Stops along I-80

[Joenew61]

So after getting a lot of education and advice here over the last two years in advance of our first motorhome purchase, we finally pulled the trigger and put a deposit down on a Renegade Verona 40 VRB. We ended up buying way out of state. I could not get comfortable with the online reputations of the dealers here in the Northeast - we are in Connecticut - and I made a strong connection with a dealer in Nebraska.

The plan is to drive the to-be “Toad” out to the dealer, have him make all the tow connections, spend a few days getting comfortable with the rig, and then drive back to Connecticut. I am retiring at the end of this month, so time will not be a factor, and I expect we will either go in late April, or mid-June, depending on when it is delivered. It is pretty much a straight shot right along I-80, so the idea is to make as many stops as needed.

Two questions – is a 250 mile day a reasonable goal, and I am seeking any ideas on where to stop/camp along the way? My wife and I will have the two dogs with us. I have been searching along RVlife Tripwizard, but would welcome thoughts from anyone with any real world experience along that route. If there is any campground around the midpoint or beyond where we could layover for a day or two and enjoy some sights, that would be great.

Thanks!

 

[Larry N.]

Driving 250 miles in a day is certainly quite doable for most folks, with some often going a lot further, a few going over 400+ miles a day, at least occasionally.

So much depends on the individual(s) on the trip, where you're going, your tolerance (both physical and mental) for longer drives (how far do you go in a car?), and keeping in mind that driving an RV is more tiring than driving a car (wider/longer/higher clearance/turning/space available), since you have to concentrate more completely to safely drive one. Granted that it's less of a problem after some experience but even after 100,000+ miles of experience it still takes more out of you than a car does.

That route isn't my cup of tea, but others here can (and will) likely add a lot to this. Best of luck...

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Did you ask the dealer if they do toad installations?
Is your toad 4 down towable?
What braking system are you installing in the toad?
I recommend stopping at Walcott. Iowa 80 truck stop is the largest in the world.

Iowa 80 Truckstop - World's Largest Truckstop!

The Iowa 80 Truckstop, the World’s Largest Truckstop is a home away from home to countless drivers and a destination for travelers as well.

iowa80truckstop.com

 

[Tulecreeper]

The plan is to drive the to-be “Toad” out to the dealer, have him make all the tow connections, spend a few days getting comfortable with the rig, and then drive back to Connecticut. I am retiring at the end of this month, so time will not be a factor, and I expect we will either go in late April, or mid-June, depending on when it is delivered. It is pretty much a straight shot right along I-80, so the idea is to make as many stops as needed.

Thanks!

I would actually have the dealer show you how to make the connections, and then you do it and undo it a number of times so you know what you're doing.

 

[Mountain high]

Driving back from Virginia to Baggs, Wyoming on the way home via I-80 while towing we stopped in December, 2022 at a newly opened Fleet Farm store in Waukee, Iowa. It's huge with plenty of RV parking and to take a walking inside break at.

 

[Joenew61]

Did you ask the dealer if they do toad installations?
Is your toad 4 down towable?
What braking system are you installing in the toad?
I recommend stopping at Walcott. Iowa 80 truck stop is the largest in the world.

Iowa 80 Truckstop - World's Largest Truckstop!

The Iowa 80 Truckstop, the World’s Largest Truckstop is a home away from home to countless drivers and a destination for travelers as well.

iowa80truckstop.com

We have had a number of conversations on the hitch installation as we talked through the options we had to take delivery. The place we are buying it is also a Ford dealer, in addition to the RV business. Plan B was to fly out, make the purchase, spend a few days there getting used to it, and then hire a transport company they use to drive it to our home while we flew back. We decided to drive back, since it was a good opportunity to get our feet under us before we headed out for our first trip from Connecticut, so thought it best to have the hitch installation done there.

We did a fair amount of research on the toad, looking at a number of Jeeps, but given that we plan to take some longer trips with extended family and the dogs we decided to get a Lincoln Navigator with the heavy duty trailer tow package that has the neutral tow mode. I had a thread on that decision:

Towing a Lincoln Navigator

We are looking to get a full size SUV to use as a Toad behind a soon to be purchased Super C. At the top of the short list is the 2023 Lincoln Navigator, and after a lot of research have learned that it has to have the Heavy Duty trailer tow package, which has a lot of features to allow the...

www.rvforum.net

I also went back and forth on the braking system between the portables like the Blue Ox Patriot and the "permanently installed" units, and am leaning toward the Airforce 1.

Thanks for the recommendation on Walcott - I'll check it out for sure! Is that someplace that would be accommodating for us to overnight?

 

[Joenew61]

I would actually have the dealer show you how to make the connections, and then you do it and undo it a number of times so you know what you're doing.

Absolutely! By "make the connections" I meant they would install the base plate and the tow hitch, brake system, etc.

