Long Haul Travel Planning

[Prerylyon]

I just looked at the calendar and realized that it's like just 6-8wks b4 i head back out west on the hunt I have planned. For me, living in the upper midwest, I'm looking at 900 miles in and out. Many of you guys will do more, some less.

For those traveling more than 500 miles at sane highway speeds, how do you plan the drive?

If its more than 1 hunter, driving can be done in shifts, and has obvious benefits.

Solo guys-like me this year-probably should be realistic and pace themselves.

In my case, I'm going do the trip in 2 legs. I'll probably drive to the Rapid City, SD area, which for me will be almost 11 hrs of driving. I'll start early in the morning and probably camp at a glampy KOA that 1st nite, arriving right at sunset. As I get older-45 now-I realize I get tired - I'm not Superman and don't like driving more than about 4 hrs in the dark.

Next day, I'll get up at twilight and have a 4 hr run to my hunt unit. I'll have plenty of daylight to find a basecamp, while well rested, and have a good bit of the day left to begin the hunt.

What do you do? What's your long distance travel game plan to be time efficient, yet safe on the road?

Regards,

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[JimP]

I'm lucky I live in my hunting unit here in Colorado so I sleep in a nice warm bed and have a nice hot shower when I get home at night.

However, when I head to Arizona for my javelina hunt it is a 800 mile drive, both freeway and 2 lane. I'll pick up my partner 120 miles into the trip and then head south so to speak. We have some friends in Mesa, Arizona which is a 9 1/2 hour drive from his house. We'll then spend the night there before heading to the hunting grounds another 100 miles away.

But on the return trip we hit the hay real early before we leave, then get up around 2:30 and are on our way by 3am. We'll drive straight through to my friends house in about 11 hours non stop. I'll then drive the rest of the way to my home in another 2 hours. The quickest I have made it is right around 13 hours of driving with only a couple of stops and swapping gear from one truck to another.

No matter how you look at it it turns into a haul. I have ran into a road closure where I just got a motel room to a person committing suicide by cop which closed the freeway down for 7 hours, I just had to make the best of it.

Last December when I headed down to the Arizona/Mexico border for my coues deer hunt I was driving solo. I drove for 9 hours and then got a motel room. Had a nice night and then finished it off the next morning.

But weather can change anything at anytime.

 

[LCH]

Between anticipation and caffeine, I can do 20 hours fairly easy by myself. Leave home at 4 AM ET, drive until around 10 PM MT, still get a full night's sleep on either side. If I'm going further than that, I usually will pull over at a Walmart or rest area to catch some zzzs in the vehicle.

Now if I had as much time as I wanted, I'd go slow and leisurely and check stuff out along the way. But I'm usually pressed for time.

 

[WapitiBob]

I drive 1000 miles one way to wyoming, solo, stop only for fuel.

Dont eat, just a cpl snacks.

 

[D_Dubya]

My usual Colorado hunting grounds are right at 1000 miles from my driveway. I’ve done it solo and with up to 3 other guys in the truck. With 4 drivers it’s a super easy trip, leave after work drive straight thru, no problem. Solo is a little tougher, I still leave right after work but drive anywhere from 8-10 hours, stop and sleep for 2-3 hours and hit the road again. Getting my there is not really the problem...the last half of the drive home is usually the worst part for me.
This year I have two guys riding with me to Colorado for first rifle elk - we’ll drive straight thru. Then a week after I get back from that my wife is going with me on a northern NM deer hunt, we’ll probably get a hotel room on the way up and back.

 

[Prerylyon]

The longest drive I ever did for a western hunt was 16 hrs deep into northwestern WY several years ago.

I got to the 'motel' (snowmobile cabin really) wicked late and was super tired. Lots of coffee kept me going. I only stopped to feed the truck, and scheduled the bio breaks accordingly.

Everyone's tolerance is different, but 16 hrs kicked my @$$. I found out what my safe limit was that day; and fortunately didn't have any seriously regretable consequences, like falling asleep at the wheel and buying the farm.

