Middle of May Kathy and I took off for Maine...
More to come in follow-up posts.
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 20:55:41 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Middle of May Kathy and I took off for Maine...
More to come in follow-up posts.
The next day (Fri, May 22) we drove on to Scarborough, ME...
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 20:55:41 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Middle of May Kathy and I took off for Maine...
More to come in follow-up posts.
On Wed, May 20 we drove the rest of the way across Indiana, then
across most of Ohio. Going by Butler, IN we saw a sign for the
International Monster Truck Museum and Hall of Fame. LOL Wind
was out of the West, so a tailwind, and mileage was over 14 mph.
Our campsite was at Geneva SP, on the southern shore of Lake Erie.
It was beautiful and would have been our favorite spot on the trip
if it hadnrCOt been quite so cold and windy.
https://panix.com/~theise/erie/
https://panix.com/~theise/eriesunset/
The next day we drove across a good portion of New York on the
Southern Tier Expressway (I-86). It was a great routerCoscenic,
with very little traffic. There was a lovely rest stop midwayrCa
https://panix.com/~theise/nyreststop/
After gassing up in Binghamton, we headed to Lakeside CG. The
host had sent instructions for getting there, but I blithely
ignored them and followed Google Maps. Oops. We were taken on a
twisty, hilly route that was maybe 1.5 cars wide. Fortunately, we
didnrCOt encounter anyone coming the other way, and eventually got
there. It was a pleasant enough campground, though geared more to
full time residents. We were a little surprised to find the
showers were coin operated!
https://panix.com/~theise/lakesidecg/
https://panix.com/~theise/lakesidecampsite/
The next day (Fri, May 22) we drove on to Scarborough, ME and
arrived at our sonrCOs place. He had cleared space in his driveway
for the trailer, and were able to plug in for 110 V power. He
didnrCOt have extra beds, so we slept in the camperrCowhich was fine.
While there we had lunch at the Lobster Shack, hiked at a nearby
nature preserve, and took a ride on the Maine Narrow Gauge
Railroad. It was a lot of fun.
https://panix.com/~theise/lobstahrolls/
https://mainenarrowgauge.org/
https://panix.com/~theise/menarrowgauge/
On Fri, 5 Jun 2026 13:49:15 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
On Thu, 4 Jun 2026 20:55:41 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Middle of May Kathy and I took off for Maine...
More to come in follow-up posts.
The next day (Fri, May 22) we drove on to Scarborough, ME...
After several wonderful days with our son and grandkids, we
started making our way west. Our first stop was at Delta Lake SP
near Rome, NY. This was a decent campgroundrCovery nice dump
station, which was my first stop since tanks were FULL. I hadnrCOt
wanted to tow all day with full holding tanks, but hadnrCOt been
able to find dumping options along the way. We could see the lake
from our campsite, but it wasnrCOt anything to remark on (didnrCOt
even take any pictures).
The next day we drove across more of NY, making a stop in Seneca
Falls to see the Women's Rights National Historical Park. The
museum had a wealth of artifacts, though only kind of loosely
organized. I especially enjoyed seeing the restored Wesleyan
Chapel. Overall, well worth a visit.
https://panix.com/~theise/womensrightsnhp/
https://panix.com/~theise/wesleyanchapel/
https://panix.com/~theise/erie/
https://panix.com/~theise/eriesunset/
Beautiful place to stay. I did manage 12 MPG pulling the TOAD
on the Missouri trip. I can't remember if you got something
new for pulling yet. Is this still with the Acadia?
https://panix.com/~theise/lakesidecampsite/
I like the look of that place. I notice that tasty looking
rib! You cook them or did you just bring back take out? I'm
gonna have to consider doing some next trip. I do love good
ribs.
I've never been to Maine, but lobster places like that are
something I look forward to trying. My wife has been several
times and talks about it fondly.
Looks like you were having a good time at the railroad. Glad
you get to spend time visiting your son. Lucky man! BTW, you
two are a good looking couple!
The next day we drove across more of NY...
On 6/6/2026 8:17 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
The next day (Fri, May 22) we drove on to Scarborough, ME...
After several wonderful days with our son and grandkids, we
started making our way west. Our first stop was at Delta Lake
SP near Rome, NY. This was a decent campgroundrCovery nice dump
station, which was my first stop since tanks were FULL. I
hadnrCOt wanted to tow all day with full holding tanks, but
hadnrCOt been able to find dumping options along the way...
