Your planned 2016 Roadtrips

[D-Dey65]

Second Avenue Subway sure isn't opening in December of course.

Aww, Dammit! Well, at least they're still doing serious work on the thing.

Hey, maybe I can save it for a 2017 road trip.

[OracleUsr]

Heading to Charleston twice this year, thanks to the generosity of my in-laws.  They had a timeshare they're not using so I am going to be taking an extended Labor Day vacation (Sept 2-7), including an already-planned trip to Asheville Sep 2-4, so I get to see the upgrades on I-26 including that monstrosity at the I-77 interchange (SC's,IMHO, feeble attempt at a left-bannered exit sign...) and to see what's new en route to the coast.

THEN, we also will go there on Dec 21-23 and head BACK to the Smokies for Christmas.

[Rothman]

Taking two little trips over the weekend and next week:

Saturday:  Day trip from Albany, NY out to Rhode Island to take my wife on a tour of The Breakers and to see a couple of sites in the recently designated Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park.  Hoping to walk through Purgatory Chasm, as well.

Tuesday through Thursday:  Albany, NY out to Watkins Glen, Letchworth and...Duff's for wings (outside Buffalo).  Staying in the Jamestown area, since the Missus wanted to see a couple of sites there (including the Lucille Ball comedy museum, but without the festival crowds).  On the way back, we'll swoop down to Kinzua Bridge, clinch NY's portion of I-99 and probably get a spiedie or two in Binghamton.

[US 41]

I'm not going anywhere until at least November, which means that I'm not going to go to Canada. My car has something wrong with it and I've been having it worked on and every time I get it back it still has the same issue. It has some really loud and annoying vibration going on once I get up to 2000 RPMs. I know it has something to do with a motor mount, tensioner, timing, or the engine not being lined up. I'm guessing it is probably a combination of the first two (motor mount and timing). I think the mechanic probably messed up something right there, because it didn't do it before he started working on it. The engine is supposedly lined up perfectly and I don't think that is the issue. The noise somewhat goes away when I go over a hump in the road so I don't think timing is the issue either. I think I've got it narrowed down, but then again I could be totally wrong. Who knows.

Last November I had a blast in New Mexico so I'll probably go back there this winter. I might even drive into Chihuahua at Ojinaga and drive up to Puerto Palomas / Columbus, NM (via MX 16, 45, 10, 2). That would be 9 hours of driving, but I'm pretty confident I could get it done in one day. If not I could always get a cheap motel in Nuevo Casas Grandes.

Whatever I do I just want to make sure I drive where I don't end up in some snow storm.

[ET21]

I'll be doing another trip to the Twin Cities for a college game in 3 weeks. Going to be taking a slightly altered route as I have yet to clinch I-94 in Wisconsin. There's a segment between Milwaukee and I-39/90 that I've yet to drive. Otherwise same route as last time, plus peak colors should be in for the hills of western Wisconsin

[US71]

I just got back from a week in Illinois. It was somewhat spontaneous, but I was trying to find info on one of my mom's cousins. Only found half of what I was looking for, but got lots of photos

[JMoses24]

Well, June came and went without a big roadtrip (though I did storm chase in central Indiana on two separate occasions). Of course, part of that has to do with me having moved into a new apartment and out of my parents' home.

However, Boston is a lock for October 27-November 1 via Greyhound. In on Friday, out on Monday because I need to be back in town that Wednesday and due to resource constraints.

[US 41]

Alright so I'm planning on entering Ontario at Sarnia towards Sunday (Oct 9th) evening. I just realized that Canadian Thanksgiving is going to be on October 10th. I imagine that the banks will all be shut down and I assume that like in the US most of the major gas stations will remain open, but practically everything else will be closed.

The big big question is that will they accept US dollars in Canada in a pinch? I know the banks will be closed on the 9th and the 10th and I'm kind of doubting that I'll make it to the Sarnia bridge by 6 (when that money exchange closes) and I'm not sure if the money exchange is open on the 10th. I'm guessing it is, so I might be smart just to stay the night in Sarnia (I'm guessing I'll get to Sarnia somewhere around 8) and go back the exchange at 7:30 in the morning.

Any thoughts? (I will fill up near Port Huron on the US side where the gas is cheaper. I might eat on the US side too just in case.)

[oscar]

Alright so I'm planning on entering Ontario at Sarnia towards Sunday (Oct 9th) evening. I just realized that Canadian Thanksgiving is going to be on October 10th. I imagine that the banks will all be shut down and I assume that like in the US most of the major gas stations will remain open, but practically everything else will be closed.

