TERRIFIED of heights, narrow roads with drop-offs, etc.

[jenhere]

Hi all,

This is my first post to RV.NET and I'm happy to be here! We are new full timers and I have a route question.

We are staying in Victor Idaho while visiting Grand Teton Park. I am hoping for a better route to get to the park and Jackson than the Teton Pass.

In our two months of traveling, I've had more than one panic attack when traveling through some tight , high areas. Sometimes in our Class A, sometimes in our Jeep while traveling. This is a new issue for me. Being from a flat part of the East, I had no idea I even had a phobia this bad until we got to some areas in South Dakota. I thought I would just grin and bear it over the pass, but after having a horrible hour going over the Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone yesterday, I'd like to not put my family through that again.

Any ideas would be appreciated! Love seeing this beautiful country, just going to have to be careful how I do it. (And see it from below, not above!) 🙂

Thank you!

[HTElectrical]

I don't know if this will help or even be an option for you, but when we travel anywhere that has cliffs, drop-offs, I have the little woman put on a blindfold, and lay down in the back of the truck until we pass the problem area.

[DrewE]

doxiemom11 wrote:
Our Class A gasser does not have any type of additional braking system. Just the service brake and automatic transmission. We stay away from steep grades. No tow/haul mode - no exhaust brake and of course, no jake brake.

You should still be able to descend a steep grade safely if you start and go slowly and downshift sufficiently. There are some grades I've descended (in a class C, granted, but otherwise similarly equipped) all the way down in first gear. A gas engine provides a lot more engine braking than a diesel by nature, which is one reason why exhaust brakes etc. are much more common on diesel engines.

In theory, the service brakes alone can be used to safely descend any hill (that they can hold you stopped on) provided you go slowly enough. The key is to go at a speed where the amount of energy being dissipated by the brakes is within the limits of what they can soak up without overheating; and since the total energy generated by going down a hill is fixed (based on weight and height, simple mechanics), there will be some speed where this can be accomplished. I don't recommend actually doing it, though.

[memtb]

doxiemom11 wrote:
Our Class A gasser does not have any type of additional braking system. Just the service brake and automatic transmission. We stay away from steep grades. No tow/haul mode - no exhaust brake and of course, no jake brake.

It’s a shame to miss some the beauty of the mountains, because of “lack” of braking.

I haven’t researched....but once upon a time, there was additional braking that could be added to the drive shaft. If memory serves me correctly it offered a pretty substantial addition to vehicle braking! May be something to consider for your “gasser”!

[doxiemom11]

Our Class A gasser does not have any type of additional braking system. Just the service brake and automatic transmission. We stay away from steep grades. No tow/haul mode - no exhaust brake and of course, no jake brake.

[dedmiston]

richclover wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:

richclover wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
I would not recommend route 22 as it has long 10% grades in both directions. A route that most should avoid.

In Wilson you'll find the sign - Free coffee and popcorn while we repair your brakes :B

Don't those big class A rigs have engine brakes? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

I pulled off the Hams Fork switchbacks, Big Spring Scenic Backway, Bridger-Teton National Forest, today. Big grades in those parts. Unpaved road. 4-wd, low range uphill a few days ago. Gotta love the Cummins engine brake, tow/haul and downshift 😉

Very few have engine brakes, most have exhaust brakes. Reasonably sure your Dodge also has an exhaust brake.

Regardless long 10% grades should be taken with caution.

My lack of knowledge shows...

Maybe I shoulda said "Jake Brakes" ???

Right, grades must be dealt with. Long 6% grades, I80 westbound, Parley's Canyon into Salt lake City. In my CB days, driving to work, I would routinely warn truck drivers of smoking brakes. Very distinct smell 😉

My inner ten-year old thinks the exhaust brake button looks like flatulence.

[richclover]

CA Traveler wrote:

richclover wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
I would not recommend route 22 as it has long 10% grades in both directions. A route that most should avoid.

In Wilson you'll find the sign - Free coffee and popcorn while we repair your brakes :B

Don't those big class A rigs have engine brakes? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

I pulled off the Hams Fork switchbacks, Big Spring Scenic Backway, Bridger-Teton National Forest, today. Big grades in those parts. Unpaved road. 4-wd, low range uphill a few days ago. Gotta love the Cummins engine brake, tow/haul and downshift 😉

Very few have engine brakes, most have exhaust brakes. Reasonably sure your Dodge also has an exhaust brake.

Regardless long 10% grades should be taken with caution.

My lack of knowledge shows...

Maybe I shoulda said "Jake Brakes" ???

Right, grades must be dealt with. Long 6% grades, I80 westbound, Parley's Canyon into Salt lake City. In my CB days, driving to work, I would routinely warn truck drivers of smoking brakes. Very distinct smell 😉

[CA_Traveler]

richclover wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
I would not recommend route 22 as it has long 10% grades in both directions. A route that most should avoid.

In Wilson you'll find the sign - Free coffee and popcorn while we repair your brakes :B

Don't those big class A rigs have engine brakes? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

I pulled off the Hams Fork switchbacks, Big Spring Scenic Backway, Bridger-Teton National Forest, today. Big grades in those parts. Unpaved road. 4-wd, low range uphill a few days ago. Gotta love the Cummins engine brake, tow/haul and downshift 😉

Very few have engine brakes, most have exhaust brakes. Reasonably sure your Dodge also has an exhaust brake.