I didn't dump mine at the campground where I stayed, knowing I
would use the potty while I made my way home, and just planned
on doing it when I got there. The local Loves had a nice dump
station, but their water is lower pressure because of an
underground leak. So, I decided to use the Pilot instead. I
have been with someone else a few years back and we used their
service, so I knew they also had a dump station.
You pay to be able to lift the tank cover to get your hoses in.
That's fine, but when I turned on the water for flushing
nothing came out. Going inside, they finally got the manager
who told me it didn't work. I was a little irritated already
because some stupid woman started pumping gasoline in her RV
and went inside to get snacks and drinks. I only knew this
after watching her pump click off and her walking back after 5
minutes later. She knew I was there waiting, just didn't care
I guess.
Anyway, the manager said they only supplied water as a
courtesy. That is when I got angry and started swearing at
him. I told him Bull Shit. We pay our $10 and ALWAYS then
flush out the tanks. If you don't have water you need to put a
sign up so people don't get fucked like me wasting time and
money there, when we will then have to go to another place to
flush out our tanks and pay again. I was pissed at their
stupidity.
The next day we drove across more of NY, making a stop in
Seneca Falls to see the Women's Rights National Historical
Park. The museum had a wealth of artifacts, though only kind
of loosely organized. I especially enjoyed seeing the
restored Wesleyan Chapel. Overall, well worth a visit.
https://panix.com/~theise/womensrightsnhp/
I would be all for giving women even more rights, if they
started thinking like men. I'll leave it at that.
https://panix.com/~theise/wesleyanchapel/
Completed in 1843, that makes that building 183 years old.
That is a fine looking place of worship.
Our next camp was Four Mile Creek SP just north of Youngstown,
NY...
On Sat, 6 Jun 2026 13:17:47 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
The next day we drove across more of NY...
Our next camp was Four Mile Creek SP just north of Youngstown, NY.
This was on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, and we had some
beautiful views. Our campsite was second row from the lake, so it
wasnrCOt very visible out our window. The sites were mostly grass,
and not that level, so it took some maneuvering to get situated.
The lake itself was lovely, and we got some amazing views of the
Toronto skyline across the lake as the sun set.
https://panix.com/~theise/ontario/
https://panix.com/~theise/ontariosunset/
IrCOd booked this campsite for two days so we could do the classic
Niagara Falls tour. IrCOd been warned about traffic, so planned a
bike route from Lewiston, NY down to the American side views of
the falls. We really enjoyed seeing the impressive sitesrCa
https://panix.com/~theise/niagaragorge/
https://panix.com/~theise/niagarafalls/
https://panix.com/~theise/2ndhoneymoonshot/
Unfortunately, coming back from the falls the drive chain on our
tandem gave out. I was able to put it back together, but it
didnrCOt last long so Kathy had to book an Uber to take her back to
get the car. Oh well.
On Sat, 6 Jun 2026 10:12:53 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
On 6/6/2026 8:17 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
The next day (Fri, May 22) we drove on to Scarborough, ME...
After several wonderful days with our son and grandkids, we
started making our way west. Our first stop was at Delta Lake
SP near Rome, NY. This was a decent campgroundrCovery nice dump
station, which was my first stop since tanks were FULL. I
hadnrCOt wanted to tow all day with full holding tanks, but
hadnrCOt been able to find dumping options along the way...
I didn't dump mine at the campground where I stayed, knowing I
would use the potty while I made my way home, and just planned
on doing it when I got there. The local Loves had a nice dump
station, but their water is lower pressure because of an
underground leak. So, I decided to use the Pilot instead. I
have been with someone else a few years back and we used their
service, so I knew they also had a dump station.
You pay to be able to lift the tank cover to get your hoses in.
That's fine, but when I turned on the water for flushing
nothing came out. Going inside, they finally got the manager
who told me it didn't work. I was a little irritated already
because some stupid woman started pumping gasoline in her RV
and went inside to get snacks and drinks. I only knew this
after watching her pump click off and her walking back after 5
minutes later. She knew I was there waiting, just didn't care
I guess.
Anyway, the manager said they only supplied water as a
courtesy. That is when I got angry and started swearing at
him. I told him Bull Shit. We pay our $10 and ALWAYS then
flush out the tanks. If you don't have water you need to put a
sign up so people don't get fucked like me wasting time and
money there, when we will then have to go to another place to
flush out our tanks and pay again. I was pissed at their
stupidity.
