Roadtrips 2009

[tankerdave]

I'll be moving this summer to Central California from the LA area, not a true roadtrip, but a 3-4 hour drive anyway.  Also, I am in Iraq with the National Guard (Army) right now.  Will try to get some Iraqi road pics for the site if aa is interested.

Dave

[OracleUsr]

Oh, I've seen Bodie Island at night before... what a sight to behold. And postcards, photos, etc. just don't do it justice... Can't recall ever having been at Currituck at night though. And I suppose Ocracoke is hard to get to, but that was part of the appeal of it to me.

Bodie Island is cool at night, indeed.  My parents and I used to go fishing on the north shore of Oregon Inlet and could see the lighthouse at night when we went there.

I don't have a problem with Ocracoke's lighthouse location, but it seems to me driving more than an hour and a half, including the ferry ride, to a lighthouse at night that merely lights up without flashing, doesn't strike me as a great nightspot.  Then again, the same could be said about the Tybee Island lighthouse, and I got dusk pictures of that, too.

Currituck Beach, another tower I've nightspotted, has a first-order Fresnel lens, like Bodie Island, and is pretty neat lit up.

[agentsteel53]

I'll be moving this summer to Central California from the LA area, not a true roadtrip, but a 3-4 hour drive anyway.  Also, I am in Iraq with the National Guard (Army) right now.  Will try to get some Iraqi road pics for the site if aa is interested.

Dave

yes, please do!  I especially am interested in highway markers

[Bryant5493]

I'll be going to Biloxi and New Orleans next Monday, returning Wednesday, so I'll try and get some footage while I'm out. I particuarly want to get video of the new Biloxi Bay Bridge (US 90).


Be well,

Bryant

[corco]

I'm planning on heading out Multi State Route 92 sometime in late August for a really in-depth look at the routes and towns along it, and then coming back by either clinching MSR 200, US 36, or US 54 and then making my way back up to Wyoming with the route depending on how much money I can save up for it.

I'd kind of most rather clinch US-36 since I'd get to spend some time  in my homeland part of Ohio, but US-54 would be solid too. MSR 200 is the cheapest but for me will be the most boring since the "extra" area is in Montana/Idaho which I already know really well

It should be a ton of fun and I'm really excited to do it.

[DrZoidberg]

Going from Portland to Southern California next month, to see some of my wife's family and take my daughter to Disneyland.  We're going I-5 to US 199 in Grants Pass, 199 to 101 in Crescent City, CA, cutting over to CA 1 south of San Fran, and then cutting back over to 101 at San Luis Obispo.  From there, it's 101 to the...shudders...405.

[corco]

By the way how do rental car companies react when you return their cars with 5,000 miles extra on the odometer? This assumes you have unlimited mileage.

Also, all the majors (Hertz/Enterprise/Avis) allow for you to take the car to any state, right?

[SSOWorld]

I've seen fine print for dollar restrict to neighboring states.

When I rented a car (which ended up being an SUV) in Montana, they said ID, WA, OR and WY only. (it was Missoula I rented from)

I've racked up miles on rentals on 3 of the trips I used them for. (two were work related with me staying over a weekend - the boss said go for a sightsee - so I did )

[corco]

It looks like National, Budget, and Avis CLEARLY state that you can go to any state, but the other ones don't mention or restrict states.

I think I'll be using National since I'll be in the 21-24 age range and that's a different price bracket and they look cheapest by far.

[corco]

It's been changed- they almost all allow you to rent now with an extra fee for $20 to $30 per day if you're between 21 and 24. Under 21 is a no- go

[Alex]

I've found that Alamo and Hertz are the best companies with regards to unlimited mileage and no out of state restrictions. Agentsteel53 one time returned a car with some 11,000 miles on it, and they didn't say anything to him. I've returned a car with 3,500 miles on it, and also got no reaction.

With that stated, my next roadtrip will likely be toward Dallas, and I'll rent a car rather than take my own.

[Chris]

I think roadtrips are quite popular among non U.S. citizens, so I expect rental companies to be used to the fact cars being returned with a significant higher mileage on them.

[ctsignguy]

I am planning to do one more 'sign-shopping' trip this year....hope to hit new England one last time, then head south and try my luck in the Mid-Atlantic states.....

[Bryant5493]

Here's some video from my road trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONgkW3-WNic


Be well,

Bryant

[Sykotyk]

Here's some things I've done this year:

US-69 in Kansas (they're almost finished)
US 60, US 54, US 36, and Avenue of the Saints in Missouri
US 65 bypass of Ottumwa, Iowa that was just built.
IL-336 (newly built from near Macomb to Quincy/I-172)
US 35 E (Cumberland Gap Tunnel)
TX-35 (from south of Houston to Corpus Christi, like this area)
US 50 in Colorado (saw the Royal Gorge Bridge)
Cherokee Turnpike, Chickasaw Turnpike, I-44 (all of it), Muskogee and Cimmaron Turnpikes. Just need Indian Nation. Already have been on the bypasses around Tulsa and Oklahoma.
Western Kentucky Parkway
US 60/US 62 double bridge over the Missouri and the Ohio Rivers through three states
US 93 in Nevada & tail end of Extraterrestrial Highway

Sykotyk

[njroadhorse]

Where at in Virginia, njroadhorse?

