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I will be driving on Monday morning from CA to PA (zip codes 92024 to 19464) with a 4'x8' UHaul trailer attached to my SUV. Since it's almost Nov, I'm wondering which route to take... Hwy 40, 70 or 80 (all options given by Google Maps). I'd would like to avoid snow/ice with a trailer & take the quickest route, however, I see there's really only a difference of 100-mi between all the routes.
I'm at a hotel 'til I leave, with the Weather Channel... but aside from watching that (& I've not found AAA to be immensely helpful), can anyone (maybe someone who traverses highways on a regular basis) help me with trip planning? I've driven cross-country multiple times... by Hwy 40 & 70. It would be nice to take alternate route Hwy 80 since I've not seen those states before... but, I'm assuming the further north, the more likely snowy/icy/rainy weather I might encounter this time of year? Am I right or should I just watch the Weather Channel?
Any info is most helpful. Cheers so much, then...
Oh & 2 things... I have a slow WiFi connection at the hotel (so it takes a bloody bit of time to get onto any website) & also don't know in which C-D forum to list this??? Automotive? SoCal? PA? Travel? Should any of you disagree with it's placement in the Travel forum... feel free to notify Mods. Cheers for any assistance... I'm a wee bit more than stressed at this bloody point!
I-80 could have some bad weather at times in the fall & winter.
I-8 towards Phoenix (take 85 north to I-10) (take the 303 [new bypass] to I-17)
I-17 to Flagstaff
I-40 to Oklahoma City
I-44 to St. Louis
I-70 to Indianapolis, Columbus & Reading PA
Total 2,732 miles and 39 hours of driving time.
Keep an eye on the Uhaul air in the tires.................
I would take the route that AksarbeN suggested. I wouldn't trust the weather along 70 in Utah and Colorado, I also wouldn't want to be towing a trailer either.
If you take the route that AksarbeN suggested, watch your speed in New Mexico and their "safety corridors."
Going through Oklahoma, you will have tolls. I'm also sure you'll run into tolls in Pennsylvania, IIRC. Oklahoma will be a pretty easy drive on the Will Rogers turnpike, Missouri will also be an easy drive. Going across Missouri will be boring but there are plenty of stops for hotels/gas/food.
I suggest stopping at a White Castle in the St. Louis area if you've never had a White Castle.
I've only driven through Kentucky south-north and have never been in West Virginia.
When you get to SEPA, take a trip to the Martin Guitar Factory and take the tour (it's free) in Nazareth if you get the chance, it's a really cool experience for a guitar maker that's been doing it since 1833.
Good luck on your travels. I prefer to drive during the night. Less traffic and the cooler temperature tends to get you slightly better mileage. Just put the cruise control on, have some good music and enjoy the drive.
I-80 could have some bad weather at times in the fall & winter.
I-8 towards Phoenix (take 85 north to I-10) (take the 303 [new bypass] to I-17)
I-17 to Flagstaff
I-40 to Oklahoma City
I-44 to St. Louis
I-70 to Indianapolis, Columbus & Reading PA
Total 2,732 miles and 39 hours of driving time.
Thank you very much, AksarbeN. I'm just curious why you'd suggest 40 to 70 instead of 40 all the way? Wouldn't I be less likely to hit bad weather the further south I travel?
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Keep an eye on the Uhaul air in the tires.....
Thank you for that. It never occurred to me to check trailer tires.
Thank you very much, AksarbeN. I'm just curious why you'd suggest 40 to 70 instead of 40 all the way? Wouldn't I be less likely to hit bad weather the further south I travel?
Thank you for that. It never occurred to me to check trailer tires.
Shorter and faster route by moving from I-40 to I-70 then to stay on I-40. Could save gas and time!
I would take the route that AksarbeN suggested. I wouldn't trust the weather along 70 in Utah and Colorado, I also wouldn't want to be towing a trailer either.
Hey Army... thank you for your input. I agree... I used to live in CO & in fact, made it out of the state & through UT with a snowstorm on my tail... I could literally see it in the rear view mirror trying to catch me, like in that horror film, The Fog.
But, your comment about the trailer scares me a little... I know to lower speed if towing anything (in fact, yesterday I drove back to San Diego from San Francisco & 70 speed limits are reduced to 55 for trucks/trailers), but are there any other precautions I should take should I run into ice/snow? I thought driving was fine, mainly due to the weight of a filled trailer, which gives better traction... unless I've got that wrong?? And, I'd then ask you the same as I did AksarbeN above... shouldn't I just drive 40 as long as possible to avoid the possibility of snow all together?
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Going through Oklahoma, you will have tolls. I'm also sure you'll run into tolls in Pennsylvania, IIRC. Oklahoma will be a pretty easy drive on the Will Rogers turnpike, Missouri will also be an easy drive. Going across Missouri will be boring but there are plenty of stops for hotels/gas/food.
All good info, thanks!
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I suggest stopping at a White Castle in the St. Louis area if you've never had a White Castle.
Ordinarily, I'd take your suggestion, but I've been continually traveling for 1-1/2 wks now & since I can't cook, I've been bloody burgered to death! I think the Castle will have to wait for another trip.
