Logistics for road-tripping solo from ATL to L.A.
October 28, 2024 2:40 PM Subscribe
Please help me think through the whats and hows and whens of a 15-ish day solo cross-country drive from Atlanta to L.A. arriving around February 21. Please tell me about your experiences of similar drives, including places I should not miss for exploring and dining, and places and practices to avoid. Snowflakes inside.
I'm a healthy 60-something white cis man. I want to camp most nights in my well-maintained 2003 Honda Element, with perhaps a rechargeable power station and tiny fridge rather than a cooler constantly needing ice. I have up-to-date Apple devices for communication and wayfinding.
Ms. matter and I made a similar trip in October and November a few years ago through Birmingham, across Mississippi to Memphis, then through northwest Arkansas and Oklahoma on I-40. We went southwest from Amarillo to see friends in Tucson, then to LA and up to Yosemite. We returned through Las Vegas, National Parks in Utah, friends near Colorado Springs, and a former missile silo in Kansas (we slept bundled up in the car with the high plains wind blowing around us outside - the inside Airbnb not yet completed). From there we got back to northwest Arkansas and retraced our steps to Atlanta.
For this trip I want a slower southerly route, driving no more than 6 hours a day. I like the idea of driving along the Gulf of Mexico - Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston & Houston - then picking up I-10 to cross Texas, then the same route as last time through New Mexico and Arizona, into Los Angeles. I'd likely return the same route with different stops, but I may go north to see family in Sacramento and decide from there.
Also hoping for suggestions and advice on or near that route for safe boondocking, if that's not an oxymoron. I welcome suggestions regarding equipment, the power station and fridge in particular. Suggest checklists, cost estimates, menus, tips, hacks, modifications, security and safety concerns - especially about driving across the desert southwest in February by myself - and any thoughts regarding law enforcement.
Help me think of all the things to plan this adventure!
I'm a healthy 60-something white cis man. I want to camp most nights in my well-maintained 2003 Honda Element, with perhaps a rechargeable power station and tiny fridge rather than a cooler constantly needing ice. I have up-to-date Apple devices for communication and wayfinding.
Ms. matter and I made a similar trip in October and November a few years ago through Birmingham, across Mississippi to Memphis, then through northwest Arkansas and Oklahoma on I-40. We went southwest from Amarillo to see friends in Tucson, then to LA and up to Yosemite. We returned through Las Vegas, National Parks in Utah, friends near Colorado Springs, and a former missile silo in Kansas (we slept bundled up in the car with the high plains wind blowing around us outside - the inside Airbnb not yet completed). From there we got back to northwest Arkansas and retraced our steps to Atlanta.
For this trip I want a slower southerly route, driving no more than 6 hours a day. I like the idea of driving along the Gulf of Mexico - Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston & Houston - then picking up I-10 to cross Texas, then the same route as last time through New Mexico and Arizona, into Los Angeles. I'd likely return the same route with different stops, but I may go north to see family in Sacramento and decide from there.
Also hoping for suggestions and advice on or near that route for safe boondocking, if that's not an oxymoron. I welcome suggestions regarding equipment, the power station and fridge in particular. Suggest checklists, cost estimates, menus, tips, hacks, modifications, security and safety concerns - especially about driving across the desert southwest in February by myself - and any thoughts regarding law enforcement.
Help me think of all the things to plan this adventure!
Best answer: Seconding the recommendation for paper maps and the atlases cited above! There is a lot of limited-cell-service country between Point A and Point B out there.
For food, consider some of Chef Corso's recipes and cooking strategies (YouTube, website is outdooreats.com but currently having certificate issues). They're designed for backpackers and most require a tiny backpacking stove and canister fuel, but can be adapted for pretty much any cooking setup you might have along with you.
(If you hadn't thought of a cooking setup, may I suggest a tiny backpacking stove and canister fuel?)
They use mostly nonperishable ingredients, prioritize fresh flavor and real ingredients where possible, and include many different cuisines and flavor profiles. Some may have more sodium content than is ideal for your health (backpackers sweat a lot and need lots of salt) but that can also be adjusted.
posted by spamloaf at 4:46 PM on October 28 [1 favorite]
For food, consider some of Chef Corso's recipes and cooking strategies (YouTube, website is outdooreats.com but currently having certificate issues). They're designed for backpackers and most require a tiny backpacking stove and canister fuel, but can be adapted for pretty much any cooking setup you might have along with you.
(If you hadn't thought of a cooking setup, may I suggest a tiny backpacking stove and canister fuel?)
They use mostly nonperishable ingredients, prioritize fresh flavor and real ingredients where possible, and include many different cuisines and flavor profiles. Some may have more sodium content than is ideal for your health (backpackers sweat a lot and need lots of salt) but that can also be adjusted.
posted by spamloaf at 4:46 PM on October 28 [1 favorite]
I doubt that you will find a fridge worth the time/money/space, especially when you factor in the battery size you would need for one that fits more than a sandwich. Just buy perishables when you need them.
posted by metasarah at 6:48 PM on October 28 [1 favorite]
posted by metasarah at 6:48 PM on October 28 [1 favorite]
Best answer: the national memorial for peace and justice is extraordinary, powerful beyond words
posted by HearHere at 7:12 PM on October 28 [2 favorites]
posted by HearHere at 7:12 PM on October 28 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Coming through New Orleans in that time frame might bring you here for some of the most fun Mardi Gras parades. Krewe Boheme on February 14th, Krewe du Vieux and Krewe Delusion on the 15th, and tit Rex on the 16th. All are creative, exciting, locally-focused parades that are worth making a point to see. I can't speak to the boondocking details but if you're planning on being in New Orleans anyway any of then are worth your time!
