why are interstates that bad for cross country driving?

"Scott en Aztlán" <scottenaztlan.RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote
> On "Nachiketa Sahoo" <nsahoo.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote:
>>I have never done cross country driving, but, planning to do one some
>>time next year. I have a basic question. Why are the two lane roads
>>like US66, US50 or US80 are preferred for cross country driving
>
> Preferred by whom?
> ...
> If I have the choice, I always take the Interstate.

Now, now, Scott. If you're on a vacation and want to see stuff,
the freeway is often not the way to go. Many "interesting" things
are often 50-100 miles off the freeway, and it's actually better
to use minor roads rather than constant side trips off the freeway.

FloydR
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

Nachiketa Sahoo wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have never done cross country driving, but, planning to do one some
> time next year. I have a basic question. Why are the two lane roads
> like US66, US50 or US80 are preferred for cross country driving and not
> any interstate? The impression I got is these state roads show off the
> country better than the interstate, but, is the difference that
> significant? By taking these two lane roads you are not only increasing
> the travel distance but also increasing the travel time because the
> speed limit would be lower on these.
>
> Any thoughts from anybody who has driven cross country?


I've driven cross country several times. If your goal is to get from
one coast to the other then one of the major interstates is THE ONLY
way to do it. Your basic east-west choices are 90, 80 or 40 but there
are some regional alternatives for added flexibility.

If you plan to take a leisurely, sometimes scenic trip then do take one
of the 2 lane highways. Be prepared for a trip that:can be very slow
at times; will take you through a lot of small towns; will take you
through some traffic choked downtowns; will have portions of those
numbered highways seeming to disappear at times.

Anyone who has taken US50 from Ohio through West Virginia and eastward
will know exactly what I'm talking about. And the original US66
doesn't even appear on maps.
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

necromancer wrote:
> > brink said in rec.autos.driving:
> > A good example is getting from say Kansas City to some point in the
> > southwest like Albuquerque, Phoenix, or LA. Mapquest or GPS software will
> > almost certainly route you on I-35 to I-40 west. Taking US 54 out of
> > Wichita, however, shaves 100 miles off your trip because it proceeds SW
> > toward Albuquerque rather than straight south (and out of your way) toward
> > Oklahoma City before proceeding west.
>
> I've done similar when I used to go to coastal MS to gamble. AAA or
> mapquest etc... would always route me I-95 (aka Cocaine Lane) - I-10 to
> get there, but taking US-82/84 to US-319 to Talahassee and then picking
> up I-10 there shaved about 75 or so miles off the trip. An added bonus
> is not having to worry about the DWB patrols on I-95 in Camden County,
> GA. I almost always take US-17 through Camden when I am heading to/from
> J-ville (especially when heading south) for this reason.

I do something similar myself...KC to Dallas...via Joplin and Muskogee
(US 71, I-44, US 69, US 75). It's shorter than using I-35. Toll
charges are a bit less as well.
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

brink wrote:
> "Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:129g4kr3r1oke85@corp.supernews.com...
> >
> > Now, now, Scott. If you're on a vacation and want to see stuff,
> > the freeway is often not the way to go. Many "interesting" things
> > are often 50-100 miles off the freeway, and it's actually better
> > to use minor roads rather than constant side trips off the freeway.
>
> Not to mention that many "side roads" end up being faster than interstate
> routes because they are much more direct to where you're going. Major gas
> savings as well when you can cut off a lot of miles instead of going out of
> your way.
>
> A good example is getting from say Kansas City to some point in the
> southwest like Albuquerque, Phoenix, or LA. Mapquest or GPS software will
> almost certainly route you on I-35 to I-40 west. Taking US 54 out of
> Wichita, however, shaves 100 miles off your trip because it proceeds SW
> toward Albuquerque rather than straight south (and out of your way) toward
> Oklahoma City before proceeding west.
>

Yes, most mapping software notoriously favors Interstate routes. For
instance, going from Phoenix to Sacramento, they often recommend taking
I-10 into and through LA to I-5 (taking one of the 10 spur routes,
I-410 is the favorite I think, but not 100% sure), and taking I-5
northward. The mind boggles.

Jason
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

"Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:129g4kr3r1oke85@corp.supernews.com...
>
> Now, now, Scott. If you're on a vacation and want to see stuff,
> the freeway is often not the way to go. Many "interesting" things
> are often 50-100 miles off the freeway, and it's actually better
> to use minor roads rather than constant side trips off the freeway.

