US 10

[dcochran1167]

Hi there

We are new to Full Timing and would appreciate some input on US 10 from Tucson AZ to Baton Rouge LA. We are traveling in a 39 foot Diesel Pusher and want to know of any conditions that we would not like to encounter. We of course have plenty of time.- as do all "full timers".

Thanks for any input Dave

[BillAdams]

If you mean I-10, there are no issues on the Interstate. Just long stretches of boring trying to get from one side of TX to the other!

[wolfe10]

Dave,

No problem with I 10 all the way, but there is a much more scenic route across Texas.

Exit I 10 in Van Horn Texas onto U.S. 90. Take it across to San Antonio where it rejoins I 10. Only 25 miles longer. Excellent two lane road with very, very little traffic.

Alpine is a cute small west Texas town.

Visit Big Bend NP is not in the heat of the summer. Either drive down in the RV, or leave the RV in Alpine or Marathon and drive the toad.

Visit the (free) Judge Roy Bean center in Langtry.

Then Seminole Canyon State Park (electric, water and dump station). Some several thousand year old Indian cave paintings there and free small museum in the park HQ. Some nice hiking trails in the park as well.

For fishermen, Lake Amistad is a good stop-- plenty of RV parks as well.

Then Del Rio if you want to cross the border.

Not a lot to see in Hondo, but during WW II, that is where they trained Army Air Corp navigators/bombardiers.

Castroville has a nice regional park in town, the town settled by immigrants from the Alsace Region.

[tbutler]

You haven't specified what conditions you would not want to encounter or the time of year you are taking this trip. If this is a summer trip you will experience some really hot weather, Traffic around El Paso is to be avoided during the rush hours. San Antonio is somewhat better during rush hours and I would never attempt Houston during rush hours. There is a stretch of I-10 in western Texas which is normally littered with dead deer. I would avoid driving that section between the beginning of evening twilight and the end of morning twilight and be alert for deer at other times. You'll know it when you start seeing a dead or live deer every two or three miles! That may be a seasonal thing but it caused us to pull off for the night and the next 70 or so miles were the same the next morning, plenty of deer live and dead but at least you can see them in the daytime and have a chance to avoid hitting one.

If you don't mind driving secondary roads, Texas has some excellent scenic roads. You'll want to drive slower speeds but the trip will be much more interesting as Brett has said. Stop at the border visitors center and pick up some information on the kinds of things you would like to see and do. Make the trip more than just rushing from place to place. We've been driving through Texas for fourteen years, several times a year or more. I try to take a different route each time as a way to explore more of the state. Still there are times when time is of the essence and I-10 is a good get there in a hurry highway.

[N8VTXN]

Big Bend NP can be a spectacular visit, especially when it rains in the mountains. Not often, but a spectacular view, sometimes you can see the rain evaporating before it hits the ground. Unless you like heat, or have real good AC in your rig, stay away in the summer. When I was young, our scout summer camp, in Fort Davis, averaged in the 110's during the day, more like Arizona than anywhere else. Know know the old saying; but it's a dry heat! <rolling laugh> Plenty of rattlesnakes, and oh yes, there are mountain lion's. You can hear their unique sounding cries at night. There's the "Ghost Lights" in the hills and mountains near Marfa. There was once a huge scientific telescope near Fort Davis, don't know if it is still there, and there is the old restored fort itself. There is Alpine, a unique town, along with valleys and spring fed creeks in the middle of a desert like hill and mountain environment.

If your very brave, and have a wild side, there is the Terlingua chili cookoff in the first weekend in November. It's the "Superbowl" of all of the chili cookoffs in the Nation. They actually have it on a ranch 50 or so mile from Alpine near a tiny "one horse" town named Study Butte, TX if I remember my directions correctly. There is no such thing as a town named Terlingua. Be forewarned that the event is more like a motorcycle rally, or a Texas "Woodstock", than a formal cooking contest. I was very young last time I went.

On a last note, be careful, you are very close to the border and there are a few serious outlaws wandering in the wilderness in that area. Most are illegals that have crossed the border. It has always been that way since the days of range cattle, no fences, and cattle rustling before Texas was a state, and now days, probably worse due to the drug smugglers. We once had a good friend that was a border patrol agent in that area, he passed on due to illness quite a few years ago. It's perfectly OK to "sight see" but don't linger too long in any one area, especially if you are in a really nice rig, just keep moving. Be careful of strangers that can't speak english. If there is a well protected RV park available, you will be OK. Since I have yet to RV cruise this area, I don;t know the campgrounds. We grew up traveling that area almost every month as my father was a competition marksman and most of the competition events were in Marfa or Presidio. I do look forward to returning and making an RV cruise through the Big Bend area and mountains around Marfa, Presidio, and Alpine someday.

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

wolfe10 had excellent aternatives. I can second his suggestions. If you would happen to be in Alpine the last weekend in February, don't miss the Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Also there is an excellent Big Bend Museum at the university in Alpine. Davis Mountain State Park is a stone throw from Alpine with full hookups. Don't miss McDonald Observatory with its Star Parties. Fort Davis is an almost intact historical Army Post.

I would caution about strong cross winds in West Texas with a 39 footer. It can be a battle and it tipped over an 18 wheeler at the same time we were there in our 39 footer.

[wolfe10]

" There is no such thing as a town named Terlingua."

Indeed, it is a town-- now mostly a ghost town, but it does have a few inhabitants.

Just go to Mapquest or other mapping program and enter Terlingua TX.

Or: http://ghosttowntexas.com/

Been here, done that.

[whiteeagle]

If you're thinking about going down to San Antonio, consider going to Fredricksburg ..nice German heritage city, good food spots, several RV campground in area... GREAT museum of the South Pacific War .... best war museum ever..... and of couse it's in wine country, right next to Lukenbach Texas..

Austin also nice city to drive around in for a day.....

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

When WhiteEagle mentions Fredericksburg as being in wine country, my impression was that there is a winery every three miles. The War Museum is a don't miss. There is a seed company near that has every kind of garden seed that you could imagine. Lady Bird Johnson Park is very nice but you must have reservations well in advance.

[zorro2kita]

Just completed drive from Van Horn to San Antonio - road surface ranged from 5-3 (5 being the best !) Heavy cross/tail winds - Several Passport America campgrounds enroute - small town America at its finest ! Brett has made all the correct descriptions of what to see or experience.

We encountered a small number of semi-trucks so that was a plus --Glad we took Brett's suggestion!!