Anyone Drive Across Country - East Coast to West?

[junkinmytrunk]

If a cross country thread exists, please point me there - couldn't find one in any of my searches...TIA

Doing prelim research on driving from NJ to Los Angeles. These are the questions, thus far:

1. Fastest, safest route
2. Any rest stop suggestions?
3. Is there truth to the rumor you can park at certain police stations overnight for safety?
4. Any good packing lists?
5. Geez...what else?
ETA: This is not a pleasure cruise - simply trying to get a car from point A to B..

Seems like 5 questions aren't enough - hoping those who have done this can impart some great tips!

TIA!!!

[Soulmate]

We drove cross country from East to West but took the northern route. You'd take the southern route since you are going to LA. We did our trip in 3.5 days driving separately and each of us drove the whole way w/o help. Very rough but doable.

1) There is only one route for you and it would be the southern route. I have no idea what that means but I think there is one main highway in the south that takes you there. You can take the northern route being in Jersey end up around San Francisco then drive down to LA. Either way is very boring (I know the northern one is).

2) Nope. On the northern route there is seriously nothing to see as you are driving a lot through Wyoming and other extremely rural areas. I think the southern route has you going through desert and rural texas. You might pass the grand canyon on the southern route though.

3) No idea. But from what I understand throughout the US a lot of crime happens just outside and near police stations. I wouldn't count on them for safety.

4) I'd go to the library and get books on tape/CD. They make the time go by so much faster. Also pack a cooler with sandwiches, drinks and snacks because it is very expensive and junky on the road. Cell phone charger of course.

5) DO NOT go when the time is changing (DST). With losing hours going out there anyway having the time change too killed me. I would stop for the night at a new time zone so you would just wake up an hour early and the adjustment won't be so bad. Take a break even when you don't need gas or are hungry just to stretch and stay awake.

I don't think there is too much else to tell. It was not fun but I was proud of myself that I did it all by myself (DH was driving separately).

ETA: Just thinking about your route. If you are going in the summer you may want to take the northern route since it would be cooler.

[meatpie]

We did the drive in 4 days with a trailer and our dog. Let's just say our recent vacation to France was a bit better.

1. We took the 80 all the way across until Salt Lake City and then headed down to LA on the 15 (I think) - (we did NY to LA)
2. Can't remember, sorry. But the route we took had HUGE reststops along te way and they were all nice and clean.
3. My brothers a cop and I know nothing about that. We had no trouble and like I said we had our entire lives in that trailer.
4. Not really. I'm not sure what you mean. For you? We packed really light. Bought a few Tide packets so we could wash anything in the sink if need be.
5. We did take a portable DVD player and when one of us was not driving we would watch movies and TV.

I do remember thinking Nebraska was nice and safe, and that parts of South Bend were really ugly.

We made the drive in late may and the weather was really good.

[jajacobsen]

I have driven from GA to Texas (less than 12 hours non stop!), and a lot of East coast driving, but not coast to coast. However, I have done a LOT f driving. Here are my suggestions:

1. Fastest, safest route Join Triple A, and get one of their triptiks. It's a route planner. It will have tons of information on it as to rest stops, etc. You can pick a fast route, a scenic route, etc. I encourage this for safety reasons as well. If somethng goes wrong with your vehicle their will provide roadside assistance. That alone is worth the $50-70 annual fee. You can always cancel after one year.

2. Any rest stop suggestions? Not sure I understand this question as the rest stops completely depend upon your route.
3. Is there truth to the rumor you can park at certain police stations overnight for safety? I really think this is a "not true" thing. Police do not want loiterers or squatters. You can probably make in in three rto 4 days total. I would definitely spring for Motel 6 along the way and chalk it up to safety. You will drive better after sleeping in a bed.

4. Any good packing lists? Book on tape. Cooler with drinks and snacks. handwipes and toilet paper. Window screen shade.
5. Geez...what else?
ETA: This is not a pleasure cruise - simply trying to get a car from point A to B..

HTH!

[junkinmytrunk]

thanks for the tips everyone.

i am a AAA member - have never used ANY of their services :eek: if you can believe. i'll check with them now regarding the triptik thingy - very good advice.

in terms of packing lists i guess i meant anything to bring in the car that would be out of the ordinary that we might need. i'm sure i'll be able to find someone's list on a blog somewhere.

off to find help w/AAA.... thanks again!

[laura]

Er, if the point is just getting a car from point A to point B, is there a reason you wouldn't consider just shipping it? With the cost of gas as it currently is, it doesn't seem like you would save money to do it yourself. We had our car moved cross-country and it was fairly reasonable in price and hassle-free. Just a thought (disregard if already considered or fiscally not feasible!).

[junkinmytrunk]

Well, I used a "reputable" shipper about a year ago. They f'ed my car up royally and refused to reimburse me so I'm not real keen on going that route. And fwiw the cost of shipping was no real bargain either.

But thanks for thinking of me tho' ;) !!!!!!!!!!!

[laura]

Gotcha. We used United Van Lines, but we were doing a full re-location and they just put our car in the truck with all our stuff.

I think I-80 as much as possible would be quickest/safest. I've done Boston to Chicago a couple of times and nothing was extremely scary/unsafe there - just lots of boring farms. ;) I agree about AAA and I also agree about springing for actual motels/hotels. Though FWIW, when my SIL drives long distances she takes a baseball bat with her and sleeps at a rest stop. She's never had trouble, but I do NOT recommend this, though, whatsoever.

[junkinmytrunk]

I did call AAA and they are sending maps and a route and all that good stuff so that was a great tip.

And the baseball bat - yeesh, that's not a bad idea, I must say....

