps.

With a GMC I try to always keep my front wheels on reasonably solid
ground. I have parked on dry grass only to have an inch of rain overnite
creating bog conditions.

I didn't mean to carry on. Maybe I will take a crack at preparing a
Campers Giuide for Greenhorns. I just completed a rally Master's hand
Book for our club and I am pretty well caught up on resurrecting the
Registry from the ashes, so I can probably find the time.

I will ask the Netters to help by sending in suggestions as to format and
content and I will get started.

How about that?

David Lee Greenberg
The GMC Motorhome Registry
Dedicated To The Classic GMC Motorhome
www.gmcss.com/registry.htm
 
I have not found any camp ground that will not
accomidate a 26' unit and there is always Walmart,
remember with a good battery setup and working genset
you are truly self contained for a couple of days
easy. We started in a popup years ago so I know what
you mean about luxury. New owner? try these. These
sites are great, many thanks to the folks who go to
the effort to put them up and maintain them.

http://www.california.com/~eagle/
specificly
http://www.california.com/~eagle/list.html
and
http://www.gmcmotorhome.com/resources.html

>Greetings All,
>Well, hopefully this friday I will go from wannabee
>to newbie. Taking delivery of a very clean, mostly
>original, well cared for, 1973 Sequoia 260. The
>family is very excited. I am a little nervous.
>Presently all our camping was done in my 1980
>air cooled VW Westfalia, so the GMC will seem like a
>luxurious four star hotel. This leads to my
>question: I have never RV'd in such a vehicle. This
>summer we are planning on going cross country in the
>GMC (will do several, more local and one 1000 mile
>trip beforehand). This may seem like a beginner
>question, but, can you pull into any campground
>and expect sites large enough? I know some do not
>have hook-ups, but generally speaking will there be
>any trouble finding palces to camp? I have made
>reservations in some national parks and told then I
>would have a 26 foot RV so no problem there. I saw a
>recent post from somebody else in the sameboat. Can
>someone be so kind as to post a "So your new to
GMC's,
>here's how to enjoy it" faq? Having an old VW and an
>old Jaguar, the mechanical aspects of running a 27
>year
>GMC doesn't scare me too much. I can deal with
>repairing, I just don't have any experience in
>traveling in one of these beauties.
>Thanks

__________________________________________________
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Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com
 
Hi Eric,
It looks BIG...but you will find it fits in just great..
My GMC drives like a Van..Its easy to maneuver and I
have had it in some campsites that most other MH of
this size couldn't get in...Only problem we found was
that Hookups electric/sewer didnt always work. We got
an extra 50amp cord and a new Longer sewer hose....
Rob Teed 74 Painted Desert

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gmcmotorhome
> [mailto:owner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of
> eric.henning
> Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2000 7:22 AM
> To: gmcmotorhome
> Subject: GMC: Wnnabee no more (hopefully)
>
>
>
>
> Greetings All,
>
> Well, hopefully this friday I will go from wannabee to newbie.
> Taking delivery
> of a very clean, mostly original, well cared for, 1973 Sequoia 260.
> The family is very excited.
> I am a little nervous. Presently all our camping was done in my
> 1980 air cooled
> VW Westfalia, so the GMC will seem like a luxurious
> four star hotel. This leads to my question: I have never RV'd in such a
> vehicle. This summer we are planning on going cross country in the GMC
> (will do several, more local and one 1000 mile trip beforehand).
> This may seem
> like a beginner question, but, can you pull into any campground
> and expect sites large enough? I know some do not have hook-ups,
> but generally
> speaking will there be any trouble finding palces to camp?
> I have made reservations in some national parks and told then I
> would have a 26
> foot RV so no problem there. I saw a recent post from somebody
> else in the same
> boat. Can someone be so kind as to post a "So your new to GMC's,
> here's how to
> enjoy it" faq?
>
> Having an old VW and an old Jaguar, the mechanical aspects of
> running a 27 year
> GMC doesn't scare me too much. I can deal with
> repairing, I just don't have any experience in traveling in one of these
> beauties.
>
> Thanks
>
> eric.henning
> doylestown, PA
> 1973 Sequoia (if all goes well)
>
>
>
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