Trip Routing - Interstates Vs. Country Roads

Cyclonic

This discussion was created from comments split from: Full Load of water while traveling.

Verna

On the trip back home from Tearstock, I had less than a half tank of water, drove 55 to 60 mph on two lane state roads and I got the second best mileage towing I've ever gotten towing the T@B -- just under 18 mpg. (The best was 20 mpg with a 25 mph tail wind.)  So, now to figure out two lane 55 mph state roads going to AZ

Nomad

Verna - Two lane backroads, the only way to go. Good way to see the country also.

Photomom

PXLated said:

Verna - Two lane backroads, the only way to go. Good way to see the country also.

We'll be driving to Maine on 2 lane roads! We figure if we're doing 55, might as well see something. 

Cyclonic

PXLated said:

Verna - Two lane backroads, the only way to go. Good way to see the country also.

Could not agree more.  Towing a T@B does change how you get from point A to point B, and to me, it is for the better.

Verna

To get to AZ in late December is a challenge on the interstates. Trying to miss snow, ice and wind storms is not an easy task. Although I prefer the two lane roads, that timing is not always available, but the change in gas mileage will make me look a bit closer at the different routes. 

Cyclonic

I feel a split topic coming on

It depends on routing.  Coming home from Tearstock, I routed myself with very little interstate travel.  It was shorter route (324 compared to 339) but with slower speeds, and a couple of towns in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  Overall, I estimate I would have saved about 45 minutes over the course of the trip had I taken the interstate. 

To me the nicer drive coupled with the better mileage worked this time, but as you said, when you just have to get there, you still can't beat the interstate system.

Verna

@Cyclonic my trip was 3 hours longer. But....I was heading west on US 36, lost it, found it, lost it (look at it in western Ohio), then I found US 40 and somehow I found US 36 again. I have no idea how!  It was so nice to not have the super chuckholes of the interstates, and very little traffic.  I could not have traveled for 9 hours (with food and potty stops) had I been on the interstates. 

Cyclonic

Looking at the map, I see how you could have done that, if you missed the turn near Greenville, OH.  It is, in ways, more challenging to travel this way as well.

Returning from my longer trip last month, I decided to come directly across WV on, what the map showed, US 33 and then US 48.  Problem is, US 48 is not complete yet as a US route and was marked different things in different places, partly US 33, partly US 119, partly a state route in places.  Fun, but I finally found my bearings and popped out into Virginia just West of Winchester, where I wanted to be.

I will tell you, the parts of the road that are done are amazing, lightly traveled, and running along the Allegheny ridges with spectacular views.  Also went through several nice little WV towns.  All worth it to me, I was not in a terrible hurry.  If I were, yeah, I-64 all the way, even though it goes a bit out of the way, it is reliable and I would know where I was.

Nomad

If you're on a vacation and time is constrained, you can't beat the freeways for getting from point A to B. And in some areas it's the only way to get someplaces as the backroads just don't exist or are not suitable. But in many areas, the old two-lane highways parallel the freeways and the backroads (Cty/St) are just great.
I think we've all been programmed by the frantic pace of everyday life and it's hard to just throw it to the wind, relax and enjoy the journey as much as the destination.

Mouseketab

I still travel the interstates, granted, I poke along at 60 on them, but for me, I like the steady traffic, no slowdowns through little towns at 35, and circling town squares. Also, tend to have more reliable cell service on the interstates.
I still work, so my vacation time is limited, so need to get there. Some day, I'll "travel on teardrop time", just not yet.

Nomad

Half the fun is the small towns :-)
About the only time it's a pain is in the fall during harvest time and all the equipment is out and on the backroads.

Machak88

We too prefer country roads, which are usually both scenic and well maintained. We mainly travel to various state parks around GA, so generally our trips are short-distance (100-200 miles one way).  Gass mileage is better than on the interstate, but more important aspect is that the country roads simply provide a much more pleasant travel experience. Small town GA rocks

Librarydragon

We just got back from our trip to Wyoming. 4,414 miles of back roads.

ChanW

Interstates are great for getting you through a big city without dealing with traffic lights.

Nomad

But even better...Avoid big cities :-)

ChanW

Heh! Still have some learning to do!

jbug10

PXLated said:

But even better...Avoid big cities :-)

I do as much as I can, especially towing through them on interstates.  The Semi trucks don't bother me, it's the crazy merging city traffic that freaks me out sometimes!

Cyclonic

PXLated said:

But even better...Avoid big cities :-)

Not always something you can do around here, just something you learn to live with.

Mouseketab

jbug10 said:

PXLated said:

But even better...Avoid big cities :-)

I do as much as I can, especially towing through them on interstates.  The Semi trucks don't bother me, it's the crazy merging city traffic that freaks me out sometimes! 

In most cases I ride in the right lane on the interstate, but going through cities, I've learned to stay in the next to right lane. That way the merging traffic has room to merge and I don't have to keep getting out of the way, and I avoid the often time right lane becoming "exit only" Also, my nav system tells me what lane I need to be in about a mile a head of time, so I have plenty of time to get where I need to be.

ChanW

Yep, when Google Maps upgraded to giving lane-change information ahead of time, was when it became really useful for me, rather than just "pretty cool". Interstate driving around unfamiliar cities became a breeze, rather than exhausting.

Mouseketab said:

... my nav system tells me what lane I need to be in about a mile a head of time, so I have plenty of time to get where I need to be.