My thought is also to get the Milepost book now, and start to study it over winter. You can learn a lot from it, and plan ahead.
What I would want is a larger than stock fuel tank - if you have less than 30 gallons on board. Sometimes the fuel stops are more than 200 miles apart, so as suggested above, fill once you are below 1/2 tank.
I have heard that if you set the CC at 45 MPH on the gravel sections of road, if you come across a pot hole, it should not damage the tires. However at higher speeds, yes it can damage the tires, and lead to the statements that you need to carry 6 spare tires! Most drive at sane speeds, and do not need a spare.
I did buy a tire plug kit to take along. I also got some flares from the local boating store, figured if I could not carry a real gun into Canada, at least the flares might scare off some bears, as they might be able to smell the gunpowder? I also carried a 6 gallon fuel can, but never filled it.
Fred.
