Taming a Thirsty RV

Most everywhere we go involves some sort of climb or a long drive.  In the summer we seek out cooler weather, oftentimes our high country.  In the winter, most trips involve our dirt bikes, RZR and/or the Jeep.  As you all know, climbs and long drives mean a thirsty motor home.

When we escape to the north it usually means a drive to and through Flagstaff.  The climb from 1,100 feet to 7,000 is a thirsty one, especially when we had our Class C Winnebago.  We always tow something, either the boat, Jeep or motorcycle trailer.  There is nothing more cringe-worthy than getting 4 miles per gallon up the mountain.  Yes, you read that right.  Four, count them, four miles per gallon.  Yikes!  Thank goodness our Phaeton not only has a larger tank but it also does much better in the MPG department.

Luckily Flagstaff has some RV friendly gas stations.  Interstate 17 ends at Milton Road which for many is the main entrance into Flagstaff and takes you by Northern Arizona University, our youngest son’s alma mater, into historic downtown Flagstaff.  Some of the gas stations are older and smaller and may not have lots of room to maneuver.  I recommend staying off Milton Road for gas if you’re towing something.  Don’t get me wrong, it can be done and we’ve done it many times.  There are more RV friendly places to minimize the “oh my gosh that was close!” moments.

I wholeheartedly recommend taking your toad or use Uber to explore downtown Flagstaff.  Flag was founded in 1882 making it older than the state of Arizona.  They’ve done a great job of maintaining original buildings and retained the flavor of the town.  The Weatherford Hotel is a must visit, like a walk into the late 1800’s in all it’s splendor. You can hear the floors creak underfoot, sit on the second floor patio and watch the action below or enjoy yummy food in their restaurant.  Author Zane Grey stayed here often and wrote the book, The Call of the Canyon in an upstairs room.  On New Year’s Eve the hotel is the focal point as they drop a giant pine cone at midnight.

Most of our drives through Flag, as the locals call it, take us to Highway 89 and Mark only likes to stop on the right side of the road.  Our go-to spot for gas here is Conoco Travel Center located at 7180 US-89.  The pump stations are nice and long to accommodate whatever you’re driving and towing with lots of room.  Regular and diesel gas are available at the main pumps which is perfect for us towing the boat; diesel for the rig and regular for the boat.  They also have dedicated diesel islands behind the little market.

And, let’s be honest, a great price is always a plus!  For us, it’s the Gas Buddy app to the rescue.  We have good range with our Phaeton so thankfully our stops aren’t as often as our Class C.  My job as the co-pilot is to find the easiest place to gas up with the best price.  For me, it’s a combo of Gas Buddy, Google Maps and my trusty atlas.  Recently we spent three weeks on the road in new areas and this combo saved us a lot of time, money and frustration.  Most times we have good cell reception on the interstate so finding what we need with Gas Buddy and Google Maps isn’t an issue.  After I hone in on a station with the best price, then it’s time to check Google Maps for space.  Because so much of our life is living the adventure, Mark sometimes isn’t opposed to using a smaller station. It’s my job to get a good look at the station for not only access to the pumps but also any challenges in getting back on the road.  Thankfully I’ve had a lot of practice since fuel stops happened every four hours in our Class C.  Shockingly, we’ve also found surprising dead areas on our route.  Nice wide open spaces and no signal.  My atlas of choice is the FMCA one.  They’ve included Flying J’s, Love’s and big rig friendly gas stations which definitely helps; especially in a new area.  If we’re in a bad cell area, we stick to these stations marked on the atlas.

Have any gassing up tips you’d like to share?  I’d love to hear them…