Mazdax605 said:dyintorace (Forum Supporter) said:Are you heading down to pick up the Chariot? We live in Gainesville and would love to see it!!
I was going to, but our favorite bus driver is flying down to drive it up here for me this week.
Meaning I could not only get to see the car but also meet Wally??
Wally - When you pass through Gainesville, how about a meal? My treat!
When we go to the Challenge, we tend to avoid the NYC area and much of NJ by way of CT and PA. We took the Mass Pike to 84, then 81, and then the Beltway to 95 around DC. Then cruise 95 all the way down. This cuts back significantly on tolls and traffic. We did the straight-down-95 route once on our first trip to the Challenge and it was THE WORST. NYC, Baltimore, and DC were a disaster to get through. Of course, it's easier when you aren't towing, so YMMV. We also found our route to take less time because we weren't sitting in traffic for hours. And yes, DO THE SPEED LIMIT IN VA. They do not berk around down there. And when you see signs that say "speed cameras in use" they actually ARE in use unlike the ones up here. Ask me how I know.
Sights on the way:
-The Nelsons! They live in PA and this route takes you by the PACC compound.
-South of the Border. You pretty much have to.
-I always wanted to stop at the weird stores they advertise on 95 in NC, like the JR Cigars place and the one that sells clothes in weird sizes, but that's just me. 
-There's a cool looking war museum with a fighter plane on a stick in southern Georgia right off of 95.
-Find yourself some BBQ while down South. We once ate at some random shack in FL that we clearly didn't belong in, but they had some of the best brisket I've ever eaten. And enjoy the weird (for us MA-Holes) fast food choices!
West route would be way better.
Once you get into Florida and are heading West on I-10 you have the choice to head South on St Rt 301 toward Starke or take a longer route to I-75 and then South to Ocala. 301 has been the biggest speed trap road in the state for years. The limit goes up and down every few miles, you have to pay attention and they throw stop lights at you every 10 or so miles.
The longer way is an easier drive and only takes a few more minutes. If you are near sunset, take 301 or you will be driving right into the sun.
My big advice is to pick one route south and a different route north.
I didn't catch how much time you have, but add a bunch of time to that so you're not disappointed.
DelMarVa peninsula is neat and it will get you the tunnel/bridge if you want, but be aware... It is remarkably rural. Those yellow lines that look like highways are 45mph 4-lane boulevards with stop lights. There are sections of some of them that are now real highways, but if you are looking to shave time, DelMarVa is not the way. If you're looking at seeing sights and doing things, it's fantastic. Tons of kitchy roadside stops. Tunnel and bridge are neat, but one of the neater things (I think) is the Cape May-Lewes ferry.
The I-95 corridor (my opinion) is something that should be avoided north of Richmond and cherished south of Richmond. When I go from PA to FL, I usually take the 81 corridor down to 77 down through Charlotte to 26 which meets up with 95 north of Charleston. That keeps me out of the craziness of I-95. It adds a hundred miles or so, but often shaves a couple hours off. It also keeps me inland enough that I'm in mountains. It also puts you dangerously close to Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive.
If I were doing it, I would take the quick route down and the slow route back. My personal choice. 81, 77, 26, 95 on the way down with jaunts over to Skyline drive and Natural Bridge, then on the way back, 95 up to just south of Richmond. Cut over to VA beach, take the tunnel, up DelMarVa, Cape May-Lewes ferry, then rejoin 95 north of Philly. You'll go up past NYC and get some traffic, but honestly... it's not as bad as Richmond.
Whatever you do, I strongly recommend on one of the legs that you experience Savannah GA. Amazing town. Also, the spread from Jacksonville to Ocala on 301 is, um... painful. Anywhere from 35 to 55 mph, stoplights, etc. You should experience it on the way down and then decide if you want to do it again on the way north. I don't know how to describe it. It's like one part banjos, one part pirates of the caribbean, and one part 1965. You're not sure if you'll be attacked by zombie armadillos, or break down in front of a voodoo gift shop. Either way, you'll probably get pulled over for speeding if you don't religiously watch your dash. 301 from Orangeburg SC all the way down to Ocala is a real journey of WTF. I think everyone should do it once. Once. I've done it about 20 times and I still don't get it.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
It probably says something about me, that I never noticed anything odd about 301 in SC / GA...
Now, your description is uncannily acurite of 301 in FL. 