 

[Joenew61]

Driving back from Virginia to Baggs, Wyoming on the way home via I-80 while towing we stopped in December, 2022 at a newly opened Fleet Farm store in Waukee, Iowa. It's huge with plenty of RV parking and to take a walking inside break at.
View attachment 170189

Thanks. I guess this is the place?

https://www.fleetfarm.com/visit-stores/waukee-ia

 

[CharlesinGA]

When you refer to "dealer in Nebraska" I assume you are talking about one in the eastern part of the state? Looking for campgrounds, I start with Google Maps on a desktop or laptop. I also use Allstays. There are a whole bunch of different apps, but this will get you home.

Just looking on Google Maps, the way I would do for myself, I see that if you cross the Mississippi on I-80 take the off ramp as you leave the bridge, then make a left on Illinois St Rt 84 you have two choices, Fisherman's Corner US Army Corp of Engineers or a little further down is Illiniwek Forest Preserve Campground which opens Apr 1st and is first come, first serve, $26 a night. Easy on and easy off the interstate, its about 320 miles from the west side of Omaha.

I assume you will continue on I-80 but take I-74 where it splits below the Quad Cities, Galesburg, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, There are two or three decent looking campgrounds around Crawfordsville Indiana, before you get to Indianapolis. This is about 260 miles.

Yes, a little more driving but avoids that mess of Chicago and Cleveland.

Charles

 

[Isaac-1]

In May of last year we traveled through Nebraska on our way to the Badlands of SD, then across to Missouri before heading home to Louisiana, one thing I was a bit surprised about was even though we had nice weather for our trip many campgrounds, particularly in South Dakota don't open until June 1st. As to miles per day once you get used to driving the coach 250 miles per day should be easy, but don't be surprised if even 150 miles feels like a lot on your first day, though likely after 3 or 4 days of driving 250 miles in a day should feel like an easy short day. When I plan trips, I typically aim for about 350 miles in a day, and not more than 2 travel days without a day off from driving, I can and have done more, but after about 3 days in a row at 350 miles per day I can tell driving fatigue is starting to set in, in the western states I may push it to 400 miles per day, but any time I have pushed it past 400 I find myself thinking I should have stopped earlier, and regretted it the next day.

Ike

p.s. I find 250 miles per day is a good pace if stopping and doing a short mid day tourist stop.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

They have 20 RV pull through spaces.

FAQ | Iowa 80 Truckstop

Plan Your Visit Jamboree Services & Amenities Iowa 80 Trucking Museum After Your Visit

iowa80truckstop.com

 

[Mountain high]

Thanks. I guess this is the place?

https://www.fleetfarm.com/visit-stores/waukee-ia

Yes

 

[camperAL]

Greetings,

When I had the people put on my equipment for towing, they showed me how to hook things up and take the items off. I then took a picture of how it looked after hooking it up (guy from the place was with me) so I would have a photographic record if I needed to go back and make sure I had things down right. Just a suggestion.

 

[Joenew61]

When you refer to "dealer in Nebraska" I assume you are talking about one in the eastern part of the state? Looking for campgrounds, I start with Google Maps on a desktop or laptop. I also use Allstays. There are a whole bunch of different apps, but this will get you home.

Just looking on Google Maps, the way I would do for myself, I see that if you cross the Mississippi on I-80 take the off ramp as you leave the bridge, then make a left on Illinois St Rt 84 you have two choices, Fisherman's Corner US Army Corp of Engineers or a little further down is Illiniwek Forest Preserve Campground which opens Apr 1st and is first come, first serve, $26 a night. Easy on and easy off the interstate, its about 320 miles from the west side of Omaha.

I assume you will continue on I-80 but take I-74 where it splits below the Quad Cities, Galesburg, Peoria, Bloomington, Champaign, There are two or three decent looking campgrounds around Crawfordsville Indiana, before you get to Indianapolis. This is about 260 miles.

Yes, a little more driving but avoids that mess of Chicago and Cleveland.

Charles

The dealer is around 150 miles west of Omaha- it's 1425 miles door to door on the route 80 option, showing as 22 hours. It looks like another 100 miles and 90 minutes with the I-74 route, but if it's an easier ride, it might be better.

I think my wife would prefer having a reservation to keep the stressors to a minimum on this first trip until we are used to the rig, and she is used to being copilot. She is not that great on the fly with navigation and GPS units when she is out of the comfort zone of Connecticut and her car. Since we are going to be mostly just in and out for the overnight, having a long pull-through would be a benefit for sure.

I just signed up with Allstays, so will start doing the research on that.

 

[UTTransplant]

Whatever route you take on I-80, you will have to look carefully to find campgrounds open in the winter. We live in Iowa, and the vast majority of campgrounds in Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois are closed from November through April. Make sure you call in advance to see. A number of the open ones have only electricity, so be careful of your tank capacity. And re-think whether you want to take I-80 through Chicago! I would recommend an alternate route, plus that is an expensive tollway in Ohio. Ohio does have nice rest area parking though.

