Moving From Arizona To Ohio

[anilthota]

Hi I am moving from Phoenix, Az to Cleveland Ohio. I was thinking of going on a road trip. Any suggestions on what route to take. I will be travelling and want to save money on lodgings so if any one could let me know good places along the road to camp or cheap motels.

Thanks

[Quebec Gen]

Cheap Motels? Hum, it depends on the route you choose. Personally, I would certainly head north to go through UT and CO and then east through St. Louis and maybe Chicago. I-70 west of Denver is majestuous, and I'm sure you will find plenty of places to go camp there. I stayed at a very nice and clean motel with a kitchenette in Denver last summer for only 30 bucks, I believe it was the Homestead Inn, in the southern part of town...I think it was on Quebec St. but I'm not sure (hey I was at home away from home!:o). If you take I-70, stop in Parachute, UT, there's some kind of visitors center there, they'll give you tons of great infos and coupons. Actually, you should always stop at visitors center when you enter a new State to pick up infos and coupons booklet, then you'll be able to locate every campground and see if you can get rebates on motel rooms.

Usually, the smaller the city, the cheaper it gets, except for small tourist traps cities. Mom & Pop Motels are always a guess, but if you're lucky you can find little jewels for very little money. Otherwise, there are always the standard motel chains like Motel 6 or Budget Host Inn. The cheapest campgrounds are usually BLM (~5-12$ a night) with no services and it can go up to 35$ a night for family oriented KOA's, including indoor pools, golf course and jacuzzis. Of course, you could sleep in the car if you don't mind roughing it a little. Personally, I believe the best place to sleep relatively safely in a car remains the big truck stops like Flying J and TA. You might want to read this article I wrote with Bob Schaller on how to save money on the road.

Happy planning!

Gen

[Robert Schaller]

In this recent thread, AZBuck recommends State Parks for a good camping experience. Along your particular route, I think they are probably the best way to find a camping spot at the end of each day and I second his recommendations.

AZBuck wrote: I am, in general, a big fan of state parks. I find them far less crowded and more friendly than the bigger, more well known, national parks. Their campgrounds usually fill up later in the day, if at all, and tend to be cheaper as well.

As a general way to find nice overnight stops in the states you'll be travelling through, let me suggest that you run a search on each state's name along with the phrase 'state park' and see what appeals to you.

I would take US60 or SR87 out of Phoenix, go out through Showlow to Socorro, Vaughn and Santa Rosa, NM, and pick up I-40 there. There's nothing wrong with sticking to I-40, I-44 and I-70 from there, but if you want a bit more of the two-lane experience, you could take US54 out of Tucumcari, NM all the way into Missouri and St Louis. Be sure to stop at the Gateway Arch and visit the Museum underneath. Another possibility for side trips are the local wineries along the Missouri River out by St Charles, MO, and the Abraham Lincoln sites at Springfield, IL. Bob