Texas RV Rental
Motorhome Trip - Spring 2009 ...
Motorhome-RV-Rentals.com
| “For the Best RV Rental Ideas" |
| Copyright 2008-2009 by Motorhome-RV-Rentals.com. All rights reserved. |
RV Rental Trip (March 2009) - We picked
up our RV rental from El Monte RV in
McKinney, Texas on March 10th to enjoy
Spring break and start our RV adventure.
The staff at El Monte was very friendly and
knowledgeable. After a brief training video
that detailed the operation of the vehicle,
we inspected it and took a tour of the RV
with one of the staff.
Our rental RV was a 2009, 23ft. Chateau
Sport class C motorhome, powered by a
V10 gasoline engine. The pictures to the
right show the exterior and interior views of
the motorhome, along with its floorplan.
This RV floorplan worked nicely for our
family of four. My son took the cab over
bunk, my daughter took the dinette sleeper
and my wife and I took the queen bed in
the back.
up our RV rental from El Monte RV in
McKinney, Texas on March 10th to enjoy
Spring break and start our RV adventure.
The staff at El Monte was very friendly and
knowledgeable. After a brief training video
that detailed the operation of the vehicle,
we inspected it and took a tour of the RV
with one of the staff.
Our rental RV was a 2009, 23ft. Chateau
Sport class C motorhome, powered by a
V10 gasoline engine. The pictures to the
right show the exterior and interior views of
the motorhome, along with its floorplan.
This RV floorplan worked nicely for our
family of four. My son took the cab over
bunk, my daughter took the dinette sleeper
and my wife and I took the queen bed in
the back.
We brought the RV home and quickly got loaded up. The large storage
compartment under the unit is accessible from both a side panel and
a panel at the rear of the motorhome. It is equipped with lights and a
fold-out table, hoses, leveling jacks and other gear. There was plenty
of room to store camp chairs, fire wood, outdoor cookstoves and other
gear that we planned to use during our five night camping trip through
Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The map to the right shows our overall route during the five night RV trip. We left the Dallas / Ft. Worth
area on the first leg of our journey. Our first stop was Robbers Cave State Park, located just north of
Wilburton, Oklahoma in the Sans Bois Mountains. This was an easy three hour drive from Dallas.
The park is located in a beautiful area with great views, hiking trails, lots of interesting rock
formations and caves, and offers a wide variety of outdoor activities.
compartment under the unit is accessible from both a side panel and
a panel at the rear of the motorhome. It is equipped with lights and a
fold-out table, hoses, leveling jacks and other gear. There was plenty
of room to store camp chairs, fire wood, outdoor cookstoves and other
gear that we planned to use during our five night camping trip through
Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The map to the right shows our overall route during the five night RV trip. We left the Dallas / Ft. Worth
area on the first leg of our journey. Our first stop was Robbers Cave State Park, located just north of
Wilburton, Oklahoma in the Sans Bois Mountains. This was an easy three hour drive from Dallas.
The park is located in a beautiful area with great views, hiking trails, lots of interesting rock
formations and caves, and offers a wide variety of outdoor activities.
The Robbers Cave Nature Trail is particularly popular, and leads you to the old outlaw cave that the
park is named for. Legend has it that Jesse James and some of his gang used to hold up here.
The next leg of our RV trip took us to Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton, Arkansas. The motorhome
handled well even on some of the narrower highways, and had plenty of pep going up the hills. It took
us about three hours to make the trip. About half of the trip was along I-40, and was smooth sailing
with the cruise control on and plenty of room to maneuver. This RV had a pretty nice stereo system
with AM/FM radio, CD Player, and a connection for a MP3 player, so we listened to our favorite tunes
as we cruised down the road.
We arrived at Petit Jean State Park at about 6 PM. Upon pulling into the park, the first thing we noticed
was that there was ice up in the tops of the pine trees. This was a beautiful sight, but the first night
was a little colder than we had expected, getting down to around 37 degrees F. However, the furnace
on the rental RV kept us nice and cozy, as we played board games, and slept that night. This
motorhome had a wall thermostat, similar to your house, where you could set it to a comfortable
temperature and it would come on and off as needed.
Both the furnace and stove run on propane, but the water heater and refrigerator could run on either
propane or electric. Even though we were gone five nights, and some of these were pretty cold, we
still had a 2/3 full propane tank when we returned the RV. For anyone familiar with Texas, Oklahoma
or Arkansas, you know that the weather can change rather quickly. The week prior to our trip it was in
the 70's in Dallas, but during our RV trip the high temperatures only ranged between 48 and 55 and
the lows ranged from 37 - 43 degrees F.
park is named for. Legend has it that Jesse James and some of his gang used to hold up here.
The next leg of our RV trip took us to Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton, Arkansas. The motorhome
handled well even on some of the narrower highways, and had plenty of pep going up the hills. It took
us about three hours to make the trip. About half of the trip was along I-40, and was smooth sailing
with the cruise control on and plenty of room to maneuver. This RV had a pretty nice stereo system
with AM/FM radio, CD Player, and a connection for a MP3 player, so we listened to our favorite tunes
as we cruised down the road.
We arrived at Petit Jean State Park at about 6 PM. Upon pulling into the park, the first thing we noticed
was that there was ice up in the tops of the pine trees. This was a beautiful sight, but the first night
was a little colder than we had expected, getting down to around 37 degrees F. However, the furnace
on the rental RV kept us nice and cozy, as we played board games, and slept that night. This
motorhome had a wall thermostat, similar to your house, where you could set it to a comfortable
temperature and it would come on and off as needed.