Ugh. I took our rig to dump tanks at the local Pilot/Flying J
after we got back home. I'd called to verify they had a dump
station, and they advised me the water at the station wasn't
working--but there was water ~70 ft away. Not finding any other
options, I went there and was able to connect for flushing using
both my 25 and 50 ft hoses.
The next day we drove across more of NY, making a stop in
Seneca Falls to see the Women's Rights National Historical
Park. The museum had a wealth of artifacts, though only kind
of loosely organized. I especially enjoyed seeing the
restored Wesleyan Chapel. Overall, well worth a visit.
https://panix.com/~theise/womensrightsnhp/
I would be all for giving women even more rights, if they
started thinking like men. I'll leave it at that.
I suspected we would have differing views on this. Enough said.
On Sun, 7 Jun 2026 14:21:59 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Our next camp was Four Mile Creek SP just north of Youngstown,
NY...
Okay, here's the last of it...
On Fri, May 29 we headed out across the Lewiston/Queenston Bridge
to Ontario. The process was smoother than expected, though I
wasnrCOt crazy about driving over that gorge! My plan had been to
make our way along the northern side of Lake Erie to our
destination at Leisure Lake CG (thanks for the find, sticks). But
IrCOd gotten burned out on driving enough that I ended up just
taking the shortest routerCoafter hugging the south side of Lake
Ontario, it was pretty much straight through that part of Ontario.
Nothing very notable to see.
Leisure Lake was another commercial CG and mostly full of seasonal
campers. Being a Friday night, the place mostly filled up and was
pretty noisy. No pics.
On Saturday, we headed back into the states, crossing over the
dreaded Ambassador Bridge. Ugh. That thing is so high up it
*terrifies* me. We landed at Potato Creek SP nearish Elkhart, IN.
Stuck in the middle of a full CG, we nevertheless got in a nice
hike to the beach. On the way out, we saw some kind of raptor
perched in a high nest. Nice!
https://panix.com/~theise/potatocrsp/
https://panix.com/~theise/nesting/
Though I had booked the Potato Creek site for two nights, we were
both getting ready to be home. So we packed up and headed out on
Sun, Jun 1, landing at Lake Darling SP near Brighton, IA. This
was a lovely park, though the aged remains from fish cleaning in
the dumpster detracted from the charm. The last morning we woke
up to a fabulous site just outside our camperrCa
https://panix.com/~theise/cranemaybe/
Overall, it was a great trip. The amount of driving I did was a
bit much; if we do this kind of distance again I think IrCOd
probably add a day (or even two) going each way so the driving per
day was less. The trailer did well.
I was surprised that we ran
low on propane midway through the time in Maine. Apparently the
furnace may not work on low pressure even if the stove still does.
It might have been due to leaving the heat on around the clock
while we there, even though we didnrCOt really need it. Sloppy.
I was struck by the large difference in campground policies across
the places we stayed. For example, in Iowa state parks there was
no check in process and no hang tagsrCoeveryone was pretty much on
their own. It was pretty controlled in NY state parks, a very
formal check in process. Checking in at the CG in Ontario was
almost like signing a lease!
On 6/7/2026 9:27 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Sat, 6 Jun 2026 10:12:53 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
...I decided to use the Pilot instead [for dumping]. I
have been with someone else a few years back and we used
their service, so I knew they also had a dump station.
You pay to be able to lift the tank cover to get your hoses
in. That's fine, but when I turned on the water for
flushing nothing came out. Going inside, they finally got
the manager who told me it didn't work. I was a little
irritated already because some stupid woman started pumping
gasoline in her RV and went inside to get snacks and
drinks. I only knew this after watching her pump click off
and her walking back after 5 minutes later. She knew I was
there waiting, just didn't care I guess.
Anyway, the manager said they only supplied water as a
courtesy. That is when I got angry and started swearing at
him. I told him Bull Shit. We pay our $10 and ALWAYS then
flush out the tanks. If you don't have water you need to
put a sign up so people don't get fucked like me wasting
time and money there, when we will then have to go to
another place to flush out our tanks and pay again. I was
pissed at their stupidity.
Ugh. I took our rig to dump tanks at the local Pilot/Flying J
after we got back home. I'd called to verify they had a dump
station, and they advised me the water at the station wasn't
working--but there was water ~70 ft away. Not finding any
other options, I went there and was able to connect for
flushing using both my 25 and 50 ft hoses.
