Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Driving from California to Massachusetts

This is topic Driving from California to Massachusetts in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=005347

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-18-2008, 07:18 PM:

I will be moving from San Diego to Boston soon, probably at the end of the next week. I have already figured out the logistics - by mostly skipping them. I won't take too much stuff as I found it costs more to truck/ship/uhaul most of my furniture over that long distance than to just sell it for a fistful of dollars or give it away to friends (and that's mostly already done) and just get some new stuff on the other side of the continent. I don't have that much furniture anyway. I will just pack up my books, CDs, computer stuff (good thing I always keep the original packaging), clothes etc in boxes and ground ship them with Fedex or UPS or whoever has the best rates for that (tips and recommendations welcome). Then I will stuff my more sensitive belongings (like my bass) into the car and just head NE. My mother will also be coming over to help me and because she wants to take the road trip across the entire US (minus a little corner) with me.

I know you can make the trip in 4 or 5 days (or even less when you just don't sleep) but we will have over a week, maybe 8 or 9 days, depending on when we can cut loose here, so there will be no hurry.

So, what's the best route to take? According to Mapquest, the shortest route is San Diego - Las Vegas - Denver - Omaha - Chicago - Cleveland - Buffalo - Boston.
The main question is of course what are the weather and driving conditions like along that route?

Would it make more sense to head W to NM (e.g. Albuquerque) first, to avoid driving across the Rocky Mountains, then go up to Chicago and head East? Chicago is not a must, but a stop I would like to build into the route as I have good friends there and it is an interesting place for my mother to visit. So we will probably stop over there for 2 or 3 days, then take the final leg in 2 days or so.

Also, what interesting places are there to see along either of these routes? Small detours are OK, but we don't want to add to much mileage to this already very long trip.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 01-18-2008, 07:24 PM:

If you were to head north to Sacramento, you could catch US-50 east for 3073 miles to Ocean Beach and see America from Main Street instead of the Interstate. Probably not the most time efficient route, though.

Another "Americana" choice would be to grab a Route 66 guidebook and follow the Mother Road from LA to Chicago.

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 01-18-2008, 08:07 PM:

If your objective is to avoid snow, then my suggestion would be to take I-10 or I-40 as far east as possible, then start heading north through the Mid-South or Mid-Atlantic states. This route will allow you to avoid bad weather for most or all of the trip except for the final 1/4th or 1/5th stretch.

Since you're starting out in San Diego and if you elect to take I-10, then you may wish to consider beginning your trip on I-8 and head to and through Yuma, AZ, then connect with I-10 in Casa Grande, AZ and continue east.

If your objective, however, is to take the most scenic or most direct route, then ignore my suggestions.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-18-2008, 08:19 PM:

I agree with Coate. You probably don't want to be traveling in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado around now. They've had way over 100% average snow fall this year so far. If you like getting into accidents or driving really, really slow then I can't recommend it enough, though.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-18-2008, 08:30 PM:

Does that also apply to major freeways like I-70 in Colorado or only if we take detours?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-18-2008, 08:42 PM:

I-70 gets closed quit a bit around the Eisenhower tunnel this time of year. Chain laws also go into effect depending on the storm and your load. I'd check the forecast beforehand, definitely.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 01-18-2008, 10:00 PM:

I have to agree. It would be a BEAUTIFUL drive if it were summer, but at this time of year, take Michael C's advice.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 01-18-2008, 10:01 PM:

Pencil in Louisville....I'll take the both of you to lunch.......wife is 2nd generation German teacher! Louis

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-18-2008, 10:21 PM:

The safest route is the more southerly one... then head north once you're out east... Biggest problem in winter is getting caught in a bad snow storm... these can literally come out of now where, especially along the I-80 route... The pass between Laramie and Cheyenne is one of the most dangerous stretches of interstate in the in USA! The worst areas are Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Wyoming doesn't own any snow plows but they do polish the ice on the Interstates with Zambonis! New York isn't too shabby in the snow storm department either.

