Ohio to Tucson. Places to stop/stay along the way?

D

Desert Dory

New member
Hello Brats,
The Mrs. and I will be headed to the Dayton Ohio area next week to pick up our "new to us" 22 Cruiser. While we won't have much time to goof around on the way out, we won't be in "as much" of a hurry on the return trip to Tucson. Probably leaving Dayton on the 5 Aug and need to be back in Tucson sometime on the night of the 10th.

Do you guys have any recommendations for any must see, must stops, on our way back? Any campground recommendations for overnighting on the way? We'll most likely take the most direct route from Dayton, which looks like I-70W to I-44W to I-40W to I-25S to I-10W, but we don't mind straying off course a little bit.

Having said that, I realize "boaterhoming" may not be the best option this time of year due to temps/humidity along the way. Bringing an extension cord (no shore power yet) and buying a small a/c is an option too.

Thank in advance,
Allen
 
Need to be a bit more specific on what you want to see/do/are interested in. There are countless things to see between Dayton and Tucson.

I would start with the Air Force Museum on Dayton, but that's just me.

If you want to do things with your new boat, I'd put it in the Ohio at Cincinnati and/or Louisville, check out Kentucky Lake, but that's a more southern route. If you stay on your current track you could boat on the Mississippi or Missouri near St. Louis and then hit Lake of the Ozarks. If you are near St. Louis around Labor Day you could go to the C-Brat gathering in Alton, Ill. See this:

http://www.c-brats.com/portal.php?article=1
 
World class aircraft museum in Dayton

World class Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway museum on west side about 3 miles east 465.
 
Table rock lake state park in Branson, Missouri
Even in the summer it cools off a bit in the evenings around the lake.
Super scenic boating and great fishing.
Take your wife to a couple of shows in Branson.

The giant Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri. is worth the stop.
Animals, aquariums, Nascar and the NRA has a museum of old and historically significant firearms inside of the store
 
texasair":iqafle8y said:
...The giant Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri. is worth the stop.
Animals, aquariums, Nascar and the NRA has a museum of old and historically significant firearms inside of the store
Click to expand...

Most Bass Pro's do. NRA room is usually called the "Heritage Center" or "Wildlife Room". Biggest Pass Pro is in the Pyramid in Memphis. Even has a hotel in the store. View of downtown Memphis and the Miss River from the restaurant/bar at the top is nice.

https://www.memphistravel.com/24-hours- ... gJDK_D_BwE
 
Dayton, OH, to Tucson, AZ via the most direct routing is 1,809 miles. In 5 days. We find that when towing, we cover fewer miles per day... trailer tires are most often speed rated at 65mph. You will want to check tires and hubs at each stop, considering the temps you are likely to incur along the way.

Not trying to be a buzzkill, but I don't think you're going to have much time for "touristing" along the way. As has been mentioned, Branson, MO, has water and entertainment; and summer crowds. If you take the time to launch, find a slip, and get out on the water for even a short time, you have used one of those 5 days. Keep in mind the roads in that part of the state can be curvy and hilly - can make for some interesting towing... on a new-to-you trailer.

I truly hope you have a fun and relaxing trip. Keep us posted.

Congrats on your C-Dory purchase!
 
One of the high points of our boating life was launching in Alton, IL and boating down the Mississippi River to St Louis. The view of the Arch from the river is one of those images that will remain with me till the end. Check out the March 2016 C-Brat Calendar for the photo that shows it. If you can wait until the weekend after Labor Day join the "meet in the Middle" gathering at Alton and join the fleet down to the arch.

Lake Powell in September is a great time to check out the Slot Canyons on that lake.

