Allentown PA to Los Angeles CA - Nov 1st week

[mgm1456]

Ok, if there is snow around the Flagstaff area, then can I go from Albuquerque to Phoenix and then I-10 to Pasadena? I mean, looking at the stretch that I will travel (Columbus -> St. Louis -> OKC -> Albuquerque -> Needles -> Pasadena), there is a potential for snow between Albuquerque and Needles.

So, via Phoenix to Pasadena may be my alternative?

Also, may be I can book the Hotels (if I have to feel better by planning ahead), may be I can book it in the first 4 cities of my trip and leave the Needles/Phoenix option open because it could change due to weather? Thanks

[glc]

I would not book ANY hotels. You really do need to maintain flexibility.

If there's bad snow in Flagstaff, take I-25 south from ABQ to Hatch, then NM-26 to Deming to pick up I-10.

[DonnaR57]

As I said, why not book the hotels without a pre-payment? That way, if something delays you, you aren't forced into pushing on.

Flexibility -- traffic can delay you, one accident set us back FOUR HOURS one time. Another one caused us to jump off the freeway ahead of time and find an alternative route. Weather can delay you -- rain can cause a washout, which makes you take a congested detour -- snow can come down and close the freeway -- winds can slow you down a lot, particularly if they are headwinds. A mechanical difficulty can delay you just getting the repair done. That's why prepaid is a bad idea in this kind of travel. Reservations are fine, just get the kind that you can cancel before 4 pm on the date of arrival and not have to pay.


Donna

[mgm1456]

Ok, i see how the delays can happen. I am NOT going to book the Hotels. Will do it along the way. Thanks

[mgm1456]

Hello Lifemagician, i am making a trip from Allentown the the Los Angeles area (I have another thread open and got very good information from Donna, glc and SWDave).

The route I am planning (weather cooperating) is Columbus OH, St. Louis MO, OKC, Albuquerque, Needles.

Please tell me if I will hit a lot of tolls (or) is there a route in line with the cities above where I can avoid tolls and traffic. Thank you.

Moderator Note: Please keep all questions about your trip in the same thread.

[Midwest Michael]

There are only 2 tolls on your planned route. The first would be any section of the PA Turnpike you may use, which you could potentially avoid by using I-80 into Ohio and then cut south to Columbus, but that's probably more miles than worth it for the relatively small section of the Turnpike. The other is the length of I-44 in Oklahoma. That toll is probably not worth trying to avoid - and keep in mind, those tolls will be a small fraction of your costs for the entire trip.

[mgm1456]

Thanks Midwest Michael. Does the I-44 toll accept EZPass?

[Lifemagician]

No! It is cash only.

2 x $4.

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

Actually, Oklahoma does have a transponder system, but it is not compatible with ez pass, so you will need to pay cash.

Ez pass only works as far west as Illinois.

[glc]

$4 cash between MO and Tulsa, $4 cash between Tulsa and OKC, booths are manned and have change. If you want to bypass OKC on the Kilpatrick Turnpike, it's $1.15 cash TWICE, exact change required here, no pennies, recommended in rush hour. No point in bypassing Tulsa, just take I-44 straight through the city, the toll bypasses add a lot of miles. Your EZ-Pass toll on the PA Turnpike and New Stanton is $13.44. You can avoid that by taking I-81 to I-70 to I-68 to I-79 back to I-70. This adds about 50 miles and close to an hour, is it worth it?