I-40 west caravan to RTR 2019

[kygreg]

Anyone else traveling west on I-40 to the RTR 2019? I'll be traveling west from Kentucky, I pick up 40 in Nashville. Anyone interested in being part a RTR or bust caravan?

 

[Turtlelady]

Do you know when you plan to travel? I am hopeful, but am uncertain whether I can be free of caregiving duties. I will likely stay in western Kentucky through Christmas then need to travel west faster than I would prefer. Turtlelady

 

[kygreg]

I would like to arrive one day early, Jan. 8th. From my location I was anticipating (2) 10-12 hour days and a shorter 3rd. day into Quartzite. I want to be able to stock up on supplies and find a campsite well before dark. I would consider stretching that to 4 days if necessary.

 

[Cammalu]

We will be heading out just the second we finish renovating a rental property. I hope we can leave in a couple of weeks or so. If not I’m going to go crazy. Well, crazier...

Any of you that will be in our area are welcome to stop by. We have a nice camping spot back by our pond. We are in Beaver Dam, KY and had a few visitors stop by over the summer.

We leave pretty soon but will be back in the Spring for another property renovation.

Before and after rtr we will be camping in La Posa South. Swing by and say hello!

 

[Outdoorsisfree]

We plan on headed to Nashville for Thanksgiving then headed west towards the RTR. Meet up with a tribe before it begins hopefully. Feel free to text me if that works for you. 808-494-4971

 

[PECVD2]

I can hitch onto to back of the caravan in Albuquerque.

Keep me posted

It will be my first RTR

 

[MrNoodly]

Caravanning can be miserable if you have a mix of slow and fast drivers, or a mix of late risers and those who want to hit the road early, or those who can drive long hours and those who can't, those who want to see the sights and those who don't. And so on. Some are going to feel pushed and some are going to feel held back. So caravan mates need to be chosen carefully. Or avoided altogether.

Two thousand miles can seem like a formidable distance if you haven't done much long distance driving, but it's still just driving. It feels easier if you think of it as a series of shorter hops, like driving to lunch, then to the next state line, then to a gas and pee break, and so on.

 

[tx2sturgis]

And adding to what Mr Noodly said, coordinating the convoy can be difficult if you dont have reliable short range comms such as with FRS handhelds or CB's.

Ah, you say...we have phones!

Wrong. Just when you get seperated, is when one or more of the phones wont have service, and it can take several minutes to coordinate calls with more than two or three other travelers, assuming all the travelers have cell service where you are. Plus, texting while driving is dangerous, and more so if you are in a hurry and in a strange town dealing with un-familiar roads and intersections, and/or after getting seperated by traffic or red lights. 

I highly recommend that everyone who wants to travel with more than 2 or 3 vehicles consider buying a pair of cheap FRS radios and spare batteries. It makes it so much smoother.

They have a very short range, maybe a half mile, but if the vehicles get seperated by a few miles, then yes, use the cellphone to make contact (text or voice) with the straggler. Plus they work well for small groups when camped in a campground or similar situation. 

They don't cost that much and will save some aggravation out there.

 

[MrNoodly]

Oh, and one very important thing: have your camping/overnighting spots along the way locked in. You don't want to have a group wandering around in the dark (which comes early in January) hunting for possible places to spend the night. That would take cat herding to a horrible level.

 

[Ms Linda]

You may also want to keep in mind when caravanning that people have dogs and may have to make scheduled or emergency potty stops for 10 or 15 minutes a few times throughout the day. I don't mind caravanning but only with 1 or 2 other vehicles. More than that annoys me because everybody has a different driving style.

 

[LynnJa999]

Wow... this sounds great! I'll be coming from St. Pete, FL, though, and will probably stick to hwy 10. I also don't have my van yet, so I'll be the geek in the white Prius, with a tent! lol I just want to get out there and meet everyone, whether I'm 'official' or not!

 

[AnFear]

And adding to what Mr Noodly said, coordinating the convoy can be difficult if you dont have reliable short range comms such as with FRS handhelds or CB's.

