Tips for long trip with travel trailer?

[72cougarxr7]

My family is planning a trip from northern NY to central Illinois in late June.
About 850 miles.
The plan is to take my 1/2 ton pickup and 15 foot travel trailer.
I have thoroughly serviced the truck, changed all fluids, new brakes, new clutch, new belts and hoses.
I am also in the process of servicing the TT, new brakes and wheel bearings. Just replaced the tires and the spare last fall.
Planning on bringing a tool kit and a good jack.

Any tips on things I should be doing to prepare for this trip?
Or just general tips for a long trip with the TT?
This will be my first long trip with the trailer, until this I haven't been more than 60 miles from home with it.

[Community Alumni]

Let them play in the toy department lol. Wait that might be dangerous for your wallet.

[TrailerTravele1]

When we started, we were advised of the 2/2/2 rule -- travel no more than 200 miles a day, be set up in camp by 2 PM and stay 2 nights. That doesn't work if you're traveling cross country and we always pushed the limits on our cross country legs. WalMart is great, we camped WalMart across Texas, but there's no place for kids to play. Might want to stop somewhere where the kiddos can stretch their legs and play.

But the most important thing is to relax, HAVE FUN & enjoy the experience.

[bid_time]

Let em go Dodger. The more people he convinces to drive only during the day the better it is for you and me.

[Gdetrailer]

4X4Dodger wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
To the OP: This topic comes up frequently and the answers are always divided about the same they are here. It always surprises me the number of answers that are essentially fear based...fear of driving at night, fear of mountain roads... And then there are the ones who tell you Yep! youve done about all you can now GO!! and have fun.

I'm in the latter group. Sounds like you'll be fine. I ususally do about 1600 or more one way on a trip. I drive whenever I feel like it. And I enjoy driving at night too.

It's easy to let other peoples fears and anxieties get to you and make you worry more than you should about this towing thing and some here on this forum seem to make it their life's work to distribute their fears and anxieties as widely as possible. Just go and have a good time.

As you "age" you ARE supposed to get wiser and smarter.

Some folks don't..

I don't put myself in the latter category.

For my job I travel a 100 mile round trip daily, for two hrs each day.. That is provided the weather is perfect and there is no wrecks along the way.. In the last 17 years of this job I have logged 408,000 miles, in the winter that means I drive in the dark in the morning AND evening.

I seen countless accidents, many very bad accidents which pretty much TYPICALLY happen IN THE DARK. I have seen quite a few tractor trailers over turned, 4x4 drivers who feel since they have 4x4 they are exempt from icy conditions and find themselves in places that must have hurt getting there.

I have personally had TWO deer encounters that caused severe damage to my truck and the first time it disabled me on the road, it was all I could do just to drag the broken truck off the road for traffic to move by.

The second time was TWO deer darting in front of a semi I was passing.. They took on the side of my truck smashing the front fender, passenger door and the rear passenger door.

Each time I LOST the use of my vehicle for nearly 2 weeks AND out of pocket of $1,000 each time and the insurance paid the remaining $3,000 for repairs.

I have successfully avoided more deer than I can count but the ones that can't be avoided will sure as heck ruin ones camping plans if you make even the slightest contact.

I am smarter as I have gotten older, my eyesight is not that of a young teen, oncoming headlights bother me more and more each year and when night falls I SLOW DOWN CONSIDERABLY and my DW also is on the lookout for deer on hill sides and along the road.

Don't act young and dumb, you may not ever get to see your kids grow up just by not realizing the added danger of flying down a unknown road in the dark while towing a combination weighing easily three times the weight of your vehicle it will not stop as fast and may not react/handle emergency manuevers.

When towing you have added responsibility of recognizing potential danger and compensating for it like slowing down or even pulling off for the night..

Camping is all about getting to your destination in one piece, enjoying the time then getting home in one piece. It is not about trying to win the Indy 500..

You also SHARE the road with other motorists and your bad judgement can and will affect ALL..

Take your time, drive safely, make as many safety stops as you need, take breaks and recognize your limitations. Stop if you get sleepy, and take a few winks.

First of all I am 62. Second I have driven in all 50 states in all seasons and countries all over the world including Egypt, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and more...I have literally millions of miles and never an accident that was chargeable to me. Whenever I was hit I was legally standing still at a light or sign.

I have had plenty of close calls in my life with animals and bad drivers. Knock on wood I have been able to avoid them.

