Forum Discussion

FB_Grateful_Dad's avatar
Apr 23, 2017

DC to Maine

We're planning to pick up our daughter and son-in-law in DC and head to Maine this summer. I really don't want to drive through the metropolises (metropoli, metropoles???) comprising a large percentage of the population of the country. Any suggestions? Thanks as always,

8 Replies

  • Thanks all. I was denied access to the GW bridge several years ago in a Class C because of propane. Then turned up the Palisades Parkway, and got pulled over because no trucks allowed. Someone actually phoned 911 to report me. Nice officer helped us figure it out. He was NJ, not NY.
  • Don't want to post the same thing twice. Hazmat is not a worry unless you have over 220# single or 440# combined for propane. Check before you go!
  • You could also play truck driver, and drive by night. NYC is very pretty from the Jersey side at night. I no longer know the hazmat rules for the tunnels and GW Bridge (the Cross Bronx goes under apartment buildings and propane used to be regulated) so I would cross farther north, or check the rules. Thirty years ago, I made this trip many times leading a truck convoy to do work in NYC up through Maine (even one job in New Brunswick). We always aimed for 9 pm to 4 am. Breakfast at the first truck stops in Conn.

    Don't break down on the Cross Bronx, even your RV could be stripped before the tow truck arrives. Just picking on the New Yorkers, wife is a Jersey girl.
  • gbopp wrote:
    We take I-81 north to Scranton PA, then I-84 east into New England.
    I start heading north around the Hartford CT area. I don't go anywhere near Boston MA.
    .


    Same here - I go west from D.C. To I-81 and then 84. There's an outer loop around Boston which bypasses the city and then we get back on 95 N. Once in Maine, I planned our first trip on Route 1 to see as many lighthouses as possible, starting with the Nubble at Cape Neddick. We had a great couple of weeks on the Maine coast and loved every minute.
  • We take I-81 north to Scranton PA, then I-84 east into New England.
    I start heading north around the Hartford CT area. I don't go anywhere near Boston MA.

    But, I live in Pennsylvania and it's an easy choice for me.

    You can overnight at the Mohegan Sun Casino just off I-81 near Scranton.

    Enjoy your trip.
  • FB Grateful Dad wrote:
    Thanks Jim, Looks promising. Wow, sorry about the fire!


    Thanks it was a fuel leak in the truck and it took everything out. But we had good insurance and we're back on our feet and traveling again. Sometimes bad stuff happens, and ya gotta get over it.

    I'm going from Arizona to Maine myself this summer/fall. 3-1/2 months of traveling. It should be a blast.

    Jim
  • Not sure where you're going in Maine, but here's a route to Bar Harbor. This will route you away from most of the monster cities and you'll wind up on US HWY 2 between Vermont and Maine which is gorgeous and easily traveled with an RV.