I used to carry 100' of hose, but I'm down to only 50' now, but
I gotta admit I never thought of that...
...But that's only for potable water in the rig. I have an
orange 25' I use for flushing. Still, I wonder if where you
hooked up was non-potable or if they even knew where you would
be hooking it up.
I would be all for giving women even more rights, if they
started thinking like men. I'll leave it at that.
I suspected we would have differing views on this. Enough
said.
To be honest, I'm a real pussy cat when the girls are being
nice. I've just gotten tired of loud mouthed bossy women who
would get the shit knocked out of themselves if they were a
man, but know nothing happens so they just cause trouble. I
also admit I believe things work better when women treat men
with respect and are willing to work with us. Fortunately, I
don't have to find a new one, so if'n I find someone offensive,
I just walk away.
My wife gets to do whatever she wants, spend whatever she
wants, and pretty much just takes care of HER house when she
ain't playing. I let her quit working a long time ago (must be
like 25-30 years) and just take care of our home and ME! She
was a legal secretary and made good money, but it was very
difficult dealing with lawyers. I told her to tell the guy to
fuck off and just quit. I make enough for us to be happy.
She did and her friends can't figure it out. They were amazed
she would get up at 4AM and make me coffee and a lunch before
kissing me goodbye for the day. None of them are like her.
On 6/8/2026 11:33 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Sun, 7 Jun 2026 14:21:59 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Our next camp was Four Mile Creek SP just north of
Youngstown, NY...
Okay, here's the last of it...
I love these trip reports!
On Saturday [...] We landed at Potato Creek SP nearish
Elkhart, IN. Stuck in the middle of a full CG, we nevertheless
got in a nice hike to the beach. On the way out, we saw some
kind of raptor perched in a high nest. Nice!
https://panix.com/~theise/potatocrsp/
Nice looking swimming beach.
https://panix.com/~theise/nesting/
Looks like an osprey to me. Awesome to see those!
...The last morning we woke up to a fabulous site just
outside our camperrCa
https://panix.com/~theise/cranemaybe/
That's a sandhill crane. Where I live in the early spring we
get days with wave after wave heading north. The sound is
amazing. Fall we get the reverse. I love those things.
Overall, it was a great trip. The amount of driving I did was
a bit much; if we do this kind of distance again I think IrCOd
probably add a day (or even two) going each way so the driving
per day was less. The trailer did well.
I am finding 400 is not a bad mark, and up to 500 is OK. I
know I get impatient with days on the road, but I gotta limit
those 650-700 mile days like we did back and forth to Utah.
That's too much.
I was struck by the large difference in campground policies
across the places we stayed. For example, in Iowa state parks
there was no check in process and no hang tagsrCoeveryone was
pretty much on their own. It was pretty controlled in NY
state parks, a very formal check in process. Checking in at
the CG in Ontario was almost like signing a lease!
Interesting. Missouri was another no check in state. They
knew you were coming and had the site ready, but unless you
somehow got their attention they left you alone completely. I
like that.
On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:53:04 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
...But that's only for potable water in the rig. I have an
orange 25' I use for flushing. Still, I wonder if where you
hooked up was non-potable or if they even knew where you would
be hooking it up.
Yeah, it was for potable water, and they actually offered its use
as an option. I had gone in to pay for the dump station use, nit
realizing it had a card reader and I could have used it on my own.
It was the set up you described: pay to be able to raise the
cover.
On the topic of flushing, maybe I'm too cavalier. I don't use the
potable water hose to flush the sewer slinky, but I do connect it
to the black inlet on the side of the trailer that flushes the
black tank from the inside. Seems to me that the risk of cross
contamination is pretty small, but maybe I'm missing something?
I would be all for giving women even more rights, if they
started thinking like men. I'll leave it at that.
I suspected we would have differing views on this. Enough
said.
To be honest, I'm a real pussy cat when the girls are being
nice. I've just gotten tired of loud mouthed bossy women who
would get the shit knocked out of themselves if they were a
man, but know nothing happens so they just cause trouble. I
also admit I believe things work better when women treat men
with respect and are willing to work with us. Fortunately, I
don't have to find a new one, so if'n I find someone offensive,
I just walk away.
