Cross country route
 

Driving from LA to Boston this summer (end of July/beginning of August). We're taking the Targa and my wife's daily driver Subaru. And a dog (husky). Any recommendations on what route to take?

Southerly route: I-40 across Arizona, New Mexico, Amarillo, to OK City. Then either veer north via I-44 through MO to St Louis, to catch I-70 through Indianapolis and Ohio to Pennsylvania? Or leaving OK City take I-64 to Louisville and West Virginia/Pennsylvania? Then we can figure out a way to I-95 to take up the coast to MA.

Northerly route: I-15 through Las Vegas and Utah, to catch I-70 and head east from Colorado? Either on I-70 through Kansas and Missouri? Or on I-76/I-80 through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania?

We're moving, but have the opportunity to make this a 7-10 day drive, as opposed to reverse-Cannonballing it across the country.

Is it more painful to travel with a dog like this? Or am I better off biting the bullet and flying with the pooch, and then returning for the drive?

What BTDT road warrior advice does the PPOT braintrust have to offer?

I would say that you definitely want to take the northern route in the summer and as for the dog, I guess it depends on how well he tolerates long days in the car? I've done the exact drive with my dog 20 years ago and it was easy...the dog never complained and he was great company. Obviously, you need to stop once in a while and let him get some exercise and have a peaceful meal but you will need the same so it works great. :cool:

I would avoid Arkansas, Kansas, etc. due to police tactics of civil forfeiture.

I like the I40 to the I25 through Colorado then to the I80. Chicago is an interesting city that i do enjoy driving through.

The other route is to take the 10 through the south and when you hit the coast transfer to the 95. A lot of good food and sightseeing on the way.

I've done it a few times, I would do the northern route.

I wouldn't take the dog with me.

I would consider putting a new alternator in depending on your car's history. When I drove my 69E across country, that was the only thing I really worried about.

Should be a great trip.

That said:

- Dog. Our rule of thumb is two days in the car max, preferably one depending on the dog and accommodations. I have moved cross country a few times and always shipped the dog, especially if I have a flexible schedule.

I am sure there are differing opinions, but those are our constraints.

- Route. It will be warm to hot on the mid America route, blazing on the southern route. I like the route you suggested through Iowa.

If you decide to head father north, make sure you have hotel reservations in advance...lots of folks moving about in the upper States.

Lastly, I'd take the entire 10 days...great opportunity that may not present itself again for a while.


Edits: FB is right! Also, if the dog has any issues on the trip, it will be difficult to get Vet help in some parts of the country due to distances.

Noah are you in any particular hurry? Because while I-80 through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania is more expeditious it is also BORING AF!!

If it's not too much of a detour Rt 6 thru Pennsy is a bit more entertaining (aand slower) than 80.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.2641516,-77.3385825,8z?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUyNy4wIKXMD SoASAFQAw%3D%3D

I would take the southerly route. It has the most interesting terrain.

Can your wife drive the Targa?

I love road trips so I gnashed on this while running errands.

First, your 964 Targa: I had a 1994 964 Targa and I miss it every day. Every day. I'd still have it if Cruella hadn't run me off the road almost 20 years ago.

Depending on where you have traveled by car before.

Prescott, AZ the first day.

Then to Socorro up to Santa Fe for the second night.

Then start the north climb. Hays, KS has a great HI with an indoor pool.

After that, it all depends: No reason not to jump on an Interstate and go.

Going through the southern states is a study in pine trees...for days.

Here's my input ....

I-10 east to I-95 north.

One hell of a trip ... literally :)

I don't envy the dog on that trip.
It's gonna be HOT in all likelihood.

I've done the I-10 route a couple times - both directions. You can rack up some serious mileage rolling through New Mexico and West Texas from about Midnight until around 5:00 AM. ;)

I-10, I-20, I-40 .... meh... I prefer the road less travelled...

I-30 ;).

Doesn't sound like a fun dawg trip tho'... unless yer a hot dog.

When I drove back from Arizona to Ontario last year I took the I-40 route you posted. 75 speed limit on average, lots of rest stops. I forgot how but you can pick up I-90 around Cleveland and it will take you all the way to Boston

I've done em all 10 times each and the northerly one is great to Denver and then you must choose your next 12 hours of disappointment, slight advantage to Missouri over Iowa IMO.

The southerly one will have better food but a few turdly drives scattered around until you get to about OKC or Tulsa.

