Wisconsin to California - Recommendtions?

[Extreme1]

I will driving to the SF area this summer. We are planning on traveling I-80 and will be pulling a small trailer out and possibly a vehicle back.



Does anyone have any tips, suggestions, good campgrouds, watch-outs, etc?



Thanks in advance!

 

[WyoJim]

I-80 thumbs down till Utah

Just made a trip back east. Traveled I-90 through SD. Coming back we traveled 80 through Nebraska. Neb. traffic is thick and for a while west of Omaha was terrible with one construction project slowing us to 5 miles in one hour.



South Dakotas rest areas are better, traffic is less and there is more to see without smelling all the feed lots that are along 80 in Nebraska.



I-80 in Wyoming has some lumps from Rawlins to Green River. How bad they are will depend on the distance between your axles. HOWEVER Wyoming's secondary highways are second to none and the speed limit is 65 with hardly any traffic.



You can go over the Big Horns at Buffalo on route 16. At Worland take 20 to Shoshoni, 26 to Riverton, 789 to Lander, 28 to Farson and 191 to I-80 at Rock Springs. I travel these routes every year and they are a pleasure to run.



One more thing. Buy fuel if possible at Cenex because from what I can find out, they refine and deliver their own fuel to their own pumps and there is usually one in every town. Other than that buy where there are Semi's.



Enjoy the Antelope. WyoJim

 

[Joe G.]

If you are going to San Jose or some other place in the south end of the SF Bay area it's faster if you take I5 south at Sacramento and then I280 to I580. The only time traffic is not an incredible mess in the bay area is from about 1am to 5am.

 

[JJW_ND]

Ditto WyoJim!

From SD on you will have 75mph speed limit and little traffic to keep you below that.



If you want to seem some neat county and big hills, Buffalo to Worland is good.



I have use CENEX fuel for all 190K miles. Their Roadmaster XL premium fuel is worth the extra few pennies. Almost every town in the Dakotas, WY, MT have a station.



Watch WY at night. Lots of critters on the roads.



jjw

ND

 

[klenger]

If your schedule permits, drop down into Colorado and check out Rocky Mtn National Park.

 

[roadranger]

Watch out for the Semis on I-80, they think they own the road.



You'll have one going slower than speed limit pull out into the passing lane right in front of you, just to pass another one going 3. 5 mph slower. You can end up following the idiot for miles as he tries to pull by.



You'd think they'd have the courtesy to wait for the faster traffic to get by them first.



I drove 18's for 26 years, and gave it up because of the rampant discourtesy on the roads today.

 

[EricBu12]

Roadranger,

We, the ones going 3. 5 faster than another one are not idiots.

we have a truck that can only go that fast and the one that goes 3. 5 slower can only go that fast.



I drive for Watkins and I can only go 65 Roadway can go 62

UPS can go 70 sometimes unless they are in triples then it is 58.

We have a schedule to get to a place and we use that 3. 5 to do it.

your "a few miles" on vacation shouldn't bother you when we are doing a job.

now when you pass me, I'll give you a blink of lights to let you continue on your merry way during your vacation



Sorry I had to vent but name calling of us professionals is something that should not happen especially from a group of people that tow with a med duty truck.

Lets be good to eachother on the road, I know that our dodges can go fast on a hill and such so give us a chance for a min and go on,

Also, former trucker, the roads are so much more crowded now that we have to wait for the best time to pull out even if that means making someone slow down. I drive Doubles and sometimes triples and I go with a co driver so we do 200k miles a year from terminal to terminal, coast to coast.

thanks

 

[Joe G.]

Eric,



I saw Roadranger's post and almost responded. I always give the guys who drive for a living all the slack I can. The little bit of delay caused by waiting for a big rig to pass is no big deal In fact, if I see that a big rig is gaining on another, I lift to give him room to pass if he wants. Or jump on it to get out of the way. My Dad drove for many years and I have a little bit of an idea about what goes on. Last year I saw that a guy was coming up on a very slow car just before the bridge over the Sacramento River. I knew he would like to pass so I lift and a blinked my lights. He was so amazed by that that he gave me a big wave out the window as he changed lanes to pass. I don't have a schedule to keep so it's no big deal. I've been across NV on I80 a lot of times and there is no truck problem as far as I can tell.

