Drive from Los Angeles to Austin: How long? (El Paso, Kerrville: hotels, safest area)

[cdb73]

I moved out from the central coast, but stayed with family in Palm Springs for a night. Left at dawn from the desert and had planned to stop in Las Cruces, but once in NM decided to keep on until El Paso (about 9 or 10 PM). Left El Paso at 5 AM and got into Hill Country around mid-afternoon. Traffic wasn't too bad, and I set cruise control for slightly above the speed limit most of the way. Really only stopped for gas. Those semis passing on the left at night is a little scary, but other than that it's a long stretch of uneventful! Keep caffeine and visine handy... Good luck on your trip

[StephanieRN]

Well, let me help you out. I made the drive from Santa Monica to Cedar Park 6wks ago. My fiance drove the 16ft truck with a car carrier and I drove our other car carrying 2 large dogs and a puppy. We stopped 45 minutes in Phoenix and made it to Wilcox Az in 12hrs. The 10 was closed down somewhere between las crucies and wilcox due to a horrible accident, so we had to stay in Wilcox. Because of the puppy and the horrible gas mileage of the uhaul, we stopped about every 3hrs for gas, dog restroom breaks and water. If we hadn't had the puppy (she was 13 wks) we probably would have stopped every 4-5hrs instead. If you are not towing anything and just driving a car, you will probably be able to make it to Las Crucies NM in about 12-13hrs. Plenty of dog friendly motels there. Motel 6 is the cheapest, but you can check on "petswelcome.com". In Wilcox we stayed at the Days Inn. Our next day was HORRIBLE. The 10 was closed down again in El Paso for another accident. El Paso is sooo close to the border, you can literally see little shanties from the highway, one wrong turn and you will be across the border. The drive from El Paso to Austin seems like it goes on forever and a day. We battled winds and storms. The second day took us 16hr's due to the stops and weather. So, my question to you is how are you going to toilet your cats? Keep in mind that animals bladders are little and the vibration of the car will make them need to pee more frequently. And remember that if you are thirsty, that they probably are as well. Best suggestion for the dogs, freeze a few gallons of water. They will melt fairly quickly during your drive, and your animals will always have cool water while you are driving. I packed a cooler for myself with snacks and drinks. I wish you luck, I like Austin, but I miss the cool breeze of the pacific ocean. Have a safe trip.

[readymade]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all your advice. I figure between my husband & myself we could do about 9 hours a day, but I have absolutely no real idea. My husband claims he drove almost the whole way from Chicago to Los Angeles without stopping. But he was, like, 20 at the time, heh. I drove from Boston to LA once, but I wasn't in any hurry and didn't have any pets and only drove 6 hours a day. I have friends who drove from Ventura to Austin non-stop for SXSW. But they were, um, high apparently. Literally! I will not be, heh, except maybe high on caffeine.

I'm not sure WHAT to do about our cats and toileting them. I'll definitely be sedating them (one of them pukes in the car, which is always fun). One website suggested not giving them any water until nighttime when we're at the hotel. I don't know about that, though. I might buy them little harnesses and set up a little litter box during stops. I'll probably talk to my vet about what is the best thing to do.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by readymade

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all your advice. I figure between my husband & myself we could do about 9 hours a day, but I have absolutely no real idea. My husband claims he drove almost the whole way from Chicago to Los Angeles without stopping. But he was, like, 20 at the time, heh. I drove from Boston to LA once, but I wasn't in any hurry and didn't have any pets and only drove 6 hours a day. I have friends who drove from Ventura to Austin non-stop for SXSW. But they were, um, high apparently. Literally! I will not be, heh, except maybe high on caffeine.

I'm not sure WHAT to do about our cats and toileting them. I'll definitely be sedating them (one of them pukes in the car, which is always fun). One website suggested not giving them any water until nighttime when we're at the hotel. I don't know about that, though. I might buy them little harnesses and set up a little litter box during stops. I'll probably talk to my vet about what is the best thing to do.

Animals can go several days without water and be fine (there is an article about a cat that went 35 days without water). I would be inclined to not give them any food or water and do the drive straight through. For long drives I also try not to eat or drink anything. I agree with the people that say bring a few gallons in case you get stranded though.

[nascargirl]

Although we are driving on the other side of the country, (my husband and I are currently driving to Austin from Boston) we have found Holiday Inn Express and La Quinta Inn to be pet friendly. We're are traveling with a golden retriever who is very well behaved and crate trained which has made this trip so far very pleasant. Check with me on Saturday after 4 nights on the road!! Happy travels!!

[twange]

Originally Posted by readymade

I'm not sure WHAT to do about our cats and toileting them. I'll definitely be sedating them (one of them pukes in the car, which is always fun). One website suggested not giving them any water until nighttime when we're at the hotel. I don't know about that, though. I might buy them little harnesses and set up a little litter box during stops. I'll probably talk to my vet about what is the best thing to do.

Every kitty seems to be different on this, and what you PLAN to do might be irrelevant anyway When we drove from Cleveland to Austin last year,(about 1400 miles) we took 3 days since we were driving a truck packed to the gills with stuff and a car stuffed with critters and plants...In the car, the cat stayed in her little crate but when we stopped (about every 3-4 hours) we put a harness on her and set up a small litter box. She didn't use it at all. Just crouched as low as possible and gave us reproachful looks She didn't drink or eat anything all day. But when we settled into our hotel for the night, she ate, drank and left offerings in her makeshift litter box!

The dog was actually worse. She hates car rides and by the end of the second day she was really getting ornery. Wouldn't sit still and seemed genuinely miserable. Wouldn't eat or drink much either. We just drove back up to Cleveland for a visit and this time we gave her some benedryl. It wasn't perfect but it kept her laying down and much calmer overall. She'll be bummed when we have to drive back to Austin next week

[readymade]

I just got back from seeing "The Long Way Down" which I HIGHLY recommend.(Long Way Down)

Basically, it's Ewan McGregor & his best friend Charley doing a motorcycle trip from Scotland to the bottom of Africa. It was pretty amazing, and it sort of inspired me to look at our trip less as a means to an end (i.e. getting to Austin) and more like an adventure.

And now I'm actually looking forward to it!

Oh Ewan McGregor... is there anything you can't do?

Oh, and to the people driving from Boston to Austin? Be careful when you drive into Texas! When I drove from Boston to L.A. 8 years ago, there was a cop waiting for me at the border to give me a speeding ticket. (one I never paid, heh)

Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. I appreciate it.

[imaterry78259]

I drove from San Antonio to LA in 15 .5 hours with three drivers.

[Mckellyb]

When we moved from CO to OR, the vet gave us chill-out pills for the kitties.

One, the tan one, hid under the seat of the moving truck for the 20 hour trip. His brother, the black one, was on the dash, third eyelid partially covering his eye, checking out everything he could.

For the past three years, we've explored the NA continent in our motorhome, all of the US and much of Canada, and the critters fully accept near-incessant movement. They kinda like it, I think. You might consider not giving the kitties stoner pills unless you know they freak out in a car. Once they find a warm spot, they'll likely doze off for a few hours at a shot.

[Raggy dee Ann]

I had no idea so many people stopped off at Fort Stockton, but I guess it makes sense. I stopped off there because it was 8.30 pm , getting dark and rain was coming down like you don't know what. Can't remember the name of the motel as it was a few years ago, but it was rinky dinky and allowed pets. I remember having the most gawd awful magarita at a bar that was part of a hotel that I thought was called Annabel, but I can't find anytrace of it on the net. Left Austin Wednesday afternoon around 2.30pm and got to Studio City Ca close to midnight Thursday. Took me another two months to make it to Ventura county .