And with respect, I think your remarks are based on anxiety/fear of your own experiences. I try to offer a counter point to that as I don't believe in spreading that kind of attitude. The BEST drivers are those that are CONFIDENT, ABLE, AWARE and know their own and their vehicles limits. It's the drivers who are nervous, afraid and uneasy with the roads or their vehicles that to me are the ones that bear watching out for.

No "anxiety OR FEAR" due to my "experiences".

It is more an "acknowledgement" that and AWARENESS that I AM WILLING to admit that that the "rewards" of taking EXCESSIVE chances to get somewhere in a hurry in the end COULD result is loss of not just my life, but my entire family OR even worse, living with HARMING OR KILLING OTHER MOTORISTS..

If you call that "anxiety or fear" then you have MUCH to learn little grass hopper.

You remind me about my struggle with trying to get my now 88 yr old Dad to GIVE up driving.. He barely can see, can't hear and gets extremely confused.. He sounds EXACTLY LIKE YOU and is a hazard on the road.. So far we KNOW that he HAS drifted off the road MULTIPLE TIMES, has smashed the entire side of one vehicle, dented and scratched his other vehicle and BLAMES OTHER "MOTORISTS" for being on HIS SIDE of the road..

Thank goodness so far nobody has been hurt or killed.

Sorry, but you are only KIDDING YOURSELF, perhaps you need to take a good hard look at what you think is really safe..

For myself I want to hang up driving BEFORE I am an unsafe driver.

Well my goodness, such vitriol. But thank you, I think you made my point about fear better than I ever could have. Your post is full of it, for your Father and of your own experiences.

Little Grasshopper? WHERE on earth DID you get that? LOL. Your condescension is only exceeded by your charm, which somehow I have missed.

And your assumptions about me are legion...comparing me to your 88 year old father...Excessive chances apparently I am taking? Risking others lives? Good Grief.

To you I am sure it is very scary and taking excessive chances to hire a motorcycle in Sri Lanka and drive around that beautiful country for a month? I am willing to bet that nothing in your experience would prepare you for the chaos on those roads. (Think India at it's worst) I rode with a young man nearly 25 years my junior, he ended the first day throwing up from tension, fear and exhaustion...I was fine. To me that is the best. And it's just one of many such drives I have made in my lifetime. Believe me if I didnt know safety and was not a very competent driver I wouldnt be alive now for sure. We all have differing skill levels in many things including driving. Mine have kept me alive and unhurt for 47 years driving all over this planet in conditions most Americans cant imagine in all types of vehicles. Can you say the same?

Just got back from a 1500 mile round trip.

On the first day of the trip from 6 PM to 8 PM we had TWO encounters with DEER darting across the road in front of vehicles that were only a few car lengths in front of us, FOUR more deer at the side of the road LOOKING to cross and one notable deer head that was barely sticking above the side guard rails LOOKING towards the road around 9PM.

Not to mention so many more deer perched high on hill sides that under the cover of complete night you WILL NEVER SEE them until they are right in front of your headlights.

We reached our destination for the night completely exhausted and on edge at 10 PM..

Keeping in mind that was all in the SAME day..

Driving home I make it a point to leave early in the morning shortly after daybreak, this allows me more edge to SEE things like deer.. Unfortunately leaving home doesn't always allow me to leave early in the morning due to job or kids schedules, we often have to leave in the afternoon..

Night driving ADDS a lot of hidden dangers to driving, driving with a big ole cement block tied to the back of your vehicle adds further danger and that cement block will not act the way you want it to under emergency maneuvers (you won't even know how to correct since you will never be able to see the trailer actions in the mirror)..

You are more than welcome to take your chances driving through the night. It isn't for me.

[dadmomh]

We traveled daylight hours only. Tried to stay about 300+ miles per day...much over that we were worn out....not the point of a great trip. I made reservations, many do not...just have a plan. The distance you're going is pretty much the same as our yearly trek to FL. We had to make it a
2 night/2 1/2 day due to some health issues with our DS#1. DH and I made the same trip in my car in January and just had 1 overnight and 2 long days. We just preferred the 300 mile per day target, drive 55 - 60 mph, and enjoy the ride.

[asullivan920]

If it were me I would make it a 2 day trip. Sure you can spend your overnight in a walmart parking lot or truck stop but I like to find a camp ground to stay at (feels safer to me). I usually find a KOA off the highway with hookups.

