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  3 0 I agree with everyone's winter warnings, and Northern California and Oregon are probably the best choice to tackle the snowy mountain part, but don't be surprised if it's difficult getting through the mountains. I have been stuck in snowy mountains on interstates 3 times during winter driving out west. In Idaho I managed to pull off to the nearest hotel, ditto once outside Aspen, Colorado ($$$), but another time in Colorado when the snow came so fast that all vehicles were snowbound overnight along the interstate. A family in an RV invited me and my friend inside to sleep the night (lucky!). They turned out to be metal detector aficionados and showed us their display cases of finds from all over. Which leads me to my second bit of advice: be open to side adventures, serendipity, eccentricities. And check the timeline on this one. Will there be a return trip too? It's hard to imagine making it with any less than 3 weeks if you are taking the southern route. cucuchi answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by Crysta Swarts and NGC1275… 0 0 Luckily, no return trip. The point of this trip is to move my car and the rest of my stuff from my folks' basement in DC to my new place up here (I moved in August, via plane). Thanks for the great advice! We'll make sure to pack emergency food, water, blankets, etc. Crysta Swarts commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 +1 for the side trip comment NGC1275 commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 Bring snow chains, unless your car has all wheel drive.. If it's snowing, the law requires it & they will pull you over to check. Emily Spahn answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by protosaurus… 0 0 was ready to call bullshit since the signs don't say that on i-90 but http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=204-24-050 she's right protosaurus commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 i guess everyone has to try a winter road trip before figuring out for themselves that it's the worst idea ever. go as south as possible and good luck after cali coming up i-5. could be painless, could be pain central. google "washington dot" for any state and you can usually find a page like this http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/ that shows road conditions for the entire state. pay attention to them. also, here's a good severe weather map to watch: http://www.wunderground.com/severe.asp do not go up through colorado/wyoming/utah/idaho/eastern oregon/eastern washington. it's a lot less miles to cut across diagonally from texas or so but it will suck a lot. all/four wheel drive would be more or less essential unless you got lucky. try not to die. protosaurus answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 Yah, I agree: try not to die. Why in the world are you doing this? You should be okay unless you hit the bad weather wrong. The pass between OR and CA is sometimes bad. Oh yeah, take chains like other people have said, but don't forget to KNOW how to put them on!!! Also, don't go off on weird roads. I remember not too long ago a family went down some snowy road in Oregon and part of their group didn't make it out alive. Watch for road closure signs. Tell people what routes you are taking and check in on a regular basis. Make sure someone will look for you within 24 hours if anything happens. Take provisions...water, food, matches, blankets, etc. You probably won't run into trouble, but if you do it is better to be prepared. The coast road is really curvy, so drive slowly and carefully. Don't be afraid to take breaks. Better to arrive in one piece late. Of course, I'm just being super cautious...it will be fine. Just plan ahead and be prepared for emergencies. Kristin Bell answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by NGC1275 and Kristin Bell… 0 0 why would you NOT drive cross-country? I think every american should have to do it at least once. You get a different appreciation for stuff when you see it from the ground. NGC1275 commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Because I'm paranoid and anxiety-ridden..and I like to stay at home. Kristin Bell commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 If you're just trying to get across the country via the safest route, take a lesson from the pioneers: I-80 across Nebraska and Wyoming to northern Utah, take I-84 from Utah through Idaho up to the Columbia and up the Gorge to Portland, then north up I-5. This route (which roughly follows the Oregon Trail) avoids practically every major western mountain range-- there's just a very gradual pass in western Wyoming and one in northeast Oregon. Jack answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Jack… 0 0 I guess now that I see the San Antonio part, that it'd probably be a toss-up mileage wise doing I-84 or going through LA and then up I-5. The I-5 route is probably going to be better. Frankly, I say don't listen to what these worry-warts say. Just check your fluids, make sure you've got good tires and have a good trip. I'm 99.99% sure you won't need chains taking the I-5 route. Jack commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 Are you going South South (through Las Cruces and El Paso? Or Albuquerque South? Regardless, the mountain pass that is the CA/OR border can be iffy if there's heavy snowfall, so pay attention to that. NGC1275 answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Crysta Swarts… 0 0 Las Cruces is definitely on our map (we're having Christmas in San Antonio, so we'll be pretty far south). Thanks for the heads up about the pass. Crysta Swarts commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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