NYC area to Berkeley, CA

First, I just want to say "hi" as I'm new to the forum.

I'm planning out a road trip that will start next week.

I've gotten lucky and have a minivan to drive.

I just want some experienced people to look at my itinerary and let me know if this can be done (sanely) within the amount of time I have allotted.

I hope to leave no later than Sept. 6th. I'm hoping for the 4th or 5th, if possible.

Does this work or am I nuts?

Sept. 6th: NYC/Jersey City ---> Cleveland, OH
Sept. 7th: Cleveland ---> Chicago
Sept. 8th: Chicago ---> Sioux City
Sept. 9th: Sioux City ---> Mount Rushmore (gotta see it and no time for Yellowstone)
Sept. 10th/11th?: Mount Rushmore ---> Salt Lake City
Sept. 12th: Salt Lake City ---> Lake Tahoe
Sept. 13th: Lake Tahoe ---> Berkeley

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

You can certainly make the trip in the time you have without exhausting yourself, but unless you get those extra couple of days you won't have a lot of time to 'hang' about. You have also given yourself a lot to do between Mount Rushmore and Lake Tahoe and although possible, it could be tiring towards the end of your trip. Without the extra day[s] I would consider clearing Chicago and the possibility of morning traffic and continue on to Davenport IA or beyond. From there you could make it to Mitchell SD[The Corn palace] or a little further again. That should give you time for a quick visit to Rushmore and get you further west towards SLC, perhaps around Newcastle WY or beyond.

Edit] I now notice that you have 2 days for the Mt Rushmore to SLC leg so that is no longer a concern. However, if you don't have a particular reason for heading into Chicago and considering your limited time and possible traffic issues, if you pushed on earlier in your trip as suggested you could spend a little more time relaxing in the Mt Rushmore/SLC area.

Thanks for the feedback. Initially, I planned it to be completely open with no deadline. But I have a new roommate that wants me to arrive before she takes off on a trip. As we're virtual strangers, that's a reasonable request, so I'm going to comply.

Actually, I don't have to be in Berkeley until the 14th and could even push it back to the 15th, so I've got wiggle room. I'm also trying to push to see if I can get the minivan I'm driving earlier. (Hurricane Irene pushed things back a bit.) If so, yeah!!! More time.

I have friends from college that are in Chicago. It would be fun to stop and see them and meet their kids. That's why it's in there.

I have a friend whose parents are in Salt Lake City and he's offered up their home. (I hope he tells them.) I'm trying to schedule, but also trying to factor in things like road work or other things like just having fun that might slow me down.

If you are able to get the extra day(s), I would encourage you to take a little of that time to enjoy beautiful Pennsylvania, even if it means not getting as far as Cleveland. It would still be an easy day into Chicago the next day.

Do you have a transponder for the tolls. It will not only save you money, but will make the drive so much easier.

Lifey

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rkw

Sept. 6th: NYC/Jersey City ---> Cleveland, OH
Sept. 7th: Cleveland ---> Chicago
Sept. 8th: Chicago ---> Sioux City
Sept. 9th: Sioux City ---> Mount Rushmore (gotta see it and no time for Yellowstone)
Sept. 10th/11th?: Mount Rushmore ---> Salt Lake City
Sept. 12th: Salt Lake City ---> Lake Tahoe
Sept. 13th: Lake Tahoe ---> Berkeley

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Are you relocating to Berkeley? If so, Tahoe is a fairly easy trip up from Berkeley. You might have more time than you think for this trip.

I, personally, would be tempted to push those first two days a bit harder and tool around out West (unless there are things you specifically want to see in Cleveland/Chicago). I would be aiming to try to make Rapid City in 3 days of driving - this would be an average of about 560 miles/day for you which is quite do-able if you are not stopping for anything specific. You can then spend a day in the area. From there it's a one-day drive to Yellowstone or the Tetons. From Yellowstone, it would be a two-day drive to Berkeley.

So, with 9 days, with Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone as priorities, you could have:

3 days to Rapid City
1 day sightseeing
1 day to Yellowstone
2 days Yellowstone/Tetons (not much, I admit)
2 days to Berkeley

Maybe too fast, but I would consider something like this. Your mileage may vary.

