UPDATED 5/31 - Please help with cross-country trip again!!

[StaceyinLA]

I know some of you helped me when I was making this trip last summer, but this year, our days are going to be shorter due to traveling with a young infant (and two dogs), so I’m trying to work out stops.

I was hoping to maybe go a different route than we did, but I don’t think we can. We have to make a stop near Sugarland, TX to visit dd’s grandma on our way home (that’ll be our last overnight stop, so I guess I technically need to get from WA state to Sugarland (well, Bay City), TX.

On our last trip, we made our last day’s stop in Missoula, MT, and we really liked it. We had to stay in La Quinta Inns because of the dogs, and that one was exceptionally clean and very nice.

So I guess what I need is to figure out the best route from Missoula, MT, to Bay City, TX, and I’m gonna need two nice areas to stay in. 

Can anyone offer suggestions?

[EmseB]

I plan x-country trips every couple years for our military moves. What I do is just figure out how many miles I think we can conceivably do in a day (usually 500 is *really* pushing it for my crew). I just pick cities and search hotels.com or tripadviser for ratings on hotels.  I usually try to book via the hotel's actually website because I can often get a better deal (military/government discount, etc), but sometimes the travel sites are cheaper.  We also have a doggy and really like Comfort Inns. Reviews are really helpful for me.

We did San Antonio to WA state, I remember going through Moab and that was a fun little town, but we didn't take the fastest or most direct route.

But can you clarify...are you saying you're wanting to do the 2000 miles from Missoula to Bay City with 3 days worth of driving?  Two places to stay in between?  That seems like a lot of miles per day.

[Lanny]

You might begin on TravelMath.com and check different routings. https://www.travelmath.com/driving-time/from/Missoula,+MT/to/Bay+City,+TX

[StaceyinLA]

We will have 4 days’ worth of driving between Bremerton and Bay City, so 3 nights on the road.

When we went up there last summer, we stayed in Katy, TX our first night so we could visit dd’s grandma (in a rehab hospital in Sugarland at the time, and my niece lives in Katy, so we stayed with her), then drove a little out of the way to visit Magnolia silos and on to Tucumcari, NM (fairly long day, but it was just two adults/two dogs). From Tucumcari we drove to Casper, WY (no desire to stay there again). Our last night on the road was in Missoula, MT (which we loved).

This trip we will have the dogs AND a baby, so we are planning 5 days of driving with 4 nights on the road. If the last night is Bay City, TX (visiting her grandma again), we need to break up the drive from Bremerton to there over 4 days.

I guess I am just hoping for a route that is a little bit less barren since we are unsure of how our stops are gonna be with a tiny baby. I know that isn’t likely, but one can always hope!

[Amira]

UYou can’t really avoid barren if you have to get through the intermountain West.  There will be long stretches of empty roads no matter what route you take.  

If you go through Utah, you’d go near several great national parks and some smaller state parks.  Goblin Valley is fun and more manageable than some of the larger parks which might be preferable if you want to stop at a park with a baby. Canyonlands and Arches are along the way too, or stay overnight in Moab.  Or there are plenty of other places to visit depending on your interests. Stopping in Salt Lake would be fun and there’s plenty to do. The stretch through Idaho from there is pretty boring though.

[StaceyinLA]

I figured I wouldn’t be able to avoid long stretches of nothingness. I guess my fear is that I don’t know just how long those stretches will be and how to be sure I’m prepared for them (plenty of gas, potty breaks, baby nursing breaks, etc.)

I also don’t know what areas might be better to stop from a safety point of view, and what route might provide safer options along the way.

 

[Amira]

I personally wouldn’t be worried about safety anywhere along any major road in the US.  They might be desolate, but I wouldn’t be concerned about stopping wherever I needed to.  You can check befor you leave for rest stops along the way and there will be small towns to stop at.  Generally they warn you if it’s going to be a really long time before the next place with services, including if a rest stop ahead is unexpectedly closed.

I grew up driving all over the western US and have done it with my children too.  It’s completely safe and doable even though you have to prepare a little differently than in some other parts of the country, with the types of things you mention.

[prairiewindmomma]

After some recent travel, I will no longer go again through west Texas/NM up through Utah, etc. I didn’t have a cell phone signal for large parts of the drive and some 2 lane highways were single dirt paths because of road revisions. The fracking/oil trucks were also crazy pulling on to the roads.

Instead, I would go north on 35 and then cut over. I at least have always had cell phone coverage on I70 and I80.

 

[StaceyinLA]

We went through Amarillo, into NM and then into CO last time. I don’t remember if we had long periods of time with no cell phone service, but I do know that wouldn’t be a good thing for this trip. I tried to stay on interstates a lot of the time, but sometimes the interstate didn’t look like interstate.

This part of the country is just not one I’ve traveled. I have done plenty of trips up and down the east coast, but all this is new to me.

[StaceyinLA]

Bumping this to see if anyone else has input.

[StaceyinLA]

I’m thinking of this:

Bremerton to Boise

Boise to Moab

Moab to Tucumcari, NM

Tucumcari to Waco

Waco to home

Can someone give me some input on this versus this:

Bremerton to Missoula and then down through WY, CO, NM, TX (which is how we went up last summer, but we’ll be stopping more - probably 8ish hour days), so I haven’t figured out exactly the places we would stay doing that route.

I’m just looking for the route that has the least long stretches of nothingness (I know all will have plenty of nothingness, but I’d like to know if I have to stop I can find a place, or at least be in a safe area), and the least loss of cellular service.

