Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help!

"J.P." <Pizle984.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d4801cce.0311052013.4b9ef597@posting.google.com...
 > Me and a few buddies were planning on taking a pretty serious road
 > trip around mid-January or so and I am looking for any information
 > about cities, nightlife, travel tips, etc to help us on this little
 > journey. Our tentative route is as follows:
 >
 > NY straight across to probably Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, MPLS,
 > somewhere in the Dakotas until Billings Montana, and then Missoula ,
 > Boise, possibly somewhere in northern Nevada to San Fran, down the
 > coast to proabably San Diego, shoot up to Vegas, then Denver with a
 > stop in between, down to New Orleans with a stop somewhere in between,
 > across to Charlseston, SC with a stop somewhere, up to Wilmington, NC,
 > the maybe Maryland then back to Long Island.

The winter weather is going to seriously impact your trip.

 >
 > Feel free to comment if you think this route is ridiculous. We're
 > just a bunch of college kids with little direction and no experience
 > in anything outside of New York really. If anyone lives in any of the
 > above mentioned cities or near this route, please offer sugestions for
 > nightlife (very important), scenery, etc. Any info would be greatly
 > appreciated. We are pretty damn clueless at the moment.
 >
 > Thanks,
 > JP<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

"J.P." <Pizle984.RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d4801cce.0311052013.4b9ef597@posting.google.com...
 > Me and a few buddies were planning on taking a pretty serious road
 > trip around mid-January or so and I am looking for any information
 > about cities, nightlife, travel tips, etc to help us on this little
 > journey. Our tentative route is as follows:

Interesting trip. Your first plan is of course to type this all into a route
planner and get the milage out of it, then work out how many miles you can
drive per day (be realistic) and work out how long it is going to take you.
I would guess you would need a month for this trip, at the bare minimum.

Mid-January is also a bad time for the weather, can you leave it until later
in the year?<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

"J.P." <Pizle984.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d4801cce.0311052013.4b9ef597@posting.google.com...
 > Me and a few buddies were planning on taking a pretty serious road
 > trip around mid-January or so and I am looking for any information
 > about cities, nightlife, travel tips, etc to help us on this little
 > journey. Our tentative route is as follows:
 >
 > NY straight across to probably Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, MPLS,
 > somewhere in the Dakotas until Billings Montana, and then Missoula ,
 > Boise, possibly somewhere in northern Nevada to San Fran, down the
 > coast to proabably San Diego, shoot up to Vegas, then Denver with a
 > stop in between, down to New Orleans with a stop somewhere in between,
 > across to Charlseston, SC with a stop somewhere, up to Wilmington, NC,
 > the maybe Maryland then back to Long Island.
 >
 > Feel free to comment if you think this route is ridiculous. We're
 > just a bunch of college kids with little direction and no experience
 > in anything outside of New York really. If anyone lives in any of the
 > above mentioned cities or near this route, please offer sugestions for
 > nightlife (very important), scenery, etc. Any info would be greatly
 > appreciated. We are pretty damn clueless at the moment.
 >


This is the wrong time of year to drive that route and once you get
west of Milwaukee there wont be much nightlife until you get
to West coast

Personally I'd suggest heading South from Chicago, maybe
following Route 66 with side trips into New Mexico and
the Grand Canyon.

Keith<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 20:13:51 -0800, J.P. wrote:

Don't worry to much about the snow and ice just be prepared. You are in
for an adventure but I imagine that is what you want. Driving in the
north in the winter is very do able just get into the mind frame that
you may have to vary your route or be delayed by a few days.

Three of my friends for spring break in March drove 6900 miles from
Boulder CO to Tuktoyuktuk NWT in 10 days. We slept each night in the
car and camped one night on the beach in -40 just out side of
Tuktoyuktuk. On the way back down we were delayed a day because of
blowing snow on the Demster. (see
http://bradpaul.bdp-optics.com/trips/arctic_tuk/tuk.html ) We even
stopped and went swimming!.

Make sure that you can take care of yourself! Everyone should have a
set of keys to the car that they should have with them at all
times. Everyone should have enough worm closes and sleeping bags
and/or blanks to spend a night in the car. Even if you plan to spend
each night in hotels. If you are not prepared for the worst case you
may freeze to death. If your are prepared the worst case can be
fun. Imagine the following situation. You have slid off a back road in
a snow storm at night. Your cell phone dose not have service. (Expect
this lack of service for your cell phone in remote places.) You can
not get the car out of the ditch yourself. (Do bring a snow shovel.)
There are no farm house lights in the distance. Your only option is to
wait untill morning and flag down a local. This will make for a great
story to tell when your back home if you are prepared and live through
it.

