Going home

[lab_nomad]

My current assignment in Idaho is wrapping up next week. I'll be driving back to Virginia. My plan for now is to put the house on the market and keep doing traveling medical lab work, although that may change b/c I'm not vaccinated and that may make it hard for me to find work. Anyway, this post is NOT about the vaccine, so please let's not get into it.

This may be a stupid question, but I know that October can be an unpredictable time, especially in the midwest, so I'm not planning on going back the way I came. I figured the easiest thing would be just be to drive south before going east. Someone said to me, "You could go south but end up at higher elevation." I'm not so much worried about the cold, b/c I'll have a low-temp sleeping bag in the van, but I ABSOLUTELY hate snow and ice and do not want to get stuck in a freak October blizzard.

So, can I just map out a route and then check the weather at certain cities along the route to make sure everything is OK? How do you all suggest I go about it?

 

[WanderingRose]

I live in the Midwest, and think your best bet in October is to plot a route and watch the weather apps carefully.

If there is a serious storm coming, the good news is you will know in advance and can head a bit south if you choose.

I suspect it will be chilly but no blizzard.

IMHO, based on my experience.

Have a safe trip.

 

[nature lover]

AMEN - To avoid in the snow and rain. My finances have got me trapped here NPA till the first week of December. By then my wings and feathers should be fully grown to fly to Florida. I sure loved it down there last year and I’m looking forward to it again this year. This is one of the biggest benefits of van life, avoiding bad weather. Everyone enjoy their trip and stay warm and sunny.

 

[lab_nomad]

I live in the Midwest, and think your best bet in October is to plot a route and watch the weather apps carefully.

If there is a serious storm coming, the good news is you will know in advance and can head a bit south if you choose.

I suspect it will be chilly but no blizzard.

IMHO, based on my experience.

Have a safe trip.

Awesome! Thanks for the advice.

 

[bullfrog]

Once you get south to I70 October shouldn't be a problem and is the quickest route. It gets chilly as well on I40 around Flagstaff and Gallup but you shouldn't have any problems until November there. I head south from the Grand Junction area and usually don't have any problems until late December or early January.

 

[barleyguy]

October blizzards can happen above 6000 feet. They are rare but can happen.

The good news though is that they generally end and melt off within a couple of days. So my advice is to watch the forecast carefully, but if you happen to hit snow, just find a place to camp and wait a few days until it gets warm again, then continue. Sustained cold weather shouldn't happen until at least November.

 

[wayne49]

Here is a link to weatherbug.com storm tracker map. It's pinned to Stanley, ID but you can change that.

https://www.weatherbug.com/maps/?la...101735156,-89.1615313527999,3.787848291190764

I moved the view out to show all 48 states. There's a color bar across the top that indicates rain or snow or mixed.

 

[lab_nomad]

October blizzards can happen above 6000 feet. They are rare but can happen.

The good news though is that they generally end and melt off within a couple of days. So my advice is to watch the forecast carefully, but if you happen to hit snow, just find a place to camp and wait a few days until it gets warm again, then continue. Sustained cold weather shouldn't happen until at least November.

Great, thanks!

 

[lab_nomad]

Here is a link to weatherbug.com storm tracker map. It's pinned to Stanley, ID but you can change that.

https://www.weatherbug.com/maps/?la...101735156,-89.1615313527999,3.787848291190764

I moved the view out to show all 48 states. There's a color bar across the top that indicates rain or snow or mixed.

Oh, good! I figured there must be a website. That will come in handy. I do have the weather bug app on my phone in addition to the default weather app that came with.

This job assignment was a **** show inside a dumpster fire inside another dumpster fire. Beautiful state, nice people, but the facility was a chaotic mess, and I hated every single day I worked there. I'll be glad to sleep in the van and have another adventure before going back home.

 

[lab_nomad]

Once you get south to I70 October shouldn't be a problem and is the quickest route. It gets chilly as well on I40 around Flagstaff and Gallup but you shouldn't have any problems until November there. I head south from the Grand Junction area and usually don't have any problems until late December or early January.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Malamute]

Ive driven back and forth from the midwest to the rockies scads of times, Ive never been too worried about Oct. If it happens that theres an early storm with snow, which is not common, it would be very short lived. It will also be on the weather forecast.

Ive been on 80 when a storm came through (and much later than Oct), I just dipped down to 70 and got out of most of it. I dont start worrying about snow until well into Nov, and can avoid storms by watching the forecast. Its often fine into Dec after early short lived storms happen. Waiting one day has also totally changed the conditions. Ive driven 80 in all months, and it can get snowy in Nov through early April, but it generally doesnt do much until well into Nov.

I bookmark the major towns along the routes I drive and check them. Omaha will be ad high as 91 and as low as the 50s in the next 10 days.

https://www.weatherforyou.com/repor...ecast=zandh&pands=omaha+ne&Submit=Get+Weather

Most states also have web cams on the roads, you can see a state map and click cameras all across on the roads and rest stops. Look up wyoroads, and Nebraska 511. Iowa ans Kansas also have them.

I wouldnt avoid the midwest if its the most direct route unless you are certain a storm is coming through. We have very good weather info available now and instant checks on the roads and conditions. Many rest stops have wifi as well as most motels.

Ive driven all months of the year, if a storm comes through in mid-winter, I wait a day, its often fine then. Those that chose to drive in the middle of a storm can often still be seen in the ditches, but I look at the cams, and when the roads look OK, take off. No sweat. Snow in Oct? its not on my concern list unless an unusual storm came through, and it wouldnt last long in any event.

