Thanks for well wishes on the trip. Growing up there, kinda sorta, i dont think i remember a summer quite that wet. But, already steaming back to WA.
We bought
@Josh's old pop up last fall. For a starter kit, it's working fine. Never realized how well 27 year old waterproofed canvas can withstand torrential rain until this past month.
So, pulling the pop up from WA to PA and now back to WA. 1st day was PA, to South Bend. Today was South Bend to Blue Earth, MN. So about 2.5 states a day, or 550 miles. Thursday will be Blue Earth to Gillette, WY, etc.
I really wish 80/90 was not tolled.

I'll reserve my opinions on that scam for private conversation.
Because of tire size, 5.8x13 @ 80 psi, am limited to 65 mph. Which means right lane driving and just being the nice grandpa looking guy who gets passed by everyone including the little FIAT Topofolino

Still, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois had some real asshat truckers on the road today.
All that said, I'm liking this early version of Fords Blue Cruise on the 2015 Explorer Sport we bought as a tow vehicle. Set Tow mode, get on the road, set Cruise and the radar takes excellent care of managing your participation in the traffic flow.
On average, it keeps you 2 car lengths behind the vehicle in front of you. It slows down when that vehicle slows ( think semis going up hill ), and can even stop you by itself.
If the vehicle in front of you veers off, it adjusts to that and keeps you at the proper speed. Going downhill, if engaged, it won't allow you to pass through your set cruise speed, automatically applying brakes to bring you back inside the box. That came into play really well going through to Continental Divide and the eastern WA and Idaho mountains the first time.
The slickest part, is going uphill and you have to pass a slower vehicle. Turn on the turn signal, twist the steering wheel and it speeds up to get you around and past .
You don't need to touch a single pedal unless more brake is suddenly required, the system does it all for you.
So, it's been easy so far except for boredom and kinks from so much sitting. My biggest worry is checking the camper hub temps at each stop to make sure I'm not overheating these old bearings. (Josh did a good job servicing them when he had it)
Going East, in Tow, 19.7 mpg. Headed West now, because it seems everything for the 1st 4 1/2 states is angled uphill, so far 17.5 mpg. And that's with surprise buying of non ethanol added gas in Wisconsin. For $4.35 a gallon 92 octane.
Ok, I blather. Thanks for all your help. Several of your tips paid dividends.