My advice on the cites. Skip the cites and night life. They are all
the same. You're from NY I would image with the exception of LA and
Las Veges you are not going to see anything new. Anyway this should be
an adventure spend time at places and doing things you are not familiar
with.

If you are willing to have an adventure and be prepared here is my
suggestion:

Drive the UP of Michigan, rent some snowmobiles and say in a cabin.

Go to Winnipeg and take the train to Churchill and see some polar bears.
Listen to the ice of the Hudson Bay crack at the tides change.

Make sure you stop at night some where in the north away from any
lights. Get out of the car and stand in perfect silence and look at the
sky. You will have to move away from the car because even when it is
off it will make noises as it cools down. If you are lucky you may see
the Aurora. Listen to the sound of the snow as you walk. If you hold
your breath you should be able to hear your heart beat!

Skip the south and drive to the Yukon.

Wonder in the south east corner of UT.

See Yellowstone in Wyoming.

Meet the locals in Bainville, MT. Ask them what they think of NYC.

You kids sound like city types so don't wast an adventure on
cites. See the real heart land!.

I better stop I have to plan my own trip.
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

On 11/05/2003 11:13 PM J.P. consulted a Magic 8 Ball and declared:

 >Me and a few buddies were planning on taking a pretty serious road
 >trip around mid-January or so and I am looking for any information
 >about cities, nightlife, travel tips, etc to help us on this little
 >journey. Our tentative route is as follows:
 >
 >NY straight across to probably Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, MPLS,
 >somewhere in the Dakotas until Billings Montana, and then Missoula ,
 >Boise, possibly somewhere in northern Nevada to San Fran, down the
 >coast to proabably San Diego, shoot up to Vegas, then Denver with a
 >stop in between, down to New Orleans with a stop somewhere in between,
 >across to Charlseston, SC with a stop somewhere, up to Wilmington, NC,
 >the maybe Maryland then back to Long Island.
 >
 >Feel free to comment if you think this route is ridiculous. We're
 >just a bunch of college kids with little direction and no experience
 >in anything outside of New York really. If anyone lives in any of the
 >above mentioned cities or near this route, please offer sugestions for
 >nightlife (very important), scenery, etc. Any info would be greatly
 >appreciated. We are pretty damn clueless at the moment.
 >
 >Thanks,
 >JP
 >
 >
Something to think about. In January and February Minnesota and the
Dakotas are given to whiteout snow storms. That means you won't be able
to see your hand in front of your face. Even locals die in these storms
and aren't often found until the thaw comes. If you choose to venture
forth you will need some survival gear.

Take along:

Thermal Blankets the kind you get in mountain camping stores that look
like big eskimo pie wrappers.
Distress Flares
Engine Block Warmer - you plug it in to keep your engine from freezing
overnight.
Dry Food - Trail Mix, Energy Bars.
Bottled Water
A shovel - you might have to dig your way out of a snow drift.

I have relatives in Minneapolis/St. Paul and while there are things
worth seeing in the winter, the town has much more to offer in late May
early June. The sculpture garden that houses Claus Oldernberg's "Spoon
Bridge and Cherry" is very hard to get around in the winter. Some days
it's completely closed due to snow.

Do yourself, your loved ones and your car a favor. Make this trip in
warmer weather.


--
________
To email me, Edit "xt" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951" target="_blank">http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

First off, thanks to everyone for the input. I definately overlooked
the obvious when planning to hit the nourthern US in wintertime.
Would avoiding the Minnesota and the Dakotas for a more southern route
through Iowa and Nebraska be any easier? Montana is still in the
plans but if we reached it through Wyoming via Nebraska, would it make
much of a difference? I'm sure driving in Montana, Wymoing and Idaho
would be a bit better if we didn't have to trek through the Dakotas
and Minnesota to get there. And as far as reaching San Francisco,
would it be better to travel from Boise through Nevada or Boise to
Portland then down?