My wife gets to do whatever she wants, spend whatever she
wants, and pretty much just takes care of HER house when she
ain't playing. I let her quit working a long time ago (must be
like 25-30 years) and just take care of our home and ME! She
was a legal secretary and made good money, but it was very
difficult dealing with lawyers. I told her to tell the guy to
fuck off and just quit. I make enough for us to be happy.
She did and her friends can't figure it out. They were amazed
she would get up at 4AM and make me coffee and a lunch before
kissing me goodbye for the day. None of them are like her.
I guess it wasn't enough said after all. LOL!
Seriously, sounds like you and your wife have a great
relationship, and that makes me smile.
On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:02:45 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
On 6/8/2026 11:33 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Sun, 7 Jun 2026 14:21:59 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Our next camp was Four Mile Creek SP just north of
Youngstown, NY...
Okay, here's the last of it...
I love these trip reports!
Glad to hear that, I was starting to wonder if the multiple posts
were being seen more as spam.
https://panix.com/~theise/cranemaybe/
That's a sandhill crane. Where I live in the early spring we
get days with wave after wave heading north. The sound is
amazing. Fall we get the reverse. I love those things.
I thought so too at first, but Merlin (the birding app) says it
was a great blue heron. On reflection, I'm pretty sure it was an
immature heron, with the crest feathers not yet developed.
Central Nebraska is smack dab in the crane migration flyway, and
we went out to Grand Island one year to see the spectacle. It was
an amazing experience, highly recommended.
Overall, it was a great trip. The amount of driving I did was
a bit much; if we do this kind of distance again I think IrCOd
probably add a day (or even two) going each way so the driving
per day was less. The trailer did well.
I am finding 400 is not a bad mark, and up to 500 is OK. I
know I get impatient with days on the road, but I gotta limit
those 650-700 mile days like we did back and forth to Utah.
That's too much.
Yikes! Perhaps you drive at higher speeds than I, but 300 is
about my upper tolerated limit. I'll rarely push my rig over 60
mph, so it takes a bit longer to cover the same distance as those
going 70 (or even faster).
I was struck by the large difference in campground policies
across the places we stayed. For example, in Iowa state parks
there was no check in process and no hang tagsrCoeveryone was
pretty much on their own. It was pretty controlled in NY
state parks, a very formal check in process. Checking in at
the CG in Ontario was almost like signing a lease!
Interesting. Missouri was another no check in state. They
knew you were coming and had the site ready, but unless you
somehow got their attention they left you alone completely. I
like that.
Yeah, I remember the same for Missouri, but it seems they had at
least clipped a reserved card on the post at the sites. In Iowa
there was nothing. That has potential for confusion, and strikes
me as sub-optimal.
On 6/15/2026 9:31 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:53:04 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
...But that's only for potable water in the rig. I have
an orange 25' I use for flushing. Still, I wonder if where
you hooked up was non-potable or if they even knew where
you would be hooking it up.
Yeah, it was for potable water, and they actually offered its
use as an option. I had gone in to pay for the dump station
use, nit realizing it had a card reader and I could have used
it on my own. It was the set up you described: pay to be able
to raise the cover.
On the topic of flushing, maybe I'm too cavalier. I don't use
the potable water hose to flush the sewer slinky, but I do
connect it to the black inlet on the side of the trailer that
flushes the black tank from the inside. Seems to me that the
risk of cross contamination is pretty small, but maybe I'm
missing something?
Personally, I wouldn't do it. Bacteria somehow finds a way to
get us sick. They should not have allowed, IMHO, you to use a
potable faucet to hook up to your flush inlet. It might be a
small chance of giving someone in infection, but it is almost
certainly possible.
On 6/15/2026 9:41 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:02:45 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
I love these trip reports!
Glad to hear that, I was starting to wonder if the multiple
posts were being seen more as spam.
Absolutely not. I do miss hearing from Bill and George,
though. They had much more experience than either you or I
have, and I appreciated their input. Hope they're both OK??
That's a sandhill crane. Where I live in the early spring
we get days with wave after wave heading north. The sound
is amazing. Fall we get the reverse. I love those things.
I thought so too at first, but Merlin (the birding app) says
it was a great blue heron. On reflection, I'm pretty sure it
was an immature heron, with the crest feathers not yet
developed.
I still think it is a crane. If you had another pic with more
color you could narrow it down. Herons have a yellow beak,
black feathers on their head, and don't have the red patch
cranes have.
I am finding 400 is not a bad mark, and up to 500 is OK.
