A Little Advice RE: AZ, California, and NV?

jkjenn

I might have the opportunity to be in the west for work in February. By west, I mean one event in San Francisco and then another later into he month in Las Vegas. I am not sure this will ever work, but I need to do a little preliminary planning to see if I can make it work to take my T@b out there and perhaps work and camp between the 2 events. So, I am turning to my T@b family for a little advice. I am thinking I would go from Pittsburgh to San Fran via I-40 as far as AZ and then up to CA through southern CA. Why? Well, I really don't relish getting stuck on I-70 in CO in the winter due to ski traffic jams. If I can , and weather would permit, I could go through CO on I-70 if I could manage to avoid a weekend. Since I will be working from my T@b , with the exception of a few days, assume I need a campground with either solid WiFi or a strong 4G signal. This would likely eliminate a lot of BLM camping, sadly. Here is where I Ned advice:

• Campground near San Francisco (even in San Fran) Full hookups would be necessary.
• A good LG dealer or other reputable dealer for routine service near San Fran, along I-40 in AZ or near Vegas.. I am guessing after taking my T@b across country, it might be good to drop it off for an appointment to have it inspected, particularly bearings and tires.
• Camping in or near Yosemite in Feb. Is it possible? I know Tioga Pass will be closed. If I could get good WiFi or a solid 4G signal that would be awesome, but I am assuming that will be impossible and I would need to go there on the weekend.
• Campgrounds close to Vegas. I would likely only need to be there for 2-3 days and not necessarily need Internet there. I would need full hookups, though.
• I might like to camp between San Fran event and Vegas event either near Vegas, Valley of Fire, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, near Zion, or near the Grand Canyon - South Rim. Being able to connect to the Internet via WiFi or 4G is essential as I will be working remote. I need to have cell phone service (solid) for conference calls. I am open to some recommendations.

Does this sound crazy? The disappointing part of this plan, believe it or not, is disappointment at missing all of the snow in Pittsburgh while out west. I love snow and this is supposed to be a good winter for us. On the flipside, photographing Yosemite and other western areas in the winter is very exciting to me! I would also like to hit Moab and Ouray on my way back home, but I am pretty familiar with those areas.

I have no idea if part or all of this could work but I won't know unless I explore it all a bit.

Nomad

Doesn't sound crazy at all if you can get the services (wifi/4G) as you need them.

I've been out for a month in rural midwest - mainly boondocking with solar and 4G - and it's worked pretty good but I don't need a solid connection every day. Did buy a generator yesterday for those streaks of solid overcast.

Great photo ops out there, you'll love it.

My interest is old abandoned stuff and doing night/light painting. Since I'm up half the night doing that, I usually just level the T@B and camp right where I'm shooting.

Will be interested in the responses as I'm probably going along a similar route at some point.

mash2

In the San Francisco area, take a look at Olema Campground.  It's about an hour from downtown SF, near the Point Reyes National Seashore (some really beautiful countryside).   I've been there and it is a good "RV" park;  I think it has all the services you need.  There is also some beautiful coastline about 1/2 hour north (particularly from Bodega Bay to Gualala).  I have a house in the area and it's stunning scenery (though cell service is virtually nonexistent in the coastal section north of Jenner.)

There are two other RV sites that I've not used (I'm a local so don't need campsites in the city).  Golden Gate Trailer Park is located in Greenbrae (about 20 minutes north of the golden gate bridge).  I haven't stayed there so I'd suggest seeing if it would meet your needs (Greenbrae is a nice place near or on the bay).   Finally, there is a place called San Francisco RV Resort on the bluffs of Pacifica just south of San Francisco (actually about 45 -60 minutes south of downtown San Francisco).  Again, I haven't been there, so you may want to check.  I think cell service isn't an issue at any of these locations.

I think you may have trouble with cell service in Death Valley, Joshua Tree and Grand Canyon (all extremely beautiful by the way and well worth a visit).  There are electric sites in Furnace Creek Campground and the Furnace Creek RV Resort has full services near Furnace Creek (though you would need to check with them on cell service in the furnace creek area of Death valley; I don't recall). Near Zion, I stayed at Zion River RV Resort and I think they have all the services that you need (don't remember the cell service situation there, but I think it was okay).  A bit pricey and a little to RV Resort for my taste, but it is close to Zion and wasn't a bad jumping off point.  

Where is the event?  there are other locations that might be feasible depending where the event is located.     

Let me know if you go and I could probably give you some tips for photo locations (you can see some of my images at www.mash-production.com).

Michigan_Mike

If push comes to shove, Macky D's has WIFI, if you need a plan B.....  I have traveled cross-country many times and have always been able to accomplish most things that need tending to from most of these spots.   And agree, most of the mountain areas are signal challenged, especially your remote NP areas.  You'll need to camp strategically to get 4G access and you're doing the right thing gathering your info in advance.  I would run for 2-3 days without any solid signal in most remote areas of the west, but along the Interstate systems they normally plant an antennae along the way to provide travelers with access.  It's when you get off the beaten path and in the smaller communities, etc. that you'll see your signal drop off.