The ATMs won't shut down, if you end up having to convert, though the fees (the ATM's bank and/or your own) might be pricey, especially for relatively small amounts. Many restaurants and C-stores should be open too.

Depending on how far east you're going on 402 and/or 401, you should encounter onRoute service plazas, with a full set of services, as I found when I drove through Ontario on Canada's Thanksgiving day a few years ago.

Is there a money exchange place on the U.S. side, with longer hours that might work for you?

[US 41]

Alright so I'm planning on entering Ontario at Sarnia towards Sunday (Oct 9th) evening. I just realized that Canadian Thanksgiving is going to be on October 10th. I imagine that the banks will all be shut down and I assume that like in the US most of the major gas stations will remain open, but practically everything else will be closed.

The ATMs won't shut down, if you end up having to convert, though the fees (the ATM's bank and/or your own) might be pricey, especially for relatively small amounts. Many restaurants and C-stores should be open too.

Is there a money exchange place on the U.S. side, with longer hours that might work for you?

Well the big problem with me using an ATM is that I don't have any way of using one. I only use cash and the only other thing I use is a checkbook.

I think I'll probably just stick with my wait until 7:30 A.M. plan. It seems reasonable. I probably won't cross until late at night (10 or later) anyways since I know that I'll just be stranded until 7:30 anyways. I plan on exchanging enough money that I'll have some extra CAD left over so I don't have to worry about this in the future.

I didn't find one (exchange place) on the US side. The one on the 402 on the Canadian side supposedly doesn't charge a fee to exchange your money either. If they do it's not much. Currently they'll give you $1.28 CAD for every 1 USD. The actual rate according to Google is $1.31 CAD = $1. So you can't get a much better deal than that.

Depending on how far east you're going on 402 and/or 401, you should encounter onRoute service plazas, with a full set of services, as I found when I drove through Ontario on Canada's Thanksgiving day a few years ago.

My plan is to go to North Bay and then up to northern Ontario and maybe into Quebec a little, so I'm sure I'll see them. I'll probably leave Canada through Sault Ste Marie, but I wanted to go a different way up than I did over a year ago. That and I figured I have a better chance of finding gas stations that are actually open on Thanksgiving.

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ADDITION:

An additional question I have is do most people in Quebec know at least some English or is it pretty much 100% French? I mean I know enough Spanish to (barely) get by in Mexico, but I have never had 1 day of French and I honestly don't even know one word. Well I do know that Terre Haute is French for high ground, but you get the point. The answers I've gotten online have ranged from they don't know it at all to they only know it if you're an American, but if you're Canadian they won't talk to you. I was hoping to get some answers from some people that have actually been there before and hung around for a while. I've been there before, but I never stopped at any businesses or talked to anyone there before.

[AsphaltPlanet]

You shouldn't have a problem getting by in Quebec.  A lot of people in Quebec do have some comprehension of English, but not everyone does.  Best practice is to try and speak French. Often times if a store clerk is comfortable with English, they'll respond back to you in English, if not you'll just have to make do.  French is a pretty similar language to Spanish, so it shouldn't be that foreign.

I was up in northern Quebec last weekend and when buying gas just outside of Val d'Or, the clerk recognized my accent and spoke to me in English, after I started the conversation in French.

I do speak some French, but I find my first interaction in Quebec can always be tricky, because my French tends to be pretty rusty from lack of use.

[wanderer2575]

The Mrs. and I never did a multi-day roadtrip this year, but I am hoping to be able within the next two weeks to make a mega one-day trip from metro Detroit to Vincennes IN and back.  Primary purpose is to drive IN-37 south of Indianapolis and see it in mid-transition on its way to becoming I-69.  Looks like some opportunities for good gantry photos outside of Vincennes, so why not?  From there I might take US-41/US-150 to Terre Haute, I-70 east back to Indianapolis, US-31 north to South Bend to see the new freeway between Plymouth and South Bend, the IN Toll Road east to I-69 to see if it's as bad as some folks here have suggested, then I-69 to I-94 and back home.

Question:  How is the drive along US-41/US-150 between Vincennes and Terre Haute, and also along US-31 between Indianapolis and Plymouth?  The AAA map shows both as divided highways but also dots for lots of towns right on the road, which I presume means slower speeds and traffic signals going through every one of them.  That might affect my routing plan as the hours pass by.

[Rothman]

RE: Quebec and FWIW:

In my experience, English is commonplace in Montreal and I've never had any trouble getting around despite only knowing a few phrases of French.  Although I've never been to Quebec City (might get up there later this year), my colleagues at MTQ tell me that English is much less common up yonder.

