Cross Country USA in January
Sep 19th, 1998, 02:21 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Cross Country USA in January
I plan to drive across the US from NJ to San Fran in January. Yeah, I know this is nuts but it's the only time I can do it. I'm looking for advice on weather. How hard would it be to pass through the Western mountain ranges? I'll be renting an SUV out of necessity but I fear I'll still be outmatched by Mother Nature.
My ideal route would be to pass through the plains of Kansas, onto Denver, down to Monument Valley, to the Grand Canyon, to Phoenix, over to LA and up the coast to San Fran. This last leg of the tour also worries me. Driving up the coast is so important but everyone knows how bad the rainy season can be in Cali.
Any recommendations to avoiding mudslides and avalanches? One friend suggested a southern route but the mountains in Nevada will still be an obstacle. Thanks.
My ideal route would be to pass through the plains of Kansas, onto Denver, down to Monument Valley, to the Grand Canyon, to Phoenix, over to LA and up the coast to San Fran. This last leg of the tour also worries me. Driving up the coast is so important but everyone knows how bad the rainy season can be in Cali.
Any recommendations to avoiding mudslides and avalanches? One friend suggested a southern route but the mountains in Nevada will still be an obstacle. Thanks.
Sep 21st, 1998, 06:23 AM
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
I'm glad YOU'RE the one who admits "this is nuts" so I don't have to sound nasty in telling you that. But I'm fully aware that sometimes we don't have a choice on when we get to travel, so let me give you some friendly advice.
1) be flexible. Blizzards can hit any place along your route on any day, so be prepared to change your route or delay a day of travel. You do NOT want to be in a car covered under two meters of snow with temps of 20 below zero, and no hope of rescue for two days!
2) stick to the Interstates; always given high priority for keeeping open and most regularly monitored.
3) trust the authorities! If they tell you not to drive west of a city after dark, it's because they hate removing frozen bodies from cars!
4) pay attention to the weather. Tune into the Weather Channel every night and morning. While driving, know where you are and tune into a local radio station that tells about weather conditions where you're travelling. And watch weather conditions about you.
5) don't be afraid to call it quits! If the weather starts getting bad and shows no sign of letting up, stop at a motel and enjoy a warm evening relaxing. It's cheaper to stop at a motel than at a hospital after you get hypothermia!
6) learn how to handle winter driving. Since you live in Jersey, I'll presume you've learned how to handle snow or ice on the road. If not, get a booklet and read it!
7) you can reduce the odds of winter trouble by going south on I-25 atDenver, then west on either I-40 or I-10. But watch the weather before choosing a route -- bad weather in Tuscon is just as dangerous as bad weather in the Rockies!
8) last of all, try to enjoy your trip. Most people who get into weather trouble do so by ignoring clear warning signs that problems are ahead.
1) be flexible. Blizzards can hit any place along your route on any day, so be prepared to change your route or delay a day of travel. You do NOT want to be in a car covered under two meters of snow with temps of 20 below zero, and no hope of rescue for two days!
2) stick to the Interstates; always given high priority for keeeping open and most regularly monitored.
3) trust the authorities! If they tell you not to drive west of a city after dark, it's because they hate removing frozen bodies from cars!
4) pay attention to the weather. Tune into the Weather Channel every night and morning. While driving, know where you are and tune into a local radio station that tells about weather conditions where you're travelling. And watch weather conditions about you.
5) don't be afraid to call it quits! If the weather starts getting bad and shows no sign of letting up, stop at a motel and enjoy a warm evening relaxing. It's cheaper to stop at a motel than at a hospital after you get hypothermia!
6) learn how to handle winter driving. Since you live in Jersey, I'll presume you've learned how to handle snow or ice on the road. If not, get a booklet and read it!
7) you can reduce the odds of winter trouble by going south on I-25 atDenver, then west on either I-40 or I-10. But watch the weather before choosing a route -- bad weather in Tuscon is just as dangerous as bad weather in the Rockies!
8) last of all, try to enjoy your trip. Most people who get into weather trouble do so by ignoring clear warning signs that problems are ahead.
