Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post

harleyquinn · 03-04-2003, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bungleau:
A few different things to add in...

... first, I don't know enough. Is your car a new car, one with 20-30,000 miles on it, or the family hand-me-down that's had over 200,000 miles and keeps on going? The newer the car, the less likely there will be a problem. In any case, tell a mechanic what you're going to do and have them check out the car. They can point out any potential problems.

... second, get to mapquest or AAA and get a map of how to get there. You might want a couple of maps, say one for each major chunk of road (150-200 miles). Tossing another map in the back seat can be a real sense of accomplishment, and might be the high point of the next couple of hours (think Nebraska [img]smile.gif[/img] ).

... third, a general rule of thumb is that you'll cover fifty miles an hour, all told. That includes breaks for food, stopping for fuel, and so on. So if you drive straight through, that's sixteen hours of driving. I'd suggest doing it in two days, and map out where you plan to be at what times. IOW, scheduling to drive through Chicago (and I-80 takes you there) at 4:30 in the afternoon is not the best way to have a good time.

... fourth, and this is optional, if you want to make this an adventure, skip the normal places to eat. Eat at roadside shacks and local restaurant chains to get a taste of something different. You can eat at McD's at home -- why drive all over to do the same thing?

Planning is the key, IMHO -- and no, I'm not anal-retentive. Just detail-oriented [img]smile.gif[/img] If you know where you're going to be and do things, it will be a lot of fun.

A quick mention about the mapquest-AAA comment. I'd recommend actually going to AAA if you're a member and getting them to create a map for you instead of going online. I've had too many times that I got a map online and it took me to the wrong place (and once I was trying to get to the Buffalo International Airport, so you'd think they'd get that right, but it took me to the middle of nowhere and I almost missed my flight).