Tacoma, WA to Florida November 08, 2013, 09:02:14 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143504Retiring December 20, heading south from Tacoma, WA area. In-Laws in Lake City, Florida. I figure I-10 is best route but what is best route to pick up I-10? 395 sounds nice but will I encounter snow? I-5 to I-10?Jim 1997 Teal RB
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #1 – November 08, 2013, 09:14:37 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143505395 is a major north/south route and stays open year round. Very, very scenic in December... http://www.highwayconditions.com/ca/Al
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #2 – November 08, 2013, 09:47:44 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143506Unfortunately, you have picked a really bad time of the year to get out of Tacoma. You may face snow and ice no matter which route you choose. If you come straight down I-5 you have to get over the Siskiyou's. They can be really bad in December. I have had to chain up with a 4X4 to get over that pass. If you make it over the pass you still have many miles to get to the lower altitudes in California. I wouldn't go down 395 at that time of the year. The northern end can get treacherous. I have been through there when I saw at least a dozen 18-wheelers on their side. If I were going to try what you are doing I think I would first take 84 out of Portland, and follow that all the way to Utah where I would pick up the I-15. Take I-15 south to either I-40 or on down to Phoenix where you can get on I-10. It would depend on the weather and road conditions. If I-40 is not too bad I would take that to Texas, and then get on I-10 or I-8 for your trip to Florida. I have lived in Idaho, Washington and Oregon so I am very familiar with all those routes in the winter. You probably can't escape snow even on the route I have suggested. I think you will have to keep a close eye on road conditions and set your route accordingly.Dick
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #3 – November 08, 2013, 10:11:40 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143507We live in Spokane. Three years ago, we were delayed leaving to go south until early December. We headed west and took I-5 south (we normally go down through Nevada, either US-95 or US-93). The morning we were to drive over the Siskiyous, I called 511 on my phone to find out road conditions over the pass. Fortunately, they were good, but if they hadn't been we were prepared to head west to US-101 and go south until we got down into California. So, if it were me, I'd use I-5 and call 511 before heading over the pass. If conditions are bad, either wait it out or go over to US-101 and go south from there. At some point, get over to 99 and, at Bakersfield, pick up SR-58 and head east to I-40 at Barstow. From there, you can head east on I-40 and drop down to I-10 at any point.Linda Hylton
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #4 – November 09, 2013, 02:57:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 143508"Retiring December 20, heading south from Tacoma, WA"JimCongrats on your retirement. Not being on a strict schedule is one of retirement's major advantages. Pack your LD, wait for a two day window, when the forecast is good and the roads reports show no problems, and then blast down I-5 to Sacramento. At that point, you can decide which route east you want.to take. Are you in 'got to get there quickly' or 'we will get there when we get there' mode? If the time is available, I would prefer to take my time and meander down the coast. The coast of Oregon and Northern California offer spectacular winter storm watching and less crowds.Larry
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #5 – November 09, 2013, 09:37:20 am Yahoo Message Number: 143509Hello there, I have traveled during Nov and Dec from different locations in the Pacific Northwest to various locations in the South/Southwest. I use a weather site called weather undergournd to track the weather situations along the way. This site has a trip planner that is time and date sensitive. It will show you any weather conditions and is a real time forcast by time and day. It is invaluable and free. http://www.wunderground.com/roadtrip/I pretty much traveled between snowflakes. Have a wonderful trip and be prepared to hang out in places until the weather clears. I have mud and snow tires on my lovely little GloryDaze just in case.Patricia the Grandmother of her Tribe.
