Best route to Harrisburg or Reading PA from Central Florida?

[pamerica]

Hi.  I am in Florida near I-75 and U.S. 301.

I need to get to Pennsylvania approximately halfway between Harrisburg and Reading.  Once I am near there I know how to go.

I-81 North is a nice route, but how do I get there from here?  I want to avoid large cities - Atlanta, Jacksonville and so forth.   

It's also been suggested I take Route 301 North to....?

Also need to avoid any potential flood areas in the Carolinas.

I plan on staying at truck stops overnight so no teensy little back roads in the middle of nowhere please.  From experience I have learned I must not be a true boondocker, because no way am I pulling off on the side of the road, a Forest Road or anything like that by myself. No way.
 
I suppose getting to I-81 is the best idea?

If anyone has any ideas I will very much appreciate it.  Thank you.

 

[Trebor English]

Google maps recommends 75 to Ocala, 301 to I-10 at Baldwin then I-10 to Jacksonville.  From there it's 95 to Baltimore.  I think that means you can get through the Carolinas.  

I might take 301 past I-10 to avoid Jacksonville.  I-295 goes around Jacksonville on the North and West side.  The worst of Jacksonville is to the South.  I-295 isn't bad.

I-26 to I-77 to I-81 would avoid Richmond, Washington, and Baltimore.  That's what I would do.  

How soon are you going?  I don't think I-95 and I-26 are problems now.

 

[pamerica]

Hi Trebor. Good to hear from you. My generator is still working great, thanks to you.

Definitely don't want to do I-95. I'm old and slow ?. I like what you said about I-26 to I-77 to I-81. Here's the proof of old and slow: How to get to I-26? yes I have an atlas, and yes I have GPS but for some reason I just don't see that. Thank you.

 

[pamerica]

Oh, you asked when I'm leaving. Hopefully on Monday. Using my phone I don't see a way to edit so I put another message on here.

 

[John61CT]

I like to go as direct / fast a is safe, but time it to pass the biggest man swarms between 9pm and 5am

 

[Zil]

With the weather in the Carolines, i would avoid I-95. It goes in the wrong direction anyway. Towards heavy traffic. I would, I-75 to I-675, to I-285, Around Atlanta, back to I-75 to Knoxville area, I-40 to I-81 in to Pennsy. Time your by-pass for Atlanta for mid day or later evening. Atlanta will much better than I-95 in the Carolinas, it's really bad.Both east and west.

 

[Trebor English]

I-26 goes North West from Charleston SC to Columbia SC.  I would take I-10 to Jacksonville then I-295 around Jacksonville to I-95 North to I-26.  

US 301 does go from Ocala all the way to I-26.  Actually in Orangeburg I'd take 601 for the last 10 miles to I-26.  301 goes the wrong direction, towards Charleston.  

The last time I was in Orangeburg, fall 2016, my cell phone (and Google maps) had died and I got a new phone at Walmart.

 

[Trebor English]

I tried setting my google maps route options to avoid highways.  It suggests 301 to Orangeburg then 601 North from there.  

Are you going to use Google maps on a cell phone?  Do you know how to set the route options?

The I-95 closures appear to be North of I-26

 

[pamerica]

Thanks Trebor English, John61CT, Zil.  I appreciate your suggestions and have considered them all.  For now, I like the idea of 301 all the way to 601 to I-26 to I-77 to I-81. 

Trebor, do you think I will avoid flooding on that route?  I suppose calling the State Police is a good idea up that way.
 And yes, I do have cell with GPS....I usually just mindlessly listen to the directions, but this time seems different.  Do not know what you mean by setting route options.  Do you mean when the GPS shows you several routes at the same time?

Don't know why having a difficult time with this...I guess because I am looking for an easier ride than around large cities.  Thanks again everybody.

 

[Trebor English]

Once you get to the screen where you are putting in your start and destination but before you press start there are in the upper right hand corner 3 dots vertically.  If you tap that you get a menu drop down.  You can change route options or add a stop.  In the route options you can set it to avoid highways, tolls, and ferries.  By adding a stop you can change the way you go.  If you add a stop in Baltimore it will take you that way (or not).  If you want to go to Reading first then Hershey you add Reading then Hershey to go that way.  The up and down arrows can shuffle the order.  

