Need Route Suggestions - Tucson/Montgomery/Leesburg

Scarecrow

2017 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
Following the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show about 2/9, I plan to bring my Unity home to Maryland by way of Nogales, AZ then on to Montgomery, AL then to Leesburg, FL then home to Maryland. I need to curtail my traveling until my house sells.

I was reading about the Southern Route using I-10 and people were saying it's just a horribly boring trip.

Any suggested alternate routes from those familiar with this trek? I must hit both Montgomery, AL and Leesburg, FL on the way home.
 

geds

2018 Serenity
I-40 across Arkansas is awful! Rough roads and lots of crowded highways full of big rigs jockeying for position.

If you come through Birmingham, PM me. I'd love to meet you!
 
You could spice up the I-10 route by getting into US90 at VanHorn Texas and taking it to San Antonio, where you would rejoin I-10. US90 is more scenic and passes through a couple of funky towns. The first is Marfa, an arts colony in the far west Texas desert. Pretty good food options there - try the Food Shark on the west end of town. There is a decent little RV park in Marathon. There you can walk 10 minutes to the Gage hotel for a drink or meal. It’s an old railroad hotel that was resurrected to house visitors to Big Bend and has really taken off. Langtry has judge Roy Beans office and an interesting visitor center. Seminole Canyon state park has guided hikes to view prehistoric petroglyphs, which are all over this part of Texas. Be sure to check the schedule, you can’t see them on your own. Del Rio is a good sized town for shopping/fuel/eating. East of San Antonio you are on the coastal plains,which are remarkably flat and boring, but good for raising cattle. If you rejoin US90 Alt it will pass through Gonzales, which has a decent little Texas history museum with the original ”come and take it” cannon. Shiner has a good sized brewery which makes Shiner bock, the closest thing to the official beer of Texas. US90 will take you into the southwest side of Houston, where you can take I-69 up to rejoin I-10. Main tip for Houston is avoid rush hour or it could take half a day to get across the metro area. Also watch out for toll roads, some of them have bill-in-the-mail service, but others don’t and will send you a nasty fine. It’s confusing.

Alternative: start on US60 and connect to US380 across north Texas. No real interesting towns other than maybe Post. But it’s a nicer drive than you’d expect with frequent little towns for services. You pass through the northern burbs of Dallas and then connect to I-30. I’d maybe work my way down to I-20 around Tyler, TX and continue the trip towards Montgomery.

That’s all I got.
 

geds

2018 Serenity
Be cautious on I-10. It is a major drug and human trafficing route, especially across the pan handle of FL.
 

Scarecrow

2017 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
Yes. Everything I'm reading about I-10 makes me want to find another route. Hence, this post. Thanks.
 

glasseye

Well-known member
Yes. Everything I'm reading about I-10 makes me want to find another route. Hence, this post. Thanks.

And I-40, unless you like semis and wretched roadway surface.

"Interstates are like supper at McDonalds. Not so much a meal as a solution to a problem"

.
 

Bone Head

2014 LTV Unity MB
Just keep to the "Blue Roads" and you will be fine. If there is enough rush to have to use the interstate system in a camper, then you should just park it and fly again. Life is too short to travel the slab.

Bob
 

Klipstr

2018 Wonder FTB
Laura and I did I-10 all the way from FL to West Texas and then ducked up to Carlsbad NM to Show Low. It was easy, boring, driving! When we are in a hurry to get someplace the slab is fine but generally, per BoneHead, avoid whenever possible. Liked the recommendation to do Big Bend loop and maybe then hug the Gulf coast the rest of the way across TX. The first milepost on I-10 when you enter TX from the east is something like 850. That's like driving through three normal states (or six if you live in the NE!).
 