 

[Joenew61]

In May of last year we traveled through Nebraska on our way to the Badlands of SD, then across to Missouri before heading home to Louisiana, one thing I was a bit surprised about was even though we had nice weather for our trip many campgrounds, particularly in South Dakota don't open until June 1st. As to miles per day once you get used to driving the coach 250 miles per day should be easy, but don't be surprised if even 150 miles feels like a lot on your first day, though likely after 3 or 4 days of driving 250 miles in a day should feel like an easy short day. When I plan trips, I typically aim for about 350 miles in a day, and not more than 2 travel days without a day off from driving, I can and have done more, but after about 3 days in a row at 350 miles per day I can tell driving fatigue is starting to set in, in the western states I may push it to 400 miles per day, but any time I have pushed it past 400 I find myself thinking I should have stopped earlier, and regretted it the next day.

Ike

p.s. I find 250 miles per day is a good pace if stopping and doing a short mid day tourist stop.

Good thoughts, and good perspective, thanks. It's probably best to make the first day a little shorter as we get the kinks worked out on driving, the dogs, etc., and we did want to have a couple day stayover somewhere around 2/3 of the way home, maybe Allegheny national forest - around 30 miles off route 80 and 1,100 miles in. So maybe look to split it 200, 300, 300, 300, 300. I was looking for some other tourist-oriented stops along route 80, but didn't find anything yet. Would be good to also find some place to spend 2 nights after day 2. I will be the only driver on this trip.

 

[Joenew61]

Greetings,

When I had the people put on my equipment for towing, they showed me how to hook things up and take the items off. I then took a picture of how it looked after hooking it up (guy from the place was with me) so I would have a photographic record if I needed to go back and make sure I had things down right. Just a suggestion.

Will do that and maybe add a video of the process as well!

 

[Joenew61]

Whatever route you take on I-80, you will have to look carefully to find campgrounds open in the winter. We live in Iowa, and the vast majority of campgrounds in Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois are closed from November through April. Make sure you call in advance to see. A number of the open ones have only electricity, so be careful of your tank capacity. And re-think whether you want to take I-80 through Chicago! I would recommend an alternate route, plus that is an expensive tollway in Ohio. Ohio does have nice rest area parking though.

Most likely case is a June delivery, but duly noted on the April campsite availability. One more reason why waiting a couple of months even if delivery is available in April might be the better option.

That's two votes now for avoiding Chicago. Is it a long stretch of congestion driving? I'll look for options along route 74 as well.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Not for nothing but by buying remote you lose something that a lot of folks, including me recommend, and that is a week of "staycation" in the driveway to get used to the rig.

You are retired, time is no factor so I would find a good sized RV park with proximity to Walmart (and civilization) and spend 4 days pre-journey in one spot getting used to the RV. You are also proximate to the dealer in case you have questions or anything that needs a face to face discussion. It is also a good time to connect/disconnect the TOAD and get used to that.

The final concern I have is the weather. January from Nebraska to Connecticut can be a real challenge IMO. 250 miles a day however is a reasonable goal. But pay close attention to weather. It's better to be holed up with snowy roads than driving on them and do not get caught in the trap of trying to "outrun" weather.

 

[Isaac-1]

I agree with Ex-Calif here, find a good campground for night 1 near a Wal-Mart or maybe a Menards given the region and plan to spend a couple of nights there making multiple trips to buy essentials for the RV. I bought my coach remotely also, 1,100 miles away in Florida, flew down to get it, etc. Though it was used very little came supplied with it, really only water /sewer hoses, and 50 to 30 amp electrical adapters. My first stop 5 miles from leaving the sellers at 3 pm was a Wal-Mart where I spent over $550, buying everything from pillows and sheets, to flashlight, towels, basic pot/pan set, as well as food (mostly sandwich fixings). I then drove 50 miles to the nearest available RV park, spent the night, made a list of things I forgot to buy on day 1, dish soap, can opener (for the canned goods I had bought), ... stopped mid day and spent another $300 at Wal-Mart, then later that day another $150-$200 at Home-Depot, I needed to tighten a bolt, so went to Home-Depot to buy a $40 socket set, the Christmas promo stuff was out, so I also bought a cutlery set and some other, needed but not essential stuff. All total I spent right at a thousand dollars in 2 days for what was generally essential supplies, some of which has been upgraded over the years to better quality items, but I still have a lot of it (can opener, cutlery set, ...).

As to reservations I would probably not get them, in this circumstance as it would pressure you to make a certain schedule with no regard to fatigue, weather conditions, etc. On our trip to Badlands, NP, etc. in May we made no reservations (at least not any more than 1 day in advance, and only a couple of those) and had no problems getting an RV site at those places that were open. It might be different in June after school gets out, but as a rule I have not found it to be hard to find overnight stops in non-tourist areas. (though this may be different in the eastern part of your route)