Los Angeles to Raleigh NC 24' truck towing car trailer

If the weather looks like it is going to be good along the Blue Ridge Mountains and you really want to go to Memphis. You might want to go a bit different route.

Take I-10 to East of El Paso (about 150 miles east)
Take I-20 to Dallas
Take I-30 to Little Rock, Arkansas
Take I-40 to Raleigh
mileage is about the same as going through Atlanta.

Another place to eat is a quirkly hamburger joint east of Little Rock in the town of Scott-Cotham's Home of the Hubcap Hamburger. It is the size of a hubcap. (place that make Bill Clinton and George Bush fat). Only thing is you need to check the hours they are open...

If you are coming stopping in Memphis, I would stay at the Motel 6 at 210 S. Pauline Street (good parking for large rigs) and take a cab down to Beale Street-about 3 miles away. For good music and the best ribs go to the Kings Palace-stay away from B.B. Kings, too noisey).

If you are coming through Atlanta, you have to do the Varsity but the one downtown is too hard to get to with what you are driving. Go to the one in Athens Ga just down the road. And follow that up with best BBQ this side of heaven at Lexington BBQ in Lexington North Carolina.

Scotishbob

Wow Scottishbob you rock!
That's great info, i"m eating well on this trip! I may end up doing this as I have a friend in dallas that would love to have me stop by. He just texted and said they have ice storms right now... so there is that. I'd better go check the blue ridge mountains weather as well. Oh what to do so many choices, glad I'm flexible. I did like that last route though, if the ice stops.

If you are going through ABQ, a good place to spend the night east of town is Moriarty. I've stayed at the Super 8 and it's one of the better ones I've stayed in. They have plenty of truck and RV parking and there's a truckstop with a full service restaurant across the street.

If you are towing, you will be limited to 65 mph by the tires on the trailer. In California, you will be limited to 55 by law.

Please don't fool yourself and think that by going south you will avoid bad weather - west Texas does get ice and snow, and they aren't as well equipped to handle it as they are farther north. You will have to make decisions as you go. A website that has links to all the state DOT road conditions is safetravelusa.com.

If you aren't on a hard schedule, just wing it. See how far you get each day, and if the roads get bad, hole up in a hotel till they get them cleared.

There is nothing wrong with Memphis, if fact I enjoy it....will be spending New Years Eve there and then heading on West for a few weeks. Two more neat places to visit in Memphis: the march of the ducks at the Peabody Hotel (about 2 blocks from Beale Street) at 11am and 5pm. If you like guitars, then visit the Gibson Museum about 1 block from Beale Street.

I do not recommend the Big Texan for a place to eat but it is a "cool" place to spot for a short visit. Also, just west of Amarillo is the Cadillac Ranch...10 to 15 Cadillac about 1/3 buried. You can see it from the interstate.

Bob

Just so everyone knows I'm not knocking Memphis, it's seems like it would be fun, it's just not a necessary part of this trip.
Thanks for the info Bob, you seem to know your way around... road trip much? lol

Thanks glc, I'll try to not fool myself! If I end up bedding down in ABQ I'll head for that Super 8.

Just an added thought, no matter what route you take....
Considering the vehicle you are driving and that you will be towing a car behind you, you will be hard pressed to do 500 miles a day. (I pull a camper behind me). Since you are driving alone, you will be worn out at the end of the day.
Me thinks you should consider adding a day to your trip making it 6 days instead of 5 and even more so if you are late getting out of LA

Bob

Thanks Bob,
We are a 2 man team so I won't be driving alone or doing all the driving. I'm already buffering and thinking 6 days, but thanks for the heads up. Glad I logged on to this site, it is really helping my decision process. In any case and by whatever route one thing is for sure... I'm on the road next Wednesday!
D---

I will tell you that it is a near certainty that it will take you much longer than you expect to actually get on the road, and once you are on the road, it will take you a far bit of time to get used to driving such a large truck and trailer. Those distance that seem short to you, wont seem so short when you are doing 55 mph or less - and you will need to be driving slower especially that first leg as you get a feel for how it handles and all the extra steps you have to do to be safe behind the wheel. Of course, a lower speed is also needed simply because trying to stop such a large truck trailer takes a lot more time, making high speeds that are perfectly safe in a car, quite dangerous.

I am speaking from first hand experience of my own move from California, in a Uhaul pulling a trailer. I fully expected to be on the road in the early evening and make it to Vegas that night. The reality was all the little things you have to do before you leave a place add up, so we got on the road several hours later than expected and we wound up in Barstow - pulling in there around midnight. The reality is that pretty much every move I have made has been a pretty similar situation.

Also, beware of the trap of thinking that having 2 drivers makes a big difference. It really doesnt, especially if you are thinking of driving late into the night. Also remember, that driving a large rig is more stressful, and more tiring. When you combine those two things, as well as the lower speeds you will be traveling, the 500 mile per day maximum suggested by Bob is a very good rule of thumb.

Good observations Michael,
Fortunately this is not my first rodeo, I'm pretty used to that size of truck as I've been know to haul around convention equipment from time to time, (read often). Trailers not as often but I've been down that road a few times as well. I prefer to have another person with me, it makes it easier even if they don't drive. I often bring 1 or two with me on west coast trips to load and set up booths and such. In any case I always appreciate when someone capable takes a driving shift.

And yeah I can already see that it is going to be a late start but the good news is the loading zone turns tow away at 3 pm, so it kind of forces my hand. Everything is boxed stacked staged and ready to load fast. The car will be preloaded at the Penske lot ready to hook up, and the last stop is on the way out, a small lot also boxed and staged for loading. In the end I should be just in time for peak traffic on the way out. Oh well been dealing with it for YEARS anyway, one last dose of LA traffic will not kill me. In the end I may run out of steam sooner than later on day one... But Barstow, that's a tough break it just seems so... I don't know ... Barstow.

At the end of the day I follow speed limits and I'm always aware I'm towing, I'm good at keeping safe braking zones in front of me and used I'm to people jumping into that zone at the worst possible times, (facepalm). I'm also pretty darn good at backing up trailers even in tight spaces. So yeah I understand this is a marathon and is fatiguing. I think these are all good points and worth mention, perhaps someone will find this thread useful in the future.

D---

Quote:

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I do not recommend the Big Texan for a place to eat

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Why? I think the ribeye steaks there are excellent. Everyone has different dietary preferences and concerns.

Moriarty is about 40 miles east of ABQ, on the other side of the mountain. When I stayed there, it was a good thing I pressed on to Moriarty instead of stopping in ABQ, I had come out of a snowstorm around Grants and it was moving east. I got over the mountain and through the canyon. The next morning I woke up to a lot full of snow and found out that I-40 was closed between ABQ and Moriarty. The truck stops and hotel lots were full of trucks and the service road was bumper to bumper. I was able to head east through town and get on I-40 and had the road to myself.