Cross country drive across USA?

Question

Did you ever drive across the country? How was your experience? What suggestions would you have for other's who intend to do the same?

Answer 1

We just returned from a 10 day cross country drive. We had a great time.
Suggestions:
Have a cooler stocked with ice, water, sodas, and gatorade and a bag of snacks. The water and gatorade will be very handy when you go through desert areas. Even getting out of the car to take pictures for a half hour or more can cause severe dehydration (personal experience!!).

Depending on your route, take plenty of change for tolls. There's a lot of tolls through Missouri and Oklahoma.


We went from Indiana to Missouri, then to Oklahoma City, Roswell, NM, Flagstaff AZ (Grand Canyon), Las Vegas, Moab, UT, Grand Junction CO, Estes Park CO, Hays KS, then back to Indiana. (We had both been to California before, so it wasn't a big deal).

We did a lot of traveling on Route 66, with stops in Winslow AZ (where we were "standin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona..." and Seligman, AZ.

Have fun, and take lots of pictures!

Answer 2

It was the best time of my life. I recommend not doing it hastily. At least 1 month on the road; camping is the most fun because you can see so much more -- a lot of "hands on".
I recommend at least camping the Badlands and Big Sur, California. Travel down Pacific Coastal Highway 1; visit the 4-corners area, drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix, skip Nebraska if you can, Grand Canyon (obviously)... what else am I missing... Maquoketa Caves in IA were pretty neat, but messy, and if your car breaks down anywhere, make sure it's Las Vegas and not Venita, OK.

Oh, and don't get caught speeding in TX or Louisiana and try to avoid rush hour in L.A.

Get new brakes before leaving, or make sure they'll be able to hold up for driving down mountains & won't fail when you're on a mountain pass.

Answer 3

Yep, I have about four times when I was going to college out west (I'm from the east coast). To cut down on expenses, we brought a cooler with a bunch of food and we'd then shop at grocery stores every few days--much cheaper than eating in restaurants all the time. We also camped sometimes to save money on hotels. And don't always stay on the interstate because they are usually boring and there's not much to see. Take a back road occasionally, that's where many interesting things are.

Take your time and see places along the way--national parks, famous landmarks, etc. Have fun!

Answer 4

It's fun.
Plenty of wonderful scenery and plenty of time to just think about things. Avoid talk radio.
Plan your travel and time so you can stop and see interesting things; I've enjoyed cliff dwellings in Arizona and New Mexico.
The national parks are wonderful, if you can see Yellowstone or Yosemite you'll walk away with memories, I promise.
Drink lots of water. Bring your camera but avoid hiding behind a video camera - experience it now, please.
Eat at local restaurants.
Stop at scenic views.
Enjoy the quirks too ~ the odd Indian casino in the middle of no where, the small town strip club or pool hall, the oldest church in the region.
Perhaps some odd (to you) cultural things might be appealing whether it is Amish, Hispanic, Native American, Catholic or jumping frogs ... the USA has it all.

Answer 5

I drove from Charleston, SC to the Oregon Idaho border in 41 hours. My brother helped me drive. We left at 3 in the morning and by lunch we were in Saint Louis, Midnight in Topeka, Morning in Denver, Diner the next night crossing Oregon, Idaho border. Definitely take a cooler. Otherwise you will be so sick of fast food. Try to camp if you can. Don't drive when your tired!