sot poll: how to break up a 1700 mi drive

[tim]

I have to do it in March, from Dallas to Connecticut when I move. I have my wife, two kids and dog, which will all fit in my e39 touring. The e34 is being shipped with the stuff, safe and sound, covered (sigh). The mileage is about 1700 mi. I figure that averages to about 24hrs of drive time. So how would you do it? Assume all the usual pro's and cons, accounting for the variables. Any commentary, or expressions of sympathy are welcome. And what if anything should I do to the car ('99 e39 540it 77k mi) in prep?

[Beez540]

actually, I'd try to make a road trip / vac. out of it. Take my time and try to enjoy it. Maybe spend 3 or 4 days on the road? Just a thought.

[632 Regal]

thats a LOT of miles, even if you figure an average speed of 50mph, which would be realistic with the stops, chow, bathroom your looking at about 34 hours. I dont think you can squeek that in 24 hours. I would break it into 2 or 3 days and like Beez said make a trip/vaca out of it. Or let them haul the e39 and just fly :D

[MantecaBMW]

Make a nice 3-4 day vacation out of it.......nice drive, less stress.

Either that, or give the wife and kids some Nyquil, pop some No-Doz and a pot of coffee and knock it out.....just watch out for the troopers.....lol

[Bill R.]

30 plus hour runs straight, nowdays i'd go along with the rest and drive a leisurely 8 or so hours a day and do some siteseeing along the way and make a little vacation out of it...The trip would be a lot more memorable and enjoyable this way...




I have to do it in March, from Dallas to Connecticut when I move. I have my wife, two kids and dog, which will all fit in my e39 touring. The e34 is being shipped with the stuff, safe and sound, covered (sigh). The mileage is about 1700 mi. I figure that averages to about 24hrs of drive time. So how would you do it? Assume all the usual pro's and cons, accounting for the variables. Any commentary, or expressions of sympathy are welcome. And what if anything should I do to the car ('99 e39 540it 77k mi) in prep?

[Patrick]

I have to agree with Jeff, your estimate is low re: 24 hours, especially with kids. I'd try to find someplace interesting (a National Park or the 'World's Largest Ball of String") about halfway to take a break, relax and see something new.
My sister and bro-in-law have a DVD player in their minivan and tell me their three kids stay entertained/distracted/manageable on trips between DC and FL -which is saying something if you knew these kids.
Regarding the car I'd carry an extra quart of oil or two, coolant and water, flashlight, extra belt/s and make sure the car is up to the task of course.
Good luck!

[tim]

I figured an average of 70mph or so (80 while driving, with stops averaged in). 1700/70= 24 hours 28 minutes.

Complicating the scenario in which we stop at an attraction, we have our beloved dog (do motel 6 and such allow dogs like a 75lb black lab?)

And we have to beat the movers themselves, who figure on delivering the third day after we move-72hrs

She who must be obeyed had decreed a max of 60hrs.

Only a question of how.

The only other possibility is if I send the rest of the family by air, and do the trip with me in left seat with my dog as wingman, sort of a cannonball run. Could be more fun that way.

[scott540]

If you're short on time --Without the kids, I would do it straight through with my wife. However I have an 8 and 4 year old so from experience I would do the 12, leave really early while they're stilll in pajamas, have a DVD player in the car (under $200 for portables now) and stop at at hotel with a pool around dinner that way you can eat have a few beers and relax.. You bribe them with the pool thing all day and threaten to stay at motel 6 without a pool if they don't behave. Comfort Suites takes dogs. Otherwise if you have the time make a vacation out of it.

[tim]

...You bribe them with the pool thing all day and threaten to stay at motel 6 without a pool if they don't behave...

brilliant!

[bimmerd00d]

I cruised from Austin to Boston with friend of mine. Drove the entire way with barely any sleep, we slept for 18hrs when we got there. Woke up feeling the best i ever had. And we weren't too terribly tired when we arrived.