There's also the northern northern route I took on the Ducati. It was lovely.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1748689556.jpg

If you go to Denver then up to the Black hills you will add 5-6 hours. Maybe it's worth it!

Speed limit is 80 in SD as well ^^^^

Traffic is generally moving at 75-80 on the interstate anywhere in the west, sometimes a little faster in remote places. I'm about to do the Los Angeles to MN. drive that I've done countless times and the half that is between here and Denver is beautiful. The second half, (or first half going the other way), is obviously less exciting but still ok, eastern CO. is truly ugly but I've grown to actually like Nebraska, it's not so bad. Lots of farm land and sort of big small towns, nice people who are the salt of the earth. Iowa and the rest of the of the midwest is very green and pretty this time of year but the west is spectacular. Between the middle of the country and the east coast is kind of bland with scattered exceptions.

Mr. Gogar's advice is on the money, if you want to see Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills, it will add some hours but worth it at least once, IMO. It sounds like you have a pretty leisurely timeline. Enjoy and be safe!

Yes, though she's likely to prefer the working AC of the Subaru. As would the dog. She's already flying at the end of the month to shuttle the cat to our destination/her parents. But the pup is a lot higher maintenance, and it would be a bigger ask for her parents to watch the dog.

I appreciate all the advice, especially re: maybe not taking the dog for such a long trip.

We have time. Not indefinite time, but for once in our lives, we will be between jobs which don't start until September. Plus, Mrs. Noah's employer has a corporate relocation department that will actually help pay for travel expenses

I think the only thing Mrs. Noah definitely has asked to see is the Grand Canyon. I think that sets the first couple days of travel, as it seems like the south rim is a better fit for our family travel plans than the north. That makes it a little bit more difficult to to through Utah without back-tracking too much. So we might have to start southerly, see the Grand Canyon, and then scoot around the eastern end of the Grand Canyon to go up by Moab to hit Colorado/Denver/etc.

if you haven't been to Mount Rushmore, it's worth the trip north IMO.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1748791801.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1748791801.jpg

Agree, go see Mount Rushmore!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1748792680.jpg

By all means, if you can work it into your trip, go see it.

If the Targa has the parts, fix the AC before the trip!

The southern route can take you through Flagstaff, and that area. Super nice tourist places like the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Petrified forest. I-40 is right along Rt66, and many cool attractions along that route.

I have driven I-40 west to where it ends in Barstow California, or starts depending on which way you are going. I have wonderful AC in my 85 Carrera, so I satay cool.

I-40 is pretty boring past Arizona going east.

You can always get further north to Utah, and there are a TON of wonderful national parks there. Monument valley, Zion, and Arches, and many more.

Don't be afraid to get off Interstates in the West. Lots of state highways that are 4 lanes and just as big as the interstates. Much less traffic and far more scenic.

Not sure I'd recommend state highways in the east/north though.

The dog: done it a few times. Our Bagel the Beagle was not a good traveler. The vet prescribed Trazadone and she was fine, just in haze poor thing.

Oh yeah... I would highly recommend against anything on I-95. I lived in Northern VA for 6 years and 95 is horrible there and points north and south. Heavy volume and usually construction.

Shaun has the best route. Do not take the dog

Wait, you are moving from LA to Boston?

Shaun has a great route if you're starting in Portland, which he is not. He'd have to drive 1000 miles north to start there.

I'm guessing that there is some compelling professional reason for this move. :)

I guess I must have misunderstood what he meant by, "We have time."

I took it to mean time was not a significant concern.

Good point but having time does not always translate into wanting to add a lot of miles. FWIW, I've often thought that I would take some detours on a trip but once I get out on the road, I end up wanting to cover ground. It's a big country we have here. :cool:

I'm much the same way. Back in summer of '15 I drove back to KC Mo for a friends wedding. On the way there I didn't really want to take the time to sight see. On the way home it was another story but it was the middle of July and freakin' HOT so going to see Moab again was out of the question. No way was I going to traipsing around in the desert when it's 105* outside.

If you are taking two cars, get good walkie talkies. I would ship the Subie, fix the A/C in the 911(Glen has a happy story to tell) and drive it, if it were up to me. Take appropriate spares, set up a Pelican network along the way ahead of time, in case of emergency.

Either way, I would include a number of spots along the way.