The EZ pass is great but I would carry enough cash to fund those situations just in case. Also be sure to have the credit card handy for those crazy emergencies (double trailer tire blowout,or worse)

Also considering the area your traveling which I have been through a few times. I would consider leaving early in the morning and try to adjust your speed to miss any heavy traffic. I would rather leave early and drive in the dark while I am well rested on roads that I know better instead of staying on the road late and being less familiar with the area.

It looks like you did a great job with your TV and TT maintenance. I would take it for a good tow make sure everything is working good. Pack your tire changing equipment and have a safe trip.

[echo4sierra]

72cougarxr7 wrote:
I should have mentioned, we have 2 small children, so I am planning on a 2 day trip. We will be leaving Thursday afternoon when my daughter is home from her last day of school. Hoping to make it to Ohio Thursday night, maybe camp out at a Walmart, and finish the trip Friday.

Some Ohio rest areas on the tollway have RV parking with electric hookups. Also water to fill your tank and a dump. If you're on 80/90 heading west-i think it's the second rest area.

Breaks are good!

Also a good roadside assistance.

[stufarmer]

After all of our years we still use a laminated check list. On it suggests at our first rest stop it's not a bad idea to re-torque the trailers wheels. I also check for excessive heat (by hand) from the tires and wheel bearings. Then re-check the general hitch up. After that I can say to my wife yes, yes, yes...dear..! lol... Have fun, this will be a very memorable story for years to come.

[Ranger431]

From TN my furthest trips are to Ft. Wilderness \ Disney, the Gulf Coast a few times, and Ontario, Canada.

Before you leave (in addition to "normal" TV maintenance) check air pressure and lug nuts of all tires, including spares, on the TT and TV. Know how to change a tire on the TT.

I always plan my stops, and as much as possible get a pull through site at a CG to lay over - preferably where I don't have to unhook, just drop the tounge jack, stabilizers, and hook up shore power. Makes for a quick exit in the morning.

We always keep sandwiches and food in the TT fridge. Fresh water is good to have for flushing toilets and washing hands. I typically don't use the fresh water tank, but I do keep a couple of 1 gallon containers. Being able to use the bathroom in a TT vs. a gas station is really nice.

Other than that, a long drive isn't much different than a short one - have activities for the kids and don't let em drink too much!

[rangerbait]

72cougarxr7 wrote:
I should have mentioned, we have 2 small children, so I am planning on a 2 day trip. We will be leaving Thursday afternoon when my daughter is home from her last day of school. Hoping to make it to Ohio Thursday night, maybe camp out at a Walmart, and finish the trip Friday.

With 2 small children, 400+ miles is a big day for my taste. My last big trip from Virginia to California (by way of Niagara Falls, Mt Rushmore, etc) with 2 under 4yrs + 12yo was about 4,500 miles, and I tried to keep it under 300 miles/day. Between setting up/getting everyone fed/settled at the end of the day, and getting everyone ready in the morning/breaking camp, I've found 300 miles has been the sweet spot between making progress and avoiding meltdowns.

It all depends on the heartiness of your crew though. Some have much higher tolerance for inconvenience.

[4X4Dodger]

Gdetrailer wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
To the OP: This topic comes up frequently and the answers are always divided about the same they are here. It always surprises me the number of answers that are essentially fear based...fear of driving at night, fear of mountain roads... And then there are the ones who tell you Yep! youve done about all you can now GO!! and have fun.

I'm in the latter group. Sounds like you'll be fine. I ususally do about 1600 or more one way on a trip. I drive whenever I feel like it. And I enjoy driving at night too.

It's easy to let other peoples fears and anxieties get to you and make you worry more than you should about this towing thing and some here on this forum seem to make it their life's work to distribute their fears and anxieties as widely as possible. Just go and have a good time.

As you "age" you ARE supposed to get wiser and smarter.

Some folks don't..

I don't put myself in the latter category.

For my job I travel a 100 mile round trip daily, for two hrs each day.. That is provided the weather is perfect and there is no wrecks along the way.. In the last 17 years of this job I have logged 408,000 miles, in the winter that means I drive in the dark in the morning AND evening.

I seen countless accidents, many very bad accidents which pretty much TYPICALLY happen IN THE DARK. I have seen quite a few tractor trailers over turned, 4x4 drivers who feel since they have 4x4 they are exempt from icy conditions and find themselves in places that must have hurt getting there.

