Is my Ford Escape worthless for fullfilling my dream? :-(

Towing with a glorified riding mower would scare me! I'm sure it can safely tow something, but not much. You might take a look at the Hi-Lo type trailers. They are hard sided, but the roof lowers much like a pop-up, thus cutting a lot of wind resistance. Watch that payload weight. That will go a long way in determining the tail wagging the dog effect. Good luck and enjoy your adventure!