I was meeting an outfitter at noon the next day at my motel, so I could have easily made it a less taxing drive by splitting the drive hours-say 11 and 5 instead the full 16-and not really been any the worse for punctuality.

On the other hand, outrunning weather might push you to drive harder. Or, just some human nature desire to get the driving over with, make the most of time off.

For me solo, 11 hrs behind the wheel is my limit. Sure, I'll have more of a 'setup' day and miss the morning hunt on my 1st day, but I'll also have full daylight and a night's rest to find a good site for my basecamp.

Regards,

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[go_deep]

Everyone is different, and everyday is different. When I lived in Wisconsin I would drive all day, and overnight to hunt out west, and not think twice about it. Once drove from west of island park Idaho to Cameron Wisconsin, unloaded the truck, then drove to the UP of Michigan for a wedding, and still drove home that night. It was about 26 hours of driving. Now as I get older I appreciate a good couple hours of sleep.
An extra day of vacation can be really hard to use sometimes for travel, but the extra time can make a trip a lot more enjoyable, and safe.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

About 1,200 miles one way to Utah where we hunt. Fortunately there are three drivers so we drive straight through. Leave after work and get there late the next evening. Hotel overnight and hit it early the next morning to drive the 70 or so miles to base camp after buying groceries. We generally get there the day before the season opens.

 

[labahertd]

Last year I went from Redoso New Mexico to Rock Springs. Almost 1000 miles. Caught a motel there and then I figured out driving that far gave me an extra day before I had to be in camp. This year my trip is just over 750 miles so I will either stop in Windover UT. or push to Evanston. Depends on how I feel and the weather.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hoshour]

I drive solo from NC. My CO area is 26 hours each way according to Google Maps but add in stops for fuel and meals and there is no way really to do it in less than 28 hours. It is a two-day PITA for both directions.

It's a lot of podcasts, music, prayer and time to think, not bad uses of time, but I'd rather save a day and the miles on my truck by flying out. But then I pay a ton to rent a pickup and worry about it the whole time and then spend hundreds to fly meat back.

If I shared driving with someone, we might get there a day earlier, but I'd lose a night of sleep. I can't sleep on a plane, even flying overseas overnight, and that would be even worse in the back of a truck, worrying about entrusting my life to someone not falling asleep at 3 am.

 

[kelso]

I have in yrs past just powered through 14 to 17 hr. drives to get where I'm hunting. I am headed 1071 miles later this month to go antelope hunting and have decided that I'm driving 12 hrs to Bozeman and getting a good nights sleep, then up early and the remaining 5 hrs in the AM. Getting to old to drive for that long then feel like ya got to get out and look around. No fun feeling like @#$%.

 

[nv-hunter]

I'm normally not driving far just across Nevada but it seems like I always have to work a full day then drive. Worst trip was 8 hours to Twin falls after my son's football game to be there for 8 am bull riding. For me it just depends on the day if I get in a groove Its easy.

 

[Prerylyon]

Music is a must for the long ride. I seldom get bored with my Pandora stations, but I shut it off from time to time to sample the airwaves. I enjoy the local soundscape: from hypnotic pow wow music, new age ranchers ranting about their alternative crops, to fanatical preachers. Keeps it real and interesting.

Snacks for me are usually some variation of trail mix; heavy on nuts. A banana is not a bad idea either. Coffee is a given. Coffee is about the only food item I spend $ on during the long ride out. Just too far for my homebrew to hold up that long in the thermos. Each truck stop has its blends. Sapp Brothers is prob my favorite. I like the coffee at Pilot and Flying J too.

Regards,

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[mallardsx2]

Drove it straight through many times.

27 Hours never turned the truck off.

Limit fuel stops / bathroom breaks the best you can.

I hate stopping. If I could carry enough diesel to not stop anywhere besides the side of the road to water the flowers I would.

I am paranoid about my truck getting broke into and all of my stuff getting stolen at night so I rarely use hotels.

I may be the worst person to drive with because when I get behind the wheel I hold it 9MPH over the posted speed limit and I dont stop unless someone is literally going to piss themselves or I am going to run out of fuel...haha

Last trip out there I smoked a red fox at 2:00AM going about 79MPH in the Jeep compass. lol I figured for sure I destroyed some plastic but as it turns out it just knocked some dirt off the bumper.

