Driving from PA to AZ. Road trip!
 

So here is the deal:

I'm moving my entire life.

Starting fresh, its not really going anywhere out here. Stuck in a job, not making much use out of my career & degree.

My girlfriend and I have visited out there a few times, absolutely loved it out there.

The scenery, the weather, the people, culture, fast growth rate.

We both felt the same about the area we lived in , and a move would be a great change of pace.

So its going to happen! Why be like the majority and just talk about "what if this, that, etc" and we decided to just do it. Start life fresh before we're tied down with house payments, children, etc. Sure we'll miss our families, but they're both 3 hours apart anyways, so its rare we see both a lot anyways.



So heres the point of this thread!

For any other nomad out there, anyone who has done thier fair share of USA travels, or just adventure seekers. What should I visit?

I'm driving the entire way, 2000+ miles. I've got a car that does 38 mpg, so even with todays high fuel prices its not of any real big deal.

This is the rough path I will be taking:

Cleveland, OH
Indianapolis, Illinois
St.Louis, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Talsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Ok
Skipping through the northern wedge of Texas
Driving through Rt 40 New Mexico (Albuquerque'ish)

and finally from there:
From RT40 through the Painted Desert (seen it before, may stop again.)
377- 260 - finally RT 87 down to my new apartment in AZ.


I'll have my handy-dandy Garmin 660 with me, so deviations are of no problem.


So anyone who lives or knows things in those regions. Whats there to see?

Books and magazines and travel guides only give so much. The people who live there can always give so much more to offer!

Thanks!

Shortest Rte:


Blue Ridge Mtns and Gulf Coast Rte
or....

Blue Ridge Mtns and Nashville/Memphis Rte.

Host has the scenic route pinned down. Its certainly going to be nicer than Indiana.

I suggest finding a few things or people you want to see and plan that way.

Take the slow, scenic route if you have time. Ktspktsp and I just gunned across the country from PA (technically DC, I guess) to WA on I-90, and most of it was boring as hell. We got to meet The_Jazz, though, which was fun :) and the natural sights were the things really worth stopping for... unfortunately, they did not happen until we were already nearly across the country. If we had had more time to enjoy ourselves, we would definitely have taken a more meandering route and checked things out.

Will you be hauling crap in your car? We shipped 19 boxes to make life easier, but the car was still full... would have been nice to have the back seat empty, in retrospect, so that's another factor for you. Will you be camping or moteling along the way? Do you have A/C?

I will second, you do NOT want to be doing a "fun" roadtrip though Texas.

Also... hope you enjoy Mesa, born and raised... so take care of what good's still left there.


Colorado is worth driving through, but you will be going through hills, and if you are pulling a trailer, have fun with that - your logistics will vary based on size of vehicle, whether or not you are pulling a full load, with or without a trailer.

Also, WHEN you are going is also extremely important. After Memorial Day kicks off, summer travel is usually happening big time - if you don't have to rush to be anywhere, you can slow down, save some gas, and maybe not travel on the peak road days.

I've taken a similar path to that (at least from Indianapolis, Indiana ;) ) and on. You should be warned that you are moving during the start of the hot season. It won't get 'cool' again until around October. But the trip is pretty long, but it goes by fairly fast. It will be over before you know it.

What part of Phoenix are you moving to? East side (Tempe/Chandler/Scottsdale/Mesa/Gilbert) or Westside (Glendale). It probably is much different from when I lived in Tempe 4 years ago, but I would vote for Tempe. Paradise Valley is also nice and North Scottsdale is good if you want to live in the rich part of town,

I'll give you some more advice tonight about the city. Do you have any plans for a job or idea about where in the city you want to live? What type of city do you want to live in?

To be honest, if/when I move back there (now that I have money and am not poor), I'm not sure where I would want to live. It would probably have to do with what job I was doing at the time and what lifestyle I wanted. Tempe would be a safe choice, but I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it some more.

I'd be too tempted and end up bearing right after Oklahoma City ...assuming you already decided to go to O.C....and head up to Wyoming to explore Yellowstone, Grand Teton, then head south along the edge of the Rockies into Utah, check out the Bonneville Salt Flats relative to land speed racing and general atmosphere, then head south into AZ. What's the hurry? You have your whole new life ahead of you.

Oh my gosh...a good part of that journey is old route 66.
You might want to look that history up.

Well I dont have any real intentions to go north really.

I'm taking a West-SouthWest heading for the most part.

Heading anywhere near Wyoming/Colorado etc is just way off target.

But some good suggestions so far.

And Ring, I've done a good bit of Rt66 travels in previous excursions out west. :)