Eastern NC to Seattle

[VJUSMC]

I am going to jump into to this as well as this timeline/route is very close to mine. We are departing 13 Jan from Eastern NC headed to Seattle. We need to be there by 22/23 Jan. I have driven cross country three times all solo. I have taken 40 twice and 10 once. The good news is I will have my wife this time, and our dog to assist. We are really torn on taking 40 or the Northern route. Also torn on which vehicle to drive. We are shipping one of our vehicle driving the other. Looking for some advice here. Take the VW Tiguan (has AWD 4 motion), or Jeep Wrangler Rubicon(its a Rubicon). Leaning towards the VW for fuel economy and overall comfort. But if we hit bad weather I will feel more confident in the Rubicon. I have driven in snow and ice before which in my opinion doesn't matter because it is very unpredictable. So looking for advice here. Right now we have a 40 plan and a northern plan and will make our decision closer to our date of departure. Open to any and all tips, advice, strategy. Thanks!

Moderator Note: Moved from this thread: because every trip is different, we prefer to give each trip its own thread.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

If you take another look at the post Buck made in the thread you originally posted to, you'll see exactly why we would NOT recommend taking I-40 or I-10 for this trip. Going via I-40 to California and up the west coast would add 700 miles - a solid day and a half of driving - compared to a more direct route.

Not only would you be adding more days on the road, and more days where you could see bad weather, you would be doing nothing to increase your chances of seeing good weather. I-40 frequently sees snow and (even worse) ice across the southern plains, and it actually reaches a higher elevation in NM and AZ than you'd ever see along I-90 in Montana! Not to mention, you have more mountains and snow chances to deal with as you head up the west coast.

So, if it was me, I wouldn't even consider I-40 as an option. I-90, which is often one of the best cross country winter routes, would be my clear first choice. If there is a storm hitting the Dakotas or Montana, then and only then, would I consider another choice - but that choice would look more like I-80 to I-84 across Wyoming and Utah.

As far as vehicles, I'd certainly take the Tiguan. If conditions are so bad on the interstate that you need the extra off-road advantages of the Jeep, over an already very capable AWD vehicle in the VW, you really would have no business being on the road anyway. Don't forget, AWD/4WD does nothing to help you stop! Pull over and find a nice spot to relax until conditions improve.

[VJUSMC]

Thanks MW! You bring up some great points. Do you recommend any sites or apps for weather tracking during a drive such as this?

[glc]

We have a sticky thread in the Gear-Up forum about weather data. For road conditions, safetravelusa.com has links to all the states' DOT sites.

[VJUSMC]

Any recomendations on places to see along the 90 route?

[Midwest Michael]

Without knowing anything about your interests or how much time you have available, it's hard to offer any specifics. However, I would suggest you start by looking at the RTA Map Center, which will show you RTA recommended ideas right along the route.

[VJUSMC]

Thanks again MW Mike. Pretty much anything outdoors and not far off the trip. I know it will be XTREMELY cold and we will have our dog so anything we can drive by and check out would be awesome.

[noFanofCB]

I don't get to stop on my trips to Seattle but note that the Little Bighorn Battlefield is very close to I-90 south of Hardin, MT. When driving thru there in the winter it makes you wonder why anybody would fight for such a desolate place.

[Lifemagician]

When driving thru there in the winter it makes you wonder why anybody would fight for such a desolate place.

I would heartily agree - it somehow did not make any sense. That is until recently, when I started reading the Journey of Crazy Horse (J.M.Marshall III), and it all takes on a completely different meaning. Caucasian Europeans have a lot to answer for, the way they treated the native citizens on many of the continents.

This book was given to me in 2009 by a family of native Americans who made me welcome in their home. I almost feel ashamed that I did not have enough interest in it to read it before now. Better late than never. It makes one see so called civilised values in a different light.

Lifey

[VJUSMC]

Can everyone share their favorite planning tools. Please include websites, apps, books, etc. Basically anything and everything you use when you sit down to plan your journey.

Moderator Note: Please keep all questions about this trip in the same thread.