Driving across the country...
So, I've decided to bring my truck to school. Problem......truck is in NY and school is in CA. So....this coming week I'll be departing on the trek across the country. Mom wants to come along and help with the driving and I think my brother may be coming along just to come along.
Any tips? Right now we want to take the southern route so that we can see the grand canyon, hoover dam, and possibly spend a day in LA before getting to Berkeley. This would take a lot longer but, I don't get to drive across country too often so it seems worth it. The northern route is a lot faster but seems to have less quick but interesting stops we could make.
Any suggestions? We're planning to do it in 5 days which is going to push us to the limit as far as driving per day but we think we can pull it off.
Any tips? Right now we want to take the southern route so that we can see the grand canyon, hoover dam, and possibly spend a day in LA before getting to Berkeley. This would take a lot longer but, I don't get to drive across country too often so it seems worth it. The northern route is a lot faster but seems to have less quick but interesting stops we could make.
Any suggestions? We're planning to do it in 5 days which is going to push us to the limit as far as driving per day but we think we can pull it off.
Comments
Do get a CB radio though. If you get stuck in traffic once you'll wish you had a radio so someone could tell you what's up.
Originally posted by ThinkingDifferent
Leave the family home and do it solo.
there's no chance in hell i could do it in the allotted time with only me driving
Originally posted by tonton
One very important suggestion:
If you feel too tired to drive, pull over immediately. Don't convince yourself "I'm okay", play the radio, shake you head and slap yourself to stay awake. It won't work and you'll end up in a ditch, or worse. If you've got someone traveling with you, and everyone's too tired, just sleep on the side of the road.
yea, too often i have done what you have described. especially last fall driving back from sacramento on no sleep and after a race.....and nodding off. at the time i didn't think much of it but now i realize i was pretty dumb to keep going.
What is your itinerary in LA? If you are coming in the morning, I advise you to take the 10 to the 110, get off at the Gower Exit, follow the signs for Beachwood Drive, and take the road up to the Village Cafe for breakfast.
From there I can give you a plan trip for LA before you go to school
But. I am not going to send you on the 5, which is fastest.
5 days? Shit, I've mostly done it in 2-3 days. Granted, that's Chicago to CA, but NY is only 12 hours more.
PS. If you have any other questions feel free to shout out.
Originally posted by tmp
I've driven across country 7 or 8 times, and there's not much I can add. I highly recommend driving no longer than 8 hours before switching to a driver that has slept- not one that has been a passenger watching you drive. Other than that, I think you should stop at stuff you find interesting- I've met some wonderful people stopping in what a lot of my friends consider "flyoverland"
What is your itinerary in LA? If you are coming in the morning, I advise you to take the 10 to the 110, get off at the Gower Exit, follow the signs for Beachwood Drive, and take the road up to the Village Cafe for breakfast.
From there I can give you a plan trip for LA before you go to school
But. I am not going to send you on the 5, which is fastest.
yea, im hoping we have time to make a few random stops at places me find interesting along the way.
in LA i have a couple friends I may meet up with. not really sure what the plan is. I've been there several times. Thinking of doing a disneyland day maybe. kinda just doing things as they come.
've driven across country many times and the southern route is good. The mountains aren't as steep as other parts of the country.
5 days? Shit, I've mostly done it in 2-3 days. Granted, that's Chicago to CA, but NY is only 12 hours more.
PS. If you have any other questions feel free to shout out.
my girlfriend's parents said the southern route is a bit risky this time of year due to the possibility of overheating. how much of a problem could that be?
well....5 days considering we want to see the grand canyon and hoover dam and spend a day in LA otherwise i'd hope it'd be less. as it is im worried im underestimating how long it will take.
I bought Route USA 2004 for the Mac. what a shitty piece of software
Originally posted by tonton
Is that a political statement?
haha. sorry, shouldn't type while on the phone
How old is the car? I'd just watch the temperature and see the Grand Canyon. You can always buy another car, but the Grand Canyon is unique.
