Seattle to Houston late Sept/early Oct

[lovemybulldog]

My family is moving to Houston from Seattle and we are leaving the last part of September to first week of October. I will be driving down with my mother in law, 4 year old son, and car nervous French Bulldog. I've read a few threads here with info on the best routes for a 600 mile day, but I don't think I can realistically expect that considering my passenger load. I will be doing most, if not all, the driving and plan to start around 10am, stop every 90 minutes for breaks, one longer lunch break, then arrive to our day's stopping point by dinner time. I would love to see some scenic areas, but want to be sure we also have access to clean, dog friendly hotels, stops for fresh/semi-fresh food choices, and gas stations. I would like to do this in 5-6 days max if possible, but still stay realistic. Any thoughts? This will be my first road trip, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

What your schedule of lunch and breaks means is that you'll actually be on the road driving for about 7½ hours a day, so around 450 miles is a reasonable expectation for miles made good. That means that you'll need a minimum of 5½ days to complete the trip. Throw in an occasional longer (but still not terribly long) stop and you should certainly plan on no less than 6 full days. Even this is only possible if you stick to the pretty much direct Interstate route: I-90/I-82/I-84/I-15/I-84/I-80/I-25/I-70/I-135/I-35/I-45 through Salt Lake City, Denver and Wichita. As for pet friendly motels, I'd start by having a look at the websites for your favorite chains to see what their policies are and then contact the actual motels in the areas where you think you'll be staying to see how their individual policy may vary from that of the chain. You'll need to be prepared to pay a fee or refundable deposit in many places, and you may face weight/size restrictions on your dog. f your dog is also 'nervous' in strange settings and barks, you may be asked to leave any motel, no matter what their policy, if he is disturbing other guests. To help you determine where you might be staying each night: If you do 6 days of 400 miles each, your overnight stops will be in the vicinity of Baker City (OR), Ogden (UT), Cheyenne (WY), Hays (KS), and Ardmore(OK).

AZBuck