If you believe weather models (these are usually decent) then the only big event this week are storms across the southeast Thu-Fri. But mostly south of your route.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5f5804360b.jpg

Other than that it looks to be pretty clear sailing. Have a good trip.

Thanks, everyone! Nelson, Tom, Gretchen, Barbara, Gardy, Malloy, Jean, Austin

Any more thoughts?

We will probably leave Fri or Saturday, latest

Seattle after good breakfast to Spokane for lunch. Spokane to Butte stay overnight. After breakfast in Butte drive to Crow Agency MT for lunch. US 212 is 55 miles shorter and about 15 minutes faster than staying on I-90 to get to Wall SD. Wall to Sioux Falls (lunch) Sioux Falls to Des Moines via Council Bluffs IA. After breakfast in Des Moines, the next stop is near Peoria IL for lunch. Peoria to Richmond Indiana to end the 4th day. The fifth day has lunch in Charleston West Virginia and a great celebration dinner in Raleigh.

I agree with booking LaQuintas when traveling with a pet. LQs do not have pet fees.
I would not "wing it" driving cross country given current conditions when traveling with a pet.
I prefer to drive about 500 miles or 8 hours a day over multiple days.
I'll take a look at the route and offer recommendations. I was looking just a few days ago for a similar trip for a large part of your route.
I would pre-book LaQuintas in these cities -
Missoula
Rapid City
Omaha
Louisville
That gives you driving days of 7.5 to 10 hours a day.
You can get a free breakfast at the LaQuintas.
I often get veggies to go from Cracker Barrels (call ahead about 30 minutes from the next town).
Stop at gas stations for restrooms.
I often have dinner to go from Cracker Barrel and/or nearby Mexican restaurants. In our state, they are even including margaritas with their curbside food orders.

Some La Quintas do have pet fees, about $10-$20 per pet per night.. Most, as Starrs said, do not.

The nastiest motel I have stayed in was a LaQuinta. And also one of the nicest was a LaQuinta
YOu can get free breakfast almost everywhere now.
If you pre-book you may have to guarantee the room. With booking sites you don't have to pay until you get there so you could plan for a few hours ahead.
Pet friendly on booking.com coulc be another resource.
https://www.booking.com/pets/index.e...8aAma7EALw_wcB

I might recommend my suggested route even more because it is in a more populated corridor than Montana, and Dakotas. I don't think lodging is going to be a problem--people are staying at home.

The last time I checked, there were 5 LQs in the nation that did not allow pets, three of which were in Manhattan.

None along their route.

Note - that was a while ago because the LQ in Koreatown is no longer an LQ.

Also, LQs are now a part of the Wyndham chain so join their loyalty group before you leave. Might as well earn some points!

Edited to add - here are the LQs that do not allow pets. Obviously, a longer list after the purchase by Wyndham. I wonder what brand some of these hotels were before the merger. They weren't LQs!
La Quinta by Wyndham Aguascalientes
La Quinta by Wyndham Brooklyn Downtown
La Quinta by Wyndham Brooklyn East
La Quinta by Wyndham Cancun
La Quinta by Wyndham Cd Juarez Near US Consulate
La Quinta by Wyndham Cincinnati Airport Florence
La Quinta by Wyndham Dallas - Richardson
La Quinta by Wyndham Dallas Downtown
La Quinta by Wyndham Inglewood
La Quinta by Wyndham Leon
La Quinta by Wyndham Medellin
La Quinta by Wyndham Monterrey Aeropuerto
La Quinta by Wyndham Monterrey Centro
La Quinta by Wyndham Monterrey Norte
La Quinta by Wyndham New York City Central Park
La Quinta by Wyndham Plano Legacy Frisco
La Quinta by Wyndham Poza Rica
La Quinta by Wyndham Puebla Ciudad Modelo
La Quinta by Wyndham Puebla Palmas Angelopolis
La Quinta by Wyndham San Antonio Medical Ctr. NW
La Quinta by Wyndham San Luis Potosi
La Quinta by Wyndham Santiago Aeropuerto
La Quinta by Wyndham White Plains - Elmsford
La Quinta Inn by Wyndham Queens (New York City)
LQ Hotel by Wyndham Tegucigalpa

Something we haven't commented on or commended you for is that you obviously travelled to a "need" during this pandemic and I guess are doing it again. That concerns me because it is Raleigh, but in the meantime, thank you for answering a call, if I am correct.

Starrs, I didn't say that some La Quintas don't allow pets, I said that some of them charge for pets. I have paid pet fees myself at La Quintas. It is the very new hotels that usually charge,

For example:

https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/laquin...arrow/overview

Understood.

Prior to the Wyndham purchase/ merger, ALL LQs were pet-friendly, except for about 5, including the ones in Manhattan. NONE of the others charged a fee.

AFTER the purchase/merger with Wyndham, things have changed. SOME charge. Good advice to check the policy before you book.

For over 20 years, I stopped at LQs when traveling with pets. I used them instead of Hiltons or IHGs, because THEIR policies were all over the place and the pet fees could be huge. Their luxury brands could be the exception - no pet fees - but when you are paying several hundred dollars for a room, that point is moot.

