LoRoad
Adventurer
You may or may not find this helpful: http://www.StandHere.net
We're moving across the county! Adventure advice wanted.
- Thread starter A3M0N
- Start date
4runnerLover
New member
Well it could be perfect and sunny, or record snowfall, its a crapshoot. Early spring the sierras get a good amount of snow usually. Id suggest stoping at lake tahoe, a sight you will never forget
Butch1979
Family Adventurer
I would buy chains. That area can get hit pretty quickly and they mandate 4x4 or chains. Donner pass is no joke, ask the Donner party
A3M0N
Observer
Donner pass is no joke, ask the Donner party
I'd rather not meet them!
Would taking hwy 50 south of Lake Tahoe into Sacramento then up to Beale be a better idea? Considering our lack of snow traveling experience. Then we could take 4runnerLover's advice and eat lunch near Lake Tahoe.
I would buy chains. That area can get hit pretty quickly and they mandate 4x4 or chains. Donner pass is no joke, ask the Donner party
So far this year the need for chains has been minimal. Too minimal actually - just ask any municipal water utility... That said, get some chains. You may not need them this trip or even this year, but like Butch said they sometimes mandate them or at least require you to have them with you to proceed even on major highways/interstates. We technically have 3 levels of chain controls and at the worst even a full 4x4 with snow tires would have to have chains but typically the roads are closed before they ever get to that level.
Best to have a set you can throw in the car when traveling in the mountains pretty much any time between roughly November and May. In a 'good' year, some passes won't open until June, but of course the major interstates won't suffer that fate. Still, you don't want to find an unexpected chain control and not be able to get to your destination or be scrambling around trying to buy a set from some local retailer at 200% mark-up at the last minute.
As for moving from FL to CA - well done sir, well done. CA has plenty of problems that I'm sure the haters will be quick to point out but it's still SO much better than Florida if you like the outdoors. I mean, how can you trust a state who's highest point is an overpass?
A3M0N
Observer
I really like where we live, I love being so close to the Gulf and the Choctawhatchee Bay. We can hop in the car and drive 5 minutes and be fishing and wading in the bay. Just don't cut your foot up on rocks in the bay like I did. Yuck. But you're right, hiking and camping in the panhandle leaves much to be desired.
While Beale AFB wasn't our first choice, the Air Force said go. We are, however, very excited about the mountains, redwoods, Tahoe, and snow. We can't wait to learn to snowboard, the kids love the idea of snow every year. I grew up camping with spiders and rattlesnakes, not bears though. It's gonna be interesting.
Thanks for the info about chains. Are tire cables acceptable? I've found some pretty good prices on cables at Amazon.
While Beale AFB wasn't our first choice, the Air Force said go. We are, however, very excited about the mountains, redwoods, Tahoe, and snow. We can't wait to learn to snowboard, the kids love the idea of snow every year. I grew up camping with spiders and rattlesnakes, not bears though. It's gonna be interesting.
Thanks for the info about chains. Are tire cables acceptable? I've found some pretty good prices on cables at Amazon.
4runnerLover
New member
Cables would be acceptable if they were mandated.they work well,chains work better though, they just take more of a toll on the road
Our bears are pansies...nothing to be worried about. I'm from the Midwest originally but have been in CA for about 15 years now. Not going back any time soon. I did just spend about 4 weeks in Florida for work (I'm in the boating business, so Florida is hard to avoid) and that was enough to tide me over for quite a while. Just looking at all the different license plates it's obvious many, many people like it there, but I'm perfectly happy to limit my visits.
Now if only I could get some clients to ship their boats to Moab or Colorado....
Now if only I could get some clients to ship their boats to Moab or Colorado....
A3M0N
Observer
We just finished day 6. We've stopped for the night at Shreveport, LA, Wichita Falls, TX, San Angelo, TX, Alamogordo, NM, Tucson, AZ, and we're currently in Flagstaff, AZ. Our plans to camp at the Grand Canyon and Death Valley are a bust, both campgrounds are full! But we really aren't prepared for 30* temps anyway.
We did travel 89a through Sedona as was suggested, it was beautiful! We're going to visit the Grand Canyon tomorrow morning, then take Route 66 for a bit into Nevada for the night.
3 more days and we'll be in northern California.
We did travel 89a through Sedona as was suggested, it was beautiful! We're going to visit the Grand Canyon tomorrow morning, then take Route 66 for a bit into Nevada for the night.
3 more days and we'll be in northern California.
Mauka2Makai
Explorer
We'll be heading the opposite way... SoCal to Northern Florida this summer. Will definitely be referencing this thread for ideas. Thanks for paving a path. Stay safe and happy travels to NorCal.
A3M0N
Observer
Have a good trip! Ours was good, I missed the camping though, my kids were pretty bummed too. We diff get to see some pretty neat sights though. The biggest hitch was I-80 through northern California, we hit the snow last Saturday. Luckily I did some research and bought snow chains, but didn't get to practice installing them. I paid a guy to put them on our vehicles but he taught me how while he did it. I'll post a few pictures up.