RV Route / Trip: Interstate 75 (I-75) from Okeechobee, Florida, USA to Ontario, Canada
Our Setup: F250 Pickup Truck hauling a 30′ Montana by Keystone 5th Wheel, 2 people and 1 small dog!

State parks (in good weather), Rest Areas, Loves, Pilots, and Flying J’s will be your best friends! Easy in and out, great parking and lots of it if you get in early enough, fuel, food, restrooms and showers if you need them/don’t boondock. A good rule of thumb for overnighting is to find a spot around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. We like to park at the back of the lot so our dog has a nice green area; there are garbage cans, less traffic and plenty of walking and stretching opportunities. Others prefer parking close to the facilities.

Here is the compressed version of our trip North on the Interstate 75 (I 75):

Day 1 – Saturday
Left at 9:30 am Lakeport, Lake Okeechobee, FL, USA with a half tank of fresh water in the 5th Wheel
2:30 pm Exit 358 FL – lunch stop at Loves truck stop – park at Loves – several fast food joints to walk to including McDonalds, Waffle House, a Mexican restaurant and Wendy’s – the latter in the Loves lot.
6:30 pm pulled off for the night at a Loves with Hardee’s at Exit 59, Tifton, GA – 100 miles from Macon, GA. Lots of space and good fast food; met another RV couple heading North, chatted a bit, and turned in for the night.

Day 2 – Sunday
Slept great (was pretty quiet for a truck stop), showered (in our trailer), coffee, refuelled & hit the I-75 at around 9 am.
11:00 am – Exit 109 Georgia Pilot & McDonald’s internet!
1:17 pm cutoff –  highway 475 towards Atlanta, Georgia – shortly after it becomes I-75 again.
Rolled into Atlanta where it was slow moving, but moving. Had hoped for better on a Sunday & holiday weekend, but it was ok.
Exit 326 in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, close to Dalton, GA @ 4:45pm.  Pilot truck stop with McDonald’s and Subway. The temperatures are cooling fast. Be prepared for the ups and downs of the extremely beautiful but hilly terrain. If weather is good, you might want to take an extra day and go see Ruby Falls on Lookout Mountain.

Day 3 – Monday
Left 9am after a very quiet good sleep.
The Rest Area at mile marker 45 in Tennessee provided a needed washroom break and stretch.
Tip: You are able to reserve parking at rest areas if you want, to ensure a spot. Parking is very difficult because of all the trucks.
The Cumberland mountains present beautiful panoramas. Take your time, don’t overheat your vehicle with the climbs and enjoy the breathtaking views!
Exit 29 – Night Stop at a Loves in Corbin, Kentucky, home of Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, historic museum and cafe. The KFC museum was fun, informative and free!
We ate dinner at Cracker Barrel and turned in for the night.
Tip: GPS may be misleading in the mountains – a journey that should have taken approximately 3 ½ hours with a car took us around 6 hours with the rig.

Day 4 – Tuesday
Left at 10 am.
Exit 159 provided us a stop at Walmart to get antifreeze to winterise the trailer.
At around 2:50pm, Mile Marker 38 in Ohio presented the 1st Tim Hortons – feels like the first robin sighting in spring, you know you are heading North!
Traffic jam in Glendale / Evendale (North of Cincinnati ) – caused by police shooting a fugitive.
Exit 51 – stopped at the Loves truck stop to dump our gray and black water, but oddly, this Loves did not offer a RV Dump Site, so back onto the highway.
Exit 64 had a Flying J where we were able to dump our tanks; fee US$10.00.
Exit 73 – Stop at Motel 6 (1260 Dorset drive, Troy, Ohio) for the night – Dog friendly – $48.58 total . Not great – extremely dirty, mouldy showers, filthy carpet, but clean beds, hot shower, warm, friendly and lots space for parking.
Ate at Hot Head Burritos (across road from hotel) – excellent, friendly, good food – similar to Chipotle in style.

Day 5 – Wednesday
Wake, shower, on road by 7:45 am. Supposedly 6 hours and 6 minutes left to Elora Ontario, Canada
Exit 15 – Michigan – Pilot – refuel and coffee, McDonalds early lunch. GPS shows 3 hrs 52 minutes to home.
Border crossing at Detroit, Michigan, USA / Windsor, Ontario, Canada, The Ambassador Bridge – Toll: US$10.00
GPS says 3 hours and 2 minutes to home
(11:30 am time at border) quick painless crossing!
Arrival in Elora, Ontario at 3:15pm

Summary:
Fuel total: US$250.00
Food total: US $135.00
Dumping: US$10.00
Motel total:  US$50.00
Grand Total: US$445.00

5 days, good travel weather – no wind, only one day of on /off rain, no ice, no snow
Only 2 slowdowns – Rockfall, Mile marker 142, Tennessee & Police / knife problem in North of Cincinnati (Glendale)
Mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky take much longer than gps says
March 26, 2016 to March 30, 2016 – (easter weekend – probably had an effect on traffic and truckstops)

The Photo Album has state parks, museums, food, and highway signs along with their exits!

See the trip! – YouTube (4 Minutes)

Truckstops are great and offer many beneficial amenities to RV’ers which can include:

•      RV Dumps ($)
•      Fuel with dedicated filling lanes if you choose / optional ($)
•      Free parking, free overnight parking
•      Food & Supplies ($)
•      Showers ($)
•      Bulk Propane ($)
•      Laundry ($)
•      Internet ($)
•      Movies ($)
•      Scales – if you want to weigh your load ($)
•      Truck Wash ($)
•      ATM!!!

Info:
I-75 South to North – YouTube Speed Trip
I-75 South to North – Photo Album
I-75 Rest Areas & Service Plazas
Truck Master – I 75 Truck Stops
i 75 Travel Guide – Road Now

Safe Travels!