Ah, you say...we have phones!

Wrong. Just when you get seperated, is when one or more of the phones wont have service, and it can take several minutes to coordinate calls with more than two or three other travelers, assuming all the travelers have cell service where you are. Plus, texting while driving is dangerous, and more so if you are in a hurry and in a strange town dealing with un-familiar roads and intersections, and/or after getting seperated by traffic or red lights. 

I highly recommend that everyone who wants to travel with more than 2 or 3 vehicles consider buying a pair of cheap FRS radios and spare batteries. It makes it so much smoother.

They have a very short range, maybe a half mile, but if the vehicles get seperated by a few miles, then yes, use the cellphone to make contact (text or voice) with the straggler. Plus they work well for small groups when camped in a campground or similar situation. 

They don't cost that much and will save some aggravation out there.

Good idea with the radio. I would just say that if you use a CB radio you can use it while not caravaning. They also have an emergency channel to contact emergency services and often have NWS weather channels. Also you could change a caravan into a convoy

 

[AnFear]

Anyone else traveling west on I-40 to the RTR 2019? I'll be traveling west from Kentucky, I pick up 40 in Nashville. Anyone interested in being part a RTR or bust caravan?

I left Lexington about a month and a half ago. I'm in Loveland CO right now but I'm leaving here for Nomadistan next Tuesday.
I haven't decided on my route (or immediate destination) but may just head South to 40 and make a right. I'll keep an eye on this 
thread. I would enjoy meeting up with fellow travelers if our routes converge for awhile. I wouldn't want to drive together but it
could be nice to meet at the end of the day and camp together 

 

[Confetti]

LynnJa999,
I’ll be traveling on I-10 starting on January 1st, in Lordsburg New Mexico. If you want to meet up. There’s a free camping spot there that’s easy to get to. Same route I took last year. Then there’s several Casinos to park free at. Snyder Hill BLM just south of Tucson. All on freecampsites.net.
Wow, Florida! That’s a long way!
Lisa

 

[LoupGarou]

Anyone else traveling west on I-40 to the RTR 2019?

I-40 is too iffy in the winter months.

Have you considered picking I-30 in AR, then I-20 West of Dallas, TX then I-10 though El Paso, NM?

I think it’s I-635 that will skirt you around Dallas, TX. I don’t have a map in front of me at the moment.

 

[B and C]

Even I-10 out in West Texas can be iffy. Had a major ice storm there several years ago.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Even I-10 out in West Texas can be iffy.  Had a major ice storm there several years ago.

I've 'skated' my truck across ice on I-10 many times, not to mention I-40 and other E-W routes in the south, especially the higher elevation passes.

Anyone traveling cross country in the winter months needs to watch the weather along their intended route.

 

[kygreg]

Oh, and one very important thing: have your camping/overnighting spots along the way locked in. You don't want to have a group wandering around in the dark (which comes early in January) hunting for possible places to spend the night. That would take cat herding to a horrible level.

That's what I had in mind, fixed nightly stops. If you can deal with the miles and type of campsite, come along, if not, ok, no big deal. Here is an example of a route I'm looking at from Kentucky. I could easily modify this route further south on I-10.  https://www.google.com/maps/dir/141...48bdd0b32!2m2!1d-114.2299486!2d33.6639137!3e0

 

[kygreg]

I-40 is too iffy in the winter months.

Have you considered picking I-30 in AR, then I-20 West of Dallas, TX then I-10 though El Paso, NM?

I think it’s I-635 that will skirt you around Dallas, TX. I don’t have a map in front of me at the moment.

Like this? https://www.google.com/maps/dir/141...48bdd0b32!2m2!1d-114.2299486!2d33.6639137!3e0

 

[AnFear]

Well I'm thinking of this route. Maybe meet up with one of the caravans for a couple of days.
I'm leaving Tuesday morning

https://goo.gl/maps/3QwgsZPRkzr