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #6 – November 09, 2013, 10:30:01 am Yahoo Message Number: 143511They have been predicting snow r the north part of state, be careful whatever way you go. I was born and raised in Eastern Washington (south of Spokane) and job took me to Seattle where I commuted from Kent. Do you remember the Snowbowl Game with Greenbay and Seattle? It took me 1/2 hour to get to Seahawks Stadium and 6 hours to get home. So travel carefully.Jan/Scottsdale AZ. Date: Fri, 8 Nov 2013 20:11:39 -0800 Subject: RE: [LD] Tacoma, WA to FloridaWe live in Spokane. Three years ago, we were delayed leaving to go south until early December. We headed west and took I-5 south (we normally go down through Nevada, either US-95 or US-93). The morning we were to drive over the Siskiyous, I called 511 on my phone to find out road conditions over the pass. Fortunately, they were good, but if they hadn't been we were prepared to head west to US-101 and go south until we got down into California. So, if it were me, I'd use I-5 and call 511 before heading over the pass. If conditions are bad, either wait it out or go over to US-101 and go south from there. At some point, get over to 99 and, at Bakersfield, pick up SR-58 and head east to I-40 at Barstow. From there, you can head east on I-40 and drop down to I-10 at any point. Linda Hylton
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #7 – November 09, 2013, 12:40:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143513A couple of comments on "mud and snow" tires: Light truck tires rated M+S (M/S, etc.) have wider grooves in the tread than LT tires without the M/S stamp on the sidewall. M/S tires for "light trucks" (and the Ford E-450 cab chassis is considered a "light truck" for tire fitment purposes) also have siping around the outer tread edge. The wider tread grooves and siping of designated M/S tires do help to "release" more snow and/or mud accumulation in the treads, but they do nothing to improve stability or control when driving on ice, and are not a substitute for real "snow tires"; this article (and the additional articles from the drop down list) may be helpful: http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=125Personally, I feel about snow/ice driving the way that some people feel about driving their rigs on dicey roads; if the "road" is passable and not a goat track, I'm usually good to go, but driving in snow and/or ice in any vehicle, *particularly* a big, heavy vehicle, unnerves me as much as traveling in tornado country when the sky is greenish-black! I've gotten caught a few times (sudden, unpredicted snow storms) and had to drive in/through/over snow and ice in the motorhome, but I try to plan ahead to avoid snow/ice travel, no matter what designation my tires carry! ;-)As ever, YMMV!Joan
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #8 – November 09, 2013, 12:53:34 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143515Thanks for all the advise, just what I wanted.Ken brought up something that I had not considered, where to sleep. I was going to go and look for a spot when we got tired but I think I should do some planning.We won't be in a hurry but we were going to try to get to Lake City by the Jan 1st. Looking at the miles I don't think I want to set a date. I am retired after all.My sister gave me some tips on avoiding LA by getting on I-210 near Valencia so I think we will go down I-5. Still have some time for more planning.Will save 395 and the coast when the weather is less threatening.Jim & Donna 1997 Teal RB
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #9 – November 09, 2013, 02:46:48 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143517"I was going to go and look for a spot when we got tired but I think I should do some planning."I think that's a really good idea. Spontaneity is great, and certainly if you see some unexpectedly interesting place (or hear about it from a fellow camper), you should stop and check it out. But it's smart to have a backup plan for where you're going to stay each night. Driving until you're tired and then looking for a place to stop can easily end up with you driving until you're overtired, leading to frayed tempers and possibly increasing your chances of an accident.One good way to handle this is to plan a tentative destination every morning before you get on the road. You can always change it if something better shows up, but at least you have a fallback plan if nothing does.I suggest keeping a printed campground guide such as Woodall's with you--remember, you may not always have an internet connection! When you do have access to the internet, Ted Houghton's Ultimate US Public Campground Project (also available as an iPhone/iPad app) is a tremendously helpful resource, listing more than 18,000 campgrounds. You may also want to joinPassport America, an inexpensive campground association that gets you half-off pricing at 1,800+ commercial campgrounds. Even though I don't often stay at commercial campgrounds, a Passport America membership pays for itself in only a few nights.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #10 – November 09, 2013, 02:50:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143518On Sat, 9 Nov 2013, QuoteThanks for all the advise, just what I wanted.My sister gave me some tips on avoiding LA by getting on I-210 near Valencia so I think we will go down I-5. Still have some time for more planning. Jim, I-210 may avoid LA proper, but it won't help much avoiding LA traffic. I think you were given good advice about taking SR58 at Bakersfield to Barstow. Just check the weather at Tehachapi. From there take I-40 into AZ and enjoy Lake Havasu City and Quartzite before getting on I-10. Also, you can avoid Phoenix by taking AZ SR 85 between I-10 and I-8, also recommended if you want to avoid as much traffic as possible. Rich - 2000 MB - Birch Bay, WA Can give you some recommendation for the I-5 part of the trip if you like.QuoteWill save 395 and the coast when the weather is less threatening. Good idea
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #11 – November 09, 2013, 03:03:54 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143520I second this! If you get on I-10 at either US-95 (California side) or AZ-95 (Arizona side), then...unless you have some reason why you have to go through Phoenix, the AZ-85 route from I-10, Exit 112 to I-8 at Gila Bend is a good one. It is now all 4 lanes except for about a mile north of Gila Bend.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.comAlso, you can avoid Phoenix by taking AZ SR 85 between I-10 and I-8, also recommended if you want to avoid as much traffic as possible.
