drive across the US

it would be the best thing in the world to take a trip across the world with a few or just one of my best friends.
what memories we could make, the people we could me.
just imagine all the people in this world, and how you know maybe .9 percent of them.

When I get home from Korea next summer, Eric, Nicholas and I are going to go cross-country for about a month. I’ve dreamed of doing this my whole life and I’m so excited that I’m actually going to get to do it!

Totally worth taking time off of work so that you can linger … oh, and take the blue highways. :-) (That is, get off of the interstates.) Have a blast … and don’t plan too much … just go with the flow.

just take your time and plan your trip well. let me know if you need help! – todd shriber

It’s not worth it unless you have time to stop along the way. Which I didn’t. Both times.

it was amazing.

My husband and I drove over the road for about 7 months and we saw so many places. This is highly recommended.!!

5000 miles driven east of Dallas; 6000 miles driven west of Dallas… I had a great time and memorized a couple of albums on the way.

Be sure you can replace a spare tire, have a cell phone with battery charger..

Granola cereal stays fresh easily and provides good munchiness..

And bring water… both for you and your car!

And have a lot of savings to pay for gas… or get a hybrid

You can do it!

I was lucky enough to get do this twice, using two different routes. Went from VA to Portland OR in 1997. Unfortunately I was driving a rental truck which was towing a car. Loud and exhausting, trying to get out to OR as quickly as possible to start a job. Longest day (not intentional): Hays, KS to Ogden, UT, that’s 858 miles according to Mapquest!

The second time was much better, OR to NC – we had our stuff shipped so we didn’t have to struggle with a rental truck, towing, etc. We decided not to drive more than about 5 or 6 hours a day. Took a different route, going through eastern WA, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and into the east ….

Of course, there are some great national parks to visit, depending on which way you go.

Depending on your route, chain hotels may be booked in the summer. You can opt for local motels if you like surprises or can tolerate less than perfect for one night.

If you have never been out west, be prepared for a lot of SPACE. I’ll give you an example: driving across Montana at 11:00 in the morning on I-90, there is no sign of civilization on either side of the road, far into the horizon …. no buildings, no power line towers, no nothing .... the closest car (singular) is about two miles in front of me, and the same for the traffic behind me. There are 8 or 10 antelope about a quarter of a mile off the side of the highway …..

You really need to give yourself as much time as possible, since most folks will only get to do this once. Out west, especially in Montana and Wyoming be prepared for more than an hour between exits in some places – even at 75 or 80 mph! In areas like that you really need to fill up about every other exit. Keep two or three gallons of drinking water in your car as well in case you have a breakdown. Cell phone is great if you have one but be prepared for mucho roaming charges – you will be crossing several time zones. Common sense will tell you to get your car checked out good before you go.

Extra time so you don’t have to hurry and have time for serendipity – that’s my advice.

Well, it’s finally gonna happen, this summer. California-New York and back again. Afterwards, one of our 43 Things will probably be, “Look for Another Job After Getting Fired”, or “Tow Ruined Car to Junk Yard”. j/k, well, we’re renting a car, probably, anyway…