--Jon

I'm from California, exploring the west is redundant. I already have, but Yosemite is NEVER ruled out. If I have time that will happen, for sure. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

If you are able to get the extra day(s), I would encourage you to take a little of that time to enjoy beautiful Pennsylvania, even if it means not getting as far as Cleveland. It would still be an easy day into Chicago the next day.

Do you have a transponder for the tolls. It will not only save you money, but will make the drive so much easier.

Lifey

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Thanks.

Re tolls, it isn't my minivan, so I don't have any control over that.

I spent a couple of months staying with a good friend in Valley Forge, PA a couple of years ago. That's not west PA, but I think I really want to get to Cleveland and spend some quality time at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rkw

Re tolls, it isn't my minivan, so I don't have any control over that.

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On my last trip I drove a mini van which was loaned to me by friends, and got myself a transponder to deal with the tolls. It does not need to be your vehicle, even though you will have to give the plate number when purchasing it. Transponders are transferrable from vehicle to vehicle, so long as you let the company know. Mine was a Fast Lane.

Lifey

If you are in NYC or NJ, you can get an EZ-Pass. However, if you won't be returning back east, there really isn't that much point in it for only one trip.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by glc

However, if you won't be returning back east, there really isn't that much point in it for only one trip.

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Why not??

The transponder does not cost anything, and every cent saved on tolls, is another cent in your pocket.

Lifey

There is a deposit fee for the transponder. You'd get it back when you return it, but you'd have the expense of mailing it back if you were planning to head back east. Plus you typically have to pre-load it with $40 or $50, which is more than you'd spend on a single trip.

So, you might save a couple bucks, but it would come at the expense of letting EZ-Pass hold on to your money for a while.

Oh Michael, are you sure? I did not pay a deposit. The account had to have $20 in it. And there are still a couple of bucks in there from 2009.... I will use them next year. But it has not cost me anything else.

Lifey

I don't want to beat this to death, but to go from Jersey City to Sioux City via I-280/I-80/I-94/I-90 through Cleveland and Chicago will cost you about $16.50 with an EZ-Pass and $26.20 cash.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lifemagician

Oh Michael, are you sure? I did not pay a deposit. The account had to have $20 in it. And there are still a couple of bucks in there from 2009.... I will use them next year. But it has not cost me anything else.

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I am 100% sure that is how it worked for my I-Pass, and from taking a look, it appears that all of the EZ-Pass states have the same or similar system.

Basically, you've got two choices - you either have to pay a deposit up front or you have to sign up for an auto-renewal, where they will automatically charge your credit card or bank account when your account balance gets down to/below $10 or $20.

In either case, they are holding on to at least $10-20 of your money, and I could see where that would be more of a hassle than it would be worth it for a single trip.

Perhaps you found some loophole, Lifey, but I'm not aware of anyone who gives you a transponder without having some kind of deposit or autorenewal.

I love how active this got! :)

Well, it will help the next person because the minivan DOES have an EZPass. They were excited about telling me how it works. I already knew because when I'm in metro areas, I use ZipCar and ZipCar equips their cars with them too (and then charges the toll to your account later.) I just let them be helpful as they've entrusted their minivan to me.

Now I'm up way too early (I'm going back to sleep soon), but I leave for Cleveland today. I've spent a month in a house with friends. I'm looking forward to a solitary drive peppered with visits to friends and a little bit of sightseeing.

Thanks for your tips and advice. I'll try to check-in as I go.

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Thanks for your tips and advice. I'll try to check-in as I go.

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We look forward to updates, have a great trip !

Dave.

Welp, I'm late but I made it across the country just fine.

Thanks so much for your tips and advice!

Now that I'm here, I took a weekend RV trip down to Central California for an air show and then drove to Hearst Castle. I camped overnight in a nearby camp that was a primitive campground (wow). Then went to the castle the next day. Then to Monterey and then back to Berkeley.

I'm now hooked. I'm planning a one-way RV trip up to the Seattle/Tacoma area (I found one of those cheap one-way RV deals and decided to take it.) I'll pop around the site and probably start a thread about that drive as it's going to be a few days for me to get there. I might as well learn from folks with more experience than I have. It helps.

Glad you had a safe trip and thanks for dropping in with the update. Sounds like you are having fun !