Heck, turn it into a mini-vacation, especially if you're heading off to school.
Bezerkely can be fun, depending on what you're into. San Fran is amazing for its architecture and varied social elements (hippies in the parks, gays in the Polk district). Heading towards Santa Cruz, check out Greyhound Rock. Of course the boardwalk in Santa Cruz is cool as well.
Most of all, have fun!
Now I guess they should have banned me rather than just shut off posting priviledges, because kickaha and Amorph definitely aren't going to like being called to task when they thought they had it all ignored *cough* *cough* I mean under control. Just a couple o' tools.
Don't worry, as soon as my work resetting my posts is done I'll disappear forever.
Originally posted by bunge
Overheating is probably a possibility, but I'm in Chicago right now and it's like 47 degrees out. Overheating is the last thing on my mind.
How old is the car? I'd just watch the temperature and see the Grand Canyon. You can always buy another car, but the Grand Canyon is unique.
it's a 2002 dodge dakota quad cab....so... i would think it would do fine.... just being a bit cautious since I've never had to drive through a desert before.
The northern route (I-80) doesn't have good places to check out like the southern route does (unless seeing a sign for Happy Jack Road in the middle of Wyoming is your idea of a good time). It might take longer, but you can check out stuff like the petrified forest, grand canyon, painted desert, Las Vegas, etc., etc.
Heck, turn it into a mini-vacation, especially if you're heading off to school.
Bezerkely can be fun, depending on what you're into. San Fran is amazing for its architecture and varied social elements (hippies in the parks, gays in the Polk district). Heading towards Santa Cruz, check out Greyhound Rock. Of course the boardwalk in Santa Cruz is cool as well.
Most of all, have fun!
yea, I'm trying to see when exactly I have to be back at berzerkely. I originally thought the 22nd but it could actually be a couple days later.
Thanks for the suggestions for places to see/stop. That's what I'm most in need of. It's easy to look at a map and say grand canyon, hoover dam, LA, maybe Las Vegas, etc.....but I know there are some other less popular/well known gems along the way.
Originally posted by applenut
it's a 2002 dodge dakota quad cab....so... i would think it would do fine.... just being a bit cautious since I've never had to drive through a desert before.
On my way to school from Portland to San Antonio last year, my 1999 300M broke down in the middle of the Arizona desert. Thank god there was a Chrysler dealer 40 miles down the road in some crap town. Yes, it is indeed fun to drive in the desert. Oh, make sure your A/C works
Originally posted by G4Dude
On my way to school from Portland to San Antonio last year, my 1999 300M broke down in the middle of the Arizona desert. Thank god there was a Chrysler dealer 40 miles down the road in some crap town. Yes, it is indeed fun to drive in the desert. Oh, make sure your A/C works
AC is blowing hard.
What about taking a truck to Berkeley?
Originally posted by applenut
What about taking a truck to Berkeley?
Parking nightmare.
But as a New Yorker, I'm sure you are used to that.
To be honest, I'd worry more about overheating trying to get over the rockies a lot more than I would getting over the desert.
Originally posted by tmp
Parking nightmare.
But as a New Yorker, I'm sure you are used to that.
To be honest, I'd worry more about overheating trying to get over the rockies a lot more than I would getting over the desert.
well, i've got a 24/7 parking permit for campus. so I can park right behind my dorm all year. not too worried about that.
i've heard that the rockies could be a bigger problem. how would you handle that? do you make stops every so often to cool down or not use AC or....?
also, any tips for lodging? i figure just nap in the car..... but, a night or two in a bed wouldn't be the worst thing.
If you are going over the Rockies, turn off the AC. (I would say the same thing if you take the 5 from LA to Berkeley- the "grapevine" portion of it can be brutal on a car) But a realtively new car like yours should be fine. Most cars are pretty much loafing on the highway as far as stress on their engines.