Chuck
 
BrentB":38durdy9 said:
I70 closure from I465 west side to I65 downtown
Take I 465 around to I70 east
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads-up Brent. We'll be sure to steer clear.

ssobol":38durdy9 said:
Need to be a bit more specific on what you want to see/do/are interested in. There are countless things to see between Dayton and Tucson.
I would start with the Air Force Museum on Dayton, but that's just me.
If you want to do things with your new boat, I'd put it in the Ohio at Cincinnati and/or Louisville, check out Kentucky Lake, but that's a more southern route. If you stay on your current track you could boat on the Mississippi or Missouri near St. Louis and then hit Lake of the Ozarks. If you are near St. Louis around Labor Day you could go to the C-Brat gathering in Alton, Ill. See this:
http://www.c-brats.com/portal.php?article=1
Click to expand...
You're right, I should have been a little more specific. Our time line is a bit tight but, if there was some "must see" that would kill an hour or so we wouldn't be opposed to going a little bit out of our way to check it out.

I visited the AF museum on a TDY there several years ago and it was fantastic. Probably won't have time this time around, unfortunately.

texasair":38durdy9 said:
Table rock lake state park in Branson, Missouri
Even in the summer it cools off a bit in the evenings around the lake.
Super scenic boating and great fishing.
Take your wife to a couple of shows in Branson.
The giant Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri. is worth the stop.

Animals, aquariums, Nascar and the NRA has a museum of old and historically significant firearms inside of the store
Click to expand...
We may try to spend a night here.

We have spent a couple of weeks at Lake of the Ozarks on two different occasions. Table Rock probably looks a bit like that maybe???

JamesTXSD":38durdy9 said:
Dayton, OH, to Tucson, AZ via the most direct routing is 1,809 miles. In 5 days. We find that when towing, we cover fewer miles per day... trailer tires are most often speed rated at 65mph. You will want to check tires and hubs at each stop, considering the temps you are likely to incur along the way.

Not trying to be a buzzkill, but I don't think you're going to have much time for "touristing" along the way. As has been mentioned, Branson, MO, has water and entertainment; and summer crowds. If you take the time to launch, find a slip, and get out on the water for even a short time, you have used one of those 5 days. Keep in mind the roads in that part of the state can be curvy and hilly - can make for some interesting towing... on a new-to-you trailer.

I truly hope you have a fun and relaxing trip. Keep us posted.
Congrats on your C-Dory purchase!
Click to expand...

Good points, and not a Buzzkill at all Jim. Reality is reality.

We're not in a super big hurry and planning on no more than 400 or so miles a day, which is still a long day.

As far as towing experience, when our kids were growing up we had a pop-up trailer that we towed THOUSANDS of miles around the US and Canada. Had that thing for 18 fun filled years. Currently have our 17' Klamath CC that we've drug back and forth to Sacramento a few times, among other places (anybody want to buy a nice little fishing boat???). Also hauled my inlaws 5th wheel around a few times.

I've always given everything a once over whenever we've stopped for gas or a break. My IR thermometer is ready to go!

We'll just take it easy and see what we can see without getting stressed about it.

And, thanks for the congrats on the purchase. We're super excited to finally get our hands on one (I know the Mrs is as she's listened to me carry on for the last 20 years).

Two Bears":38durdy9 said:
One of the high points of our boating life was launching in Alton, IL and boating down the Mississippi River to St Louis. The view of the Arch from the river is one of those images that will remain with me till the end. Check out the March 2016 C-Brat Calendar for the photo that shows it. If you can wait until the weekend after Labor Day join the "meet in the Middle" gathering at Alton and join the fleet down to the arch.
Lake Powell in September is a great time to check out the Slot Canyons on that lake.
Chuck
Click to expand...

Thanks Chuck! Unfortunately, our schedules won't let us hang around for the "meet in the middle" event.

We do plan on getting to Powell as often as possible. Not sure if it will happen this year as I have a North Rim "Overland" trip already planned for late Sep. We'll see.
 
My concerns are the same as Jim's. I would be sure that the tires on the single axle trailer are less than 5 years old and in good condition. That would be my biggest worry. Be sure that the spare is in at least good condition as the primary road tires. Second concern would be trailer bearings and lube. Will there be time to inspect the bearings? How about the trailer brakes.? The Tundra is a great truck for towing the 22 (or 25). But I always want to be sure that the trailer brakes also work well.

