Corona Cross Country - Bay Area to Maine

Pull over and squirt in the dirt. You ain't in any hurry. If you meet up with the sexiest woman you ever seen in your life and she wants a ride, it could happen lmao, well you don't want a bottle of piss in your passenger seat. That's my 2 cents...

 

Consider getting an AAA membership. Hopefully there will be no reason to need it but it might come in handy if you do. If possible, consider taking just an overnight trip somewhere with your anticipated set-up, even if it is just an hour away or even in your back yard. It is better to find out what doesn't work when you are still making final plans then after you are 500 miles from home and in the middle of nowhere. There are threads on TW for camping stuff and for tools to bring in your Tacoma. You might want to check out both of them for some ideas from people who have been using their Tacoma they way that you intend to. Once you have a rough idea of your route you might want to check the state web site for each state you will pass through to see if there are any weird COVID-19 regulations that might pertain to you. There are also regional threads on here for different parts of the country. Consider subscribing to the threads that are in the areas you will be traveling through and even introducing yourself and what you are going to do. If you need specific guidance or even assistance these threads can be a wealth of information. If it isn't to invasive or won't adversely effect your planned purpose of healing and growth on the trip then use this thread or start a new one that documents your travels. TW has good people as members. If you have to reach out for help you may find a friendly face from TW when you are in a pinch. Enjoy! Safe travels!

 

Not being a wise@ss but you are on the wrong forum for travel advice. Nobody here has taken a Tacoma (or any other vehicle) from Berkely to Maine. I suggest a something like ADV rider or another motorcycle/travel forum. You also say you have never done a long distance trip. You will find more useful information on long distance travel in another forum as well. The LD in my user name stands for Long Distance and I'll generally hit up a motorcycle forum for that type of intel. TW is great for Taco specific info and lots of helpful advice, but probably not so great for general travel. Good luck.

EDIT: You should know that anyone entering Maine MUST quarantine for 14 days. That includes everyone except essential workers. That executive order will be in place at least until June 1. You probably know this, but NY, NJ, CT, and Mass have hundred of thousands of infections and literally tens of thousands of deaths. New England is considered the epicenter of the virus and it is expected to get worse this summer when more people are out and about (it snowed here three days ago). Maine is still relatively virus free due to our remote locations but once summer hits all bets are off..Lots of people out of work here because everything is pretty much shut down. I've been out of work since March 13th

 

Just man up, and stay in the Bay area. Another guy will come along soon.

 

Sorry to hear about your personal relationship situation. That definitely sucks. You can take comfort though in knowing you're not the first, or alone and won't ever be as long as you're a member of this forum. You literally have friends everywhere.


You can attack this adventure a couple ways.

If you wanted to make it as much of a Guy vs Nature & See America trip I would look heavily at as much Overlanding information on forums for each state you intend to drive through. Solo trips like this can be so rewarding but they are also very dangerous. Those guys do this all the time and can provide a lot of excellent information.

If you feel you don't want to prepare for all that and just want to get home, then stick to the more major highways routes. Between states will be faster since the roads are less crowded now but once you get near a metropolis congestion/time will increase.

Regardless which you choose, first and foremost, set up a logical and well planned itinerary, and review it often so you can adjust according to traffic and road conditions. I understand the "Just Go" mentality of things but nothing good ever came from an ill planned solo trip.

Share your itinerary with as many people as you can and select certain ones that won't mind you texting them at the same time every day. I suggest Mom, Dad, siblings first. Or create a group for all of them, then set a reminder on your phone and pick a time you know they will be waiting for your text. Make sure at least one of them confirms they received it, and if not, send another text. Perhaps set up an app on your phones that tracks your progress using GPS that others can see. If you plan on deviating from the itinerary in any way then you must let these people know. It will only take a couple minutes to pull over to send a text and then wait for a reply. My carrier/phone has a function that if I press a physical button more than once it sends out an SOS with a GPS location, and will enable my camera and microphone. I can select who I want it to call.

