Driving from Maine to Northern CA. (Oakland, Winn: motel, moving to, budget)

[family first]

Hey folks, I may be doing the trek this summer and was curious what route you took. Where did you stop each night and were there some memorable towns you stayed at or disapointments? Is 600-700 miles a day to enthusiastic? Oh well let me know about your trip.

Thanks

[flyonpa]

Are you making a B-Line to get from East to West?
or do you want to see things along the way? If so what kind of things?
Kids? Pets? Number of Drivers?


Do you have passports to go thru Canada?

[maineborzoi]

It might be easier to go by Train. Sounds crazy but honestly- you can take what you need, and also let the driving be done without you.
You could pick your trip- where you want to stop and spend the day etc.
Just a thought.

[Radio Flyer]

When I was 19, I took the greyhound from Maine to the SFBay Area. 'Glad I did it once, but would never do it again. From what I remember, the route was Maine to NYC, then onto Chicago, Salt Lake City and then to Oakland, CA...Everyone said, "Be careful when you get to NY!" NY was fine, Cleveland was much shadier. The most memorable stop was Cheyenne, Wy. I felt like I walked onto the set of a western movie. I loved it. Going through the Tahoe area was beautiful too.

Fast forward many years...I'm married with two toddlers. Convince the husband that we should move back east. We drove through the southwestern states over to Texas, then Georgia and then up to New England...Memorable stops on this trip were Flagstaff, AZ, driving on Route 66 and our spontaneous stop at Graceland.

In 5 years or so, we'll probably do it again, as we're considering moving to the PNW....I love driving cross-country. The places you see and the characters you meet...there's nothing like it.

[maineborzoi]

When I was a teenager- we took the entire 11 week summer and traveled across the US and back in a Winnebago. The most memorable trip for sure.
Enjoy the trip- take time to see places instead of road weary...

[namder1]

I've made this trip 4 or 5 times. Mostly I used I-80 or I-40. 80 is the fastest for sure. I once went from NH to Sacramento in 3 1/2 days driving alone. But I was beat when I got there! I usually tried for 600 miles a day and then since I was on a budget and usually had my dog would look for Motel 6 because they are pet friendly. I recommend AAA for their motel book! I was usually going for work so I didn't do the tourist thing. But once you get past the Pa. area it gets prettier and prettier. I love Wyoming and once you get close to the Sierra Nevada's you'll see why we really don't have any mountains here in Maine,LOL. I love driving across our beautiful country.....soooo many sights.....Once you get to California don't forget to drive at least a piece of the Coastal Highway(RTE 1) and don't miss the redwoods!
Dang now ya got me itchy to hit the road!

[family first]

Starting from West then heading East. Would be to get their in 5 days or better. Family in car. Google shows going around VT and hitting bottom of NH up from NY. Is that the best way? Would like to skip the southwest if at all possible.

[Radio Flyer]

5 days? Whoa....With kids? Whoa again.

When I took the bus, it took 4 days. Granted, it was slower going with lots of stops, but we were driving 24/7.

Are you on the lam or sumthin?

[Tenebrae]

I can only speak to the Midwest -> SF portion of this trip. There are basically 2 main (not Maine haha) routes that I'm aware of. One heads through Cheyenne, Wyoming (I agree with an earlier poster - it's pretty neat driving through an area with a real "old west" feel). It's I-80 for most of that route. That will take you through Salt Lake City and Reno. The trouble spot here is when you get to the mountains coming into California. Truckee and the Donner Pass area (technically you will bypass it on the Interstate) can be PRETTY scary in the Winter time, especially if you're hauling. We went through there in January when we first moved to California. We were driving a 14' U-haul and towing a car...the brakes started getting squishy as we came out of the mountains. I was terrified. The view was amazing, but...uh...Not Cool. We exited off I-80 into highway 20 through Grass Valley. After the mountain adventure, I thought it was smooth sailing through the lowlands...but no. They were having record rainfall and the lowlands were flooding. Can a gal catch a break??
I think that route would be fine in the Summer.

For winter, I might actually consider dipping lower to I-40 and cutting through the top of TX, Albuquerque, Flagstaff AZ, and then heading north on I-5 in California. Google Maps offers both routes up as options, with the I-40 route being only slightly longer.

-T.

[Submariner]

I have driven Coast to Coast a few times.

I-10 can be a nice drive [then up I-5]. I have done I-40 a few times. I-80 is fairly direct. I-90 is okay too. Most of the Coast to Coast trips I made were on motorcycle, though I have done a few in a rented U-haul.

One time we took I-90 to Niagara falls, crossed into Canada, then followed on the North shore of the Lakes, we stayed on the Queens highway through Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, Vancouver, and down I-5.

I think that driving through Canada was the nicest trip.