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100 miles more doesn't make that much of an impact on me, Michael. Thanks for your input thou. I'll keep in tact with the weather every day now just to see how weather.com is accurate. Safe is better than sorry is what's I'm looking out for! A bit of tolls is just a one time thing too so I will bear it >.<
Forgot to mention Lifey's notion of altitude difference. I think my route looks mostly ok as I look for temperature wise for town nearby. Anyhow just to be safe, I'll be the driver as we head down south midway thru OR and through beginning of WY. It's pretty flat after NE so I wont be as worried.
100 mile difference isn't a big deal, but the cost of tolls isn't really that much either. That's the point. Those extra 100 miles mean you're going to spend around another $15-20 in gas, and considering the tolls in IL, IN, and OH aren't much more than $20, you don't really save anything by avoiding the tolls. (By taking the "central" route, you're actually adding a couple hundred more miles, so you'll actually spend more than by taking toll roads, plus it looks like you're still planning to take the PA turnpike instead of cutting north in Ohio like I suggested, so you'll be seeing significant tolls anyway.)
An EZ-Pass doesn't really expire, you just need to have money in your account.
I'm not sure what you're trying to get at about the weather, but you continue to be very misguided in assuming conditions in Wyoming will be different or better than Montana. The average low temperature in Bozeman in April is 30 degrees. The average April low temperature in Rock Springs, Wyoming - along I-80/your central route - is 28, two degrees colder.
I don't know what you mean when you're asking about "table tops" so you're going to have to explain if you'd like an answer. If you're talking about flat, high elevation areas, that's pretty much describes the entire drive across Wyoming.
And finally, the stopping points you've listed are still too far apart. Your current plan has you driving nearly 700 miles every day, except your last one, which is not a safe or sustainable pace. You need to shave about 100 miles off of each of them and plan on your last day being a full day on the road, not a half day.
If you are afraid of "getting stuck" when it's 28 degrees, maybe you should rethink this trip and take an airplane instead.
I guess I missed your point and didn't explain clear. I'm not avoiding the toll as there are tolls on both route isn't it between my and your columbus to akron then nyc? The 100ish mi difference I meant was in between my route vs glc's. At least for the most part, records between MT and WY are quite different. Butte, MT: 3-18 at the most; Rock Springs, WY: 14-20 and these are records low variations in the week im going. but my point is I won't stay in WY and it's just a drive so it's an easy drive in the 50s. I'd have to stay in Butte with reputable of 15F the night at Butte taking northern route so i can't see how it can be good. It's pretty fair game what I'm proposing and thanks for your concern about my safety but we can manage and we have before. We drove from madison to rapid city(772 mi) in one day and then to missoula(662 mi) the next before stop because we didn't want to get too far off highway and it's hard to see gas stations in MT. So about 650-690 mi each day of what im proposing is reasonable and survivable. If not, as I had stated i told him to have a week reserved just in case so... This is pretty realistic, not like I'm day dreaming. We get up like at 5am and drive for 12 hours at times is not impossible. At least I'm not insane as my bf stated that he was in a trip with his friends across country when it only took them 2 days as all 4 guys took turn. As for table top, I don't mind it if it's consistent in high altitude. But once there are drops in elevations are huge I don't like it as it takes a toll on the car I have and it's not 4wheel drive and my bf is pretty new at driving as he overuse the speed set of the car going down the hills.
And i'm not afraid of 28F since the day after it's in 50F its not impossible to go. It's the reappearance of the worse record is what I'm afraid of dealing with.
You could avoid nearly all tolls. I suggested a route that would do just that.
I'm not sure where you are getting your weather information, and using record extremes is a kind of silly way to plan. The simple fact of the matter is that going through Wyoming does nothing to increase your odds of avoiding a late season storm or frigid overnight temperatures, and if you're playing the averages, you're actually slightly more likely to run into problems on the more southern route. Again, the odds of having a problem at all are very low in the first place, and if you want to go that route, that's perfectly fine, but doing it just because of the weather just doesn't make much sense at all.
Your distances aren't impossible ("survivable" is debatable) but they will force you to push your bodies beyond what is safe. You simply can't be at your best behind the wheel for 12+ hours a day, day after day. It's just a fact of the human body, and it's why professional drivers are forbidden from doing the distances you're talking about doing. Just because you or your boyfriend have engaged in dangerous behavior in the past, without getting hurt or injured, doesn't mean it was safe and it doesn't mean you'll be as lucky if you push your luck again.
I will keep that in mind about your route as there are constructions on both cases. Maybe the less toll is better. We have to stop at Quincy since its his childhood friend working there so maybe I'm pushing it and we can use a day off there to hang with him before pushing ourselves and use your suggestion route. So I'll change it to akron as the last stop before NYC. I kind of want to go to nyc early to relax and put in things as I will have to reorganize to fit in tight space.
Another reason to make sure you have a "cushion" in your travels are mechanical issues. On one trip, our alternator was on its way out. On two other trips, a window regulator/cable went out and had to be repaired/replaced because it is essential in most climates to be able to roll the window down or up (especially if it gets stuck in the DOWN position).
Donna
I'm having car oil change and will ask for an overall look at the car a few days before leaving. In general, is it pretty hard to find window cable fixers at any town?
I just used that as an example of things that could go wrong. A good oil change, have your regular mechanic look over your belts and hoses, are the things we find essential. Tires are something else to check -- make sure that these have good wear and the right amount of air in them. Prevention, taking care of your vehicle, is always appropriate.
As for finding window regulator/cable fixers in any town -- the first time, we took the car to a GM dealership who put the car in a humidity free area, made a few minor adjustments, and sent us on our way at no charge. The second time, it broke on the way home in the UP position so we didn't worry about fixing it until we got home. On the third window, it broke on the way to Phoenix. There are a lot of good GM dealerships in that metro area, but I was worried that I'd run into a dust storm, and that the vehicle would be open to security issues since the window cable snapped and the window would not go up. OTOH, we have two other cars that have never had this sort of problem. I was using this as an example of a mechanic difficulty that could happen and slow down your trip. It could just as well be a hose that split, an alternator that goes out, your battery dies some evening, or similar. So you make sure that you have a 'cushion' in your trip "just in case".
Donna