Interstate Road Trip Tournament, Round 1, Heat 18.

[Rain Man]

Just a little offseason exercise. There are 80 different Interstate highways in the USA (including Puerto Rico). Which one would be best for a road trip?

I've set the rules as follows (in spoiler for those of you who've read them already]:

Spoiler!

I'm also including highways in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico that are essentially interstate highways, though they're not called that since they don't cross state boundaries.

It'll be a single-elimination tournament, though some will regain new life in wild-card spots to get the tournament bracket correct.

You get a minimum of 7 days on any highway, regardless of length. However, if the length requires more than 150 miles of travel per day, you'll get extra days until your daily mileage drops below 150 miles.

You may travel in either direction.

You may stop at attractions along the way, but at no point can you be more than 10 miles from the interstate.

You have the budget to stay at any hotel or dine at any restaurant within ten miles of the interstate.

You may spend multiple nights in any location but you cannot drive more than 250 miles in a single day. So you have to budget your driving time.

You may use any criteria you wish to make your vote. You can consider the driving lengths and conditions, scenery, attractions along the way, any outstanding warrants you have in that state, the likelihood of a Christie Brinkley clone waving at your from a Ferrari, or anything else you might wish to consider.

You can pick the time of year.

You will not be at risk of coronavirus en route.

You can pick the vehicle that you drive. Assume that you're renting any vehicle that you could purchase for $50,000 or less (new or used). It can be different vehicles on different road trips, so you can customize to fit.

I'll post the basics of each route, but I don't see any specific website that provides a good description of the attractions that one would see along the route. You're on your own for that. Of course, you can do a google map view to see what your scenery is.

If you're reading this, name an animal that you'd like to see in the wild, without explanation.

Your next two competitors are:

Option 1 - I-79 from Charleston, WV, to Erie, PA
7 Day Trip
343 Miles, 49 miles per day on average
Passes through Morgantown and Pittsburgh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_79

Option 2 - I-12 from Baton Rouge, LA, to Slidell, LA
7 Day Trip
86 miles, 12 miles per day on average
Passes through central Louisiana (and is not in range of New Orleans)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_12

Option 3 - I-37 from Corpus Christi, TX, to San Antonio, TX
7 Day Trip
143 Miles, 20 miles per day on average
Passes through south Texas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_37

Option 4 - I-74 from Bettendorf, IA, to Cincinnati, OH
7 Day Trip
417 miles, 60 miles per day on average
Passes through Bloomington, Champaign, and Indianapolis.

(This highway also exists in parts of North Carolina, but those segments haven't been hooked into the main highway yet.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_74

[Rain Man]

Hmm, relatively clear choice, though it may not be for everyone.

I-12 and I-74 don't seem compelling. I could get good food in TX, and I've always wanted to visit Corpus Christi. But is that enough?

I think I'd go with I-79. I've only been to Charleston once and have never had more than a quick stop in Pittsburgh. I don't know that part of the country well, so I'd do that drive. Plus, I think the length is good.

[frozenchief]

I figure if I take I-37 I’ll get some decent BBQ. Not as good as KC BBQ, but TX ain’t bad.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by frozenchief

I figure if I take I-37 I’ll get some decent BBQ. Not as good as KC BBQ, but TX ain’t bad.

San Antonio's kind of nice to visit, too. See the alamo, eat tex-mex. Not bad.