Eastern NC to Seattle

[noFanofCB]

Since your other posting indicates you're doing something like a PCS move from one coast to the other you might want to bound the question a bit more with kinds of interests and amount of time available for stops.

Some folks are retired RV'ers who have 6 months at a time to spend on a trip and have varying interests in destinations.

Others, like me, don't have that kind of time and aren't even sightseeing - just planning an efficient route and figuring out where to stop for food/gas/lodging on the way.

I use Google Maps and Google StreetView a LOT to examine terrain and density of restaurants and lodging along the way.

I also use radioreference.com for info to program my radio scanner for all the states/counties/towns/state patrol/snowplows/airports along the way so I can hear of road problems (like crashes and road closures) and local amusements (hearing Spokane police dispatched to a home invasion where the intruder was "given a temporary loss of consciousness").

[Midwest Michael]

Rather than the rather unrealistic request of getting people to list "anything and everything" they use, why don't you spend a little more time looking around this website, where you'll find pretty much all of those things already listed in one form or another.

Look up at the top and click the on the "how to use this site" link, where you'll find tons of information, books, articles, and many more trip planning resources (including one article specifically titled "How to plan a great road trip"). Also, check out the "gear up" section of the forum, where there are several threads that already discuss many of the things you are asking.

[VJUSMC]

@MW Mike, I will check those links out thank you.

@NO FAN, Yes it is a military move and our last one. I am retiring, and we are headed to WA to settle down. We will be leaving 13 January and would like to be in Seattle by 22 Jan NLT than 23 Jan. We do plan on stopping to do a bit of quick sightseeing. We are outdoor lovers, and love to hike, but with the weather and having our dog that hates the cold we will most likely only be doing a few quick stop bys. We prefer to stay close to our route. Again thanks for all the great info I am glad I found this resource, and people willing to share experience and knowledge.

Semper Fi

[DonnaR57]

My husband and I have been planning road trips for years - long before there were such things as websites, apps, etc. The first thing you need is a good atlas or set of paper maps. Try your local Walmart or bookstore to get the atlas, or if you're a AAA member, get the maps free from them. (We do BOTH.)


Donna

{Edit} Or you could support RTA by purchasing Maps from the RTA Maps Store....

[noFanofCB]

Were I travelling in summer and with time to spare I'd be prowling around Kellogg, ID to see about mining sites and history there. Butte,MT has lots of history as well.

In January? Nope. But it might be enough to just know about it as you pass thru.

You can enter the various town names in Google which will bring up Wikipedia write-ups and more links to more info about the places.

Congratulations on retirement. I hope you like the moisture in Seattle.
Place has grown a lot since my Dad retired there. The sleepy country road they built on 30 years ago is now nearly uncrossable to go get the mail due to heavy round-the-clock traffic.

[Mark Sedenquist]

....or apps for weather tracking during a drive such as this?

One such tool is the one created by wUnderground. Their trip planning tool combines current weather forecast for any 8-10 day period and plots temperatures and likely road conditions along routes determined by the user.

And thank you for your service.

By the way, one of the most gifted chainsaw sculptures of all time lives in Wallace. I have a baby bear that he created for me sitting in my office. Getting to his studio in the winter requires some diligence -- But if you are there, I am sure he would welcome you. Vernon Pine.

I also use a scanner -- but I scan for school bus frequencies -- they are the most consistent about reporting road conditions, especially ice, on local roads.

Mark

[VJUSMC]

Advice on tires. We have decided to take the Tiguan for this trip after a lot of research and advice on this forum. With that being said the tires are the original tires with about 30k miles are them. I could prob get another 10K but after inspecting the thread depth I AM NOT going to run them for this journey. I have been researching studless snow tires, and have it narrowed down to a couple different sets. As stated we are moving to Seattle, and would most likely switch these tires out to some all-seasons come summer time. But I am starting to wonder if I am wasting money with snow tires, and should simply put on a good set of all seasons. I do like the idea of having snow tires if we were to get caught in a storm and had to truck through to get to a safe stopping point. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

[Midwest Michael]

I live in a part of the country that sees far harsher winters than you'll ever see in Seattle, and I don't use snow tires, and I wouldn't get them just for a single cross country trip.

A good all-season tire should be just fine. If you'd like a little extra piece of mind, look for a tire that's got an M/S rating (mud and snow), which are designed to give you a little extra traction in poor conditions.

[noFanofCB]

I agree with MM - fresh tires with full tread depth and M/S rating.

You might research a little more about which brands work better in snow than others but specialized tires for a onetime trip is unnecessary.

If the roads are bad enough that it makes a difference- you should have parked it when you could.

[glc]

With your AWD system, all you need is a set of all-season tires with the M+S rating. You can run those year-round and also be legal everywhere except where chains are required for all vehicles. When the conditions are that bad, you don't belong out on the roads anyway.