Journey One – Heading West Via the Southern Route
14 States: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado,
Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,
Tennessee, Kentucky
Timeframe: 5 weeks, September-October 2020
Approximate Miles: 4,500
Our primary objective was to see the Mighty Five – the national
parks in Utah.
Tips on Driving and Equipment
We had been planning this trip for two years. Our first order of
business was to get better equipment. The nuCamp TAB 400
Boondock seemed to check all the boxes for our camper needs.
Our tow vehicle was a new, jet-black 6-cylinder Toyota
4Runner. Chris spent hours researching available models from
all manufacturers, finally settling on the Toyota because he felt
confident it could easily handle our light TAB. It would also get
decent gas mileage.
We breezed through Indiana and Illinois via Route 70 and found
ourselves in Missouri on the first day. We had made it just to the
other side of St. Louis. The area was congested, we were hungry
and tired, and we could not find a suitable campground.
We had broken our primary rule: we had pushed
ourselves too hard. In our haste to reach the West, we
had put too many miles behind us, missing the
opportunity to enjoy interesting stops along the way.
I’m embarrassed to admit we caved under pressure and spent the
first night in a hotel.
Thereafter, we tried not to spend more than six hours on
the road each day. Oftentimes, it was much less. We would
switch drivers after 3 hours. The afternoon shift was harder as
drowsiness started to set in. Driving could be monotonous and
worrisome. We had an unwritten rule – the person not driving also
needed to stay awake and help navigate and watch for potential
pitfalls. Towing complicated matters. Some drivers tailgated, not
knowing or caring that it took more distance for us to brake and
stop. Others whizzed around us, narrowly missing our bumper.
Staying slightly under the speed limit in the right-hand
lane became our preferred method of travel.
We learned two things at our next campsites.
First, if you fill up your water tank, don’t fully close
the faucet, and don’t turn off the pump, you can flood
the camper. We had set up camp and went into town to
grab a quick bite at a food truck. When we got back, there
were two inches of water in the wet bath, ready to spill over
onto the floor of the main cabin. We weren’t used to having
full hook-ups. Lesson learned.
Second, fellow campers are a wealth of information.
Most of them have had mishaps and misfortunes they are
more than willing to warn you about. They will invite you
over to proudly talk about the gizmos and gadgets at their
campsite. Some have even invented cool contraptions. They
will lend you tools or give you a hand.
In addition to seeing the national parks and other well-known
points of interest, we made it a habit of taking the road less
traveled. We discovered up close and personal to be the
best way to see this country.
It was at this point we learned lesson number three of
our trip. The 4Runner was not the right vehicle for the
job. The engine strained as we struggled to climb the mountains
which characterize the West. We just didn’t have enough power
while towing a camper. Going down the backside of the
mountains was no picnic either as the car was under-braked and
shimmied and shook. This realization would put somewhat of a
damper on the rest of the trip as we worried whether we would
be able to complete it without blowing the engine.
Up next: Must see sights in this part of the country (not what you’d expect!)