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Driving from Texas to Califorinia

G

gluck

Senior member
This is going to be my first long drive that too alone. Can I have anu suggestions on how to plan it.
Its like 1350 miles. I plan start friday afternoon from San Antonio and maybe hit like 600 miles if possible. Take a motel rest for some hours and head again to my destination. I think I can hit the rest on Saturday itself. I hope that can be done in two days.

Any inputs ?
 
when i was 16 i drove with my grandfather from enid ok to bakersfield CA
its 1400 miles. it took us about 2.5 days.
and thats driving from dawn to dusk.
you can do it, but thats pretty ambitious in 2 days.

but ive also driven from grand rapids michigan to stillwater oklahoma in one day and that was 908 miles.
needless to say i was exhausted after that.

take it from me, if youre tired pull over and get some rest.
 
Originally posted by: gistech1978
when i was 16 i drove with my grandfather from enid ok to bakersfield CA
its 1400 miles. it took us about 2.5 days.
and thats driving from dawn to dusk.
you can do it, but thats pretty ambitious in 2 days.

but ive also driven from grand rapids michigan to stillwater oklahoma in one day and that was 908 miles.
needless to say i was exhausted after that.

take it from me, if youre tired pull over and get some rest.
Click to expand...

I haven't done any long drives just like 300 miles or so max so want to get opinions.
I am gonna stop get rest whenever I need. I think the good part is I am alone so no unnecessary stops.
One more thing how about the car. How frequently should I stop it.
 
Originally posted by: gluck
Originally posted by: gistech1978
when i was 16 i drove with my grandfather from enid ok to bakersfield CA
its 1400 miles. it took us about 2.5 days.
and thats driving from dawn to dusk.
you can do it, but thats pretty ambitious in 2 days.

but ive also driven from grand rapids michigan to stillwater oklahoma in one day and that was 908 miles.
needless to say i was exhausted after that.

take it from me, if youre tired pull over and get some rest.
Click to expand...

I haven't done any long drives just like 300 miles or so max so want to get opinions.
I am gonna stop get rest whenever I need. I think the good part is I am alone so no unnecessary stops.
One more thing how about the car. How frequently should I stop it.
Click to expand...

true true, you only have to stop when you need to.
and i might add, my grandfather doesnt drive like a typical grandfather, he wasnt afraid to put the pedal down and he encouraged me to do the same. 😉 so, its not as this was 2.5 days going 55mph the whole time.
but we did make regular stops when we one of us had to.
the car?
i guess when you need to is the time to stop the car.
when i drove back from michigan i probably stopped 3 times in 13 hours or so, just long enough to get gas, take a leak and grab a snack.
 
Originally posted by: gistech1978


if youre tired pull over and get some rest.
Click to expand...

Yeah I have some friends that, while in college, drove from TX to CA except they didnt ever make it to CA because he feel asleep at the wheel in AZ. Big crash, big hospital............................. they are both OK now but it was bad.


Just pack alot of :beer: with you so you dont have to keep stopping to buy more!!!!! 😉
 
You should easily be able to do 600 miles in a day, especially if you are driving thru New Mexico, as the speed limit jumps up to to 75mph, which is actually the minimum that people drive. I did 540 miles a couple of days ago with no problems. I have also driven from Phoenix, Arizona back to Amarillo, Texas in one day, granted that was a long drive, considering we started late and didn't get back to Amarillo until midnight.

As far as the car goes, just check the oil, belts/hoses, and the tire pressure before you take off, and you shouldn't have any problems.
 
You can do this in well under two days...
I've driven cross country twice, coast to coast and anywhere in between. What I did was every time I fill up, I take a 15 mins break, and after about 4~5 hrs of driving, I take a nap at a rest stop. I drove for about 9~10 hrs a day.

I have also left for Vegas at 5 in the morning and was back in LA around 10:30, that's >400 miles, so yeah, you can definitely do it.
 
Two days? Easily. I've drove from Eastern Iowa to Phoenix, AZ twice now in the last month. First time I drove it I did 1000 miles in 14 hours, the second time I did it non-stop.

You should EASILY be able to 800 miles the first day and nice short day the second. All of AZ and NM have 75MPH interstates. TX is only 70 MPH (IIRC). Make most of your time the first day and relax the second so you can unwind and enjoy yourself when you get in.

I've found that books on tape are life savers when it comes to long distance travels 🙂

Rent some from your local library and return them when you get back.
 
Originally posted by: TonyG
You should easily be able to do 600 miles in a day, especially if you are driving thru New Mexico, as the speed limit jumps up to to 75mph, which is actually the minimum that people drive. I did 540 miles a couple of days ago with no problems. I have also driven from Phoenix, Arizona back to Amarillo, Texas in one day, granted that was a long drive, considering we started late and didn't get back to Amarillo until midnight.

