Our daughter just accepted a job in San Francisco. We've agreed to drive with her from NH to CA - via OH to pick up her stuff - and then fly back (she sees it as a bonding experience). Unfortunately, the goal is to get out there and back in a week - no time for fun stops except for one day in the SF Bay area.
I'm looking for suggestions to make the trip as enjoyable as possible! Also, any tips to make several long days in the car more bearable?
One other question: Coming along for the ride is her zany but lovable three-legged beagle mix (all of us in a small car!). Any tips about finding accommodations on the road that will accept pets?
Thanks for your help!
p.s. do you think we're nuts to do this???

Lee, In my opinion you are never nuts to spend time with your kids, or to help them, when ever and how ever possible. We've traveled with our 3 from babies to adulthood and had great times...they still talk about those trips and they are all mid-40. I've listed a site for pet friendly places. The motels that serves some sort of breakfast is helpful...and in the long run cheaper. You will be limited to "pet friendly" hotels. Some hotels have outside kennels.
How small of a car? Probably your daughter's??? The 5 of us traveled in a Cavelier from Vegas to the Grand Canyon once (5 hrs. +)--we'd stop about every hour, & everyone would move over, so no one had to sit on the hump in the back seat & change drivers! If you have time & weather permits--take a cooler, stop in a town/gas station buy some sandwiches/drinks, and eat at the next rest area to give everyone-including pooch-a chance to stretch and walk around a bit.
http://www.dogfriendly.com/
Have a wonderful trip! It's a beautiful country between NH and CA.

I consider myself an experienced road rider. By the time I was 4 I had made 13 round trips from Alabama to California with my parents.

I have followed this general procedure, much as described above. Stop frequently and change drivers, particularly on the first two or three days because it is a long trip and you don't want anyone getting road happy early on. Try to make the trip by spacing out the sleeping stops so that an approximately even number of miles are covered each day. I don't know your route, but I suggest you time it so that you don't hit metropolitan areas at rush hour. For example, I would never attempt to get through or around Atlanta between the hours of 7 and 9 AM or 4 and 7 PM.
My dad never believed much in advanced reservations, but I suggest you figure out in advance where you are going to spend the night. There are several good chains, such as Fairfield Inns and Hampton Inns, that offer web-based reservation services. That way you can plan your daily distances. As a general rule, you can do better milage wise once you are west of Ohio. Traffic is less and you can drive with less strain, usually. It is a long drive, but you can do it if you don't try to do it all in two days.

Lee,
No you are not nuts! Bob is pretty much right on with the info (in fact his Dad must have been related to my mother who never believed in advance reservations either - to this day she thinks it's silly). Since I do believe in reservations I think you'd be wise to plan out your mileage (more or less) for each day and have a definate place to stop at night. Knowing you have a reservation somewhere takes the stress and frustration out of the end of what can be a tiring day on the road. I think many motel chains will accept small pets, i.e. dogs, but it is best to ask. Aside from switching drivers regularly I'd be sure to stop every couple of hours and get out and walk a bit. Take some snacks and drinks with you too. As Bob said try and avoid driving through cities around rush hour. As a comuter myself my pet peeve is people who are on the road in a strange city during rush hour (and we get lots of them in the southwest city I live in). If you have access to Auto Club travel guides they list hotels that accept pets. If you stay at places that include breakfast (even if it is just continental) you can save time in the a.m. in getting away. Aside from all this just try and enjoy the scenery, it's beautiful and even if it is a rush trip you still have time to see things (even if it is just from the car window).

Another way to enjoy the drive - Books on tape. You can buy audio books, rent them at Cracker Barrel, borrow them from your local library or rent them from books-on-tape.com They provide an interesting story, there are thousands to choose from and unlike radio, you can turn them off when you leave the car or want to talk and you never miss a word when you return.

Lee--Sammie has a great suggestion about the books on tape--my husband and son always take them on their long trips together. Take notice of how the books are read; i.e.,who is reading them--whether one person or a cast of characters--they did have trouble with a version of "A Tale of Two Cities" because of the accents!

My son and his wife plus two young boys did a marathon run to Yellowstone last summer. The two boys (5 and 8) were well behaved because each had something to listen to. One tape player, portable, and one Cd player, portable.