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I will be moving from Sacramento, CA to Summerville, South Carolina at the end of Febuary. Is there any suggestion on the route? This is my first and biggest trip for my family, it will be me, my husband and a chihuahua dog. Will I experience any snow along my trip? Is there any particular area that I need to be aware of? Any suggestion on a place to stay? I will be driving a 2012 mazda cx-9 grand touring for this trip. Thank you so much for any comments.
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
The beauty of traveling by private car is that you get to go where you want at the pace you set for yourself. There is no single 'best' answer, but there are a few truisms that bear repeating. By the most direct all (or nearly all) Interstate route, this trip is going to cover nearly 2,80 miles. At an absolute minimum, that's five days of driving. With a dog, and for my own sanity, I'd take at least six since that would let me stop every few hours for a short break in a local, state or national park or forest.
The most direct route is just down I-5 to CA-58 east to Barstow and I-40 east. Only at Memphis would you leave I-40 for I-22 to Birmingham and I-20 to I-26 to Summerville. If you want, you can take a modest shortcut near the end and use SC-39/SC-359/SC-394/SC-176/SC-6 to go from I-20 to I-26 through New Holland, Wagener, Perry and North. Yes, there is a North, SC. That routing is generally far enough south that snow and ice should not be a problem, and you will be generally moving with the weather systems so that once you get into a good patch of weather it should hold for a while.
As for where to stop each night, you can leave that open I think. The end of February is not a heavy travel period and the Interstates have decent motels along their entire lengths with relatively few exceptions. I would suggest that you look at the major chains and see what their pet policies are and whether they have a rewards program that might earn you a free night's stay after a few visits.
If you have more than six days available for the drive, you can start to consider making a few longer stops at places that interest you or even altering your route so as to take in places that you've looked forward to and might not be able to get back to for a while.
AZBuck
Welcome to RTA!
There is always a possibility of encountering snow no matter which route you take.
This recommended fastest/shortest route will take a minimum of 5 days, have more days available if you need to stop for weather.
CA-99 to Bakersfield
CA-58 to Barstow
I-40 to Memphis
I-22/US-78 to Birmingham
I-20 to SC-39 (Exit 33) through Wagener onto SC-389
Left on SC-394
Right on US-178
Left on SC-172 onto SC-6
I-26 to Summerville
Dividing up the drive into 5 relatively equal segments, look for overnights around:
Needles CA
Moriarty NM
Shawnee OK
Tupelo MS
Thank you so much for time and suggestion. I am very new to this big world. I will study the route you suggested :)
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Thanks so muchQuote:
Originally Posted by AZBuck
Thank you for your time and suggestion. I will need to study more and do some homework about your overnight suggestion :) Still very nervous but will try my best. Thanks again.Quote:
Originally Posted by glc
As it's your first big trip and there is some cause for concern for poor weather I would suggest you allow at least a week for the journey if time and budget allows for it. This would be more relaxed and allow you to possibly see a couple of things along the way while offering you a 'buffer' in case of poor weather. As mentioned, 5 days is a bare minimum and would be very much like work.
Thank you so much. I will do so :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Southwest Dave