DelMarVa must be a yankee thing as well, I've never heard it called anything but The Eastern Shore. I've known a couple of folks that grew up in the VA part.. kina odd folks, and that's from someone that's a bit out there myself. But its prolly not even as rural now, as last time I was through there.
There were a few sections of 95 in NC/SC that were under construction for around 10 years, but they MAY have finally wrapped that up... ain't been on it in a lot of years.
In reply to 03Panther :
You're partly right. The whole thing is the Delmarva Peninsula. The Eastern Shore is specific to Maryland, and it's only the inner part of the peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay side. Once you get to where the rain watershed runs off into the ocean instead of the Bay, it's no longer the Eastern Shore.
In reply to Duke :
Although I’ve used the roads through that part of DE, never wondered what the locals called it. The few folks I’ve known on the eastern shore of Maryland called it, well, the eastern shore. All of VA has always called the part from Norfolk up to the state line the eastern shore. I don’t know topography well enough to know the reference to water runoff, but it seemed like you mean the lower tip where the mouth of the bay separates the peninsula from mainland. That’s actually where my friends from the eastern shore of VA lived growing up.
"Eastern Shore" means the east shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed changes roughly along the central spine of the peninsula, more or less parallel to the vector of the west border of Delaware. Everything west of that line is Eastern Shore (a subset of the Delmarva Peninsula) and everything east of that is just Delmarva. Or, technically, the Western Shore of the Atlantic Ocean.
I grew up at the very north end of the Chesapeake, on the Eastern Shore. I don't have any real experience with the southern end but it makes sense that the stupid little Virginia appendix down the the bottom would use the same name.
I-81 is an amazingly easy drive.
It also runs parallel with the Blue Ridge Parkway for long distances, which is beautiful. If you try to ride the Blue Ridge for any long distance you will add vast amounts of time to your trip. But you can easily get off I-81 any time you want and ride the Blue Ridge, then reconnect with I-81 any time you are ready (before you get gorgeous view fatigue).
I-95 is awful.
In reply to Duke :
Lighten up, francis.
there are other forums for keyboard commandos.
03Panther said:In reply to Duke :
Lighten up, francis.
there are other forums for keyboard commandos.
My apologies - I meant no offense toward you at all.
I do have a chip on my shoulder about the State of Virginia in general and that little thing that should be part of Maryland down at the tip of the peninsula, I admit. To me it's very representative of Virginia's "us first and you all suck" political attitude ever since its founding.
I know - and am related to - some very nice Virginians, both natives and transplants. But the State itself I just don't like.
Mr_Asa said:When passing through NC, find a Smithfield's BBQ and get a sammich or two. They do a vinegar sauce and its excellent.
Unless you hate that vinegar E36 M3.
In reply to Duke :
Well, color me interested. I enjoy geography. I have been to the tunnel area before but it was when visiting family in Norfalk. We approached from the NWest which meant that we never crossed it. I've done a lot of sailing in Annapolis and once in V.Beach area.
I'll admit, I did not know that little spit of land across the tunnel/bridge is still Virginia. Interesting. Must be a somewhat cut-off existence for those that live on that portion, especially the Northern portion where they are a long journey to get to additional Virginia or places like the state capital.
Duke said:M2Pilot said:if you're on any road in VA, the highway patrol is merciless & usually out in force.
FTFY.
But that could also be a teaching moment for the new driver.
And hide your fuzz buster.
In reply to John Welsh :
The southernmost finger on the bottom of the main peninsula are two Virginia counties, despite being separated by about 15 miles of open water or weeks of horseback riding to get around the top of the Bay. It's really only part of Virginia so that they could control both sides of the mouth of the entire Bay.
In reply to spitfirebill :
Despite the gratuitous language, I agree. Much prefer a molasses based sauce. When good pulled pork is actually pulled, and not chopped pretending to be pulled, it really doesn’t need but a tiny amount, either.
In reply to John Welsh :
The earliest I remember reading about the eastern shore, was in the books Misty of Chincoteague. I liked the books as a kid, but couldn’t say if they were really good books or not.
Yea, very isolated before they built the bridge tunnel, and it showed in the difference in folks from over there at least until this century. I haven’t been over there in many years.
In reply to Duke :
My compliment for the apology. I haven’t seen many of them on here. At least we are a bit better than those other forums!
I left VA, cause they were acting more and more like the attitude problems of the northern states. I wasn’t around from the beginning, but if I remember correctly VA was originally much much larger, so it makes sense that the little strip of land coming down was mostly VA. They just didn’t give part of it away, as VA got smaller.
