How to take an epic road trip, right now, despite the pandemic

This 70-something couple traveled 1,000+ miles in one week and never thought twice about COVID-19.

By Doug Bardwell – Writer, Photographer, Volunteer

I could just barely see my drone as it rounded the lighthouse. It was well out over the water, and the thought of it ditching into the drink was always a fear. I’d read horror stories of other pilots who lost their valuable drones into Davey Jones locker, but I pressed on. This was my bucket list trip, and I put my trust in the power of prayer.

Hi. For those who don’t know me, I’m a former corporate road warrior who morphed into travel writer and photographer.  After leaving the 9 to 5 behind, I began traveling the globe, hitting five of the seven continents, with multiple trips to adventurous places like Africa and Taiwan. It was a jet-setting, five-year opportunity to see more than 30 countries – back when traveling used to be fun – and safe. I was aiming for all seven continents.

New travel bucket lists for changing times

As time went on, and volunteer opportunities changed some of my priorities, my wife and I concentrated instead on completing our domestic bucket lists – visiting the remainder of the 50 United States.

Once that was completed, the next project was to study for my FAA remote pilot’s license, which I obtained this past winter. That set up the current bucket list – to shoot lighthouses on each of the five Great Lakes – from the air. 

After you earn your wings, the photographic possibilities are exponentially larger when looking at a landmark from the drone’s video feed, high above your head.

My first opportunity came not far from home, flying out over Lake Erie, to reach the Fairport Harbor lighthouse.  A stately and classic lighthouse, it serves boaters heading into the Grand River.  Once in the air, I was able to shoot not one, but two lighthouses, as the historic lighthouse is located nearby, high on a bluff overlooking the harbor.

After that first flight, I was hooked. I’d been wanting to fly for a couple years, and watched as drones improved their flight durations and increased their camera capabilities.  My drone of choice ended up being the Mavic Pro Platinum, renowned for its quiet flight and decent battery capacity.

Knowing that lake one of five was captured, attention turned to visiting the other four.

Why an Ohio Buckeye would dare enter Wolverine country

As a died-in-the-wool Ohio State Buckeye football fan, there’s a rule that we don’t even mention the name of that school up north. Home to two of our Big Ten competitors, the State of Michigan is not something we normally prefer to discuss.

So, why did we head that way?  Simple.  The state is bounded by three of the five Great Lakes.  Lake Michigan is to the west. Lake Superior separates them from Canada up north, and Lake Huron forms their eastern boundary.

Then COVID hit.  Dang!  Between staying home, airlines almost shutting down, and most hotels closing, the idea of travel seemed like a faraway dream. While we both took the COVID pandemic very seriously, my wife was especially cautious, having worked years in the senior health care industry.

Then a press release hit my inbox – espousing the idea of travel by RV. Viola!!!  I realized we could travel in our own little cocoon and stay COVID safe, yet travel wherever we wanted. We’d have our meals inside or pull over near the lake, and not need to worry about dubious motels or dining out in restaurants.

THOR is a family of companies, which include top brands to meet all RV needs. The one that appealed to me was the Thor Motor Coach Tellaro RV. Just looking at their brochure of the LT model, my mind almost exploded considering all the possibilities. 

After speaking with the folks at Thor Motor Coach, we arranged a rental for a week in August and began planning our trip. 

Three Great Lakes – a dozen lighthouses – one week on the road

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state – 124 in total – almost twice the closest competitor – Maine with 80. I wanted to make sure we hit all three lakes, so we planned a trip up the west coast, across the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula. We’d then return down the east coast. 

It was a 1,000-mile trip, broken up over seven days. That meant less than three hours on the road each day. We’d have time to shoot one or two lighthouses each day, and still have time to relax and enjoy the trip.

Our choice of lighthouses didn’t disappoint. 

So, to finish my original story, no, the drone never disappointed. It made the trip around that lighthouse and back, time after time.  However, I did discover many things about drone photography that make it a tad challenging. 

