I recently completed a cross country trip by car, traveling from Seattle to Baltimore. I left Seattle on Monday afternoon and arrived in Baltimore Saturday evening. It was a near perfect trip in that the weather was great and there were no problems with the car. I had originally traveled from Baltimore to Seattle in March and was not prepared for the winter weather that I would run into out in Wyoming, Idaho and even Oregon. By the middle of March back on the East Coast you can pretty much figure Winter is over. That's not the case out west. In fact, I woke up one morning in Rawlins, Wyoming to a temperature of 6 degrees! It was Winter Wonderland in March.
Before traveling back between the coasts this year, it had probably been 20 years since I had traveled across country, and I was reminded of a couple of things;
First, this is a huge country! Unless you have ever made the trip from coast to coast, you really have no idea just how many miles 3000 miles really is. It becomes pretty eye opening just how vast this country is after you've spent days traveling across some areas looking at pretty much the same kind of scenery for hundreds of miles. Still, it's interesting watching the landscape change from the hills of Western Pa. To the flatlands of Ohio, Indiana and Nebraska to the Mountains of Wyoming and Idaho, and then the vast desert like regions of Northeastern Oregon and Eastern Washington State and finally experience the majesty of the Northwest Evergreen Forests. America is truly a land of diverse beauty and landscapes.
Another thing that was impressed upon me is that there are still places in this country in which you can find yourself in a world of trouble if you're unprepared or even just get hit with some bad luck along the way. Traveling across Wyoming in March, it was scary to drive along Route 80 with wind driven snow creating virtual 'whiteouts' in which you could barely see beyond the hood of your car. With vast open fields and temperatures way below freezing most of the winter, you can quickly find yourself in dire trouble if you're out there in the elements without survival gear. On many stretches I noticed signs that read 'severe storm area, turn back when lights are flashing', and they aren't kidding! Having experienced just a little of those severe storms, they made a believer out of me!
Growing up in the city and civilization, it's easy to forget that there are still vast areas of wildnerness in this country. Places in which life and limb can quickly be in jeopardy. So if you're planning a trip like this, look at typical weather conditions for places that you'll be traveling through. It will give you a good indicator of what you can expect. Remember, just because it's warm or even hot in the area that you're traveling from, don't take for granted that it's ok to travel with shorts and light jacket, because you may find out too late that it's not.
Another thing that you might want to consider while traveling is sticking to the essentials. As I was traveling with a car full of personal belongings, I got to thinking what would I do if my car broke down in the mountains with computer, important papers, boxes, etc.? The smart thing to do would be ship as much as possible to your destination and just carry the things that you must. Being stuck in a small town waiting for car repairs, and being at the mercy of the auto repair shop is bad enough, but if you've got to worry about something happening to important personal belongings, it's much worse.
You'll also want to take along some foods that will carry you through long stretches of road. Things like nuts, trail mix, jerky or slim jims, and water. You can get a lot of this stuff cheap at dollar stores. I stopped at one in Oregon and got enough for about $15 to take me all the way across country. The importance of this will become apparent when you're traveling through the mountains of Idaho and Utah for hours on end. Trust me, you won't find any McDonald's or 7-11's ANYWHERE out there.
Traveling across country is something that I think everyone should try and do at least once in their life. It really gives one an appreciation of the vastness and beauty of this country. Just use a little common sense and preparation and you'll have an experience that will last a lifetime.
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Traveling Across Country By Train
Bill Thomas lives and works in Seattle Wa. He is involved in E-Commerce and Internet Marketing. His current website is Create Lifetime Residual Income on $10 a Month
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