crossing border from toronto

[girlguide]

Driving down this week, with three adults, three young kids from toronto to sarasota, florida. Hoping to do it in 2 days, leaving at 3am, kids can sleep, dvds in hand... can anyone suggest the fastest route, a good place to stay overnight (affordable but clean) and/or the best place in the border to cross.

Any advice welcome!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Driving down this week,

Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum! You are going to need a police escort to travel 2248 Km (1396 miles) in two days. The fastest average speed you can maintain in that area of the country over a 8-10 hour period is 53 mph (this assumes that you will be driving at least 75 mph 90% of the time). Which means that it will require 26 full hours of driving to cover this distance or about thirteen hours per day. Are you sure you really need to go that fast?

Mark

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

Bienvenue sur le forum de RoadTrip Amérique.

The harsh reality is that by the most direct, and all Interstate, route, it is over 1400 miles between Toronto and Sarasota. With 6 people it is simply not possible to safely do more than 700 miles a day as well as maintain some semblance of sanity or civility. You wouldn't have time to eat, gas the vehicle, or make necessary rest stops, and any traffic delays would destroy whatever schedule you thought you could keep. This is a three day trip, minimum. The shortest route is the QEW to the 405 and cross into the US on the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. Then follow I-190 and I-290 south, I-90 west, I-79 south, I-64 east, I-77 south, I-26 east, I-95 south, I-4 west, and, finally, I-75 into Sarasota. Your two overnight stops would then be around Weston, WV and Columbia, SC.

AZBuck

[girlguide]

thanks for the responses, we will have to rethink the timing... are you sure about that being the quickest route... sorry to question, but if i'm following it correctly on the map it's hard for me to believe it is indeed the fastest way to get there, but I assume you know what you're talking about...

[Mark Sedenquist]

thanks for the responses, we will have to rethink the timing... are you sure about that being the quickest route...

Well, we are not infallible, what route seems faster to you? I ran AZBuck's route past maps.Google.com and it confirms his choice as the fastest and most direct.

Mark

[girlguide]

Ok! thanks very much, that's a huge help.

[Midwest Michael]

I agree with everything Mark and Buck have said about needing to take more time for this trip - and will add that this is even more important because you are taking kids along for the ride. Unless you want your kids to grow up hating spending time in a car that is...

As far as route, I came up with basically the same one, with one possible shortcut. You could take US-19 between I-79 and I-77 in West Virginia. Its not an interstate, but my map shows it as being a divided highway, so you should be able to maintain highway speeds. It cuts a few miles and a stretch of tollway off the trip, so it might be worthwhile.

[girlguide]

Hi,
You've mapped my route to Sarasota, Florida for me, which has saved me tons of stress. My last question, I will be leaving toronto, and travelling down the I-90 West to Erie, then south on I-79. You suggested crossing the border at Queenston Lewiston, and I'm just wondering... is this a faster route than following the QEW and crossing at Fort Erie? On the map, to me, Fort Erie looks like the shorter route, but I defer to your expertise.

Thanks,
Nadine

[AZBuck]

I'm fast running out of titles which try to pithily say that there are options, choices, variables, etc. This is a case in point. It is a close call on which way to go and ultimately the choice will be up to you. What I can do is lay out the differences between the two routes and tell you why I chose the Queenston-Lewiston (Q-L) Bridge over the Peace Bridge. Your choice may differ. First the numbers. You save 6 miles and 75¢ in tolls by crossing on the Peace Bridge. But (you knew there was a 'but' coming) the two routes are projected to take exactly the same amount of time by most software packages. Now the intangibles. Because the Peace Bridge route does save a few miles and some toll costs, trucks are much more prone to use it. Typically about 33% more trucks cross the Peace Bridge than the Q-L. Secondly, the Peace Bridge is only 3 lanes wide TOTAL, while the Q-L Bridge has 5 lanes. Finally, the Peace Bridge route takes you directly through the heart of downtown Buffalo. It is those 'intangible' reasons that cause me to choose the Q-L over the Peace. (Actually, I will always have an especially warm spot in my heart for the Whirlpool Bridge, but that's another story.) In the end you may choose the Peace Bridge for the same reasons that truckers do, price beats all, or you may want to check the delay times here either immediately before deciding which way to go, or at the same time of day you plan to cross for a few weeks beforehand. In the end, there is a lot more to picking a route than just finding the shortest distance between two points, which is one of the reasons why RoadTripping is such an adventure and why mindless software will never completely replace paper maps and a seasoned traveller. Enjoy your trip.

AZBuck

[girlguide]

I understand, and I greatly appreciate your taking the time to respond. we'll follow up with the link you provided.

thanks again, your directions and insight have prevented much grief, we'll drive carefully and hopefully have a splendid time.

I hope you do the same.