‘Cross Country Caravan to Quartzsite’ Kicks Off in Florida – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
By John DiPietro for RVBusiness
What is thought to be the first coast-to-coast caravan of a single brand of RVs has kicked off in Tallahassee, Fla., and is headed 3,000 miles west to Quartzsite, Ariz.
Bob Kelly, the owner of a Winnebago View, and a retired law enforcement officer is serving as group leader. He thought of this plan to allow RVers traveling alone to have the peace of mind of traveling with a group, especially on long distances.
A group of 10 View and Navion motorhomes, all built by Winnebago, began their journey west and has already concluded a two-day stop in New Orleans, where they were met by Terry Broussard, the founder and CEO of Spot2Nite. He is a native of the area, and treated the RVers to coffee and traditional KING CAKE at the campground.
The group picked up several more RVs along the way, and as of Monday, Jan. 8, they number 18 RVs with 31 people aboard. They did the traditional New Orleans tourist attractions including a ride on the famous St. Charles Street Trolley.
Also included in the trip is a ferry ride from the Texas coast to an island near Galveston to enjoy freshly caught seafood.
By the time the group arrives in Quartzsite on Jan 14, it will have grown to 25 coaches.
They are staying each evening at state and local campgrounds that were pre-selected by Kelly.
Upon reaching Quartzsite, the group will meet with an additional 250 View and Navion coaches from 25 states and four Canadian provinces.
The plan has been to leave by 9 am and travel no further than 300 miles per day, leaving ample time for sightseeing and relaxing upon reaching their next campground destination.
The group travels convoy-style cruising at 63 mph on cruise control, mostly on I-10 though all of the states. Coaches travel 300 feet apart from each other on the highway. So far, according to Kelly, things are proceeding as planned with no issues.
Highlights already enjoyed has been a group stop at Buc-ees, the world’s largest convenience store and gas station in Alabama. People are looking forward to a stop at what Kelly calls the worlds best donut shop in Texas.
Partners in the tour include RVBusiness, Woodall’s Campground Magazine, RV Life, RV Life Trip Wizard, Go RVing, Spot2Nite, EasyCare, Spacious Skies Campgrounds, Campers Inn, Winnebago, New England RV Dealers Association (NERVDA) and RVing in New England.
We will continue to bring you updates on the tour here.