Best of luck with your move... I guarantee you'll miss California!!

Mark

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-18-2008, 11:03 PM:

Having actually driven through these regions (numerous times as a passenger and driving it myself), there's a lot of different paths you can take:

Interstates only, southern route:

I-8 to Casa Grande & I-10,
Stay on I-10 through El Paso,
Take I-20 East at the I-10/I-20 Split,
Pick up I-30 at Fort Worth,
Say hi to Brad in Rockwall,
Stay on I-30 to Little Rock & I-40,
Take I-40 past Knoxville, TN to I-81.
Take I-81 up through Virgina and into Pennsylvania,
Pick up I-84 in Scranton, PA
Follow I-84 east until it ends at I-90 in central Mass.
Follow I-90 into Boston.

Southern route, a little more direct:
I-8 to Casa Grande, AZ & I-10,
Take I-10 to Las Cruces, NM & US-70,
Take US-70 east through Roswell, NM and up to Clovis, NM.
Pick up US-60/US-70 at Clovis, NM.
Stay on US-60 at Texico/Farwell split,
Follow US-60 to Canyon, TX & I-27,
Take I-27 into Amarillo to meet up with I-40.
Follow I-40 eastward.

At Oklahoma City one can stay on I-40 all the way to I-81 and then go north. However, the drive is a little more short and direct by picking up I-44 in Oklahoma City, taking I-44 to St. Louis, picking up I-70 there and following that Interstate into Pennsylvania to I-81 in Harrisburg (on to Scranton and I-84 and then across to Mass., etc.).

I wouldn't recommend taking I-40 through northern Arizona and New Mexico this time of year -at least not unless you know for sure the weather isn't going to be snowy.

EDIT: I neglected to include Chicago into the routes. If Chicago is a must, then take the route I mentioned from San Diego via Las Cruces, Roswell, Amarillo, pick up I-44 in Oklahoma City, take I-44 til it ends at I-55 in St. Louis and follow that into Chicago.

[ 01-19-2008, 01:11 AM: Message edited by: Bobby Henderson ]

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 01-19-2008, 01:03 AM:

Okay, if you want to go to Chicago, just take I-80 East from there all the way to I-81 North at Scranton, Pennsylvania. Then (very shortly) pick up I-84 East and take it all the way to the Mass Turnpike (I-90 East). That'll keep you a little below the heavy snows that often blanket the I-90 corridor in PA and NY. If it does snow, though, the states are very good about clearing the roads.

IMHO, I wouldn't go too far South as has been suggested. That's a very long stretch of I-81 between Tennessee and Pennsylvania - and very far out of route!

Maybe Scott has more-current info on this, but be prepared to pay a lot more than you are paying now for food and housing. The taxes are also very high in Massachusetts. You may have a difficult time finding a place to live, too. There were 50-60 applicants for every vacancy when we moved there in 2001. It took us 3 or 4 months to find a very small place nearly 50 miles out - it was just impossible to get any closer.

Finally, if you have an opportunity to stop by the Hadden plant in Louisville and take Louis up on his kind offer, please do! It will be well-worth the detour. They have a fine projector remanufacturing facility, assembly, fabrication and machine shop on site along with two huge warehouses. Louis is very gracious and he may take you to a fantastic diner for the best burgers you've ever had! The whole crew is like family. I loved working there. [Smile]

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 01-19-2008, 10:27 AM:

Yes, housing can be difficult to find at reasonable prices. Will you be buying or renting?

Why are you moving here, anyway? Weather too good in San Diego? [Smile]

Have a good trip!

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-20-2008, 07:51 PM:

What do you think about this route (+/-, maybe a little further north in the first 1/3rd or so, but the general idea)? Sooner or later, I will hit snow and nasty weather, of course, but this seems to avoid more of that than just taking the shorter, more northerly route.

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 01-20-2008, 08:45 PM:

Did you figure that route out on your own, or are you trying to say you liked my suggestion? [Wink]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-20-2008, 08:49 PM:

Memphis is a way cool town. Be sure to visit the old town "Blues" area and the Peabody Hotel. You can also go say hi to Elvis!