Also, each state will have it's own Covid 19 restrictions so definitely check out the CDC website, before you leave and along the way. Avoid any areas with higher concentrations of infected people of course. Keep in mind that most businesses that are open are going to deny entry unless you at the very minimum have some sort of mouth and nose covering. Cheap bandannas are great for this and can double as other things in a pinch. They are easily washed and dried.

In general, the weather has been extremely strange recently and northern routes are going to be considerably colder and/or wetter than normal.

I would prepare for the worst possible issues along the way. That way you are ready if it happens, and won't stop your progress.

Depending on your route, you can plan to be close to places that sell things to help with truck repairs along the way should you need them. A lot of auto parts places will loan tools and let you do a repair in their lot in hopes of you buying the parts needed from them. This will save you some room. You might wind up near a forum member willing to drive to you to help out and I am sure that's possible too. I know this has happened in the past. But start a thread and ask for that type of help beforehand and be ready to post your route(s). If the members are sub'd to the thread it will be easier to enable a ICE help network.

But you should definitely take the basics, like a torque wrench, some electrical repair items. Engine hoses are often overlooked and just because your truck is newer doesn't exclude it from a mishap. I would add a tire repair kit. Duct tape is a life saver and can be used for all sorts of things.

If you are going to do the camp along the way thing and you don't have a winch, get a decent come-a-long, a length of truckers chain, rope, paracord, tie-downs all from Harbor Freight. They will be cheaper and will allow you to recover your vehicle if needed and could also come in handy in some of the more primitive camp sites. Remember, parks might be open but maintenance will most likely not have occurred yet. The sites might need a log or two moved. Ax, shovel, hatchet, hand saw, cans of fire gel (these will work to start fires even if the wood is wet), fireproof matches. Solar blanket, plastic bags, and a couple cheap tarps. A 5 gal bucket with a cheap padded toilet seat is a Godsend if you need to go real primitive. Plus it's your throne so you know it's Covid free. I tarp wrapped around a couple close set smaller trees makes a perfect outdoor potty/shower shelter. Don't forget some biodegradable bags or at the very least some cheap 13 gal trash bags you can use to keep the bucket clean. TP TP TP. It is good for more than it's intended for. But without it. Ew.

Basic personal hygiene including baby wipes. Cash (distributed into various stashes), change (quarters), cell phone and a spare charged battery, 2 cell phone chargers. A cheap piece of insurance I have is a cool solar charger that's about the size of a large cell phone that folds out to expose 3 panels, it will keep a phone charged and act as a backup battery when it is charged itself.

Definitely take an extensive first aide kit with all your prescription medications, and any special prescription instructions printed and laminated inside, especially if you have any special medical needs.

No less than two emergency flashlights w/ extra batteries. EDC knife, or three. I have a hand crank radio with NOAA channels. Depending on your cell carrier, you might not always have cell service so be prepared for that.

A lot of states accept firearms but a lot will not let you travel in them with them loaded unless you're a LEO. Definitely check every law on this if you are bringing any home with you. Personally, I would not want to be anywhere in the woods without something if I were by myself so plan accordingly. Sometimes less is more though so an air horn or mace might be all you need, regardless of the emergency.

Naturally, a case of bottle water, or two, some jerky, dried fruit, juice, whatever else you like to eat that can be cooked over an open flame in a pot or a pan. Instant coffee, etc. Stay away from alcohol. Save that for when you get home. Protein based snacks are best.

A blanket and a pillow so no matter when you lay your head, you'll be comfy.

Lastly, I would post up your trip in some regional state threads on here and let people know what you're doing. The people on this forum as so freaking awesome and some might be able to let you camp out on their property in a pinch. At least then you'll feel safer.

I'll be the first to offer. I have a couple acres in the northeastern part of Maryland about 3 miles south of Pa, and closer to the I-95 corridor. You could camp here out back, in relative privacy on soft grass in my yard, and use my electric/water out there and/or my facilities in the house. Of course you could primitive camp out there too if you wanted. However, a warm shower might be nice too before you head north on the final leg of your journey. I'm sure if others offered the same hospitality your parents would be a lot more at ease too.

Good luck and Vaya con Dios!
Rob

 

Great minds think alike Aaron!

