# My son is planning a cross-country road trip Thursday. Really bad idea, right? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820 "2018-01-03T21:58:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/21 "2018-01-04T03:37:21Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > What model and year is the car? What plans do they have for overnighting (if any)? Are they planning a route that takes them over the Rockies? > > What would be involved in _getting_ them some snow chains (and making sure that they know how to use them)? Oops, forgot to ask: is the car in satisfactory condition for making a multi-thousand mile trip? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/22 "2018-01-04T04:06:22Z")
I’ve made plenty of midwinter drives of over 24 hours in Canada, even in old beaters. Just make sure you are prepared to stop if conditions become undrivable. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/23 "2018-01-04T04:32:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > They’re going to all this trouble of driving cross country just to pick up a dog in Ohio? Are they aware that there are plenty of dogs already in California? And they probably already have bandanas around their neck. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/24 "2018-01-04T06:18:54Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > Why would the temperature in Montana make a difference if they are leaving from California? That’s what I was wondering also. At any rate, here in southern Alberta, north of Montana, the weather is warming up. We’re currently just below freezing, and it seems that Montana is too: a quick check tells me that the current temperature in Great Falls is +31F. I know a few people locally who have done the “sleep in the car” thing on long trips, but they have only done it in summer. Never in winter; if they need to take a long road trip in winter, they get motel rooms. They also build extra time into their schedule, as snap winter storms can hit, and they may need to hole up somewhere earlier than planned, or at least proceed slower than expected. Every year, I see cars in the ditch thanks to going too fast for conditions. That’s locally, true, but I can easily see the same thing happening in winter in Illinois, for example. Perhaps they could rethink this. A dog can likely be shipped by air for less money than it would cost for a few thousand miles road trip, especially in winter. If the guys want to do the trip really badly, tell them to wait until summer. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/25 "2018-01-04T10:51:56Z")
It will take much longer but why not just plan a southerly route and avoid the worse of winter? Or why not have 1 person fly and take the dog home in a pet carrier? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/26 "2018-01-04T12:44:00Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > It will take much longer but why not just plan a southerly route and avoid the worse of winter? > > Or why not have 1 person fly and take the dog home in a pet carrier? That’s what I was thinking. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. They could take I-40 East through Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Amarillo then up to OK City, where they pick up I-44 East, then transition onto I-70E at Saint Louis. That’ll take them across Illinois, Indiana and on into Ohio. They’ll stay south enough for most parts of the trip to avoid any really nasty weather. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/27 "2018-01-04T12:56:00Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > They’re going to all this trouble of driving cross country just to pick up a dog in Ohio? Are they aware that there are plenty of dogs already in California? Heh, yeah, right? You decide you want a dog, so you… google it? Apparently without any qualifying terms like “where to buy a dog _ **in California** _…” Eh, maybe he wanted that specific breed or something. Honestly, I think they are just stoked about the road trip because they had a blast last year. But the dog part seems wildly, uh, needlessly complicated to me. Still, the friend’s a nice kid, and I guess I may have done one or two stunningly impractical things in my youth. Don’t know the model of car, but I do know he just got it. Used; but presumably still under some kind of warranty. I hope? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/28 "2018-01-04T13:09:49Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > That’s what I was thinking. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. They could take I-40 East through Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Amarillo then up to OK City, where they pick up I-44 East, then transition onto I-70E at Saint Louis. That’ll take them across Illinois, Indiana and on into Ohio. They’ll stay south enough for most parts of the trip to avoid any really nasty weather. That might be the most sensible route anyways, depending on where they’re leaving from in California, but what really nasty weather does that avoid? The problems, if there are any, would be in the east, not the west. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/29 "2018-01-04T13:50:58Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > That might be the most sensible route anyways, depending on where they’re leaving from in California, but what really nasty weather does that avoid? The problems, if there are any, would be in the east, not the west. Well, going through the more northern mountainous areas. You’re right about the crazy weather in the NE of the States starting today, but as previously stated, if they’re leaving today, by the time they get there, the weather will be over, and that’s IF they decide to proceed past Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/30 "2018-01-04T14:00:48Z")
