Summer 2014 East to West Coast and back

[DonnaR57]

In smaller towns, you can do better than $60 for a motel room. Many times you can pick up a motel room for $45-50. Watch for motel coupon books at truck stops and state visitors centers -- they help us a LOT! (Similar deals are on this website, if you'd prefer reservations.) When my husband and I were tent-campers, we would camp out for 3 or 4 nights, then take a motel room for a night, for the comfortable bed and a shower. It was usually something inexpensive.

National forests and parks shouldn't be more than $25-30 per night for one site, and many of them are still less expensive than that. The less popular the forest campground, the lower the price (or so it seemed to us). State parks vary, but in researching this not all that long ago, $15-30 for a tent spot seems about right -- except in California where the price will be $25 up. The beach state parks will NEED reservations in CA, unless you want to take a big chance, any time during the summer months.


Donna

[Lifemagician]

You may prefer on hotel/motel nights to get two rooms, to give each member some 'space'. It is also important during your trip that you schedule one or two days each week where you all go your own way/do your own thing.

This link which was posted recently by another member, appears to be a really great one to public lands campgrounds - at least in the Western States.

Lifey

[32vld]

So 4 weeks is 28 days.

You can drive coast to coast in 5 days though you will not be able to stop and see things. So you are looking 10 days driving. Now that 28 days becomes 18. You spend a day to reach a destination and a day there you just used up 2 days. So you can use that as an initial guide to see how many destinations you can plan on seeing.

So I suggest that you get google maps or similar locate you destinations and learn the mileage between them. Google will give you a route on the Interstates and off them. So you can compare how much time is used up. So with knowing the drive time and how much time spent sight seeing when you get to a stop. You will be able to work out a route.

Personality traits need to be considered. For some people they see a scenic view they have to stop. The see an attraction. Such as the worlds biggest ball of twine. And, they must stop and have their picture taken. The there are those that operate on the lines of Mussolini in that he made the trains run on time so you will have to run your vacation the same.

Me, 4 weeks, enough money, schedule, what schedule, I don't need no stinkin' schedules. And the only chance you would have of catching me on an interstate is I would running out of time and have to get home.

So what is your objective? Is the sights found on the road more important or the destinations?

The answer will guide you as to whether you would enjoy the US routes or the Interstates. Or do a mix of both.

I like the idea of you taking a different route back then you took west. Also like to retrace the same route back going in the opposite direction.

Which ever way you head your car you will have more fun then your car can carry.

[DonnaR57]

The only problem with Google Maps, Mapquest and similar are the drive times. They are very unrealistic because they don't include things such as bathroom, fuel, and food stops. The mileages on those programs are usually spot-on. What we do is take the mileage, and then divide by 50. That gives us a better idea of how much time it will take, i.e. 500 miles divided by 50 is 10 hours. Some folks do similar, only divide by 55. We just like to have that extra cushion (not to mention, the math is a lot easier).


Donna

[Lifemagician]

Computer mapping programs do not give the many choices of routes which paper maps do. Quite frequently the most scenic routes are not shown on their maps. Even when they are, they are not marked as 'scenic' routes, so how is the user to know that they could have taken a beautiful byway, often without loss of time or mileage.

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

To tack on to Lifey's comment: scenic roads are well worth traveling. But it's good to know when you are on those, that the "mileage divided by 50 (or 55)" rule of travel time may or may not work. Some will be a lot slower, so allow more time. A hundred miles on a scenic highway can take 3-5 hours! (We took 5 hours on the 105 mile Skyline Drive.) That's because you pull off at some of the overlooks to do just that -- look and enjoy the view!


Donna

[Lifemagician]

(We took 5 hours on the 105 mile Skyline Drive.)

Skyline Drive is probably not the typical example of a scenic byway. From memory, its speed limits are around 35 - 45 mph. 90% of scenic routes which are marked as such on paper maps, and which you will find all over the country, have speed limits close to, if not at highway speeds. Though not quite as high as interstates. And very few have stops and view points, like Skyline Drive (and Blue Ridge Parkway).

Lifey

[Caliwali]

I see what you are saying. if you have never seen the website "Roadtrippers" check it out for now we are using that as a starting guideline

[Mark Sedenquist]

Just be cautious about the information you find there. That site has some very nice graphics and a mapping tool -- but the information may not be as reliable as what you find here....

[Caliwali]

Everything sounds good. we have planned the trip back east to go through texas then to New Orleans,memphis,nashville,then up to DC then back to jersey. the roadtrippers website is just a guide for us to set up dates and all.