Should we drive from Lansing, Mich., to Tucson, Arizona?

Yes, it CAN get to 117 (that was the hottest temp recorded in Tucson - in 1990) and I CAN win Powerball. One should not look at records but to averages. But only God knows what the weather will be.

I am inclined to agree with the idea of flying for this and saving the driving to when you have more time to do it and also spend time in Tucson - we love this area (and have lived 11 different places - 9 when working and now 2 since retiring).

While I'm still thinking about it, since you are going to Tucson, the quickest route is probably the southern route, bypassing Oklahoma and/or Kansas, and most of Missouri. It is one we've taken to get to southern Texas in the least amount of time.

I-69 to I-94 to I-80 to I-57 to I-55 (Sikeston) to I-40 (West Memphis) to I-30 (Little Rock) to I-20 (Dallas/Fort Worth) to I-10 (somewhere west of Pecos). This route makes maximum use of diagonals to shorten the distance, and is almost all flatland (except for some hills in western Arkansas) until you start climbing over the Rockies. At DFW, I would take the I-635 loop around the east side of Dallas to get to I-20 early, rather than I-30 through the Metroplex to the junction west of Fort Worth. I-30 gets seriously tied up with suburban commuter traffic, I-20 is just very busy rural Interstate.

Other than Dallas, the only real hot spots on this are the mess where I-55/40 run together through West Memphis and seems to be permanently under reconstruction, and of course I-80/94 from where they join east of Gary to where I-294 pulls the Chicago traffic away. I've gone through that in less than 25 minutes, and other times I've spent more than a hour creeping through. I have alternative routes from I-94 out of Michigan to I-57 in northwestern Illinois, but they are much slower than staying on the Interstates, if the Interstate are flowing normally.

We went to the Grand Canyon from southern Kentucky a few years ago and all I planned was the quickest route to our destination. I made NO reservations along the way and stopped at a convenient truck stop or rest stop enroute to rest or eat. Made the 3 day drive very easy and pleasant so we could stop and browse if we saw something interesting.

As nice as that trip could be, this sounds like a guaranteed way to make it memorable (not the good kind). What you have outlined is what in younger days we called a bonzi run. My son went to school in RI for a while. (Only 960 miles) We could do that in two days in a mini-van. It would be two real hard days in our coach and our is a comfortable ride.

I have two suggestions:
For this run, ship as much as you can by what ever means and the two of you fly.
For a future run and better time - like spring - pull the youngers out of school (you can bring the lesson plans and books) and do the run as six days each way on the old Route 66. This will be a lesson those kids will never forget.

Matt

I usually take two or three days to drive from just north of Tulsa to Lansing. There are hundreds of possible routes with different places to stop along the way.

What have we done between here and Lansing? A day in Hannibal on three different trips. Visited Popeye's home town in Alton, Amelia Earhart's Birthplace museum in Atchison, Gateway Arch in St Louis. There is Will Rogers birthplace museum in Claremore, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and the transporation museums in Auburn. Twice visited the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart and toured RV factories in Middlebury and Nappanee, visited flea market in Shipshewana. Might visit Walt Disney's home town in Missouri (or maybe Patton's or Montgomery Ward's, all three on the US-36 corridor to Hannibal). Been to the Living History Farm in DesMoines, windmill museums in Pella. The trip to Lansing lets me visit either Madison or Springfield in three states (different routes).

I can make this part of the Lansing trip in one very long (17-18 hour) day on the fastest route (which is I-94 to I-80 to I-55 to I-44) or I can choose among other routes up to 20 hours, spread over two or three days, and see something different each trip, one tourist stop each day. When I do this as a two-day trip, my stop is somewhere between Hannibal and Decatur going east, Hannibal and St Joseph going west. Stops for a three day trip depend on what I'm visiting, where I spent the extra day touring.

Beyond Tulsa (which some people come to visit for as much as a week for what is there) you will have things to drive past like the western heritage and aviation heritage museums in OKC, Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle, two big Route 66 museums between OKC and the Texas state line, and all of New Mexico.

With the amount time you are allowing, you will have to take the fastest route, which limits the places you might visit. You will have no time to visit anything on the way, so you might as well fly over it. For me, even if I was driving, if my time was so limited I would take my car or truck, so I could move faster safely and not lose time getting in and out of campgrounds or RV parks each day.

Make it a two week trip, and it is worth doing by RV; make it a modest loop, one route going down, another going back.

In August, expect daily highs 90-105 F through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, without seeing anything cooler until getting some altitude in the Rockies in New Mexico. Summer heat on the Great Plains tends to break some time after Labor Day. I find it difficult to keep the inside of my class C much lower than 85 F running in the full sunlight at this time of year, running both front and back air conditioners. You'll need to be sure your generator is in good condition, up to running 10-16 hours a day.

For that matter, it is also difficult to keep the inside of my van, or my daughter's minivan, comfortably cool when it is 100F in full sunlight, although in either one the rear A/C will easily freeze you out in Michigan summer weather.

One of the reasons we bought a TT was because we couldn't stand sleeping in a hotel/motel they are so filthy. Ever watch Hotel Impossible, some of those are 4 and 5 star hotels. You will see my point. You never know who slept the last couple for nights and what sicknesses did they have? No thank you.

It will be very hot as others have said, we actually cover our TT in the summer and let it set. I will agree totally with others, make sure your vehicle is prepared for those hot days and nights. One thing about AZ it gets into the teens in the day and cools down to the 90's at night, you just never get a break.

With all this, I would drive.

Wow. You're all amazing. Love the tips and information, especially sdianel's very specific information.
We'll do a family meeting and decide.
Thanks again!

I would drive and break the trip up as follows: 1) St Louis, MO - we stay at the ST Louis West KOA in Eureka MO. 2) Oklahoma City OK - we stay at Twin Fountains RV Resort. 3) Albuquerque NM - American RV Park or Stagecoach RV Park. 4) Tucson AZ - Tucson Lazydays KOA is 7.4 miles from U of A.
Many parks in the area are "over 55" parks.

That is a LONG trip considering the purpose. Me personally, we would be flying.

You're talking 2000 mile in 3 days, basically 700 miles/day. Each way. Count me out. :)

How much stuff is DS taking to college with him? How will said stuff get there if you fly, or will you instead purchase stuff once there? I realize not a vast amount is needed to begin with, but things like laundry baskets, irons, and desk lamps start to add up fairly quickly in airline luggage terms.

I think my stuff fit without too much effort in a sedan when I went to college as a freshman. The collection of stuff grew with each year. When I left after graduation, I needed to rent a U-Haul. (Of course, a large part of that was due to living in an apartment for a couple of years as an upperclassman and so having some actual furniture, kitchen odds and ends, and similar household goods to contend with.)