I don't stay at Motel 6s or Red Roof Inns. When I travel cross country, I, personally, stay at LQs. Some are good. Some aren't so great. Some are outstanding. I DO check the reviews for a given city to choose the best one based on their ratings. For example, the one in Savannah Midtown is ancient, harkening back to the first LQ design used in Texas in the 80s, but their staff was great and greeted returning pups by name. The 3rd generation design at the airport location (Pooler) was lovely and as nice or nicer than any Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express in town. Not nicer than the Kimpton (now an IHG) but very nice, especially considering the pool. I stayed at a LQ in December in Nashville that had to be an old Baymont. A truly ugly hotel, but neat and clean inside and a staff that was wonderful and loved visiting pets. I stayed at a newer one in Chattanooga that was sparkling clean and had a fenced dog park. It's apparantly their newest (4th generation) design. I don't think I've ever driven cross-country with a dog and NOT stayed at the one in Amarillo, TX. Nothing to write home about but a good location and very dog-friendly. I was planning a cross-country trip this week (hopefully for this summer) with my pups and planned to stay in LQs. None of the ones I planned to stay in charged a pet fee.

It's unfortunate that post-Wyndham merger that some 1) do not allow pets and 2) some charge for pets. But a $40 max is STILL lower than many hotel's minimum charge.

Re the one in your link in Tulsa - based on customer's feedback, management says they are reconsidering their policy (see below). I have not stayed in one that charged (yet) but a $20 pet/ $40 max is STILL a very reasonable charge - based on my experience with traveling with pups over the last 30 years.

My opinion only, of course.

"Always nice to my dogs.
Jan 25, 2020I have stayed here often. I always have my dogs. I love everything about this hotel except that it was sold to Wyndham. They now charge for pets. LaQuinta was always our choice because they didn’t charge for pets. I also liked their reward program. There were actual perks to it. Wyndham has taken away most of the advantages to staying at LaQuinta. I may have to start staying in other hotels if I have to pay extra for my dogs anyway. I will see which reward program gives REAL perks and doesn’t take them away every year.

GuestXperienceTeam, Guest Relations Manager at La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Tulsa Broken Arrow, responded to this reviewDear Guest,

Thank you for your feedback on your recent stay with us. We are glad to hear that you had a good overall impression of your stay and we hope you were comfortable. Your comment about the changes to the reward program and pet policy is noted and we will see what we can do about this matter. We hope that everything else was in order and we hope you consider staying with us again."

What do you think of this route for going to Asheville, NC?

This seems to be the easiest on drive times and mileage.

Seattle to Butte, MT (592 miles) via I -90E

Butte to Rapid CIty, IA (542 miles) via I -90E

Rapid City, IA to Omaha, NE (523 miles) via I- 90E I- 29S

Omaha, NE to Mt Vernon, IL (509 miles) vis I-29S I-70E I-64

Mt Vernon, IL to Asheville, NC (525 miles) I-64E I-75S I 640E I 40E (Lexington) OR I-24 to I-40 (Nashville) which one???

I am feeling overwhelmed.

Thanks. :)

Good route.
Don't feel overwhelmed. You did a good job.
I'd go through Nashville, but honestly you could flip a coin and be okay. Check the day before you make the drive to see if there are any problems (construction, etc).

You'll have a good time. The Great American Road Trip, albeit during a pandemic.

Thanks for your (nursing) service!

Thanks! :)

I will go probably go through Nashville.

I looked up hotels and I can get Laquinta for all of the places except Mt Vernon. Mt Vernon is Days Inn or Super 8.

Will gas be easy to find on this route?

Please go through Nashville on the last leg. I have done both ways and it is easier through Nashville.
Gas is NO problem and it will be DIRT cheap!!
I think you need to realize that this is a network of superhighways with extensive services all along the way.. I assume you can get on Google maps and it will tell you what there is to eat at any exit.
You might think about getting the wAZE app which also has a lot of information about any road problems. It's free.

I would use TripAdvisor reviews to see which has the better reviews. I'm not a fan of either chain. Let me look at the map to see if I can see a close alternative.

Gas will be easy to find. My first choice for gas stations is Quick Trip. They have bright, clean stores and well maintained (clean) restrooms. My 2nd choice are Pilot stations that are also truck stops (in the back) but clean stores. I would fill up when you get to 1/2 a tank - and I rarely do that in real life (non-Covid).

Edited to add - There's a LQ 63 miles before Mt Vernon on the eastern side of St. Louis -
https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/laquin...&iata=00093796
Personally, I'd stay there.

That particular part of the trip east of St. Louis is unusual--as Starrs says, there is 60 miles to Mt. Vernon and there is VERY little there.
I think it is Quik Trip that also has rather good food possibilities.

The reason I chose Mt Vernon is that we wanted to try to space out the trip of 500-600 miles per day.

If I am doing this wrong, stopping at the wrong places, could someone please help me figure out the drive and the stopping points from Rapid CIty, SD to Asheville?

I was looking at staying at the Days INN in Council Bluffs, IA (Omaha, NE leg) then continuing on to Mt Vernon. Then on to Asheville.

Added MYPLACE Hotel