Not to mention that many "side roads" end up being faster than interstate
routes because they are much more direct to where you're going. Major gas
savings as well when you can cut off a lot of miles instead of going out of
your way.

A good example is getting from say Kansas City to some point in the
southwest like Albuquerque, Phoenix, or LA. Mapquest or GPS software will
almost certainly route you on I-35 to I-40 west. Taking US 54 out of
Wichita, however, shaves 100 miles off your trip because it proceeds SW
toward Albuquerque rather than straight south (and out of your way) toward
Oklahoma City before proceeding west.

brink
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

Jason Pawloski ha scritto:

> brink wrote:
> > "Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:129g4kr3r1oke85@corp.supernews.com...
> > >
> > > Now, now, Scott. If you're on a vacation and want to see stuff,
> > > the freeway is often not the way to go. Many "interesting" things
> > > are often 50-100 miles off the freeway, and it's actually better
> > > to use minor roads rather than constant side trips off the freeway.
> >
> > Not to mention that many "side roads" end up being faster than interstate
> > routes because they are much more direct to where you're going. Major gas
> > savings as well when you can cut off a lot of miles instead of going out of
> > your way.
> >
> > A good example is getting from say Kansas City to some point in the
> > southwest like Albuquerque, Phoenix, or LA. Mapquest or GPS software will
> > almost certainly route you on I-35 to I-40 west. Taking US 54 out of
> > Wichita, however, shaves 100 miles off your trip because it proceeds SW
> > toward Albuquerque rather than straight south (and out of your way) toward
> > Oklahoma City before proceeding west.
> >
>
> Yes, most mapping software notoriously favors Interstate routes. For
> instance, going from Phoenix to Sacramento, they often recommend taking
> I-10 into and through LA to I-5 (taking one of the 10 spur routes,
> I-410 is the favorite I think, but not 100% sure), and taking I-5
> northward. The mind boggles.

What alternate would you suggest? Just curious....

>
> Jason
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

Mike Tantillo wrote:
> Jason Pawloski ha scritto:
>
> > brink wrote:
> > > "Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:129g4kr3r1oke85@corp.supernews.com...
> > > >
> > > > Now, now, Scott. If you're on a vacation and want to see stuff,
> > > > the freeway is often not the way to go. Many "interesting" things
> > > > are often 50-100 miles off the freeway, and it's actually better
> > > > to use minor roads rather than constant side trips off the freeway.
> > >
> > > Not to mention that many "side roads" end up being faster than interstate
> > > routes because they are much more direct to where you're going. Major gas
> > > savings as well when you can cut off a lot of miles instead of going out of
> > > your way.
> > >
> > > A good example is getting from say Kansas City to some point in the
> > > southwest like Albuquerque, Phoenix, or LA. Mapquest or GPS software will
> > > almost certainly route you on I-35 to I-40 west. Taking US 54 out of
> > > Wichita, however, shaves 100 miles off your trip because it proceeds SW
> > > toward Albuquerque rather than straight south (and out of your way) toward
> > > Oklahoma City before proceeding west.
> > >
> >
> > Yes, most mapping software notoriously favors Interstate routes. For
> > instance, going from Phoenix to Sacramento, they often recommend taking
> > I-10 into and through LA to I-5 (taking one of the 10 spur routes,
> > I-410 is the favorite I think, but not 100% sure), and taking I-5
> > northward. The mind boggles.
>
> What alternate would you suggest? Just curious....

Anything that would avoid LA traffic. US 93 to I-40 to I-15 to CA-58 to
I-5 is still a mostly-freeway alternative. When I took the trip, I took
US 93 up to I-80. Its mostly country driving, only passing through the
relatively minor cities of Vegas and Reno. This turned out to be fun,
but long because of snow-related road closures. But as far as I know,
mapping software does not attempt to take weather into account.

When I went back from Sacramento, I went south on US 101 and followed
pretty much the reverse of the first suggestion above. Even though US
101 is clearly a longer trip than I-5, its clear to me that it was
still quicker than going all the way through LA.

Jason
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

brink wrote:
> "Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:129g4kr3r1oke85@corp.supernews.com...
>>
>> Now, now, Scott. If you're on a vacation and want to see stuff,
>> the freeway is often not the way to go. Many "interesting" things
>> are often 50-100 miles off the freeway, and it's actually better
>> to use minor roads rather than constant side trips off the freeway.
>
> Not to mention that many "side roads" end up being faster than interstate
> routes because they are much more direct to where you're going. Major gas
> savings as well when you can cut off a lot of miles instead of going out of
> your way.
>
> A good example is getting from say Kansas City to some point in the
> southwest like Albuquerque, Phoenix, or LA. Mapquest or GPS software will
> almost certainly route you on I-35 to I-40 west. Taking US 54 out of
> Wichita, however, shaves 100 miles off your trip because it proceeds SW
> toward Albuquerque rather than straight south (and out of your way) toward
> Oklahoma City before proceeding west.

