This is my approximate route of travel based on what I want to do over the month of February. Its a constantly changing list of stops, but taking the southern route is going to let me see a lot more people I know and do a lot more things during the month. Its around 4000 miles in total excluding any side trips or diversions which are inevitable. The leg from Phoenix to somewhere in the middle of TX is going to be a rough one, I'm thinking of driving 12 hours and just stopping at the first motel I see beyond that. I'll have to do some research, if anyone has advice on that leg, let me know.
3 comments:
San Fran wont be the same without you--what will all the oddballs of this city do without their leader?
May the four winds blow you safely home!!
So my suggestion would be to take 40 on that stretch, if at all possible. It's a lot more scenic. You can hit the Grand Canyon and Painted Desert, if you'd like. And I'd highly suggest taking a detour up into northern New Mexico, stopping over in Santa Fe. Taos, Los Alamos, Bandelier. Just marvelous out there. When I first made the trip west I insisted on a 6 hour detour to see shiprock, and maybe not entirely worth it, but getting a look at the modern Indian reservations in the area (Farmington/Bloomfield area) was pretty interesting. There's really a gorgeous transition to the land (my favorite part of cross country trips), that you don't get when you are as far south as the 10. To get back to Dallas you'd probably turn south at Amarillo, pass through Lubbock, and pick up the 20. Get to see a bit of west Texas that way, and there's really no need to drive through Oklahoma.
Now contrast that with the time I took the 10. I did Dallas to LA in one 20 hr shot, because there seriously seemed to be no point in stopping. The stretch inside Texas right after El Paso is quite pretty, though. Oh, and check your contraband in NM on the 10 - you have to pass through DEA checkpoints right on the interstate (I guess I had the mistaken impression that only occurred at the border.)
How about cutting south to Austin, after Dallas and on the way to New Orleans? For sure, if you've never been. So much to do. Then east to Houston and out on the 10 is a straight shot to New Orleans. There's this great stretch where you are basically driving on a bridge over swampland for 20 miles or something.
By the way, how about passing through Nashville on the way between Memphis and Atlanta. It's 3 hours Memphis->Nashville and about 3.5 hours Nashville->Atlanta. Not a bad city to see, if you've never been. Did 5 years there and can make some suggestions.
Anyways, just some ideas I got from looking at your map. Depends on where you've been before and how much time you have.
Oh, and pick up a copy of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, if you haven't read it already.
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