As far as the car goes, just check the oil, belts/hoses, and the tire pressure before you take off, and you shouldn't have any problems.
Click to expand...

Car's 2004 civic with 4300 miles on it. I think air pressure should be the only thing I should be worried.
I will be pretty cautious and hope I make it CA. The only reason I wanna reach there before sunday is that way I can meet my friends on a holiday.
 
Averaging 75 mph, that's 18 hours of driving. Tips: don't go more than 8 or 9 over the speed limit, unless everyone else is. (if very few cars are on the road, don't exceed by as much)

Personally, I've driven similar distances plenty of times. (NY to Florida) I prefer to take a nap first, then drive overnight when there's not as much traffic. Then, I'm getting tired during the early morning, rather than getting tired at night. I think it's easier to drive while tired when you don't have the glare from other vehicles headlights, etc. Plus, for 18 hours, I'd drive straight through, taking a few breaks here and there.

And lastly... if you *DO* get a ticket, you know better than to complain about it here 🙂
 
I've made the 2010 mile drive from Milwaukee, WI to Tacoma, WA in 34 hours (my return trip was 38 hours, slept a little longer that time), so 1300 miles in 2 days is no problem.

I'd put in a cd, listen to it twice, and then find the next rest area. There I'd get out, take a short walk, use the restroom, find a new cd, and carry on. This kept me fresh and attentive while driving, the change in music made sure I wasn't just zoning out, and the periodic walks kept the blood moving.

I'd recommend trying to take just a 5 minute rest for every 2-3hr period that you are doing nothing but driving. Have something to drink in the car, and remember to eat (I'd alternate between just a rest stop and a food stop).
 
If you do feel a little tired but rest stop is a bit aways: turn up the music and sing (no one will hear you anyways). Also roll down the window to get a breeze in your face. Have a can of soda ready to drink as well. Sugar!
 
Get up early.
Fill up car with gas, start driving until low on gas. Stop and fill up with gas, piss, by small snack that won't make you have to go to the bathroom until the next time you have to stop for gas. Repeat until you're too tired to drive anymore, then stop at the next motel 6 you come across and sleep. Repeat the next day.

I can do 900miles/day like that no problem.
 
my only advice is to have snack and water in the car and to take a short 15 minute nap if you're starting to fall asleep on the road.
 
I did CA coast to mid nebraska, exactly 1500 miles, non-stop (other than gas and food) back and forth. It's not too hard, just do 80+ the whole way. Took about 22 hours.
 
lots of good advice already. i've done the roadtrip from houston to los angeles 3 times (roundtrip). getting out of texas is a bitch...its almost 9 hours for me to get to el paso.

2 days is doable...just make sure you rest if you get tired. try to get full days of driving (daytime)...some people prefer to drive at night because of less traffic and stuff, but usually you'll have a much harder time staying awake during those 2-7am hours.

i would get a full night sleep before, leave 5-6 am..drive till evening, check in somewhere and sleep a good 4-6 hours, wake up and finish the drive.

good luck.
 
Originally posted by: drewdogg808
lots of good advice already. i've done the roadtrip from houston to los angeles 3 times (roundtrip). getting out of texas is a bitch...its almost 9 hours for me to get to el paso.

2 days is doable...just make sure you rest if you get tired. try to get full days of driving (daytime)...some people prefer to drive at night because of less traffic and stuff, but usually you'll have a much harder time staying awake during those 2-7am hours.

i would get a full night sleep before, leave 5-6 am..drive till evening, check in somewhere and sleep a good 4-6 hours, wake up and finish the drive.

good luck.
Click to expand...
Driving through colorado/the rockies at 1am is awsome 😎
 
I assume your taking I-10 from SA, just remember there is a whole lot of nothing between SA and El Paso, Be sure that you have plenty of gas before heading on a long stretch of road. Also, exit 343 and take the US/TX 290 loop, you get a beautiful view of the Ft Lancaster Historic Site, and the loop takes you back to I-10 with no problems.

CrackRabbit
 
You can do it in 2 days Easy.

I've done 400miles in about 3.5 hours.
Cops didn't seem to care how fast I was going as the rest of the cars were going that fast.
Throughout my ride I must have averaged 90mph.

If I were you i'd try to cover as much as I can on the 1st day and leave as little driving as possible the next day because you'll be exhausted.
 
I just got back from a 1200 mile Colorado trip early Monday morning. My biggest tip is DON'T EAT MUCH. Oh and you can easily do that in 2 days - I drove my 1200 miles straight through and only stopped for gas and a light lunch.
 
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