driving at night

[jersey grrl]

I'm moving back to NYC from Seattle and we will be driving over fourth of july weekend - it was the ONLY time my partner could come out to help with the drive so that can't be changed, please spare me the lectures about what a bad weekend it is.

We are driving with my cat in a non-air conditioned vehicle. While I've done this drive myself during the summer with only minor discomfort, we're worried about the animal, even if we keep him shaded/hydrated/etc. driving at night would be far less taxing on him.

Our thought was to drive from about 3pm until midnight or until we get tired, and then find a motel that would give us a late checkout, repeat that schedule pretty hardcore. yes, i realize that we won't see much of the country but with a pet in the car, sightseeing or lengthy stops of any kind are out of the question anyway.

i know there used to be some night drivers on this board so i am hoping for wisdom. the only thing that comes to my mind is that we will need to stop every 4 hrs to rotate drivers and let the cat attend to business and the idea of stopping at rest areas in the middle of the night is not my favorite thing to do - but i will have a male companion and we are from nyc so we have reasonable common sense.

thanks in advance for help and assistance. if it matters, we'll be taking the northern route - 90 to 94 and then down to 80 through PA.

[Mark Sedenquist]

As a result of our work with special events management, we are well versed with the practice of driving at night. There a many benefits, much less traffic at the major bottlenecks, cooler temps, night scenery in cities and towns.

Rest stops -- I would suggest using the travel center for night-time breaks (truck stops).

Books on tape and other audio products that engage your mind are helpful. I am also reviewing a new product that was created to assist drivers in staying awake on long drives -- more news about that in a week or so.

Any roadtrip is better than staying home. Have fun!

We're night people by nature so it seems like a fit.

What do you think our chances are of finding motels that will give us a late check out if we're checking in at 4 in the morning?

I've done this (years ago when I was driving trucks), but I don't know how common it is these days. One potential problem is that some places will close up in the evenings(especially the Mom and Pop motels). You'll probably be able to find accommodations at the places that are staffed 24 hours, although they MAY charge you a bit extra for the late check out. Bob

[Chuck Anderson]

I find that if I want to stay awake at night while driving the best way is to put talk radio on with a person with whom I totally disagree. This can get my blood going and I talk back to him/her and the people who call in. It may sound crazy but it really works.

[imported_Bob]

Probably really interesting for the folks riding WITH you as well... A similar tactic is to play music you don't like, although there's no talking back with that. :)

A friend of mine and I drove from Seattle to Montreal and were along I-90 for much of the time. We slept at rest areas from Washington through Ohio along I-90 and had no problems at all, there are usually a ton of trucks there as well, so I don't think rest areas are necessarily any more dangerous than anywhere else.

[The San Diego Highwayman]

First and foremost UPGRADE your headlights AND make sure they're AIMED properly, both for YOUR benefit, AND so they don't blind oncoming drivers. :)