Safe travels to all of you guys hunting the west this year. Watch those big trucks.

 

[Winchester]

I too have driven very long distances straight thru like lot's of folks here.
I also fell sound asleep once (even though I thought I felt fine) and proceeded to total my rig.
I walked away without a scratch but I shouldn't have ... I probably should have been killed.
Now I don't mind taking a couple of pit stops and stopping for the night to get some sleep.

 

[HuskyMusky]

I prefer to wake up extra early, rather than start my drive at 10pm etc... my belief is that 4am is better than a 10pm start.

If you get tired, pull over or wake someone up! I finding if I'm talking to someone I can stay up forever, but with everyone asleep... can nod off much more easily.

Coffee, red bull, but don't be unsafe driving!

 

[mallardsx2]

Had a friend of a friend make it the whole way to North Dakota one year and at 3:00AM hit a patch of black ice and total his truck and his duck boat. He said the boat went 75 yards down the road... Its a funny story to hear him tell but only because nobody got hurt. He said he was wide awake then he was flipping end over end. Guy in the back seat was up against what was left of the windshield when the truck stopped rolling. Nobody got a scratch. Just bruised up badly.

Complete loss on everything and he never did find his duck calls (~$500). Thinks the cops stole them from his truck looking for open container/alcohol. He had some nice calls.

 

[hoshour]

I too have driven very long distances straight thru like lot's of folks here.
I also fell sound asleep once (even though I thought I felt fine) and proceeded to total my rig.
I walked away without a scratch but I shouldn't have ... I probably should have been killed.
Now I don't mind taking a couple of pit stops and stopping for the night to get some sleep.

All it takes is one time not snapping back from your eyes crossing or nodding off and you could kill more than yourself - some family or some kid's mom or dad. Plus, it really takes a lot out of the first couple days if you arrive trashed from not getting enough sleep. It's worth it to pull over for a bit or find a hotel.

 

[Winchester]

All it takes is one time not snapping back from your eyes crossing or nodding off and you could kill more than yourself - some family or some kid's mom or dad. Plus, it really takes a lot out of the first couple days if you arrive trashed from not getting enough sleep. It's worth it to pull over for a bit or find a hotel.

I agree sir.

 

[88man]

I have made the long Journey From Pa to the western states over 25 times driving. The drive to Arizona was long! Most of the trips have been a little over 1800 miles one way. Pulled a trailer on half the trips. Some of the trips a 4wheeler in the bed of the truck with coolers and tents strapped tight. Some of the things that happened along the way. 1. a tire and wheel came off a tractor trailer in ohio on route 80 and impacted my driver side door, it didn't break any windows but crunched the doors and made them inoperable and the AIRbags went off in the truck! We cut the bags out and completed the trip. 2. Blew two trailer tires in Nebraska on the way home once about and hour apart on route 80. 3. Coil pack went bad once will pulling a trailer had to stop at a autoparts store and we replaced the coil and spark plug in the parking lot. 4. Broke a front right shock and upper control arm hitting a deep hole in the middle of the red dessert once. That sidelined us two days. 5. First trip ever heading to Cody throw out bearing went bad on clutch about 100 miles from home and was totally gone somewhere in the midwest but we limped to Cody and borrowed a truck til it got repaired thank god we bumped into some really good folks!
So for me the drive has always been part of the adventure and something that needed to be accomplished on the DIY Hunts. As far as stops and stay overs> We left Pa at 10pm, ate dinner in Cheyenne Wy at 10Pm the next day, killed two antelope around Kaycee by noon and Hunted Colorado the next morning.
However, I honestly believe the best part of all the trips have been the people we meet while on the hunts and have shared camp stories with. Most we never stayed in touch with but did meet up with at the same places over the years. The guys from California we met in the red desert in 2009, the Vermont guys in colorado in the early 2000's, lots of mid western guys at various camps, some colorado guys who became friends, wyoming guys who were so friendly,