Colorado To Florida

[gaylemarlowe]

 

Going from Pueblo, CO to Sarasota, FL in about 2 weeks. We usually take 87 to Amarillo, 287 to Wichita Falls, 82 to Sherman, 69 to I-20 to Shreveport,49 south to I-10.

I know a bunch of you have traveled this area and was wondering if there is a better selection for routes and roads. 44 ft Newmar with tag, towing pickup with Harley in the back.

Thanks

[BillAdams]

I have taken 287 all the way into the DFW area and then 114 to 635 and sweep around the top catching 20E on the other side.  Otherwise, the same route.  You can also go from Amarillo to OK City which adds something like 100 miles but it's all Interstate so it could be a time and fuel saver.

[wolfe10]

Reality, this time of year, you need to check the weather a couple of days before leaving.

A very good website where you can "fast forward" through a week by day parts for weather conditions:

http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/centrockies.php#tabs

[wildebill308]

Like Brett said, it is going to depend on the weather and your tolerance of the conditions. If you are going to have bad storms you might consider going straight down I-25 to I-10 then east. Longer but further south. There are a couple places on I-25 that  could be a problem to, so it will depend on what is happening just before you leave. 

Bill

[gaylemarlowe]

Yes, we will be having a very short weather window to sneak out of our mountain valley and down across Raton Pass, so we will definitely be checking the weather closely.

We know that this time of year the conditions can change in minutes! I did consider going down I-25 to I-10 which would get us into warmer weather sooner, but that does add quite a few miles. But, the weather will dictate which route we take. Thanks for the suggestions.

[hermanmullins]

Bill another route would be as you said to take 287 south to just south of Wichita Falls and pick up Hwy. 82 East. 82  east past Sherman and pick up Hwy. 69 South down to I-20 and East from  there. At Shreveport you can pick up I-49 south to Lafayette for I-10.

By taking Hwy. 82 to 69 you will miss all of the Dallas traffic. 

Also just after you turn south 8 miles on 82 there will be a 4 way stop sign. Honk really loud, you will be 2 miles from our farm. 

Safe travels no matter which way you go.

Herman 

[tbutler]

It's trips like this that make me appreciate the good ol' USA.  There are so many possible routes available that you should be able to work your way around most storms.  We were in Australia several years ago, an island nation about the size of the USA.  There are two roads from coast to coast, one along the south coast and the other across northern Australia.  There is one road that connects the two from north to south in the center of the country.  Not many choices about which route to take there.

I'm sure that you know about winter driving conditions but it is always good to have a reminder.  We have friends who were returning to our park in their Airstream, towed behind a nice conversion van.  They hit black ice, went off the highway into a field, belly up, totaled everything.  They escaped luckily with just a few bruises.  You'll have significant weight behind you pushing you along so be really careful braking on slick surfaces.  Use of the engine brake is not recommended on slick surfaces, you don't have the ABS system with the engine brake.  Watch the overpasses, they all have warnings about freezing before road surfaces but after you've seen a hundred of those signs you begin to ignore them.  A fog can put enough frost on the road surface on an overpass or elevated roadway to turn it into a skating rink. 

There are times when you have to just park the rig and hunker down until the storm passes.  Beware of what they call get-there-itis in aviation, it can be fatal.  Enjoy the drive, you'll get to your destination when you get there.  Safe travels!

[wildebill308]

Sometimes the longer way is the better way.

Happy New Year.

Bill

[gaylemarlowe]

Herman, I did look at the route suggested, but have not been that way yet. With your recommendation, we may try that way, weather permitting..

Seems to look like one of the shortest routes. And I will honk really LOUD!

Butler, thanks for the reminder on safety and the ever present "get-there-itus". Having flown for quite a few years, I am well aware of that deadly syndrome,

having a few close calls because of it.

Happy New Year to all!!!