Driving across the country... advice?

[GARYC24 3]

Check out the AM radio staions, they can be interesting and entertaining stuff on em!

[Girlfalldown 0]

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Note to self: Sell Cracker Barrel stock.

aruh? Sell?

I'm single handedly keeping them in the black.

BUY DAMMIT!!!

You're "borrowing" product from them and think you're contributing to the bottom line? Well, I guess if you're eating there every time you stop... that might be helping out.

You're probably returning it with a fee attached. I'm sure you don't get the entire amount back from what you paid for it but what the hell do I know?

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(Do not, I repeat DO NOT, take my posts seriously.)

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Books on tape/CD are great! XM Satellite radio is great too.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Oh, and another thing: buying a couple of small motorola walkie-talkies is MUCH smarter than running up your cellphone bill.

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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Shoot, Mel, I didn't think about it.. but do you think we'll have a problem getting signal on our phones? I haven't driven across country before, I bet there are some blackout areas where signal is nowhere to be found.

I'm not sure what service you use but I know with my service I always have coverage issues when I drive long distances. Walkie talkies are a great alternative.

So you're moving to SF? SWEEEEET! That's where I live. We'll have to throw you a welcome party!

ROCK!!! Yep, we're definitely moving that way, but it won't be until July. I'll shoot you a pm when it gets closer.
Where do you jump out there, it looks like there are a lot of dzs in the area... San Fran peeps are pretty lucky!

-A

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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Oh, and another thing: buying a couple of small motorola walkie-talkies is MUCH smarter than running up your cellphone bill.

Wow, this seems to be the consensus. I will certainly consider it! Who knows, maybe we'll make the drive on the weekend, then the minutes are free

-A

[Stiner 0]

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You're probably returning it with a fee attached. I'm sure you don't get the entire amount back from what you paid for it but what the hell do I know?

you're right, they charge you $3 for a 2 week period (i believe). so, depending on how long you keep it, they refund you the price less the "rental fee". it's a good deal, unless you forget to return it (which i've definately done)!

[headoverheels 291]

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Thoughs, tips? We are going to take I-10 all the way, and might consider stopping for some jumps if we find a dz not too far off, too.

You'll be passing lots of good DZ's along the way, although it's a hot time of year. Other things to do would be angle north and see the Grand Canyon on your way through, or see Carlsbad Caverns, or numerous other POIs.

Good luck parking two cars in Berkeley

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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Thoughs, tips? We are going to take I-10 all the way, and might consider stopping for some jumps if we find a dz not too far off, too.

You'll be passing lots of good DZ's along the way, although it's a hot time of year. Other things to do would be angle north and see the Grand Canyon on your way through, or see Carlsbad Caverns, or numerous other POIs.

--That's a thought.. I suppose we'll see how are schedules work out.


Good luck parking two cars in Berkeley

lol! I am actually hoping that we find somewhere to live that is convenient so that I can sell my car

Angela.

[Girlfalldown 0]

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ROCK!!! Yep, we're definitely moving that way, but it won't be until July. I'll shoot you a pm when it gets closer.
Where do you jump out there, it looks like there are a lot of dzs in the area... San Fran peeps are pretty lucky!

-A

My home DZ is Bay Area Skydiving in Byron but there are a bunch of other great dropzones just a bit further out like Davis, Hollister and Lodi. You can check them all out and see which one you like the best. Each has it's own charm.

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(Do not, I repeat DO NOT, take my posts seriously.)

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

Will do. Thanks, Shannon... see you soon! :)

-A

[timber 3]

I have done the trip from Florida to California and back several times. Stop and do a beach jump at Emerald Coast Skydiving It is between Pensacola and Mobile close to I-10. From the Pensacola , Florida area there is a drop zone for each days drive. From Pensacola to Skydive Houston then Skydive San Antonio. (yuk !! the drive through West Texas). I know for sure you will stop in Eloy. Then it is on to LA. at Perris or Elsinore. If you travel north an Highway 101 stop and see my friends at Skydive Santa Barbara (actually Lompoc, California). Or if you go north on I-5 meet the cool people of Skydive Taft.

Enjoy the trip and be drive safe !

Blue Skies,

Timber

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

oooo, beach jumps! I don't think I got enough of those, actually, not sure I ever could.

Thanks for the map of dz's along I-10!

