Route suggestions.

[Tim Schafer]

As a new owner of a 40' DP, previously only ever drove a 25' class C gas.  What kind of roads should I prefer over other roads.

i.e. We are getting ready to head to Indianapolis from SE Iowa.  Normally in a car I would take Highway 34 to Interstate 74 then Interstate 465 around to the part of the city I was going to.

Should I consider Interstates a preferred route and keep it at 65 mph, or should I target US highways, i.e. US 136, it parallels the whole route, has a 55 mph limit but also has several towns/cities between here and there.

I see the upside of the interstate as being 4+  lanes and built for wider vehicles.
I see the upside of the highway as less traffic, slower speeds, more scenic possibly, tho between here and there it's mostly just corn, corn, corn, corn, beans, corn, corn, Woohoo Hay, lather rinse repeat.

Just looking for some guidance.

Thanks,

Tim & Ann

[Jerry Emert]

I drive on the interstate at 62-63 MPH in the right hand lane.  I drive my PU truck in any lane I can squeeze into at 85-95 MPH.  I have found it relaxing to not have to jockey from lane to lane and keep my eye out for the police.  It is supremely embarrassing to be pulled over by another cop!   I digress!  I drive 4 hours give or take a day.  My choice would be the Interstate unless I was into a mood to admire corn and whatever else you mentioned.  Have fun!!
Jerry

[Mike Groves]

I always go about 60 which allows me to use the jake whenever I wish without too much thought of engine speed.  57mph is the 6th gear point and I like to stay in 6th gear.  So, 55mph would turn in to 57mph for me.  I'd go freeway on this trip.

Mike Groves

[Roy C Tyler]

I travel the interstates at 60 mph in the right had lane and set the cruise.  When I am on two lane at 55, I usually cannot use the cruise control and I am more tired when I arrive at my destination.  My transmission has been reprogramed to shift into 6th gear at 55 and I notice that it is shifting back and forth much more on two lanes.  I travel freeway whenever possible.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Tim,
Think you answered  your own question. Interstates are easier to drive due to multiple lanes, etc. US highways can be more scenic and run through more cities and towns which may be a plus or a minus depending on your driving style and time pressures. Fuel may be a bit harder to locate on the US highways and parking can sometime be a challenge when you spot an interesting restaurant. Speed limits aren't an issue as US Highways normally are 65. Personally I prefer the US Highways. (Most of the Interstates are Boring! IMHO). I seldom remember an Interstate drive but do remember many US Highway drives.
Steve

[Dan Murphy]

We mix it up whenever we travel. Interstate and US Highways and even 2 lane roads. If we need to make time we will usually take the Interstate but we enjoy the US and State roads much more when we have the time. The small towns and stoplights don't bother me and the scenery is much better.

Now,you will encounter a lot of traffic and stop lights on US 136 around Indpls. We live north of Indpls. and I have never tried 136 when coming home from the west.There is a large covered bridge festival this weekend in Rockville.

[Tim Schafer]

I had forgotten about the covered bridge festival, luckily it's next weekend that we are headed that direction, so we can avoid that crowd.  I figured once I hit the city I would end up on 465 no matter what, but i only have to go as far south as 37 since we are camping just south of the city.

I've never taken 136 from here, so have no idea what to expect as far as low bridges, construction, narrow lanes, etc.  I have taken the interstate routes hundreds of times, so very familiar with that route in a car and smaller trucks.

Everyone makes good points.  I may take the interstate one way and the highway the other, probably do the interstate route first just to get more familiar with the coach before exploring the unknown.

So far my longest drive has been about 30 miles each way on 2 lane highways.

Anyone have any knowledge of Lake Haven camp ground on the south side of Indy?  Full hookups for $30ish a night.  Reviews online are mixed, just looking for a cheap place to stay with full hookups, and preferably internet.  This place supposedly has cable tv hookups too included in the price.

Thanks again for everyone's insight!

Tim & Ann

[Dan Murphy]

Tim
We have never camped at Lake Haven but I know where it is located.It should be a safe neighborhood.I have driven by there many times but at the time I had no reason to check it out for camping.We lived on the south side of Indy for 40 + years. That campground has had many names.It was a KOA at one time long ago and looked kind of nice.  Industry has grown around it and Highway 37 has gotten a lot busier.You may encounter a lot of truck traffic around the exit and there will be plenty of places for food and fuel.
There are not many RV campgrounds around the Indpls area.There is a KOA on I70 east and Lake Haven on the southside. If one is travelling thru Indpls the pickin are slim!
Let us know what you find.

