Driving from So Cal to Washington DC

[animeknight]

I am leaving in a week from So. Cal to Washington DC for work. I am not stopping for sight seeing and I am just going to follow my GPS or the direction from Google Maps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...25&ie=UTF8&z=5

According to Google Map i am just taking the I-40E all the way.

With all these winter storm going on, how's my drive going to be? I have a week to get to Washington, that should give me plenty of time right? Where can I find the driving condition for the entire route? Anything I should be watchout for?

Thanks in advance

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Weather certainly will be something you'll have to keep in mind. Long range forecasts right now show an increased likelyhood of precipitation from Wisconsin and Ohio all the way back to Oklahoma and Arkansas. However, at this point its still really to early to say what sorts of conditions you'll see. Weather.com has a very nice interstate travel condition planner that is worth checking out as you get closer to your trip.

As with any winter trip, keep your options open. The route with the best conditions might not be the most direct route, but it might not be the southern most route either. Using I-70 or I-10/I-20/I-30 would each add less than 100 miles to your overall trip and might help you avoid bad weather, but you'll have to wait to see which route looks best during your actual times of travel.

With a week you should be in good shape, and be able to sit and wait for a day or even two if conditions reached a point where you were no longer comfortable traveling.

[Danthemanconcrete]

I 40 would be better latter, I 10 would be my choice as it was back in November. I flew from Charlotte NC to Tampa FL then on to Phoenix and at last in to El Paso TX. From there I rode my newly aquired ST1100 all the way to Charlotte via I 10. Texas is really beautiful and my favorite part of the trip. Also the speed limit on I 10 is 80. I suggest you not exceed it by much, they will be watching. It was a little chilly, but much dryer and less traffic.
Near Alabama you will go north on I 65 and the I 85 all the way to DC.
Have a good ride

[PinoyInUs]

I just got back last Wednesday. I drove from LA to Minneapolis passing by I-40. The drive was pretty good. Not much traffic. It just became a pain once we hit the ice/snow storm from Amarillo, TX to Oklahoma City. Once we got past the ice storm it was smooth driving again in I-35. Just watch the weather closely. And if you're going through I-40, try not to get gas at Needles, CA. I stopped and both gas stations had $2.89/gal of regular unleaded gas. It was a good thing I didn't get gas there because 12 miles later (in AZ), gas was at $1.89/gal.