Driving from Pennsylvania to Denver in early January. How dangerous is the drive?

[headingtoDenver]

Originally Posted by Repatriated

Stop at rest areas often and get out of the car and just walk around. It really helps on the long drives. My wife and I (well me driving the whole time) did the trip from Orlando to Denver in 3 days just a couple months ago. We drove mostly daylight hours...and enjoyed the trip.

If you're really nervous about snow storms etc, fill your tank often and don't drop below 1/4 tank. A Corolla can idle for a LONG time on a 1/4 tank...if you actually slid off the road into a ditch. You'll be driving almost entirely main roads on the trip, with plenty of traffic. Don't stress it. Just take your time and enjoy the drive.

I just saw this!! Congrats on getting out of Floriduh. My wife and I did the same drive from Melbourne to Denver just over a year ago. We actually loved the drive.

[AgelessStranger]

Made the drive back and forth from Philadelphia Pa to Ft Carson multiple times many years ago. If my memory serves me right, my friend and I drove straight through in roughly 27 hrs. But never in the dead of winter. I would just suggest plan accordingly and carefully watch the weather.

[Prodigal Native]

Originally Posted by Maverick69

Thank you for your response! I actually am taking my car to the shop on Monday to get taken care of and will be getting brand new tires on it before the trip.

Just one of my little quirks, but I would get those tires either from A) a national chain so any warranty issues can be easily dealt with or B) from a place in Denver (assuming your existing tires are at least "OK").

Just prior to moving is not necessarily the best time to support the local economy when purchasing something that costs several hundred dollars and is expected to last several years. My first credit card was from Sears and I keep it just because while they are not the ideal place to get your car fixed, they are just about everywhere and can fix most things likely to break on such a trip.

Since other people seem to be posting their long distance tips, here's my two:

Drink lots of water/soda/coffee. Although hydration is key, I find the need to pee to be a great stimulant that will stop you from getting drowsy.

Get some podcasts/audio books and listen to them instead of music. Hearing songs you know by heart will not keep you as mentally alert as new material that forces you to pay attention will. Audible has some coupons floating around that will get you two free audio books and there are more podcasts around than you can shake a stick at. A cheap Bluetooth to FM transmitter will make make them much easier to listen to.

[LarsMac]

One other thing probably worth pointing out.
A lot of the gas stations in Kansas along I-70 advertise a great price for the mid-range Gas, instead of the regular.
It is not really obvious that the Regular is as much as 10 cents higher than the mid grade. So if you aren't watching you end up paying a lot more that you expected for your gas.

And, the "24/7" brand stations advertise their gas at a cash price. If you use a card it will cost several cents a gallon more than the advertised price.

[Repatriated]

Originally Posted by headingtoDenver

I just saw this!! Congrats on getting out of Floriduh. My wife and I did the same drive from Melbourne to Denver just over a year ago. We actually loved the drive.

We're really liking Denver. Orlando...was..."meh" at best for us. The drive was fun, as we took the southern route.