[US 41]

The Mrs. and I never did a multi-day roadtrip this year, but I am hoping to be able within the next two weeks to make a mega one-day trip from metro Detroit to Vincennes IN and back.  Primary purpose is to drive IN-37 south of Indianapolis and see it in mid-transition on its way to becoming I-69.  Looks like some opportunities for good gantry photos outside of Vincennes, so why not?  From there I might take US-41/US-150 to Terre Haute, I-70 east back to Indianapolis, US-31 north to South Bend to see the new freeway between Plymouth and South Bend, the IN Toll Road east to I-69 to see if it's as bad as some folks here have suggested, then I-69 to I-94 and back home.

Question:  How is the drive along US-41/US-150 between Vincennes and Terre Haute, and also along US-31 between Indianapolis and Plymouth?  The AAA map shows both as divided highways but also dots for lots of towns right on the road, which I presume means slower speeds and traffic signals going through every one of them.  That might affect my routing plan as the hours pass by.

US 41 / 150 from Terre Haute to Vincennes is one of my favorite drives. Once you're south of SR 641 it's smooth sailing to Vincennes. There are some small towns like Farmersburg (45 mph), Shelburn (50 mph), and Sullivan (55/50 mph); but they are painless to drive through. There is only one stop light in each town, so the towns won't slow you down much. The speed limit is 60 mph for most of the drive. There is also an "Old US 41" from Sullivan to Vincennes. It's worth checking out if you have the time. There's no posted speed limit (so its 55) and it's easy to do 55 mph on.

[vdeane]

My plan is to go to North Bay and then up to northern Ontario and maybe into Quebec a little, so I'm sure I'll see them. I'll probably leave Canada through Sault Ste Marie, but I wanted to go a different way up than I did over a year ago. That and I figured I have a better chance of finding gas stations that are actually open on Thanksgiving.

I think the OnRoute service plazas are mainly (entirely?) on ON 401.  I know ON 417 doesn't have them and I wouldn't expect them in northern Ontario.

[oscar]

RE: Quebec and FWIW:

In my experience, English is commonplace in Montreal and I've never had any trouble getting around despite only knowing a few phrases of French.  Although I've never been to Quebec City (might get up there later this year), my colleagues at MTQ tell me that English is much less common up yonder.

I've been pretty much everywhere in Quebec. I know about as many basic French phrases as Rothman does, and rarely had serious trouble getting by (no extended conversations, but basic tourist-transaction stuff like ordering food at a fast-food restaurant, paying for gas, finding the washroom, etc.). The most trouble I ever had was at a post office in Matagami in far northern Quebec (last town before the James Bay Highway), but fortunately I knew what the stamp I needed looked like and was able to point it out to the clerk.

i didn't push the limits in Quebec city, though. My only extended conversations there, other than on a road meet where our entire group spoke English, were on a guided tour of the National Assembly (provincial legislature) building, where I waited for one of the tours conducted in English.

[US 41]

Well I just called the currency exchange place that is located on the Canadian side of the Port Huron / Sarnia bridge to make sure they are open on October 10th (Canadian Thanksgiving). They said they will be, so that is where I'll be exchanging money. I will be spending the night somewhere in Sarnia. On the 10th my goal is to make it to at least North Bay. From there I will likely continue on to Rouyn Noranda, QC and explore some French country for a day or so, before returning home via Sault Ste Marie. I still plan on clinching ON 129. I really don't have too much planned out yet, but I do know where I'm getting my Canadian currency at. 

[inkyatari]

Thinking about doing a short roadtrip to downstate Illinois this November. Extra paycheck that month.  Woo hoo!

[US71]

Thinking about doing a short roadtrip to downstate Illinois this November. Extra paycheck that month.  Woo hoo!

I was in Marion a few weeks ago

[wanderer2575]

The Mrs. and I never did a multi-day roadtrip this year, but I am hoping to be able within the next two weeks to make a mega one-day trip from metro Detroit to Vincennes IN and back.  Primary purpose is to drive IN-37 south of Indianapolis and see it in mid-transition on its way to becoming I-69.  Looks like some opportunities for good gantry photos outside of Vincennes, so why not?  From there I might take US-41/US-150 to Terre Haute, I-70 east back to Indianapolis, US-31 north to South Bend to see the new freeway between Plymouth and South Bend, the IN Toll Road east to I-69 to see if it's as bad as some folks here have suggested, then I-69 to I-94 and back home.

