
Originally Posted by
AZBuck
Not much has really changed about RoadTripping in the intervening 40 or so years since your last significant drive. The roads, attractions, restaurants and lodging choices have gotten a little bit better and prices have gone up, but that's about it. Yes, the vitriol surrounding the national election is still strong, but that should die down as final votes are counted and a winner declared (by the states, not the news organizations).
Your car might be attractive to thieves, but random car thefts are fairly uncommon. If it's a concern to you, though, it's a legitimate concern. You can get a 'kill switch' installed for around $100. That should prevent most random thieves from starting your car and driving away even if they break in.
As to miles vs. time, there are several possible routes between St. Louis and San Francisco that all clock in at about 2,100 miles. That could be done in just 4 days of serious driving, but you're looking for a pleasant experience while taking time to stop and smell the roses. If you only drove half as far each day, you'd still only need 16 days total to make the round trip. So you certainly have time for such a trip. It will be up to you how to distribute your non-driving time.
As for weather, even if there is early snow in the Rocky Mountains or Sierra Nevada the Interstates should remain open or experience only relatively brief closures. You can mitigate the chances of seeing such a closure by taking a more northerly route westbound (I-70/I-29/I-80) and a more southerly (I-5/CA-58/I-40/I-44) eastbound. The other advantage to such a routing is, of course, that you're constantly driving 'new' road rather than just seeing the same stuff going both ways.
So, in general, I think your fears have some basis in reality but not enough to forego this trip. Taking a few common sense precautions will help put your mind at ease and let you enjoy the trip.
AZBuck