Road trip advice

[ChrisC]

I'm leaving tonight to begin a 2,100+ mile trip to Wyoming. Sunday morning arrival with three drivers. Id love to hear if anyone has any good advice that makes these long trips a pleasant experience.

Thanks, Chris

 

[MJE2083]

Listen to Randy's podcast

 

[1_pointer]

If you can make the drive out a pleasant experience, you've picked the wrong partners for the trip...

 

[ChrisC]

All caught up on his podcast, but revisiting some may be worthwhile. I'll have to check out some of the other recommended podcasts on here...i think there was a thread or two about that.

 

[TimeOnTarget]

Podcasts, Hunt the backcountry, Meateater, Rinella, and of course Randy.

 

[targetpanic]

Good luck!! Long drive from MA!

 

[dannyb278]

I just like to imagine 3 adult hunters in a truck playing "I Spy With My Little Eye" and punching each other whenever you see a VW. Happy hunting.

 

[LWC55]

A camper shell on back and a sleeping bag for the 3rd guy to really catch some zzzz's is nice, but not absolutely necessary.

 

[Gellar]

Its not the trip West that is unpleasant. It is the trip East that is miserable.

 

[SFC B]

This plus download a couple of good hunting related books, I like the comedy channels on Sirius/XM (along with a bunch of the others), scan the web looking for good out of the way spots for chow along the route.....

Podcasts, Hunt the backcountry, Meateater, Rinella, and of course Randy.

 

[Irish52084]

I've traveled across the country and back with a 2 year old and a 6 year old so I know how to make a long trip more pleasant. lol

Spit the drive time up about every 3 hours and don't be afraid to stop often to grab a snack/drink, use the bathroom or just look at some roadside attraction for a few minutes. If you have someone who really likes to drive or someone who hates to drive then adjust accordingly. I drive for a living so I can usually do long stretches of night driving and not worry too much, but everyone is different and making sure you get there and back safely is a big deal.

Bring quality snacks, to keep you alert. Candy bars, coffee and soda are good for a short buzz but cashews, almonds and other healthier snacks really do help on a long trip.

Get your entertainment squared away as well, I like podcasts but that's not everyone's favorite. I can listen to randy, meateater or Joe Rogan for hours straight and they keep me mentally stimulated. Sometimes you need a good shot of music to keep the energy up.

I'll throw in some driving tips but take it with a grain of salt: Keep your eyes moving as you drive, this means turn your head and look, don't trust your mirrors(plus, moving your head to look and clear dangers helps you stay awake and aware), Leave plenty of space in front of you(6+ seconds on the highway), don't hang out next to truckers(get around them so they can see you) and clear intersections like your life depends on it(drunks and sober drivers alike are most likely to have bad accidents at intersections, so clear them well and make sure some idiot is actually going to stop for his red light or stop sign).

 

[MJE2083]

Gas-X for all passengers

 

[50bowhunter]

Its not the trip West that is unpleasant. It is the trip East that is miserable.

Truer words have never been spoken!

 

[88man]

We just got back, ha been there done that almost 30 times. Its a mental game. Nebraska goes on forever. This year on our way out we had to replace a coil. Then hunting I broke a front right shock and the upper control arm. Oh it gets better and two trailer flat tires on the way home in Nebraska! Worst trip ever for break downs. However, back in 2012 a duel tire flew off a tractor trailer - trailer and hit our passenger side deploying the airbags and shutting the truck down on route 80 in ohio. We just cut out the air bags and kept going. Tell hunting stories, plan future trips and get some sleep when possible. Enjoy the ride its part of the great western journey.

 

[cking13]

Did the 2000 mile drive by myself this year. I had a good time just seeing other states and imagining future hunts. Should be a good time with 2 friends and the excitement of an upcoming hunt.

 

[7mm08mo]

Its not the trip West that is unpleasant. It is the trip East that is miserable.

This is the absolute truth!!!!

 

[WapitiBob]

Rocket Fuel

 

[LopeHunter]

I pack healthy snacks so stop less often to eat meals during the drive. I pack a small cooler with ice and put in some unsweetened tea, washed grapes, bottles of water.

I get books on tapes to cover about 80% of the hours will be driving. I listen to local stations a bit to catch the flavor of different states (Midwest = farm stations with updates on corn prices, West = farm stations with updates on beef prices, etc) and catch news/weather updates. I find the books with Jack Reacher, Stone Barrington, Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller are easy to listen to and engaging. Not suitable for pre-teens.

I stop and walk around for 10 minutes near sunrise (if drive through the night) or sunset as the change in light levels is the toughest half hour to drive. I rarely drive over 10 hours in a day but have driven for 16 hours on first day then only up to 10 hours following day. Ideally, I drive only 10 to 12 hours a day the first day. I try to time when I pass through major cities so do not get caught in 15mph rush hour.

Clean the inside of your windshield so reduces glare of headlights and sunlight.

Keep a few kitchen trash sacks to gather up debris as snack on items or have empty cans or other stuff rather than toss on the floor.

I find sunflower seeds are a nice distraction when on a long drive.

Set guideline for when will call to check in back home or take calls from the office, etc. Otherwise, the truck cab will be like the inside of a tiny phone booth.

 

[efw]

Its not the trip West that is unpleasant. It is the trip East that is miserable.

Wow ain’t this God’s honest truth!?!?!?

As has been mentioned we set aside a particularly comfortable spot for most recently rotated-off driver to use for sleep.

Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, designated phone times, walking at night when fueling up.

I used to love those wide-mouthed Mountain Dew one liter bottles for minimizing rest stops but they don’t make em that way anymore.

 

[tarheel]

Crank in an extra day of travel time each way and get off the interstates. There are numerous East/West US highways across the country which still afford reasonable travel times and at the same time provide a much more interesting glimpse of our great country. It will require some planning and patience, but you'll get to see lots of little towns and interesting perspectives which the interstate blows on by.

We drive from NC to Denver and Texas quite often and in recent years I plot my route in an attempt to drive on as little interstate as possible. If you get bored of that you're rarely very far from the interstate and can get back on if needs be.