I have personally had TWO deer encounters that caused severe damage to my truck and the first time it disabled me on the road, it was all I could do just to drag the broken truck off the road for traffic to move by.

The second time was TWO deer darting in front of a semi I was passing.. They took on the side of my truck smashing the front fender, passenger door and the rear passenger door.

Each time I LOST the use of my vehicle for nearly 2 weeks AND out of pocket of $1,000 each time and the insurance paid the remaining $3,000 for repairs.

I have successfully avoided more deer than I can count but the ones that can't be avoided will sure as heck ruin ones camping plans if you make even the slightest contact.

I am smarter as I have gotten older, my eyesight is not that of a young teen, oncoming headlights bother me more and more each year and when night falls I SLOW DOWN CONSIDERABLY and my DW also is on the lookout for deer on hill sides and along the road.

Don't act young and dumb, you may not ever get to see your kids grow up just by not realizing the added danger of flying down a unknown road in the dark while towing a combination weighing easily three times the weight of your vehicle it will not stop as fast and may not react/handle emergency manuevers.

When towing you have added responsibility of recognizing potential danger and compensating for it like slowing down or even pulling off for the night..

Camping is all about getting to your destination in one piece, enjoying the time then getting home in one piece. It is not about trying to win the Indy 500..

You also SHARE the road with other motorists and your bad judgement can and will affect ALL..

Take your time, drive safely, make as many safety stops as you need, take breaks and recognize your limitations. Stop if you get sleepy, and take a few winks.

First of all I am 62. Second I have driven in all 50 states in all seasons and countries all over the world including Egypt, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and more...I have literally millions of miles and never an accident that was chargeable to me. Whenever I was hit I was legally standing still at a light or sign.

I have had plenty of close calls in my life with animals and bad drivers. Knock on wood I have been able to avoid them.

And with respect, I think your remarks are based on anxiety/fear of your own experiences. I try to offer a counter point to that as I don't believe in spreading that kind of attitude. The BEST drivers are those that are CONFIDENT, ABLE, AWARE and know their own and their vehicles limits. It's the drivers who are nervous, afraid and uneasy with the roads or their vehicles that to me are the ones that bear watching out for.

No "anxiety OR FEAR" due to my "experiences".

It is more an "acknowledgement" that and AWARENESS that I AM WILLING to admit that that the "rewards" of taking EXCESSIVE chances to get somewhere in a hurry in the end COULD result is loss of not just my life, but my entire family OR even worse, living with HARMING OR KILLING OTHER MOTORISTS..

If you call that "anxiety or fear" then you have MUCH to learn little grass hopper.

You remind me about my struggle with trying to get my now 88 yr old Dad to GIVE up driving.. He barely can see, can't hear and gets extremely confused.. He sounds EXACTLY LIKE YOU and is a hazard on the road.. So far we KNOW that he HAS drifted off the road MULTIPLE TIMES, has smashed the entire side of one vehicle, dented and scratched his other vehicle and BLAMES OTHER "MOTORISTS" for being on HIS SIDE of the road..

Thank goodness so far nobody has been hurt or killed.

Sorry, but you are only KIDDING YOURSELF, perhaps you need to take a good hard look at what you think is really safe..

For myself I want to hang up driving BEFORE I am an unsafe driver.

Well my goodness, such vitriol. But thank you, I think you made my point about fear better than I ever could have. Your post is full of it, for your Father and of your own experiences.

Little Grasshopper? WHERE on earth DID you get that? LOL. Your condescension is only exceeded by your charm, which somehow I have missed.

And your assumptions about me are legion...comparing me to your 88 year old father...Excessive chances apparently I am taking? Risking others lives? Good Grief.

To you I am sure it is very scary and taking excessive chances to hire a motorcycle in Sri Lanka and drive around that beautiful country for a month? I am willing to bet that nothing in your experience would prepare you for the chaos on those roads. (Think India at it's worst) I rode with a young man nearly 25 years my junior, he ended the first day throwing up from tension, fear and exhaustion...I was fine. To me that is the best. And it's just one of many such drives I have made in my lifetime. Believe me if I didnt know safety and was not a very competent driver I wouldnt be alive now for sure. We all have differing skill levels in many things including driving. Mine have kept me alive and unhurt for 47 years driving all over this planet in conditions most Americans cant imagine in all types of vehicles. Can you say the same?