1. If the wind is gusting 25 mph or more, you stand a chance of your drone being blown away.  I recommend using the UAV forecast app, which gives you wind speed and gust speeds not only at the ground, but at 100, 250 and 500 foot levels.  Trust me – they can be vastly different, and you don’t want to fly when gust speeds can exceed the speed your drone can fly.
2. While you might be able to fly near ground level, some days you just won’t be able to get that nice high birds eye view. Learn to accept that and live to fly another day.
3. Even if you don’t exceed the gust speeds, on a windy day, your pictures stand a good chance of being blurred. While I carefully made sure my focus point was set correctly, many of my photos came back slightly fuzzy – undoubtedly from trying to maintain its position during strong cross breezes.
4. Also important, don’t exceed 70% of battery usage, because your drone is liable to start auto-landing in a most inopportune place.  I’ve been over the water a couple times when it started to come down, and that can be a harrowing experience.  Learn to pay attention to your battery levels.
5. Lastly, you can’t fly everywhere you want, because of restricted airspaces. I wanted to get some aerial shots of Camper’s Cove RV park, but upon checking, I discovered that the main runway for Alpena Airport was directly across the small lake from us, and within minutes of my planned takeoff, three of these Army cargo planes flew directly over where I planned to fly. Could have been an ugly situation.

Seven nights – 1000 miles traveled – same beds every night

Some people are surprised when they discover that renting an RV is more expensive than staying at a motel every night, but that misses the great number of key factors that made us choose the RV route.

Who knows how diligent the cleaning staff really is in each hotel or motel?  We didn’t have to worry since we took our own bedding and slept in the same beds, night after night.  The beds in the Tellaro 20 LT RV we drove were amazingly comfortable.  The Froli sleep system with adjustable head rest is as comfortable as sleeping at home – a bit noisier, but every bit as comfortable. And, under the passenger-side bed, there’s room for long storage items like my full-sized camera tripod.

With the Tellaro LT model, you have the option of two individual beds or, by adding the two tabletops to a built-in slider support sustem, you can span the aisle and create a king-sized equivalent measuring 74″ x 80″.

We’ve camped in our van before, but shading the windows was always a pain. The Tellaro has convenient pleated shades at the side windows, that simply pulled down or up with one finger.

No matter where we stopped, there was a restroom just steps away.  Having a couple of sinks to wash your hands or a full shower right onboard, along with a power vent, was an amazing amenity. Unlike many camping toilets that are way too close to the ground, this foot-flush toilet was raised to standard seat height, so it felt totally normal. A fold-down sink was located over the toilet and a flex hose shower made this a complete wet bath area. Across from the bath, there were two nice-sized drawers for clothes and a hanging closet.

Communing with nature.  The large sliding door on the Tellaro also has a full-size sliding screen door that provides tons of fresh air and keeps out the bugs. The one night we slept next to the shoreline at Fisherman’s Island State Park, we were literally serenaded to sleep with the waves crashing ashore from Lake Michigan.

When you travel by RV, your things are convenient, day or night.  I was constantly jumping in and out of the RV for photo opportunities.  The ability to have my gear conveniently located just feet away at all times was priceless.  One minute I’d be flying a drone. The next I’d be pulling out my DSLR for still shots. In the middle of the night, when I wanted to catch the stars, I’d just open the door and set up my tripod.  No motel could ever match that convenience.

Another superb feature of the Tellaro is their control center cabinet, where you can hook up to 110v outlets and USB ports.  I brought a small power strip to expand the single 110v outlet and I just left my drone charger and my camera charging devices plugged in all the time here.  The fold-up door simply closed down when it was time to travel, but everything was available instantly whenever I finished a photo shoot. An HDMI port connected to the 24″ flat-screen TV, so I could review my photos and videos on a large screen.

Granted, this was a combination work/pleasure trip, but I would be very satisfied with this as a mobile office. Two large, removable tabletops made for plenty of workspace between the beds/sofas. (These are stored below the passenger side sofa when driving.) But, the one I used the most was the pull-up and out, Corian style top behind the passenger seat.  Both leatherette captain’s chairs rotate (when not driving) so they face the living area of the RV.

Along with avoiding stays in a motel, we were able to enjoy most all our meals in the privacy of the RV or at our own table in the campground.  The kitchen area is well equipped with microwave, refrigerator/freezer, cooktop with two-burner gas stove, and a stainless-steel sink with single handle faucet. The stove has a glass top and the sink has a removable cover, such that you have lots of prep area before you start cooking.

Keeping you comfortable, the Tellaro is equipped with both rooftop air conditioning and a gas-fired Truma Combi Eco hydronic furnace/water heating system.  The Truma is known for its quick heating capability, almost silent operation, and low power consumption.