We carry a jack for the trailer, a lug wrench (and battery operated impact wrench) as well as torque wrench--a set of basic tools, including socket sets, open end/box wrenches SAE and Metric, wheel chocks. A multi meter and good crimpers, with terminals, and butt joints round out the electrical kit.
We also carry an extra set of LED trailer lights/wiring, a spare set of wheel bearings, and some emery cloth/wet/dry sand paper in various grits in case we have to smooth hub surface ruined by failed bearing. A grease gun and good 12 volt compressor (Viair 400P RV model--may be a bit over kill, but the 150 PSI and 2.3 Cu Ft min, and extra length hose comes in real handy, if needed) round out the trailer emergency kit.

Then there is finding the place to stop for the night. We use "Allstays" RV and Camping App. It has most if not all of the info. in the Truck stops, and WalMart apps. We don't usually have a reservation--but in the summer in busy areas, it pays to call ahead. We drive across the US (Pensacola Fl to Los Angeles, CA.) on an average of twice a year. Some of the trips have been towing the boat. Many were an RV towing a SUV. We don't decide where to stop until about mid afternoon. We then use AllStays and make a decision do we want boon docking in a WalMart, Cracker Barrel, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Lowes etc. On occasion we have stoped in truck stops--but I have heard of some bad experience of some with vandalism.
Also rare for us to use "Rest Stops" for overnight. We often do stay at campgrounds--but never at fancy "RV resorts".

Traffic, accidents and road closures: (Waze App is your friend here--and we use it every day as we look at our route). We also google the "driving distance" for routing, since it shows on Google Maps, construction and major crash/road closures. On our most recent trip back across we went thru the Permian Basin--and RV spaces were non existent, because of the fracking and oil workers. We wanted to be able to run the air conditioning without the generator, and did find one owner let us park in front of his office and plug in to 15 amps. A couple of days later, no campgrounds were available, so we ran the generator all night at a Cracker Barrel.
 
Thanks for all the input Bob! (and everyone else!)

thataway":2uvedj9o said:
My concerns are the same as Jim's. I would be sure that the tires on the single axle trailer are less than 5 years old and in good condition. That would be my biggest worry. Be sure that the spare is in at least good condition as the primary road tires. Second concern would be trailer bearings and lube. Will there be time to inspect the bearings? How about the trailer brakes.? The Tundra is a great truck for towing the 22 (or 25). But I always want to be sure that the trailer brakes also work well.
Click to expand...
Tires are a concern of mine also. Although the current tires show no wear (new in 2013) they're 6 years old and bias ply's to boot. I've already decided I'm just going to pick up 3 new Goodyear Endurance tires and take them with us. Discount Tire down the street from us has them in stock so I'll swing by there.

I should have time to inspect the bearings/hubs and will have my grease gun with me.

Brakes were overhauled in 2012 with new cylinders, pads, etc, and from the pics I received, backing plates. Everything looks brand new. New surge coupler this year along with new brake lines from the coupler back to the hubs.

thataway":2uvedj9o said:
We carry a jack for the trailer, a lug wrench (and battery operated impact wrench) as well as torque wrench--a set of basic tools, including socket sets, open end/box wrenches SAE and Metric, wheel chocks. A multi meter and good crimpers, with terminals, and butt joints round out the electrical kit.
We also carry an extra set of LED trailer lights/wiring, a spare set of wheel bearings, and some emery cloth/wet/dry sand paper in various grits in case we have to smooth hub surface ruined by failed bearing. A grease gun and good 12 volt compressor (Viair 400P RV model--may be a bit over kill, but the 150 PSI and 2.3 Cu Ft min, and extra length hose comes in real handy, if needed) round out the trailer emergency kit.
Click to expand...
I always carry more tools than necessary. It's the way my Dad rolled and that's the way I roll too. Tools, multi meter, terminals, crimpers, etc are already in the truck and I'll add some emery cloth and a set of bearings to the list. Floor jack is coming with too.

