adobian

I will be driving a 2001 allroad from new jersey to northern California, on the i80. Any advice is much appreciated. T

adobian

Should I drive 16 hours straiight per day?

Mike B

No; anything more than 8-10 hours and your judgement will be seriously impaired. You don't want to have an accident.
Have a safe, uneventful and fun trip.

PaperToast

agreement. i did a 15 hour drive once and it about killed me
keep it to 8-12 hours max then get some sleep for the next day

and dont lose it while your going through Nebraska-Wyoming, lots of nothing too look at

Stealth Beige

No, stop for a rest now and then to see some sights. And not the st. Louis ach/grand tetons kind of sights, those deserve a dedicated trip and quality time. I'm talking about the worlds largest ball of twine/Stonehenge built out of old rusty buicks kind of sights. Those are completely absorbable in a nice 15 minute stretch of the legs, with a few photos and stories to tell your friends when you arrive.

Fatigue is the enemy on a long trip. Rest, either in a hotel or at the cowpie throwing hall of fame, will make the trip far better.

Been there, done that (both styles). Trust me.

jav

I agree with what other folks have written - don't bite off too big a chunk at one time. Doing a little reading on long distance motorcycling is done by a lot of folks and you may find it helps. I know that hoping in the car and banging out 800 miles at a crack seems like the way to go sometimes, but consider breaking it up into much, much smaller chunks and dealing with each chunk before even thinking about the next one.

For example, you may want to pick 100 miles as a starting point. You will drive 100 miles (give or take a bit) and then take a mandatory rest stop. So, after 25 miles you get to think to yourself 1/4 of the way done, only 75 miles to go. When you get 50 miles into it you're over half way. 75 miles into it you're 3/4 of the way done. Ten miles more start looking for places to stop and have a break. At the 100 mile mark (ish), take 10 minutes to walk around, look around, decompress, wee and hydrate. Skip caffine to keep going. Stay hydrated!!! By planning for and taking breaks you'll resist the urge to dehydrate yourself just so you don't have to stop as often. DON'T drive until you're ready to drop....you just might before you get there. Adjust your target down if you're getting tired or see something you want to stop at, or up (but not much) based on how you feel, but the breaks will allow you to keep going a lot longer in a much better frame of mind which is safer for you and everyone else.

So yeah, take your time, enjoy the trip. Read up on IronButt and stuff like that and you'll see what I mean. It works.

change2E85

Get a CB. It helps me on endurance drives. I use a handheld with a roof antenna. It's fun to BS with truckers.