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Potentnuts's avatar
Potentnuts
Explorer
Jun 08, 2017

1st long haul advice

hello all
we are planning our first long haul(my wife,5yr old daughter,2yr old son) from Seattle to Minnesota. we are leaving june 25, will return july 9th. we have a 11.5' truck camper sitting on a dodge with a 5.9. we are decently experienced with our set up, just local to the northwest. our plan is to shoot out of here on i90 and make it to Missoula MT on the first day, then dip down and then sight see thru Yellowstone, then on to mt rushmore, badlands and that's all we got. kind of winging it in a sense.
we don't plan on using hotels or campsites, just rest stops. is this safe?
once we are off i90 is there plenty of stops for fuel?
how is Yellowstone? do you just drive thru?
I am not new to travel,i do it for work, buy a last minute plane ticket to somewhere then rent a car and drive to the jobsite and fix my companys equipment, been everywhere on the company dime. now I want my family to see the beautiful USA,
any tips or advice would be helpful, thanks in advance
  • Potentnuts wrote:
    hello all
    we are planning our first long haul(my wife,5yr old daughter,2yr old son) from Seattle to Minnesota. we are leaving june 25, will return july 9th. we have a 11.5' truck camper sitting on a dodge with a 5.9. we are decently experienced with our set up, just local to the northwest. our plan is to shoot out of here on i90 and make it to Missoula MT on the first day, then dip down and then sight see thru Yellowstone, then on to mt rushmore, badlands and that's all we got. kind of winging it in a sense.
    we don't plan on using hotels or campsites, just rest stops. is this safe?
    once we are off i90 is there plenty of stops for fuel?
    how is Yellowstone? do you just drive thru?
    I am not new to travel,i do it for work, buy a last minute plane ticket to somewhere then rent a car and drive to the jobsite and fix my companys equipment, been everywhere on the company dime. now I want my family to see the beautiful USA,
    any tips or advice would be helpful, thanks in advance


    Couple of things;

    Slow down on the drive through Yellowstone - get out - see some of it.

    Take a little time, Mt Rushmore, is Best at Dusk/Dark (JMHO) - Try to see Custer State Park/Needles/Sylvan Lake area.

    Safe - Look to Wal*Mart - Locations

    Enjoy the trip and let us Know how it was,
  • There are lots of ways to find your next campsite. BLM and USFS lands are available in beautiful settings which are all listed online. Allstays, RV parky and others list inexpensive or free locations, also if you wish, go to www.casinocamper.com many casino's allow free parking on their lots, some even have power and dump stations available. Just dont overly rush your trip, You dont have to lock down a schedule and then beat yourself up trying to stick to it, plan an area or two and leave 2-3 days open to be there and then move on when you feel like it.
  • Not my way to see USA but many people do it like you're describing and seem to enjoy it.

    With a little planning there are lots of campsites on your way, many low cost or free.

    When you leave WA state pay close attention to what fuel pump you grab. Don't just grab the green handle and think you are good. Confirm by looking at what the pump actually pumps. In some places the green handle might not diesel or maybe gas station messed up?

    Never had a problem getting fuel and I don't like to get down to 1/4 tank...I usually fill up at 1/2.

    Bring along something to access internet. My ABS light kept flashing on and off when we were east of Rapid city. Dodge dealer wanted $250.00 to fix, but couldn't fix my problem that day. I got online and between 2 Cummins forums I fixed problem in about 20 min.

    Safe travels.
  • I'll be on that route then too. There's plenty of fuel available along the interstate. As far as Yellowstone, you can just drive around or stop. It will likely be slow due to wildlife and tourists. Old Faithful and Yellowstone Lake are must sees.