Scott_Mullen

Good Morning,
In 2 weeks we will be driving from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon. It has been recommended that we take Route 90 part way across the country, then switch to Route 80. Does anyone know the best way to do this? Scott

RoamsAround

Go to Google Maps or Mapquest and enter your starting and ending points. You'll be given turn by turn directions. You can use the "Options" feature to select various routes like "All Highway", "Most Scenic", etc. There's even a feature that let's you change the route by clicking and dragging from one road to another.

starrs

What is your goal? Speed? Shortest time? Scenic route? Will you take time to stop to see things?

Scott_Mullen

We are looking to go the shortest route, but being mindful of potential weather conditions this time of year. We are allowing 6-7 days, but really don't have any idea how long it will take.

tchoiniere

Considering I-90 goes thru the Northern part of the country that is being hit hard with a snowstorm right now, you may want to look at the Southern route, but that adds a lot of time and distance to the trip. Play with Google Maps and maybe head Southwest out of New England but you may still hit storms for a while.

DebitNM

Seriously, I would absolutely take the southern route. While it may seem shorter to take northern [at least in theory] with weather delays, slower speeds etc, the southern route may not be all that much longer and it will certainly be a lot safer.

Hopefully you have AWD, 4WD vehicle.

Toucan2

I prefer using AAA's Internet TripTiks for road trip mapping (www.aaa.com, maps, trip tiks). It's a bit easier to manipulate when you are trying to adjust routes, and seems to be a bit more accurate than Mapquest (have been led to a few too many deadends with Mapquest). Just for fun I entered your start and end points.

It shows dropping down to I-80 pretty quickly, right past Toledo. I have to say though, even dropping to 80 you will be in serious winter territory. AAA shows 45 hours of drive time.

There's really not a perfect way. Even if you dropped all the way to 70 there is a lot of potential for bad winter weather - maybe not comparable to Maine, but blizzards can still happen. You should probably just go 80 and monitor weather channels and stop if needed.

nytraveler

You need to be sure that your car is prepared for winter weather at all times - no matter what the route.

Never let the gas tank go below half.
Be sure you have water, food and blankets in the car at all times.
Make sure you have a shovel in your trunk as well as something that will help if you are stuck on ice (salt, or kitty litter or something)
If you run into bad weather get off the road and into shelter at once - preferably a hotel - or if not, at least a restaurant or fast food place (my parents were stuck in a McDonalds for almost a whole day - by fog in April)
Make sure your cell phone is always fully charged
Check the weather regularly - esp as you get close to the mountains it can change in a couple of hours

tomfuller

The highest point on I-80 is between Cheyenne and Laramie WY.
If there is a storm you can detour from Cheyenne to Denver and take I-70 west into Utah.
Staying with I-80 you hit I-84 NE of SLC through Boise ID into Oregon.
Winds can be bad through the Columbia Gorge but not much snow.
I-80 and I-90 run together from Ohio through Chicago.
In addition to what nytraveler mentioned, I keep a coffee can with a pillar candle, a blanket, at least a pound of nuts or sunflower seeds and something to light the candle with.

gb944

At this time of the year, I would definitely consider taking the southern route (Interstate 40 at a minimum, something more southerly if the weather threatens.

Be prepared for the worst, and hope you don't need all your preparations.