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2020 Road Trip Plans

Started by thspfc, July 21, 2019, 12:30:56 PM

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cl94

The biggest 2020 road trip I have at this point is international. Flying to London in March and driving up to the northern tip of Scotland and back over the course of a week. 1,500 miles or so, a lot of which will be on surface roads.

Other than that...I may be making a trip out of the Cincinnati meet and I will likely take a Northern Plains road trip in early August. Too early to know what I'm doing after March at this point.
Please note: All posts represent my personal opinions and do not represent those of my employer or any of its partner agencies.

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Paulinator66


kphoger

Quote from: Paulinator66 on January 02, 2020, 01:23:22 PM

Quote from: kphoger on December 20, 2019, 01:05:06 PM

Along I-80 in Nebraska:

Cody Park Railroad Museum, North Platte
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum, Ashland

Thank you for this.  They both look interesting.

I haven't been to the railroad museum, but I want to.

The air command museum is definitely worth it, if for nothing else that to sit in the cockpit of a B-52.  But seriously, there is a lot to see there.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

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ChimpOnTheWheel

First road trip of the year... going from my home in the Chicago suburbs to Toledo's Downtown, all in a day, using I-294 to I-80 to I-75.

I did think about alt routes like I-294 to I-94 to US-20; or I-294 to I-94 to US-12 to US-223, but ultimately decided to stick with the Toll Road because of weather.
Just a casual.

Max Rockatansky

I'll probably be headed out to a day of Fault Line roadway driving out in the Gabilan Range and Diablo Range next week.  In particular East Pinnacles National Park and La Gloria Road has caught my eye.

D-Dey65

When I do drive up north next time, I want to stop here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Refreshment_Center_(14402891791).jpg

The person who took that photograph urged drivers not to stop here because the gas prices are the highest in the area. This person may be telling the truth, but how often do you see these little shacks at gas stations?

Max Rockatansky

Ended up taking a day trip to Big Sur via CA 1 on Sunday.  I stopped at Limekiln State Park since it's kind of off the grid enough to deter crowds.  For those who don't know the time to drive CA 1 is on a dry winter day just like Sunday.  Typically there is very little traffic in Big Sur in the winter and this last weekend was no exception. There is nothing quite like being able to go 45-60 MPH on those 80-something miles of curved unabated by tourist traffic on CA 1.   Fortunately for me both Cambria and Monterey are about 2.5 hours from home which makes it an easy day trip. 

webny99

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 21, 2020, 07:24:35 PM
There is nothing quite like being able to go 45-60 MPH on those 80-something miles of curved unabated by tourist traffic...

I have had a very similar thought before, but it was about M-35 between Menominee and Escanaba, not CA 1.

doorknob60

#33
Currently I have a road trip planned in June up to Spokane, WA (probably Silverwood in Athol, ID while we're up there too), and likely from there over to Seattle and/or Seaside, OR. If we skip Seattle, I'll probably do US-12 over the Cascades which I haven't driven on myself.

And then in July, a long overdue road trip to California (other than a day and a half trip by air down there in December, haven't been to CA since 2011), though likely just the Bay Area this time.

We have a trip to Norfolk planned for late April, but that's flying and I don't even know if I'll get to drive around there myself (staying with family that may do most/all the driving for us; I may try to rent a car for a couple of the days if we aren't able to borrow one though).

Probably a couple other short trips to OR and parts of WA during the year, as usual, currently unplanned.

royo6022

Driving from Indiana to Brooklyn, NY in March with a buddy. Original plans were to stay in New Jersey but the AirBNB got cancelled  :confused:

Super excited though!
2d Interstates traveled: 4, 10, 15, 39, 40, 44, 57, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 80, 81, 88, 90, 94, 95

ozarkman417

Quote from: ozarkman417 on November 10, 2019, 08:12:00 PM
While this may not quite be a road-trip, I am planning on traveling to Europe to visit family. There, quite a bit of driving will be done (some on the Autobahn), starting in Munich, going to Ljubljana (capital of Slovenia) via way of Vienna & Graz.
Not happening. Perhaps I (and the one in my family arranging the travel plans) was too ambitious. Instead of doing one big trip overseas, I will be partaking in a few smaller trips around the country. There is the chance I will go to either Arizona/Utah or Texas in the Spring and Central Arkansas in the Summer. Of course, these plans are more than likely to change. When going to Arkansas, I would much prefer taking scenic AR-21 through the Boston Mountains over US-71/I-49.

nexus73

Quote from: doorknob60 on January 23, 2020, 04:26:38 PM
Currently I have a road trip planned in June up to Spokane, WA (probably Silverwood in Athol, ID while we're up there too), and likely from there over to Seattle and/or Seaside, OR. If we skip Seattle, I'll probably do US-12 over the Cascades which I haven't driven on myself.

