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| Photo from www.canyon-news.com |
From this and other long trips I have picked up a few tips. These are my experience and mine alone. Take it for what it is worth and use your own judgment. Here they are:
*Avoid traveling in the northern states in winter if at all possible. The snow gates on the western freeways are there for a reason. Trucks rarely slow down for bad driving conditions and trucks passing you at high speed on solid ice or in slush can be scary. It might be worth an extra day or two to drive a southern freeway like I-40 if you must cross the country in winter.
*Make sure your vehicle is in good condition including the heat and air conditioning systems. My AC would barely keep up with the high 90's heat but did an adequate job. Without the AC it would have been a miserable adventure. One tire had 15 psi of pressure in it before I left. Had I not checked it I could have had an accident as a result.
*Walk around the car and inspect it at every fuel stop. Pay particular attention to the tires.
*Wear nice looking comfortable clothes. I dislike sweats because my keys, wallet, and other items tend to not have a place with sweats. Also keep in mind that you may get better customer service and better treatment if you are dressed nicely. People do judge a book by its cover.
*Take a good pair of sunglasses.
*Be prepared to deal with panhandlers. You will likely encounter some as they find gas stations and restaurant parking lots profitable. They are not really broken down or out of gas and they don't have a daughter in need of surgery. They are cheats, drug addicts, and criminals that prey on people's good nature. Don't be a sucker. Giving to them encourages more to come on the scene. You can be plenty charitable by giving to a reputable charitable orginization that truly helps people. Do an internet search on how to handle them and have some tactics ready before you leave.
Unfortunately, I was unprepared for this and got suckered for a few bucks. I'm still angry about letting myself be suckered by a cheat with a sob story.
*Take a cell phone and have a friend or family member track your progress. They can call ahead and reserve a room or look up other information for you should you need it. However, don't talk to them while you are driving.
*Take a map and, if you like, a GPS. I had only a 10 year old atlas and it was more than adequate. Never completely rely on a GPS. Always have a map. A GPS is a great tool but the GPS can lead you astray and can stop working.
*Don't sacrifice your safety to avoid disengaging the cruise control. I came too close to a merging car in Missouri because of this.
*In major cities stay in one of the center lanes until you know which direction your route will take. That way you won't have to cross four lanes to get where you want to be.
*Try to plan so that you avoid major urban areas at rush hour.
*Don't eat junk food. Munchies won't pass the time faster but more bathroom stops and an upset stomach could slow you down.
*Drive the speed limit. 70 or 75 miles per hour is plenty fast. Driving faster just burns more gas and makes you much more likely to meet some of the local law enforcement officers, test the local medical services, or make your family have to come retrive your body. I very much enjoyed witnessing the fact that a state trooper had pulled over a car that I had observed driving extremely fast and dangerously.
*Be extra careful in construction zones. Those warning signs are there for a reason.
*Combine fuel and food stops. Avoiding stops will get you much farther down the road that driving fast.
*Walk around and stretch while you are stopped.
*Eat good meals and stop to eat your meals. Fast food can give you a stomach ache (and a future heart attack) and can make you drowsy. Dropping your Big Mac all over your lap does not enhance driving safety. When you combine lunch and dinner with a fuel stop and if you don't stop at the traditional lunch and dinner times it should not take very long to have a nice meal. You'll need the break anyway.
*Don't let the fuel gauge get too close to empty. Walking is much slower than driving.
*Take some audio recordings to listen to. You may get tired of pondering the mysteries of life or hearing the same songs you have heard hundreds of times.
*Give trucks plenty of room. A truck can weigh 88,000 pounds or more. 88,000 pounds does not go uphill without a great deal of diesel encouragement. 88,000 pounds does not start or stop nearly as fast as your 2,000 pound car. Trucks also have large blind spots. Don't make you or the truck driver have a very bad day.
*Watch for motorcycles. In the summer there will be lots of cyclists enjoying the country. You will probably see the leather and hair Harley riders, the need for speed sport bike types, the helmet and bright jacket BMW tourers, the retirement age couples on the Gold Wings, and many others. There is no experience like riding a motorcycle. However, they don't have a steel cage to protect them and they have families just like you. Help them enjoy the ride for many more years.
*Avoid driving at night. You can't see nearly as well and you are more likely to deal with animals on the road and with drunk, high, tired, or foolish drivers.
*Start early and stop early. I'm not talking leaving at 4:30 am. Don't sacrifice sleep to leave early. You can get a quick bowl of cereal at the motel and move out quickly. In he evening, the motels can fill up quickly. You don't want to be looking for a room when you are extremely tired.
*Read the reviews on a motel before you stop there. This is where your cell phone connected friend or your smart phone can come in handy. Use the business reviews on Google maps or other sites. And please don't do this while driving.
*Don't drive too long. By the third day I was beat. Driving requires alertness and our bodies were not designed to sit for 10 hours at a time. Stop before you get dangerous.
*Enjoy the scenery. If you are not under a deadline stop and see the sights. Even if you are on a tight schedule like I was you can enjoy this beautiful land as it unfolds before you. Whether it is the rolling wooded hills of the east, the fields and plains of the Midwest, the Western deserts, or the Rocky Mountains every state is beautiful. You may not get there again. Enjoy the present and enjoy the drive.