Old Crows

Calypso 2014 View Profile
Frankly..... it depends a whole lot on the weather. Sure 40 sucks. I10E isn't a clear winner sometimes. For sure, you don't want to be out in the 'Tuiles' dodging torrential rains, tornadoes, ice storms, or blizzards. Were a Crow taking that route (which he had flown several times.... Time, distance, traffic clusters, roads and good camp grounds in a day's drive of each other.... Sometimes there is no 'best' way..... just a way with less hassles and places to stay and amenities. I'd go this way: Ft Stockton Tx > Ozona > Sonora > Junction > Kerrville > Fredericksburg > Marble Falls > Burnet > Bertram > Liberty Hill (skirting AUSTIN, ROUND ROCK & TEMPLE) to Rt 29 through Georgetown and E of I35 >>>> 130 S to Hutto >>>>>> 97 NE from Hutto DIRECT to TYLER. From TYLER >>>>> Gilmer >>> 271 N DIRECT Mt. Peasant >>>> I-30 E CLEARED DIRECT to Little Rock and points EAST on I40/I81 Catch I 81N vic. DANDRIDGE east of Knoxville.

That course lays out an almost direct line from West Texas (Ft Stockton) to east of Knoxville. All the Texas roads are good. Generally low traffic. You skirt the big city traffic for the most part. You stay off I35 and I10 east of San Antone.

Jump on the internet and get the Good Sam trip planner. Easy to use.

A FINAL SUGGESTION: From El Paso to Junction TX (or anywhere in west Texas!!!!) WINDS ARE A POTENTIAL HAZARD for vehicles, especially large ones. Check the weather and I'd park it and lagger in if the winds are 30-35 gusting more than that.
 
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Scarecrow

2017 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
This Forum is amazing with all the great suggestions. I have some planning to do. I can't really just park it this time. I need to get it home and hunker down awhile until my life settles down. Odds are, I'll do all this - jinx the home sale - then have to start touring the East Coast, anyway. I have not been up to the real Northeast except one day trip many years ago. So there will be plenty of adventures, I'm sure.
 

Old Crows

Calypso 2014 View Profile
Scarecrow....Sorry Bud! It is Rand McNally trip planner. Good Sam had some crazy change about a year ago. The RMCN planner is the improved version of the old GS planner.
 

geds

2018 Serenity
If you have time, the hill country of TX west of San Antonio is beautiful (Abilene to San Antonio via 283 / 87 to 16 is nice - all around the Fredricksburg to Austin to San Antonio is the hill country - very scenic with touristy and not so touristy towns). If you go in the spring when the Blue Bonnets are blooming, from there east and south of Waco is really special! They even have a website to predict the best bloom times and locations (like a Autumn leaf change predictor). The secondary roads in west TX are in bad shape due to oil industry truck traffic (especially 652 and 285 from Guadalupe NP to Pecos) (from Clovis, NM to Sweetwater on US 84 is not too bad - just open and prone to winds). However, the farm roads of east TX are some of my favorites to drive - well maintained, low traffic, speeds of 60mph, and nice scenery! I would avoid Houston if you can, traffic can be really bad! We took the ferry out to Galveston and followed the coast back to Louisiana. If you have time, you can follow the coast back to New Orleans and see some nice swamplands. If not, I-10 is not bad from there to Mobile. There are some nice back roads across MS and AL if want to see old plantation homes, lots of farms, lots of poor farmers, and LOTS of pine trees! Gulfport to Hattiesburg to Selma to Montgomery is not bad. You can go farther east, then turn north just west of Mobile up 43 to 22 to Selma to Montgomery.
 
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Scarecrow

2017 LTV Unity Murphy Bed
Anybody have an opinion on taking I-10 to I-20 to US-80 to Montgomery? Is I-20 horrendous? Not much time for sightseeing on this run.
 
Anybody have an opinion on taking I-10 to I-20 to US-80 to Montgomery? Is I-20 horrendous? Not much time for sightseeing on this run.
I drove I20 from Atlanta to DFW some years ago. I honestly don’t remember anything. It was an interstate, there were the usual services and businesses, it must have been OK pavement because I don’t recall that either. I think it will be fine, but nothing much to see or do.
 

geds

2018 Serenity
It's not too bad. There are stretches with "buckboard rides" due to expansive clays and loess deposits on the Mississippi side between Vicksburg and Jackson.
 

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