I 70 through Colorado is clear. It hasn’t snowed in a couple of days and that road is the lifeblood of the mountain towns. They get about 75% of their annual revenue in the winter, so keeping it clear is priority #1. I 80 through Wyoming should be OK but it can be a death trap if the wind is blowing, even with no snow falling. New York only got about 4" of snow so it’ll be long gone when they get there. I just don’t see the roads being a problem. The cold in the east is another story. Do they have a place to stay in New York? (I’m assuming NYC. If they’re going to Buffalo, that’s another story.) ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/31 "2018-01-04T14:39:52Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > That’s what I was thinking. There’s more than one way to skin a cat. They could take I-40 East through Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Amarillo then up to OK City, where they pick up I-44 East, then transition onto I-70E at Saint Louis. That’ll take them across Illinois, Indiana and on into Ohio. They’ll stay south enough for most parts of the trip to avoid any really nasty weather. I’d take the 8 out until it merges with the 10 … start heading north in Jacksonville on the 95 until Virginia … take the Simmons Rd exit which turns into SR 472 and that’ll bring into Kentucky … Country Rd D-67 starts out as gravel but you’ll make the hardtop soon enough … take a right at SR 11, then around the “Road Closed in Winter” sign and loop around on US-48 until you come to the Shell Station where County Rd R-22 crosses … the Ohio River only looks deep there, but it’s an easy fording … and there you are, someplace, not sure where, but the local folks are friendly, 'bout anyone will give you directions … ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/32 "2018-01-04T15:21:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The forecasts I’m seeing for Ohio call for bitter cold, but not much precipitation (and at these temperatures, any precipitation will be powdery, not slippery, anyway). And there’s been plenty of time for the roads to be cleared since the last time we had serious precipitation. So the driving wouldn’t actually be unsafe. > > I would not, however, recommend sleeping in the car at any point in this trip. They should plan based on the assumption that they’ll have to rent a room every night. I agree, and especially about that last part. Sleeping in the car probably sounds like a great money-saving idea when you’re 24, but it doesn’t make sense in the middle of winter in the rocky mountains or most of the midwest. I’ve done cross country drives in the dead of winter and there might be a few sketchy places with snow, but you just have to use your brain and drive cautiously. One thing I always did, though, was sleep in a comfortable bed in a warm hotel or motel. Oh, if they take the route through Kansas, be sure the obey every traffic law to the letter. I got pulled over for “Driving while sporting a CA license plate” in that state, and it was not a pleasant experience. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/33 "2018-01-04T19:52:45Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > \Oh, if they take the route through Kansas, be sure the obey every traffic law to the letter. I got pulled over for “Driving while sporting a CA license plate” in that state, and it was not a pleasant experience. ESPECIALY since CA and CO have legalized pot. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/34 "2018-01-04T20:06:20Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Er, well, his buddy bought a dog. From a farm in Ohio. That he found by googling. Bless his heart. > > Don’t know what kind of car because it’s his friend’s car, but the guy seems really sensible and well-grounded; I know it’s a car he just bought. > > They will have sleeping gear etc. with them. My son says his sleeping bag is rated for well below zero. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > I agree, and especially about that last part. Sleeping in the car probably sounds like a great money-saving idea when you’re 24, but it doesn’t make sense in the middle of winter in the rocky mountains or most of the midwest. > > I’ve done cross country drives in the dead of winter and there might be a few sketchy places with snow, but you just have to use your brain and drive cautiously. One thing I always did, though, was sleep in a comfortable bed in a warm hotel or motel. > > Oh, if they take the route through Kansas, be sure the obey every traffic law to the letter. I got pulled over for “Driving while sporting a CA license plate” in that state, and it was not a pleasant experience. No sleeping in the car. No, bad idea. People die getting off the road and into drifts. Rule number 2. They need to have gear that’s suited for the worst temps in the area where they are going to be should the car break down. If -35 is really the worse they are looking at, then they should carry gear for it. Number 3. They need provisions, including food and medications, for several days. Number 4. Keep in touch. They need to check in with someone regularly, so that the search area is narrowed, just in case they lose touch or the car breaks down. Number 5. No short-cuts. Do not take that awesome looking shortcut on Waze unless you are in a city. There is no guarantee that it is plowed. People die doing this. Number 6. Winterize the car. Chains, anything else the mechanic recommends. Number 7. A mechanic is going to look at this car before he drives it across the country, right? If the car is sound, I don’t necessarily think it’s the worse idea ever. Since the car is used, but new to them, it’s not a great idea either. If the boys don’t have experience with camping, or prepping for cold weather survival, they could be taking on more than they realize. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/35 "2018-01-04T20:41:53Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > ESPECIALY since CA and CO have legalized pot. Yes, and after pulling me over for the lamest excuse (they had been tailing me for almost an hour), they asked if they could search my car. When I declined, they brought in drug-sniffing dogs. The whole thing took close to 2 hours, during which time the one cop kept trying to “good cop” me into admitting I was carrying some drugs. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/36 "2018-01-04T21:29:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes, and after pulling me over for the lamest excuse (they had been tailing me for almost an hour), they asked if they could search my car. When I declined, they brought in drug-sniffing dogs. The whole thing took close to 2 hours, during which time the one cop kept trying to “good cop” me into admitting I was carrying some drugs. Pretty much what happened in Indiana to my brother. CO plates, pulled over for improper turn signal use (didn’t leave it on long enough to change lanes). Cop said he smell pot. Brother has never smoked, and if he did would lose his job (he’s a commercial trucker that gets tested). 4 hour delay because of the drug dogs which of course found nothing. GD Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/37 "2018-01-04T21:54:43Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > No sleeping in the car. No, bad idea. People die getting off the road and into drifts. This part confuses me, I’m not sure what the danger is. Is the concern the car will be entirely drifted in an then they die of suffocation? My vote is they will be fine if they have **WINTER TIRES** , a proper breakdown survival kit (not one of those made in China pieces of crap AutoZone sells with the pathetic shovel and tiny reflectors), and blankets. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/38 "2018-01-04T21:58:15Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Er, well, his buddy bought a dog. From a farm in Ohio. That he found by googling. Bless his heart. Just read this part, change my answer above to “fuck every part of this plan.” 😛 Multi-day road trip in adverse conditions, with a farm dog that’s new to your son? And in a new car? NOPE O P E ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/39 "2018-01-04T22:10:38Z")
> [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > This part confuses me, I’m not sure what the danger is. Is the concern the car will be entirely drifted in an then they die of suffocation? Snow blocks the tailpipe, the engine is running to stay warm, occupants die of carbon monoxide poisoning. > **[Mom, Infant Son Killed by Carbon Monoxide From Snow Stuck in Tailpipe](https://people.com/celebrity/mom-infant-son-killed-by-carbon-monoxide-from-snow-stuck-in-tailpipe/)** > > Sashalynn Rosa and her 1-year-old son Messiah died, and a 3-year-old daughter was in critical condition, police said > **[2 car deaths in Boston tied to carbon monoxide - The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/02/10/boston-boy-dies-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-after-shoveling-out-from-blizzard/dcSmZDfjRSohNDCsAdtBqM/story.html)** > > A 14-year-old Roxbury boy died after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning while taking a break from shoveling inside a car that had a blocked tailpipe Saturday morning, according to the Boston Fire Department. After the boy and his father cleared the... ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820/40 "2018-01-05T03:18:38Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Snow blocks the tailpipe, the engine is running to stay warm, occupants die of carbon monoxide poisoning. If snow (or anything) blocks the tailpipe, the engine will stop within five seconds. Back your car into a snowbank sometime and see what happens. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-son-is-planning-a-cross-country-road-trip-thursday-really-bad-idea-right/805820.md?page=3)