Quote:
When you get to SEPA, take a trip to the Martin Guitar Factory and take the tour (it's free) in Nazareth if you get the chance, it's a really cool experience for a guitar maker that's been doing it since 1833.
Thank you, I'll keep it in mind. It may be something I can drag one of my brothers to... although, I'm gonna get the blame when the wives question why they come home with a guitar. Oh, & then I'm passing the blame along to you!
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Good luck on your travels. I prefer to drive during the night. Less traffic and the cooler temperature tends to get you slightly better mileage. Just put the cruise control on, have some good music and enjoy the drive.
I've found a lot of guys like to night drive, but I'm a girl & driving alone. I've driven completely cross country several times on my own (dear lord I hope this is the last time) & learnt it's best for me to get off the road come dark for a handful of reasons. Also, I find it's less tiring when I can look around at scenery... if I'm just staring at road lines, it feels far longer.
Thanks for your help & good wishes. It's going to be a long trip, so I plan on stopping every few days for a day's rest. I've never done that before & always wished I had. These trips renew my respect for haulers... I don't know how their bodies can take years on the road. I drove 1.5K-mi this week all over CA & must say, I need to psych myself up for this trip. In fact, I'm leaving on Tues rather than tomorrow... that should be enough time for me to get over my gnarly, whiny attitude.
Shorter and faster route by moving from I-40 to I-70 then to stay on I-40. Could save gas and time!
I'll have to look again from another location... Google maps said it was 100-mi longer, but my WiFi connection is very slow in the hotel & I can't always get the entire map to load. Tomorrow, I'll plug it into the GPS. It's new, so I'm unsure how to select a varying route, hence my q here.
Then yes, I would suggest driving during the day as a solo female.
If you really get tired, the big gas stations usually have spots for you to park so you can catch a cat nap.
I should've clarified my comment about the trailer: I wouldn't want to drive through the mountains hauling a trailer. Also, check to see what the speed rating for the trailer is, IIRC, it's probably around 55mph.
Do you have a GPS? I prefer to use a stand alone GPS because I want to keep my phone for calls only. Plus a lot of the GPS units will give you gas/hotel/food options, distance/direction and even phone numbers so you can call ahead for vacancy. My experience is that west of the Mississippi, I've never had an issue with vacancy but it was always tougher east of the Mississippi, especially in the Indiana/Ohio area but that was further north than you'll be traveling.
Keep in mind that you'll be losing time since you're going east. I once made the drive from Los Angeles to Chicago leaving on Sunday morning at 5am and arriving at 9pm on Monday night.
This was my strategy for passing time: good music for a few hours, hands free phone for a few hours, a little silence and (don't get weirded out) talking to myself for a few hours. The quiet you can get on the road can be nice.
Use cruise control, it will save you gas/time. Also stop in OKC if you can and visit the Memorial.
Mile markers work like this: they start (start at 0 and go up) in the west/south at the border of the state and end at the border of the state to start over again at 0 in the new state if you're on the same interstate. There are exceptions but for the most part, odd number interstates are north/south and even number interstates are east/west.
I would also avoid stopping in the St. Louis and especially East St. Louis, IL area, especially as a female traveling alone.
Keep in mind of your gas costs. Gas in OKC was pretty cheap when I passed through in early August, it usually is in OK. If you're in a really rural area or in the larger cities, it might cost more. Really rural area due to less gas stations being around and larger cities due to taxes. I've usually found that gas in OK and MO is pretty reasonable. OH was somewhat expensive.
I'll have to look again from another location... Google maps said it was 100-mi longer, but my WiFi connection is very slow in the hotel & I can't always get the entire map to load. Tomorrow, I'll plug it into the GPS. It's new, so I'm unsure how to select a varying route, hence my q here.
Thanks again, AksarbeN!
Looks like staying on I-40 into Tenn and then taking I-81 up will add some miles. Google makes shows it at 2,800 with 40 hrs of driving. That’s not much of a change in time but only another 70 miles on the trip which could be a good idea if you want to avoid going the northern route.
When you stop for gas, take your credit card and leave your purse inside the SUV. LOCK YOUR CAR DOORS while standing outside pumping gas! The last trip I was on some of the gas stations seemed to have some undesirable guys hanging around outside waiting to do a crime even during the daytime hours. Have a safe trip!
Mod cut: Off topic. Its October, I know snow starts early in the passes of the west, but there is no winter weather anywhere for the next couple of days in the lower 48 except the extreme western peaks and maybe a bit in the extreme and remote northern midwest, and little precipitation. I guess some at the end of the week.
But let's not get paranoid and keep things in perspective, thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of truckers as well as family vehicles cross country every day rain, snow, or sleet.
OP: you've left today and assuming you will arrive at your destination in the next few days you will have good weather driving whatever route you choose. Don't worry about weather - worry more about road construction and rush hour traffic and staying alert on the long drive.
Last edited by PJSaturn; 10-28-2014 at 12:34 PM..
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I think the Castle will have to wait for another trip.
Oh, & then I'm passing the blame along to you! 