[Dave M]

I figured an average of 70mph or so (80 while driving, with stops averaged in). 1700/70= 24 hours 28 minutes.

Complicating the scenario in which we stop at an attraction, we have our beloved dog (do motel 6 and such allow dogs like a 75lb black lab?)

And we have to beat the movers themselves, who figure on delivering the third day after we move-72hrs

She who must be obeyed had decreed a max of 60hrs.

Only a question of how.

The only other possibility is if I send the rest of the family by air, and do the trip with me in left seat with my dog as wingman, sort of a cannonball run. Could be more fun that way.


I've crossed Canada from Vancouver and northern Alberta to Toronto and Nova Scotia in the e34 on a number of occasions (50+ hour driving times). I don't have much to say in terms of making it pleasurable. The e34 helps, but at some point, you really have to enjoy the drive (read prairies). I must say however, that my best companion has been the goofy looking brown lab below (Oskar). At 2 months of age he accompanied me from Thunder Bay Ontario to the interior of BC, no wet spots, not fuss. Along the way he learned the 'sit', 'lay down' and 'roll over' commands. He’s done plently of travelling since and has never asked to stop for ice cream, never fought with his sister, and never argued with me and threatened to walk home….He just sits/sleeps and listens to me think out loud.

Anyhow, I vote for the dog.

Happy trails,


Dave M

[Brian C.]

Great flick from the past.



Anyway Tim, although I admire your mathmatics, I just can't imagine how you and the wife and the kids and the dog named Boo could possibly average 70mph....let alone WANT TO. At that rate you'd be either so wired or so dead at the end that you'd never want to see the car again.

My vote would be to make it a 2 night sleep-over trip. Push yourself the first night as best you can. Then a good night's rest and a fun stop somewhere during day two for a couple of hours.....Six Flags...South of the Border...Stuckey's.....somewhere to unwind. Then back on the road for another couple hundred miles, stay the night, then you're all downhill the third day. Get Audio Books. They can last for hours, and though they may start out slow, once everyone is engrossed in a story, the miles will pass quicker.

Sounds challenging to me. My longest solo roadtrip was Gainesville, FL to Loveland, CO to Washington DC and back to FL during my junior year of college, '81 in my '76 Mercury Cougar. 10 days I'll never forget and a few I'll never remember. :p

Good Luck!

Brian C.

[JAlfredPrufrock]

A couple weeks ago I did ~1100 miles New Orleans to Milwaukee in 13 hours, I don't see a problem with doing 1700 miles in 24 hours.

[bjl4776]

I had to make the run from Biloxi, MS to connecticut by myself and I did it in 22 hours only occasionally breaking the speed limit. It isn't that bad, and its better than a three day trek. Ive done that too and during about the middle of the second day your beat, worse than a straight drivethru, and it ends up being more expensive between hotels and food.

[duckloads]

I would like to offer my professional opinion here. I made a 20 hour trip when I was in my early 30's with one adult passenger. I drove about 14 hrs one day, and after a night in a dive motel I drove the rest of the way the next day. I arrived at our destination in pretty good shape.

One week later on the return trip I drove the entire 20 hr run. My passenger could not drive a manual trans. I made the first 1000 miles averaging 75 mph. That included fuel stops and one lengthy stop by Texas' finest about 50 miles West of Amarillo, TX. The last hour of the trip I was only able to maintain 35 mph. That was as fast as my brain could process the information. It was VERY DANGEROUS driving that tired. It took several days for me to recover from the return trip.

Take your time and enjoy the trip and be with your family. I am almost envious of you for taking the journey with your family. Good luck, and God bless.