:)
-A

[Brains 2]

Just FYI, skydive San Antonio isn't in business anymore. Skydive San Marcos is about 20 miles off of I-10 and we only jump Fri-Sun. Have a good trip.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[leroydb 0]

I have driven from oregon to NC and through texas a few times. There were times I was tired of listening to audible stuff... I turned the radio off and just listened to my thoughts. You WILL learn alot about yoruself this way

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[Casurf1978 0]

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Oh, and another thing: buying a couple of small motorola walkie-talkies is MUCH smarter than running up your cellphone bill.

I was about to say the same thing. Get AAA if you dont have it already.

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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I have driven from oregon to NC and through texas a few times. There were times I was tired of listening to audible stuff... I turned the radio off and just listened to my thoughts. You WILL learn alot about yoruself this way

I do that all the time. Sometimes I forget about the radio 'til i've been in the car a half an hour or more. :)

-A

[kai2k1 0]

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mmm.. XM radio... I think that's what is going to save me when I travel this summer...

Books are good... besure to get something that will keep you at least a little stimulated...

Oh, and don't forget snacks... that's very important.

XM will save you!! Ive had it in the big truck for over a year now and I absolutely cannot live without it. Especially Channel 202

There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan

[JohnRich 4]

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tips? We are going to take I-10 all the way

Beware of west Texas - there is one stretch where you need at least a half-tank of gas to get to the next service station. (Between Ft. Stockton and El Paso)

Oh, and it will take you about 15 hours of driving just to cross Texas.

Enjoy!

[livendive 8]

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I find recorded books to be great. Your brain engages in them a little more than it does with music. They're pricey, so you might look into borrowing them from the library - it would still be much cheaper to mail them back than it would to buy them in the first place.

What she said. I listen to audio books all the time, and I mostly get them from the library (i.e. for free). There are also a couple programs by which you can rent them at truck stops and drop them off at other truck stops, for around $4-$12 apiece.

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I thought about the language thing when I had longer commutes, but I had trouble finding one that didn't also require written work along with the CD. That was a while ago, so maybe there's something out there now.

Ditto again. I've checked out 5 different foreign language audio programs, and none of them were compatible with driving. Well, ok, one was I guess, but it was absolutely worthless. The guy would say something VERY specific in English, like "Can I get the borscht coming with my veal dinner served hotter than normal, Mr. Blankenship?" and then he'd say it very quickly in Polish, but there was no way of correlating which parts of the Polish version went with which English words, and they were far too specific to simply learn by rote.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

Thanks, Guys. I will be sure to keep aware of gas levels when we get to W. TX.

Well, i've already got the spanish cds from a long while ago, so i'll try them out. They did come with a book, but it is like a 6 cd set, so there's gotta be something good on there I'm definitely going to look into books on cd. I'll check what Cracker Barrel has then i'll order some online if I don't find a great selection... the library is another idea, I might want to go that route.

:)
-A

[skybytch 259]

Cell reception depends on your provider. I had good coverage with Sprint for the majority of my trips to/from FL on the 10 - even in Texas.

Text messaging is wonderful in noisy cars (like my little Toyota). I also found the internet access I had on my old phone to be a lifesaver when one of my tires fell apart in bumfuck Arizona.

My best advice - fill up with gas in Arizona before you cross into California and don't exceed 5 mph over the speed limit anyplace (cops won't even notice you).

You'll love it out here. We'll have to have a party when you arrive.

[littledebbie000 0]

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Phree, good call. I don't have an XM capable stereo, but Rory does so maybe he'll want to hook that up in his car. Then i'll be forced to be jealous!

:)
-A

As far as needing a compatible radio, XM and Sirius both have plug-n-plays for about a hundred bucks. Mine sits on top of my dash and plays through AM stations. Great for camping too!

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

Hi, Lisa! This is so exciting... I didn't realize you were in the area, too. I can't believe i'm getting a party for moving:D That is so cool! You can coordinate with Shannon... just don't feed me any tequila

My phone isn't great for text messaging... and, it isn't sprint, it's crap-ass t-mobile But, best part is that my contract is up, so I can get a different phone/provider if I want to. . . Just having a hard time signing another contract.

Thanks for the tips. I'm a speed demon, so i'll just ride behind Rory so my lead foot doesn't fall to the floor.

Angela.

[AggieDave 6]

Get a CB radio. It's handy to have and its fun to have as well. Keep it on Channel 19 and you'll have folks to chat to.

Ah, I-10? You'll be in TX for close to 20 hours and its basically a straight shot. You'll see a reasonable range in TX climate, though, all in all its kinda a neat trip to do...once.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."