Southern CT to SoCal (Aiming for Feb/Mar)

[ColeBelle]

Hey all :)

Here's what I'm looking to do. Moving from Connecticut to Corona, CA with two dogs. Shipping all of my stuff including my car and renting an SUV. Taking the Southern route due to the time of year, but also using minimal stops. Going with a co-pilot and know we can both easily manage driving 5-6 hrs each per day before stopping somewhere to sleep. I know it sounds a bit on the crazy side, but we both want to get this done as fast as possible and get back to California. Has anyone ever done this or can offer any advice as to where we should call it quits each day? No sightseeing, or any other activities. I would just fly, but one dog is too old, and the other is far too neurotic.

[glc]

Welcome to RTA!

You have a 3000 mile trip, which will take you 6 days. I would suggest the following route:

I-84/I-81/I-40/I-15

5 evenly spaced overnights would be:

Winchester, VA
Knoxville, TN
Little Rock, AR
Amarillo, TX
Holbrook, AZ

You will have to research pet-friendly hotels, the RTA search (top green menu bar, Hotels & Cars) if you hit Filter Results has a check box for Pets Allowed.

[Midwest Michael]

Shipping all of my stuff including my car and renting an SUV. Taking the Southern route due to the time of year, but also using minimal stops.

I agree with GLC that you should be looking at taking about 6 days, however there are some things you should keep in mind when dealing with a winter trip.

First, it is a very common misconception that "going south" will result in better weather. It is entirely possible that going south could lead you right into a winter storm that you might otherwise be able to avoid by staying farther north! Every route you could take from coast to coast sees winter weather from time to time.

Because of that, I would highly recommend you keep your plans flexible, and pick a route based on the weather forecasts just before you leave. Even there, you'll need to keep an eye on the forecast, as things will likely change as you make your way west.

Also, I would question your choice of renting an SUV, especially at the expensive of shipping your car across country. I'm guessing the weather is a big factor in your decision, and you should know that when it comes to Interstate travel, 4 wheel drive is very overrated - often it leads to overconfidence from people who forget the real challenge of winter driving is stopping, and 4 wheel drive doesn't help you there at all. I would actually suggest that for winter driving, you'd might actually be better off using your own vehicle - because you will be more familiar with how it handles and will be in a better position to react to changing conditions.

[ColeBelle]

The SUV is more for comfort of my canine pals than negotiating in snow/terrain. I'm born and raised out in New England, so I know about the whole false sense of 4WD security ;) I have a 100 lb German Shepherd and a 40 lb mutt and the back seat is just too small for them both. I decided to ship my car because there's no way to pull this off by packing everyone into the Volvo and not have fuzzy dog faces or tails 6 ways from Sunday for the duration. I've also very open to keeping the route flexible if needed due to weather. There's a good chance I'll end up on the I-70 stretch as well, which will involve planning that one out as well. The whole thing is just making my head spin already and it's not even time to go yet.

[howard]

If you end up going through Albuquerque, there's an off-leash dog park right next to the freeway at the third exit as you come into town from the east ( Exit 165 @ Eubank Blvd ).



This is a good place for a pit stop. Along with the dog park, there are gas stations, several restaurants, and some hotels all right there together. Good burgers at the Owl Café.

Enjoy your trip!

[Midwest Michael]

Well, wanting the extra space for the dogs certainly makes sense.

Moving is stressful, no doubt about it, but I think you can relax a bit when it comes to the roadtrip portion of it. You shouldn't need to make reservations for this trip, so as long as you are giving yourself enough time to comfortably make the drive - and have a day or two extra available, just in case you do hit bad weather and need to sit out and let conditions improve - you really shouldn't have too much to worry about.