cross country trip

[cphelan518 0]

I am a high school senior, and I started sky diving at 16. I am trying to plan a cross country trip from New York to California and back for this summer. I was hoping to travel dz to dz making a jump or two and leaving the next day. I was having trouble planning my route and was wondering if anyone else has ever done this and could offer me some advice on which dzs to go to, and the best route I could take. Thanks!

[dthames 0]

I have not but I-40 runs right past me and goes from coast to coast. However, it is hot down this way in the summer.

Instructor quote, “What's weird is that you're older than my dad!”

[missbrz 0]

Are you 18 yet? If not you may not be able to sign the waivers even though it looks like you already have a B. If so, ignore that

But how long do you have for your trip? How direct of a route do you want to take? How out of the way are you willing to go to go to a DZ? Do you want to take the same route there and back?

[5.samadhi 0]

sounds like a hassle. Every time I've gone to a dropzone its taken at least 15-30 minutes of filling out waivers and getting my rig checked, etc. Its kind of annoying (but a necessary step for safety on the dropzone since they dont know you).

If I was going to drive across the US I'd think up a whole lot better things to see (for instance check out our national park system there are some amazing places out there).

Why drive around from runway to runway???

[DougH 270]

I am pretty envious, definetly do this because many times you won't have the time to pull this off when you get going in a career, life, etc.

If it was my trip I would pick a handful of blockbuster DZ's that I wanted to jump at and I would plan to stay a few days at each DZ.

I would plan the routes between DZ's so that I could hit some cool non jumping locations along the way.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[wmw999 2,123]

If you have enough time to include other stuff too, this sounds like it could be a whole lot of fun.

Yeah, you have to fill out waivers at each new DZ, and you won't get on the loads with all the hot skygods, but who cares? You're building a memory, and this sounds like kind of a cool one.

Along a more northern route (e.g.I80) you'd find Start Skydiving in Ohio, Tecumseh (not large, but seems to have a pretty loyal following), Skydive Chicago (kind of like Mecca), then into Wisconsin and Minnesota (some nice places there). I'm not sure what there is to the west of there until you get to Oregon or California, but that might be an opportunity to start heading more southwest through Colorado, into Central or southern California. That way you can hit up some awesome national parks as well. 5.samadhi is right about them being well worth the time.

Make sure you hit Niagara Falls on the way, as well as other notable sights and parks. They're WELL worth the stops as well.

If you drink tap water, eat a lot of granola bars and fruit, and sleep at DZs and campgrounds, you won't spend all that much money besides gas and jumps. Make sure you park your car in the shade if you're leaving your rig, so that it doesn't cook.

Bring a cooler, bring your cell phone, and make sure and take side trips.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[5.samadhi 0]

but just dont drink tap water since in most states it contains fluoride, a toxic halogen.

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

When planning... Bear in mind that not all DZs are open 7 days a week!

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[yeyo 1]

There's a girl right now doing a tour from DZ to DZ, her goal is to jump in the 50 states. Maybe she can help? This is her blog:
http://temptphate01.tumblr.com/

HISPA #93
DS #419.5

[PiLFy 0]

I agree w/DougH. Do it now. You won't have the freedom to do it later. I used to drive tractor trailers cross country before college. I recommend you work your way down the I-95 corridor. Then, come across on 40/20/10. Whichever of the three gets you to various DZs along the way out west.

Have fun, & take a really good shower before you leave .

[BIGUN 1,055]

You can plan your trip using the DZ.com Dropzome locater.

Grab the map and pull until the crosshairs are over your start location and hit the search button...

http://www.dropzone.com/dropzone/

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[Bellyflier 0]

as everyone has pointed out, you have a whole lot of options and it mostly depends on how much time you have and also how much money you have. Do you plan on staying in a room every night or do you plan on camping, or maybe a little of both? The interstates will be quickest but not too much there for scenery. The transamerica bike route will give the most scenery but in some areas the most desolate. It also depends on which DZs you would like to visit. Whichever way you plan your trip, its a great trip!

[coconutmonkey 0]

I did the sky-ride (no relation) thing a couple years ago throwing a rig on the back of the bike and riding off for about 5 weeks. I'd ride until I hit a major highway, flip a coin and keep riding in a random direction for a while them look at a map and see what was interesting and where I could jump before sundown. Sometimes it was a landmark or museum and a night under the stars, others was riding up just in time for sunset and night jumps. Keep an eye on the weather and let that help ya choose daily locations and camp sites, tho, skydivers are great folks and I found myself on many a new best skydiver buddy couch when rains closed in. Take pictures, get names and contact info in your log book, find someplace you never thought of seeing before, forget schedules and just enjoy being on the road.

Oh, and don't forget to bring a case a beer to the new DZ's for your first jump!

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