 

[lab_nomad]

My plan is to head south to Boise (b/c there's a Cafe Yumm there, and I can stock up on sauce) and then make my way down to 70 (via 84 and 15, if I'm remembering correctly), and take 70 most of the way back home.

Good to know about the low risk of encountering snow in October. For some reason, people keep wanting to tell me about how unpredictable weather is in the midwest in October. I grew up in the Ohio Valley (northern panhandle of WV, western PA, and eastern OH), and we have had snow in October. It's rare and as you say, it's gone as quickly as it came. And we've had snow in April.

This job assignment has me so dejected that I just want an easy trip back with no surprises. Maybe b/c of that I'm worrying more than usual.

 

[WanderingRose]

Weather in the Midwest can be variable any time of the year.

We’ve had blizzards in April and October, and tornadoes in December.

What has changed is the ability to predict the weather, which makes it variable rather than unpredictable.

Watch your favorite weather app, plan accordingly, and you will be fine.

 

[lab_nomad]

What's funny is, of all the places I've been, whether it's Oregon or Massachusettes, they all have the same saying. "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes."

Yes, we are lucky to live in a time where predicting the weather has become much more accurate.

I'm having some issues with the landlady of this place I'm renting (nothing bad, just misunderstandings and timing of certain things), so instead of leaving Saturday morning, I was going to be all packed up and when I left for work on Friday morning, I was going to stay in a hotel in town for the night. But for some reason, the same hotel I stayed in when I first got to town that was 500/week is now 300 for one night! So, I decided to just sleep in the van in the hospital parking lot Friday night after work (I work 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.). It's a small hospital. I never see security monitoring the lot, and I've seen cars parked there for days and it's obvious they never moved. So, I don't see a problem. Might as well start the adventure a day early, LOL.

 

[crofter]

Have a safe trip. My experience travelling cross the midwest is its glorious mid October then the last week of October the storms come in.

So are you a travelling nurse or some other role? I have heard that the travelling nurse jobs pay well and there is less "office politics."
-crofter

 

[wayne49]

In the Detroit area it was "wait five minutes", I added on "or drive five miles".

 

[lab_nomad]

Have a safe trip. My experience travelling cross the midwest is its glorious mid October then the last week of October the storms come in.

So are you a travelling nurse or some other role? I have heard that the travelling nurse jobs pay well and there is less "office politics."
-crofter

I work in the medical laboratory field (thus the screen name of lab_nomad). ;-)  You're right. It does pay well, and office politics are not a problem. But you still have to deal with co-workers, and I swear to god, I have never had a job, travel or permanent, where there wasn't at least ONE person with a troubling personality. I'm currently dealing with a gal who has only worked there less than 6 months and doesn't know much about the job, but she is bossing people around. Even people who have been there for seven years. Nuts. I'll be so glad to get out of there.

 

[NctryBen]

How’d the trip go?

 

[RoamerRV428]

 but she is bossing people around. Even people who have been there for seven years. Nuts. I'll be so glad to get out of there.

have wheels will fire them up and run outta there   love that

yea people are nuts out there, too many personality freaky people to deal with, I am so there with you on that LOL

just a suggestion, self edit yourself. Your reason to be non-vax etc. really didn't have to be in the thread at all. You just had to edit that out to give 0 controversary to your thread, in that, everyone has been super respectful not to address it since you said please don't address it which is super cool, but if you want NO interaction about your personal issue you shouldn't even post it, it wouldn't have mattered at all to the content of your post truly.

So this is ONLY cause I am 'self editing' what I say out and about cause anything we put in a post is fair game but here it is being truly respected in your post but of course, being here is one thing, out and about with comments you don't want mentioned but wrote can get super attacked in a flash as you and I and everyone knows!! Again, just sayin'

 

[lab_nomad]

How’d the trip go?

Thanks for asking. I've been home a while, but have not been in the mood to be online for other than shopping and watching videos.

I didn't run into anything worse than heavy rain and really strong winds (in Kansas). Just five minutes outside the van in that wind and I wanted to shave my head, LOL!

I have to say, I prefer I-80 and I-90. I drove those going out to Idaho. I-70 goes through too many large cities, and it's a nightmare trying to stay on the interstate, with all the exits for those cities. Sometimes you have to move from all the way to the right to all the way to the left to stay on the interstate and there are so many cars. 

I took more time coming back b/c at one point, I was stressed out and wanted to stay in a place for an extra day, and once I stayed in a hotel because I was stuck in rush hour traffic and my leg was aching from all the switching from gas to brake. I wanted to soak in a tub of warm water. 

I had an odd (yet extremely pleasant) experience for several hours when I realized that I didn't have anywhere to be at a specific time. I was simply alive. And that put me in a meditative state where I wasn't having any mental chatter and I was using my mind simply to help me drive safely and navigate. Lots of situations, small and large, cropped up and I simply handled them, instead of my usual pattern of thinking judgmental things about other drivers, like "The left lane is for passing, not dilly dallying." "Why is this guy on my ass? Why won't he just pass me already." You know, things like that. I had NONE of that for several hours. It was amazing. Then the next day it was gone, and I was back to being irritated at all the drivers. :-(

So, the drive home wasn't as nice as the drive out, but it hasn't discouraged me from continuing doing traveling medical lab work for the time being. I'm working on getting my house ready to put on the market, then I'll have housing during my jobs, but I'll be in the van in between jobs.