Driving in wintertime ?risks?

[RunningBum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meierlde I would suggest dropping south on i-55 to i-12 and then west, as the chance of getting stopped by weather is less, and then watch the weather and hole up if bad weather is coming, across west Tx its a long way with few people on I-10, so getting stranded could be inconvenient at a minimum.

Google says that would add 650 miles and 9 hours. There's no way in hell I'd do that unless there was a strong possibility of major snow on the more direct route, and it wasn't going to hit the southerly route. You're safer spending less time on the road. Just watch the weather reports and adjust if needed. People drive I-40 and the more northerly interstates through the mountains all winter long. Storms don't affect that many days of travel so as long as you stay flexible you'll be fine.

[RunningBum]

I'd also recommend good tires. Good tires on a 2 wheel drive is better than worn tread on a 4wd, in my experience.

[Bestwifeever]

The early winter delivery seems to be a self-imposed deadline. Wouldn't it be a lot more fun to drive a convertible on the open road in, I don't know, May with the top down every once in a while?

[meierlde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunningBum Google says that would add 650 miles and 9 hours. There's no way in hell I'd do that unless there was a strong possibility of major snow on the more direct route, and it wasn't going to hit the southerly route. You're safer spending less time on the road. Just watch the weather reports and adjust if needed. People drive I-40 and the more northerly interstates through the mountains all winter long. Storms don't affect that many days of travel so as long as you stay flexible you'll be fine.

All be it it is a long time ago, when Moving to Houston in 1976 I got stopped in Van Horn (on I-10) due to snow covered roads (I think they closed the interstate then also). It should be noted that at least in Eastern NM and the Tx Panhandle, there are gates that can be lowered across i-40 to close it due to snow. Now a second possibility if the weather starts looking bad, would be I 35 to I 20 to I 10. That means that you turn south at Ok city, which means you only need know 2-3 days of weather. (Once you get past Williams, Az snow is not much of an issue, but around Flagstaff it can also be an issue. The next point west would be I-25 but you can also get snowed in in east NM.

[urn2bfree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever The early winter delivery seems to be a self-imposed deadline. Wouldn't it be a lot more fun to drive a convertible on the open road in, I don't know, May with the top down every once in a while?

Actually it is chosen because my son will be home for Winter Break, and then we could drive back to LOS ANGELES (LA) together, father and son, before second term

[bld999]

Does the car have traction control? Makes a huge difference. A buddy and I went over a pass in the spring with a freak 6" snowfall and pulling a 1000# trailer; even the state patrol was having problems. This was a toyota venza.

It burped once and got to it after a little orange light appeared on the dash.

[caninelover]

I agree with one of the previous posters, only area of concern would be the Flagstaff area, but you'll just have to monitor the weather patterns as you approach. Past Flagstaff is mostly desert driving. For the CA portion stay on I-40 or I-10 into LA and avoid any routes further north of that. If you take I-40 you'll likely need to take I-15 south as you approach LA and go over the Cajon Pass; not a high mountain range but the CHP usually closes it if they even get a whiff of a snowflake.

For the most part if you stick to the interstates they do a good job of either keeping them clear, or pulling traffic off the road if storm conditions make the route hazardous. Either way on an extended road trip you should plan on stocking some basic provisions - extra food, water, some blankets - and you'll be fine.

Enjoy it, I do love a good road trip.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by caninelover For the most part if you stick to the interstates they do a good job of either keeping them clear, or pulling traffic off the road if storm conditions make the route hazardous. Either way on an extended road trip you should plan on stocking some basic provisions - extra food, water, some blankets - and you'll be fine. Enjoy it, I do love a good road trip.

Maybe. But I've come across I-90 through Montana and Idaho, or I-5 through the Siskiyous when the landscape was littered with 18 wheelers. I recommend leaving winter mountain driving to truckers and skiers. It is just grueling.

Ha

[caninelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Maybe. But I've come across I-90 through Montana and Idaho, or I-5 through the Siskiyous when the landscape was littered with 18 wheelers. I recommend leaving winter mountain driving to truckers and skiers. It is just grueling. Ha

I was referring to the I-40 or I-10 routes through the southwest, sorry if that wasn't clear. Obviously winter driving through any route in Montana or Idaho is a different animal.

[brett]

We often drive through the mountains to the west coast.

But, we watch the weather carefully before we leave. If the roads are in good shape with no bad weather predicted, then we go. If not, we don't bother. Driving back has sometimes been an issue but you will not have to deal with this. The weather can change quickly. In addition to following the weather, we check for road cams. We try and hit the mountainous areas about 10AM...not too early just in case the black ice is still there and/or the road crews have not sanded/salted. Take an extra jug of windshield washer with you, a shovel, and of course some winter clothing.

[nwsteve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett We often drive through the mountains to the west coast. But, we watch the weather carefully before we leave. If the roads are in good shape with no bad weather predicted, then we go. If not, we don't bother. Driving back has sometimes been an issue but you will not have to deal with this. The weather can change quickly. In addition to following the weather, we check for road cams. We try and hit the mountainous areas about 10AM...not too early just in case the black ice is still there and/or the road crews have not sanded/salted. Take an extra jug of windshield washer with you, a shovel, and of course some winter clothing.

+1
We have made several trips from the NW to Texas in Jan and managed to make the trip with some careful timing and using road cams for routing with not too much stress.
My two cents would be to watch the west coast weather and see what is headed east. Diciest piece as others have mentioned will be I-40 from NM to AZ line. Personally, if you see questionable weather, I would get S to I-10 while still in Texas. Big stretches of I-40 can shutdown if they get a big winter storm.
Nwsteve