Corona Cross Country - Bay Area to Maine

Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.
Charles Kuralt

Old Charles nailed it dead nuts with that quote. Spend as much time off the big road as possible and drink in this great land!

 

Hey Rob!

 

I'd roughly go...

Day 1: Berkely,CA to Salt Lake City, Utah
Day 2: SLC, Utah to Colorado springs, CO
Day 3: Colorado springs, CO to St. Louis or KC Missouri
Day 4: St. Louis or KC Missouri to Pittsburgh, PA
Day 5: Pittsburgh, PA to Saratoga Springs, NY
Day 6: Saratoga Springs, NY to your specific Maine destination

Find KOAs along the way to can camp or walmart parking lots which let people sleep in their parking lot for free.... walmarts also provide an opportunity to use bathroom and/or replenish food/drinks. Use drivethru for dining whenever possible..fill up anytime you pass a gas station and are between 1/2 and 1/4 tank... (unless on a major highway with gas exits frequently)

I would sell or donate anything you're not willing to cram inside your truck unless it has some priceless sentimental value... use the proceeds to funds the trip and re-buy the items you determine you need after getting resettled somewhere post living with family in Maine and the Covid crisis...

Give yourself a fresh oil change before departing and upon arrival in Maine. Carry a roll of paper towels to handle gas pumps and buttons at the pump and also keep your windows clean... agree a bottle to go to the bathroom is advisable...

The good news is Gas is cheap so expenses along the way should be minimal... especially if you pack a cooler or take most of your food... nothing wrong with eating PBJ for a week... if you have a camping stove you could cook soup on your tailgate as well at a rest stop...

Good luck and God speed

 

almost forgot.. lots of great music, podscasts or audio books especially make time fly... The Martian is a great audio book, Artemis is another one... both space related but time flies when your into the storyline...

 

My biggest concern, I am finding Public Restrooms closed. I was on a KOA site that I first noticed bathrooms closed for the year.

 

A 5 gallon bucket, a padded toilet seat, a 13 gal trash bag. Place towels or other types of window coverings over all windows (sun shades also work great) not just for privacy but for not being arrested for exposing yourself. Put the bucket on the floor of the passenger side. Put the seat back vertical and then slide the seat all the way back. There should be just enough room to sit on the bucket. If not, use a shorter bucket and put it on the back seat. If you have a cap or a tent all of this becomes so much easier.

 

Just a quick heads up in Colorado I 25 south of Denver (Castle Rock) to Colorado Springs in under construction and its about 1 to 2 hours out of your way(pending traffic) from I 70 East

 

Oh, not saying that there isn’t a work around. For my purposes, I’m thinking about 4 of us for 3 weeks.

 

What, isn't your truck a 4 seater?

 

Time for the toilet seat mod

 

Hi!

Depends, I’ll have to check Cessna’s tow ratings. What’s the biggest tire I can fit with a 3000’ lift? Lol.

Will do!

 

Great freaking response!

 

Thank you for the clear description (and laughs) for idiots like me. I did acquire a softopper and will be installing that before I push off, so thankfully will have privacy in there if needed.

I have a tent if there happens to be convenient camping on or near my route, but my primary sleeping plan is to be in the 5' truck bed (with bedmat) with the tailgate down, softopper deployed, and mosquito netting (and potentially tarp) covering the open tailgate area. I would really like to just toss my beat up, flexible 3" Ikea foam mattress on the truck bed for sleeping because it's comfortable, but am worried about moisture issues with the topper generally not being water tight and tailgate gap letting moisture in at night. I wonder if putting some sort of moisture barrier over my sleeping bag and the mattress would help. The alternative would be to simply use my camping sleeping pad, which would be less comfortable but also less susceptible to moisture and funkiness.

As a general update on the trip, I've decided to first head up to Bozeman, where I'll stay with a friend and work from his house for a week. Will then take 7-9 days to make my to Maine, with two definite waypoints being Denver/Boulder (as a potential longer-term relocation destination) and South Dakota points of interest (thanks to all the recommendations in this thread).

I won't stop thanking everyone for their contributions here, so thanks again, all. Glad to see others finding it helpful too.

 

If you smiled it worked, if you laughed then I succeeded! It sounds like this distraction worked.


Ditch that sponge like mattress and get an inflatable and a pump.

I hear Colorado is beautiful all year long.

 

This sounds like the guy asking everyone for a bottle to pee in on a Greyhound I once took cross country in my later teen years. Personally, I’d use a shovel, not a friggen bucket in my cab. But I guess if you are in a city...

 

I've never squatted on or over a shovel but I guess there's always a first for everything.

I traveled frequently back in the mid 70's thru the 80's and every Greyhound I was on had a bathroom.
It was essentially a mobile outhouse because it didn't flush but in a "pinch" it sure beat holding it for 4 hours.

 

Squatted on or over a shovel?

 

keep us update, long the way, as you make your trip