[winfred]

i vote for the half way motel, i've done the straight through thing a few times and have since said **** that after being barly able to keep it between the paint at about 3am and having large deer in the ditches on the last allnight run, the record for baton rouge la to winchester va was held by my late grandfather at a little over 20 hours and that's right at 1100 miles door to door with about a hours nap at a piss stop. delorme 2005 says dallas to hartford (you didn't say so i guessed a end point) is 29 and a half hours for the shortest route and it's pretty good
http://members.cox.net/wdixon27/tx%20to%20ct.jpg

[winfred]

at what 130 mph? i do 1100 miles at 70-75 and it takes around 20 hours of road time with a few piss stops and a bowl or two of wendys chili, my trip is about 99% interstate so i am not being slowed down by small roads


A couple weeks ago I did ~1100 miles New Orleans to Milwaukee in 13 hours.

[liquidtiger720]

Me being a 'kid' not long ago (well i still am), i vote for stopping in the middle overnight or flying me over there. There is no way I would last- when i was a kid. I could barely last from San fRancisco to Las Angeles - ~800 miles.

But now adays. I would drive it =)

[winfred]

worst i ever did was the 1100 mile one way to va run non stop and back the next day (i don't remember the reason for cutting the trip short but i was pissed to get back into the car so soon)


Me being a 'kid' not long ago (well i still am), i vote for stopping in the middle overnight or flying me over there. There is no way I would last- when i was a kid. I could barely last from San fRancisco to Las Angeles - ~800 miles.

But now adays. I would drive it =)

[bahnstormer]

Cannonball Run !

[ryan roopnarine]

i drove 1450 miles in 19 hours in the e34 in may of this year (orlando fl to toronto ontario CAN). in order to average 76mph throughout, i had to drive an instantaneous "average" of 85 mph (that's including baf-room breaks, gas-o-leen and such). the e34 has such a long cruise distance with its tank that me and my sis had to make one or two non-gas related stops just to take a break and go to the bathroom (and i was trying really hard not to do so). the economy is so in the toilet right now that there's no way i'd try to average 85mph on any man's highway, that's a recipie for multiple tickets on your trip. i'd just settle on a 60 ish mph average and hope that you pull it off. if i were you, i'd try to make it a one shot deal, and alternate drivers.

[callen]

Drove Houston to Vermont and back for Christmas.....really long haul.....on way up made it to Virginia slept 4 hours at rest stop...on way back drove non-stop with usual gas and pee pee breaks......didn't want to leave my fully loaded car in Motel parking lot...as well as wanting to get to my own bed.
Callen 89 735il....great road car.

[tim]

Callen, how long did it take you to get to Virginia? I was thinking of doing the same thing, and just hitting a rest stop for a nap. I have the dog (who is very sweet, but is pretty intimidating if you're a stranger and get too close) who can watch my back while I snooze.

tim

ps. here's Lucky in a savage attack on the mailman:

[Alan_525i]

I would agree with the poster earlier about fatigue late in the drive making it very difficult. I drove down to richmond from philly after a long night the night before, attended my friends housewarming in Richmond, went to the bar (only had 2 beers) and decided to drive home with my friend at 130 that morning. By the time we got back to Philly at around 4 I could barely see straight. It was only 500 miles total or so but the fatigue of a long day makes driving nearly impossible, especially at night.

I say break it up with an overnight hotel stay at the very minimum. And split the driving chores with the wife and catch some shuteye while shes driving.

[TheDuke]

Few summers ago me and my father drove from Springfield, MA to Greenville NC. It took us about 14+ hours with two stops for food and gas. We made it a quick run, and it was fun for two adults. But from my experience driving with kids is much more difficult and stressful than traveling with grownups, especially when you make long road trips. Plus including the dog especially if it’s a big one. (I used to have 2 rottweilers, and from what I remember traveling with them, in a Ford Probe was a real pain in the back.) Trust me it won’t be too pleasurable if you’ll try to make one 24h drive. Do the math kids + animals + wife + one quick run = you do the math. I think if it was up to me I would make it a longer but more fun drive. You also should consider that some motels/hotels don’t allow w animals. But it’s up to you.

[MicahO]

The Touring is going to get small real quick on a trip like that. Try and take the extra time and see some sights along the way.