[colliehauler]

72cougarxr7 wrote:
Planning on having a full water tank for our Walmart camp out on the way. I'm hoping to make it to Ohio by the 1st night(Thursday), camp out at Wally World, and the rest of the way to Illinois on the 2nd day(Friday). We have my wife's nieces wedding to attend Saturday in Illinois, so I hope everything goes to plan.

I'm sure everything will be fine. Hope you enjoy the trip.

[Gdetrailer]

4X4Dodger wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
To the OP: This topic comes up frequently and the answers are always divided about the same they are here. It always surprises me the number of answers that are essentially fear based...fear of driving at night, fear of mountain roads... And then there are the ones who tell you Yep! youve done about all you can now GO!! and have fun.

I'm in the latter group. Sounds like you'll be fine. I ususally do about 1600 or more one way on a trip. I drive whenever I feel like it. And I enjoy driving at night too.

It's easy to let other peoples fears and anxieties get to you and make you worry more than you should about this towing thing and some here on this forum seem to make it their life's work to distribute their fears and anxieties as widely as possible. Just go and have a good time.

As you "age" you ARE supposed to get wiser and smarter.

Some folks don't..

I don't put myself in the latter category.

For my job I travel a 100 mile round trip daily, for two hrs each day.. That is provided the weather is perfect and there is no wrecks along the way.. In the last 17 years of this job I have logged 408,000 miles, in the winter that means I drive in the dark in the morning AND evening.

I seen countless accidents, many very bad accidents which pretty much TYPICALLY happen IN THE DARK. I have seen quite a few tractor trailers over turned, 4x4 drivers who feel since they have 4x4 they are exempt from icy conditions and find themselves in places that must have hurt getting there.

I have personally had TWO deer encounters that caused severe damage to my truck and the first time it disabled me on the road, it was all I could do just to drag the broken truck off the road for traffic to move by.

The second time was TWO deer darting in front of a semi I was passing.. They took on the side of my truck smashing the front fender, passenger door and the rear passenger door.

Each time I LOST the use of my vehicle for nearly 2 weeks AND out of pocket of $1,000 each time and the insurance paid the remaining $3,000 for repairs.

I have successfully avoided more deer than I can count but the ones that can't be avoided will sure as heck ruin ones camping plans if you make even the slightest contact.

I am smarter as I have gotten older, my eyesight is not that of a young teen, oncoming headlights bother me more and more each year and when night falls I SLOW DOWN CONSIDERABLY and my DW also is on the lookout for deer on hill sides and along the road.

Don't act young and dumb, you may not ever get to see your kids grow up just by not realizing the added danger of flying down a unknown road in the dark while towing a combination weighing easily three times the weight of your vehicle it will not stop as fast and may not react/handle emergency manuevers.

When towing you have added responsibility of recognizing potential danger and compensating for it like slowing down or even pulling off for the night..

Camping is all about getting to your destination in one piece, enjoying the time then getting home in one piece. It is not about trying to win the Indy 500..

You also SHARE the road with other motorists and your bad judgement can and will affect ALL..

Take your time, drive safely, make as many safety stops as you need, take breaks and recognize your limitations. Stop if you get sleepy, and take a few winks.

First of all I am 62. Second I have driven in all 50 states in all seasons and countries all over the world including Egypt, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and more...I have literally millions of miles and never an accident that was chargeable to me. Whenever I was hit I was legally standing still at a light or sign.

I have had plenty of close calls in my life with animals and bad drivers. Knock on wood I have been able to avoid them.

And with respect, I think your remarks are based on anxiety/fear of your own experiences. I try to offer a counter point to that as I don't believe in spreading that kind of attitude. The BEST drivers are those that are CONFIDENT, ABLE, AWARE and know their own and their vehicles limits. It's the drivers who are nervous, afraid and uneasy with the roads or their vehicles that to me are the ones that bear watching out for.

No "anxiety OR FEAR" due to my "experiences".

It is more an "acknowledgement" that and AWARENESS that I AM WILLING to admit that that the "rewards" of taking EXCESSIVE chances to get somewhere in a hurry in the end COULD result is loss of not just my life, but my entire family OR even worse, living with HARMING OR KILLING OTHER MOTORISTS..

If you call that "anxiety or fear" then you have MUCH to learn little grass hopper.