I would also like to clear up any confusion as to the reasons for this
trip. If I gave you the impression that we were a bunch of crazy
college kids on a booze and women bender cross country, I apologize.
The only reason I ask about nightlife is bc I haven't seen it all. NY
is very sepreate from the rest of the country in attitude and
lifestyle, making certainpeople (such as myself) grow tired of that
type of social atmosphere. It would be a welcomed change to get a
different view on things and besides, at 23 I still do have that
desire to indulge a bit socially. As far as scenery goes, I certainly
plan to take in everything along the way. Once again, anything I see
on this trip will be a wonderful change of pace to appreciate. I'm
basically trying to find a decent balance of unfamilar landscapes and
city social life.

So that's my story. Any suggestions will once again be greatly
appreciated. Thanks..

JP
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

My suggestion is to not plan your route until just a few days
before you leave so you can watch the weather. It can be
easy going through Nebraska and Wyoming or a nightmare trip,
same with Minnesota/Dakota route. Be ready for anything,
have flashlights, blankets, snacks, water, etc. with you and
pay attention to weather warnings.

On Fri, 7 Nov 2003, J.P. wrote:

 > First off, thanks to everyone for the input. I definately overlooked
 > the obvious when planning to hit the nourthern US in wintertime.
 > Would avoiding the Minnesota and the Dakotas for a more southern route
 > through Iowa and Nebraska be any easier? Montana is still in the
 > plans but if we reached it through Wyoming via Nebraska, would it make
 > much of a difference? I'm sure driving in Montana, Wymoing and Idaho
 > would be a bit better if we didn't have to trek through the Dakotas
 > and Minnesota to get there. And as far as reaching San Francisco,
 > would it be better to travel from Boise through Nevada or Boise to
 > Portland then down?
 >
 > I would also like to clear up any confusion as to the reasons for this
 > trip. If I gave you the impression that we were a bunch of crazy
 > college kids on a booze and women bender cross country, I apologize.
 > The only reason I ask about nightlife is bc I haven't seen it all. NY
 > is very sepreate from the rest of the country in attitude and
 > lifestyle, making certainpeople (such as myself) grow tired of that
 > type of social atmosphere. It would be a welcomed change to get a
 > different view on things and besides, at 23 I still do have that
 > desire to indulge a bit socially. As far as scenery goes, I certainly
 > plan to take in everything along the way. Once again, anything I see
 > on this trip will be a wonderful change of pace to appreciate. I'm
 > basically trying to find a decent balance of unfamilar landscapes and
 > city social life.
 >
 > So that's my story. Any suggestions will once again be greatly
 > appreciated. Thanks..
 >
 > JP
 >

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Katherine Becker "As god is my witness
    I thought turkeys could fly"
NEVER SEND A FERRET TO DO A WEASEL's JOB --WKRP

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

 > San Fran, down the
 >coast to proabably San Diego, shoot up to Vegas, then Denver with a
 >stop in between,

Sounds like you've got an agressive plan, but it'll make for a great trip for a
bunch of college kids! Remember that the stretch down the coast of
California from San Francisco to Morro Bay is VERY windy, narrow, not much room
for passign (and REALLY unsafe for passing), so plan on that stretch taking a
good portion fo the day (5 hours with NO stops). You may want to stop in to San
Luis Obispo (being teh college guys that your are) that night. If it's a
Thursday night, so much the better. Downtown closes for the weekly streetparty
(dubbed "Thursday Night Farmers' Market" but it includes live music and all the
bars are open and entertaining crowds of hotties).

Between Vegas and Denver you might want to go the 100 miles out of your way
(via I-70) to check out Moab in Utah...head to Arches National Park for some
pretty incredible scenery. Or, head south for a relatively quick stop at the
Grand Canyon. Of course, it'll be January, so you could instead stop in Vail,
Silverton, etc. for some GREAT skiiing.

The world is your oyster...slurp!

JenPete.TakeThisOut@aol.com<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

On 11/07/2003 8:35 PM J.P. seeking osculation, jotted down:

