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We will be driving from Albuquerque to San Diego the end of January (2011) We can either go west on I 40 to Flagstaff then south to Phoenix then San Diego. Last year on Jan 20 Flagstaff got 30 inches of snow and I 40 was closed at Winslow, Az.
OR
go south from Albuquerque on I 25 to Las Cruces and west through Tucson and on to San Diego.
The second route is longer but would be have a better chance of avoiding blinding snow storms and slower driving conditions? We have never driven this route or been to Tucson so we are intrigued with this itinerary.
We will be traveling with our dog and find it best to make hotel reservations in advance and do not want to wait until the day of travel to decide on the route. Please help us decide!
Yes, of those 2 routes you present, the 2nd option is best for avoiding snowy weather/freeway shutdowns. Plus, freeway driving is straight-sailing at a steady speed so it being longer distance-wise is not that bad time-wise.
Not that there never were any serious snowstorms on I-10 or closures of I-10 due to snow in the past (there were), but the weather started changing (Summers getting more humid and less or NO snow each Winter) about the 1980s, whereas earlier in the 1960s/1970s you could expect snow at some point every year (I lived in El Paso, TX a LONG time). Not so any more. Still, with freak weather events happening nowadays, you never REALLY know what to expect ANYwhere.
What you MIGHT encounter heading West on I-10 (from Las Cruces, NM) is some serious winds/dust-storms as NM is well known for them...it can be especially bad further on as you leave AZ (heading to Blythe and Indio, IIRC) with lots of high winds and sand blowing across the road making for poor visibility of the road itself and seeing other vehicles. For high-profile vehicles it can be even more hazardous. It's not ALWAYS like that of course, but it can be and HAS been (but I don't know how often winds are an issue there)...so it's just a heads-up to you on that. I remember making that trip several times in the 1970s in an old 1966 VW bus...the headwind slowed the poor VW down to maybe 40mph and I-10 had lots of sand on it (and tumbleweeds everywhere as cars tried to dodge them -- they scratch paint)! Of course, modern cars aren't affected that much by headwinds...but tumbleweeds hitting your car (often with force as the wind propels them plus the speed your car is going, making them 'explode' when they hit) will still scratch your paint! Or get stuck under the car (hopefully not around the catalytic converter) and you drag them with you. Not good. Most likely, however, the weather will be fine (but personally, I always carry emergency supplies in my car regardless).
Also, when heading West from Las Cruces, be sure to see "The Thing?" in AZ (I-10 Exit 322) -- whatever it is (Google it). You'll see the signs along the freeway heading West from Deming...a typical tourist stop but it's been there since the 1960s at least.
Whatever -- and as you already figured -- your best bet is I-25 South to Las Cruces, then connect with I-10 West towards Deming, NM way...and beware of The Thing.
Last edited by cloudcroft; 11-26-2010 at 12:56 PM..
Cloudcroft is calling it right here, but I have a little suggestion. If you want to shave some time off the drive, take NM state highway 26 out of Hatch, as it takes you right into Deming. That saves you over an hour of driving as while you're on I-25 you go straight south and then straight west on I-10. With hwy. 26 it runs diagonal. Deming to Lordsburg is another hour, Lordsburg to Wilcox, Az. about an hour and a half. I've been on this route many a time! It is a two lane road, but is a good road.
Wilcox has the chain hotels aplenty off Rex Allen drive! The reason why I say that is you've already knocked out 7 hours of driving. Nice little mom and pop restaurant called "The Plaza" has decent food. TA has built a huge truck stop on the next exit, they're a sizable truck stop chain across the West. Good place for breakfast or if you want to push on to Tucson it's 85 miles further. NOTE: Tucson was doing a lot of bridgework on the Interstate turnoffs the last couple years. They should be finished by now, it's been a while since I've been down there. Motels aplenty in Tucson.
Cloudcroft is right regarding weather conditions. When Flagstaff gets snow they really get it. It's 7000 ft. elevation and Arizona DOT won't hesitate to shut down the road in a storm, I've been caught in two of them, I know. In both cases they came up very quickly. I-10 can get snow; usually gets rain, but the storms that come in from the Pacific can pack winds like nobodies business. Driving with 200ft. visibility is no fun, with my experience the worst dust storms are late January into February.
If you do not need to overnight in Las Cruces, then taking Route 26 from Hatch to Deming saves about 57 miles. Route 26 is a two lane road but had very little traffice when we used to take it. I would guess it is still well worth it if you want to save a bit of time.
We live in Las Cruces now, so never have occasion to travel Route 26 these days. When we used to travel that way, we found Route 26 to be easy driving (except the time that the transmission quit in Nut, NM).
Going by your name, I wanted to ask you: In the wide-open spaces of NM where there often is no cell-phone coverage, is a CB radio (a legal SSB version preferred for more range) still a viable option for emergency use? I realize their heyday was the 1970s, but they might still have their uses.
Truckers still have them and I could get a hold of them, but does the NM State Police still monitor Channel 19 in case you need to call for help...or report an accident?
I didn't want to go as far as HAM radio (or get a basic license for a VHF handheld radio), just something in my car as an alternative for a cell-phone.
Sorry I am unable to give a useful reply regarding CB. My ham radio activity for 50 years has been 100% CW ("morse code"), and I have no idea what the current state of usefullness of CB is.
The "basic license" for Ham radio (Technician) that gives you priviledges for VHF FM is actually very easy to get these days. The question set can be memorized with a very likely success of passing the first time. But in remote areas, the 2 meter repeaters may even be out of range.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cloudcroft
W5UXH,
Going by your name, I wanted to ask you: In the wide-open spaces of NM where there often is no cell-phone coverage, is a CB radio (a legal SSB version preferred for more range) still a viable option for emergency use? I realize their heyday was the 1970s, but they might still have their uses.
Truckers still have them and I could get a hold of them, but does the NM State Police still monitor Channel 19 in case you need to call for help...or report an accident?
I didn't want to go as far as HAM radio (or get a basic license for a VHF handheld radio), just something in my car as an alternative for a cell-phone.
Thanks for the shortcut on Hyw 26 from Hatch to Deming. The entire route south from Albuquerque does look so desolate. I do worry about no cell phone coverage. I guess you just hope you don't have an emergency. I presume truckers use this route too?
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in AZ (I-10 Exit 322) -- whatever it is (Google it). You'll see the signs along the freeway heading West from Deming...a typical tourist stop but it's been there since the 1960s at least. 
Hatch to Deming "shortcut"