In my reply to Curtis, I made the flippant yankee comment, since I know he has a sense of humor. But DelMarVa is a term I never heard before. Without being a geography student, even I know what a peninsula is, and the one in discussion is (currently) made up of DE, MD and Va. I even know here the state lines are. Just never heard it called anything but “the eastern shore” until Curtis used the term a month ago on another thread. And I didn’t know where he was referring to, till I made the connection from here.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...
03Panther said:In my reply to Curtis, I made the flippant yankee comment, since I know he has a sense of humor. But DelMarVa is a term I never heard before. Without being a geography student, even I know what a peninsula is, and the one in discussion is (currently) made up of DE, MD and Va. I even know here the state lines are. Just never heard it called anything but “the eastern shore” until Curtis used the term a month ago on another thread. And I didn’t know where he was referring to, till I made the connection from here.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming...
Proud Yankee :)
It's just always been Delmarva to me. You know how radio stations always have slogan's like "the Tri-state's best rock" or "the Delta's only Christian music station." All the radio stations out there say things like "The Rock of Delmarva" or "Delmarva's Best Country." Weather reports always call it Delmarva. But I also realize that unless you spend time there, one would never know that. I never knew that central TX was called "the hill country" until I lived there.
I like to make up my own names for areas sometimes. I call where I live "the Amish Hills." When my grandparents were alive and living near Tampa, I called that "the Dentureland." I think a more appropriate name for Delmarva would be "the chicken coast" because of all the poultry agriculture.
One that I never could stomach. When I lived in Pittsburgh, everything was "three rivers this" and "three rivers that." It's not three rivers, IT'S TWO THAT MERGE INTO ONE. /rant
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:I-81 is an amazingly easy drive.
It also runs parallel with the Blue Ridge Parkway for long distances, which is beautiful. If you try to ride the Blue Ridge for any long distance you will add vast amounts of time to your trip. But you can easily get off I-81 any time you want and ride the Blue Ridge, then reconnect with I-81 any time you are ready (before you get gorgeous view fatigue).
I-95 is awful.
Much truth. I do like the kitchy parts of southern 95, like South of the Border. It also takes you through Savannah which should never be ignored. Every time I'm there I keep expecting men to be wearing stove pipe hats walking around with canes, and women to have bustles and big hoop dresses with hats and parasols saying things like "well ah nevah"
Avoid Phila to DC at all costs, unless you want to scare the kid and kill your tires. I95 from south of DC thru most of CT is just too crowded and too beat up. Delmarva to the bay bridge is nice but Rt 13 is usually crawling with speed traps. Make this a road trip the kid enjoys not one that makes him want to fly long distances.
This way you can avoid DC all together. I'll buy y'all breakfast, lunch, or dinner when you get to central AR.
In reply to Lee :
The biggest failure of proposed route is it leads through Atlanta. Should be avoided if at all possible.
Wally (Forum Supporter) said:I love crossing the Chesapeake bridge. If you're not in a hurry I'd plan to hit there on the way down. Keep going that way into North Carolina and you can stop off at Grave Digger world headquarters. On the way back the western route is better. I usually stay on 81 up into I 84 in PA. It's a longer ride mileage wise but far less frustrating.
If you go this route and are really, really, really not in a rush you can go down the outer banks, check out the Wright Brothers museum in kitty hawk, take the ferry across to Ocracoke island, drive across Ocracoke, and get the ferry on the other side before continuing down the coast.
03Panther said:
I left VA, cause they were acting more and more like the attitude problems of the northern states.
Proud Yankee here too, but one who has lived in the South for 30 years.
Southerners hate the rudeness of the North. They are right. You gotta be thick skinned to take it from a Yankee.
But the part they miss is how much comradarie comes right along with that rudeness. A Yankee will look you directly in the face and call you a sonofab*ich!, then ask you out for a beer after work. All is well. All is forgiven.
I have dear Southern friends who have still not forgiven me for a slip of the tongue from 5 years ago. It's the land of little old grannies who say "Bless your heart" while hoping you choke on your lunch. 200 years later and that unforgiveness is still there... runs deep.
I love the South. It's where I choose to live and raise my family. But I'd take the Northern attitude problems ANY DAY over the Southern attitude problems.
I take it back.... not a proud Yankee. I'm a proud DAMNED YANKEE!! Haha!!
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