Summer 2007 Cross Country Adventure

[rachum234]

Myself and my friend are planning a roadtrip across USA in Summer 2007 (Boston to Seattle) down the east coast, along the south then up the west.
How many hours can be driven in a day, given there will be two of us sharing the driving?

(This could be the first of many questions!!)
Thanks in advice for any help

[Quebec Gen]

Rachum,

How many hours can be driven in a day, given there will be two of us sharing the driving?

It's kind of hard to answer a question like that, I think you are the only ones who really know the answer! It depends on a lot of factors : fatigue, endurance, experience, etc. I think most people on this forum will agree that 6-8 hours is a reasonnable average, it gives you time to visit attractions, chat with locals, eat lunch comfortably,...

Some others prefer to do speed runs. Personally, I enjoy both. So I guess the answer to your question could be anywhere from 2 to 24 hours a day depending on what you are looking for, your budget and how much time you want to allow for the whole trip. Just go at your own pace, go with the flow and see what happens. When you get tired you switch places, unless of course you made reservations all over and absolutely need to get from one point to another in a certain amount of time... A superfluous obligation to have on a long road trip such as yours if you ask me!:-) But some people need that kind of security on the road.

(This could be the first of many questions!!)

Knock yourself out! We're here to help!

Happy planning

Gen

[RoadTripper Brad]

Like Gen says, it is all up to your body stamina... few people realize just how exausting driving long distance is. Some people's driving stamina is very short, others, like myself, have been known to push 16-18 hours a day solo. If you're driving tag team, you could probably drive 24 hours straight in shifts, but remember, you car also needs to take a nap as well. It is not good to push your vehicle too hard.

Remember to take frequent rests, both for you and the engine.

Brad

[Mark Sedenquist]

How many hours can be driven in a day, given there will be two of us sharing the driving?

There is a significant difference between the quality and quantity of such a drive. As a general rule, two people could drive 8-10 hours a piece, but we suggest that each driver change off at least once every 3-4 hours.

These days, unless I am on a speed run, I limit my in-the-saddle-driving-time to about 6-8 hours per day. In past years, I have driven cross country non-stop several times (with two drivers), but it is brutal.

Mark

[rachum234]

Thanks all for your replies. Thats is great to know. We will only have two or three days maybe that we intend to do around 10 hours, most other days will be a max of six. (This is between us). And that may be just if we have spent an unexpected amount of time in one place. We intend to take a month or so.

Thank you again, I will be back with more in the not to distant future!!

Rachel :)

[PSU 98]

If you're not on a tight schedule, don't rush things. Take time to enjoy each place.

Mark, what was your fastest time, coast-to-coast?

[Mark Sedenquist]

Mark, what was your fastest time, coast-to-coast?

I would admit to doing it in considerably less than three days -- beyond that, I will invoke the 5th amendment against self-incrimination...

Mark

[RoadTripper Brad]

SOOO... that's what that unidentified blurr was... Mark was out dodging County mounties...

[rachum234]

Hi there,

I have already been on regarding a road trip and got some great repsonses. Thanks to all. I was now looking for a bit more advice please.

We would like to go to Yosemite. We will be travelling from San Francisco, then from there heading to Seattle. i know asking how long it takes to "do" Yosemite is futile as its personal and could be an hour to a week I am sure. however, are there any highlights we should see. We will be in a car, can we drive round the park and take most of it in, maybe getting out to have lunch and a swim? (I have seen notices regarding bears attacking cars for food. I presume it is well sign posted and safe etc?!). Is it realistic to arrive mid morning, see some sights then head off, or are we really doing ourselves a diservice.
We will hope to stay outside the park as I presume that will be cheaper.

Also I was wondering if anyone had any idea on our drive from Yosemite to Seattle. We know we want to end up in Seattle, but are clueless on anything that should be seen/done in Oregon. Or should we just rattle on through stopping only to sleep?


We will hope to do the trip from san Francisco to Seattle in about four or five days.

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks very much!
Rachel

[Kinless]

Hi Rachum,

Your excursion sounds similar to what I did for our 2005 Summer Roadtrip. We did all 48 states in 27.5 days (not an easy feat) and we followed a round-about circle, hugging the outside of the nation, to accomplish the feat. Most days were 6-8 hours of driving, which could easily be handled by 2 people. Some days were less and some were more (as much as 14 hours!) but we were on a time-constraint. If you don't have a schedule, then take your time, because you can and WILL get driving fatigue if you overdo it, especially if you're not used to the long driving hours.

(Yes, to everyone else, I'm back after a long haitus. It took me THAT long to recover :) J/K)