Any input would be helpful.

[City Mouse]

Either route through New Mexico to Texas is going to be long stretches of nothing. Moab to Tucumcari you can either go through Farmington and east on hwy 64 towards Toas or go east through Durango. I don't remember the road number. Both routes will have stretches of pretty (and some not so pretty) but you are on smaller state highways and there are stretches without cell service. Highway 64 has lots of mountains in places so the speed limit is quite slow in places. The Colorado to Texas route is more direct, and faster speed limits, but less scenic. 

[gardenmom5]

that's basically the route dsil & dd took when the drove their cars to dfw.  (they did it in three days- seattle to slc to albuquerque to fw).   I know the first part of it fairly well.  there are settlements/towns at fairly regular intervals.   truck stops and rest areas are common outside of towns.

there are going to be empty areas.  there are little towns with hotels and more food choices.  there are also long stretches of mts.  (if you've never done the blue mt's..  i rec' cabbage hill.   you'll be going up it.  there's a view point at the top.   the flat lands often hazy with water vapor in the summer.), stretches of desert.

we've stopped at parks just off the freeway a few times with dudeling without any issue.    

 

[Bootsie]

From Moab I would go through Albuquerque and then through Clovis to Lubbock then through Austin to hit I-10 to come into the Houston area. Depending on your cell provider, you may lose cell coverage, but it will not be a deserted, desolate road.

[StaceyinLA]

Doing as you said in the above post, what would be a good place to stay that's about an 8-9 hour drive upon leaving Moab? We pretty much have to be in a La Quinta because we are traveling with dogs, and preferably one that's on the clean side.

[SJ.]

On 4/22/2018 at 9:54 PM, StaceyinLA said:

We went through Amarillo, into NM and then into CO last time. I don’t remember if we had long periods of time with no cell phone service, but I do know that wouldn’t be a good thing for this trip. I tried to stay on interstates a lot of the time, but sometimes the interstate didn’t look like interstate.

This part of the country is just not one I’ve traveled. I have done plenty of trips up and down the east coast, but all this is new to me.

Who is your cell phone provider? I have driven the length of i25 through the entire state of Colorado  into New Mexico to White sands, Carlsbad caverns, and Roswell. We had phone service pretty much the entire way. A few areas in New Mexico had sketchy service but it was short lived. We use Verizon. Have fun on your trip!

[Bootsie]

We have stayed at LaQuinta in Lubbock a couple of times and it was nice.  That would leave you about 550 miles to drive on your last day that would break the last 1/3 of the trip down at a good point.

[StaceyinLA]

It just seems like Lubbock is a good bit more than 8 hours from Moab. We are traveling with an infant and I just can't commit to anything more than an 8 hour day. We are planning 4 nights on the road, and 5 days of driving.

[StaceyinLA]

SJ, we have AT&T.

[SJ.]

This map should help you see where there are gaps in voice coverage. You need to zoom in to get specific info.

https://m.att.com/shopmobile/coverageviewer/coverage-viewer-results.html

[Bootsie]

4 hours ago, StaceyinLA said:

It just seems like Lubbock is a good bit more than 8 hours from Moab. We are traveling with an infant and I just can't commit to anything more than an 8 hour day. We are planning 4 nights on the road, and 5 days of driving.

To break the trip up, I would go Moab to Albuquerque (there are several nice LaQuintas in the Albuquerque area), Albuquerque to Lubbock, Lubbock to the Houston area.  

[StaceyinLA]

Thanks for the suggestions. I hadn’t heard great things about the Albuquerque La Quintas, but maybe they have improved. 

I’ll map this and see what it looks like as far as breaking up our days.

[StaceyinLA]

I’m bumping this because our road trip is getting closer and I need to really nail down our stops.

I’m hoping for ideas regarding areas where we’d lose cellular service for long periods, areas that are really safe to stop, and routes that are the least desolate. Due to traveling with a very new baby, we will be stopping a LOT, and I want to be sure we have places we can do that safely and easily.

Thanks again!

[prairiewindmomma]

I had ATT on my drive.  I did not have cell service in bits between Moab and Price in Utah, in the windy bits between Albuquerque and Farmington NM, and through bits of eastern NM into west Texas to at least Big Spring.  Once I hit San Angelo, TX I had a pretty solid signal.  I had a dropped call briefly on I-84 in south central Idaho, but only through it being piped through my vehicle. When I did a direct call, it went through fine. I also got bad gas at a gas station in northern New Mexico. PM me if you want to know the name of the place....just know that it is hard to find a gas station between Farmington and Albuquerque.

Have you google mapped on terrain feature the drive? I think it shows you pretty well where the desolate areas are.

Personally, if I were driving, I would not go the route that you've mentioned. I've driven them both, and I much prefer I-84/I-70 to I-84/I-40.  The drive times are the same, and you only bump up a tiny bit in mileage.  There are better roadside stops.  I had solid cell phone signal the entire way I-84 to I-80 to I-70 to I-35, and there is decent traffic the entire way to support me along the road should something come up.  I drive as the only adult in the vehicle with four kids---I never felt unsafe on my preferred route, but there are bits of New Mexico and West Texas that made me uncomfortable.

 

ETA: I forgot that you were going to cut through Amarillo rather than go through San Antonio and across on I-10.  I'd still look at google maps on terrain feature, though, and pull up where the gas stations are. I think that might help you.

[StaceyinLA]

I sent you a PM