posted by CheeseLouise at 7:16 PM on October 28 [4 favorites]
posted by CheeseLouise at 7:16 PM on October 28 [4 favorites]
Best answer: The iOverlander website and app are pretty helpful when you are trying to find things like public showers or places it might be safe to sleep in your car. Also, I don't think the battery-powered fridge/cooler is crazy--I used one in a camper van on a similar trip and it was a huge improvement over traditional "camping food". But depending on what would be most useful for you to own after this trip, I think you might also be pleasantly surprised by how well a fancy cooler (like a yeti or something) and block ice performs--it is much better than a regular cooler with bags of ice cubes.
posted by mjcon at 7:21 PM on October 28
posted by mjcon at 7:21 PM on October 28
Best answer: Do not miss the uniquely beautiful Cochise County at the southeast corner of Arizona. The city of Bisbee and Chiricahua National Monument are the standouts for me.
Several of the state parks are typically open for RV camping, and Chiricahua itself may be an option. I'm not sure I would recommend isolated boondocking in Cochise County, though.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 1:27 AM on October 29
Several of the state parks are typically open for RV camping, and Chiricahua itself may be an option. I'm not sure I would recommend isolated boondocking in Cochise County, though.
posted by rabia.elizabeth at 1:27 AM on October 29
Best answer: Given the age of your car, I would just say make sure not to drive anywhere that a breakdown could leave you stranded somewhere super hot or remote or with bad cell reception (deserts, canyons, etc). Maybe text an itinerary to someone as you go, just in case. It's very possible to die in the American desert! And do some research for what to bring and how to hike out safely in case your car does break down somewhere hot.
Look on YouTube and Instagram with the hashtag #VanLife to see how people prep their vehicles to live in - lots of tips for sleeping platforms, portable baggie toilets, window covers, storage ideas, safety gear, parking tips, etc.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:36 AM on October 29 [1 favorite]
Look on YouTube and Instagram with the hashtag #VanLife to see how people prep their vehicles to live in - lots of tips for sleeping platforms, portable baggie toilets, window covers, storage ideas, safety gear, parking tips, etc.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:36 AM on October 29 [1 favorite]
I was looking at this "active cooler" at Costco. It's a 45 lb. / 20 kg cooler with a chiller, so basically a fridge, but designed to run off either 120V mains power or 12/24V DC. $750 is not cheap at all but the reviews are excellent. People saying as long as the seal is good it only needs a small amount of power.
posted by wnissen at 1:46 PM on October 29
posted by wnissen at 1:46 PM on October 29
Response by poster: Not closing this yet - hoping for more suggestions. Thanks to all who have responded so far.
mdonley, thanks for the Benchmark Maps recommendation. I will almost certainly get at least the Texas map.
You too, spamloaf. I have a butane stove already, like this one. I may get a newer dual-fuel/butane-propane version. Will definitely check out Chef Corso.
metasarah, thanks for the advice.
HearHere, I've visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice twice. Indeed, beyond words. All Americans should go there.
CheeseLouise, hadn't thought about Mardi Gras season! Thanks!
mjcon, I have the iOverlander app, and will make better use of it. And a higher-quality cooler might be a boon... but I plan to more long road trips, and don't know how available block ice will be. Good question to ask #VanLife folks.
rabia.elizabeth, Cochise County sounds great. I will make sure to thoroughly research it.
nouvelle-personne, I will heed your warnings about desert safety. I'll follow the #VanLife hashtag too. We've camped in the car numerous times before, including our first cross-country. New ideas are always great, though!
wnissen, thanks for the link to the active cooler - it's much bigger than I want to use.
I appreciate you all.
posted by conscious matter at 7:29 PM on October 29
mdonley, thanks for the Benchmark Maps recommendation. I will almost certainly get at least the Texas map.
You too, spamloaf. I have a butane stove already, like this one. I may get a newer dual-fuel/butane-propane version. Will definitely check out Chef Corso.
metasarah, thanks for the advice.
HearHere, I've visited the National Memorial for Peace and Justice twice. Indeed, beyond words. All Americans should go there.
CheeseLouise, hadn't thought about Mardi Gras season! Thanks!
mjcon, I have the iOverlander app, and will make better use of it. And a higher-quality cooler might be a boon... but I plan to more long road trips, and don't know how available block ice will be. Good question to ask #VanLife folks.
rabia.elizabeth, Cochise County sounds great. I will make sure to thoroughly research it.
nouvelle-personne, I will heed your warnings about desert safety. I'll follow the #VanLife hashtag too. We've camped in the car numerous times before, including our first cross-country. New ideas are always great, though!
wnissen, thanks for the link to the active cooler - it's much bigger than I want to use.
I appreciate you all.
posted by conscious matter at 7:29 PM on October 29
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In addition to being really well-written planning tools — for each “recreation guide” map page showing a larger region of a state they list historical sites, key weather info and climate charts, campgrounds, roadside attractions, interesting small towns and places to fish and hunt, among other things — on the “landscape map” pages showing smaller regions, they use colors to show land ownership/rights in quite incredible detail, at a 1 inch to 3.4 miles scale — so you can be sure of, for example, really being on BLM land on the nights you plan to camp in your car. Here is the California one; there are also atlases for Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas on the way there and Nevada, Utah and Colorado, which might feature in your journey home.
posted by mdonley at 3:58 PM on October 28 [5 favorites]