Road trip PA to NM (Hope: 2014, tech jobs, moving)

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by thelazyone

I'm strongly thinking about driving to New Mex from PA.
Taking the car in to get scheduled maintenance work done.

ObAutomobileRant:
If you are not already sure that your vehicle can drive across the country
right now, then you have no business taking it on a road trip in the first place.
I have never had a vehicle that I could not at any time just take it from LA to NY on a whim.
Nope - no business.

Are you driving for a vacation or moving? If vacationing, then rent a car instead. You
won't have any maintenance hassles, if the car breaks down, you just get another one and
you are on your way. You can get a vehicle with satellite radio and always have radio.

Since you have never driven cross-country, you should expect hours of
no signal intermixed with hours of only one terrible station intermixed
with some stations you can get in the cities you pass through.

It's more expensive, but only a little bit more expensive. Wear-and-tear and
depreciation cost more than gasoline for all but the most fuel-inefficient vehicles.
If your car is not very fuel efficient, then you get an extra bonus by using an
efficient rental. You can put off the expense of servicing your own vehicle.

Newer cars have much much better reception than older cars. When I drive my car - which has
pretty good reception, I lose Phoenix AM just about the time that I can pick up Albuquerque AM.

The last rental I took, I got Albuquerque all the way to Payson and got Phoenix all the way to Gallup
- amazing. That was especially good because I didn't discover the sat radio didn't work till
I was in Grants and it was too late to turn back. ( I was stupid not to check at the rental place. )

aries63 has the best advice on here:

Originally Posted by aries63

Hmmm... why drive if you don't enjoy it? Life is too short.

Went about 400 miles a day and took lots of pictures.
It was more about the journey, not the destination. ...

I love a good road trip and wish I had an excuse to do what you
propose to do. It's very fun and I don't try to bust my hiney on a drive.
I stop and love to eat breakfast on the road. I like to sightsee.

Zoidberg is also right.You cannot average 79 mph - - - ever.
Your average speed will be more like 55-60 if you stop and get out and stretch
your legs and use the bathroom every hour to 1.5 hours. Anything more than that
is just trying to prove how tough you are and defeats the purpose of a fun road trip.

If you are on some sort of very very tight time budget and you are delivering something, that's
different. The only way to enjoy a trip like that is to stop and smell the roses --- so to speak.

Here is some math:

(1) Drive 79 mph for 1 hour and stop to use the facilities for 20 minutes:
--- average speed for 79 miles is 59.4 mph

(2) Drive 79 mph for 1.5 hours and stop to use the facilities for 20 minutes:
--- average speed for 118.5 miles is 64.7 mph

The above assumes perfect driving conditions where you can go 79 without
interference from stuff like one semi passing another at a 1 mph differential.
( Note that this really really makes Zoidberg angry. It's cute. )

If you are so anal that you absolutely have to take less than 20 minutes to stop, then you should not have this far into the post.

Stretch, read maps, rest your eyes, clean your windshield ( and headlights/taillights ) don't be a dum/\ass. Relax.

I would advise taking I-70 to Denver and enjoy seeing the mountains as you head South on
I-25. Since you are heading out from Emmaus and you are almost on it, take I-80. For a better
trip, take I-90. See the Black Hills, Devil's Tower. ( You can see Devil's Tower from I-90. )

Otherwise, bring a cup and and pee in it while moving so that you can really make time. Chug
sugared cola or energy drinks so you can stay awake and sleep in your car so that you won't waste
time checking in and out of motels and taking showers. Don't stop for fuel until you are absolutely
empty. On the open road, the tension over possibly running out of gasoline will help keep you awake.

Oh, one more piece of advice: Never never never get a room in a motel on the road that
is under another one. The people above you will stomp around, make lots of noise and
either stay up way way later than you want to stay up or get up way way earlier than ...
Top floor. Every time -- all the time. Stairs are good for you. You fat dork. You just
got done sitting in the car all day, do some stairs and DON'T get a first floor room!!