Good luck!

mickietucs

Jenn - only thing I can contribute is that LG has only one dealer in AZ and they are in Phoenix. Perhaps there are other RV places you could take your T@B to - maybe another T@B owner in AZ might chime in.

Michigan_Mike

Arizona Little Guy Dealers:

Tom's Camperland

2183 E. Apache Blvd.,
Tempe, AZ 85281

Phone: (480) 894-1267

Website: http://www.tomscamperland.com

Contact Name: Brad

Tom's Camperland

11611 West Bell Road,
Surprise, AZ 85374

Phone: (623) 977-2888

Website: http://www.tomscamperland.com

Contact Name: Brad

Tom\'s Camperland

1620 North 19th Ave.,
Phoenix, AZ 85009

Phone: 602-258-3663

Website: www.tomscamperland.com/


Nevada Little Guy Dealer:

Nevada RV

2615 Branson Ave Ste. B,
North Las Vegas, NV 89030

Phone: 844-763-1200

Website: http://www.lasvegaslittleguy.com/

Contact Name: Deric

mash2

In California, I've used Folsom Lake RV (in Sacramento area).  Cell service is decent specifically in the Furnace Creek area.  Who is your cell service vendor?

jkjenn

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I am with Verizon. I see that service looks to be decent along I-15 between Vegas and Utah, so if I can camp near there, I could be set. I have read some reviews of spots that say they a strong 4G signal from Verizon along that path. I will test running webinars via 4G this week. I have been running a program to track my data use on my work PC to see if it is manageable and I think with the newer data prices it is. I might pick up a Mi-Fi  hotspot as I have heard they work better for all day type uses.

McDonald's would work for a couple of hours but I need to be connected all day, every day. I use an instant message service quite a bit for my job and need to be available via that. I know that my chances are better on top of a mesa vs. down in a valley, but that also makes you more exposed to the weather.

Mike, thanks for the list of dealers in Phoenix. It looks like my best bet might be the dealer in Vegas or CW in San Fran. I believe there is also a CW in St. George.

The one thing I have learned is that most campgrounds have horrible WiFi. I might also find a good space at a library or somewhere else for remote workers in the San Fran area as I know there are a lot of tech folks in that region.

mash2

Note:  the CW in San Francisco is actually in Vacaville about an hour north of San Francisco.

jkjenn

Thanks, Mash2. I am not sure where in San Fran we will be, yet, so that could have an impact on where I stay and such forth, but that is very good intel.

gilbutler

Jenn, We are very new Trailer users, so can't offer a lot of good advice.  We did stay at the Olema Campground last week for three nights.  We had no problem with WiFi, but are not heavy users.

I'm a little more familiar with Yosemite.  It would be a great shame to miss it.  Cell reception in the park is spotty at best.  I believe the snack bar near the post office has WiFi.  I've seen users, but haven'y used it myself.

This is a useful link to Yosemite information: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/conditions.htm#CP_JUMP_106631

If you are going in February, weather can be a problem (even in California, believe it or not :=).  My preferred route into Yosemite, particularly in winter, is Hwy 140 from Merced. I've never needed chains from Merced to Yosemite while the other routs do.  Park regulations do require carrying chains in the park.  Winter camping is available in the park valley floor, butI I would not plan on taking a trailer into the park because of snow, but your milage may vary.  There is a KOA fairly near the park's west entrance (Hwy 140): http://koa.com/campgrounds/yosemite-west/  It's only 23 miles from the closest entrance to Yosemite Village. I've never visited the KOA, but remember passing it.

I'm sharing some Yosemite pictures taken in each year from 2007 through 2011, in no particular order. Three in Februarys, one in January and one in March.  I have not posted the more impressive views, just samples of the weather.  Winter is one of my favorite times to visit Yosemite.

I would also suggest Starbucks for WiFi access, although you would not likely find that much better than McDonalds.  I do commonly see people plug in and settle in for hours of on-line business.

Good luck with your trip.  I wish I could help more.

Gil

gilbutler

I tried unsuccessfully to replace one of the pictures.

CodeJunkie

Jenn, I use the Mi-Fi when traveling for all my internet access, even when WiFi is advertised available in the area.  It performs like a champ!  You do need a decent satellite signal, though. I like that I can get my work done from the comfort of my T@B without the need to drive to another spot for better WiFi reception.

IACamper

Well, depending on what you're doing, you may not want it to run through a public wifi connection anyway.

jkjenn

I actually have a device that works like a router that I can use when I do connect to public WiFI that provides an extra level of security, but I hear what you are saying. Plus, most public WiFi has far more variable speeds than 4G.

Gill, thanks. I love to pictures of Yosemite in the snow! Actually, I love to see any picture with snow.