Driving cross country..

[njmom47]

Has anyone driven Rt 80 cross country? Dd#2 and a friend are driving (moving) from NJ to California. Any tips and/suggestions? Cheap places to stay? (We found a website for hostels but need to do some research). Is there any places to pull over and sleep like there are on 95? Packing suggestions are also welcome. TIA.

 

[Micca]

No suggestions but this sounds like a cool trip. One of those trips you take either when you are very young, or you are retired. Save travels to your DD & friend, I hope to hear about the progress of the trip.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Sorry, no suggestions but I wish your daughter and friend have a safe trip! Hugs to you Mom as I know you will be worried for them.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I've been on I80 for a stretch, from somewhere in IL across IA, gets a little boring.

 

[bcla]

I've been on I-80 at various times as far as Salt Lake City. I know the route from San Francisco to Reno pretty well. Of course that's going through some major areas like the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Reno. Then there's a lot of nondescript rural or forest areas.

It is legal to sleep at a rest area in California for up to 8 hours. The one's I know of on I-80 are Gold Run and Donner Summit. They have rest areas on both side of the freeway. There's also one just north of Vallejo called Hunter Hill, and that's only in the southbound direction. I've taken a nap there on the way home. They also have truck parking by the entrance, but sometimes it maxes out. Once I saw way too many trucks parked there, including some past the designated parking area along the offramp. A CHP officer was knocking on doors waking up truckers in their sleeper cabs.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I drove across country a long time ago - from Atlanta to Seattle so I'm not familiar with taking 80. Or if I did, I don't remember. I would recommend not always driving on the interstate and take the (usually) more scenic state road.

I would stick with chain hotels since they are usually near the highway and in general meet basic expectations, some include breakfast. They could join their loyalty program and maybe get some perks or earn free nights by the time they get to their destination and they can usually get a 10% discount if they join AAA.

My cousin and her friend from Ireland stayed in a hostel in NYC once and left after one night. It looked good on paper but it was in a fairly deserted area and they didn't feel comfortable walking around at night. This is why I would hesitate staying in one unless I knew the area.

On my trip, car space was somewhat limited so I only brought one bag and with moving every night, it needed to be organized. So I packed complete outfits together, grabbed one in the morning then slid everything forward and put my dirty clothes on the opposite side of the bag. I kept toiletries and pajamas in an outer pocket.

They should take tons and tons of pictures. Write down all the details as they go along because there's no way to remember everything. And have a great time!

 

[sasywtch]

Are they going to Northern or Southern CA? We drove 80 once. I actually got car sick for the first time somewhere in the salt flats. They have signs of driver fatique. I am one that loves to see new places but this was quite boring to me and lonely stretches. We preferred I40. Check if the cell phone has coverage. We switched to AT and T because they had coverage through bare areas. (I only drove 80 from Aurora CO up and west)

Reno would have cheap places to stay (the casinos) if they are over 21. We joined Circus Circus club and can get a room for $29 a night. We always take 50/50 mix of antifreeze/coolant, stop leak, quart of oil and an extra belt (our car had that serpentine belt) ahd jumper cables. We found an old hard suitcase the size of an overnight bag at a yard sale and it's all packed in there. We were charged $150 for a $20 belt once in AZ and that was the end of that. We take a small ice chest with a couple of waters, soda and snacks. Don't forget, no fruit can go into CA so if you have some, it has to be eaten.

If they have time, it's a nice drive from Reno to Lake Tahoe and then come down Hwy 50 to Sacramento. 50 will meet back up with 80 in Sacramento. If I had my choice, I'd spend the night in Tahoe vs Reno but it's more expensive than Reno. Sacramento is 2 hours from Tahoe/Reno. As a previous poster said, there is a rest stop on 80 from Reno to Sacramento but none on 50 to Sacramento. Another plus going 50 from Tahoe to Sacramento is 80 is horrible right now (if you look at a map, Longview Drive to Northgate in the Sacramento area). They just switched to the west bound lanes to do construction. http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist3/80AcrossTheTop/ (this shows a picture and it's not fun if it's between 4-6pm). If you are in that center thing they created, you can't exit for about 10 miles. You can't get out of that lane until the opening 10 miles later. It's the ugliest thing I've ever seen of any construction on a freeway. Before 4 and after 6 is ok.

There is a rest stop toward Vallejo getting closer to San Francisco.

 

[ashley0139]

I drove Atlanta -> LA a couple years ago, so a different route. That trip is some of my favorite memories though. So much fun!

 

[usnuzuloose]

We live in Sacramento and the 80 is usually plugged on the weekends as there is one lane in center and can't get off at some of the exits so you need to be on the outside lane to get off. It may be wise to invest in AAA for that length of a road trip. That way you can get help. What is the destination in Ca? Knowing that would be a little more helpful. Do they have GPS? That would help keep them on track as well.

 

[Shutterbug]

In Ohio I80 is the Ohio Turnpike, a tollway. Make sure to have cash or an EZ Pass. It has service plazas on it where you can get fuel, food, restrooms. So you dont have to exit the turnpike.

 

[njmom47]

We do have at&t...and AAA. She went out and bought a brand new Kia Soul today. Smh. Anyway ..joining a hotel loyalty program is a good idea. I will tell them about driver fatigue. Shes decided to ship most of her clothes so packing isn't going to be much of an issue. I will definitely mention 50 vs 80 because they are heading to the Bay area via Sacramento (is that right?). They both have goa in their phones but I think she should get a Trip-tik from AAA just th o see it on paper.

 

[sasywtch]

Clarifying my previous post: I think by the time they get to Reno, they will not want to do anymore out of the way sightseeing and want to just get to their destination. I would leave Tahoe out of the mix for now as they can visit there any long weekend since they are moving to the bay area. I would continue on 80 through Sacramento (avoid 7-9am). Since it's heading toward downtown, the morning rush hour would be the problem. Reno to Sacramento-2 hours, Sacramento to San Francisco-2 hours. Many places to stop for gasoline and eating between Reno and San Francisco area.