Two Month Road Trip

Yes Nacho-- great post. Thanks for all the useful information.

Here are some comments to your comments:

1. I just got our passports in the mail the other day- we are all set
2. I'm having my son's father write a letter saying we can leave the country
3. We have a religious exemption for vaccines. His childhood vaccines contributed to his autism and he won't be getting anymore shots.
4. I've used the large ZipLock bags before- they do work great.
5. I've got this HUGE white Igloo cooler with wheel and a long handle. We used it once and it kept everything cold for the 3 day trip. I just purchased a thermometer (read that on this website somewhere).
6. We got a FREE National Parks lifetime pass- which is awesome. Just went to my local park and it took 5 minutes. They were great.
7. Good point about the museums. My son's favorite things are amusement parks, children's museum, playgrounds, pools, etc. He's not very entertained by looking at artwork or mountains. But, I will definitely look up all the children's activities. We'll be visiting with lots of families-so I'm sure they will know what to do (LA, Columbus Ohio, Chicago, etc.)
8. My son is doing great with his biomedical treatments and now I can say he's high functioning. He can have conversations, totally potty trained, will sit in the car for hours and look at the window, read, draw, watch DVD's, listen to music, etc... I'm very, very, very, very lucky. His new passion is maps. He draws them from memory- quite amazing. I ordered travel guides and maps from all the states we are visiting (put them in his name so he gets excited when they arrive). He's fascinated with the GPS too. The biggest thing with him, honestly, is changing the schedule. Once in a while he will have a melt-down- like if I forget a book somewhere. So, I have to be very careful with our stuff.

Thanks again for the input- I'm getting excited about the trip and don't worrying about it as much. Reading everyone's stories reminds me of the wonderful people you meet on the road. I'm also going to be taking thousands of photographs and hours of video- so we'll have some great memories preserved.

I'm also working on a Grand Canyon plan. It will all work out.

Thanks,
Kirby

I've gotten a lot of great advice from this site and just never posted anything, so maybe I should have at least been posting my thank yous!

It sounds like you're going to have an awesome trip!

I did have another thought for you since you mentioned that your son likes amusement parks. Last year we went through Austin, TX and they had a couple of great water parks that really weren't that expensive and one of them had a deal that if you went after 4:00 in the afternoon (I think they closed at like 6:30) it was only $10. That was a great deal for me, because one of my girls can't be in the sun very long anyway. I know Austin is not on your route, but I'm sure there's something similar along your route.

Keeping the routine...that's going to be tough. But you sound like you know your son's habits really well, if you can get your family members involved and let them know what they can do to help, it might make things go more smoothly.

Hi Gang,

During my 2 months of traveling this summer, I'll be going from the Chicago area to Hilliard, which is a next to Columbus, Ohio.

I'm looking at different routes and don't know which is the best to take. I like to take back roads sometimes, but I'll get better millage and probably make better time on the Interstates.

By the time I get to Chicago I will have driven probably 8000 miles. So, the quickest route is probably what I'll be looking for.

Thanks-
Kirby

In point of fact, the Interstates often save time rather than miles or gas. Most cars get there best mileage when going around 35 mph or so and it just drops off as you go faster. So if you can (or want to) spend the time, you will save gas by taking highways with lower speed limits, as long as there isn't a lot of stop and go driving involved. Fortunately, between Chicago and Columbus you have a great alternative to the Interstate. The most direct all-Interstate route is I-65 down to Indianapolis and then I-70 over to Columbus. That route is right around 350 miles. If instead you take US-30 to Fort Wayne and then US-27/US-33 to Columbus, it's only 310 miles. There's a couple of gallons saved right there and it shouldn't cost you but 15 minutes to half an hour in time. I have driven that stretch of US-30, and as I recall it is 4 lane divided highway mostly through farmland, and US-33 is freeway quality quite a ways to the west of Columbus, so for my money, that's the way I'd go.

AZBuck

BTW, excellent post, Nachomama! I hope you'll continue to hang around and share your great ideas!

