Looks like I will be helping my oldest son move from Baltimore to Seattle later in July.
Never been over Homestead Pass on I90 so I am wondering what to expect.
This will not be my RV but a U-Haul truck pulling a U-Haul transport trailer with his pickup on the transport.
Any comments on what I can expect, considering the equipment and the weather. I know it is July but the pass is over 6,000 feet and it is Montana.
Comments and observations appreciated.
Thanks all
Phil
Phillip, Janet, and the Mutt
2003 Silverado 1500HD 4.10 rear
32' Coachman 5th wheel
Darn - I was going to bring the 36" snow blower and muckluks. LOL
That is what I was figuring, a long slow pull with the 18 wheelers passing me.
Thanks for the reply.
You will cross several mountain passes on your way to Seattle via I-90. Homestake Pass east of Butte over the Continental Divide is 6375 ft.; then crossing the Bitterroot Range into Idaho there is Lookout Pass which is 4725 ft. and further west you will have Fourth of July Pass about halfway to Coeur d'Alene. All of these passes have a gradual climb, but going downhill is rather steep, so drive with caution and shift to lower gear to avoid braking too much. The passes on I-90 in WA over the Cascade Range are lower altidude, and have more gradual descents, but again watch the braking. Weather will be fine and road conditions should be good but you will probably run in to some construction near Lookout Pass and also on I-90 in the Cascades.
Islandman - glad to hear the passes have a gradual climb. As romore stated - U-Haul equipment is not noted for strong pulling power, I believe that are still tightly governed by RPM, not road speed.
Thanks for the input.
philhoey wrote: Looks like I will be helping my oldest son move from Baltimore to Seattle later in July.
Never been over Homestead Pass on I90 so I am wondering what to expect.
This will not be my RV but a U-Haul truck pulling a U-Haul transport trailer with his pickup on the transport.
Any comments on what I can expect, considering the equipment and the weather. I know it is July but the pass is over 6,000 feet and it is Montana.
Comments and observations appreciated.
Thanks all
Phil
I frequently go over that pass during the winter and it's not even that bad then. This time of year, there may be some snow on the side of the road, but notihing to worry about.
Wyoming would be a different story though. Seen blizzards during the summer months there.
There are two seasons in Montana, winter and construction... and there is construction on I-90 in Montana, Idaho and Washington.
You will have Bozeman Pass, Homestead Pass, Lookout Pass, 4th of July Pass, Ryegrass summit (between George and Ellensburg) and finally Snoqualmie Pass.
None of these are particularly scary, well, unless you don't like cliffs. The west side of both Lookout and Snoqualmie have you driving along a cliff, with the first couple miles of Lookout having the most exposure.
In some ways Ryegrass can be a tough one, as the climb is long and steep. The temps are often high. There is a rest area at the top, and always a few vehicles there, that have over-heated.
2008 F350SD V10 with an 2012 Arctic Fox 29-5E When someone tells you to buy the same rig they own, listen, they might be right. When they tell you to buy a different rig then they own, really pay attention, they probably know something you don't.
When I drove out from New Hampshire to Olympia, WA in May 2010, I basically drove I-80 all the way to Salt Lake City, then I-84 to Portland, OR, then I-5 to Olympia, WA. I drove roughly 600 miles/day, 7 AM to 7 PM, in just under 5 days. I did no site-seeing.
I could have jumped off of I-84 onto I-82 in Hermiston, OR and gone through Yakima, WA up to I-90 W to Seattle, but I didn't want to do anymore mountain passes so I followed the river to Portland then north on I-5. There are no passes between Portland and Seattle.
2005 Cruise America 28R (Four Winds 28R) on a 2004 Ford E450 SD 6.8L V10 4R100
2009 smart fortwo Passion with Roadmaster "Falcon 2" towbar & tail light kit - pictures
The descent (west bound) after Snoqualmie is worse than cliffs - it's a long bridge along one side of the valley, while the east bound lanes are across the valley. And in Idaho the freeway is on a trestle above the town of Wallace. When I first drove that route (mid 1980s) I90 had a stop light in the middle of town. I can't imagine a freeway route along a cliff being any worse, or scarier than a bridge span where there is a drop off on both sides.
Admittedly cliffs have one other danger, falling rock. WSDOT currently has a project to reduce that danger on the east side of Snoqualmie. They have a page with detailed information on how traffic is flowing on that stretch.
Trucks and RVs of all sizes take I90 across the country everyday.
gotsmart wrote: When I drove out from New Hampshire to Olympia, WA in May 2010, I basically drove I-80 all the way to Salt Lake City, then I-84 to Portland, OR, then I-5 to Olympia, WA. I drove roughly 600 miles/day, 7 AM to 7 PM, in just under 5 days. I did no site-seeing.
I could have jumped off of I-84 onto I-82 in Hermiston, OR and gone through Yakima, WA up to I-90 W to Seattle, but I didn't want to do anymore mountain passes so I followed the river to Portland then north on I-5. There are no passes between Portland and Seattle.
Thanks for the suggestion - I will check out the time difference.
Appreciate the comment.
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Just kidding, it is a good road but will be a slow pull. U-Haul trucks are not noted for their power.