Both the furnace and stove run on propane, but the water heater and refrigerator could run on either
propane or electric. Even though we were gone five nights, and some of these were pretty cold, we
still had a 2/3 full propane tank when we returned the RV. For anyone familiar with Texas, Oklahoma
or Arkansas, you know that the weather can change rather quickly. The week prior to our trip it was in
the 70's in Dallas, but during our RV trip the high temperatures only ranged between 48 and 55 and
the lows ranged from 37 - 43 degrees F.
We spent three nights camping at Petit Jean State Park and had a wonderful time hiking many of the
trails. This is a beautiful park with great trails and scenery. Trailheads are located throughout the
park. The motorhome was great because we could be disconnected from our campsite in about five
minutes and be on our way to a trailhead or area of interest. Once there, we would park the RV and
set up kind of a base camp. This way we had a restroom, food, clothing or any other supplies that we
might need close at hand. We would then hike or explore and come back to the RV for lunch or to
rest and get warm before venturing off again or traveling to a different location. This allowed us to
cover much more of the park than we would have otherwise.
The last leg of our RV vacation took us to Crater of Diamonds State Park. This is located in
Murfreesboro, Arkansas, as we made a quick stop on our way back to the Dallas area. From Petit
Jean State Park it took us about three hours to get there. I was impressed with the motorhome's
ease in handling and acceleration on some of the hills and curves. The main attraction at Crater of
Diamonds State Park is the diamond field or mine located there, but it also has hiking, fishing, and a
nice campground. Since 1972 over 26,000 diamonds have been found at Crater of Diamonds.
Our time was limited on the way home, so we only stopped in for an hour or so to see the diamond
field first hand. This gave us enough time to watch a video orientation at the information center and
spend a little bit of time exploring the plowed diamond field. On this trip we found some interesting
rocks, but unfortunately no diamonds.
Afterwards, the shower located on the outside of our motorhome came in handy for washing off
rocks and muddy boots. Also, the RV's cargo bay was a great help for storing some of our muddy
equipment.
trails. This is a beautiful park with great trails and scenery. Trailheads are located throughout the
park. The motorhome was great because we could be disconnected from our campsite in about five
minutes and be on our way to a trailhead or area of interest. Once there, we would park the RV and
set up kind of a base camp. This way we had a restroom, food, clothing or any other supplies that we
might need close at hand. We would then hike or explore and come back to the RV for lunch or to
rest and get warm before venturing off again or traveling to a different location. This allowed us to
cover much more of the park than we would have otherwise.
The last leg of our RV vacation took us to Crater of Diamonds State Park. This is located in
Murfreesboro, Arkansas, as we made a quick stop on our way back to the Dallas area. From Petit
Jean State Park it took us about three hours to get there. I was impressed with the motorhome's
ease in handling and acceleration on some of the hills and curves. The main attraction at Crater of
Diamonds State Park is the diamond field or mine located there, but it also has hiking, fishing, and a
nice campground. Since 1972 over 26,000 diamonds have been found at Crater of Diamonds.
Our time was limited on the way home, so we only stopped in for an hour or so to see the diamond
field first hand. This gave us enough time to watch a video orientation at the information center and
spend a little bit of time exploring the plowed diamond field. On this trip we found some interesting
rocks, but unfortunately no diamonds.
Afterwards, the shower located on the outside of our motorhome came in handy for washing off
rocks and muddy boots. Also, the RV's cargo bay was a great help for storing some of our muddy
equipment.
Along the way, I learned a valuable lesson while dumping the tanks, that I'd like to pass on to you.
Always check and make sure that the valves are completely closed before removing the drain cap
and attaching the dump hose. In our case it turned out that the grey water valve was partially open
(thank God it wasn't the waste water valve), so water started coming out when I removed the drain
cap. After the initial surprise, I quickly regained my senses and closed the valve. I then connected
the dump hose and resumed dumping the tanks without anymore surprises.
All in all it was a great motorhome trip. We covered a little over 800 miles on this RV vacation and
created some great memories with our kids. During the trip we enjoyed some great hiking and
scenery, relaxed by the campfire, and stayed warm and cozy in the RV while eating, playing games
and watching movies. During the cool evenings and the occasional evening rains, we were warm
and comfortable in our 23 ft. Chateau Sport rental RV.
Back in Dallas, the return process went smooth and quick. We found El Monte RV in McKinney,
Texas great to work with, and look forward to renting an RV from them again. Happy RVing!
Always check and make sure that the valves are completely closed before removing the drain cap
and attaching the dump hose. In our case it turned out that the grey water valve was partially open
(thank God it wasn't the waste water valve), so water started coming out when I removed the drain
cap. After the initial surprise, I quickly regained my senses and closed the valve. I then connected
the dump hose and resumed dumping the tanks without anymore surprises.
All in all it was a great motorhome trip. We covered a little over 800 miles on this RV vacation and
created some great memories with our kids. During the trip we enjoyed some great hiking and
scenery, relaxed by the campfire, and stayed warm and cozy in the RV while eating, playing games
and watching movies. During the cool evenings and the occasional evening rains, we were warm
and comfortable in our 23 ft. Chateau Sport rental RV.
Back in Dallas, the return process went smooth and quick. We found El Monte RV in McKinney,
Texas great to work with, and look forward to renting an RV from them again. Happy RVing!