[jajacobsen]

Also, you can give a copy of your trip tik with someone with whom you check in with along the way. Hopefully, nothing would happen. But if it did, they could track your progress and have some idea in which state you might be.

Good luck with the trip. Plese think about eeh Motel 6 thing....

[nuhmah]

We have done the drive from Oregon to NY twice - both times taking the northern route. And we have drive from NY back to Oregon by southern route. The southern route was fun - we went through Memphis, and stopped at the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas.

The thing that saved us was getting a small little GPS tracker that we hooked into our laptop computer. It had a USB port on it, and we installed Trips and Streets into the computer. The program reads your exact location (its fun to watch your little circle move!), and gives great directions and locations of stops. We almost got stranded in Little Rock due to a freak snow/icestorm and they closed all the highways - we were able to find back roads around it (that were actually safer) and get back on the highway further west. It comes in handy when trying to find places off the beaten path, too. We tired of McDonald's, and having S&T was great at helping us find diners and other restaurants.

Other than that, we are total electronic junkies.... we have a small LCD screen that we hook up to the X-Box (that has music, games, and movies), and we also invested in Satellite Radio. VERY helpful when driving through New Mexico and nothing comes in. ;)

We did the trip from Oregon to NY in 2 days. We stopped twice to sleep at rest stops, and the rest of the time in the car while the other was driving. Most meals were eaten on the road, or at quick stop places.

[justHB]

I've done the drive to/from Pittsburgh/LA a couple of times and most recently Pittsburgh to SF. It was me, DH, our cat, and all the belongings we could fit in the car. It took us 4 days.

Day 1 - Pittsburgh to Notre Dame area
Day 2 - Indiana to Nebraska
Day 3 - Nebraska to Wendover, UT
Day 4 - Wendover, UT to Oakland, CA

When we would drive from LA to Pittsburgh and back we'd take a longer route. Not sure why, but it seemed to go on forever. That took us from LA to Utah, Utah to Texas, Texas to Missouri, Missouri to Indiana, Indiana to PA.

Each day we woke up and were on the road by 6am. We stopped driving just after sundown. We stayed in Motel 6's and w/the exception of the one by Notre Dame, they were suprisingly nice, especially in Nebraska. That one was on par with a Marriott, surprisingly.

[jajacobsen]

Are you driving by yourself or have a partner? Is your child going with you?

[maxandmolly]

AAA triptik is a great idea! I had one when I drove from Tampa to LA after college, and it was a lifesaver. It shows you which exits have truck stops (I should have stopped at more, they generally have cleaner bathrooms than gas stations, and a bunch of food all in one place), which have hotels/motels, etc. Every night when I stopped I would look through the next day's pages and get a rough idea of where I would be stopping the next night.
Take lots of simple, one serving snacks for when you get the munchies, they are way overpriced in gas stations and truck stops. When I drove from SF back to FL, I brought a cooler and a few 12-packs, and would get ice every morning from the motel machine. DO NOT stay at police stations or rest stops. Just fork out the $35 or so for a Motel 6, you'll be much safer, better rested, and able to drive better the next day.

[jesseybell]

Definitely stay in Motel 6s - outside of the Northeast, it is kind of scary how incredibly inexpensive they are. They are clean enough and descent enough (I relied on them for 1/2 of my pleasure 6 week trip around the country).

[jajacobsen]

okay I knw I sound like an old mother hen here, but you know, the $150-$200 you spend on Motel 6s on this trip won't kill you, but exhaustion at the wheel might.

Driving while tired is a major cause of traffic accidents. You would never drive while drunk, why would you drive while tired? I understand we all have to do it sometimes but to plan a trip without proper sleeping arrangements is crazy!

[mpc863]

We did LA - Chicago. We took the 15 all the way up to the 80 (I think...we stopped in Yellowstone). The most direct route was the 15 to the 70 which runs through Colorado and the middle of the country.

If you can swing it, I 2nd the recommendation for a portable GPS device. The most frustrating thing for us was finding a clean, comfortable hotel to stay in. It would have been nice to have those laid out on the GPS.

We loaded up our ipod with lots of songs and pretty much listened to music the whole time.

Good luck!

[junkinmytrunk]

Guys, thanks so much for all the tips on this.

And no, my DS is not coming out with me on the drive. That would be INSANE :eek: . My mom will babysit and fly out with him when I arrive.

I have to agree that the cost of the Motel 6 is definitely going to be worth it. So I'll factor that in. I might have a driving companion - it's actually looking pretty good so that makes me feel a bit better about it.

Thanks again for all the advice.

[junkinmytrunk]

I have a laptop so what would I need again? Is it just software plus some small gadget? What should I GOOGLE to find one? TIA...

[jajacobsen]

Great. It sounds like you have a good plan. Take care and enjoy teh trip.

[mpc863]

we don't have one but this is a popular one:

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-StreetPilot-c330-Vehicle-Navigator/dp/B0007LJHVA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-6649970-2860650?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1175716501&sr=8-3

[ManteoChik]

Everyone I know uses TomTom....which I happen to *love*.

I went on a car trip alone from FL to the mountains of NC and borrowed my stepdad's TomTom, that thing was badass and if I went more places that I was unfamiliar with, I'd sooooo buy one. There are several models but pretty much all of them have most of the same features - including finding restaurants and such.

[nuhmah]

This is what we have
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=UT-41&cat=CON

well, something like it. DH bought ours at Costco a few years ago, and paid about $30 for it.

[junkinmytrunk]

Just wanted to thank JaJacobsen for suggesting TripTik. AAA has already supplied me with the materials and the did a fantastic job.

If you hadn't suggested the idea, I certainly would not have thought of it and I can't imagine NOT having this resource.

Thanks again! :)