Cross country advice needed

[Larry65]

We are seniors and are in the beginning stage of planning a trip from Rhode Island to California. We are open to any and all ideas from other seniors.
We would love to hear about your trip.

We have no restriction in our time frame since we are both retired. What is the best time of year to make this trip? What stops did you make along the way?
Anything we should be aware of or avoid?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I love details so don't feel something is not worth mentioning.

We are traveling in a motorhome and towing our car.

Can anyone recommend a good book on planing such a trip?

Thanks,
Larry and Karen
And our 3 wonderful shih tzu

[twogypsies]

I'd suggest that if you're not wintering in the south already and leaving from there, that you leave Rhode Island in Feb/March, head south and then begin your trip cross-country from Florida or westward. Your big issues is leaving your area with possible winter weather to contend with.

Since you have unlimited time you might consider spending the winter in a snowbird location and then start your big trip from there. Then you won't have to worry about getting out of Rhode Island in bad weather.

Once you're south the weather is good for traveling from February on.

When you approach the mountains - and you'll want to see some of those areas, too - it won't be until May for safe travel in the mountains and then you'll still have to watch the weather forecasts as you get closer to the area you want to explore.

To begin your trip I'd suggest heading along the I-10 route or nearby secondary highways. We tend to get off those interstates to see some of our wonderful country rather than billboards. Sometimes you have no choice depending where you're heading. Don't be afraid of some mountain driving. It's the only way you can get to major national parks, etc.


Purchase the 'Mountain Directory for Truckers and RVers' It comes in both Western and Eastern editions. Even though we're in the mountains all the time we still refer to it to refresh our memories on some roads. There are many mountain roads that RVers can do very easily....and some you should stay off. This book is cheaper from the publisher itself than from Amazon.


https://www.mountaindirectory.com/mtnshop/


Once you get to California you can head north and then east again. The weather will be better at this time.

A good starter would be to get a road atlas (WalMart has nice cheap ones). Get a highlighter and go through the states you plan to drive and highlight things of interest to you. Then make your route from there.

Then come back to this site and ask about certain areas or states. It's hard for us to give suggestions for the whole U.S. if we don't know what states you'll be covering and what your interests are. Will you do some light hiking? Do you enjoy public parks (you can get the Senior National Pass which saves a lot of $$ on entrance fees and 1/2 off on campground) or RV parks? Big cities or more rural? Historic places or scenic places?

Have a great trip. Take your time and enjoy!

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Larry65

We are seniors and are in the beginning stage of planning a trip from Rhode Island to California. We are open to any and all ideas from other seniors.
We would love to hear about your trip.

We have no restriction in our time frame since we are both retired. What is the best time of year to make this trip? What stops did you make along the way?
Anything we should be aware of or avoid?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I love details so don't feel something is not worth mentioning.

We are traveling in a motorhome and towing our car.

Can anyone recommend a good book on planing such a trip?

Thanks,
Larry and Karen
And our 3 wonderful shih tzu

Made this trip many times. I started my RVing adventures in '05 from Lakeville, MA, not far from you.

For you the most important thing to do is check the weather each day as you travel. Be aware of what lies ahead. If you note this week's weather in the central zone they have been clobbered with softball size hail and tornado's. It is obvious you want to plan your driving to avoid such weather events.

I-95 has been under construction through CT for as long as I can remember. Just accept the fact that the road ahead is going to be bad.

Under no circumstances go through NYC. Take I-287 North out of Port Chester, NY. The toll for the Tappan Zee Bridge is payed on the East bound side when you return. See the attached maps.

Be prepared to see some incredibly beautiful country as you travel. You can look online at tourist information sites for the areas you are thinking of visiting and plan your trip accordingly.

Fuel is usually not a problem except east of the Mississippi. The old towns are not always RV driving friendly. Try to use the big truck stops. If you use DEF the major truck fuel stops have pumps and the cost is usually better than buying it in the box, and you don't have the disposal hassle. Because my tank is on the right I have to wait for the isle on that side to become free and I pump the DEF from it.

Because your request is so broad I really can't cover it all. Good planning is the key. Don't limit your adventure choices to your known interests. Expand out some and try new things. Factory tours, etc are always fun.

Happy trails and many fun adventures.

Rick Y

[CruisinCondo]

Hi Larry & Karen, In 2010, we put 15000 miles on our motorhome in just three months. I documented our trips on my blog - CruisinCondo I set this up to rate campgrounds and allow friends and family follow us on our journey. We started our trip in California and followed the Gulf Coast to the Florida Keys, continued north along the east coast to Boston and crisscrossed the country to Washington state and South along the Pacific coast. You may get some idea's on which campgrounds to stay and what to see. I would like to do this trip again only take 2 years. To follow that trip click on 2010 and scroll down to May through July. Good Luck and happy trails. Mark