Cross Country Trip July 2009

[Wendy&Fred Thomas]

We are planning a cross country trip from Pa. to Calif. Has anyone out there done this or would anyone be interested in going along? Taking 4 weeks to do it.
Any suggestions on which roads to travel? We would prefer to stay away from very busy highways

[Glenda & Fred Williams]

http://travel.yahoo.com/trip-view-1540265-williams_08_vacation

Check out our web page from our vacation. Take more time if you can. We were gone for 34 days and it really wasn't enough. Email me after you take a look. The coast was cold and damp when we went but in 34 days we only had maybe 1hr and 30 min. of rain. Moab UT is a must see. We bought a National Park Pass and it paid for its self. Arches National Park is way cool. we loved it.Of course any info or help you need planning just let us know.
Glenda

[Wendy&Fred Thomas]

Thank you for sharing your trip. I may get back to you for route #'s.

We don't have a trailer so we will have to stay in Motels/Hotels. Hope to find cheap but clean ones.

[Tom]

Hi Made a trip to Sturgis this year and by far the best hotels I ran into were Comfort Inns, Rooms were clean Beds were great and in the morning there's a great free Breakfast, it will hold you most of the day. Once you get past Ohio there isn't many Dunkin Donuts anyway . I found the best coffee in truckstops and gas stations. Good Luck, If I can be of any more help Let me know. If your leaving after 6/1/09 I maybe interested in joining you.

Ride Safe Tom Scire.

[Wendy&Fred Thomas]

Hi Tom, We will be leaving around the second week of July 09. If you want to join us please let us know.

[Wendy&Fred Thomas]

Hi Tom,
Are you still thinking about joining us? We are leaving July 18th, headed to West Virginia and picking up Route 50 all the way to California.
We will be stopping at a lot of the National Parks.
Let us know, would be happy to have you join us.

[Tom]

Hi to add something once you get past Chicago most any secondary Rt is good. Once I got to Nebraska I took 385, what a different part of the country. But I was heading to Sturgis and it brought me into Hot Springs and Cody SD. Ity also runs into Rapid City SD.

Again Ride Safe. Tom Scire.

[Sherry Forrest]

Hi Wendy and Fred, I've taken over a dozen road trips across the US and I always take back roads. Two things that I think are must haves....sheepskin seat covers if you don't already have them. My first trip on my trike I didn't have one, and everytime I stoppped it looked like I peed my pants. Also a cooling vest, the kind you soak in water for a few minutes then put on under your jacket and open the vents. July is sweltering in the southwest and you will love one of these vests. It feels kinda gross when you first put it on, but if you just barely dab some of the water off, it'll keep you cool for hours. Or small spray bottles if you have cupholders. I usually stay in Super 8 motels. They're priced pretty decent, they're usually clean and smell fresh, and alot of them have microwaves and fridges in all the rooms. A trucker's atlas is great too, shows you where all the bathrooms and truck stops are. Someone else mentioned Moab, Utah, that should be a for-sure stop on your list. Utah is a great state, you don't have to travel that far to see Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion Natl Park, Monument Valley, etc. If you like the wide open road and desert, Highway 50 will take you through Utah, Nevada, into CA. Hardly any traffic on that stretch. If you decide to take a northern route back home, Highway 12 from WA all the way to Minnesota is very scenic on the western end through Montana.

[Judy]

So how was your trip to Calf. What roads did you take etc. We are planning a ride like that in 2010, but we will not be going to Calf. Instead we are heading to AZ.

[Wendy&Fred Thomas]

Judy,
We aren't going until July 09. I'll let you know when we get back. If I come back, I am tired of all this snow and cold weather already.

[Judy]

LOL We will be going to in July. I started looking at route to take, and places to stay for our trip in 2010. We love using google earth. It lets you get a good look at all the roads, and other things.

[Wendy&Fred Thomas]

I'll check out google earth. My brother-in-law and his wife are going with us and he has the entire trip mapped out. We are also looking for a GPS for the trip.

[Judy]

The GPS was a great asset, while traveling, it has gotten us out of a lot of traffic jams, and finding the nearest gas and eats. We mapped out our trips too, then used google earth, you can really zoom in and see all the roads. If they are dirt etc. Heck found some roads that we liked better that were not on maps.