10 Days - East-West RT

[Viral]

hey folks, 4 of us r planning for NJ to SFO to LA to Vegas to NJ in TEN days. planning to leave on Dec24th evening and back here in NJ on Jan4th. We all can
drive, and are pretty experienced drivers. I just want someone to throw in some suggestions or opinion about this adventure, suggestions for plannning is also
welcomed. And Would a Souther Route be preferable or Northern .. from all aspects esspecially weather. Also suggestions for overnight halts will be helpful.
Thanks
Viral

[PNW Judy]

I think your best bet is to read the various threads where many of these types of questions have already been answered. There are several that address winter driving conditions. Also explore the "Road Tripping" section of this website. It has tons of helpful information. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Ten days to cover that distance means that you must take the most direct route and keep your fingers (& toes) crossed for good weather. So for the NJ to SF that means I-80 and I-5 to CA-58 to I-15 to Las Vegas and then I-15 to I-70 back to NJ.

I wouldn't think too much about "special" places to stay over-night. Stop when you are tired and keep on rocketing until you get to some of your destination cities. You will need to drive a minimum of 8-10 hours per day to stay on that schedule.

Have fun!

Why would you want to do this...and in the winter!

You do realize that it is over 6,000 miles round trip. That's an average of 600 miles a day...you're not going to have much time to do anything but look out the window. I hope your vehicle is big and roomy because you will be spending anywhere from 80 to 100 hours in it!

As mentioned, you could run into really bad weather and that could kill any plans you do make.

Good Luck!

Utahtea

[Mark Sedenquist]

Generally I support the moseying roadtrip style and Utahtea's point is well-taken -- but there are times when a high-speed roadtrip can be interesting if not exactly fun. I am working on article that explores this concept in more depth, but the current record for huge distances covered in the smallest time is the roadtrek completed by the Rhode Island father/son team when they completed a confirmed "visit" to 48 states in five days and 22 hours. And in my college days I used to drive to Tahoe from Berkeley for dinner and still make it back for chemistry lab at 8 am the next day. Youth is not a rational process.

So, go for it. Even if bad weather slows you down -- it will still be a memorable adventure.

and it was showing. I agree that this could be an adventure if you look at it that way....now I'm jealous!

Utahtea

He could possibly leave out the SF and LA portions and concentrate on Lost Wages, giving a little extra time.

With a group of people, his trip should be memorable, and thus, enjoyable. And who's to say that they won't find something else interesting along the way, get sidetracked, never make it to LV and still have a great time?

Just remember to switch every couple of hours, and make sure that if you're tired or hungry, you sleep or eat. Sometimes the urge to make the destination can overwhelm our more rational survival instincts, making tempers short, and stupid arguments can escalate...it's amazing I'm still with the same woman after almost seven years of this!

Enjoy your trip, get a good eye for the weather, because while it may snow in CO, there could be an ice storm in TX.

[imported_tammy]

wish i could go have funnnnn!