San Diego to Texas in December
My wife and I just got our first toy hauler and are planning a trip for Christmas vacation since we can easily get 10 days off. We'll be leaving from San Diego. The smart thing to do seems to stay Sou...
Forum Discussion
- Are there any areas of Texas we should avoid in general due to weather or recent natural disasters?
The Upper Gulf Coast (Houston to Corpus Christi) was heavily affected by the hurricane, Harvey. The Lower Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island were much less impacted. Your route does not seem to be within the area affected. As for weather, see below.
- Where are good places to rest/dump/fuel there and back?
- What is a realistic number of miles to drive per day? I'm familiar with long restless drives (Minnesota) in a car, but I realize more rest will be needed.
This is a very personal matter. My own range is from 250 to 400 miles per day, preferring around 300 to 350. I like to start early in the day and stop for lunch--outside the RV, usually in a restaurant--then try to arrive around 3:30 in the afternoon.
- Where is a good place to ride the quads?
- Any weather concerns?
Texas is a big place with many climate environments, but one thing can be said for the entire state: December weather can be all the way from shirt sleeves and sunshine to snow and ice--and it can go from one to the other in a matter of days. I remember one Christmas when there was snow in Corpus Christi and we had none up here in Northeast Texas. But most Christmas Days I can remember from my boyhood involved playing outside in pleasant weather. This is something that can not be predicted, only to be prepared for.
- Good sites to see?
I have mentioned Carlsbad Caverns below. I would add Big Bend National Park and Davis Mountains in far West Texas. The Hill Country around Fredericksburg as well as San Antonio would be near I-10. The problem is the time you have if you are going on down to the Rio Grande Valley or South Padre Island. You won't be much over half way of your trip when you get to El Paso.
- Texas/Arizona driving laws/habits we might not know? For example, in CA it's right lane 55 max.
In Texas we drive right along with the automobiles, showing good sense and courtesy but not much restricted by law.
Here is a trip we took a few years ago from East Texas to the San Diego area. Of course, your plan would be to head much more southeast once in Texas, but this is just an example of miles and stops:
Weatherford, TX === 1 202 ... Serinity Ranch RV
Midland, TX === 1 283 ... Medissa Oil Patch RV
Carlsbad, NM === 1 149 ... Carlsbad RV Park
Deming, NM === 1 261 ... Little Vineyard RV
Eloy, AZ === 1 275 ... Desert Valley RV
Boulevard, CA === 1 298 ... Sacred Rocks RV
Valley Center, CA=== 2 85 .... Woods Valley RV
The second column is the number of nights we stayed. I would not advise such a schedule, but our goal was California. We did work in a very nice tour of Carlsbad Caverns on the afternoon we were there. The second column is the miles between stops.
The Upper Gulf Coast (Houston to Corpus Christi) was heavily affected by the hurricane, Harvey. The Lower Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island were much less impacted. Your route does not seem to be within the area affected. As for weather, see below.
- Where are good places to rest/dump/fuel there and back?
- What is a realistic number of miles to drive per day? I'm familiar with long restless drives (Minnesota) in a car, but I realize more rest will be needed.
This is a very personal matter. My own range is from 250 to 400 miles per day, preferring around 300 to 350. I like to start early in the day and stop for lunch--outside the RV, usually in a restaurant--then try to arrive around 3:30 in the afternoon.
- Where is a good place to ride the quads?
- Any weather concerns?
Texas is a big place with many climate environments, but one thing can be said for the entire state: December weather can be all the way from shirt sleeves and sunshine to snow and ice--and it can go from one to the other in a matter of days. I remember one Christmas when there was snow in Corpus Christi and we had none up here in Northeast Texas. But most Christmas Days I can remember from my boyhood involved playing outside in pleasant weather. This is something that can not be predicted, only to be prepared for.
- Good sites to see?
I have mentioned Carlsbad Caverns below. I would add Big Bend National Park and Davis Mountains in far West Texas. The Hill Country around Fredericksburg as well as San Antonio would be near I-10. The problem is the time you have if you are going on down to the Rio Grande Valley or South Padre Island. You won't be much over half way of your trip when you get to El Paso.
- Texas/Arizona driving laws/habits we might not know? For example, in CA it's right lane 55 max.
In Texas we drive right along with the automobiles, showing good sense and courtesy but not much restricted by law.
Here is a trip we took a few years ago from East Texas to the San Diego area. Of course, your plan would be to head much more southeast once in Texas, but this is just an example of miles and stops:
Weatherford, TX === 1 202 ... Serinity Ranch RV
Midland, TX === 1 283 ... Medissa Oil Patch RV
Carlsbad, NM === 1 149 ... Carlsbad RV Park
Deming, NM === 1 261 ... Little Vineyard RV
Eloy, AZ === 1 275 ... Desert Valley RV
Boulevard, CA === 1 298 ... Sacred Rocks RV
Valley Center, CA=== 2 85 .... Woods Valley RV
The second column is the number of nights we stayed. I would not advise such a schedule, but our goal was California. We did work in a very nice tour of Carlsbad Caverns on the afternoon we were there. The second column is the miles between stops.
