Plan B, I-70 West, Nevada

[thunderworks]

OP here . . . Thanks for all the info and advice about our trip. We’ve decided to leave Kansas on May 28th. Hopefully that time of year will minimize the likelihood of encountering bad weather west of Denver on I-70. Unless we run into nasty weather, the trip should be great. We will be staying in a mix of commercial campgrounds, BLM areas, Harvest Host locations, and even one night at a Forum member’s house who graciously offered us an overnight place to stay.

May can’t come soon enough!

[reetired]

Should be perfect. We went west coast to East coast on 80. Started May 1 and the only problem was snow in Truckee Ca and winds in Nevada!

[PleinAirCedar]

thunderworks: Going east on I-70 is a struggle from the western to the central part of Colorado. The other way is downhill more than uphill if you are coming from Denver. Seems like it to me anyway.
What is the towing capacity of your Ridgeline. Friends just bought one and are going to "try out" towing my 17B around the neighborhood to see if it can make it up the steep hill I live on (4.9% overall grade, 21% grade for 1/4 mile at the top) and see what's what.

Enjoy your trip

[PleinAirCedar]

BTW everyone, Hanging Lake is open. Reservations required. Town of Glenwood Springs manages this: https://visitglenwood.com/hanginglake/

[thunderworks]

Originally Posted by PleinAirCedar

thunderworks: Going east on I-70 is a struggle from the western to the central part of Colorado. The other way is downhill more than uphill if you are coming from Denver. Seems like it to me anyway.
What is the towing capacity of your Ridgeline. Friends just bought one and are going to "try out" towing my 17B around the neighborhood to see if it can make it up the steep hill I live on (4.9% overall grade, 21% grade for 1/4 mile at the top) and see what's what.

Enjoy your trip

Towing capacity is 5,000 lbs, with approximately a 1,500 lbs payload capacity. That's at sea level and diminishes at elevation.

I towed a Casita (probably around 400 - 500 lbs lighter than the 17B) up and down the Sierra's, California Coastal range, Northern Rockies, etc., and my Ridgeline handled the Casita well - slowly, but well. There are tons of videos on YouTube showing Ridgeline trucks pulling up and down grades. Is it an ideal towing vehicle . . . probably not . . .but I anticipate you'll find that it does the job if you simply slow down and don't expect it to perform like a big truck. I'm not very experienced towing, but I believe that if you're within spec (and consequently safety numbers), the evaluation of a TV should exclude the expectation that you can drive 70 mph as though you weren't towing. To some extent, it's an attitude adjustment.

[PleinAirCedar]

Thanks for the reply!
My Tacoma doesn't slow down up passes. In fact on the flat, that is a problem. If I don't pay attention I can be going a bit too fast at times. I'm getting better at it. lol!