One thing is for sure... that route will be warmer most of the way.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 01-20-2008, 09:30 PM:

Well, as you get closer to your travel date, you can check the forecast for any snow and try to avoid it. Me, I wouldn't go that far South, it's just too much out of route. You're still going to be travelling in the latitudes most-prone to snow for about the same distance, anyway, so you're just adding unnecessary time to your drive.

But maybe that's the truck driver in me...

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-20-2008, 09:34 PM:

Memphis?

The purple line on Michael's map isn't going near Memphis. It clearly looks like he wants to stay on I-10 until the beginning of I-20 and stay on that Interstate clear to Atlanta, pick up I-85 there and take I-85 on up into the Eastern Seaboard.

IMHO, that route is a significantly longer trip than necessary and goes through a lot of huge southern and eastern cities like Dallas, Birmingham, Atlanta, Charlotte, DC, Baltimore, NY. OTOH, it's a good route to take if you're wanting to visit certain cities like Dallas, Atlanta, DC and NY.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 01-20-2008, 10:29 PM:

Add an extra day for delays due to traffic & tolls after Atlanta. Better to go through St Louis & Indy to Ohio. Free, and they do keep the roads open. Louis

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-30-2008, 01:49 AM:

So we finally hit the road today. I handed over my apartment and ran a few last errands in the morning, then around noon we took off and headed East on I-8 first but then up North via Phoenix to Flagstaff (on I-40 just East of Grand Canyon). From here, it seems logical to head straight East on I-40 to Amarillo, Albuquerque (maybe with a detour via Santa Fe because I hear it is very nice) to Oklahoma. And then either on I-40 to Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville, or up a little on I-44 through Missouri to St.Louis and Indianapolis and then straight East. Any comments on or suggestions for these routes?

There is snow here in Northern Arizona, and some ice, but the freeways are clear so far.

These basic routes have already been discussed above, so what I mean, what is the situation in these areas right now? I will check weather.com tomorrow morning, but it is always good to hear from the people who actually live there.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 01-30-2008, 07:52 AM:

If you pass by us here at Neumade and have the time, stop in and say hi!

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 01-30-2008, 09:12 AM:

quote: Michael Schaffer
And then either on I-40 to Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville, or up a little on I-44 through Missouri to St.Louis and Indianapolis and then straight East. Any comments on or suggestions for these routes?

It's a shorter distance taking I-44 up to St. Louis and then heading East on I-70 through Indianapolis, Columbus and then going into Pennsylvania. Pick up I-81 in Harrisburg, PA.

If you want to visit New York City take I-78 East as it splits from I-81 a little ways north of Harrisburg, PA.

If you want to avoid New York City, take I-81 farther North to Scranton, PA. You can pick up I-84 there. I-84 skirts north of the NYC metro area, goes through central Connecticut and ties into I-90 (Mass. Turnpike) just west of Boston.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 01-30-2008, 10:22 AM:

If traveling through Ohio, watch your speed. Ohio Highway Patrol doesn't like people going more than a few mph over the speed limit.

Current forecast is for a big storm to come out of Oklahoma/Kansas on Thursday, and sweep NE with a 3-6" band of snow going through St. Louis, Indianapolis and Detroit. That path is not totally set, but it should be fairly close.

Have a safe trip!

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 01-30-2008, 12:50 PM:

Be advised that there is a new low pressure system passing over the Ohio Valley. That's Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio. This system is carrying a lot of moisture. Mostly rain in Kentucky and a mix and snow in the other states. Not sure what those states are calling for in accumulations. This low is passing through late Thursday night and into Friday. Not sure where you will be by then. Just a little more info than what was listed above.

