Friday, August 08, 2003
Trip Planning
I still need to find a home or two for my cats but in the meantime, I've been doing a lot of planning and research. I started reading up on some other people's sites about driving across the country and it's getting me nervous and excited.Has anyone else ever traveled across the country? What are some things I should be thinking about?
Here are some things I've come up with as well as some things my brother brought to mind:
1) OIL! I will be traveling almost 3000 miles so I have to remember to put oil in the car somewhere along the way.
2) Where are all the gas stations? I'd prefer to know where they are along the route so I can schedule accordingly.
3) Truck stops? I'm not really going to have the money to stay in hotels along the way, (plus I'll have my dog with me until St. Louis). Where are all the BIG truck stops along the way?
4) My brother pointed out to me that in some states, like Iowa, they use corn in the gas or whatever that's called and it burns off faster than regular gas. Does anyone have any more information on this?
5) Places to avoid. By this I mean, when I'm too tired to drive anymore, where do I NOT stop?
6) What to bring. (Besides my stuff) I have a road hazard kit I'm bringing and will buy oil. I'm also going to just buy my food beforehand to save money. Looks like I'll be eating a lot of crackers and cheese from the can. yay.
These kinds of things I need to know. If any of you live in Montana, S. Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska or Missouri, and you know where some things are, let me know! Looks like Montana is going to take forever.
Any advice or help you can give, I'd appreciate it. I just want to make sure I am not underestimating the cost and time this will take.
It would be so much easier if Greyhound would just let me take my cat and dog on the bus with me. I could be there in 2 days at a very small price....oh well.
It has always been extremely hard for me to ask for help. I'm very used to doing everything independently. Taking my brother's offer was the first big step in allowing others to help me. Even writing that feels weird. Then I asked for help in finding a home for my dog. Found fabulous new parents for her. Then someone I know said they will drop in a sizeable donation for this trip--which has me floored and in shock.
Even with the above mentioned VERY gracious and quite honestly, amazing assistance, I still need help. Please let me know if you can.
