Running west?
 

I just left CFI sadly and am looking at a company here in FL that runs just a few trucks. They run Jacksonville to Washington. My question for the pros is being as how I never ran west of Denver, I never had the pleasure of running the rockies. I have an idea of what to expect but I was hoping I could get some info on what routes to WA from JAX would be the best to run. Also any major grades that I might encounter. Well thanks for any info or tips you can share and BTW CFI was the best, just was looking to get home more and with this run I get 4 days off in between.

Re: Running west?
 

I guess you know it's around a 3,000 mile run
If I were you, which i'm not, I'd run 75 up towards Nashville and then take 24 West and then take 57 towards chicago and then 64 towards St. Louis and then catch 70 and then catch 435 north towards Des Moines and then run 80 towards Salt Lake(Don't Go over Parley-you don't have to) Run Alongside the River and take 84 up to Idaho then catch 82 to 90 and that'll run you into Seattle.

Re: Running west?
 

Only thing about your directions is that it would be shorter to take 29 out of KC to Omaha and catch 80 there than to go up 35 to Des Moines.

that too-Hey-You know where 80 has that Split where you go up Parley-What's the Highway that splits off to the Right that runs along the Green River(?) and then you catch 84 to the North of SLC?

Do you mean the start/end of I-84? That would be the Weber River.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...misc/split.jpg

I don't remember the Weber River but the Highway I'm talking about bends off to the Right and splits off of 80 to Parley and runs along side the River in a Meadow area and if you continue on this it runs into 15 north of SLC.

Maybe it is the Weber River- That Map is kind of Deceptive because when you take the split it doesn't look that far before you hit I-15-Probably run it around 30 miles or so-I always took it cuz I HATE Parley-I used to carry my Fishing Rod and stopped there a few times but always got Skunked :P

If you take I-29 north out of KC just north of the IA line there is a shortcut called route 2 that will dump you off in NE west of Lincoln on I-80 saves you the grief of Omaha.

Thanks for the info guys. What is "Parley"? Like I said I never ran west before and I hear there are some grades there but I have never experienced them. Also how bad weather wise does it get there? Should I expect road closures at times?

I might go through South Dakota and Montana via I-90 & US 212 to get to Washington if you were heading to Spokane.

Which is not far from where you'd see Windwalker's avatar for Bad Route Road. :)

If you're gonna run this route consistently you're going to run into Gates closed on the Interstates. In Wyoming you can be re-routed(I.E. run through Medicine Bow instead of running across 80 to Elk Mountain).

Parley you don't have to Worry about-It's the Mountain you climb that drops into SLC-Take the route I told you and you can run the Valley which comes out north of SLC. And you're got the "Sisters" which is East of Evanston, Wyo. but they're nothing.

You're gonna have Snoqualmie Pass which is East of Seattle and it can get buried in snow and Ice.