Posted on 12/17/2010 10:38:59 PM PST by rabscuttle385
I am contemplating making a road trip in January to visit friends out in Middle America. This thread is to solicit advice from fellow FReepers on winter travel in the West.
See the map below for my planned itinerary.
A few things to consider...
I have driven in the Rockies (Montana, Wyoming) in the late spring, including during the late May 2010 snowstorm in Wyoming and the Dakotas, so I'm not entirely unfamiliar with mountain driving.
My car is a four-door sedan with front wheel-drive and Michelin Weatherwise II tires with 25K miles remaining. I do plan to have a pre-trip inspection and service appointment with my mechanic.
I do have an emergency kit and full-size spare tire in the trunk.
I will get AAA roadside assistance.
I will check weather reports regularly.
I will stay on U.S. highways and interstate highways.
I will have about 11-12 days for the entire trip.
Any other advice, especially considering the portion of the route that's in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona? Any cool places to see?
And when you reach Pinal County, Arizona, shoot point-blank in the head the bastards who killed our border patrol agent there.
Amen to that.
Just be really careful. Leave a huge amount of stopping distance.
We left way more than we needed on our last winter trip, but even that didn’t help us on a sheet of ice when the car in front of us flipped.
...or I could move my northern route further south by getting off I-70 West at Columbia, Mo. (friends @ Mizzou), thereby eliminating Denver, and driving across Mo. to I-44 South towards Okla. City and then taking I-40 West towards Albuquerque. Then, I could get a rental car in Albuquerque with winter tires and take a two-day run up to Durango. (It's probably cheaper than buying a full set of winter tires for my car, since we never have any real reason to use them here in the DC area.)
Actually, this might work, since I'd have an added opportunity to stop over at Wilson's Creek (Mo.) and maybe Pea Ridge (Ark.) for a day or two.
See Salida. Its in the mountains west of Pueblo and it can be compared to the Swiss Alps. Its free of crime and has a temperate climate year around, thanks to the mountains that surround it on all sides. The “Banana Belt” of CO should be on your sight-seeing stops!
A tom tom GPS is also a good nav aid in heavy big city traffic.
AAA good.
Emergency kit good.
Maybe add couple cans of fix a flat to back up that long AAA wait.
Cable chains for surprise snow storm.
Subscribe to XM or Sirrus Sat radio so tunes an news is always there.
Load up your smartphone with tunes an podcasts an get a cord to link it to car stereo and ear buds as well.
Good bubba mug for beverage with a good cup holder.
Quality sunglasses an holder for em.
Okole seat covers.....
An of course....CHL / CCW tool for protection.
Enjoy. Stay Safe.
Hwy 50 is very gentle on a car and you DO NOT need snow chains even in the winter. If there is snow, drive with caution.
I think that would work and save you some cash.
Btw when ya get down in San Antonio go to the old bar in the Menger hotel. That’s where Teddy Roosevelt recruited rough riders.
Good history stop with a shot of crown an steak.
Both Wilson’s Creek and Pea Ridge are worth the time, but they both likely have more restricted hours this time of year.
I-44 to I-40 should be an easily workable route.
I can't know your circumstances, but I would rather take the PTO for this trip in summer. There are many reasons. Driving in winter is more dangerous even if you know the route. On some days weather may be just too bad to drive safely, and it's too late to change the course. Then you won't see much in places where snow covers the ground. Then you need to carry clothes for all kinds of weather, considering that you will be all over the place, and a winter survival kit. So if technically you can get from point A to point A through point Z, it won't be much fun.
You probably also need a set of chains too, unless you are very sure that you won't find yourself where they are mandatory.
You are routing through the Blue Mountains of Virginia.
I have been in there and got hit by the same storm 14 times.
Storms have a habit of getting stuck in there and bouncing around. You would have to see it to believe it.
Me personally, I would go back through Ohio and through Cincinnati rather than trying to shoot down through all those mountains in the Wintertime.
Most of your route that I have knowledge of along the southern United States is fine. I don’t know anything about your route through Colorado.
(I have no qualms about doing 800-850 miles a day on some stretches, e.g., Northern Virginia to St. Louis, if the weather is good, and I'm sufficiently well-rested. I have done it before.)
+Added up to 15 days.
+Albuquerque to Durango is by rental car with snow tires.
I could do that, but then I'd have to schedule the trip around Memorial Day or Independence Day rather than MLK Day, in order to gain the additional three day weekend, and I'd rather not do that as Memorial Day and Independence Day are very popular road trip times for most folks.
Carhenge in Alliance, NE. Yeah, I know...it isn’t on your route, but I thought I’d let ya know.
Sounds like a pretty good plan. The drive between Alb. and Durango isn’t anything to write home about though. But once in Durango, which is in The Four Corners area, there is a lot to see. You could spend a week here in the summer and you’d still have more to see of the area. This is “big country”. Deserts, lakes, mountains, etc.
If they are anything like Shiloh, they will be empty and quiet. (I visited Shiloh last January.) Well, except for the ghosts. I don't mind them; I'll just make sure I'm not wearing a grey shirt and blue jeans like I did at Antietam last summer. (It's not a good idea to take a walk by yourself on the Antietam Creek wooded trail in the late evening while wearing the colors of both sides' uniforms.)
No, but the cute girl who works in Durango is. ;)
I live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
I-81 is a boring drive through the Shenandoah.
I am definitely avoiding I-68 from Hagerstown/Hancock to Morgantown though. That road is hell--it's worse than I-64/I-77 through Charleston and Huntington--in the snow.
I was in the Badlands and at Rushmore in May. If we had known about Carhenge then, we would definitely have detoured.
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