Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Really? Maybe it's a creature comfort. I used it on all my other cross country trips. But I think I'll be ok without it. One plus is that I kind of know the highway, yeah it's 2000 miles long but I have driven it several times and think I can do it without CC (since I don't have a choice). I'll use the rest stops to stretch and update my blog if I actually write one.
I kinda speed (nothing outrageous) where I usually pass more then I get passed and somewhat paranoid about it. I find it easier to let off the gas to slow down rather then brake which is too obvious. Changing speeds breaks up the mundane stretches. I could see myself putting cc on and getting to used to not doing much and nothing good would come out of it for me.
oh yikes! No cruise? I hate it for ya but you're probably young enough. btdt. Just won't do it again at my age. I traveled with carnivals for a while. I love adventures! Heck, I've been on a couple recently! Sort of still on one!
One thought crossed my mind. Aren't there companies that will sell a warranty on anything? Do you have roadside assistance at least? I'd feel better if you had something like that in place. Do you have a dog for companionship?
There's some beautiful country out there! Best wishes. I think you'll do fine. I'm pretty sure your vehicle is going to survive another 5000 miles worth of driving! btw, air mattresses are very hard to get warmed up on. I hope you have something better planned. Even in mild climate, air mattresses are COLD. Comfortable sleep is so important. And don't drive drowsy!!! And a well lit lot at a truck stop is safer than a rest stop any day!! I've always wanted to try cooking something in foil on the engine! That might be fun. You can gage the doneness by the smell coming in through your heater vent.
Thanks for reply. I don't have a dog, I actually like being alone. Just the road and me and my thoughts. helps my writing. I do NOT use an air mattress, I have a Coleman fold open cot. It's a metal frame, on springs with a pad+my sleeping bag and additional bedding. Once the passenger seat is out I am building a platform out of plywood and 2x4's to run flush with the rear cargo area. I am working on a rig to run a non-stop curtain that will surround the interior to block out light.
I am going to cut screen and adhere to fit the rear windows for breeze so at night I can keep them cracked while still having the doors locked. Hard to explain.
I'd like to blog all this but I really don't think enough people are interested to take it that far.
phonelady, I am sorry that you had that experience in Alabama. I find it particularly confusing because I always see people in Alabama driving cars that appear to have totally shot suspensions, bent A arms, etc. In my experience the "hands off" policing has been one of the nicer aspects of living here.
As for the OP, I've done a few big trips on American roads. I have driven from Eastern PA to Kansas several times in a 200k mile Camry. My only problem with those drives was one time I tried to pull a U-turn where I shouldn't have and consequently blew out my tire. I also did over 7k miles in an Altima with two other people. The Altima was 10 years old at the time and had 130k miles on it, so not a beater by my standards but maybe to some. On that trip we camped out when possible and stayed in roach motels the rest of the time. We encountered 0 car issues, but we did have a slight problem with storage space. I gave up early on trying to keep a gas can in the car as we were unsuccessful in keeping the smell from permeating the cabin and insides of our suitcases. We also experienced such radically different camping environments that it was a bit hard to be completely prepared. We were camped out in New Mexico and baked under the sun there, but when we got up to Montana it was still snowing. Our answer to this was to visit thrift shops when we found ourselves ill equipped for the local climate, and all in all we still spent the smallest fraction of what we would have staying at a hotel. In retrospect, I should have gotten those boots in Montana, as by the time we finished our 6 mile hike back from the camp site my socks were wet and stained from stomping through untold numbers of snow-camoflouged buffalo piles. One member of my party was/is a weightlifter, and that made for some unpleasant protein-based smells, but that had nothing to do with the car.