You remind me about my struggle with trying to get my now 88 yr old Dad to GIVE up driving.. He barely can see, can't hear and gets extremely confused.. He sounds EXACTLY LIKE YOU and is a hazard on the road.. So far we KNOW that he HAS drifted off the road MULTIPLE TIMES, has smashed the entire side of one vehicle, dented and scratched his other vehicle and BLAMES OTHER "MOTORISTS" for being on HIS SIDE of the road..

Thank goodness so far nobody has been hurt or killed.

Sorry, but you are only KIDDING YOURSELF, perhaps you need to take a good hard look at what you think is really safe..

For myself I want to hang up driving BEFORE I am an unsafe driver.

[4X4Dodger]

Gdetrailer wrote:

4X4Dodger wrote:
To the OP: This topic comes up frequently and the answers are always divided about the same they are here. It always surprises me the number of answers that are essentially fear based...fear of driving at night, fear of mountain roads... And then there are the ones who tell you Yep! youve done about all you can now GO!! and have fun.

I'm in the latter group. Sounds like you'll be fine. I ususally do about 1600 or more one way on a trip. I drive whenever I feel like it. And I enjoy driving at night too.

It's easy to let other peoples fears and anxieties get to you and make you worry more than you should about this towing thing and some here on this forum seem to make it their life's work to distribute their fears and anxieties as widely as possible. Just go and have a good time.

As you "age" you ARE supposed to get wiser and smarter.

Some folks don't..

I don't put myself in the latter category.

For my job I travel a 100 mile round trip daily, for two hrs each day.. That is provided the weather is perfect and there is no wrecks along the way.. In the last 17 years of this job I have logged 408,000 miles, in the winter that means I drive in the dark in the morning AND evening.

I seen countless accidents, many very bad accidents which pretty much TYPICALLY happen IN THE DARK. I have seen quite a few tractor trailers over turned, 4x4 drivers who feel since they have 4x4 they are exempt from icy conditions and find themselves in places that must have hurt getting there.

I have personally had TWO deer encounters that caused severe damage to my truck and the first time it disabled me on the road, it was all I could do just to drag the broken truck off the road for traffic to move by.

The second time was TWO deer darting in front of a semi I was passing.. They took on the side of my truck smashing the front fender, passenger door and the rear passenger door.

Each time I LOST the use of my vehicle for nearly 2 weeks AND out of pocket of $1,000 each time and the insurance paid the remaining $3,000 for repairs.

I have successfully avoided more deer than I can count but the ones that can't be avoided will sure as heck ruin ones camping plans if you make even the slightest contact.

I am smarter as I have gotten older, my eyesight is not that of a young teen, oncoming headlights bother me more and more each year and when night falls I SLOW DOWN CONSIDERABLY and my DW also is on the lookout for deer on hill sides and along the road.

Don't act young and dumb, you may not ever get to see your kids grow up just by not realizing the added danger of flying down a unknown road in the dark while towing a combination weighing easily three times the weight of your vehicle it will not stop as fast and may not react/handle emergency manuevers.

When towing you have added responsibility of recognizing potential danger and compensating for it like slowing down or even pulling off for the night..

Camping is all about getting to your destination in one piece, enjoying the time then getting home in one piece. It is not about trying to win the Indy 500..

You also SHARE the road with other motorists and your bad judgement can and will affect ALL..

Take your time, drive safely, make as many safety stops as you need, take breaks and recognize your limitations. Stop if you get sleepy, and take a few winks.

First of all I am 62. Second I have driven in all 50 states in all seasons and countries all over the world including Egypt, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and more...I have literally millions of miles and never an accident that was chargeable to me. Whenever I was hit I was legally standing still at a light or sign.

I have had plenty of close calls in my life with animals and bad drivers. Knock on wood I have been able to avoid them.

And with respect, I think your remarks are based on anxiety/fear of your own experiences. I try to offer a counter point to that as I don't believe in spreading that kind of attitude. The BEST drivers are those that are CONFIDENT, ABLE, AWARE and know their own and their vehicles limits. It's the drivers who are nervous, afraid and uneasy with the roads or their vehicles that to me are the ones that bear watching out for.

[72cougarxr7]

Planning on having a full water tank for our Walmart camp out on the way. I'm hoping to make it to Ohio by the 1st night(Thursday), camp out at Wally World, and the rest of the way to Illinois on the 2nd day(Friday). We have my wife's nieces wedding to attend Saturday in Illinois, so I hope everything goes to plan.