Quote:
Originally Posted by montana mike
Leaving next week for Arizonan from the East Coast. We had planned to jump on interstate 10 and go along the gulf coast. Does anyone have any info about the conditions around Houston TX or other location that got hit by the hurricane? Any problems with fuel or getting a campground, etc. or should we go Interstate 20 or 30?
Thanks Montana Mike
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My wife and I made the trek from Southern California to the Houston area (Spring, TX) around the 4th of July this year, and went out by HWY 40 through Flagstaff, Albuquerque to Amarillo, then southeast on the 287 to Ft. Worth, then south toward Houston on the 45 into Spring, Tx. It was upper desert most of the way, and we generally considered it glorious.
On our trip home, we too THOUGHT it would be cool to take the I-10 all the way back. IT. IS. A. PIT. Bleak, barren and hot. Extremely long stretches of UGLY nothingness, as compared to long stretches of BEAUTIFUL ‘somethingness’ along the northern route.
I don’t want to disrespect Texas OR Arizona, but the I-10 corridor is for people and trucks (OH, the Semi’s) who are in a hurry to ‘get there’. Granted, it was about a bazzilian degrees in July, so even the weather contributed to making the trip home barely-bearable. Think Circle 6 in Dante’s Inferno. El Paso isn’t Hell, but you can certainly see it from there! And no, that wasn’t a ‘dig’ at Ciudad Juarez..... although it probably COULD be.
And then there is ‘entering’ Arizona from the south, vs. the way in through the north. Comparing an approach through Flagstaff to one through Tucson is like comparing walking up to a horse from its head, or from its..... nether-regions. Let your mind make all of the comparisons you want.
As my wife and I talked about the route comparisons while still on our trip home (I think it may have been about the ONLY thing we talked about except the 118-125 degree heat), we definitely agreed that we would never, ever, ever voluntarily make the trip along the I-10 again..... good weather, or bad, there are just some things you know you wouldn’t enjoy experience: root canals without anesthesia, tax audits, home-invasion robberies, are but a few.
The Interstate 40 route also parallels, and at points is conjoined with historic and iconic Route 66, so there is lots to see if you are willing to take a few small side detours. You will see a lot of scenery and pop-culture sights that clearly have inspired Disney, and if you happen to be traveling with children or grandchildren, taking a DVD of ‘Cars’ along merely feeds the imagination further. [Full Disclosure Note- the kids/grandkids thing provides a handy smokescreen/excuse for Lightning McQueen fans like me to watch those movies guilt-free].
Both routes are generally RV-friendly, but there has been a lot of highway construction both ways, which may add up to an hour a day delay to your itinerary. None of the roads are especially smooth, which made me first start considering a steering stabilizer mod on my Miramar, but they are imminently drivable and there are lots of great campgrounds along the way.
Anyway... my thoughts. But I’m from California, right? My idea of scenery has been calibrated on the Left Coast.
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