Driving from Virginia to California in later November (San Diego, Bakersfield: good hotel, houses)

[Driver001]

Hi all,

I'm planning to drive my sedan car from Virginia to Silicon Valley in late November. I'd appreciate suggestion on easy route, avoiding snowy roads, low budget hotels, and any helpful measures/gadgets from veterans.

I will be in no rush, but do not plan on taking much time for the scenery.

Many thanks,

[SFBAguy]

Where will you be driving from in Virginia?

[DinsdalePirahna]

I've done the drive a few times from NY/CA CA/NY.

If you can get off the Interstates, there are plenty of nice highways that take you through some beautiful parts of the country.

i-80 and i-70 are crap shoots this time of the year. Even i-40 has weather that can turn bad in an instant. I have driven in winter, never had a problem, but give yourself time, just incase.

Microtels are a good, inexpensive places to catch a few zzzz's.

On one drive we found a good hotel, I think it was America's Best Inns. But there was a knock off that sounded something like Best American Inns. Same colors, same logos, One was decent, the other was crap. can't remember the exact name. Just something to watch out for.

Get a good protein rich breakfast. Stay away for fast food and franchise eateries (although I do love waffle houses, and Bob Evans which you can't get in NY or CA), ask the locals about good places to eat.

Stop every two hours or so. take a nice long brake after 4 or 5 hours. Try to limit driving to under 10 hours a day. Try to stop at as many points of interests as you can. Hopefully you will have a driving partner. That will make your drive a lot nicer.

I like books on tape (get Kerouac's On the Road) download a few hours worth of podcasts (easier to select). I also make/theme playlists for each state I drive through.

[Snort]

Check the weather for when you're going. People in the know say wunderground is one of the best sites online. If the weather is going to be good for several days out across the country you can take route 40 straight across or take route 20 to route 10 if there's some doubt.
To take in some scenery, take the 101 up from SoCal. The 5 is boooooooooorrrrrrinnnnnnngggg!
(And yes, my SoCal speech mannerisms are coming through with the "the's" before freeway numbers).

[Nell Plotts]

I recommend you take a southern route to avoid snow in mountain passes.

[jaijai]

I'd head south from Virginia and connect up with HWY 40 in Knoxville? (somewhere around there - i can't remember exactly where 40 begins)
I drove that way (starting in New England) some years ago.
That, to me, is the most direct and best route for this time of year.
You'll take 40 across Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma (where the west wind blows ), just a bit of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and then, yay, California.
You'll get to drive through some incredible beauty in New Mexico and Arizona.
Once you get to Barstow then get onto HWY 58? (i think) and then once you get to Bakersfield you can take a direct route north on 5 (i don't like 5) or head west (Cambria area) and take coastal 1 north and have a wonderful drive.
That's what i'd do.

[Driver001]

I'm leaving from Richmond, VA. Baltimore, MD, may be possible as I'm still planning right now. Thank you so much for your helpful ideas so far! I wonder if it's a good idea to reserve hotels ahead of time. I'm concerned that I may not be able to find place for sleep when I need. I'll have GPS, cell phone, sleeping bag, some dry food and bottled water. Any else may be helpful? I'll have Thanksgiving on the road!

[DinsdalePirahna]

Plenty of motels along the way nothing to worry about. Stop as soon as you start feeling tired. there is nothing worse than trying to stay awake looking for a hotel. Also try to keep at least 1/2 tank of gas in your car (in addition to your food/water). Cell phone charger is also a good idea if you don't have one.

I'm guessing you will be taking i-64 (try to see the new river gorge bridge in WV) to 1-70 outside of Saint Louis then picking up - 80 north of KC or Denver. (Kansas / Nebraska will be long stretches of nothing).

No matter which way you go you will have to go through the Rockies AND the California Mountains, which are just as gnarly as the Rockies. If you take any road into LA then planning on heading north you will have to navigate through the San Gabriels (which does close down when it snows- yes LA County does get snow)

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by Driver001

Hi all,

I'm planning to drive my sedan car from Virginia to Silicon Valley in late November. I'd appreciate suggestion on easy route, avoiding snowy roads, low budget hotels, and any helpful measures/gadgets from veterans.

I will be in no rush, but do not plan on taking much time for the scenery.

Many thanks,

You'll need to take the southern I-40 route to avoid the Rocky mountains. (The more northern I-80 also avoids mountains but it gets very nasty in the winter - blowing snow, blizzards, winds, whiteout conditions, so you don't want to take it.)

Then you'll want to drop down to Las Vegas and it's a straight shot to L.A. Otherwise if you're going to northern Cailfornia then take the Bakersfield - I-5 route to avoid the Sierra mountains.

Piece of cake. Unlike the previous poster said, you can avoid both the Rockies and the Sierras.

[Snort]

Flagstaff recently got snow, so I wouldn't recommend I-40 unless you're absolutely sure the weather is going to be good. A lot of people making that trip on the I-40 do not know how to drive in bad conditions and I've seen them more than one on the sides of the road and in the median in interesting positions and configurations.
Adding to what I had written earlier, you can even go as far south as I-8 if you want to see San Diego and then head north.