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Old 08-21-2012, 04:23 PM   #1
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West to East What is the best route

Hi Friends
First thanks for all the help with my route from Naples FL to Austin TX. I did stay on I-10 and it wasn't bad at all (EXCEPT for that section of road near Baton Rouge LA - OMG the road was so bad it was crazy!!!)

Now I am in Nebraska and heading for North Carolina but I really don't want to go thru the mountains or have to deal with the stress of the steep road grades so I'm looking for the best (aka-flattest) route.

Also would like to know if there is a atlas or program that will tell me what the road grade is - or if there is one at all.

I'm driving a 2002 Winnebago Brave with a jeep in tow... and I'm not real experience with downshifting or engine braking .... so that's why I thought an easier route - while I'm getting used to everything.

Thanks for your help in advance.
the gals
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Old 08-21-2012, 08:01 PM   #2
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There are no real mountains between Nebraska and North Carolina!

If you take:
I-80 to
I-29 to
I-70 to
I-24 to
I-40

It will lead you right to NC. The toughest part for grades will be from Knoxville, TN to Asheville, NC. Just take it slow.

Downshifting does not require a lot of expertise. You simply slow down, shift to a lower gear (not to Neutral), and let the revving of the engine control your speed.
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Old 08-21-2012, 09:41 PM   #3
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+1 That's the route that I would use.
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Old 08-21-2012, 10:09 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RVThere View Post
There are no real mountains between Nebraska and North Carolina!

If you take:
I-80 to
I-29 to
I-70 to
I-24 to
I-40

It will lead you right to NC. The toughest part for grades will be from Knoxville, TN to Asheville, NC. Just take it slow.

Downshifting does not require a lot of expertise. You simply slow down, shift to a lower gear (not to Neutral), and let the revving of the engine control your speed.
As you travel on I40 about 50 miles east of Knoxville you will enter an area known as the Pigeon River gorge. You will very definitely be in the mountains but because you are basically following the course of the Pigeon River there are no significant grades. There are, of course, some ups and downs but nothing to be concerned about. Just relax and enjoy the scenery.

If you go either east of Asheville on I40 or I26 you will encounter a significant downgrade. The one on I40 is between Ashville and Black Mountain and is several miles of up to 7% grade. The one on I26 is between the South Carolina line and the town of Saluda. This one is about the same grade but not quite as long.

The key is to be aware when you start down and don't let your speed build up to quickly. Start down slow in a lower gear and you'll be fine.
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Old 08-22-2012, 03:59 PM   #5
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Google earth will show you the elevations (and implicitly the grades) along a route ...



a) Click on Directions
  1. enter starting location
  2. enter another location ... probably about 100 or 200 miles
  3. click on the looking glass
b) after the route (in a bluish line shows up)
  1. right click on the route intself at some point
  2. a drop down menu will appear ... left click on [Show elevation profile]
  3. move your cursor along the profile and an arrow will follow the route
  4. the steeper the line is on the profile the steeper on the route ... pay attention to the scale because the elevation profile always "fills up" the graph ...
You can get a feeling for how this works by trying it on routes near where you live ... a basically flat route ... and a hilly route ... you will see the graph always has the same vertical dimension on your screen ... and on a flat route that might be a change of 100 feet of elevation ... and on others 500 feet of change ... but the graph is the same height.

for example try between Gibbon, NE and Grand Island, NE (pretty flat and slightly downhill) and hillier between Columbus, NE and Madison, NE (gain elevation and hills)
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