Regardless long 10% grades should be taken with caution.

[richclover]

memtb wrote:

richclover wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
I would not recommend route 22 as it has long 10% grades in both directions. A route that most should avoid.

In Wilson you'll find the sign - Free coffee and popcorn while we repair your brakes :B

Don't those big class A rigs have engine brakes? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

I pulled off the Hams Fork switchbacks, Big Spring Scenic Backway, Bridger-Teton National Forest, today. Big grades in those parts. Unpaved road. 4-wd, low range uphill a few days ago. Gotta love the Cummins engine brake, tow/haul and downshift 😉

Hey Rich.....that makes two of us on the forum, that knows where the Hams Fork switchbacks are! 😉
It wasn’t very long ago, that you’d had trouble with a trailer over about 20 feet in length!
Almost forgot, what’s “Teddy Bear Corner” look like theses days...it’s been about 8 years since we were there?

The teddy bears are still there. We have been going up the Cokeville side for some years but we don’t want to meet a log truck since we got the new 32’ TT. Few places to turn out and I’ve had to back the old shorter toy hauler a few hundred yards downhill to let a logger pass.

We always carry a chain saw. Too much deadfall with the beetle kill. Gotta watch where you put the camper, too!

Ps you have PM.

[memtb]

richclover wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
I would not recommend route 22 as it has long 10% grades in both directions. A route that most should avoid.

In Wilson you'll find the sign - Free coffee and popcorn while we repair your brakes :B

Don't those big class A rigs have engine brakes? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

I pulled off the Hams Fork switchbacks, Big Spring Scenic Backway, Bridger-Teton National Forest, today. Big grades in those parts. Unpaved road. 4-wd, low range uphill a few days ago. Gotta love the Cummins engine brake, tow/haul and downshift 😉

Hey Rich.....that makes two of us on the forum, that knows where the Hams Fork switchbacks are! 😉
It wasn’t very long ago, that you’d had trouble with a trailer over about 20 feet in length!
Almost forgot, what’s “Teddy Bear Corner” look like theses days...it’s been about 8 years since we were there?

[richclover]

CA Traveler wrote:
I would not recommend route 22 as it has long 10% grades in both directions. A route that most should avoid.

In Wilson you'll find the sign - Free coffee and popcorn while we repair your brakes :B

Don't those big class A rigs have engine brakes? Sorry, I'm not familiar.

I pulled off the Hams Fork switchbacks, Big Spring Scenic Backway, Bridger-Teton National Forest, today. Big grades in those parts. Unpaved road. 4-wd, low range uphill a few days ago. Gotta love the Cummins engine brake, tow/haul and downshift 😉

[ReneeG]

Mbiviano wrote:
Interesting comments on treachery of Teton Pass. I am also staying in Victor (Teton Valley CG which is lovely btw) and thought the 10% signs must have been old and the highway was redone and they weren't removed. I thought it was a nice peaceful drive-will have to pay more attention tomorrow. My advice was actually going to be to practice on this pass as IMO it's fairly tame compared to what you're going to encounter out west.

It is a treacherous pass and hard on brakes. You may be the rare person who would drive or tow over that pass. I'm sure a lot of cattle ranchers probably do as we've seen them do over Chief Joseph hwy. Just an FYI, Teton Pass is in the West. 🙂 Oh by the way, been over Monarch Pass and other passes in Colorado and Teton Pass is much worse.

[paulj]

Mbiviano wrote:
Interesting comments on treachery of Teton Pass. I am also staying in Victor (Teton Valley CG which is lovely btw) and thought the 10% signs must have been old and the highway was redone and they weren't removed. ...

It's not the grades that bothered the OP. She was a passenger, not the driver. The mention of a Yellowstone road suggests that her difficulty is with the views - high expansive ones, such as one might get on the RMNP Trail Ridge road - that are problematic.

[Mbiviano]

Interesting comments on treachery of Teton Pass. I am also staying in Victor (Teton Valley CG which is lovely btw) and thought the 10% signs must have been old and the highway was redone and they weren't removed. I thought it was a nice peaceful drive-will have to pay more attention tomorrow. My advice was actually going to be to practice on this pass as IMO it's fairly tame compared to what you're going to encounter out west.

[dcason]

Bach Rescue Remedy...it could help with anxiety part and its not heavy duty.

Yeah, I have a bit of your issues. First time we did cape breton in our new to us rv...I was very stressed out: drop offs, road fix where there was NOTHING under neath after a washout, used/new to us 24 foot class c in which I asked hubby to check brakes before we left (he did not when asked while we were on this road). I think with time, I've gotten over it a bit...although the steeper drops off...maybe not.
I told hubby after we were done with the route if someone paid me a million dollars to do it again, I would not. He said, "Oh yes you would but I would liquor you up first". To this day (5 years later) I am not sure if I would do it again...maybe in a car and I might try it....

Why do they not put guardrails up?