We make runs to Florida a couple of times a year - about 1250 miles each way. We've got it down to a science, in a much larger vehicle, with a DVD player, and generally you're lucky with the kids to average 65mph on an overnight, Cannonball-run style blast.

I considered doing it in the Touring once - never did pan out. Having room to stretch is all the difference. Without a big empty seat (like in the wife's van) or a whole Queen sized bed (like in the Club Wagon), you just can't drive/sleep/swap.

So make it a vacation, and enjoy it!

Also - it being that you are making the trip in March - I would NOT make it the straight line that's mapped. Banging away up the I-95 corridor is a breeze, while 81 coming up the back side of the Blue Ridge is like riding the top of a freaking frieght train, particularly at night. I felt small on that road in an E250HD. Stay the southerly route, make some stops for enculturation and vacationing along the way, keep to the warmer weather, then bang north on 95 when you have to.

(our last run back was different - I averaged over 70 with the cruise set at 82, trying [successfully] to get ahead of that last big storm - we did Walt Disney World to DC in 11 hours, then had to slow down in snow and traffic)

[Brian C.]

Nice to see you Mr. O'C! How's that "performance package" vehicle of yours doing? :p

Brian C.

BTW...You reminded me of a nightmare I had on the Blue Ridge Parkway one late April looooong ago. DC to FL. I started south Sunday morning in my '78 MGB and by 5pm I had no clutch solenoid. I coasted downhill...not much brakes either...in the 40 degree darkness to some VA town that never heard of them "furin" cars before. Yikes, what a disaster! ;)

[tim]

Good to hear from you Micah. You are going to have to drop in when you visit your brother. I decided not to do that gig in Providence that we spoke of.

You may be right about the southern route. Maybe stop in Atlanta?

[MicahO]

Nice to see you Mr. O'C! How's that "performance package" vehicle of yours doing? :p

Brian C.

BTW...You reminded me of a nightmare I had on the Blue Ridge Parkway one late April looooong ago. DC to FL. I started south Sunday morning in my '78 MGB and by 5pm I had no clutch solenoid. I coasted downhill...not much brakes either...in the 40 degree darkness to some VA town that never heard of them "furin" cars before. Yikes, what a disaster! ;)

Hee hee - the Blue Ridge Shore is Purty - and they all think you're purty too!

Gorgeous country, but not where you want to be stuck in a broken car, certainly not a furrin one.

My package is performing pretty well, considering the snowies are stil mounted. Just can't wait for driving schools to start up. Still cold up here.....

[MicahO]

Good to hear from you Micah. You are going to have to drop in when you visit your brother. I decided not to do that gig in Providence that we spoke of.

You may be right about the southern route. Maybe stop in Atlanta?

We'll have to work something out - the NJ and CT Chapters do a lot of driving school events up at Lime Rock - and I'm generally up in the CT/RI direction every other month or so. April 22 is the first NJ Chapter event at Lime Rock - Drew and I will be there, maybe you can make a drive of it? Great track even for spectating...

Hotlanta's a great town, though when Im' there I'm always with wifey's friends getting dragged around and am never really sure where I am. Fat Matts Rib Shack always rates high for me!

What town are you moving to again?

[tim]

Stonington. Last coastal town in Ct. before you hit Rhode Island.

[rickm]

Open a map and plan a router. I'd probably take 40 over then up 81.

Things to do on 40 (in TN): Nashville because it's Nashville, Knoxville is ok, they have a zoo. Chattanooga is a bit south of Knoxville, they have a great aquarium. Pigeon Forge (NC/TN border) has massive aquarium (Ripley's)...careful, this is outlet mall cental, very easy for the mrs to go nuts and deplete your checking acct.

If you wander into NC, the Asheville area (home for now) is cool. Small, quiet.

If you want to bypass NC, you could take 40 to 81. 81 is a great drive up through VA.

Another idea would to be post on usenet to one of the RV forums, ask those guys for routes. I did this before I went to Destin last year, a tip from a poster saved me several hours off of my drive.