Ginblossom

I am about to start this trek on Sunday, and am sorta dreading it, but has anyone done it, (or part of it), and have any decent advice?

tonrob

I feel your pain - if I had to go to Houston I would be dreading it too.

Having just returned from a long road-trip of my own (FL to MA) I would recommend having plenty of drinks and snacks in the car, a good supply of tunes and playing games to while away the hours (I Spy, looking for license plates from as many states as possible, farting contests and the like).

elfman

what scoring criteria do you use?
I was thinking
Volume
Duration
Pitch
Fragrance
Frequency
Degree of difficulty

tonrob

All of the above, plus temperature and viscosity.

Of course it goes without saying that windows must be kept shut at all times.

sir_eccles

I've done Phoenix to Austin which covers a large part of the same route along I-10. It's one long straight shot and pretty boring at that. Be aware the west Texas section of I-10 has nothing, utterly nothing what so ever so if you plan to stop, plan accordingly. We did an overnight in Las Cruces which is the last decent place to stop until San Antonio. There is a nice Marriot there just off the highway and a good Mexican restaurant which I can't remember the name of (ask the hotel desk).

On the plus side most of I-10 is 85 mph. Though watch out for cops hidden in the median or at the side of the road.

zargof

I'm curious about the degree of dificulty criterion. Is this something to do with getting as close as possible to following through without leaving a skidmark which of course is an immediate disqualification.

Ginblossom

Thanks, Im happy to break the trip down into lots of stops such as Tuscon, El Paso etc etc etc. Dont want to get over tired and stuff.

elfman

Well if you want to get all technical that one’s for the more ambitious entries which include variations in pitch, multiple notes, and recognizable melodies.

meauxna

Do you want to deadhead straight through, or are you willing to make some interesting stops?

Tuscon has possibilities, as does the nearby area (launch a Cruise Missile!).

Oregon4now

Just a Tip, it is about a 23 hour trip straight though, so if you make lot's of small stops, which is great if you have the time and Money to play Tourist, Plan on being able to to get information on Weather and HWY conditions before you set off from whatever city you are in at the time.
Have a safe and fun trip and much luck in Austin

scrubbedexpat097

We did it both ways, Houston- Santa Monica -Houston about 5 years ago. Just remember there are very desolate areas in west Texas, so make sure you keep your gas tank topped up all the way, also there is a large portion of I10 in Texas between El Paso and San Antonio with no cell phone service either.

New Mexico and Arizona are a bit more interesting and seem to change along the way but Texas is such a big state that when you cross into it you still have hours and hours of travel until you reach Houston.


Good luck!

Yorkieabroad

We did it as far as Arizona last year. Found a book called The Next Exit useful for planning where we were going to stop/eat/fill up on gas, especially as we were towing a travel trailer so a) not moving so fast and b) getting thru the gas even quicker than usual. It's updated every year, and worth every penny of the purchase price (we got ours half price as a well thumbed shelf display....think its 14.95 for a virgin copy.)

Like a few people have said, there are some pretty desolate areas, but I found it an interesting drive, especially going thru the areas with the windfarms....easy way to keep the kids occupied - count the windmills!

MrEmjoy

And the air on recycle

MrEmjoy

Carry extra water. That's all I can think of really. And don't sit at the side of the road reading a map. That's a "Mug me" sign. It used to be a help me sign but not any more.

Ginblossom

In the end didnt do the trip, as I got a good price in shipping the car and flew instead. To be honest, I just couldnt face it.