If you look at the route just using I-95 you will see around Lumberton NC, North of I-26, there are red marks showing road closures on several roads in that area.  Zoom in.  I-95 seems to be open, other roads have red dotted lines.  They show backups and delays in the same way.  They even tell how many minutes long the delays are.

What you could do is set your destination to Orangeburg SC and route options to avoid highways.  That will take you on 301.  Once you get there set it to Harrisburg with and without the avoid highways to see what you get.  Add a stop in Charlotte NC if you want to make it go that way but it has a different opinion.  

If you add a stop but don't really want to go there restart the navigation without the stop once you are on the route you want.

It really does know about backed up traffic and delays.  If it changes your route partway through there is likely a reason.

 

[pamerica]

"It really does know about backed up traffic and delays.  If it changes your route partway through there is likely a reason".

Trebor are you talking about cell phone GPS does all that?  Thank you for the information, will take a bit to absorb.

News has that Georgetown South Carolina will have big flooding this weekend. Seems like it is about 110 miles from Orangeburg. Orangeburg looks like it has some kind of water around it.  What to do?  Would you still go 301 etc ?  Thank you.

 

[John61CT]

Waze, now part of Google, also plain Google Maps.

Collecting real-time location data from millions of cars in transit, cutting edge AI analyzing departures from the norm, no longer waiting for / relying on humans to report anything.

https://www.ridester.com/waze-vs-google-maps/

 

[John61CT]

Any Android phone, just say

"OK Google, navigate to xyz" and it will start giving directions hands free.

 

[Trebor English]

What I do is start with a clear plan then stop often at highway rest areas. Texas has nice roadside picnic areas. I hate driving like I'm in a hurry. Each time I stop I look at Google maps to see what they have to say. I would leave the route option set to avoid highways until I got to South Carolina. Then I'd see what it says to get to Harrisburg and I'd turn off the avoid highways.

I just looked. 6 minutes ago there was a crash on I-485 going around Charlotte. If you were getting near there now Google maps would either take you a different route or not change your route depending on which is fastest. By the time you get there that crash will be cleared up and there will be a new one.

 

[Weight]

Don't worry over Atlanta Interstate by-pass. Worry over flooded roads and evacuation traffic in the Carolines. I was there, I have seen it.

 

[pamerica]

Thanks again, Trebor English, John61CT and Weight.

Yikes, S. Carolina is not looking good right now with anticipated more flooding in the next couple days.   I don't want to get stuck there or as Weight said, even dealing with evacuees.  Had my fill of that last year avoiding Irma.  

Now I will look for a way to the west of Atlanta or something to get to I-81.  I don't mind a couple hundred extra miles as long as I can find big truck stops for the night.  This is not a pleasure trip for me....finally going to clear out storage unit I have been paying on for 5 years.  

Note to newbies....if you are anxious to get on the road and think storage units are the way to go and you will come back later to deal with it...look at me.  5 years payments (don't be so sure that won't be you....it is expensive and time-consuming to go back to a place you were so anxious to leave :s ) and will spend over $1,000 between gas and trash removal to get rid of it.  Luckily I have a friend in the junk business who will take most of it.  Add to the $1,000.. food, incidentals and what if I break down along the way?  All for a trip that is a headache.  Ok, done complaining.

Well, now looking for another way to get there....maybe I will make this a pleasure trip after all.

 

[Weight]

If Atlanta is that scary. Look at Mobile, to Montgomery, to Birmingham, to Chattanooga. If I were any means uncomfortable about driving and a place to sleep, I would hesitate to use other than interstates through the mountains.
I'm looking at overheads for Columbia SC. I-26 west. Does not look bad this afternoon.

 

[max+sophia]

Well, now looking for another way to get there....maybe I will make this a pleasure trip after all.

A Pleasure Trip sounds much better than a direct route trying to avoid disaster areas, pam.

Could you wiggle your way a bit west, past storm damaged areas, travel north, then east to your destination?  If necessary, for lack of desired highway types, you could even travel further north (above your destination) then east, then south to your destination.  Good luck

 

[pamerica]

Thanks max+Sophia... Words of wisdom. Duly noted.

 

[max+sophia]

Thanks max+Sophia... Words of wisdom. Duly noted.

Will you be in the east long enough to enjoy the fall colors? I'm just north of your destination, and we haven't even begun to show color.