Add 20% to those drive times and reevaluate your plans. It does look quite doable but you are going to be on the road for considerably longer than you think.
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Add 20% to those drive times and reevaluate your plans. It does look quite doable but you are going to be on the road for considerably longer than you think.
Thank you GLC,
We will go back and rethink this.Quote:
Add 20% to those drive times and reevaluate your plans
Perhaps we can stretch it out to include an additional overnight. The first day is ok, we'll make a straight run on the Mass Pike (Sunday morning going west should be ok), but the next three can be readjusted. Suggestions are welcome. In October the nights will be drawing in, say 4-ish?, as we will be arriving in strange places in the dark, we would prefer to make reservations, at least initially.
Still doing our research, but if anyone has thoughts on 'must see' locations off I-70 in Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, your contribution is welcome. Also interested in nice mom and pop shops, local cuisine, quirky, unique places to see. Except for maybe Saint Louis and Denver, we plan to skirt around Cities.
Thanks so much as always
October is still in Daylight Saving Time, so there is still light until about 6pm even at the end of the month. At the start of the month, you'll have daylight until around 7. However, it should also be noted that the sun doesn't rise until after 7 am for most of the month.
Ohio Amish Country
Hi, back again with more questions. En route from Niagara Falls we plan to divert onto US 77 south (at Cleveland OH) to Dover were we hope to explore some of the Scenic Byway of Amish Country. I viewed a post from last year, and looked at a link kindly provided by AZ Buck, which outlines some of the route we intend to take. Would it make sense for us to backtrack back to US 77 and then south to US 70 (our intended route of choice westwards) or should we head to route 71, then south. Either way we'll converge on Columbus OH, I'm just looking for the most direct and efficient route once our sojourn on the Scenic Byway is over.
On another topic altogether, I've read that the winds on route 70 in Kansas west of Salina can blow fairly hard on occaision. "Strong enough to knock over 18 wheelers" (direct quote from my USA travel book). Any one experienced this? Is there a number we can ring for alerts as we go through? Should we plan alternate route just in case? If so, any suggestions. Many thanks, as usual.
Yes, it certainly is possible to see strong wind storms anywhere across the plains - and really most anywhere across the country but the plains would be the most common area.
However, as with anything, you need to keep things in perspective. First, 18 wheelers have tall and long trailers that can act a lot like a kite when you get bad wind, the effect on a car is not nearly as severe.
Alternate routes are not applicable in this case, because you are talking about specific storms. Its not like going across I-80 will be devoid of wind, while I-70 gets hit with severe wind every day. As with any weather event, be it strong wind, heavy rain, tornados, or winter conditions, you need to play it by ear, and most importantly use common sense. If you find yourself in a storm, pull off the road and/or seek shelter until conditions improve.
quick techno questions: what is the best kind of cell phone to purchase (pay as you go, non-bill model) which is most likely to give decent coverage across the states? We want to bring our Sony laptop, is it possible to purchase an american charger for it? thanks
I use Tracfone, and I've been happy with the service. Its about the cheapest option out there, and since they contract with a variety of companies, I can think of very few areas where I haven't had service. The biggest downside with them is that the choice of phones tends to be pretty limited and are usually very basic models. They also run Net 10, which is basically the same thing just a slightly different rate structure. Just keep in mind that when you're out in really remote areas, there will often be no cell service at all. Verizon's service is also pretty good in terms of coverage areas. I've been much less impressed with ATT which is great in cities, but has some pretty large gaps in more rural areas.
Rather than purchase an American specific charger for your laptop, I'd look at getting a generic power converter that plugs right into the outlet. That way you can use all the electronics you might want to bring with you, and it would probably be less expensive.
Thanks for the tip on the track phone, I looked it up on the Target website, we can pick it up when we arrive in boston. The idea of the general adapter sounds good too, so we will probably get that on this side of the pond. One month and counting!
Look at your current power pack for your laptop - most are rated 100-240v, 50/60 Hz. If so, all you need is a plug adapter for our style outlets. We use 115v 60 Hz here.
Here is our itinerary, If you care to comment, make helpful suggestions, etc, please do.
Day 1: Boston to Niagara Falls, New York side only: 470 miles - 8 hours drive time
Day 2: Niagara to Dover OH, to Rt 39 (Americas Scenic Byway) to see Amish countryside, then on to Columbus OH and then I-70 to Richmond IN- 509, drive time 8 hours
Day 3: Richmond to St Louis, St. Louis to Columbia MO: 442 miles, drive time 7.25 hours
Day 4: Columbia MO to Oakley KS: 476 miles, 7.75 drive hours
Day 5: Oakley KS to Grand Junction CO: 495 miles, 8.5 drive hours
Day 6: Grand Junction to Moab(Arches N.P.): 113 miles, 2 drive hours
Day 7: Moab to Grand Canyon, via Monument Valley: 326 miles, 5 drive hours
Day 8: Grand canyon: NO driving!
Day 9: Grand Canyon to sedona, to Montezuma Castle N.M., to Petrified Forest N.P. to Hubbell
Trading Post to Gallup (will most likely add a night somewhere here given the
ammount of sights visited): 441 miles, 8.5 drive hours
Day 10:Gallup to Amarillo: 424 miles, 6.75 drive hours
Day11:Amarillo to Van Buren AR: 445 miles, 7 hours
Day12:Van Buren Ar to Hot Springs N.P., via 270 and Ouachita N.F. to Little Rock, to Memphis
331 miles, 6 drive hours
Day13: Memphis to Nashville to Gatlinburg (Smoky Mntns N.P.): 428 miles, 7.25 drive hours
Day14:Gatlinburg to Washington DC: 487 miles, 7.5 drive hours
Day 15:Washington DC to Boston, 442 miles, 7 hours
We may not have time for Washington DC so may have to scrap this option.
What do ye think?