 

Speed Week isn't until August anyways and he's going late May - Early June. The rest of the year it just looks like a spot someone forgot to add scenery During the race uis great though, and they really dont care how close you get to the cars as long as you stay away from the on track part of the course.

 

LOL, you aren't serious right? Please tell me you're joking.

Then again, I guess my last 3 medium to long distance moves all done in a Tacoma didn't actually happen.



And nobody has ever made a trip like this in a tacoma before...except for multiple people that have documented it.



Nope, no long distance trips in a Tacoma before.

 

Not Joking. Nobody has taken a vehicle from Berkley to Maine. That includes you ;-)

The destination is Maine, not 600 miles south in Virginia ;-)
Try reading the OPs post: He is looking for trip advice on where to stay, what to see on a trip from (again) Berkley to Maine. It is NOT "can the taco travel long distances?"

Do you get it now? ;-)

 

Way to keep me on my toes. There's been a few dense mofos on here lately and that was right up their alley.

Looks like a SLC to Berkeley to Maine road trip is in order now just to prove you wrong

 

I may just do it in a month. Not sure I really want to go to Berkeley, but maybe

 

I got to tour one of their science labs once, that was cool. But I'm glad I wasn't there more than a couple days.

 

Hey Harry,
https://baltimore.craigslist.org/pts/d/westminster-tacoma-dcsb-truck-tent/7121587620.html

This is what you need. Shipping from here would be cheap but new off Amazon is a good deal too.

Then just leave it in the bed with most of your stuff in it, and throw a tarp over it and tie it down to the corners of the bed, add some ratchet/cinch straps and you're good to go!

 

Drove to CT to Seattle with my best friend ~15 years ago, AWESOME trip in a 2004 Civic Coipe. Lived there for a few years and met my future wife. Then, Seattle to NH with wifey and my folks. Trip was with the same 2004 Civic Coupe and a 2002 Hyundai Elantra and another AWESOME trip. Enjoy the roads less traveled, meet goo folks, light a fire with buffalo turds, drink the good drink, try some local food, and you will feel refreshed. Enjoy the trip my friend

 

Berkeley to Maine? I’d say San Diego to Maine on my next trip out, but if i absolutely need to go to Berkeley to shut some guy up, I might be down for that.

 

My car got broken into when parked overnight at the Omaha Convention Center Hotel. Super bright area with a ton of cars, I was moving from the Bay Area to Ann Arbor and they stole like 70% of my stuff. I loved Omaha before but now it’s sucks. Lock your goodies up homie. Sorry about the break up but the roads trip sounds fun.

 

RnR that's all I gotta say. and some tire plugs

 

@HarryHaller Im planning a trip from ~DC to Seattle, sometime in the next year. I am not really a planner, but more like grab a bag and start driving somewhere.

Usually when I camp, I go to sleep at a decent hour, and then wake up with the sun. I was planning on 12h drive days. I havent gotten much into pee bottles, etc.. When Im camping locally, I like to use this site - www.freecampsites.net, for free camping. It includes Walmart parking lots (which are less than ideal, but will work in a pinch, and you dont have to pay for a hotel). You can also search the map to see where you will be next, and get coordinates/address to head towards.

 

Used to drive that route home to Michigan each year when I was young and in the Navy, and single. One year I looked on the map and ended up driving a two lane route that parallels 80 through Nebraska. Hits all the small towns. Another time we went down through Colorado and toured the Coors brewery. Sorry, can't help with campgrounds.

 

I haven't driven anywhere near that far during covid19, but I have been on a few weekend road trips in Minnesota. My experience is limited to Minnesota. YMMV.

Bring toilet paper. The outdoor biffies are all closed.

Campgrounds are closed. Expect to commando camp.

State forests and parks are generally open, but there are exceptions.

Hotels are open, but some are restricted to "business travel".

Weather here is all over the place. 30F, snow, and rain last weekend. 80's and sun forecasted next week. Bring appropriate camping gear.

No mosquitos yet.

Gasoline is super cheap!

Have fun. Sorry about your loss.