The most remarkable thing however for me was the combination of 11,000 watts of Lithium Ion battery storage, a 190w solar panel on the roof, and an Onan RV QG 2800 gas generator.  A couple nights we primitive camped (without power or water). We had the air conditioner on “Auto” most of the night, and still had plenty of power in the morning. Batteries recharged each day as we drove, despite typically driving only two or three hours each day.

Jon Krider, VP of marketing for Thor Motor Coach adds, “The Re(Li)able Lithium package is one of the van’s top features as it offers campers the ability to fully utilize their motorhome off-grid. The large batteries maximize the time families can spend away from the modern world and get back to nature. Plus, we can all feel good when the products being used don’t burn fossil fuels, pollute the air, or endanger wildlife.”

One very hot afternoon, we left the camper to go hiking for several hours.  With the a/c on “Auto”, and the RV turned off, it kept the Tellaro’s temperature comfortable, so when we hopped back in to enjoy a cool drink, the entire interior was a wonderful 74 degrees. We weren’t gone long enough to have it kick in, but had we been gone all day, the RV could have been set to auto-start itself to recharge the batteries. This is really an amazing and well thought out power package.

On the wall, just inside the sliding door, an Android device acts as a power center for the vehicle.  On various screens, you can set the dimming level for all the lights, set the temperature of the air conditioner, check your battery levels, and check your tank levels.  You can even operate them from an app on your phone.

Outside, there are also a plethora of features that make it fun to get out and see the world.  A power-operated, lateral-arm awning system from Thule, goes out and in with the push of a button. Without needing legs for support, it’ll stretch out right above your campsite picnic table.

“The BM Pro multiplex system is so simple to operate, and it cleans up all the switches scattered all over the interior of other vans,” explains Jon. “The mobile app allows access to the coach, without the need to run in and out if an exterior light needs turned on or the patio awning needs to be retracted.”

On the back door, a Thule two-bike rack also had room for a couple of our patio chairs. Inside that door, there’s a Thule collapsible roof ladder that will take you up to the Thule roof rack system.  One other feature inside the door is a flex hose that conveniently lets you wash sand off your feet, or mud off your bike tires.

“Thule accessories are designed for the outdoors and are instantly recognizable to anyone who’s ever camped, hiked, or taken a pair of bikes on a trip.  When consumers see the Thule name, they know they are getting quality. Operation and function of the Thule products make them the perfect choice for the Tellaro,” adds Jon.

Echoing what Jon said, the 2020 Tellaro 20LT proved to be the perfect choice for our bucket list trip. Comfortable to ride, it handled all our gear and the two of us in style.  Everywhere we went, people wanted to know more about it and how we liked it.  Opening the side door was the easiest way to describe it. 

Once people saw the tons of upper cabinet storage, the two thick cushioned seats/beds and the rich looking interior, they were sold.  If you’ve ever considered a small, easy to handle and park RV, this one deserves your close attention. 

Thor already has three distinct Tellaro floor plans available in the 2020 lineup, and rumors are there are two more floor plans planned for 2021.  Check them out at Thor Motor Coach’s website. 

Final thoughts

Driving the Thor Tellaro LT was very enjoyable, and anyone could do it. Built on a Dodge RAM Promaster chassis, it’s just like driving a full-sized van – only higher. Just remember, you won’t fit under many fast-food drive-thru’s. Watch your head height.

Before leaving, I had read Maggie Fuller’s AFAR article, “What to know if you are escaping in an RV this weekend.” Written back in May, she mentioned that many campsites were closed due to COVID-19, and you’d need to plan ahead to find a campground. Fortunately, we found that now (in August), just about every campground we checked was open and back in business.

Another tip she had was to rent an RV with a bathroom. That may be the most valuable tip in my book. Having power, refrigeration, water, and a full bath, there was no place that was too far or too remote to enjoy. If the weather looked iffy, we could change destinations in an instant. If we decided to wait out a summer shower, we could relax or work, watch a movie or take a nap…ANYWHERE. How can you beat that?

Almost there

We’ve still got one more lake to hit to complete our Great Lakes Lighthouse Bucket List, but it won’t be long I predict. If you’ve got some travel or photography bucket lists, I’d love to hear about them. Add your comments below, or drop me an email or a tweet.

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