11/13/00 - Bowling Green, KY - KOA Kampground

Our first night in the beast -- it was awesome!

Pulling in late at night was a breeze! Night registration meant that we did not even have to talk to anyone, we simply filled out a form, grabbed a map, and found the site we wanted. It was dark so we turned on all the lights (running, fog, etc) and creeped through the park. They had pull-thru type sites, which meant we didn't have disconnect the Jeep. We simply pulled in, leveled the RV, hooked up the electricity, slid the slide-outs out, and bah dah boom bah dah bing -- we were ready for bed.

A few have mentioned FEAR in terms of driving The Rig (The Rig = 38' long RV + Tow Bar + Jeep).
Fear not, driving the Intruder was just like driving my old 1978 LTD (shoot, they might even be the same size! :) Also, I would like to throw in a big THANKS to Gramps for having me drive campers and vans w/trailers (through big storms!) when I was a young'un...

After driving for a few hundred miles, a few helpful points came to mind:
 
  • Center lanes are your friend, always use them when available.
  • Seeing an exit sign usually means there is an entrance ramp, too. Either move to left or center lane, or cross your fingers -- especially near big cities.
  • Brake at least 10 times earlier than you would with a standard car.
  • 10 Cylinders and this is the pick up I get? (especially while going uphill)
  • Use all mirrors and rear monitor when moving from a lane.
  • Keep a nice size following distance.
  • Slowing down for anything (especially while going uphill) sucks.
  • Going down mountains, or more specifically, the momentum generated with the beast can be scary. First downshift, then use brakes (sparingly).
  • Never, ever, try to rush, or be in a rushed frame of mind -- if you start feeling that way, hit the next rest area.
    •  
    Our first real day on the road proved to be quite a bit of fun, getting in and out of gas stations was easy - Tara wisely decided that we should only get off at exits that had gas stations with Diesel gas signs (since those stations would be ready to accommodate bigger vehicles) - that worked great.

    We averaged 7 miles to the gallon, as expected when towing.


    Back to Photo Album