Am I crazy (Road Trip Plan)

"64Mali" (ctaaffe64) 01/06/2016 at 17:15 • Filed to: RoadTrip

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So my wife and I have always enjoyed driving and we seem to drive everywhere. So after I gave her her Christmas present we started talking about planning a very long road trip.

Quick background, this is her Christmas present (wrenches play a big part in our family) The top is the license plates of where our families are from (Mine Left, Hers Right) and below are all the places we have been as a family (since having our daughter)

As you can see we have been slacking in the last 2 years since having her. One of the plates I really want is the Bear Shaped one from the North West Territories. One thing led to another and we decided that in 2017 or 2018 we are going to take a trip out there.

The biggest issue is time as its a roughly 60 hour straight drive. The other thought is to head to Alaska while we are out there. So this is the proposed route, Unfortunately it means about a month from work to relax so parts of the trip might be changed.

https://goo.gl/maps/Qmh7dAKkq…

It Covers 8 Canadian Providences and 15 US States. Why Do I have to live on the wrong side of the country to see all the cool stuff. As I said route might have to be tweaked a bit or broken up somehow so we can actually stop places and do more than travel, especially since we will be bringing our daughter along.

I also realized that I would not trust any of my current cars to be able to a journey like this and still carry extra fuel, parts etc.

I had been thinking of finding a nice Crew Cab extended bed pickup as a daily driver anyways so this might finally be the justification. Granted any truck will need some mods to it. Extended tanks, Spare parts, etc.

So OPPO am I crazy for wanting to take a wife and a would be 5yo on a trip like this?

For Sweden > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:18

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Why extended tanks?

64Mali > For Sweden 01/06/2016 at 17:19

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Id rather have a large internal capacity for Fuel rather than carry Jerry cans on the roof or in the bed. There are some stretches of road where it seems it can be a few hundred miles between gas stations when you start heading to the NWT and Alaska.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:21

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I like that you steal license plates whereever you go...ahh, tradition....

64Mali > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 01/06/2016 at 17:23

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Shh, not all were stolen, some were purchased semi legally through E-Bay. And I have a surplus of all my old MA plates. Quick Trivia the MA plate is actually off the car that brought my Daughter home from the hospital.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > For Sweden 01/06/2016 at 17:24

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OHOHOH! I can answer that! (I loved in Alaska, so driving through Canada was part of my yearly travels.) It’s for his plans to tour northern Canada and Alaska. There are ridiculously long distances between gas stations in some of those areas. Jerry cans work well, but aren’t particularly safe in a collision.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:25

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That’s cool. Out here in CA, the plates have to go when the car goes.

64Mali > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 01/06/2016 at 17:26

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Ill still find one somehow. Or I’ll just grab it off some car along the way. I got my Hawaii plate like that, found it abandoned in Forrest area while hiking, and people question while I always carry a screwdriver...

HammerheadFistpunch > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:32

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I have a 4 year old and I think she wouldn’t enjoy being in the car this much...but...I think it can be done.

lone_liberal > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:35

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Sounds both fun and exhausting! One small suggestion, I90 across Washington is extremely boring between Spokane and about Cle Elum. If you have the time head north from Spokane and take SR20 across. You won’t be sorry.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:36

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A man’s gotta be prepared for everything. A towel and a screwdriver makes that possible.

64Mali > HammerheadFistpunch 01/06/2016 at 17:42

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Shes 2 right now and been doing pretty good with long drives, we have done 3 hours in a car no problem as long as we can get some running when we stop. She has been a traveling nomad since she was pried out going back and forth between home and the hospital after she was born.

64Mali > lone_liberal 01/06/2016 at 17:42

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oooh

JustAnotherG6 > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:43

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The longest road trip we have taken our boys on is from Minneapolis out to Yellowstone via the Black Hills then home through North Dakota. Wifey planned the route so we weren’t in the car for more than a 6 hr. stint in order to give the kids a break. They were troopers at 4 & 6 (or maybe 5 & 7 I honestly don’t remember when that was.)

64Mali > JustAnotherG6 01/06/2016 at 17:46

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Yeah that is why I need at least a year of planning to do “potty” stops. For my long drives its usually every 200 miles (that was 1/2 a tank on my car) or roughly 3-4 hours.

JustAnotherG6 > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:50

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Full disclosure: we regularly drive 6 hrs (1-4 times a year) to visit my parents so our boys have had practice. Also, both our mini-vans have gone the entire trip without needing to stop for gas. (400 - 450 miles total at 75-80 mph. ‘07 Dodge Grand Caravan and a ‘12 VW Routan)

HammerheadFistpunch > 64Mali 01/06/2016 at 17:51

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I also have a 2 year old and to that I add.

NOPE!

Our road trips as a family are about 3-5 hours in car max.

64Mali > JustAnotherG6 01/06/2016 at 17:55

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I think I weep for the range on my Wife’s CX-9 I don’t think I can get 400 miles to a tank on that car. I plan on doing some practice trips in the time between to get the kinks out before jumping in a car for near a month.

Wacko > 64Mali 01/07/2016 at 12:32

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your route passes 500 meters from my house.

I live in rouyn-noranda quebec

64Mali > Wacko 01/07/2016 at 13:32

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I might take a pre trip to Quebec in the summer actually