[Zoidberg]

Originally Posted by mortimer

Oh, one more piece of advice: Never never never get a room in a motel on the road that
is under another one. The people above you will stomp around, make lots of noise and
either stay up way way later than you want to stay up or get up way way earlier than ...
Top floor. Every time -- all the time. Stairs are good for you. You fat dork. You just
got done sitting in the car all day, do some stairs and DON'T get a first floor room!!

While I can't say the stomping was a problem on the 2nd floor, my loudest motel neighbors ever came from beneath me (and not just the sort of thumping you'd expect, but such clear reception that I could tell you what everyone's name was, what was on the pizzas they ordered, and who shagged whom for how much money).

Luckily newer motels tend to be better built to screen this sort of thing out. The biggest noise issues for me at these places are the heater/air conditioner, the occasional hiss or whine from toilets and showers in adjoining units, and the sound of slamming doors (why do they design them to do that?). Extra points for slamming doors when your neighbor is dealing drugs from his room and taking calls in front of both your rooms.

Mort's not necessarily right to grill the OP on being a fat dork for allegedly insisting on a ground floor unit. Second floor and up often ends up being a long ride on an elevator simply because the stairs are far away, not clearly marked, and in an unfamiliar part of the building. One of the nice things about older hotels is either the necessity or ease of accessibility of stairs.

One thing that has helped me stay awake for too-far stretches of driving is extremely spicy candy, like atomic fireballs, or preferably something _really_ noticeable. Caffeine helps but seems to fall short after a certain number of hours. Singing along to the radio also helps, as it forces more of your brain to stay awake.

[RandomName958]

if you have a car full of crap you have to unload and reload to avoid having it stolen, the top floor might not be such a good idea.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by RandomName958

if you have a car full of crap you have to unload and reload to avoid having it stolen, the top floor might not be such a good idea.

Good point. I know two people who have had their trailers packed with belongings stolen while parked in a hotel parking lot. (These occurred on the East Coast years ago...)

Smash N' Grabs of parked cars does happen...


Rich

[BuckeyezRule]

Let me look at a few routes for you & I'll get back to you. I drove, as a woman, w/ just, at the time, my 2 1/2 yo daughter from Akron, OH, to SLC, Utah (drive from old home to new home lol) . BEST road trip I've ever taken! I drove 12 hours a day sometimes. Somedays not so much. Didn't take the quickest route, but a great one! =) What an awesome experience to share w/ a child! Boy or girl? Age? & are you the Mom or Dad? If you don't mind me asking. I can better look for things that way. I actually love maps & finding interesting things to see & do along the way. That's what makes a fun trip! =)

[thelazyone]

maybe i'll do the train thing again instead of driving.

[jiminnm]

Originally Posted by thelazyone

maybe i'll do the train thing again instead of driving.

If you don't like driving, then don't drive. If you enjoy driving, then do. It's as simple as that.

I've driven to/from Michigan 6-8 times since 1999, we drive to/from Tennessee at least twice every year, and on numerous other trips. Our preference is to drive everywhere, as we also travel mostly by car when taking trips for fun (as opposed to familial obligations, which may or may not be fun). On the interstates, 700-750 miles is typical day for us, but we've pushed it to 900 a few times (13-14 hours to do that). Since we got satellite radio, it's become a little easier to do the longer days.

After spending maybe 250-300 nights over the last 12 years in a wide assortment of roadside motels, hotels and inns, I can only recall one instance of a vehicle being broken into (not ours). It can certainly happen, but it's not something I'd be overly concerned about.

[BuckeyezRule]

Originally Posted by thelazyone

maybe i'll do the train thing again instead of driving.

Just LMK, then I'll take a look. It really is a magnificent drive in parts. =) We drove from Ohio through St. Louis & across 40 through ABQ on our way to Utah in late 06. We thought it would be the safest way. Um, yeah, that was the time ABQ got one of the worst snowstorms they'd had. lol

[thelazyone]

If I get the tech job I applied for. I will certainly be driving to ABQ. Just in a much bigger vehicle.

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by thelazyone

If I get the tech job I applied for. I will certainly
be driving to ABQ. Just in a much bigger vehicle.

That would be great! -- What do you think your chances are?

Of course, moving and visiting are two different drives. The advice from ay jayy and
SunshineAlly will work best for you when you move. I would also stick to I-40 for that.