thataway":2uvedj9o said:
Then there is finding the place to stop for the night. We use "Allstays" RV and Camping App. It has most if not all of the info. in the Truck stops, and WalMart apps. We don't usually have a reservation--but in the summer in busy areas, it pays to call ahead. We drive across the US (Pensacola Fl to Los Angeles, CA.) on an average of twice a year. Some of the trips have been towing the boat. Many were an RV towing a SUV. We don't decide where to stop until about mid afternoon. We then use AllStays and make a decision do we want boon docking in a WalMart, Cracker Barrel, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Lowes etc. On occasion we have stoped in truck stops--but I have heard of some bad experience of some with vandalism.
Also rare for us to use "Rest Stops" for overnight. We often do stay at campgrounds--but never at fancy "RV resorts".
Click to expand...
Will add those apps to the phone. Thanks!

A buddy is loaning us his portable a/c for the trip so, we hope to "boaterhome" most of the way back. Already threw a good extension cord in the truck and have plenty of Reflectix and Velcro to throw up some temporary window shades.

thataway":2uvedj9o said:
Traffic, accidents and road closures: (Waze App is your friend here--and we use it every day as we look at our route). We also google the "driving distance" for routing, since it shows on Google Maps, construction and major crash/road closures. On our most recent trip back across we went thru the Permian Basin--and RV spaces were non existent, because of the fracking and oil workers. We wanted to be able to run the air conditioning without the generator, and did find one owner let us park in front of his office and plug in to 15 amps. A couple of days later, no campgrounds were available, so we ran the generator all night at a Cracker Barrel.
Click to expand...
I pretty much use Google Maps when traveling. I tried Waze but my phone didn't like it all that much (excessive heat).

Oh! Loooove my Tundra! Just treated her to new TerraFlex Falcon shocks and new front brake pads. She also has a TRD sway bar I added last year in preparation for just such a time as this.
 
Closure: Starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 26, all lanes of I-70 eastbound and westbound from the South Split (intersection of I-70 and I-65 south of Downtown Indianapolis) to I-465.



Detour: Through traffic should use I-465 southbound to I-65 northbound, then to I-70 eastbound. Traffic coming from the airport should take I-70 eastbound to I-465 southbound, then to I-65 northbound to get Downtown

Reopening: 6 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5.
 
BrentB":1sphu2t4 said:
Closure: Starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, July 26, all lanes of I-70 eastbound and westbound from the South Split (intersection of I-70 and I-65 south of Downtown Indianapolis) to I-465.



Detour: Through traffic should use I-465 southbound to I-65 northbound, then to I-70 eastbound. Traffic coming from the airport should take I-70 eastbound to I-465 southbound, then to I-65 northbound to get Downtown

Reopening: 6 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update Brent.

Google maps has us going right thru that area. Looks like it might be better to divert to the I-64 out of St. Louis and up the I-71 thru Cincinnati. Google says it adds 25 minutes, which I'll take anyday to avoid that mess.
 
BrentB":1rpl5ghl said:
Ok or take 465 - I prefer south around Indy to 70E on east side.

I would avoid the area from 7 -9am and 4-6 pm
Click to expand...

I guess I miss read your last post. After looking again, is the red marked portion of I-70 the closure area then?

EDIT: I think I even got that wrong. Only the section of I-70 between 465 and 65 on the west side of town is the closure area, correct?

snip_20190726152644.jpg
 
Maybe I was not clear.

When you arrive at 465 exit on 70 which is past the airport, take 465 around Indy and pickup the 70 east bound exit and bypass driving through downtown Indy.

Close to downtown Indy is Shapiros Deli and everything is delicious. Indy has an outstanding Children’s Museum, too. There is a Medical History Museum, too. One of kind and a gem
 
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