Quickest drive across the country

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Personally if I were in a hurry, I would fly.  The reason I have a bus is so I can take my time and smell the roses along the way.  I like taking the red roads whenever I can and love reading the Hysterical Markers along the way. I also like stopping in the small mom & pop gas stations and grocery stores when there is a place to park my bus and avoid the large rest areas in favor of the smaller small town ones or stopping at roadside attractions so I can see the largest ball of string or dinosaurs that live(ed) beside the road. But then again I am semi-retired and can spend a few extra days on the road.  Just call me Charles Kauralt.   

Some things amaze me like the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.  If you didn't travel you would miss all of these things. They were created 50,003 years ago.  They told me in the tour it was 50,000 years ago, but that was three years ago when I was there. What amazes me is that the dinosaurs lived so close to the big cities. 

[brmax]

 ::)What amazes me is that the dinosaurs lived so close to the big cities.

ok Gary
now! its interesting hearing that secret


have a good day
Floyd

[rusty]

Sean If you can believe the weatherman they say it is going to get cold here toward the end of the week ( 13 below) If you do come the I25 / I70 way you are welcome to stay here we are 3 mile off I25 about 30 mile north of Denver.We have 50 amp should be enough to keep you warm.

Wayne

[John316]

Sean,

Been there done this several times. When you are rolling on a schedule the rules change.

That being said, you would be very wise to take the south route. It adds about 8hrs to the trip. However, a snow storm (which is forecasted) can kill your time in a heartbeat. If your bus is not setup for winter, there is nothing more stressful than having your whole family in a bus, that you are having a hard time keeping warm and cannot drive.

Relax, and take the south route. You still might get some snow on 40, but nothing like I-80.

I hope the drive goes well either way.

John

[Scott & Heather]

I have driven I-40 this time of year and see a slew of cars and trucks off in the ditch with yellow caution tape around them. No kidding. Dozens. I've also seen a nice handful of semi trucks rolled over cause of wind. That hwy is no joke and it closes all of the time due to snow and ice or high winds. Frankly I love driving in weather. It's always been a fun adventure for me. I'm careful, slow, and give people a lot of room and just enjoy the ride. But you'll need heat. Do you have dash heat?


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[TomC]

I drove truck for 21 years. I worked out of Kent Wa for 4 years. Many times, I drove south on I-5 to 58 east to I-40 east many times. Yes it is further, but one, or even two days (have had that happen in Wyoming) stopped with closed roads isn't fun-especially in snow. I-40 is always good. Good Luck, TomC

[Dave5Cs]

I-5 S to 7th Standard (East) to 99S to 58E to i-40E and gone.......

Dave5Cs

[Seangie]

But you'll need heat. Do you have dash heat?
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Scott - No.  No heat.  The only heat is the engine keeping the bedroom warm.  We are truly a warm weather coach.  There is currently zero insulation in the front.  When it rains really hard my feet get a little wet.

So seriously we would struggle in temps below 15 degrees.  Honestly if we had the webasto hooked up and running and were well insulated I wouldn't be worried so much but Cliffs mention of 20 below with wind chills below that certainly makes me want to go the southern route.

The other thing is getting the bus to start in temps below 30 degrees.  We do have a block/coolant heater but I would hate getting out of the bus in -20 weather to go in the back in plug it in overnight and hope the 30mph wind and snow don't take the heat out of it.  Thats if our door doesn't freeze shut.

I totally understand the snow and ice across 40 but I think ice storms would be somewhere at a much higher temp than 15 degrees.  And we can pull over and stay warm in those temps.

I just looked at the weather for Rawlins WY which is highs in the 12-14 degree range for our drive if we went north and Flagstaff is looking at highs in the 30's and lows in the 20's/Teens.

So south it is...  might take a little longer but we will stay warm.

Where is BCO (Don)?  Is he near OKC?  I'd love to swing by and see him.

-Sean

[Seangie]

I-5 S to 7th Standard (East) to 99S to 58E to i-40E and gone.......

Dave5Cs

Dave - is 7th Standard in Sacramento?

[Tom Y]

I would stay off of 80 in WY if it is bad. Did it last Jan in a auto, their idea of winter road care is to light a sign saying it is icy. Saw trucks stuck in road side rests, cars slid of the road. They put nothing down. 

[RJ]

Dave - is 7th Standard in Sacramento?

Sean -

7th Std Rd is S of Kettleman City and about 4 miles N of the Buttonwillow exit off I-5.  It cuts straight across the valley and joins Hiwy 99 near the little community of Shafter, just N of Bakersfield.  Eliminates all the traffic and construction on 99.

If you've got genset 120vac available while rolling, stop and buy two/three little 1500w cube space heaters.  You'll be amazed at how well they'll keep you warm - I saw 18 degrees outside while it was 55 inside using two at my daughter's last winter.  Buy an extra to put down in the water bay to keep everything warm down there, too.  Roughly $20-$25 each.

Consider a interior switch for your block heater - saves going outside at Oh Dark Thirty!  Just another project, eh?

BCO is in El Reno, OK.  Text me and I'll share his number with you.

Give the turtlettes a Holiday Hug from me!

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Scott & Heather]

Ok. Yep in that case then I'm with you 100%. We just drove six hours today in a winter storm. This week the low will be 1°F we are staying toasty with dash heat


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[B_K]

Sean I'm sorry I didn't realize that you have NO HEAT! 
In that case it changes my strategy 200%! Hire a drive-a-way service have him drop you and the family at the airport and let him know what hotel to deliver the bus too in FL, TX, AZ, or So. CA (or even Mexico) and get on a plane and enjoy a nice warm flight! 
;  BK 

[Oonrahnjay]

Sean - ... If you've got genset 120vac available while rolling, stop and buy two/three little 1500w cube space heaters. 

       If you go that way, be sure that each one if plugged into a breaker circuit separately from the others.  Also, watch for things like hair dryers, coffee makers, etc. that may be on a circuit with one.  Those little heaters (which work great BTW) will pull almost 15 amps each and two of them on a 15 or 20 amp breaker will keep you miserable chasing tripped breakers, etc.
       You may need 2-3 in NC.  This weekend, we had overnight temps of 25 degrees in Wallace.  Of course, being NC, a couple of 70 degree days are forecast this week, then we get a Christmas present from the Great White North, there, eh?  Go figger.
       Have a safe trip!   BH

[Ed Hackenbruch]

You might just want to go all of the ways down to I-10 and across.....i would keep a close eye on the weather and temps.  And  no matter how good a driver someone is, all it takes is one other person to screw everybody else up!