Here's what I always kept in the vehicle:
- First aid kit (tourniquet, latex gloves, bandages, aspirin, ointments, needle and thread, tweezers, tape, and a lighter)
- Garmin GPS
- physical Rand McNally US Road maps and Atlas book
- Laptop
- 5 gallons of water (refilled along the way, tried to stay as close to max cap. at all times especially when a camp site was coming up)
- Travel itinerary, complete with roadmap printouts, addresses, and phone numbers of nearby hotels and camp site services for each destination (filled a 3" binder)
- Road service kit (spare tire, electric air pump, basic tools, triangles, flare)
- AAA membership card
America's roadways, in my opinion, are a modern marvel all to themselves. I consider it one of the greatest privileges of being American that I can travel days in an automobile and experience vastly different cultures and environments with a reasonable expectation of personal safety. I think you'll do just fine, OP. You sound like you've got things pretty well figured out for yourself, but I might consider getting a AAA membership just for this trip if you haven't got one already. Best of luck!
Done many long trips in beaters. Did a trip in an 89 Astro Van that I bought on CL for $750. Did a similar thing, sleeping in the van etc. In fact I have a newer, nicer AWD Astro now that I am "camperizing" and prepping for "expo" type travel.
In the $750 van, I went from Seattle to Portland, to San Francisco, to Los Angeles, to San Diego, to Phoenix, to Vegas, up Nevada, across eastern Oregon, over the Cascades back to Seattle. It didn't have cruise either, you'll be fine. Enjoy the trip, I would do stuff like that all the time, but I have a 2 year old now, so the random cross country adventures get put on the back burner.
Yeah that's what I always have: 2 gal gas, 1+gal water to drink or add to rad, oil, tools and some misc in my tool bag, food. But I say "beater" because a 1997 model with 160k to about 99% of the population is considered a POS, or a beater car. Most people would scrap a car like mine yet here I am to make a 5k journey in it. All about perspective and bank accounts I guess, lol. My perspective is high, my bank account is low. So there it is.
Making the best of a bad (old) situation.
Chris, your the kinda guy I need to talk to lol! I have been wanting an Astro so bad but the funds don't allow so I make due with the Suzuki. I'll be cruising up your way though. From Indy to LA then up to SF then Portland where my brother is. No CC... I'll be fine. Foot exercises.
Ha, Astro's are great rigs! Check out astrosafari.com and expeditionportal.com (this is not a road trip forum, but I feel like you would enjoy it, check out the adventures section at the top of the forum).
I have done such things. I can't think of anything about the car except keep an eye on the fluids and tires, but I think you have that well in hand.
But for distance driving keep a big bag of skittles handy and some colas and especially some chewing gum for the sudden onslaught of sleepiness. Cold air is also good for waking you up. Be prepared to pull over for micro-naps at any time. Even a ten minute nap can be refreshing.
Try to keep enough gas in the tank. In some states you might drive a hundred miles between stations, especially at night.
As for sleeping in your car days on end, try to fix it so you can sleep with your feet at least level with your head. Sleeping in my front seat for weeks I ended up with swollen ankles because the blood was never able to flow out of my feet.
Have fun. These kind of trips are the best experiences and you will remember them forever.
I have done such things. I can't think of anything about the car except keep an eye on the fluids and tires, but I think you have that well in hand.
But for distance driving keep a big bag of skittles handy and some colas and especially some chewing gum for the sudden onslaught of sleepiness. Cold air is also good for waking you up. Be prepared to pull over for micro-naps at any time. Even a ten minute nap can be refreshing.
Try to keep enough gas in the tank. In some states you might drive a hundred miles between stations, especially at night.
As for sleeping in your car days on end, try to fix it so you can sleep with your feet at least level with your head. Sleeping in my front seat for weeks I ended up with swollen ankles because the blood was never able to flow out of my feet.
Have fun. These kind of trips are the best experiences and you will remember them forever.
I wont be sitting in the front seat. I have already removed the rear seats and plan to remove the passenger seat and use plywood and 2x4's to build a platform that will run flush with the floor of the cargo area, that's where my Cot will be running the length of the car.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
One member of my party was/is a weightlifter, and that made for some unpleasant protein-based smells, but that had nothing to do with the car. 
