AOL Autos Road Trip: Four Thousand Miles In A Nissan Pathfinder

There's something about a road trip that invariably gets me excited. Maybe it's the cultural remains of Manifest Destiny or my own sense of adventure, but each year I, like millions of other Americans, pack my vehicle to the brim with enough supplies to survive a mild nuclear winter and head off across the continent.

The trip that got me hooked was my family's road trip to Yellowstone when I was 14. My parents had slowly gotten me and my brother used to longer and longer trips each year, and this was the pinnacle: a two-week long trek through the Midwest and Plains States to the Rocky Mountains.

From time to time, AOL Autos receives a long-term press vehicle to evaluate. This year's vehicle was a 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. With nearly 80 cubic feet of cargo space and an optional hatch tent just begging to be used, I decided to take the Pathfinder on a 4,000-mile journey across the United States, from Detroit, Mich. to Glacier National Park in Northwestern Montana.

Putting on that many miles in a short period of time can take quite the toll on your vehicle, so it is important to get it checked out before you depart. An oil change and fresh washer fluid are a must before you leave, and it wouldn't hurt to get a fresh set of windshield wipers either. Getting your tires checked is a good idea too, because stranded on the side of the road, hundreds of miles away from home, is not how you want to spend your vacation.

Check out the video of my trip above.