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Moving across country from DC area to Port Angeles, WA at the end of April 2020.
We are going by car (VW stationwagon) with the smallest UHaul trailer.
We have two small 20lb pups with us.
Never gone on a cross country road trip coast to coast so only beginner experience with road trips.
We have 9 days to make the trip but hoping to do it in less time.
Willing to drive 8 hours per day
Not planning sightseeing or making a road trip vacation out of it
Has anyone attempted a move similar? Did you take the suggested fastest northern route? In which cities/towns did you stop overnight?
Really searching for what cities/towns we will stop overnight to book hotels. Forums give road trip advice but haven’t found a suggested itinerary on overnight locations that are purely stops not sightseeing.
Thank you for all your help!!!!! Moving is stressful enough let alone driving across country hahaha
Moving across country from DC area to Port Angeles, WA at the end of April 2020.
Keep a close eye on the weather reports and know the alternate routes.
eg: Don't commit to the Northern Route (I-90 etc) until you're farther west than Cleveland.
Think I-70 through St Louis before starting the Lewis & Clark trail...
with a real possibility of staying south through to California/Oregon before turning north.
Quote:
Never gone on a cross country road trip coast to coast so only beginner experience with road trips.
We have 9 days to make the trip but hoping to do it in less time.
That'll be the biggest mistake you can make: forcing the time/plan (even if the 9 days should be enough overall).
Be prepared for and even welcome some delays and side trip opportunities.
Quote:
Really searching for what cities/towns we will stop overnight to book hotels.
Meh. Again with the too tight planning approach. It'll rise up and bite you.
Around 3-4pm look at the paper map for which towns you'll be passing before dinner.
Google & Smart Phone for the one that seems to suit best (re the dogs).
But since you'll be avoiding the bigger cities you'll find the smaller town motel operators nicer
and usually willing to accept your well behaved pair even if they don't advertise it.
Last edited by MrRational; 09-10-2019 at 07:19 AM..
Thank you! Totally understand the adventure viewpoint on this, but side trips won’t be a priority. Curious who has made the trip with a loose plan on each leg of the trip and what towns/cities they ended up staying. We have two pups that are very good, but not “jump in the truck and ride” type of pups. We want to make them as comfortable as possible and forgo road trip approach. Did anyone take I90 all the way? Thinking it would be best to avoid SD in terms of snow potential and going through Nebraska instead. Thoughts?
I moved cross country twice -- from the OH/PA border to SoCal, then back to Middle Tennessee for retirement.
I made both trips in five days/four nights. I pulled my three horses myself, in an open stock trailer, with a truck that was already 20 years, old;I still have it, it still runs
The cat was in the Rottweiler's crate in the bed of the capped truck. The Lab/Sharpei rode with me, the Rottweiler and Beagle/mix rode in the other truck, plus we had two XL Ryder trucks coming back east.
I had to be drill sergeant organized and planned the layovers for my horses before I ever left my driveway to start either trip.
****
You don't have to do any of that, just get in the car and go. Your biggest worry will be finding dog friendly motels to stay at. For their sake it would be best to find motels as much in advance of nightly stop overs as possible.
If the pups haven't yet learned to "go potty" on command, on a leash, at a rest area, get started training them now. And be sure their shot records and health certs are in order before you leave. Your current vet will be able to tell you what vaccines you will need for the area you are moving to.
@MrRational gave you some excellent advice and YES! To the paper maps. I had paper maps and those outdated TripTiks from AAA. I would never consider using GPS devices for a trip - they lie just enough to get the driver in real trouble.
You want cross the Great Divide when the weather is well above freezing - especially pulling a trailer, even if it is small.
Best wishes on a safe trip, even though it's still a year away
Thank you! Totally understand the adventure viewpoint on this, but side trips won’t be a priority. Curious who has made the trip with a loose plan on each leg of the trip and what towns/cities they ended up staying. We have two pups that are very good, but not “jump in the truck and ride” type of pups. We want to make them as comfortable as possible and forgo road trip approach. Did anyone take I90 all the way? Thinking it would be best to avoid SD in terms of snow potential and going through Nebraska instead. Thoughts?
First, FIND PET-FRIENDLY HOTELS/MOTELS on your route. We drove 2000 miles east, from the NW, a few years back and were surprised that pet-friendly hotels and motels were rather rare.
I've done coast to coast or at least 2000 miles a few times. The first time was in a POS 10-year-old Pontiac station wagon, going along for the ride when my sister returned to her brainwashing asylum.
My biggest regret is driving at night on that trip. But that was how we rolled in those days. I was on some country road and saw two raccoons in the road ahead. I couldn't stop or even slow down when I heard a thunk thunk. That bothers me to this day. And any time I see a dead critter by the road I God Bless His Soul because life in the wild is very hard and very dangerous. Though getting terminated quickly by a car is one of the more gentle deaths that wild creatures can experience. Still...
The weather should be your guide. You do NOT want to see snow in the mountains. Some passes can be closed on a moment's notice because (usually) a big truck got sideways and then there's a mess.
I'd avoid night driving simply because visibility is poor, and you in no circumstances want to be on the side of the road at night if there's car trouble.
Take breaks. Secure your pets, a harness leash should always be attached to something. We've traveled with cats loose in the car, but they're a different matter.
Thanks! I guess we will just take I 90 and wing it, then!
Well if you do plan on I-90, do not follow it thru Chicago. It goes right thru downtown. Do not use the I-290 Tri-State Tollway either. It has heavy truck traffic and tolls.
Follow this Google Map at https://tinyurl.com/y2t6ctda . It loops around the west side using the newer I-355 to get you back around to I-90 NW of Chicago.
@dwattedwabbit I know how this is haunting! I had a similar experience recently. Thank you for your advice!
@reed303 duly noted!! We will definitely avoid driving once it gets darker. Thanks for the tip regarding Chicago!! I seriously want to avoid that area, so your top is so appreciated!
I would take I-64 to St. Louis, I-70 to Kansas City and then north on I-29 to I-90. I would avoid anything within 100 miles of Chicago. Probably the most congestion this way is from St. Louis to KC.
We drove from St Louis to Portland, OR in 2012. We picked up I 80 (I think) north of Denver, and traversed the width of Wyoming into Utah, picking up I 84 in that state going North, if memory serves. We passed through a bit of Idaho, and into OR. From I 84, you might be able to pick up an interstate going North into WA, or it might be better to simply drive north on I 5 towards Seattle from Portland. The drive to Portland is worth doing, even if you can’t do a lot os stops. It is through the Columbia Gorge, and it is a beautiful drive.
Doing that route will spare you most mountain driving. You would go through the Blues in E OR, but they are not like the Rockies.
In Wyoming, our phones did not work. We could text, but could not make calls. I don’t know if that is the same now, or not.
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