Question:  How is the drive along US-41/US-150 between Vincennes and Terre Haute, and also along US-31 between Indianapolis and Plymouth?  The AAA map shows both as divided highways but also dots for lots of towns right on the road, which I presume means slower speeds and traffic signals going through every one of them.  That might affect my routing plan as the hours pass by.

US 41 / 150 from Terre Haute to Vincennes is one of my favorite drives. Once you're south of SR 641 it's smooth sailing to Vincennes. There are some small towns like Farmersburg (45 mph), Shelburn (50 mph), and Sullivan (55/50 mph); but they are painless to drive through. There is only one stop light in each town, so the towns won't slow you down much. The speed limit is 60 mph for most of the drive. There is also an "Old US 41" from Sullivan to Vincennes. It's worth checking out if you have the time. There's no posted speed limit (so its 55) and it's easy to do 55 mph on.

Is the entire IN-641 cuttoff between US-41 and I-70 (southeast of Terre Haute) open?  My AAA paper map says "yes," the Google Maps overlay says "no."

[US 41]

The Mrs. and I never did a multi-day roadtrip this year, but I am hoping to be able within the next two weeks to make a mega one-day trip from metro Detroit to Vincennes IN and back.  Primary purpose is to drive IN-37 south of Indianapolis and see it in mid-transition on its way to becoming I-69.  Looks like some opportunities for good gantry photos outside of Vincennes, so why not?  From there I might take US-41/US-150 to Terre Haute, I-70 east back to Indianapolis, US-31 north to South Bend to see the new freeway between Plymouth and South Bend, the IN Toll Road east to I-69 to see if it's as bad as some folks here have suggested, then I-69 to I-94 and back home.

Question:  How is the drive along US-41/US-150 between Vincennes and Terre Haute, and also along US-31 between Indianapolis and Plymouth?  The AAA map shows both as divided highways but also dots for lots of towns right on the road, which I presume means slower speeds and traffic signals going through every one of them.  That might affect my routing plan as the hours pass by.

US 41 / 150 from Terre Haute to Vincennes is one of my favorite drives. Once you're south of SR 641 it's smooth sailing to Vincennes. There are some small towns like Farmersburg (45 mph), Shelburn (50 mph), and Sullivan (55/50 mph); but they are painless to drive through. There is only one stop light in each town, so the towns won't slow you down much. The speed limit is 60 mph for most of the drive. There is also an "Old US 41" from Sullivan to Vincennes. It's worth checking out if you have the time. There's no posted speed limit (so its 55) and it's easy to do 55 mph on.

Is the entire IN-641 cuttoff between US-41 and I-70 (southeast of Terre Haute) open?  My AAA paper map says "yes," the Google Maps overlay says "no."

Not yet. It's not supposed to be open completely until December.

[SignGeek101]

My plan is to go to North Bay and then up to northern Ontario and maybe into Quebec a little, so I'm sure I'll see them. I'll probably leave Canada through Sault Ste Marie, but I wanted to go a different way up than I did over a year ago. That and I figured I have a better chance of finding gas stations that are actually open on Thanksgiving.

I think the OnRoute service plazas are mainly (entirely?) on ON 401.  I know ON 417 doesn't have them and I wouldn't expect them in northern Ontario.

There's four on the 400 (two for each direction), all south of Barrie. The rest are on the 401.

My plan is to go to North Bay and then up to northern Ontario and maybe into Quebec a little, so I'm sure I'll see them. I'll probably leave Canada through Sault Ste Marie, but I wanted to go a different way up than I did over a year ago. That and I figured I have a better chance of finding gas stations that are actually open on Thanksgiving.

If you're into construction projects, there is the 69 twinning near French River going on. That stretch between Parry Sound and Sudbury will eventually be ON 400.

[1995hoo]

RE: Quebec and FWIW:

In my experience, English is commonplace in Montreal and I've never had any trouble getting around despite only knowing a few phrases of French.  Although I've never been to Quebec City (might get up there later this year), my colleagues at MTQ tell me that English is much less common up yonder.

My observation in Montreal is that restaurants will give you a menu based on the language you use when you go in. If you say "bonsoir" to be polite, good chance you'll get a French menu. Not a big deal because, as you say, most people speak English.

The place where I struggled a bit was in the Saguenay valley, especially near Lac St-Jean. I understood fewer French words than I do now and once I had to mime like I was taking a whiz to get directions to the men's room. (At the time, I was unaware of the ubiquity of the word "toilet" outside of the USA.)



Our remaining roadtrip for this year will be a Christmas trip to Primland Resort near Meadows of Dan, Virginia. Haven't decided what roads to use (weather will factor into that, of course). It'll be new territory for me.

