Doing a Lap

Ok, so pretty much my first post here...first one that's gonna lead anywhere, anyways :P

...so I've come across some paid time off work that I still haven't used, and I'm trying to come up with some sort of epic trip to use it up...sadly, that won't happen 'till spring, but winter driving (and partially in Canada) isn't the best anyways...being from Winterpeg, I know that firsthand.

Anyways, I'm planning to possibly do a full lap of America this coming spring (well, possibly going through BC/AB/SK on the way back as opposed to south of the 49th), and I'm looking for suggestions from anyone and everyone here as to places to see, things to go out of my way for, and little 'gotchas' that might pop up on a trip of this magnitude.

The trip would start/end in Winnipeg, MB, and the route is pretty much open from there, as long as I get the full lap in. Total time available to me is pretty much three weeks...more if crew scheduling is nice to me, but you never know how busy the northern air travel agenda is going to be around spring time, especially with winter roads up there starting to thaw out...so time MAY be limited to just the three weeks that I know I have available to me. Still, side trip recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Alrightie, enough of my rambling. Have at 'er, guys, and (in advance) thanks for all the suggestions and tips!

--JP

Welcome Back to the RTA Forum! I take it your last trip didn't pan out?

When you say "taking a lap" do you mean driving doing a loop around the edges of the entire US (Washington, California, Florida, and Maine)?

If you've only got three weeks, and that is your plan, then you really aren't going to have time to do much anything other than drive, drive, drive. You really won't have time for side trips, or do to do much anything other than cover the miles.

If your goal is to test yourself and just to see if you can do it, then I suppose it could be done. If your goal is to see and explore anything more than what you'll find along side the highway, then I think you may end up being quite disappointed.

If you're trying to go along the circumference of the lower 48, then you won't have enough time to really see anything. Now, that's not to say that you don't have other options available, since three weeks gives you a nice amount of time for a great road trip, just not one of this magnitude.

Of course, three weeks would give you the opportunity to do a speed-run of those areas. We have seen a few other folks do even quicker trips around the country, including one that drove in all 48 continental states in 8 days. If your goal is to just do it, it's do-able. And a challenge like that could be a lot of fun...if that's your goal, that is. But if your goal is to enjoy the scenery and explore, I agree with Tim and Michael.

Here is one such route -- developed by Midwest Michael for a continuous trip that goes through all 48 of the continental USA state capitals....

Mark

@Michael: Yep, the last one didn't quite work out - - the girl I was going to visit down there decided to move on, and this being about a month before I was going to leave >.< I briefly flirted with the idea of doing it anyways, just for fun, but some hectic times at work got in the way of that. Seems everything takes a backseat to flight training, I'm afraid.

Anyways... the idea of the trip was to do the entire circumference of the Lower 48, but after double-checking the distance for that, I think I actually agree with you more experienced people...Plan B is to go through Toronto, NYC, then down to Miami and back to Winnipeg...and that looks like it's the one that's going to get the green light. Those three plus weeks of vacation could prove to be a bit tough to get.

As far as speed running goes... I've done a 30 hour leg before - - not that it's anything that I should ever do again, but in a pinch, I know it's doable if I have to...although that's something I'm avoiding if possible.

Anyways, thanks for the advice, guys... and I'll keep you posted on what actually ends up happening as my schedule gets messed with by the Dispatch Gods over the next little bit.

--JP