US 54 is good quality, mostly 2 lane road. Worth taking if you like farm
scenery (mostly cropland or range land, with some trees in stream
valleys). We picnicked on the way, then took US 400 and stopped at Dodge
City overnight. The next day we took US 56/412 (more scenic) to I-25 in
northern NM, thence south to Albuquerque. I remember some slowdowns for
farm equipment, trains, and the like in Kansas and the Oklahoma
panhandle, so drivers should take care on the trip.

--
Pat O'Connell
[note munged EMail address]
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints,
Kill nothing but vandals...
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

"Mike Tantillo" <mjtantillo DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote
> Jason Pawloski ha scritto:
>> brink wrote:
>> > "Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote
>> Yes, most mapping software notoriously favors Interstate routes. For
>> instance, going from Phoenix to Sacramento, they often recommend taking
>> I-10 into and through LA to I-5 (taking one of the 10 spur routes,
>> I-410 is the favorite I think, but not 100% sure), and taking I-5
>> northward. The mind boggles.
>
> What alternate would you suggest? Just curious....

I10 to Quartzite, US 95 to Needles, I40 to Barstow (right armpit
of S. CA), SR 58 to Bakersfield (left armpit) and up US 99 or I5.
Or, you could go all the way up 95 to I80/Reno...

FloydR
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

"Nachiketa Sahoo" <nsahoo DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1150811819.627233.317070@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I have never done cross country driving, but, planning to do one some
> time next year. I have a basic question. Why are the two lane roads
> like US66, US50 or US80 are preferred for cross country driving and not
> any interstate? The impression I got is these state roads show off the
> country better than the interstate, but, is the difference that
> significant? By taking these two lane roads you are not only increasing
> the travel distance but also increasing the travel time because the
> speed limit would be lower on these.
>
> Any thoughts from anybody who has driven cross country?

Depends what's most important to you. The journey or your destination.
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

"Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:129gratnqdsm8aa@corp.supernews.com...
> "Mike Tantillo" <mjtantillo DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote
>> Jason Pawloski ha scritto:
>>> brink wrote:
>>> > "Floyd Rogers" <fbloogyuds DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote
>>> Yes, most mapping software notoriously favors Interstate routes. For
>>> instance, going from Phoenix to Sacramento, they often recommend taking
>>> I-10 into and through LA to I-5 (taking one of the 10 spur routes,
>>> I-410 is the favorite I think, but not 100% sure), and taking I-5
>>> northward. The mind boggles.
>>
>> What alternate would you suggest? Just curious....
>
> I10 to Quartzite, US 95 to Needles,

That's the one that gets me sometimes -- AZ 95 is what heads north out of
Quartzsite. US 95 is out of Blythe. It's really confusing because US 95 is
co-signed along I-10 from Quartzsite to Blythe. So you'll see signs for two
*different* 95s out there, both of which head north close alongside the Co
River...

brink
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

I drive to Phoenix every couple of years, mainly to check out the
awesome, new freeway action. I live in the Sacramento area. When I
leave Phoenix, I usually want to take the fastest way home, because I
want a couple of days rest before I go back to work.

I leave Phoenix on I-10, and turn onto CA 30 (future I-210). Then I
take I-215 north to US 395, to SR58 west to SR 99 north. I can leave
Phoenix at 9:30 AM and be home by 10:00 PM, including stops for food,
gas and "constitutions."

Perhaps next time, I'll stay on US 395 and cut over Calfornia 89 over
Monitor Pass to US 50 west. I wonder if I'd save any time. I kind of
doubt it. But it would be fun.

I will generally avoid the Los Angeles area unless I am going through
during "off" hours. When the 210 is completed, I may just go I-10,
I-210, I-5, US 50...But only to drive on the new section of the
Foothill Freeway in Beautiful Rialto/Colton.

When I drive TO Phoenix, I'll just take whatever way I feel. I may go
through Las Vegas, Kingman, Prescott, whatever.

I think the Interstate System is awesome. I think we all do !!! But
as a roadgeek, I'll look for other ways to get to an area, especially
if I've been on a particular stretch of interstate enough.
 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving? 

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 >> Stay informed about: why are interstates that bad for cross country driving?