[Jbte]

For those who travels to Mexico by Mexico 85 (Laredo-Monterrey highway), despite its a common route to use for most visitors to inland Mexico and US, there have been recently numerous incidents of extortion by criminal groups. They ask about 500 US dollars to allow pass or otherwise risk yourself of being mugged or kidnapped. This just happened yesterday to some of my close family members (an uncle), he was forced to pay the extortion to be allowed to continue his trip from US, he's ok and safely in home, but a CAUTION for those who have plans to travel to "anywhere" in Mexico it's not safe, better use other methods of transportation such as air travel to well known tourist destinations.

Many "paisas" (mexican-americans living in US and visiting relatives in Mexico) are victims of extortion each year by this route, worst time to travel is December, but cases are like this are chances of 20% risk... the risk is greater in December, but same as rest of the year, because in December the traffic is high of paisas going in or out from Mexico-US, at low seasons still dangerous because you can be the only victim traveling in route but same 20% risk, its the same for Americas, Mexicans, Canadians, whoever uses this route.

The area where my uncle was extorted was just 30 kilometers south of Nuevo Laredo, at the "aduana" area (30 km border checkpoint), where past the checkpoint he was forced to pull over by a series of armed vehicles and asking for the money.

Other incidents have occurred lately in many areas in Mexico involving known people close to me, such 6 months ago some friends were mugged in a remote area close to Zacatecas-San Luis Potosí highway (Mexico 49), they lost their SUV vehicle, iphones, ipads, watches and many valuable things.

Violence in Mexico is not getting anything close to disappear, as violence events continue to be a common thing in many mexican cities, example just yesterday two creepy clowns were killed in Ecatepec, they were just intimating kids and someone had a gun... that extreme the criminal activity is going... despite other recent events I will not mention in here...

Me as Mexican I have to risk all time when I travel, the chances of being extorted, mugged or even worst kidnapped or killed is a reality, lately I rather travel to US for avoid my own country insecurity, US areas such National Parks, National Monuments are  safer and visited by many, otherwise Mexican National Parks, are empty where you risk for being a victim of a crime, the only pros in Mexico you get all the National Park for you (without tourists all lonely) aside in US it's full of tourists and always everywhere full! anyway... as for this situation in Mexico I don't see when it's going to end, there's so much wasted potential.

So that's the advice... stay away from driving in Mexico, if you want to go there, just buy airline tickets, or if you want to risk it... stay in toll routes, avoid showing expensive things, luxury cars, jewelry, and such and you may have a great experience, which a great chance nothing will happen but the same low chance something bad can happen.

Cheers.

[wanderer2575]

The Mrs. and I never did a multi-day roadtrip this year, but I am hoping to be able within the next two weeks to make a mega one-day trip from metro Detroit to Vincennes IN and back.  Primary purpose is to drive IN-37 south of Indianapolis and see it in mid-transition on its way to becoming I-69.  Looks like some opportunities for good gantry photos outside of Vincennes, so why not?  From there I might take US-41/US-150 to Terre Haute, I-70 east back to Indianapolis, US-31 north to South Bend to see the new freeway between Plymouth and South Bend, the IN Toll Road east to I-69 to see if it's as bad as some folks here have suggested, then I-69 to I-94 and back home.

Question:  How is the drive along US-41/US-150 between Vincennes and Terre Haute, and also along US-31 between Indianapolis and Plymouth?  The AAA map shows both as divided highways but also dots for lots of towns right on the road, which I presume means slower speeds and traffic signals going through every one of them.  That might affect my routing plan as the hours pass by.

US 41 / 150 from Terre Haute to Vincennes is one of my favorite drives. Once you're south of SR 641 it's smooth sailing to Vincennes. There are some small towns like Farmersburg (45 mph), Shelburn (50 mph), and Sullivan (55/50 mph); but they are painless to drive through. There is only one stop light in each town, so the towns won't slow you down much. The speed limit is 60 mph for most of the drive. There is also an "Old US 41" from Sullivan to Vincennes. It's worth checking out if you have the time. There's no posted speed limit (so its 55) and it's easy to do 55 mph on.

Is the entire IN-641 cuttoff between US-41 and I-70 (southeast of Terre Haute) open?  My AAA paper map says "yes," the Google Maps overlay says "no."

Not yet. It's not supposed to be open completely until December.

I'm putting this roadtrip on hold for a few weeks.  I've decided to first do a couple day trips to northern Michigan to see the fall colors and do some dayhiking.  Thanks, US 41, for the notes!