Routes - more info February 08, 2010, 10:29:29 am Yahoo Message Number: 109811Joan suggested I give more info on my upcoming planned trip, so here goes:I'm taking about a week each direction, with a week at the destination. First couple nights out I'll stay in rest areas, and I don't plan to travel more than 4-6 driving hours in a day -- because I don't know how long I'll want to drive. (Taking the m/h from Seattle area to Portland OR - I always stop once for half an hour to stretch and get out of whatever traffic there is for a while - and plan to take lots of breaks along the way....the dogs will want to stretch too). The last 2-3 nights of the trip, I'll stay in campgrounds close to the freeways. The plan is to leave Wednesday night after work (on the road by 4:00 pm), and drive about 4 hours. Then it's up in the morning, and be on the road by 10:00 each day (to let any local traffic disperse), and be camped by 7 pm each night to rest up and exercise dogs. I'd prefer to stay on Interstates, but a smaller road is good, I'm open to that as well. If I see something interesting, I'll stop to look. :-) I've no real goals on what to see as I'm driving....but at each stop I'm planning to take photos for my cousin's grandson (he's 6) and email them to her to share with him. Of course a stuffed toy will be in the photos with captions. (grin). Hope that helps....nothing hard and fast, except a week there and a week back.Helen[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Routes - more info Reply #1 – February 08, 2010, 11:45:20 am Yahoo Message Number: 109823"Helen D." wrote: I'd prefer to stay on Interstates... -- Helen, my suggestion would be one of the options from Rich Gort: I-90 to I-29 south at Sioux Falls, SD, and then to wherever your destination is in Iowa. You might find these websites helpful in providing details on I-90: http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-090.htmlhttp://www.milebymile.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_90National Geographic published "National Geographic's Guide to the Interstates; Crossing America"; the third (and last) edition is dated 2001. Amazon has this from other sellers, and Powell's website says that it has a hardback; I don't know the publication date. NB - On the "milebymile" site, the highway is detailed *by state*; click on the state on the home page of the site. ("Milebymile" is a great site, but sometimes your head might explode from TMI pressure.) A couple of additional "travel" suggestions: I don't know the exact timing of your trip -- you mentioned "a couple of months" from now, IIRCC -- but you may want to stop earlier than "7:00" each night to allow plenty of time to dog walk and do whatever while it's still light. And, do allow time for doing rig "chores" (or unexpected problems), any shopping, sightseeing/serendipitous attractions, off-freeway travels, rest time....you get the idea. Have a good trip.Joan
Re: Routes - more info Reply #2 – February 08, 2010, 11:53:14 am Yahoo Message Number: 109825Oh! The timing of the trip is leave 4/28, and start the return on 5/8 or 5/9. I hope that's plenty of evening daylight....and I can always leave later in the morning each day too.Thanks for the reference links (and warning on mile-by-mile info!).Helen
Re: Routes - more info Reply #3 – February 08, 2010, 12:31:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109832Joan said:EXACTLY what I was going to suggest. Helen, I have learned this the hard way. 7pm is far too late an evening stopping time for a good time on the road. Aim for 3-4 pm instead. After that traffic is typically harried, heavy, and tiring. Also, try to stop just BEFORE major cities so you can tackle those the next morning when it is calmer. Anytime that you can skip evening rush hour saves you time and gives you more peace. Stopping earlier is not just about daylight. It's about office hours at campgrounds, finding only full campgrounds, trying to play catch up at the end of the day. Give yourself time to get settled, time to have a nice dinner, time to breathe out. Finally, try to fill the gas tank before you stop for the night. And make sure you have food for dinner/breakfast and propane. Consider emptying your tanks in the afternoon when there is no line at the dump stations. Then, in the morning, you're prepared for anything and you can enjoy your peaceful drive without interuptions for necessities.The best driving time (traffic-wise) is morning! In the morning, I suggest being on the road by 8:30 or 9am. You'll miss all the work traffic and 10am is late, in my opinion. Traffic always increases in the day (after rush hour), so don't miss that quiet morning time to drive.Hope that helps! Have a wonderful trip, Tessa, the Alpha Strategist who learns everything the hard way (and by listening to Joan!)