Sep 21st, 1998, 06:46 AM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Steve, just thought I would add (I'm a Kansan) that if there is bad snow in western Kansas on your way to Colorado I-70 will be closed down - there are gates they close. You can go south and then west and hit Pueblo or Colorado Springs instead of Denver in this case. Also, though it is a long rather flat drive across Kansas, between Topeka & Manhattan the terrain is very pretty I think and unusual - reminds me of Dances with Wolves. Good Luck & don't try to be macho in the snow. I'm envious!
Sep 21st, 1998, 02:39 PM
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Look on the cheery side here. If you get lucky and we have a light winter, you could do the whole thing without weather. These things happen. But not often.
I think flexibility is important. You don't say if you are touring, or just trying to get there. If you are touring and a day or two of skiing is importnat, you are going to need to do the Denver, thing, go up into the mountains, ski, come back down, go through Pueblo - and I think on down into New Mexico and across. Albuquerque is high enough to offer rain, and even sometimes snow - but the the mid-Arizona to LA run should only be threatened by rain. Ditto LA north to San francisco.
On the other hand, if snow/ski/mountaikns are your thing - then get to Denver and see what the long range forecast looks like. NOthing more spectacular than mountains in winter.
Or - if snow is not your thing, why not go south sooner - no later than Indiana or Illinois - say through St. Louis, Little Rock - Dallas - just get south. Bad weather is possible , including ice storms (almost worse than snow), but I would bet there is less chance of it )(maybe that's just from the perspective of living in high mountain snow!).
California coast - can be real nasty on Highway 1 in rain. But you can always switch to Hwy 101, more inland.
California Department of Transportation, known as CalTrans, has a wonderful number you can call, enter the number of the highway you want and they tell you what is going on on that Hwy. I recommend it.
And as the above poster said - flexibility is the key here. Great adventure - go for it!
I think flexibility is important. You don't say if you are touring, or just trying to get there. If you are touring and a day or two of skiing is importnat, you are going to need to do the Denver, thing, go up into the mountains, ski, come back down, go through Pueblo - and I think on down into New Mexico and across. Albuquerque is high enough to offer rain, and even sometimes snow - but the the mid-Arizona to LA run should only be threatened by rain. Ditto LA north to San francisco.
On the other hand, if snow/ski/mountaikns are your thing - then get to Denver and see what the long range forecast looks like. NOthing more spectacular than mountains in winter.
Or - if snow is not your thing, why not go south sooner - no later than Indiana or Illinois - say through St. Louis, Little Rock - Dallas - just get south. Bad weather is possible , including ice storms (almost worse than snow), but I would bet there is less chance of it )(maybe that's just from the perspective of living in high mountain snow!).
California coast - can be real nasty on Highway 1 in rain. But you can always switch to Hwy 101, more inland.
California Department of Transportation, known as CalTrans, has a wonderful number you can call, enter the number of the highway you want and they tell you what is going on on that Hwy. I recommend it.
And as the above poster said - flexibility is the key here. Great adventure - go for it!
Sep 22nd, 1998, 02:47 PM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
You've gotten great advice here. Only one caveat to add. Often you people from Back East don't realize how bad things get when it rains in California. We really aren't very used to it and the roads can be treacherously slippery from the accumulation of oil and no rain for so long, so be careful even if you're thinking "only rain" (took awhile for me too, I'm originally from Chicago) My son just did a trip back from D.C. although in good weather, it was a wonderful itinerary. He came across i-70 until Kansas City then I-44 to Oklahoma City then I-40 to Albuquerque (but detoured up to beautiful Santa Fe) then to Flagstaff and down to Phoenix on I-17 the over to Palm Springs on I-10. Had a great trip with lots to see. I would have cut down to I-10 earlier after Albuquerque and gone through Tucson then 8 across to California, but he had friends to see. I hope you have the time to really enjoy this. Our son took 1 week driving across and an additional week driving up California (we live near SF) but he and his friend had a wonderful time. (It was a post graduation, pre working stiff trip) Since I was a midwesterner--please know that the storms are more violent there than on the East Coast because of the flat geography. So, when in doubt, follow the above advice and find a motel room. Enjoy.
Sep 24th, 1998, 02:32 PM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
One additional comment: the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed from October 1 - snow. Plus, Flagstaff (outside the Canyon) gets more snow yearly than Buffalo, NY (only difference is that it doesn't stay on the roads/ground as long as it does in Buffalo). Manytimes I-17 from Flagstaff enroute to Phoenix is closed for snow. Not long, perhaps just for the day.