I would go see Zion and Bryce, then go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is a very specific cabin that I would want, but you are not going in 3 years, so settle for any cabin or hotel room on North Rim. MUCH less traffic on the North side. I would drive up through eastern Utah, Arches and some very scenic roads. Continue through Wyoming, Yellowstone, on to Glacier, because, Going to the Sun Road. I would probably want to stay in Many Glacier or Lake McDonald Lodge there. I would go see Whitefish Lake too, but you don't know that guy, so maybe not for you. I would go through Billings, Sheridan and Gillette on my way to Mount Rushmore, but you don't know any of those guys either. From Mount Rushmore, I would continue South to Scottsbluff National Monument, but you don't know anyone there either. I-80 East, probably would want to take a tour of Fallingwater in PA. Niagra Falls and upstate NY, on to Beantown.

It would take a couple weeks

If you are taking two cars, get good walkie talkies. I would ship the Subie, fix the A/C in the 911(Glen has a happy story to tell) and drive it, if it were up to me. Take appropriate spares, set up a Pelican network along the way ahead of time, in case of emergency.

Either way, I would include a number of spots along the way.

I would go see Zion and Bryce, then go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There is a very specific cabin that I would want, but you are not going in 3 years, so settle for any cabin or hotel room on North Rim. MUCH less traffic on the North side. I would drive up through eastern Utah, Arches and some very scenic roads. Continue through Wyoming, Yellowstone, on to Glacier, because, Going to the Sun Road. I would probably want to stay in Many Glacier or Lake McDonald Lodge there. I would go see Whitefish Lake too, but you don't know that guy, so maybe not for you. I would go through Billings, Sheridan and Gillette on my way to Mount Rushmore, but you don't know any of those guys either. From Mount Rushmore, I would continue South to Scottsbluff National Monument, but you don't know anyone there either. I-80 East, probably would want to take a tour of Fallingwater in PA. Niagra Falls and upstate NY, on to Beantown.

It would take a couple weeks.

What did you decide on?

The AC on the Targa ,if in good nick, Should be fine for any of these routes
It's not a g body for cripes sake
To put it in good shape is cheap money

It's an on-again, off-again plan. But as of now, we're thinking of taking our Subie Outback, with working AC and everything. Not as romantic as a pair of air-cooled 911s bombing across vast expanses, but more comfortable, for sure. It'll be three of us (two bigger kids are flying, so just myself, Mrs. Noah, and the littlest Noah). Still undecided about the dog. We'll ship the Targa. I'll fix the AC nonetheless. Just missing the belt (and a recharge) as far as I know. Mrs. Noah has a relocation service helping with the tab. And then we'll come back for the Turbo another time; it has a temporary home for the time being.

Appreciate all the advice. Exactly what I was hoping for with this post. I don't know if we'll go northerly enough to hit Mt Rushmore. Maybe when we bring over the Turbo?

Which is worse: driving across Kansas? Or driving across Nebraska?

A) Kansas has nothing to see, but it's on the way to Missouri (where Mrs. Noah's brother lives).

B) Nebraska has nothing to see, but it's on the way to Iowa, which I'm told (by a co-worker who married a native Iowan and visits annually) also has nothing to see.


So our tentative plan:
1) LA to Las Vegas. 2) Then spend a couple days at Zion/Bryce/Arches (pick one) on the way through Utah to Green River. 3) To Denver. 4) Then through Kansas (where to stop for the night, Hays?), on our way to 5) Columbia, MO (Mrs. Noah's brother). 6) Then to Indianapolis (can't miss the IMS museum). 7) Then to Canton, OH (Football HoF?). 8) To Buffalo/Niagara. 9) Then to Albany?. 10) And the last hop to Cape Cod, MA. Right there is a 10-12 day trip. (Buffalo/Niagara to Cape Cod is just a wee bit far with a kid & dog in tow.)

Any other suggestions?

I don't think we'll have time to hit Mt. Rushmore, unfortunately. Just too far of a detour from our planned route.

If you will be in Iowa August 7-17, you should go to the Iowa State Fair. If not then, see when other midwest state fairs are taking place.

Over twenty years ago we did a cross country trip with our kids, who were under ten years old at the time.

We stayed with a friend in Colorado Springs then headed east. We left after lunch and stopped in Hays for the night...like leaving from Denver, it is around a five hour drive.

We stayed at a hotel with a huge indoor pool that all the rooms surrounded. Sounds like a mess but the kids had a ball.

The kids still talk about it.