Either to Harrisonburg or Blacksburg.  College visits!

[Alps]

My Fort Kent, ME trip:

I-80 from NJ, I-95, Hutchinson River Pkwy., CT 15, CT 8, CT 243, CT 63, CT 69, CT 42, CT 10, CT 70, I-84, CT 10, CT 177, US 202, CT 185, CT 178, CT 159, I-291, CT 30, CT 74, CT 195, CT 14, CT 14A (to clinch and U-turn), CT 14 into RI, Rockland Rd. and Elmdale Rd., Snake Hill Rd. to US 44, into Providence for lunch.

I-195 (all EB traffic is on the bridge, WB is still on the old road), MA 136 into RI, RI 103 into MA, US 6, MA 79, I-195, MA 240 (to clinch and U-turn), I-195, I-495, MA 9, MA 12 into NH, NH 9, NH 9A, NH-VT 9-NY 7 to Albany.  While on I-495, detoured at Exit 21B for an old I-shield, and also got the old button-copy square on 12 in Leominster.

So day 1 of NJ to Fort Kent took me in a giant V-shape that only got me about 2.5-3 hours north.  Day 2 was a lazy day, where John K. (sometimes known as "Smilin'" or "OI!") and I headed out to VT to see Bennington and inadvertently Moosefest.  Then it was down the 7A corridor, looking at old alignments and covered bridges, and back down US 7 to VT-NY 313, NY 372, NY 29, NY 40, NY 142.

Day 3 was the assault on Maine.  US 20 to MA 9 via NY 9J-150, MA-VT 8A, VT 112, MA 2/2A to US 202 to Maine.  After lunch in Bangor (pronounced Bang-or, not Bang-er), ME 9 out to Calais (pronounced Callous) and US 1 up to its end in Fort Kent.  Looks simple, but took nearly 16 hours.

Day 4 was the return all the way back to NJ: ME 11, ME 212, US 2 east to the end (old customs booth still stands!), I-95, I-395 (to clinch and U-turn), I-95, VT 11 at Exit 109, US 201, US 1 and 1A through Portland, NH 1B, NH 1A (U-turning to clinch), NH-MA 286, US 1, I-95 and home (US 20, I-495, I-290, US 20, I-84, CT 15/I-91, etc.).  Stopped to get old CT 15 Lake Ave. shields and old signs on NY 127 (switched to I-95 at that point).

Overall results: Clinched US 1 north of Raleigh, NC.  Clinched US 202.  Clinched I-495 and entire MA Interstate system.  Bunch of other routes thrown in as well.  Very scenic drive - I recommend what I saw in Days 3-4 very strongly.

[Chris]

I'm considering this roadtrip for the weekend:


Just a little over 1000 miles, in three days.

[okroads]

I'm taking a roadtrip from Oklahoma City to New England and back July 10-22:



This route does not include side trips I am planning to take in the area. I am hoping to get pictures from the highways listed below.

Maine:
I-95 to Houlton
U.S. 1 Houlton-Fort Kent
ME 11 Fort Kent - I-95

Massachusetts:
I-93
I-195
I-290
I-395
I-495
MA 24
MA 146

New Hampshire:
I-89
I-93
I-293
U.S. 3

Rhode Island:
I-95
I-195
U.S. 1
RI 24
RI 78
RI 138

Vermont:
I-89
I-93
U.S. 2

As usual, all these pics will be posted on my Flickr during the trip. Maine & Rhode Island are the only 2 states east of the Mississippi River I have never been to.

[Chris]

Where do you guys spend the night on roadtrips? Hotels are too expensive in Europe for me, I usually stay at campsites for $ 15 per night. I carry a three-seconds tent with me.

[mightyace]

Where do you guys spend the night on roadtrips? Hotels are too expensive in Europe for me, I usually stay at campsites for $ 15 per night. I carry a three-seconds tent with me.

Well, if I'm not staying with friends or family, I usually stay in a motel.  Outside of the really big cities (NY, Chicago, LA, SF, etc.) you can usually find a decent room for $40-60, sometimes less.  However, other than the room being clean and the bed soft, I don't really care much as I usually arrive too late to use the pool, etc. anyway.

[Chris]

This is how I spend the night:

[deathtopumpkins]

I usually try and find some little B&B for around $100 a night... (for 3 people).

Anyways, I have two upcoming road trips:

In July, I'm driving to my gramdmother in Norman, OK VIA St. Louis:


And then in August to Boston to move my sister into her dorm at Boston U.

[Chris]

The true roadtripper doesn't take the same road back 

[rawmustard]

Where do you guys spend the night on roadtrips? Hotels are too expensive in Europe for me, I usually stay at campsites for $ 15 per night. I carry a three-seconds tent with me.

When I stay in a motel, I usually avoid anything above $70/night. For the most part, all I really need is a comfortable bed and a working shower, although network connectivity (either RJ-45 or WiFi) when it's included is a plus when I have my laptop.

For July 4 weekend, I'll get to camp with my dad at a KOA just outside Union, IL, in order to attend a family gathering somewhere in Chicagoland. Camping definitely is a fun experience in itself, and is something I would probably do by myself if I had the equipment. Roadtrips and camping seem to go hand-in-hand, and hopefully your trip is a pleasant one.