Traveler III
Originally posted this in the trip planning section but got zero responses. Hoping a more local forum to the area might glean some more insight!
In mid-May my wife and I will be taking our built 1st gen Sequoia with RTT and our two dogs down to Anniston, AL to run the U.S. Canine Biathlon over a weekend. The goal is to hit the road Monday morning after the events (and a good night's sleep in a real bed after a real shower, and proper carb loading!), and be home by Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, my appetite for adventure was a bit unrealistic when I mapped out and approximated the drive times for the hoped for route. Apparently the Georgia Traverse to the NC/TN section of the Appalachian Byway to legs 1 and 2 and a third of leg 3 of the MABDR...finishing with a run up I81 from Staunton, VA is NOT going to get done in 3 days of driving
This'll be our first multi-day trip in the rig, camping along the way. I figured on 8 hours of driving a day which would allow for 10 hours for dinner/sleep/breakfast and 6 hours for breaks, lunch, and a bit of exploring on foot each day. Is that realistic in the experience of those that have come before? Looking at those numbers it looks like...roughly...I can do part of the TN leg of the TAT (TN 01 - TN 10 legs, but in reverse), the Georgia Traverse (at least 90%) OR the the Appalachian Byway from Dillard, GA to Damascus, VA OR MABDR Legs 1, 2, and the southern part of 3 that we haven't driven yet. I just used Google Maps to find the fastest route to the beginning points from our hotel, and from the end points to home. All options result in about the same guesstimated drive time +/- an hour or so.
So my question is...what route would y'all recommend? We'll be in a capable rig with an RTT...though none of these routes is, particularly, strenuous from what I've found. Here's the real consideration. In June we get our Intech Explore trailer and fully intend to be using that when returning to AL for subsequent events. Is there one of the routes that is far more trailer friendly that would be worth eliminating from this year's possibilities? I'll be the most mobile this trip...so I guess the question is, is one of those routes more difficult enough that NOT dragging a trailer around would make it a better choice? At a glance, I feel like the App Byway route has the most pavement. But I also don't relish the thought of towing a trailer on the Tail of the Dragon. I don't really relish driving the Sequoia on it either and may, honestly, bypass that if/when I take that route.
Any and all input would be welcome!
In mid-May my wife and I will be taking our built 1st gen Sequoia with RTT and our two dogs down to Anniston, AL to run the U.S. Canine Biathlon over a weekend. The goal is to hit the road Monday morning after the events (and a good night's sleep in a real bed after a real shower, and proper carb loading!), and be home by Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, my appetite for adventure was a bit unrealistic when I mapped out and approximated the drive times for the hoped for route. Apparently the Georgia Traverse to the NC/TN section of the Appalachian Byway to legs 1 and 2 and a third of leg 3 of the MABDR...finishing with a run up I81 from Staunton, VA is NOT going to get done in 3 days of driving
This'll be our first multi-day trip in the rig, camping along the way. I figured on 8 hours of driving a day which would allow for 10 hours for dinner/sleep/breakfast and 6 hours for breaks, lunch, and a bit of exploring on foot each day. Is that realistic in the experience of those that have come before? Looking at those numbers it looks like...roughly...I can do part of the TN leg of the TAT (TN 01 - TN 10 legs, but in reverse), the Georgia Traverse (at least 90%) OR the the Appalachian Byway from Dillard, GA to Damascus, VA OR MABDR Legs 1, 2, and the southern part of 3 that we haven't driven yet. I just used Google Maps to find the fastest route to the beginning points from our hotel, and from the end points to home. All options result in about the same guesstimated drive time +/- an hour or so.
So my question is...what route would y'all recommend? We'll be in a capable rig with an RTT...though none of these routes is, particularly, strenuous from what I've found. Here's the real consideration. In June we get our Intech Explore trailer and fully intend to be using that when returning to AL for subsequent events. Is there one of the routes that is far more trailer friendly that would be worth eliminating from this year's possibilities? I'll be the most mobile this trip...so I guess the question is, is one of those routes more difficult enough that NOT dragging a trailer around would make it a better choice? At a glance, I feel like the App Byway route has the most pavement. But I also don't relish the thought of towing a trailer on the Tail of the Dragon. I don't really relish driving the Sequoia on it either and may, honestly, bypass that if/when I take that route.
Any and all input would be welcome!
