Know every inch of your intended route...but lots of ???? Are you intending to visit certain areas based on perceived landmarks or just to kick back and enjoy what that particular area has to offer. For example: Memphis has night life, good for a one day/night experience. If your doing I55 from there to BR(Baton Rouge) nothing special. I55 very flat but bad road surfaces in limited areas. French Quarter is legendary but that's it in the whole Nawlins area unless your'e acquainted with some backwater jugs. I10 form Br, lots of interstate, lots of commercial traffic.
So unless BR and Nawlins is preferred I would do I40 from W Memphis to Little Rock, then I30 to Texarkanna and 59 to Houston. Bypasses alot of not too much in favor of seeing not to much via I40-!30-59...but a more relaxed transit...And shorter distance.
From Houston you have access to gulf highways and free miles and miles of on the beach camping/no hookups just boondocking it on the beach. And especially the Corpus area, including Aransas Pass, Rockport, Fulton and so on.
If San Antonio is a must from Corpus it can be had easily via I37 and there you can grab I10. As for San Antonio it's the Alamo or River Walk, that's it. For me not worth it, my usual go to is Hills and Dales n west of town, ice house/watering hole on the 1604 feeder. Best place to visit in that area is the many hill country towns, Kerrville, Fredricksburg and so on. Once you leave that area that's pretty much it until El Paso. Beware of night driving anywhere before and after the Junction area...big time deer kills on I10. Coldest weather encountered on I10 is usually the I10-I20 split/junction farther west. And for your pipes...once you hit I40/Memphis crank em on, you should be good from that point on. And La, really, must have family/friends in the area otherwise the payfor Rv sites can empty a wallet. I have a son who has a home in La Mesa and a vist in my rv wouldn't happen unless he was there to provide parking.
