14 day road trip - Route 50 a blacktop too far?

[Paolo99]

Hi,
I'm new here and looking for some advice from you lovely people.
My wife and I are from the UK and are planning on embarking on our second US road trip in May. Last March we spent 12 days driving 5000 miles through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
It was a fabulous trip but my wife felt that we spent too long in the car - she may have a point.
We have been looking at Route 50 for our May trip but is it possible to drive this route in 12-13 days without driving 12 hour days. My wife wants to spend no longer than 5-6 hours each day in the car [my driving isn't THAT bad, honest]. If Route 50 is not possible in that time what are the alternatives?
It can be anywhere in the US but we like the small town vibe rather than the big city vibe.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Regds...Paul

[Mark Sedenquist]

I'm new here and looking for some advice from you lovely people.

Welcome to the Forum! The one thing that is guaranteed here -- is that you will get some diverse opinions.

My wife and I are from the UK and are planning on embarking on our second US road trip in May. Last March we spent 12 days driving 5000 miles through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

You sound like seasoned road explorers, so we can skip the usual qualify questions about goals and expectations.

We have been looking at Route 50 for our May trip but is it possible to drive this route in 12-13 days without driving 12 hour days. My wife wants to spend no longer than 5-6 hours each day in the car [my driving isn't THAT bad, honest]

. Heh. Heh. I like sections of US-50, but the route I would choose if I had such a blank slate would be US-61 from New Orleans to the Canadian border. Fellow roadtripper Tim Steil wrote a great book about that journey if you want some inside intel.

But US-50 is pretty cool and all-American -- but I wasn't sure that you wanted to cover the entire distance. It would certainly be possible in your time frame. There are more small towns in America than large ones -- so you could go just about anywhere. Another place I would go exploring would be the Dakotas. You might enjoy reading a field report from South Dakota contributed by fellow Brit, Peter Thody, from his trip last summer.

Mark

[Paolo99]

Mark, thanks.
Any route we drive must have a big city at either end to facilitate flights from and to the UK. That, apart from the 5-6 hour a day driving restriction, is the only qualification.
So, you think it's possible to do US50 in 12-13 days without burnout? US61 looks cool too. I'll have to check out the logistics.

[Midwest Michael]

Something you might want to consider instead of going from one city to another is using a major city as a Hub, and then spending your 2 weeks driving around that region of the country.

For example, you could start in St. Louis, and do a circle through places like Memphis, Nashville, Chicago, Iowa, Kansas City, and Back to St. Louis.

I'd see a couple advantages to that method. First, you could do even more exploring, simply taking roads and heading towards places that simply look interesting. Second, since you'd never be more than a couple days drive from the airport, you wouldn't have to worry about pushing your drive times to make sure you make it to your destination - keeping your wife happy, and of course, this method is cheaper since both Airline and Rental Cars cost less if you use the same starting/ending points.

I mentioned St. Louis, but you'd really be limitless on where you could go. Since you did the west last year, maybe you'd like to fly to Boston and spend your time wondering through New England, or perhaps fly to Atlanta and explore the south.

The one disadvantage of course is that you wouldn't get to see the same cross section of the country, and I wouldn't recommend it if it was your one and only chance to visit the US, but since this isn't your first trip, and hopefully it won't be your last, this method would really let you get a good feel for one part of the country, leaving more areas to explore on your next adventure.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Something you might want to consider instead of going from one city to another is using a major city as a Hub, and then spending your 2 weeks driving around that region of the country.

I really like Midwest Michael's suggestion here about hub and spoke roadtripping. I have always liked those kinds of trips. I spent six weeks driving around Arkansas a few years ago -- it was one of the best road trips I have ever taken. I really got a feel for the breadth and variety of the towns, parks and the people. There must be something in the water -- lots of gorgeous young women live in Arkansas!

Mark

[Paolo99]

Thanks Mike, that is an excellent idea, but this is likely to be our last road trip. It will be my 10th road trip and a change in circumstances dictates that we will have to spend our holiday time closer to home.
So, I guess we're looking for a bit of a grandstander to sign off with!