Anyone driven cross the country

Going to the Rockabilly Weekender in April, we are planning to drive from New York to Las Vegas. Does anyone know how many days we need for such a trip?

This also includes visiting all the local junkyards we can locate along the road.
And yeah, we're taking the route that goes through Graceland

Also, we would appreciate tips about cool places we have to visit along the journey.

 

Not exactly cross country but I just got back from a trip. From Tulsa to Houston to Orange, Texas on to Alabama and then up to Troy, Kentucky. Finally heading home to Siloam Springs. It took from Friday night to Monday afternoon with little time to do anything. Give yourself one more day and you can probably mill around a bit and two if you want to sight-see.
The funny thing about the trip was that we delivered seven 1' x 1' boxes. It seems like the mail would have been a lot cheaper

 

I went from brooklyn to kansas city in 24 hours, including a few sleepy hours, and a couple wrong turns. kansas city to ogden utah is a day and a half, so plan on three days with minimal down time.

 

Sounds like you'll need 5 days to a week, taking the scenic route and all....

 

5 of us did the whole of Route 66 last year, Chicago to LA via Vegas. Took 2 weeks, pretty much on the road every day, more miles some days more than others.Took in car shows,junkyards etc along the way. Could be done quicker, but you would be mainly on the freeways and missing alot. And yes we had a blast. This is a great country to visit, everyone friendly, we had no h***les. ENJOY. If you want details on any specific areas we would have travelled through [ from a tourist viewpoint], let me know.

 

Birmingham, Alabama to Las Vegas, Nevada... 4 days, hauling a trailer and all my worldly posessions. That's not getting up too early, and not driving too much after dark in the evenings.

Drive to the Lonestar Roundup instead... Viva Las Vegas is getting stale.

 

Yes, tell me more.... Nothing better than details!

I've seen that the allstar roundup is in the beginning of April, anyone that knows about other events going on around April?

 

made it back from vegas to philadelphia in three days.

about 1,000 miles a day.


every minute of it ****ed!


it's a little over 3,000 miles stopping for gracieland, and then philly to new york is almost another 150 miles, so you do the math...

OH! every time you stay at a hotel along the way, ask for the government employees discount and then keep your mouth shut.
that actually works!

 

I'd figure 4 or 5 days minimum if you're going to do the sightseeing deal. I left Savannah, Georgia noon Friday and arrived in Los Angeles noon Monday on a Banzai Run. Got eight hours sleep every night. One day I drove 1100 miles. Check Yahoo Maps and see what the mileage is. You have to start somewhere. You driving the Tucker? Wayno

 

HI I AIM FRUM THI NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT, CAN I GET AN IMPLOYES DISCOUNT?

Does it works on motels too?

 

Hell yeah, can't loose

 

No, I'm having trouble finding a pair of original tail lights in descent shape, so maybe next year

Anyone got a couple lying around???

 

MAKE SURE you see Route 66 starting in Okie City...then west from there...go over the REAL old route thru Oatman, AZ....http://www.historic66.com/
Here's me and the Blue Whale in Catoosa, OK outside of Tulsa...(no wisecracks, pleez!)

 

Oatman? Is that the town with donkeys wandering the streets?
Have also heard alot about Boise...or something, a ghost town worth a visit.

 

Yep...Donkeys as opposed to the Jack***es over here....hahaha

 

Never seen it, and I've been thru Catoosa 1000's of time too, Sheesh! But I really like your sig

 

I've done coast to coast twice times in the past few years. time is relative. I have done it once in 52 straight hours (stopped only for gas and a few hrs of sleep at rest stop) so just over 2 days (had to get to Paso for the noon HAMB get together...LOL) and another time in 59 straight hours, actually stopped at a hotel for a good 6 hrs of sleep. The longest was 4 days........... Everytime is has worn my *** out If you are stopping along the way and not driving 18 plus hrs a day plan on 6 or 7 days. (look at the trip Denise just did)

 

Hell yeah Boones, I just went from the Chesapeake Bay to San Francisco in 53 hours. Slept for six in Iowa, two hours in Salt Lake. Just bombing on I-80 until I was s****ing the E, filling up, and repeating.

