Need Advice First Major Trip West - Dreading Chicago area

[JudyJB]

I have done the one camping trip and will be doing another short trip, but I am getting nervous about heading west July 1. My first main stop will be Minneapolis to visit my nephew and his family. I am planning on taking three days and driving only about 270 miles per day.

Reading Bluepinecones experience sounds a lot like me at this point. I am still very nervous about driving this behemoth.

My plan is to head northwest from Mansfield, OH, on U.S. 30 through Ohio and most of Indiana. US 30 is a 4-lane divided highway that is mostly limited access almost all of the way to just south of Gary, IN. Both my GPS and my son, who drives that route often, suggest that I cut up to the turnpikes along US 49, at that point. and go through Hammond and Napierville following mostly I94. I've done this route before but always in a car.

I think this is much too close to Chicago, especially considering my inexperience and lack of skills. I think I ought to stay much further south of that whole Chicago area mess.

1) What is it like driving on the turnpikes and around Chicago in a big RV through that area?
2) Any suggestions of places to stay southwest of that area, like in the northwestern IN area?

Any other suggested routes? Once I think I get past Chicago, I will be OK.

[sharon]

2nd try, first one went to la-la land...The only time I've been in the Chicago area was on a motorcycle and it was a disaster. As long as you have a gps that tells you what lane you need to be in you should be fine. We didn't have one. Just take your time and don't let the speeding idiots intimidate you. Give yourself plenty of time and try to time your trip thru there middle of the day and well away from rush hour traffic.

[Sandersmr]

Granted it's been many years since I lived in Naperville, but going from Hammond to Naperville was not as scary as other freeways in Chicago. I think it's I88 that heads west out of Chicago to Naperville and I know it's toll road. And I'm assuming you are thinking of taking I365 north off of I80.

If I remember correctly, I94 stays pretty busy, but it's the most direct route - you will go straight through Chicago that way.

A little further out of the way that might be a little less harrowing but you will still be skirting Chicago (from Chicago clear over to Valparaiso is almost all solid city) would be to take I80 west to Hwy 51/I39. It will be a little out of the way but then you can pick up I90 at Rockford.

[Irmi]

I have found that going through cities around 3 - 3:30 in the morning is the only way I can cope. Even at that hour, some cities are still very busy. It just depends on how much traffic you enjoy. I don't.

[Birdie]

Okay, Judy, here is my 2 cents worth.

270 miles is way too much to drive in one day if it isn't on a straight away interstate with few or no cities. I am not that experienced, but I plan my daily driving at about 200 miles.

Examples:
If I drive to San Antonio from Las Cruces, NM (over 600 miles) I'll stop at Lake Balmorhea, TX and that is 230 miles on interstate and I go north around El Paso which is less miles but stil divided road, it has about 20 miles of 2 lane to the State Park. There will be one fuel stop on the road. From there it is 300 miles to Kerrville which is the best stopping point - not too much west of that and I am exhausted and it is late when I get there. That will have 2 fuel stops and another 2 potty stops. From Kerrville in to my normal stopping spot is about another 80 miles.

I drove from Ft. Supply to Black Mesa State park and it is about 200 miles. Streets and Trips says 199.7, 3 hours 39 minutes. I left at 9 a.m. I arrived here at 2 p.m. I had one stop in Boise City (15 minutes) to verify the directions. My speed varied from 45 and 50 when the road was really bad to 60 when it was smooth as glass. One fuel stop.

If I am on something that isn't divided, or there is wind, rain or the road is ucky, I find a spot to stop by 2 p.m. not later than 3. The only exception is if I have paid money for a campground. Then I will force myself to complete the 200 miles. It is rare that I would drive 270 miles. It is a killer....Driving a rig isn't like driving a car.

Okay maybe that is 10 cents worth. Didn't mean to drag it out but just wanted to say...I, personally, think with you just starting out driving, shorten the miles so you aren't totally exhausted when you stop. You still have to hook up at least electric and sometimes water. Then you'll need to fix something to eat and smile silly at yourself in the mirror. The next day, if you need to go thru a city, leave around 9 or around 4 a.m. to miss the major traffic and then stop according to your hours and not just miles, you stop. Take your time. I rarely, rarely drive after dark. I have, but it was totally stupid to do that. Both times it was early in my RVing days. I don't do that now...not saying I won't just that -- animals in the road and you can't stop that quick if you are even driving 50. Okay? I am thru!

[etexlady]

All good advice. I would be wary of driving at night as well. I don't have a RV yet but getting all these tips from some who have "been there and done that" is priceless.

[JudyJB]

Thanks, Birdie. I know you are absolutely right. Luckily US 30 is nearly all divided limited access. It does not go through towns. The only thing that makes it slightly different from an interstate is that they occasionally have roads that cut across it with stop signs on the cross roads. Actually, that makes it a bit more dangerous as it can fool you. There are rest areas like interstates and most intersections have off and on-ramps just like the interstates and it is that way all the way to Fort Wayne, IN. You just have to watch for cars occasionally darting across in farm country!!!

Here is what I think I am going to do:

1) Take US 30 all the way to Fort Wayne, IN.
2) Then switch to US 24, which is also a divided highway, but does go through towns.
3) Stop the first night just east of the Indiana/Illinois border (about 225 miles)
4) If I find that is too far I will stop earlier.

