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?
Empty and quiet has been my experience, too, unless I take my sons with me. They’re very, ummmm, enthusiastic when it comes to cannons, firearms and battles.
Both have some nice trails. Be prepared for hills and, potentially, ice. Pea Ridge’s auditorium runs a film where reinactors stage the battles.
It is hard to read the details of the map, it looked like you were heading down past blacksburg, bluefield, route through the mountains.
Depending on which side of that ridge line you are will determine whether you are going to have a hard time or an easy time.
Sorry, can’t tell from the map. I would have expected you would have had to go further south if you on the right side of the ridge.
IF you have any concern about being stuck in your car somewhere in winter I advise you to buy a Mr. Heater “Buddy” heater. It is a ventless propane heater that will work on those 1# bottles. You get about six hours per bottle IIRC, but you should check that at the Mr. Heater website. A heater and a couple of six packs of 1#ers would likely be around $100. or so down there.
If you don’t need it fine, if you do it could be very important. The heater will last you for years. Just make sure that you read and heed the manual.
They are handy to have anyhow.
(Of course I’d say that, I live in Alaska.)
Also IF you like to ski, you are going right by Crested Butte Colorado. You have to go there on purpose but it beats Vail and all of the rest of them imo.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have family that lives in Crested Butte, so I’m not really “objective”.
Killer, wide, LONG runs, and smaller crowds than the rest usually.
Just my .02
There's a much better map at post 33. I'm driving along I-81 past Blacksburg, Lexington, Staunton, etc. The route is usually fine unless it's snowing like crazy.
bluefield, route through the mountains.
I tried to outrun a snow storm last year by driving through the mountains of West Virginia, and it was pretty harrowing. (My dad still makes fun of me.) I did at least one or two 360 spins in the snow (at 10-15 mph, so it wasn't that bad, just scary) north of Charleston before stopping at a rest area for the night.
No, but the cute girl who works in Durango is. ;)
Oh, I wasn’t aware of that. LOL
In that case, I’m happy to say that the road from Alb. to Aztec is very good and fast. Aztec to Durango is not bad. Go for it. Have fun!
She's a conservative too.
LOL
If you back track on the same route you took through on your way Maryland, you only back tracking on the same route you took.
I wasn’t suggesting that you blow through the mountains in WV, they are almost as bad as the mountains of Virgina but with poorer roads.
I missed where I made a suggestion to go by way of the West Virginia Mountains.
Chances are high you won’t see much but dry roads on that route, except on the leg through Colorado. Of course, anything is possible, including ice.
They won’t let you up on the passes in the West without chains if it’s snowing. It’s always a good idea to have a set when you’re traveling through snow country anyhow.
Blankets. Water. A few bags of food, especially high-energy items. A shovel and ice scraper. A couple of emergency candles. Flashlight with extra batteries. Gloves. Hats. Warm coats and long johns. All are good to have.
Keep your gas tank as close to full as possible. Someone above said not to run your vehicle if you get stuck, but that’s not realistic. As long as you only run it for short periods to stay warm, and keep a window cracked open for some ventilation you should be fine.
Keep your cell phones well-charged just in case.
And don’t be afraid to hit the motel if the weather report looks bad. All it will cost you is a few bucks and some time, but that’s better than getting in mortal trouble.
Godspeed.
And that's exactly why I want to travel more now, while I'm in my mid-twenties with few obligations and before I meet some girl, get married, and have kids.
One or two empty and quiet days at a battlefield is worth more than a semester in a college class, except when the lecturer is Gary Gallagher at UVA. I usually check out the visitor center, get my NPS Passport stamped, hit up the auto trail, and then stop and hike around for a bit with a camera.
You didn't. I just felt like sharing a road trip story.
Seriously, Rabs, as someone who has planned many-a-trip for long distances, if I were to do yours just to simply take in (besides the drive itself) some of the sites along the way, I’d need (at minimum) three weeks to a month to do what you’re attempting (and in fair weather, mind you). One of the longest trips I did (with my parents rotating driving) was from Nashville to San Diego, and with reasonable stops (and about 4 days at La Jolla), the trip was still 4 weeks in duration. At 11-12 days, with that route (and even if with the northern leg lopped off), you’d be in constant driving mode out to the coast with little time to do more than eat, rest and sleep. You’d just be better off flying, and it’d probably be cheaper, too. Sorry... :-(
Window Washer fluid should be rated to -10 at least.
So true. History texts do a great disservice to the amazing events that shaped our country's history. Seeing the battlefields where brave men charged and died to defend their way of life brings real perspective.
I did DC to Yellowstone via Nashville and St. Louis in May in under two weeks. Actually, I showed up during the floods, too. And I definitely got to see Yellowstone, the Badlands, Rushmore, Little Bighorn, and Chattanooga during that trip.
ok
Hell, I’d love to go with you on some of those trips, but the only downside with my labyrinthitis... I can’t drive (but I sure can find great places to visit !).
I don't think I would go so far as to say that, but I would say that reading about a battle (or other historical event) is nothing compared to actually visiting the site.
Seeing the battlefields where brave men charged and died to defend their way of life brings real perspective.
I still remember the Hornet's Nest at Shiloh, the woods at Chattanooga, Burnside's Bridge at Antietam, the ridges at Little Bighorn, and a whole host of other places.
Put the best sleeping bag you have in the car, a blanket to put inside the sleeping bag, and buy a few handwarmers to add in the sleeping bag if needed. Have boots, pants and cold weather gear to put on if you have to walk away from a breakdown in heavy snow, zero temperatures and at night (tennis shoes, blue jeans, and a jacket, won’t cut it).
Take a few items from home like a jar of peanut butter and a couple of cans of something, and some bottled water, and a small ice chest (ice chest and a handwarmer means no frozen water and food).
Remember your phone charger, and always, always, always, always, top off your fuel tank before getting into mountains, and remember that you will be in temperatures much colder in mountains than you will hear about on the weather reports.
I think I like this new plan better. It means that I won’t have to drive along U.S. 160 from Durango down to Flagstaff (which has a massive dead area for cell phone service). I’ll probably be along well-maintained interstate highways for the majority of the trip.
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