Hi. Moving in May 2010 from LA to NY….Very Anxious bcs First Time CC travelers with 2 cats in tow, and we sure need some help planning the trip. Thankfully , we discovered your Forum and ….Wow!....you folks are just the Guardian Angels we never thought we’d find!! The day we were online, around 4/18/2010, you had planned a trip for two other LA to NY travelers. Although it is very time-aggressive for us, it is exactly the type of itinerary plan we need, listing the day, the interstate, the destination city, etc. Unable find it again, so I am glad that I snipped a wonderful stress-relieving copy till I could join the Forum and seek advice on how to modify it for our own trip. Here it is:
I'm going to plan your trip for you, and it will take 4 days. You will get on the road by 8am, and you will be off the road by 10pm. You lose an hour each day due to time zone change.
Day 1 - Leave LA on I-210 to I-15 to I-40. Spend the night around Albuquerque, NM.
Day 2 - I-40 to I-44, spend the night around Tulsa, OK.
Day 3 - I-44 to I-70, spend the night in Richmond, IN.
Day 3 - I-70 to I-71 to I-76 to I-80 to NYC.
This is 700 miles a day, the farthest I would recommend anyone drive in a day, regardless of the number of drivers. With respect to Albuquerque and Tulsa, I highly recommend you find a hotel on the Interstate outside the city itself. It would probably be best getting one after you go through the city, so you don't get caught in the inbound morning rush hour the next morning.
Major city avoidance:
1. OKC - take the Kilpatrick Turnpike around OKC, it turns into I-44.
2. Tulsa - Stay on I-44.
3. STL - take I-270 north, it will take you around to I-70 - unless you hit it between 2 and 7pm local. If that's the case, take I-255 instead around the other side of the city to I-55/70.
4. IND - take I-465 south.
5. Columbus - take I-270 north to I-71.
We will driving a “Wed thru Mon/Tues ?” schedule , leaving LA about Noon on a Wednesday and want to take 5-6 days to get to NY, perhaps allowing another half-day for “unexpecteds” (weather,etc.). We figure 2 drivers can manage 500 miles a day; we want to stay on the main interstates for safety concerns; travel during daylight hours; overnight in/near larger cities; and we prefer to avoid or wait-out really bad weather . We will be making the necessary stops for lunch, fuel, bio breaks (us and the 2 cats), but not sure yet how many to expect (…never distance-traveled w/ cats.)
Is it possible to stretch your plan out for a 500 mile-a-day trip? Thanks for the Assist.....HurryUp-N-Wait