 

[EricBu12]

Thanks Joe for the kind words.



I have been trucking for over 10 years now and I agree with roadranger that courtesy is slacking even among us big truckers but the fack remains that everywhere, somewhere, someone is faster than you and you will slow them up. it happens



I give pickups with rv's the same blink light courtesy as a big truck, mostly because they dont have the extended mirrors to see well so a light flash helps. I did a towing picture last night on the thread of posting towing pics when I went to MM I have the flip out mirrors.

Keep on truckin and happy rammin'

eric

 

[DBR]

I just finished a round trip from Washington state to Wisconsin. I was up in the Marinette, Oconto, Green Bay, Crivitz, and Kenosha, WI areas (for you Wisconsin folks, I was once a F. I. B. ) One of the nicest state parks I have stayed off of I-80 was Mahoney State Park (www.ngpc.state.ne.us) in Ashland, Nebraska, approximately 30 miles east of Omaha. The Strategic Air Command Museum is located less than a half mile from the park entrance. Located across the highway is a 380 acre game ranch that is part of the local zoo. The state park itself is only 10 years old and has every facility (including cabins, camping, waterslides, horseback rides, movies, etc. ) one could imagine. I have not yet found a private camp site to rival this one. The state parks in Nebraska are some of the finest I have visited. I hope that you will have a safe trip.



Posted by the TDR member formerly known as DBR... but I'm not bitter.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Driving courteously on the Interstates is a rarity. Too many people never drive beyond the hood of their vehicle and then react at the last whim.



I try to see what is in front of me, but always try to see what is far ahead too. When pulling a load and trying to maintain speed, you have to anticipate the traffic and the terrain.



Truckers need to keep the mass rolling and they need room to do it.



I haven't always been as patient as I should, especially when someone makes me slam my brakes while I'm moving at the speed limit in the left lane.



The worse traffic you will encounter will be in California where they restrict the truck speed limits and lane choice. Traffic can really pile up behind the trucks.



Have a great trip! I've driven out that direction several times.

 

[roadranger]

EricBu12- Let me just say that I started driving when the 220 HP Cummins was common road power, and that my last truck was a 425 HP Cat, and I've logged over 3 million miles. During that time frame we knew our rig limitations and drove accordingly.



We didn't jump out into the hammer lane in front of faster moving cars, weather they were "just on vacation" or not. Just because you've got a schedule to keep and a slow truck doesn't mean you can hold up the rest of the world because you are "working". That lack of courtesy and the general attitude of looking down your nose at 4-wheelers is why supposedly professional drivers get labeled as idiots.



You may consider yourself one of the better drivers out there, but it is the public actions of the bad apple drivers that give a black eye to the

industry.



My post to Extreme1 was to alert him to the actions conducted by these 'professional' drivers.

For some reason I-80 is worse in this matter than the other east-west corridor, I-40.

 

[Extreme1]

Thanks for the info everybody!

Don't stop!



As for the driving, I have had trucks let me drive by instead of pulling out in front of me (secondary roads), jump out in passing lane to go 1/2 mph faster instead of waiting 15 seconds, etc.



With all the truck traffic, it could be alot worse. Just like 4 wheelers, some truck drivers are curtous, some are rude, some are scary and some are dangerous. A much smaller % than the cars, and much, much smaller % than the women driving SUVs!!!



Teenage girls are still the worst. Scares the he!! out of me sometimes!



Again, thanks for the tips.



Premium diesel fuel? Only one place within a reasonable distance has any. I don't go to too many "truck stops" around here, there is enough medium duty truck traffic at the couple places I go to that the fuel is fresh and no troubles to date. I try to stay away from the truck stops so I'm not in the way, don't have to explain that is a private sale (not too many personal vehicles at those) and I have noticed it takes a while longer because most big truck fuel buyers need a reciept and a little human interaction and I'm always late.



I had a cashier tell me "If you go to the pump in the gas area you would have gotten more than foam!" That was after I took on over 31 gallons. (I don't stop until I need it) I didn't know they HAD other pumps! I tried one the next time and they are too slow, the last time I went there I got scolded for using an out of town check (I live 10 miles away). I guess thay just don't want my money!