And then in July, a long overdue road trip to California (other than a day and a half trip by air down there in December, haven't been to CA since 2011), though likely just the Bay Area this time.

We have a trip to Norfolk planned for late April, but that's flying and I don't even know if I'll get to drive around there myself (staying with family that may do most/all the driving for us; I may try to rent a car for a couple of the days if we aren't able to borrow one though).

Probably a couple other short trips to OR and parts of WA during the year, as usual, currently unplanned.

US 12 will give you a great view of Mt. Rainier.  There is a nice viewpoint for you to pull over and enjoy the scenery at its best.

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

A.J. Bertin

I'll chime in and respond to the question.

As each new year arrives, I always get a little anxious/excited/stressed when I anticipate which road trips I'll be able to go on over the course of the year.  I'm fortunate to have a generous amount of paid time off at my job, so I can usually plan several trips throughout the year... several of which involve my drives to and from longer-distance road meets.

These are some of the bigger road trips I'm anticipating so far for 2020:

  • A drive from Atlanta GA to Huntsville AL and back in February to visit a friend (after flying to Atlanta from Michigan)
  • A trip from home in Michigan to the Outer Banks area of North Carolina and back in April for my "city meet"
  • A trip from home in Michigan to San Antonio TX and back in May for the road meet that Gene V. is hosting
  • A trip from home in Michigan to the Sauk Valley area of Illinois and back in June for the road meet that Brandon G. is hosting
  • A trip from home in Michigan to La Crosse WI and back in July or August for the road meet that Scott O. is hosting

I'm sure there will be other trips I'll be able to take as well (several of shorter distance), but these are the main ones I can think of at the moment.  There's a road meet taking place in Utica NY that I would love to be able to attend as well, but I have a feeling it won't work out schedule-wise... unless I decide to skip the San Antonio trip.
-A.J. from Michigan

ctkatz

I've got two planned this year. one is to watkins glen for the 6 hour endurance race. I've been there three times before, but this time I'm taking a route that is 97-98% different than before. plus it's going to cover the entirety of one major section of interstate that I have never been on in my state as well as check off two states from my never have I ever list.  my second one is hopefully going to toronto. this will be my first ever international trip and it's also going to give me a 100% interstate clinch and a 100% both direction clinch in a state too.

Ben114

I got lucky and will be visiting three new states in 2020.

Vermont - February (already went, heading back soon)
New Jersey - April
Pennsylvania - April (same trip as NJ)

noelbotevera

Had to scale back my plans this year due to money; so a potential summer vacation is Asheville. Probably a week long at most; mix of touristy stuff (Smokies, Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Newfound Gap Road) and obscure stuff (Asheville BBQ, NC 28, maybe GA 60, Foothills Parkway).

Probably won't bother with the explicit tourist traps like Gatlinburg or the Dollywood amusement park.

Rothman

Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

noelbotevera

Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Quick search on Google maps and my memory was that Gatlinburg is known for its (controllable speed) alpine coasters. I guess that's a fairly good reason considering the price ($15-20).

IMO probably not as much of a rip-off as say Branson but would rather spend time and not money driving around the Smokies.

TravelingBethelite

Quote from: noelbotevera on February 23, 2020, 10:50:51 PM
Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Quick search on Google maps and my memory was that Gatlinburg is known for its (controllable speed) alpine coasters. I guess that's a fairly good reason considering the price ($15-20).

IMO probably not as much of a rip-off as say Branson but would rather spend time and not money driving around the Smokies.