I know I get impatient with days on the road, but I gotta
limit those 650-700 mile days like we did back and forth to
Utah. That's too much.
Yikes! Perhaps you drive at higher speeds than I, but 300 is
about my upper tolerated limit. I'll rarely push my rig over
60 mph, so it takes a bit longer to cover the same distance as
those going 70 (or even faster).
If I'm on the big roads, I usually have no problem going 70,
even pulling the TOAD, as long as there aren't bad crosswinds
hitting it. I ain't big on travel days so I do what I have to
so I can get there. But, I certainly understand not wanting
long driving days. Since we're both retired, it really don't
matter. Just do what you consider safe!
Interesting. Missouri was another no check in state.
They knew you were coming and had the site ready, but
unless you somehow got their attention they left you alone
completely. I like that.
Yeah, I remember the same for Missouri, but it seems they had
at least clipped a reserved card on the post at the sites.
In Iowa there was nothing. That has potential for confusion,
and strikes me as sub-optimal.
You're right about the boards in Missouri. I actually stopped
and looked at it since it didn't appear to be anything else you
had to do, and sure a shit the info was on the card.
I haven't been camping in Iowa yet, but I'm gonna try either
there or further north in Minnesota along the river somewhere
later this year.
On Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:42:15 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
If I'm on the big roads, I usually have no problem going 70,
even pulling the TOAD, as long as there aren't bad crosswinds
hitting it. I ain't big on travel days so I do what I have to
so I can get there. But, I certainly understand not wanting
long driving days. Since we're both retired, it really don't
matter. Just do what you consider safe!
Yeah, the Acadia will pull it at 70, but it sways around a lot and
the mileage sucks. I'm most comfortable keeping it to 60 max,
unless I need to get around someone going slower.
On 6/16/2026 9:38 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
Yeah, the Acadia will pull it at 70, but it sways around a lot
and the mileage sucks. I'm most comfortable keeping it to 60
max, unless I need to get around someone going slower.
In case you don't know, when a trailer sways like that when you
get at higher speeds, it usually means you don't have enough
weight over the hitch, or actually in front of the trailer
wheels. When you are doing your packing next time try and get
the heavier things in front of the axle on the Lance and see if
it gets better. That trailer should pull nicely at highway
speeds I would think. Just get the weight moved forward.
Even if you don't drive that fast, not having to worry about it
happening is comforting and makes driving easier.
I've had fishtailing happen at work pulling over 10,000 lbs and
it is frightening. One time I thought I would flip it.
Couldn't get it to stop. You have to time it perfectly, throw
the wheel to the side into the fishtail to catch it, and hit
the brakes. Then go change your shorts. Hope you never have
to do that with the Lance!
On Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:28:09 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
On 6/16/2026 9:38 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
Yeah, the Acadia will pull it at 70, but it sways around a lot
and the mileage sucks. I'm most comfortable keeping it to 60
max, unless I need to get around someone going slower.
In case you don't know, when a trailer sways like that when you
get at higher speeds, it usually means you don't have enough
weight over the hitch, or actually in front of the trailer
wheels. When you are doing your packing next time try and get
the heavier things in front of the axle on the Lance and see if
it gets better. That trailer should pull nicely at highway
speeds I would think. Just get the weight moved forward.
Even if you don't drive that fast, not having to worry about it
happening is comforting and makes driving easier.
I've had fishtailing happen at work pulling over 10,000 lbs and
it is frightening. One time I thought I would flip it.
Couldn't get it to stop. You have to time it perfectly, throw
the wheel to the side into the fishtail to catch it, and hit
the brakes. Then go change your shorts. Hope you never have
to do that with the Lance!
Good info, thanks! They sold me a stablizing frame for the tongue
when I bought the trailer, then realized the tongue was too short.
So they changed it over to a Reese friction anti-sway bar. I
haven't noticed that it does a lot, but after a day of towing in
*very* strong and gusty crosswinds I noticed that the plate to the
side of the main ball (where the smaller ball for the bar) had
been bent slightly upwards--so I guess it was doing something!
In any case, I left that bar behind at a campsite on the last
trip; laying it out, then forgetting to attach it. I'm thinking I
might not replace it.
Speaking of frightening, I was hit with a severe case of shimmy on
an old bicycle when coming down a mountain pass at high speed (in
the vicinity of 50+ mph). The front end started flailing side to
side and I thought I was going to die. So I know that change your
pants feeling.
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