 >First off, thanks to everyone for the input. I definitely overlooked
 >the obvious when planning to hit the northern US in wintertime.
 >Would avoiding the Minnesota and the Dakotas for a more southern route
 >through Iowa and Nebraska be any easier? Montana is still in the
 >plans but if we reached it through Wyoming via Nebraska, would it make
 >much of a difference? I'm sure driving in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho
 >would be a bit better if we didn't have to trek through the Dakotas
 >and Minnesota to get there. And as far as reaching San Francisco,
 >would it be better to travel from Boise through Nevada or Boise to
 >Portland then down?
 >
 >I would also like to clear up any confusion as to the reasons for this
 >trip. If I gave you the impression that we were a bunch of crazy
 >college kids on a booze and women bender cross country, I apologize.
 >The only reason I ask about nightlife is bc I haven't seen it all. NY
 >is very separate from the rest of the country in attitude and
 >lifestyle, making certain people (such as myself) grow tired of that
 >type of social atmosphere. It would be a welcomed change to get a
 >different view on things and besides, at 23 I still do have that
 >desire to indulge a bit socially. As far as scenery goes, I certainly
 >plan to take in everything along the way. Once again, anything I see
 >on this trip will be a wonderful change of pace to appreciate. I'm
 >basically trying to find a decent balance of unfamiliar landscapes and
 >city social life.
 >
 >So that's my story. Any suggestions will once again be greatly
 >appreciated. Thanks..
 >
 >JP
 >
 >
I'd take a southern route through Charleston, Georgia, Alabama, New
Orleans, Texas, New Mexico, Las Vegas then slowly work your way north to
San Fran. The South and South West has much to offer. The North
Central cities are better appreciated in the Spring or Early Summer.

--
________
To email me, Edit "xt" from my email address.
Brian M. Kochera
"Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once!"
View My Web Page: <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951" target="_blank">http://home.earthlink.net/~brian1951</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

"J.P." <Pizle984.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d4801cce.0311071735.6873e54@posting.google.com...
 > First off, thanks to everyone for the input. I definately overlooked
 > the obvious when planning to hit the nourthern US in wintertime.
 > Would avoiding the Minnesota and the Dakotas for a more southern route
 > through Iowa and Nebraska be any easier?

Marginally, you could still easily be impacted by major bad
weather, the northern Mid West is COLD in wintertime and
unless you are going skiing dont even think of Montana
in Winter.


 > Montana is still in the
 > plans but if we reached it through Wyoming via Nebraska, would it make
 > much of a difference? I'm sure driving in Montana, Wymoing and Idaho
 > would be a bit better if we didn't have to trek through the Dakotas
 > and Minnesota to get there.
 >

Dont attempt this without a set of tyre chains and make damm
sure you know how to fit em, by the side of the road in a blizzard
is NOT the time to learn.

And as far as reaching San Francisco,
 > would it be better to travel from Boise through Nevada or Boise to
 > Portland then down?
 >

It would be better ti go MUCH further south, even follwing I-70
will be chancy, its far safer to route via Texas , New Mexico
and Arizona. There are some serious mountains to cross on the
northern routes

Keith<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

In article <d4801cce.0311052013.4b9ef597 DeleteThis @posting.google.com>,
Pizle984 DeleteThis @yahoo.com (J.P.) wrote:

 > Me and a few buddies were planning on taking a pretty serious road
 > trip around mid-January or so and I am looking for any information
 > about cities, nightlife, travel tips, etc to help us on this little
 > journey. Our tentative route is as follows:
 >
 > NY straight across to probably Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, MPLS,
 > somewhere in the Dakotas until Billings Montana, and then Missoula ,
 > Boise, possibly somewhere in northern Nevada to San Fran, down the
 > coast to proabably San Diego, shoot up to Vegas, then Denver with a
 > stop in between, down to New Orleans with a stop somewhere in between,
 > across to Charlseston, SC with a stop somewhere, up to Wilmington, NC,
 > the maybe Maryland then back to Long Island.

Unless you would enjoy getting stuck due to snow and bad weather,
January sounds like a great time for this trip. Personally, I would do
it in the summer.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

Well the news hasn't been so great thus far but I guess it was to be
expected. We've narrowed it down to (only) Wyoming, Montana and Idaho
for that leg of the trip although I'm sure it will be bad either way.
We'll see how it goes but regardless, we can always head south when
we've had too much snow. Unfortunately we can't schedule this trip
any other time.

JP
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help! 

The Wyoming, Idaho and Montana leg of your trip will almost assuredly
promise snow....deep snow. They run plows, but it's sometimes a delay.
You'll not likely get into Yellowstone Park (snow), but even if you
waited until late April the same could be said.

Yes, I was a young guy long ago and with 3 buddies made a similar
journey. We ran like crazy along Rt #66 to get to California. It was
like the book "On The Road" and we didn't have the many comforts we
insist upon today. You don't need a down comforter.

For me, it was a life changing trip, so I say go for it.

Bob McNabb
 >> Stay informed about: Planning a X-Country road trip... Need help!