I didn't want to stop too long...everything I owned was inside my wagon, and there was $4000 in mountain bikes on top. I woulda got a room in Salt Lake, but there were so many tweekers and huffers at the gas stations I wasn't about to let all my goodies go unattended. I woulda hung out in Iowa a little longer, though, if the girl at the hotel desk wasn't working alone.

Things really ****ed in Tahoe - all mountains in an underpowered/overloaded car...

 

I have done Toledo Ohio to Vegas several times both ways. 4 days works good, but that is with no time for long stops, just Quickies. I did it this spring in three days, 700 plus miles a day. Straight through 40 hours to do it. Wih gas stops, figure 50 mph average.

 

Michigan to Phoenix and back by motorcycle....18 months....got lost a couple times...did a little sightseeing....painted a car or two....drank some beer.

 

I've found that I can safely drive 16 hrs. a day (800 miles). Anything past that just isn't worth it. You're wasted when you get there.

On vacation I do more like 600 a day.

 

When I was racing, we could make Ashevill NC, to Yucca Valley CA (2410 miles) in 36 hours door to door, only stopping for gas. It was fun at the time, but ****ed all the same. Driving what I think is reasonable, I can make NC to SoCal in 3 days, but that is not stopping for more than sleep. If you drive hard figure 600-800 a day, but that is driving 10-14 hours. You can make better time, but it means one guy pumping gas, while you are *******/buying drinks, and driving tank to tank, not stopping when you need to piss. If you add in lots of stops, figure a week.

 

I have been to Los Angeles via I40 a few times....6 to 7 days with some sightseeing. 4 days if you just drive.....600 to 700 miles a day. Like BenD says...800 is his limit....600 to 700 miles a day is mine. I am about 20 years older than BenD


The Grand Canyon is not that far off Interstate 40......and well worth the time...

Vegas was cool........have not been lately........I liked Hoover Dam.....

Memphis and Graceland.......been there done that too.....it's pretty much what you expect....

Route 66 in Arizona is interesting.....

 

Figure on 2, 3, or 4 hours minimum per yard if you're serious about the junkyard thing. Probably burn 6 to 8 hours a day on this alone, not to mention the extra time driving to them. Don't overlook old dealerships, either, although nowadays they aren't likely to keep the NOS parts like they use to. If you're serious, take a utility trailer with 4' high sides minimum, with you (you never know what you'll turn up). Dual axle, big enough for a car if you're really serious. Take the time in the weeks or days before your trip to get names and addresses and directions of the yards and/or other businesses on or near your route you think you might want to visit, you'll really be glad you did. Take time to talk to anyone along the way about what you're doing, to anyone that shows interest, and you'll be amazed where it leads you to.
Back in the early 70's, a friend of mine and I took 2 weeks vacation and just went junkyarding. Towed a small single axle utility trailer (can't remember how big, but 4 X 8 sounds right). My 55 Nomad didn't even notice it back there, even after we had it stuffed with parts. Went east from Oregon. Hit eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, Montana, the Dakota's, Wyoming, Utah, and central (northern) California, working our way back home through southern Oregon. Felt lucky to make it back to work in time. Actually ended up with a bunch of NOS parts from a dealership in Alturas, Ca. I sometimes wonder if this trip was the catalyst for my buddy's parts business (Dan's Cl***ic Chevrolet) in Portland.
We slept in the back of the Nomad until we filled it up with parts, then we would find city parks in the towns we visited and throw our sleeping bags on the ground. We used gas station rest rooms to clean up in (no rest areas, still aren't many if you get off the interstates), nowadays I'd just find cheap motels (oxymorron?). One of the best trips I've ever taken!

 

Left out Nevada, actually spent a whole day in the junkyards near Reno.

 

Now we're talking..

 

OK, seems like we're flying directly to Austin, to the Lonestar Roundup. After that we'll drive down to New Orleans, and up to Memphis, before we may head further north, and then head to Vegas.

Anyone that knows how many cars that use to attends the Roundup?

 

I think the Roundup caps their attendance at 500 cars. That's how many they allow to register.

 

I drove pulling a trailer from SC to WA in my '68 Galaxie back in '02, then from WA to TX in '05. There is cool stuff in every town.