[Merrily Gather]

Thanks for responding! That last line made me smile. I'll be sure to bring two sleeping bags and keep an eye on the weather report.

It looks like I-10 is the best route to take in the winter as I-40 is blasted cold, snowy, icy, blizzard, you name it. I hope I-10 fairs better, but if not when it comes time then we'll have to consider that. Fortunately, I'm adapted to driving in snowy winter conditions from living several seasons up north. However, surviving in it is another story entirely.

I dislike flying in it even worse because it gets so freaking cold up there at that altitude this time of year. Last winter we flew from San Francisco to Orlando over night on Virgin Airlines in December. I froze my bottom off. It was so cold I couldn't even sleep. It looks like we can do the flight from here to there in 2 and half hours which would save a bunch of time.

If we drive though we can save more money and see a bunch of people along the way. I've got two friends in Phoenix, a friend in El Paso and a sister in New Braunfels. Then my Dad and the rest of the younger siblings and some old friends in Austin. We have time to drive so no reason to rush the road trip.

[bayview6]

The southern route is the best way to travel in winter especially headed to or from Austin. I always go I-40 because it is the shortest route for me but I always make sure that the weather forecast is favorable. Once I left at 4AM to beat a winter storm and managed to stay about 2 hours in front of it. Probably drove 800 miles that day. After checking into the motel, turned on the TV to see the road closed where I had just been 2 hours earlier.

[Juxtaposition109]

I've driven the I-10 route. If you take 93 from LV to PHX and then hop on the I-10 you should be fine. The longest part of the journey is that stretch between El Paso and San Antonio w/ Fort Stockton kind of serving as a halfway point. Just have some good emergency supplies such as plenty of H20, warm clothes, snacks, cell phone w/ charger, and if possible a AAA card. Most of all have fun on your road trip and go see the bats under the Austin Congress bridge .

[Merrily Gather]

Thank you for the responses and tips!

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Merry Lee Gather

Thanks for responding! That last line made me smile. I'll be sure to bring two sleeping bags and keep an eye on the weather report.

It looks like I-10 is the best route to take in the winter as I-40 is blasted cold, snowy, icy, blizzard, you name it. I hope I-10 fairs better, but if not when it comes time then we'll have to consider that. Fortunately, I'm adapted to driving in snowy winter conditions from living several seasons up north. However, surviving in it is another story entirely.

I dislike flying in it even worse because it gets so freaking cold up there at that altitude this time of year. Last winter we flew from San Francisco to Orlando over night on Virgin Airlines in December. I froze my bottom off. It was so cold I couldn't even sleep. It looks like we can do the flight from here to there in 2 and half hours which would save a bunch of time.

If we drive though we can save more money and see a bunch of people along the way. I've got two friends in Phoenix, a friend in El Paso and a sister in New Braunfels. Then my Dad and the rest of the younger siblings and some old friends in Austin. We have time to drive so no reason to rush the road trip.

I know you think I'm being facetious when I say carry sleeping bags, but I'm not. Back packer sleeping bags keep you warm and don't take up hardly any room in the car. Warm clothes are a given, but you can't wear enough of anything to stay warm if you're stuck all night in a blizzard. I've lived in the west too long, and have been well acquainted with blizzard snow, and freezing camping conditions, to not know that the best thing to keep you from freezing to death is a good sleeping bag. I don't know why, but every time I go to Reno in winter I hear on the radio about one or more people being caught in a mountain blizzard and dying of exposure. It happens way more often then you know; in fact every year in the Sierra. We've had a lot of news stories about it here in Nevada about the trouble people can accidently get into in the desert and mountains when it snows. And every time I go to Albuquerque in winter, it seems that a blizzard happens on either side of the city, and people are stuck out there in their cars, freezing, all night long. There are just too many miles between help and freezing to take the risk. I broke a fan belt just outside of a little town in West Texas on I-10, and I spent the night in the car because no one would stop to help me. And I've come awfully close to spending the night in blizzards on I-40, and I-80 before. So now I put a sleeping bag or two in the trunk for my wife and me if threes a chance it will snow. Zipped up in a sleeping bag your body warmth will keep you from getting too cold. And where you're going, and when, I'm betting on snow.

[Raiderman]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

I know you think I'm being facetious when I say carry sleeping bags, but I'm not. Back packer sleeping bags keep you warm and don't take up hardly any room in the car. Warm clothes are a given, but you can't wear enough of anything to stay warm if you're stuck all night in a blizzard. I've lived in the west too long, and have been well acquainted with blizzard snow, and freezing camping conditions, to not know that the best thing to keep you from freezing to death is a good sleeping bag. I don't know why, but every time I go to Reno in winter I hear on the radio about one or more people being caught in a mountain blizzard and dying of exposure. It happens way more often then you know; in fact every year in the Sierra. We've had a lot of news stories about it here in Nevada about the trouble people can accidently get into in the desert and mountains when it snows. And every time I go to Albuquerque in winter, it seems that a blizzard happens on either side of the city, and people are stuck out there in their cars, freezing, all night long. There are just too many miles between help and freezing to take the risk. I broke a fan belt just outside of a little town in West Texas on I-10, and I spent the night in the car because no one would stop to help me. And I've come awfully close to spending the night in blizzards on I-40, and I-80 before. So now I put a sleeping bag or two in the trunk for my wife and me if threes a chance it will snow. Zipped up in a sleeping bag your body warmth will keep you from getting too cold. And where you're going, and when, I'm betting on snow.

100% agree! We were only about a 1/4 mile in front of the people who ended up staying the night in their cars on I-40. We were lucky to be able to turn around, but many more weren't as fortunate. It was 22 degrees before the sun fell, by the way. We were dressed very warmly, and had food and beverages. Others were walking from car to car asking for things. It happens.

[Merrily Gather]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

I know you think I'm being facetious when I say carry sleeping bags.

I found it cute when you mentioned having a woman to keep you warm. I didn't think you were being flippant about the sleeping bags either.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Merry Lee Gather

I found it cute when you mentioned having a woman to keep you warm. I didn't think you were being flippant about the sleeping bags either.

Experience of my wife and I always zipping our bags together when we were camping.

[ToeJam]

Pick up some windshield de-icer for the trip. We were not prepared and hit every auto store and gas station we could find and they were all sold out during an ice storm. We ended up pouring hand sanitizer on the windshield as a last resort.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by ToeJam

Pick up some windshield de-icer for the trip. We were not prepared and hit every auto store and gas station we could find and they were all sold out during an ice storm. We ended up pouring hand sanitizer on the windshield as a last resort.

I have the ice scrapper I brought with me from West Virginia over 50 years ago. I may have used it twice since then.