 

[Jeff H]

Teenaged girls are the worst. But yet the insurance guy doubles the boys premium. When I was in high school I know of no boys in car wrecks. But the girls were hitting fire hydrants , backing into people.

 

[OILBRNR]

The truckers don't bother me as much as all the idiots (at least here in AZ) that live in the left lane. It seems that with the increase to 75, most are happy to go no faster than 75-80 and spend all day in the passing lane. This causes huge backups, and there is no use in pulling to the right, because there is someone going 71 that you'll get stuck behind, and no one will let you back into the left. It is INSANE and UNSAFE! Everyone is on eachothers' ass, going 75! And where is the Highway Patrol? No where to be found, as nobody really exceeds the designed limit of the roads (75) anymore. I'm not saying that I want to drive over 75 myself, but you need that open left lane to pass, esp. here in the west where you can get serious grades.



Nutty!!! I say get those DPS officers out there pulling anyone over in the left lane in rural areas that are not overtaking and passing those in the right lane, and slap a serious fine on them.



Anyway, have a nice trip.

 

[Charley]

I'd like to jum in but it seems that almost everything I wanted to add has been said by everyone else. Read carefully, there is wisdom in most replys.



Charley

 

[roadranger]

Oilburner's right about that left lane stuff- it's pretty common around here too. Guess they figure if they're doing the speed limit, they have the right to hog the left lane.



With the price of fuel these days, I've found that the best fuel economy while making the best time for my rig is running at 65 MPH. Course, I don't get out into that left lane too much!

 

[Fireman Dave]

Eric,



I just got back tonight. 3 weeks and 5600 miles! No problems. I shall e-mail you some info - or maybe I'll post here after I read this thread in detail. I'm too tired to process it right now. I just wanted to try to post on the newfangled site. I only got to play on it for a minute or two the morning I left for CA (June 3rd). Hmmm, I wonder what all these new gizmos do...

 

[Fireman Dave]

OK, now I'm a little more awake.

We took I-80 out to CA, then I-90 most of the way back (from Yellowstone back to WI). The truck traffic is significantly heavier on 80. I enjoyed 90 much more. We stayed in Omaha (at a county campground) on the first night west. We stayed in Laramie, WY; Salt Lake City; and Lovelock, NV on the following nights. At Salt Lake City, we stayed at Antelope Island State Park. It's an island in the Great Salt Lake ($10. ). Near Lovelock, NV, we camped at a state reservoir (state park). The county/state parks were nice and also cheap. We stayed at KOA type places too. They're convenient, but pricier. You wouldn't need the hook-ups, so the parks may be a nicer option. Also, a lot of other states don't charge an entrance fee like our WI state parks do.



Coming back, we stayed outside San Francisco in Novato, then we took 80 east. We camped in Winnemucca, NV, then up into Idaho to Yellowstone. Traveling on 90, we stayed with relatives the rest of the way home.



I liked the Flying J truck stops among others. The lowest we paid was yesterday in MN - $1. 43/gal. The highest was W. Yellowstone - $1. 89. Be careful around San Francisco. It can be tough (and expensive!) to find diesel - at least for us out-of-towners.



I can share more detailed route info by email if you want. The AAA maps, tourbooks, and campbooks were great to have. We took our time traveling - about 400+ miles per day on average. It can be done much quicker. Also, I was the only driver on our trip and we were pulling our 27' TT. We kept it down to around 68mph most of the time. The winds can be a real bummer on mileage and comfort - especially with that house behind us. We had a bad cross wind yesterday - until we got into WI - where there were some trees! I still have to run the numbers, but our average mileage was probably around 9. 5mpg. The final tally will be around $700. for fuel on the whole trip.

 

[paccool]

Right on the button Oilbrnr. I see this all the time. There are signs everywhere that say slower traffic stay to the right, but many ignore that. I know one person that pulls a tool trailer and he stays in the fast lane a lot. I asked him why one day and he said it was smoother. He also said if someone wanted to pass they could do it in the right lane.