Then I will take US 24 due west until I bump into I 39 and take that north. I may end up taking another day to get to Minneapolis. That would make it possible to drive only 200 miles per day. I suppose once I get closer to MN, I could drive more miles since it would be all expressway.

[Echo]

It's probably best that I stay out of this one!!!

I'm to used to driving big truck and Chicago doesn't bother me. Plus even on the way home when I said I was gonna limit myself to doing only 300mls a day I went way over that. That's why it took me ?? 4 days to get here from AZ. I'd get up and start driving and other than a few stops, I would drive until I reached a certain point. So I averaged 500mls and more each day. ~sigh~ Someday I will have to change that!

[Sandersmr]

Coming from Atlanta - I did over 400 miles the first day but I got a really early start and was at the campground well before dark. When I went to Caprock Canyon, which was 650 miles, I did it in 2 days - so I was still over 300 miles each day. But that's me. I will also drive straight through to Atlanta when I'm not towing, stopping for food, fuel and potty along the way and that's 850 miles.

[longdog2]

Ladies, you had deadlines and time constraints but Judy, you are going to be retired. You should enjoy every minute of the trip itself and not just the destination. Birdie knows what she is talking about.

[JudyJB]

I think you are all right and that I am trying to push it too much. (My type-A personality and inability to slow down, no doubt.)

So, I have gone over my planned schedule of getting to MN and to my son's house in CA, and am cutting down the number of miles I will drive each day. I think my problem is that I looked at Google's estimates, and because I will be driving an RV, I need to add at least 25% to those time estimates, both for safety and my sanity. I can imagine myself getting very tired handing the behemoth.

I am going to try to 200-225 miles per day, even on interstates. Once I get more experienced, I can add miles if I want to.

My push to get to California is mostly due to my son's wife having only the month of July off, and them all needing to get back to school by mid August. I want to get there so we can go camping together for a few days. There are a couple of places I am planning on spending a few days on the way, so I may lop days off there and drive more slowly. Once there, I will be spending 5 weeks with them.

One good thing is that I will be spending a week of so the third week of June traveling through Michigan and visiting Sue "up north". That will give me more experience behind the wheel. Got my new GPS and a map of Ohio, at least, so no more trips through downtown Mansfield and under low railroad bridges!!

[pattyk]

I'm with Birdie on this. I take 3 days to go the 500 miles to my summer job. The first stop is only about 90 miles from home in Reno, then the next day to Winnemucca which is about 190, then on to Elko which is about 200 miles. I'm very familiar with I80 but it does have a lot of upgrades which slows me down. I always try to stop about 2:00.

Even when I went on my long trip to San Antonio, I limited my travel to 200 or less miles. Of course on that trip I tried to stay off interstates as much as I could, but not as easy in Texas.

[snowball]

ok my two cents worth ...not traveled that way towing or in rv but looking at the map and you would have to figure out the miles and expense but I'm chicken would drop down south way south and get to Iowa turn north on highway 63 straight shot to Minneapolis it's a highway called highway of the saints I think starts in St. Louis and ends in St Jo? up by Minneapolis my husband grew up 15 miles from parts of that road divided high way fairly new just worth looking at but the thing to do is decide to slow down and see the sights stop and see what is there in that area you will have plenty of time to make it to CA what part by the way? if you come through SLC stop for sure and visit with us as well as Janice if she is in town
sheila

[Nasoosie]

When I first started driving from my house in the Lake Placid area of the Adirondacks in way upper NY State, to Orlando, FL (1500 miles) I had only two weeks total to get there and back---our school's Easter vacation. So I would drive 500 miles per day, stay over two nights, and arrive the third night, totally exhausted, spend about 10 days there, and repeat the process going home. This was in the years I had just a van or a car or a truck and no trailer, and even at that, it was too much.

This trip I planned to drive about 200 miles per day----I think the longest day I have planned is the final stretch to home which is about 230 something miles. I find that arriving at my campgrounds at around 1 or 2 o'clock is wonderful as I can relax, take the dogs out for walks, lay back and rest up for the next day's travel. At this stage of my life and my anxiousness hauling my trailer (which route, which exit, where is the next gas station, and all that stuff) I need shorter driving spans. I have no time constraints now, either, so time is how I wish to utilize it. I could save more money if I stayed each night at a truck stop or a Walmart (I have never done a Walmart, but Flying J Truck Stops are wonderful) but I also like having the luxury of a campsite with hot showers, parks for the dogs, and so on.

You will find out how long you should travel as you go along, but I would definitely recommend starting with fewer miles.

[Rufflesgurl]

When I drive my 35' Class A MH to see my daughter and family (live about 245 miles away), I try to get on the road about 8:00 usually 8:30 and it takes me all day - usually get there about 3:00 or 4:00. Make several potty stops (after all, I've got my potty with me). Diesel fill stop and lunch stop at the same time then I take my dog for a short walk. It's a full day for sure. And, I am wiped out when I get to destination. But, I get to see my 2 yr. old twin grandbabies at the end of the day!! The drive up to San Jose (Hwy. 101) is OK but after that it's all Silicon Valley and Bay Area and TONS of traffic (Hwy 880) with wild drivers that hate being behind a MH and always at least one area of construction going on. Please take your time and drive safely - after all, you will be retired and have the time!! I do this drive many, many times in my car and it is usually 3 hours max to San Jose, CA but another 45 min to 1 hr up to the SF Bay Area.

Travel safe,
Linda