I guess my main questions regarding cell service along my routes, weather and what I need to have for the car during my travel time frame, anything else I may need to know.
AZBuck was pretty detailed about the cell service question. I'd like to add - if you're going into Yellowstone National Park, there's pretty well NO cell service anywhere in the park. You may get a ping here and there, but service is pretty weak when you can get it. I was able to get service in Mammoth Hot Springs area, probably because of a tower in Gardiner.

There were areas along I-90 that also had weak services, as well as on I-8 east of San Diego in the mountains.

Weather: Each evening, take advantage of the motel's TV service to check the weather - WeatherChannel or WeatherNation. Make sure you have the Weather app on your phone. If you're driving, and the weather looks nasty, hole up some place, preferably a motel. Don't wait until the freeway actually shuts down or you may be holing up in the local truck stop (not conducive to good sleep unless you're a commercial trucker with a bed in your rig). Wait it out, it will blow over. (Literally.)

What you need for the car: have your mechanic do an oil change if it needs doing, check over your tires, belts, hoses, make sure it's all in good order. (One mechanic of ours found a crack in our windshield, way below eye level, just before we left on one trip.) Have new windshield wipers installed if the current ones are drying out (as they often do here in SoCal). Check the articles here on RTA, as there are a few good ones on winter travel (and one of them has a list of emergency items one should have in the car during winter in areas that get that white stuff called snow).

We also carry a box of tissues and either a roll of paper towels or a stack of napkins, in our vehicles. A small cooler with either blue-ices (that you can refreeze at the motel every night) or buy a small bag of ice every day, can keep drinks like water available. (Some motels will allow you to use some ice to fill a small 6-pack cooler, but they definitely don't want you filling a 30 gal cooler with the ice meant for customers' evening beverages.)

Last but not least: carry state maps or a USA atlas with you. Please don't rely solely on electronics (smart phones, laptops, GPS) for your trip. They can be woefully inadequate, especially if you find yourselves re-routing the trip due to change of plans or inclement weather. If you stop at the Welcome Center as you enter each state, they give out free maps and other tourist info for their state. Or, if you're a AAA member, get the maps you need before you leave. There's an office in Lompoc -- I believe I've seen it mentioned in the Westways magazine. AAA is a good idea anyway -- peace-of-mind and free maps and Tour Books!


Donna