Road Trip Route

[Hokiefyd]

We're going to buy my brother's 2009 Honda Ridgeline in mid August. I'm buying it far below market value, so it's worth the inconvenience of getting it here. Transporting it from there to here looks like about $1,200-1,400. My wife and I can both fly out there and drive it back for less than that, and we get a little vacation out of it as well. So we're planning for that.

Our kids will be at my folks' house in the Jax, FL, area that week, so we're going to drive from Tucson, AZ, to Jax, FL. I would assume that I-10 would be the straightest/quickest way back. Google Maps shows that to be the case, at 1,930 miles/27 hrs. But it also shows the I-20 option at 1,942 miles/28 hrs. That one hour difference is negligible -- traffic in a major city on either route could eat up that difference.

Texans/Louisianans, what do you think about either route? I enter Texas on I-10 at El Paso. I then either:

(A) Stay on I-10, through Fort Stockton, San Antonio, Houston, and Beaumont. I enter Louisiana at Lake Charles, and continue through Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and exit the state headed to Mobile.

or

(B) Get on I-20 west of Fort Stockton, pass through Midland, Abilene, DFW, and enter Louisiana at Shreveport. Then to Vicksburg and Jackson, MS, and get on US-49 down through Hattiesburg and meet back up with I-10 in Mobile.

I'd like to see some sights along the way, but it can't be too involved, because we do want to get back to FL in three days. We were thinking of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, but it looks like I'd want a full day for that, and we won't have that in our schedule. Is there any Cadillac Ranch type stuff along our journey that we should stop and see?

Any comments/thoughts about our route or things to see are encouraged and appreciated. Thanks.

 

[racer12306]

Houston can make that trip a nightmare at a)drive time or b)in the pouring rain. It would eat up that hour saved if you got caught there.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I-10 through Louisiana will beat you to death, but is OK in the other states. Going across Texas on I-10 will seem never ending, it is 880 miles across (the sun rose and the sun set, but I still ain't out of Texas yet).

I have driven both routes and given the choice with only a 1 hour difference, I would go the I-20 route and bypass the Louisiana portion (but you will miss out on the Cajun food). I head to Florida for vacation soon and dread the LA roads.

 

[A_Harman]

I don't know if you'll have smooth sailing on either route when it comes down to getting through the major cities in Texas.
I went through Dallas in February, and it was a nightmare, so I would say no to I20.
On the other hand I10 goes through San Antonio and Houston, and it seems like the two of them could combine to be as bad as DFW. At least San Antonio has the Riverwalk and the Alamo. I would vote for I10.

Maybe keep an eye on the weather, and avoid I10 if there is a hurricane? I20 is further away from the Gulf.

 

[JHZR2]

Go through DFW and do the stock yards and have dinner at Joe T's.

Alamo is fun too, but I'd be more worried about Houston. I guess it all comes down to how many hours you intend to drive per day, and where that puts you for the night. Getting through east TX late at night may be prudent.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Go through DFW and do the stock yards and have dinner at Joe T's.


This looks fun. Fort Worth is 923 miles from Tucson, so we could be there for supper if we left Tucson @ 5am. Then could leave Fort Worth @ 6am and be in Mobile or close to it that night. Then just a 400 mile drive to Jax on the third day.

Great ideas; keep them coming, please!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: 2010_FX4
I-10 through Louisiana will beat you to death, but is OK in the other states. . . . I head to Florida for vacation soon and dread the LA roads.

Quoted for Extra Truth. The stretch of I-10 from slightly east of Baton Rouge to about Laplace, LA (slightly west of Noo Awlins) is in good shape. But going through BR is horrible, so is the stretch to Lafayette, and the last time I was on the stretch between Lake Charles and Lafayette, my car looked back at me and whined, "Please, Boss, do we hafta???" Texas, Miss., and Alabama are fine, though.

You could take the I-20 route into Loozyana, then cut southeast along I-49 to I-10. But it wouldn't provide any smoother a ride, and I-49 seems endless -- there's nothing to see. So I'd say stick with I-20 and avoid NO completely.

 

[cashmoney]

I'd stick with I-10 and seriously plan to avoid going thru major cities anywhere near rush hour traffic flows. Even though I10 route is only potentially an hour shorter, you will very much appreciate that 1 hour less driving at the end of the trip. I'd actually consider spending the night in a nice B&B in New Orleans on the trip back.

 

[John_Conrad]

Greetings Hokie:

If you leave on a Saturday, the traffic could be more bearable and I would take the shortest route(i will do the google maps thing shortly and see if i can spot anything that will help), other wise a week day trip through those cities will be a chore. I usually try to avoid the rush hour part through those big cities-especially Dallas, Houston, SA-driving through them at night is usually better.

Road trips are fun when a vacation is involved(and a new car!) Stay positive and don't let the crummy drivers get you down. good luck.

Oh and i have not traveled east out of texas, so i can only comment on the texas traffic as i do the north south corridor from the midwest to south texas quite freqently.

 

[Bud]

I have driven I10 between Houston and Mobile Al many times and all the major cities can be a nightmare if you hit them at rush hour. And again I have been out in the middle of nowhere on I10 and come up on an accident and sat in backed up traffic for a couple of hours. Plenty to see in San Antonio, Houston if you have the time. Google both places and you will get an idea of whats offered, but all that cannot be done in a few days. Three days does not allow for much other than driving.

 

[CT8]

Which route would seem the most interesting?

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Bud
I have driven I10 between Houston and Mobile Al many times and all the major cities can be a nightmare if you hit them at rush hour. And again I have been out in the middle of nowhere on I10 and come up on an accident and sat in backed up traffic for a couple of hours. Plenty to see in San Antonio, Houston if you have the time. Google both places and you will get an idea of whats offered, but all that cannot be done in a few days. Three days does not allow for much other than driving.

How many hours during rush hour ? 3-4 hours in the morning and 3-4 hours in the evening ?

In So Cal, we have 2 long parking lots on I-5 and I-405 from North of Los Angeles to South Orange County from 3-4 AM till 10-11 PM.

 

[Al]

I will be the naysayer here. I have a 2008 Subaru that I absolutely guarantee is better condition with a reliable track record..better than your honda. Statistically any normal person would not hesitate taking it (Subaru)) to Cali and back to Pa........but

If something goes wrong with it you are totally screwed. Remember in spite of everything you don't know the car.

Pay to have it shipped. If you want to go on a driving trip, rent a car and know that any car problems are the rental company's problem.

(adjusts flamesuit)

 

[Hokiefyd]

Al, I appreciate your comment, and you do have a valid point.

This Ridgeline, however, has been in the family since it was bought new, and we know its entire service history. Which, by the way, was so good, the original owner (my brother's father-in-law) sold this to him and bought a 2014 Ridgeline before they went out of production.

Given the condition of most rental cars I've used, I'd rather drive a known good 100k mile vehicle than a true roll of the dice.

That said, there is something to be said for writing a check and having it show up at our front door.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Al
Pay to have it shipped.


Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

After more discussion, we're just going to pay to have it delivered to our door. Our primary objective in flying and driving is saving money, but even a blown tire could derail that. I've come across a few situations in life were saving money actually costed more. Maybe this would or wouldn't have been one of them, who knows.

$1450 will bring it here.

 

[Vikas]

You have to be Eljefino to be able to pull off the road trip