Here's what we do about clothes packing. A separate duffle-bag for each person with their clothes. Another bag for dirty laundry. And then a small gym bag with our toiletries/my makeup, and a bit of extra room. Before checking into our room, we pack the small gym back from our big duffle bags putting in our clothes for the next day. It's so much easier taking the one small bag up to the room than the two bigger duffle bags. Especially if you're taking other things up with you like a laptop, reading materials or other entertainment items, etc.

Thanks AZBuck-

That's exactly what I wanted to know.

Sometimes you see a road and it looks quicker- but there are a million lights or the speed limit goes down to 25. When I looked at all the choices for this route it was very overwhelming. I could probably go 20 different ways and I can't always trust my GPS to give me the best route.

They are great tools and have their place. But you still need paper maps.

With the time you have for this trip, I wouldn't worry all that much about specific routes. Some days you might feel like zipping along the interstate and other days you might want to meander down a 2-lane road, at least for part of the day. With a good map that shows all the options, you can easily see where each goes and when they next meet up and make those decisions on the fly based on mood, your time-frame that day, and what kind of sights to see are available down each alternative that day.

Why don't you play some of this by ear? Ask locals at your hotel/food/fuel stops for their suggestions. You might also want to visit the America's National Scenic Byways website to see where they are and where they might fit into your trip.

I try to mix it up myself, some 2-lane roads, some scenic byways, some interstates. It all just depends on the time I have and my mood. I think it makes for a more interesting trip that way.

Judy-

I can't do that because I have an 8 year old with autism. He needs to know what to expect at all times. If you change the schedule- sometimes he has a meltdown. Plus, I'm staying with about 10 different people across the US and many of THEM have kids with autism and everyone needs to know ahead of time so they can plan.

Also, I have to know that I have a room every night somewhere because I can't just sleep in my car. My son has food, meds and supplements that need to stay cold. He also has to take an epsom salt bath every couple of days (to help him detox and poop).

My son also has diet needs (no wheat, gluten, dairy, milk, soy, nuts, peanuts, garlic or peas). So, that means I have to be able to hit certain restaurants or grocery stores for what I need. I also try to buy organic juices, fruits and veggies for him. Also, when I go to and from Canada- I can't bring the fruit and veggies with me- so I have to plan ahead for that.

So, it's pretty complicated. I would LOVE to just fly by the seat of my pants. But, if I don't plan ahead, we could be in a lot of trouble (like in the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone where people book a year in advance). Camping would probably be impossible for my son too. Hard enough sleeping in a different bed every few days.

I wouldn't take this trip if I didn't think my son could handle it- he's great in the car. But, I have to admit there are some challenges and I need to make up a schedule and stick to it the best I can. Things I can't control will always happen (like bad weather and traffic). But, I'll sleep better at night if I have a plan together.

Thanks.

I am familiar with autism and the challenges. I didn't mean my comments quite the way you took them.

Let me give you an example. From my house to Portland it's about 3.25 hours if I go via I-5. It's about 3.5 hours if I go via 101 & 4. The I-5 drive is pretty boring. The 101/4 drive is amazingly beautiful. 15 minutes difference in time. Would that throw your son off? If so, than my apologies. If not, than these are the types of options that might make your trip more memorable for both of you.

I didn't mean that you should head into heavy tourist areas like the Grand Canyon without reservations for a place to stay in place. Heck, I wouldn't do that myself.

Sorry if my post upset you. That was not my intention.

Your post didn't upset me.

And it's the change in schedule or lack of food that might send him off. I have to plan to arrive in certain towns for certain meals. I'll have food in the car just incase. But, I noticed some areas, like Montana or New Mexico/Arizona- where I can go hundreds of miles without a place to stop. So, I have to plan that stuff ahead of time. At least so I'm prepared.

You probably sensed my frustration with the whole situation. I mean to come across mad. If you knew me, you would know that when I get mad I'm a typical girl from NY who say the F word every 5 seconds :)

Thanks