Traveling to California (Houston, San Antonio, Austin: hotel, live, versus)

[Trae713]

I'm making a road trip out to Cali to visit a friend and check out apts, at the end of next month. I could fly for free, but I have never been on a long road trip before and thought it could be a nice change. Just wondering where are the best places for gas west of San Antonio. I will leave from Houston and figure I would not want to get gas (or stop) again until I have driven through San Antonio and reach the NW side. So, Boerne or maybe try to reach Kerrville was the idea I had on refueling. Then stop again around Fort Stockton and then the NW side of El Paso. I want to make it to Lordsburg, NM the first day. It would take exactly 12 hours from where I'll be leaving to Lordsburg according to Google. Leaving around 8am from Houston to make it there at a reasonable time. I will be driving alone too.

I was thinking about just sleeping in my car at a truck stop that night, so I can just wake up and go. I have also heard that hospitals make a good car rest spot. I could do a hotel, but that money could be used for recreation once I get to Cali. Don't think I'll get sleepy. I'll bring the light snacks (some fruit, chips, some water), some joints, my ipod, and SiriusXM so I don't think I'll have problems staying awake. Plus, how can you with that 80MPH speed limit? I can't wait to test that out.

[ChristieP]

Please be careful on I-10. There are always a lot of single car fatality accidents near Sonora from people who start to doze off due to being drowsy. Once you pass Junction, there are very few places to stop until you get to El Paso. That is a very long, very boring drive to make by yourself. Personally, I would take the free flight and be in California in 3 hours...

[eastontracks]

its kinda cool to do something new and take a road trip. i lived in LA in 2011 and have taken this route quite a bit and know the roads well. ive even driven from san antonio to phoenix by myself in one day (not recommended).

youve got a decent itinerary in mind, but just be cautious about driving long stretches once past kerrville and killin yourself that first day. if you forget to gas up or try to ride out a low gas tank til the next city, you may end up stranded in west texas. its never happened to me but did to my friend once. between kerrville and ft stockton, there are stops in ozona and sonora to also consider for gas/eating/recharging. theres state troopers around ozona and sonora so dont get too carried away with the speed limit

id suggest staying in a cheap hotel instead of sleeping at a truck stop because you just wont feel as fresh for next days drive. if it was me, i would stay the night in las cruces instead of lordsburg. theres no point imo to stretch out the drive past las cruces after 1 day. theres a speed trap around the deming, nm area and by then you may not be feeling your best getting to lordsburg.

not sure where in CA youre headed but from las cruces, youre about 4 hours to tucson, 2 to phoenix then the final 6 to LA.

and whatever you do, dont try driving from houston past lordsburg and into arizona. with those joints you mentioned, and exhaustion, youll be trippin seeing those big saguaro cactuses at night wondering where the heck those came from and what they wanna do/say to you. i felt i was hallucinating from idk what when i tried driving that far and seeing them things lol.

[Trae713]

I'm going alone because I am tired of waiting on friends saying they will go. We have been saying it since 2012, so I said eff it, I'll visit my friend in Cali alone lol. I'll be using cruise control, so I hope staying at 85 to 90 in the 80MPH zone will be okay. I've read about the speed traps along the way on the speed trap website and those NM towns sound scary. I will definitely be driving below the limit through those towns. I can drive during the daylight (don't get tired), which is why it may look like I'm pushing it. If I leave Houston before 9AM, there could still be daylight by the time I reach Lordsburg. I would want to leave early enough from there the next morning to miss the worst of Tucson and (especially) Phoenix rush hour and make it to LA early in the afternoon. I'll see how I feel when the day comes. Might end up getting a room, or stretch out in the backseat. I guess I would rather just spend as little time along I-10 between Houston and LA as possible because I only have a week off and want to spend that time in LA.

And hopefully the Rockets can play the Clippers in the first round, which starts that weekend. Would be perfect.

Wow, are all of these false tickets in Texas true? People saying they set cruise to 83 and get pulled over still with the ticket saying 89. Would be different if just one, but it is multiple people with the same stories. Just gotta be careful around curves and inclines then.

[ChristieP]

If you only have a week off, you want to spend as much time in LA as possible, and you are sitting on a free airfare, then WHY are you wanting to make a 2 day (each way), boring drive alone?! You will only end up with 3 days in LA, where if you flew, you could have 6 days there. You are also going to be exhausted and road-weary from spending that much time driving. I just fail to see the logic here...

[CptnRn]

If you only have a week off, driving sounds like a terrible plan to me. It would be foolish to do that when you can fly for free.

I've driven Austin to Phoenix numerous times and Phoenix to LA a couple of times. There is nothing scenic about the trip, boring desert the whole way. You are not likely to be able to drive the speeds you mentioned without getting a ticket. Driving will significantly reduce the time you will have there to explore and enjoy the area. Plus you will be exhausted when you get there and exhausted when you get back from all that driving.

Fly...

[Trae713]

You two make some good points (and I may still do that), but I just want to drive. I want to see the country. It may be a boring ride for some people, but I can entertain myself with xm, joints, music, and the scenery. Plus cell coverage will be there, even if spotty. I'll be spending four (maybe five) days in LA total (I took 7 work days off, plus four weekend days, so 11 total days). Leave Houston Thursday morning, be in Los Angeles by Friday before 4PM, leave Wednesday afternoon or night and back in Houston by Friday night. Would stay at a hotel on the way back.

Right now, I'm leaning on driving versus flying like 60-40. Before I made this thread I was at 70-30.

[die Eichkatze]

I've driven a lot on I-10 in west Texas. I have seen first hand people get pulled over for going barely above 80. More times than not, I usually see a trooper between the I-10/I-20 intersection and Van Horn, along with the usual 5-10 mile range outside of towns (and one other spot just east of the Pecos River where there are big hills and big road cuts).

That is a lot of driving. Make sure you stop frequently. Even during the day you can nod off easily. Long stretches of road and little movement will make anyone tired even though you are driving 80mph, it doesn't feel like it. I'd recommend stops in Kerrville & Fort Stockton if you do drive.

[eastontracks]

Where in LA you visiting ? If it's the west side, and you're shooting for 4pm on a Friday, picture 59 northbound traffic into downtown Houston at 5pm.

Oh, don't try over doing it driving a ton that first day to be in LA by 4pm the following. Unless you leave wherever early early Friday, expect to get caught up in LA traffic when you arrive. Don't worry about Tucson or phoenix traffic, it's in LA that you gotta be ready for.

[Trae713]

I'll be going to the NW side of LA around Sherman Oaks. I would leave like at 4AM from Lordsburg that Friday morning. Totally forgot LA rush hour is unlike any other.