OT Road trip

Late in August my oldest daughter (34,single) will be moving from Milwaukee,WI to near Spokane, WA. She will be driving herself and her sister (31) in a Jeep Liberty with as much as we can cram in there. She will not be pulling a trailer. Youngest daughter will come home on the train.
My question is what route to take? I-90 across MN and SD OR I-94 through North Dakota? Mileage is about the same either way. They will not be stopping to sight see (well maybe Wall Drug or the like).
Also, I plan to give them BP gas cards. Surely there are BP stations along either route?

Signed,
One Nervous Dad

I've never been across I 94, but Wall Drug is the ONLY thing to see between Sioux Falls and the Black Hills on I 90

I'm in NE Montana. I have traveled both roads they are ok. If your BP card is ownly good at BP stations you may not find any. Lots of exons.

I'd give them AAA cards too. And make hotel reservations about every 500 miles so they aren't tempted to drive all night, a few bucks saved in lodging isn't worth the risk of two tired young women driving at night.

Not much difference either route. FYI,if taking 94 there is destruction/single lane traffic for about 10 miles on 694 north side of St Paul. Take 94 straight thru cities or 494 around the south side.
Willie

I have driven both but I prefer I-90 over I-94. The twin cities can be a pain to get through. I like the trip across SD better than ND. It seems you see more different country. The distance in the same. I like the fact you do the north off set in Wyoming/Montana rather than WI, prettier country.

Don"t plan on finding any rooms in North Dakota between Jamestown and Montana - maybe even a ways into Montana. Oil boom - got a bad surprise traveling there last year. Stopped 5:00 on a Monday night and asked about a room at a nice motel. You"d have thought I said something funny!

What? You didn't take the Bad Lands loup? It's worth the contrast that you see in The Hills. There's also the corn palace in Mitchell and several good museums on the way.

I would defiantly stay out of NW ND, I have heard the roads can be a mess from all the big truck traffic on and off the roads because of the oil boom. And there are no vacancies at motels!!

Depends on the type of girl. The corn palace may take second place to Cabelas or the Doll Museum, depending on if they're into guns or roses.

And there is a whole lot of danger of hitting animals, like deer and antelope after dusk. When I have to travel at night I try to follow another vehicle, even if it is a semi. Let them clear the way for me. Hitting a deer or antelope, or any other fairly large animal will really ruin a vehicle and the trip.

Motels in North Dakota and far eastern Montana are a real problem due to the oil boom that is going on. Most of the motels near the border are almost always completely full, and many motels have raised their prices "because they can". Motel availability gets better as you approach Billings from the East. The prices might be lower outside of Billings rather than in the city.

Having a AAA card is a good idea. You never know when some problem you had not anticipated can come up. Cell phone reception in most areas along I-90 is pretty good, but since there are valleys and mountain passes, there are dead spots. Having a charger that will work from the car"s power is worth having.

When we came back from Glendive MT to the Spokane area in early June, there was not much construction, only about 10 miles on Lookout Pass (but it seems like there is ALWAYS construction on that pass!!!). I would not expect any weather problems that amount to anything in August.

I hope your daughter likes Spokane. Hopefully she is coming here with a job, since finding jobs can be a challenge. The Jeep is a pretty good choice for a vehicle here, since we have 4 seasons and sometimes get quite a bit of snow. Jeeps are usually quite tough, which is a good idea, since some of the roads in the City of Spokane are really terrible, I am sorry to say.

I hope they have a great trip!

Go with 90- North Dakota is chaotic now, with so many going there to work in the oilfields (including my former secretary's husband)- No motel rooms, best to just stay away. And on 90, they can stop by Mt. Rushmore and Wall Drug. On 94, can stop at . . . maybe Bismarck?

There is construction on I90 near Mitchell SD. In Mitchell there is the Corn Palace, Cabellas and others as mentioned. The Badlands loop is pretty scenic, but you gotta watch the natives walkin down the side of the road, horses walkin down the side, pluss all the other critters.
I90 is REALLY smooth compared to I80!

Not true. There's Mt Rushmore, Harney Peak, the needles, Custer State Park, in the BH. The Badlands west of Wall Drug.
Pioneer Auto museum in Murdo. Lewis and Clark Museum in Chamberlain. Tractor Village in Kimball. The CORN PALACE in Mitchell, SD. (My place just west of Mitchell.
Buffalo Trading post near Cedar Ridge.
Falls Park in Sioux Falls. Eat at Minerva's, best spot in SD.

If I had known that was where you are Gordo I would have tried to look you up when the family and I came through there on Friday. It probably wouldn't have worked since we were trying to get home and we didn't get to Mitchell until after 8:30 that night. However we stopped at Murdo and went through their museum, was a very nice place and I have some pics I took there. The crops looked good through there like you have had at least enough rain.