Good grief don't get me started on Branson. Or Asheville for that matter...got stuck there for a weekend with no repair shops a few years ago. I have nothing against the city itself, but the thought of spending even another minute there makes me sick.
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ozarkman417

Quote from: noelbotevera on February 23, 2020, 10:50:51 PM
Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.
Quick search on Google maps and my memory was that Gatlinburg is known for its (controllable speed) alpine coasters. I guess that's a fairly good reason considering the price ($15-20).

IMO probably not as much of a rip-off as say Branson but would rather spend time and not money driving around the Smokies.
Branson has one alpine coaster that I know of, and, well, the Ozarks aren't really mountains outside of the Boston Mountains, so they did the best they could. It's fairly new, but I have been to Germany and Austria where the best alpine coasters are (they are known in German as sommerrodelbahns). I am surprised that Johnny Morris (owner of Bass Pro, Big Cedar Lodge and Top of the Rock) hasn't built one.

Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are both owned by the Herschends, and I can see a lot of resemblence between the two. They have some similar rides. for example, the Great American Plunge and Daredevil Falls. Another similarity? Horrific parking situations. I can't say which park is better as I have never been the the Great Smokey Mountains area. I do wonder if we would even have the Ozark Mountain Highroad if it were not for Silver Dollar City.

webny99

Quote from: Rothman on February 23, 2020, 09:44:20 PM
Gatlinburg is one tourist trap I actually enjoy.

I think we've had this conversation before, but in any case, my problem isn't Gatlinburg, which has a distinct "Smokies" atmosphere and is at least somewhat quaint and charming. My problem is all the nonsense (including the traffic as well as the "attractions") between Pigeon Forge and I-40.

ErmineNotyours

#46
Planning to go from Seattle to Yellowstone early in the season, recreating a family trip from 1987, only now I-90 will be completed through Idaho.  Still, I plan on getting off at Wallace to see The Last Traffic Light.  This will be my first solo multi-night road trip, so wish me luck.

A few months ago I did a Google search for Vancouver rail trails, and found The Railway Trail around a lake north of Abbotsford.  Ask and ye shall receive.  The loop even includes a hydro dam that is closed for tours in the winter, and I just found out it opens on March 1st.  I plan on visiting it this Monday the 2nd.  (Whoops, rain is forecast for Monday, so never mind.)

Max Rockatansky

The Jalisco trip came and went, shared my highway related thoughts on the International Highways Board. 

paulthemapguy

Been working on these plans for the last couple weeks, now.  I think I've actually made a decision.

March 14-15:  Drive across Iowa and back to finish my collection of Iowa route signs!  This will give fill in the missing blanks to give me one photo of each state, US, and Interstate highway in Iowa.  The route is roughly Davenport-Iowa City-Fairfield-Corydon-Shenandoah the first day.  Then Shenandoah-Hamburg-Mondamin-Dunlap-Guthrie Center-Des Moines-Runnells-Davenport the second day.

April 8-12:  I'm trying to get one photo of every state highway in Ohio, as well.  I have most of the western half of the state completed, but I need to take two 4-5 day trips to complete the east half.  I'm planning to take the southern of these two trips in April, which will give me complete coverage of the SE quarter of Ohio.  This trip will take me to Columbus first, then Portsmouth, Gallipolis, Jackson, Pomeroy, McConnelsville, Caldwell, Marietta, Bridgeport, Steubenville, Barnesville, Cambridge, Coshocton, Zanesville, and back to Columbus.

August 21-25:  A trip north to the LaCrosse meet by way of New Glarus, then Duluth, Virginia, and International Falls, MN.  After driving north through western Wisconsin, we'll make the return trip through eastern Minnesota and Decorah, IA, before turning east toward Chicagoland.

In early August I'm going with my girlfriend to Alberta, but we're flying.  We'll drive south to Glacier NP from Calgary, though, to hike Grinnell Glacier while it still exists.
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hbelkins

Quote from: paulthemapguy on February 28, 2020, 09:31:43 AMWe'll drive south to Glacier NP from Calgary, though, to hike Grinnell Glacier while it still exists.

Is that the glacier for which the NPS erected the "Oh no! Global Warming!!!!" sign, then unceremoniously removed said sign not too long ago because the glacier is not in danger of going anytime soon?


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