[Tim Schafer]

We used to live in the neighborhood just west of the Flying J there on Thompson, so pretty familiar with all the trucks.  I have seen the area has grown since we left 15 years ago, so we will be careful.

We lived in Speedway and Greenwood before that for 20+ years, so we were almost neighbors at one time, lol.

I miss Indy, SE Iowa is pretty boring compared to a bigger city.  Even Des Moines doesn't come close to Indy.

Assuming you are up near Carmel if you are on the north central side of Indy.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks everyone.

Tim & Ann

[Dan Murphy]

Tim
We live in Cicero,In. now with family.We have a pad for our Beaver and an apartment in the house for when we are home.Prior to retirement,we lived in Franklin for 35+ years and I worked in Greenwood. We are transplanted "southsiders". We have a place in Florida and we are leaving tomorrow to spend the winter.

[Bruce Sieloff]

Tim,
As I read your question I have to reflect on our recent experience crossing the country. My wife only feels comfortable on the interstates. I prefer to use US routes since they are suitable for semi trucks and we weigh north of 48k. I have traveled many exceptional state routes but it depends on the state. I avoid county roads if possible, I don't want to be on the front page of the local paper for collapsing the local bridge. That said, I have taken my share of wrong turns that have taken me where no coach has gone before. Your coach is more maneuverable than you know, and you will find out when you have to. Choose wisely, but be of good courage you got in, you can get out.

[Tim Schafer]

Well, we went the interstate route with one detour planned on 155 to 55 via Lincoln to skip Bloomington/Normal since it gets pretty crazy there with 6 lanes per side and multiple clover leafs, etc. 

As soon as turned on to 155 we realized our mistake, it was down to 1 lane 11' wide about 3/4 of the way.  High winds coming from the West kept pulling the canopy loose from the coach. 

Our second mistake was trying to open the canopy alongside the highway in high winds.......   

We finally got it to roll back up snug and went another 1 mile before it popped loose again, this time we turned off on a paved country road and found a nice church that sat low and had trees and hills around it to get out of the wind, we were able to get the canopy back up and I tried the advice one of the RV techs had shown me in the past of raising up the canopy rails to "lock" them in place, this did seem to make the canopy sit a little closer to the coach, so I figured that was the end of it, nope. 

Made it another 2 miles or so and it happened again, this time I turned off on another county road and found an Agri business that had a big parking lot and I hoped a ladder, they did, but they did one better, they went and got a forklift and a person lift and lifted me up to the canopy and I was able to wrap duct tape around the legs so they couldn't move and also wrapped small bungies around the canopy itself.  I knew at that point I wouldn't be able to use the canopy on our trip, but as windy as it still is, it wasn't going to get used anyways.

Then once we got back on to interstate 74 we encountered more construction, 1 lane 11.5' max widths...   

So US 136 is looking a lot more appealing on the way home, lol.

I sure remember I-74 being a lot smoother the last time I drove a car on it, but it was pretty rough in the coach.  There were some sections that had recently been repaved and they were nice, but probably less than 75 miles of 400 miles of driving were smooth.

We hit the road around noon and didn't get in til 10:30 local time.  In a car it's maybe a 6-7 hour drive, 10.5 in the coach.  We did make several stops for bathroom breaks and a short stop at the Russell Stouffers Candy outlet in Lincoln, (I think that was the primary reason my wife picked that route, lol)

We received a call from the campground shortly before the office closed to make sure we were still planning on getting here that day and left our information in their mailbox for us to pick up when we arrived.  The facility is very nice, and surprisingly crowded for this late in the year.  They put us on an end spot with a perfect view of the lake.  Cable TV, decent wireless and sewer hookups.  Not bad for $31/day.

I'll let you know how the return trip goes once we get home.

Tim & Ann

[Joel Ashley]

Tim, you can get one of these devices and toss the duct tape that leaves a nasty residue wherever it's used:  http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/rv-awning-clamp-white/35618    Shop around for the best price, though.

Your older coach probably has a relatively simple awning configuration.  Be glad it's not an automatic like ours.  It is essentially held up totally dependent on one short motor drive shaft into an aluminum sleeve on the roller.  When the steel shaft wears down the cogs in the sleeve, a little road bump allows the whole thing to freespool and extend suddenly with speed and force that's normally held in check by the motor. 

Ours unrolled in the Canadian Rockies on the freeway, and at full extension it yanked the material fully out of its track with a report akin to a cannon shot.  How we got it resecured while hanging out over a mountain dropoff alongside a busy freeway is a long story I'll forgo here, but suffice it to say I have little positive to contribute about Carefree, aka Careless, engineering or their customer service.

Joel