Ideas for Safe Passage Through the US

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by YippieKiYa

Good to know. I haven't been in the area in a couple of years, and that highway used to be good.

You could go over, do Fort Knox, take 31 into Elizabethtown, catch the Western KY Parkway, and come the back way into Mammoth Cave. Then come out of Mammoth using the southern road out. It's well-marked in the park. How's 31 from Mammoth Cave to Smith's Grove? It's a short trip, and 65 was already widened there (the McDonalds there was a far-too frequent stop). From there, you could get back on 65 to Nashville. The Corvette Museum is a couple exits south from Smith's Grove.

It's GOING to be good once it's finished . I took our AS that way to Tennessee to see the eclipse. As soon as I got off the Bluegrass Pkwy traffic was backed up. That was on Sunday, the day before the eclipse. Traffic was moving slowly, about 0 to 10 MPH at first, because everything was going from 3 lane to 2. Once in the 2 lane 55 MPH zone it was moving along at about 35, then as traffic spaced out we got up to 60. The right lane was terrible, lots of pot holes and large bumps. There was a sign for trucks to use the left lane so I got over, kept up with traffic, but still got a 1 finger salute from somebody that didn't like riding behind me. (We were moving about 55 when we passed the Corvette museum.)

Coming back was about the same until we stopped for that truck accident and had to sit. It eventually started moving and barriers split the 2 lanes. I chose wisely, left lane, and after a little bit we saw the right lane totally blocked with another accident.

I wouldn't take any of the back roads, I'm sure local traffic has those filled up too. I would try to avoid the area, take I-75 to Tennessee. If I HAD to go that way, I'd stay on I-65 and take my chances. I'm retired, no hurry, got a bathroom and fridge right behind the 4Runner.

[banderabob]

Originally Posted by Jamespio

Fall is a GREAT time to explore the American Southwest. The crowds are much reduced at the National Parks and Monuments, camping spots are widely available, and in contrast to driving down the East Coast, the highways are far less congested and much friendlier for towing a big trailer or driving a motor home. If I had three months off and wanted to escape the early part of winter, I'd build an itinerary that included fall in the Rocky Mountains (Montana, Idaho,Colorado), and headed west from there. I would spend November in Utah and northern Arizona visinting Zion, Bryce, Escalante etc., remembering that elevation affects weather conditions far more than latitude, and would likely finish up with trips to Red Rocks (outside Vegas), and Joshua Tree.

To the above, I would add Santa Fe into November, Big Bend anytime, San Antonio anytime,and the Texas Rio Grande Valley in January and Feb.

[coasttocoast]

in 1989 in Charleston, Hugo, a cat 5, passed directly over my house. About 1000 large trees were down just in my neighborhood of 200 homes. This went on for 50 miles south, west and north. Chain saws were running non-stop for 6 months from 6am till about 11pm. Everyone got a flat tire from all the roofing nails that ended up on every street. The Edisto River, the water supply, had so many trees in it to where tannins turned the drinking water yellow and also a created a very bad smell. Fifteen foot tall piles of debris were stacked in front of all homes on all streets. Power was out for 11 days, and for some people, over a month. Marshall law was imposed with Guardsman standing watch in key areas. Curfews were in effect. With all the lights out, the stars put on a show.
I would avoid anywhere that was impacted for a few months. Since that time, Charleston has rebuilt itself and has grown exponentially once the Internet turned the well kept secret into paradise. The downtown area is a great walking city filled with things to do and very good shopping and food. Asheville, NC has Biltmore house and also a nice downtown. Nashville is superb for music. Your waiter in any restaurant will likely have doctorate in music. Try Robert's Western World. Any major northern city has fantastic art museums. Look at the Barnes in Philadelphia. For more world class music, look at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, MS, and the Delta area. Go to Texas and to small towns and eat beef. Get off of the Interstate and turn left or right and just get lost. When i make my yearly trip to Nova Scotia, I try to avoid Manhattan and Boston to avoid congestion. This year, I did park at Liberty Harbor in Jersey and went into NYC to a hotel. I would park there again. If you run across from east to west, be advised that Atlanta will seem like a small town once you get to Dallas and all the road construction, and in turn, Dallas is small in comparison to LA. In LA, little old ladies in old Camray's will pass you in your rental BMW going down the mountain at 60 mph.

[normandgrace]

we in Florida will bounce back quickly from Irma. we know how to deal with hurricanes. thank God for Miami Dade building code! so many old buildings, old code, old trailers in the keys, that this was bound to happen. the keys will now change again. the quaintness will probably disappear, but the beauty will remain. any trips to Florida in the winter and the first thing you need is reservations. if you don't have them already, you probably won't get any. if you have them, check the status of the rv park as to their condition. tourists are the lifeblood of Florida, and are welcomed guests and all the businesses will appreciate you coming to our home to enjoy the beauty and the weather. just don't make the mistake of not planning your stays and then finding out that r.v. sites in the winter are a rare commodity. it can be a long drive home otherwise.

[moosetags]

Not all of Florida received damage from Hurricane Irma. The western Florida Panhandle received no impact from the storm. The section of Florida in the Central Time Zone (Panama City and west) was untouched.

Brian

[Len n Jeanne]

Just wanting to second the advice that elevation in the Southwest is hugely important. In November, Zion National Park will be fine for Zion Canyon itself, but it will be winter up at Lava Point. Bryce Canyon will be winter.

In your own backyard, we really like the Mojave desert. The area around Palm Springs if you want a more luxury resort destination, or boondocking south of Death Valley if you don't.

A lot of people also head south along the lower Colorado River: it can be very windy, however. Around Quartzite, AZ and south (where the saguaro cactus lives) you can count on warm weather. Friends of ours headed to Yuma every year.

Maybe then plan on your eastward bound trip through the higher country for 2018. Although you should be fine this fall if you can check weather forecasts and avoid high mountain passes.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Not to toss to much negative into this, but, hurricane season isn't over yet. I'm sitting at a campground that we would have evacuated if Jose had bumped in a different direction. That said, there is a *lot* of Florida that isn't in the Keys, or down by Naples / Marco Island. There also is a whole lot of the Atlantic coast and Gulf coast that (so far) is in pretty good shape. If Key West is a "must do" sort of thing, wait a year. If escape from the snow and cold is the key element, there's still a *lot* of fine opportunities in the east.

Bob

[Eagle & Bear]

I would also recommend the southwest states but skip the wilds of central New Mexico, remote areas in southern Arizona and the Texas border with Mexico. We have been traveling full time for 10 years and met lots of folks who have crossed paths with the Mexicans on both sides of the river. Most of those encounters were seldom pleasant. At one time Organ Pipe NP had ICE agents with automatic weapons stationed in the park. Just stay north of I-10 and enjoy your selves. Check out Quartzsite and the gem and mineral show in Tucson in late January.

[johare22]

Contact WBCCI for information on caravans.

[kendrick.l.j]

wBCCI caravans book up solid 2 years in advance, an alternative may be to check out local units to see about rally's. Also, I am not aware of any caravans that happen in the winter months.