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #12 – November 09, 2013, 04:06:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143522Rich, I would welcome recommendations for I-5. We have travelled in Oregon and Washington but not into California.Jim & Donna 1997 Teal RB
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #13 – November 09, 2013, 04:57:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143526Jim, For your first night, I would recommend the Valley River Center Mall parking lot in Eugene, OR. You park right along the Willamett River and its trails, and they welcome you with a security van. Just find a good spot in the NW corner of their parking lot. It's about 5 miles off I-5, but the price is right (read free) and the facillities are hard to beat, shopping, movies, dinner hiking, biking or whatever. We also like the Rolling Hills Casino at Corning, CA. Right off I-5 and either free (if you like trucks) or use their RV park. Free Wi-Fi and if you sign up, free gambling and discount dinner. If you take my previous advice and take SR58 out of Bakersfield, I would recommend the Orange Grove RV resort just east of Bakersfield right off SR58. Might be a little early for oranges, but a neat stop anyway, and although a little pricy, you've saved a few bucks the last few nights and won a whole bunch at Rolling Hills, right?Have a great trip,Rich - 2000 MB - Birch Bay, WA
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #14 – November 09, 2013, 04:58:31 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143527If you can get to southern CA on I-5, using I-210 to head east is a good idea. It will take you across the northern part of the Los Angeles area. Just follow the main freeway until you get to I-15; then go a few miles south to I-10. The I-10 freeway actually becomes SR-110 before it gets to I-15. At the point where the freeway changes from I-10 to SR-110, I-10 gets routed south on another freeway (SR-57 ?) to I-10, but that route is often congested. I have driven from San Diego to Jacksonville, FL several Decembers via I-8/I-10. Be aware that I-10 can have snow and ice problems, particularly in western NM and in west TX. However, the probabilities of it happening are a lot less than having snow and ice problems on I-40.Doug
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #15 – November 09, 2013, 05:06:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143530QuoteOn Nov 9, 2013, at 2:57 PM, Rich Gort wrote:Jim, For your first night, I would recommend the Valley River Center Mall parking lot in Eugene, OR. You park right along the Willamett River and its trails, and they welcome you with a security van. Just find a good spot in the NW corner of their parking lot. It's about 5 miles off I-5, but the price is right (read free) and the facillities are hard to beat, shopping, movies, dinner hiking, biking or whatever. Here you can check the weather. If bad head to the coast - 101.QuoteWe also like the Rolling Hills Casino at Corning, CA. Right off I-5 and either free (if you like trucks) or use their RV park. Free Wi-Fi and if you sign up, free gambling and discount dinner.And you can sample olives. More olives then a human can ever want or need.QuoteReply via web post Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (14).
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #16 – November 09, 2013, 07:21:43 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143537For California road conditions try: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/We went to the mothership a week ago from Sacramento to Montclair by way of US 50 & 395 (w/ TT). Missed the good weather by a day. Snow & Ice from Bridgeport CA (70 S. of Carson City NV) to Bishop - most travel above 6000'. Just avoided chains by way of a serendipitous CalTrans Snowplow. 395 closed for a while due to wind. Check the weather- if you have a good window, take 395 to SR58 (Kramer Junction and PU I-40 in Barstow) or I-10 in San Bernardino.395 between SR58 (Kramer Junction) to I-15 only fair- worst of the road between Reno & San. Bdo.WA - FL Dec 20 - Jan 1? From the perspective of a retiree, that is ambitious. (Sacramento- Raleigh NC 29 days).Retirement? You'll love it- trust us.Joel & MaryFrom: "jas242ti@..." To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, November 9, 2013 10:53 AM Subject: [LD] RE: Tacoma, WA to Florida
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #17 – November 09, 2013, 10:42:44 pm Yahoo Message Number: 143543We've been running this route since the mid-80's, and concur - if you wish to avoid the annoyances of heavy traffic. There is an excellent overnight spot at Gila Bend - a Shell Gas Station that has a nice campground behind it with free WiFi to boot. They have a nice laundry and restroom, and it is surprisingly quiet considering you are practically in the middle of a gas station!http://www.passport-america.com/campgrounds/CampgroundDetails.aspx?CampgroundId=1844>When it first opened, the price was very reasonable (about $8.), with an Escapee or a Passport America discount. I see by the above link that they have raised their price considerably and do not honor Passport America for the months of May through the end of September. During those months, it is $24. a night.Still, RVParkReviews shows folks are still happy with the accommodations!Virtual hugs,Judie http://dorrieanne.wordpress.com
Re: Tacoma, WA to Florida Reply #18 – November 10, 2013, 10:12:08 am Yahoo Message Number: 143552Holts also has a free dump and fresh water.Linda Hylton http://earl-linda.blogspot.comhttp://www.passport-america.com/campgrounds/CampgroundDetails.aspx?CampgroundId=1844>
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