Note about the purple rout. When you start going north from Atlanta you will start getting into higher altitudes in the mountain areas.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-30-2008, 04:45 PM:

And whatever you do....stop typing on the computer while you are driving!!! [Wink]

Posted by Rachel Craven (Member # 1016) on 01-31-2008, 09:34 AM:

Michael,
Do you already have a place? Are you moving into Boston or to a nearby suburb? If you're looking for a place North of Boston I know a couple one bedrooms that are looking for a renter, maybe 30 minutes out of Boston. (been looking myself) [Smile]

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-31-2008, 11:36 AM:

If you were going through the DC area I would have offered to show you some of the theatres but I will be out of town starting on Sunday.

Steve

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 01-31-2008, 12:32 PM:

So how long is this epic journey going to take you Michael? I can't even imagine driving that far; it must me more than twice as far as I drove in the whole of the time that I had a car.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 01-31-2008, 05:31 PM:

About 3,500 miles at a guess? If so, that's about a third of my annual mileage. But these days, almost all the 11-12k miles a year I drive are done on the same 26-mile stretch between home and work. Right across the continental US sounds a bit more fun than the A64!

A couple of years ago a friend relocated from Washington DC to Santa Barbara by car - she did it in six days, if I remember correctly.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 02-02-2008, 01:06 AM:

With the route I am taking, the total distance from San Diego, CA (A) to Boston, MA (G) will be just slightly less then 3,200 miles = 48-50h driving, at least in theory. I ran into some really bad weather between Flagstaff, AZ (C) and Albuquerque, NM (D) and they even closed down the freeway for several hours, but since then, I have driven all the way to Nashville, TN (E) in perfect weather - sunny, without and snow or rain fall. In the meantime, I hear the Midwest has been hit by some really nasty snow storms, so it really was a good idea to stay further south. Thanks for all the tips!
I just hope that the weather won't be too bad when we cross the Appalachians!

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 02-02-2008, 06:24 AM:

Get used to it. Boston has had some 20ft. deep snowfalls in recent years.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 02-02-2008, 05:05 PM:

quote: Michael Schaffer
I ran into some really bad weather between Flagstaff, AZ (C) and Albuquerque, NM (D)...

Just what I wanted to hear, as I'm going to be in Albuquerque in just over a week's time!

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 02-02-2008, 05:27 PM:

Just remember to take the left turn at Albuquerque. [Wink]

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 02-02-2008, 11:26 PM:

Well, that's far behind me now. I am in Roanoke, VA now - just 4 more hours to DC! We will stay there Sunday and Monday, then head on to Baltimore where I have an assignment on Tuesday, finally do the last stretch to Boston on Wednesday.

Dr Leo - what are you doing in Albuquerque?

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 02-03-2008, 08:59 AM:

Speaking on the 'Film Archives and Cultural Heritage' panel at this conference.

Is your job in Baltimore at the theatre which featured in the opening scene of Cecil B. Demented?

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 02-03-2008, 12:50 PM:

The Baltimore drive-in featured in that movie is The Bengies, owned and operated by my good friend, D. Edward Vogel.

[thumbsup]

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 02-03-2008, 01:11 PM:

The moment in the title sequence at which the local chief do-gooder turns off the oxygen supply to the little boy in the wheelchair while muttering 'selfish little f**er' (or words to that effect) is one of my favourites, as is the script taking as many shots at the indie art movie world as it does the Hollywood studio system. Stephen Dorff has, frankly, a very easy part to play; but Melanie Griffith playing a spoilt Hollywood brat cast into her worst nightmare is abolutlely brilliant. And the climatic scene on the set of 'Forrest Gump 2', in which the 'real' filmmakers resolve to 'kick their [the guerillas'] little 16mm asses'' is just brilliant.

Posted by Rachel Craven (Member # 1016) on 03-14-2008, 01:59 PM:

Hey Michael,

How is MA treating you?

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 03-15-2008, 12:41 AM:

He made it! I saw him two weeks ago...

--jhawk

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 03-15-2008, 10:59 AM:

quote: Leo Enticknap
'kick their [the guerillas'] little 16mm asses'' is just brilliant.

Oh, I'd forgotten that. I loved that line, too!