So as it says in the title our team (aMEss - Massey University in New Zealand) is planning to drive from Orlando to LA in 10 days. (17th April -->> 27th April)
Are we nuts? We are pretty sure we can make it (We kinda have to as our flight leaves back to NZ on the 27th April)
Any Suggestions on things to do, places to go, people to see. We would definitely be keen to meet up with some teams on the way best way to see a place is to have the locals show you around.
Things we plan to see so far:
Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
New Orleans
and all the other places in between…
Any places we should avoid? Routes that we shouldn’t take?
Just to give you all an idea of scale and how we see the trip. In total its about 4500km (2800 miles) twice the length of NZ.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Maurice and the other 3 (Marty, Rhys and Leroy)
Team (aMEss x 2)
KTOR will give you a personal tour of Philadelphia along with free registration to our early event that we’re planning. If you need housing or food, we can arrange that as well.
Thanks for the tips. Will you be at the Worlds this year? Would be keen to get a few ideas around routes and go over our plan of attack and see if we should reconsider.
If you go to Vegas, you have to stop at Hoover Dam on your way - the immense scale of it was just too much for my brain to absorb - I kept underestimating the size of everything - the Grand Canyon is probably a similar experience.
If you were headed to Philly to see KTOR, I would insist that you stop in Washington DC along the way. I could deploy air mattresses and grilled food.
Forget D.C., stop by Williamsburg on the way up, and see where this country started… I can offer a personalized tour of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, three of the most historic places in America…
Oh, not to mention discounted, if not free passes to all those…
Oh, and did I mention that Busch Gardens is also here? And Water Country… And a whole bunch of battlefields… And some of the best food… And the capital of the Confederate states… And a whole bunch of awesome things…
Not to mention the possibility of maybe free lodging? maybe?
Yeah - Joe can show you some drafty old buildings and and kitchens with cooking fires (Blacksmiths are pretty cool metallurgists) - I can give you directions to the Hope Diamond, dinosaur skeletons, an SR-71 Blackbird, and a Space Shuttle.
If you want science, we do have an Air & Space center, we also have NASA Langley Research Center with an AWESOME drop-test area, we also have the first air force base to get the completely cool F-22’s…
And honestly Blake, not very many people really care about an Shuttle that never really flew…
NOW: that being said: There is a shuttle launch scheduled for April 19th… If you are not adverse to sticking around in FL for the off-chance of seeing a shuttle take off, I have heard that it is quite a spectacular thing… (especially considering there is only one more after this…)
Regardless: There is many an adventure to be found anywhere you go…
Wow, I hope you guys have a great time and that you all stay safe!!
I don’t really have much travel advice, but the road trip itself will be a great experience. Good bonding time for your team as well
Good luck at worlds and just remember to have fun!!!
These tips may be obvious, but can also be painful to international visitors, if unexpected/unprepared.
A. Make sure rental car can be returned at a different place than picked up. The cheapest rental cars are not at the airport.
B. Other rental car stuff: age limits (>25y) for each driver, do you need extra insurance or does your home policy cover you?, who to call if it breaks down, what is fuel range. Take cell-phone pictures of all sides of the car before you drive off.
C. A non-cell-phone based GPS with recent USA map update is very handy for making spur of the moment decisions. You can turn on POI (points of interest) for food, gas, parks, hotels, etc, and some GPS models show phone numbers so you can call ahead to see if that place still exists and is open. Even if you like to read a map rather than listen to turn-by-turn instructions, a GPS will tell you where you currently are, which a map cannot do. A cellphone based GPS will likely do the same “most” of the time.
D. Notice from “Map wars” cell-phone advertisements on TV that USA cell coverage is significantly less than 100%, particularly in the less-populated western parts which include some of your route.
Other statistics: The I-10 route spends 1/3 of the driving miles in Texas. maps.google.com reports total ~2500 miles (>= 250mi avg a day? = 4-5 hours), with up to 15.5 hours delayed due to traffic. Any interesting deviations from this simple route add on to driving time. Probably >= 100 gal >= $400 in gas.
US Cable/Satellite TV has a channel called “The Food Network”. One show on that network is called “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (aka Triple-D).
The Triple-D host roams the US looking for excellent food in unusual (usually small and unpretentious) restaurants. Check out their web site and see if they have featured any spots along your route and consider stopping for a meal. http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/guys-diners-drive-ins-and-dives/index.html
Mobile/Theodore is an 8 hour drive from Orlando to our school on I-10.
I have a newbie class in robotics and trying my best to build the class for the future.
My robotics students would be thrilled with a visit, and perhaps you could demonstrate your skills. We can publicize on our district school website (www.mcpss.com).
Orlando is 8 hours in driving time from here. New Orleans is 2 or 3 hours more depending on the time of the day, west of us.
We would love it if you would visit my class. IF need be, I could make it a field trip so that you would have more than 45 minutes.
Thanks, if you are interested! We have beautiful beaches for after hours.
Look closely, my route goes right through there. It also includes the road from Cimarron to Taos, New Mexico, one of the prettiest drives in the western US.
(Blacksmiths are pretty cool metallurgists) - I can give you directions to the Hope Diamond, dinosaur skeletons, an SR-71 Blackbird, and a Space Shuttle. 
