Roadtrip questions: Nevada to Vancouver

[michelel72]

I've just found this community, so hello! It may be odd for a USian to be asking this question, but I live in New England and I've never driven anywhere west of Louisiana, so I hope this is all right.

I have a character (Rodney McKay of Stargate: Atlantis, in case that affects anyone's answers) who needs to drive from Nellis AFB, Nevada, to

Comments

[michelel72]

This does help a lot, thanks. (I drove an East Coast trip that Google said was 18 hours, and it was two full days of driving with a stopover night, and I can only blame about one hour of that on traffic, so I'm not a good person to judge the accuracy of travel time projections!) I've checked the historical weather for the area by Wunderground, and it looks reasonable to presume there isn't any significant snow or ice to deal with.

There's a decent chance he'd hit that mountain area you mention in the predawn hours, though, if I'm figuring correctly. I wouldn't want to drive it in those conditions by your description, but this character is on the confident side (she understated). So it sounds as though his expectations aren't completely impossible, even if they don't prove accurate. Hooray!

I haven't yet decided if I'm going to write the drive itself, but you've given me some very helpful material in case I do. I'm glad to hear there are signs warning of services gaps -- I think he would heed those, so it's good to know he would have some warning. I knew about the OR/NJ pumping laws but had forgotten that they would likely affect this scenario, and that gives me ideas for a scene or two. Hee. Thank you!

[phoenix_melody]

We made an 860 mile trip (most of which is along the route your character will be taking) somewhere between 13 and 14 hours, including stops and some heavy traffic in one of the bigger cities. We stayed very close to the speed limit (never going more than about 7 mph over), too. I think the 20 hours is a good estimate, but he will need an extra hour or two for stops. He could get away without food stops if he had enough time to prep--just get a little cooler and fill it with ice and food. The smaller ones would fit on the floor by the passenger seat.

FYI, in rural areas of Utah and Idaho, the speed limit goes up to 75 mph. In Oregon it drops down to 65 mph, no matter how rural the area.

I'm glad my info could help! Sounds like you have an interesting story to write. Best of luck.