Cross Country Move - Boston to Los Angeles - August

[USA]

I'm moving across the country from Boston to Los Angeles this August.

I am driving with my belongings and here is my planned route:

Boston, MA - Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, PA - Chicago, IL
Day in Chicago
Chicago, IL - Grand Island, NB
Grand Island, NB - Grand Junction, CO
Grand Junction, CO - Los Angeles, CA

Any suggestions in terms of preparation, driving with belongings, must sees, alternate route, must haves for trip, etc.

Thank you.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Other than for Pittsburgh, your described route is essentially the most direct, all-Interstate route, so there's not much to comment on in that regard. Since you'll be carrying your stuff (truck?, trailer?, car-top carrier?), I'll assume you won't be wanting to wander too far off those main roads or leave your ride unattended for too long. I do hope that you've set aside sufficient time for the drive, 5-6 days plus the time you spend in Chicago. If your listed itinerary is meant to indicate that you plan to drive from Grand Junction to Los Angeles on the last day of your drive, then you need to go back and seriously rethink that. It would be 800 miles on the last day of a grueling journey, and will be unsafe to you and everyone who happens to be on the road with you. Professional drivers are prohibited from driving more than 600 miles a day. You would be wise to adopt a professional approach on such a drive.

Other than that, just make sure that you get your vehicle mechanically checked out thoroughly before you set out, and that you pay attention to the condition of the car and its driver throughout the trip.

AZBuck

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Your trip plan really hits a wall at the end. It is nearly 800 miles from LA to Grand Junction, which is way too much to try to do in one day. It's really too long under any circumstance, but trying to do it at the end of a massive trip like this is particularly dangerous.

The problem really stems from the fact that Chicago to LA is just too far to do in 3 days. Your other 2 days after Chicago are already at the very limit of how far you can safely, so you can't add more time to them to fix the issue.

There's a couple things you could do.
One, add a half day to your plans. Spending your last night on the road in Vegas would work out well.

The other is to trim your off-day in Chicago to about a half day, and get to Iowa City that night. Then push your other stops back to Julesburg CO, and Salina UT. That's really about the farthest you should consider driving on any of your legs, and even that really won't allow time for any extra stops beyond the very basics for fuel, food, and other quick breaks from the highway.

[glc]

Also, trying to drive 800 miles the last day would get you into LA right when you are the most tired and possibly inattentive - when you will be in traffic that demands the most attention!