Re: Routes - more info Reply #4 – February 08, 2010, 12:43:36 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109835On Feb 8, 2010, at 12:31 PM, teresadhill wrote:Quote7pm is far too late an evening stopping time for a good time on the road. Aim for 3-4 pm instead. We aim for 12-1. Naps happen at 2.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Routes - more info Reply #5 – February 08, 2010, 12:52:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109837Tessa, the Alpha Strategist who learns everything the hard way (and by listening to Joan!) >>and I've studied this traffic-timing phenomenon by driving an RV thru the middle of:Paris at 5 am Calgary at 5:30 am during Rodeo Rome at 9am Poza Rica, Mexico at 10am Budapest at 11am London (Central Zone) at Noon Zurich at 3pm Barcelona at 4pm Prague at 5 pm on a rainy Friday afternoonThese driving time truths are universal. Tessa (still suffering PTSD from some of those experiences!)
Re: Routes - more info Reply #6 – February 08, 2010, 01:26:53 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109842All of Tessa's advice is excellent--from stopping around 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. to filling up with gas before stopping. I always fill up toward the end of a day's drive, so that I can get on the road the next morning without having to hunt for a gas station.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Routes - more info Reply #7 – February 08, 2010, 01:40:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109844Quote Driving time also depends on your heading, east or west, and how well you handle a bright sun right in your face.
Re: Routes - more info Reply #8 – February 08, 2010, 01:43:01 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109845"teresadhill" wrote: Tessa, the Alpha Strategist who learns everything the hard way (and by listening to Joan!) -- Thank you for the kinds words, Tessa. I, too, had to learn most things, RV-related and otherwise, the hard way, so if any of my "learned from previous screw-ups" suggestions are helpful, I'm happy! ;-) I have *great* respect and admiration for the many experienced, knowledgeable, and willing-to-help people on this message board; it's impossible to quantify what I have learned from so many. This board is a wonderful resource of people of diverse backgrounds, areas of "specialty" skills, ages, and experiences, but we all obviously have impeccable taste in motorhomes! ;-)Joan
Re: Routes - more info Reply #9 – February 08, 2010, 02:08:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109846--- Joan wrote: if any of my "learned from previous screw-ups" suggestions are helpful, I'm happy! ;-) >>A few more bits of "Joan Wisdom" that I now follow:1. If driving outside of highly developed areas, always drive on the "top half of the tank" and fill up the gas, even if it is not particularly convenient. This saved my hide in Alaska, among other places.2. If you want a site in a National (and many times State) Park Campground, you'd best arrive very early in the day, by 9am in many cases, to snag a vacated site. That's when others are checking out and may be your only hope of getting a first come-first available site during busy season and without reservations.3. Demand "fresh" tires. See her posts in the Tires Links: http://tinyurl.com/ygaz9f4When Joan speaks, I listen! Of course, I can think of tips that I follow from many different folks. But I did hear that today is the official "We Love Joan" Day. Tessa
Re: Routes - more info Reply #10 – February 08, 2010, 02:41:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109848On Feb 8, 2010, at 12:08 PM, teresadhill wrote:Quote Of course, I can think of tips that I follow from many different folks. But I did hear that today is the official "We Love Joan" Day. Whaaaaaaaat? You mean *every* day isn't "We Love Joan Day"?!!! I heartily agree with Tessa's remarks. Joan was my very first contact with my then-idea of purchasing a home on wheels many many (10?) years ago. I "met" her on another forum, long before Lazy Daze became my final answer (and hers too). A retired teacher of barbaric teenagers, Joan has a "teaching gene" imbedded in her brain!! We are fortunate beneficiaries of her proclivities, knowledge and dedication. Don't you just hate it when she absents herself to take a road trip?!!Lorna http://uppity-woman.blogspot.com/
Re: Routes - more info Reply #11 – February 08, 2010, 02:56:43 pm Yahoo Message Number: 109851Wow, you guys.... I had planned to fill up the tank daily, along with check oil and water levels, and air. The tires are good (only going on 3 years old - I put new ones on when I bought it Nov 07).I will plan to stop between 3-4 pm to settle in, and check things. I have some wal-marts mapped out on the northern route, for grocery shopping, and have now to look for them on other routes.And truck stops - mapping those out as well. 9:00 am...I can do that....I generally get up by 5 AM for work, anyway.I have a GPS...I love it. One of the plans is the week before leaving, check for road destruction on the route....and plan for slower progress, or re-route.Thanks so much!Helen, and the dogs.....[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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