How far to _____??
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Nothing can destroy a fun filled road trip easier than
spending 80% of it driving to your destination. Your
stressed from the long driving, your nerves are shot & everyone
is now grumpy. What a way to start a vacation!
easy cures:
- the week before
Pack & do laundry,
shop for trip; plan your route online & off. Nothing beats
old fashioned paper good maps!
- leave early
Plan for a 'night
before' departure if possible & stay in a cheap hotel along
the way.
- best planning tip
The easiest way to
solve this problem is a quick visit to a simple-to-use web site
called MapQuest, but whatever you do: DO NOT RELY ON MAPQUEST ALONE. If you hit the road with only a one page print out from Mapquest, without carrying any other types of regional maps you may be in for a sad route, as noted from the couple who cruised through Julian CA on Xmas Eve looking for Interstate 10.
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rule of thumb:
For every 2 hrs of driving
time, Stay a minimum of one overnight!
This means if you are traveling from San Diego to Big
Bear, on average it will take about 2-3 hours drive -which
means one single night of camping is not unheard of.
But if you are planning to visit Mammoth from Los
Angeles, it's a 7 hour drive & you better be spending
at least 2 nights there to get your vested time's worth.
California
is a tall state & driving North-South routes can be deceiving.
sample:
San Diego to Yosemite is 8 hours worth of travel time.
And Los Angeles to Shasta is a whopping 12 hours
drive.
see California
Mileage Chart below for reference
varied routes: If you are planning a multiple stop trip or even
trying to get an exact route down, MapQuest
may make you enter in several smaller towns along the way
to get an accurate or preferred highway. And if ya got plenty
of time to take the BackRoads
we highly recommend a California
Benchmark Map.
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MapQuest
factors in some gas stops, possible traffic jams & granny
style 55 mph. If you are a lead foot, you may find yourself getting
to your destination a bit quicker, but all factors aside MapQuest is a valuable tool
for judging distance on travel times. Cal Trans repairs &
lane closures are not considered.
HWY INFO:
800-427-7623
All hours of the night & day you
can find the California Dept. of Transportation (Cal Trans) closing
roads & freeways. Just for peace of mind: Call ahead, especially
on mountain routes & snowy winter conditions.
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city traffic
jams:
Such is life in the
big city! Welcome to California hell traffic. Large urban areas
such as Los Angeles, San Diego & San Francisco Bay area traffic
is difficult to judge, so a visit various web sites a few days
in advance to check traffic patterns of local commuters. Plus
check out the Traffic Page for tips on easing your weekend get-a-way. |
up to minute traffic reports online - check it before you start your drive!
traffic411.com
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