I10 vs I40 Coast-to-Coast

[cbr46]

Never done a C2C trip before. Later this month I'm bringing my daughter's TT home from Encinitas CA (San Diego) to Fairburn GA (Atlanta).

Anyone have a preference of I10 or I40? Why?

We've reserved one day for sight seeing. Any interesting sites to see along the way? Been to the Grand Canyon, so that's out. Carlsbad Caverns was suggested.

Let us know your thoughts?

Thanks,
- bob

[2gypsies1]

Thanks for returning with your wonderful trip report! Wish more folks would do that.

Sounds like a good father/daughter bonding trip. 🙂

[cbr46]

We made it.

Smashed one of the rear leveling jacks within hours of starting out (first gas stop). After that no mishaps . . . . well, except for a quarter sized chunk of rubber peeled away from the sidewall (Goodyear Marathon). Best guess is a pothole pinched it against the rim and tore it? It's still holding air. Yes, it will be changed!

Took I-8 out of San Diego to Gila Bend AZ then north to Phoenix, north to Flagstaff AZ then I-40 to Memphis TN. US78 out of Memphis turning into I-22 into Birmingham AL for short stint on I-65 and I-20 to Douglasville GA where we bypassed Atlanta to final destination in Fairburn GA. Pretty much good road all the way. Biggest hills were East of San Diego.

First overnight was Little America Sinclair Truck Stop just East of Flagstaff AZ. Place was PACKED! We had to "improvise" our parking spot but it was good. Noisy, but good. Smelly, but good.

Our scenic diversion was Petrified Forest East of Holbrook AZ that took most of the day. It was the daughter's choice. As a plus she got to stand on a corner in Winslow AZ. She never heard the song before. Kids . . . .

Second overnight was Santa Rosa RV in Santa Rosa NM. It was the only RV park that allowed late arrivals. Check-in was self serve by stuffing your envelope with credit card # on an envelope into a slot. Nobody knocked on the door at 6am so I guess I got all the digits right. $27 w Good Sam, level graveled spaces, lots of room, nice clean bath house.

Stopped at Sisemore Travel Center in Amarillo TX (I keep saying Armadillo TX . . . . ). There is no room for parking in the parking lot. ZERO. I somehow managed to pull truck & camper in and out without hitting anything. Found out RVs are to park on the street. The rubber marks on the curb should have been my first clue? Bought a new leveling jack and hit the road only to discover a Walmart at the entrance ramp. It was like an RV magnet. Decided make a grocery run and install the new jack. Hmmmm, not an exact fit and didn't feel like drilling holes when we got home so back to Sisemore we go. They didn't have any 5,000 lb jacks (this one was 7,500) so got a refund and talked dirt bikes with Jack Sisemore (former owner, motorcycle racer) for 15 min. Fascinating guy. He invited me to check out their RV MUSEUM complete with racing motorcycles from "the day" that would have been interesting if we weren't parked on the street. Daughter would have had zero interest in motorcycles so we hit the road.

Third overnight was . . . . . didn't happen. Drove all the way from NM to GA. Made it through 6 Beatles albums, Lucky Chops and was about to start Queen's Greatest Hits (Queen always keeps me awake and alert) when the daughter woke up pulling in for gas in Jasper AL. It was light anyway so the rest of the trip was pretty easy.

Bought another leveling jack at Camper World in Oxford AL. Nice folks there also. This jack fit . . . . almost. Holes were slightly off but close enough for a secure fit.

All in all it was a fun trip with good roads and no unplanned excitement. Thanks to RV.netters for helping make this a journey worth remembering.

Thought about making a 3 hour run from Petrified Forest up to Four Corners (plus another 3 hours back). Never been there but the Daughter wasn't that keen on it. It was like "Really? That's a place?" Maybe I'll share it someday with the DW.

Best,
- bob

[patperry2766]

Tornado alley

Worrying about a tornado in Texas is like worrying about a earthquake in California. You will be more exposed to the remote possibility of a tornado on the I-40 route than the southern I-10 route anyway.

Check out Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo Texas if you need a place to stay in that area

[cbr46]

No 80 mph for us - I don't trust her trailer tires! She blew 1 or 2 on the way out (new Goodyear Marathons). I'm not sure what she replaced them with. We will be at or above stamped inflation pressure (50psi).

Considering a trip to the scales at the start of the trip. Might be good insurance but the only thing we'd be able to do is transfer weight from the trailer to the back seat or pickup bed (has a shell).

Balmorhea, Observatory and Ft Davis all sound pretty cool . . . . except we were planning on dodging tornadoes on I-40 for the better scenery.

And a spring fed pool in April? Don't think so!

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm flying out in an hour and will be slumming it by smartphone after today. I'll try to remember a trip report when the dust settles.

Best,
- bob

[patperry2766]

On I-10 from pretty much San Antonio to El Paso, it's 80 MPH. There are alot of open spaces between towns. With only one day, I'd suggest Balmorhea SP

where you can swim in spring fed pool to cool off. Was there this past July and it was nice. Then in the evening, go to Mc Donald Observatory for a star watching party. McDonald Observatory

Indian Lodge Try to book a room here if you can

Fort Davis then do this.

Everything I listed is within a few miles of each other and will give you more than a full day's worth of things to do.

You could always do I-20 to Pecos Texas, drop down to do the things I mentioned, then pick back up on I-10

[cbr46]

I thought of that, but . . . .

We'll take a weather snapshot before we are committed to I-10 vs I-40.

Best,
- bob

[zcookiemonstar]

This time of year you kinda need to pick your route by the weather. You are traveling through some parts of the country that get some bad storms and it is Tornado season. Two years ago driving from Phoenix to Chicago we spent a half day longer in New Mexico because of the Tornado watches and warnings in Texas and Oklahoma.

[Kit_Carson]

Bourbon Street in Memphis??

[fanrgs]

brooks379 wrote:
I have driven coast to coast about 300 times .. I would take I 8 to I 10. to I 20 into Atlanta.

I've driven all the routes mentioned, including the I-40 to Pine Bluff-US 65 route two months ago with my 5th wheel. I would second the I-8, I-10, I-20 route directly into Atlanta. I-8 bypasses the traffic mess of Phoenix, but you will still have to negotiate D-FW.

For one overnight, you might consider Butterfield RV Resort just off I-10 in Benson, AZ. Paved pull-thru sites for short-timers, Good Sam discount, and a great nighttime star party in their observatory with a 16-inch telescope! Another overnight could be DiamondJack's Casino in Bossier City, LA. Tree-shaded, concrete-paved sites with W/E for $22.50/weeknight with the Good Sam discount.

If I could only have one tourist stop along that route, I would have a difficult time choosing between the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson and the Civil War national battlefield park in Vicksburg, MS. Either could easily take a whole day for me and I have been to both on previous trips!

[edm3rd]

JayGee wrote:
On I 40 you could stop in Memphis and visit Elvis home, Sun studios, listen to some blues, eat some BBQ etc. A campground is directly across the street from Graceland and shuttles take you to/from Bourbon Street and the campground.

I am guessing you meant Beale Street - Bourbon Street is about 400 miles further south in New Orleans.

[Thom02099]

If you consider the I-40 route, there is also an alternative to consider when you get to Little Rock, AR. Rather than taking I-40 from Little Rock to Memphis, and then the madness of the I-40/1-55 merger in West Memphis and crossing the Mississippi, consider this:

I-530 south from Little Rock to Pine Bluff and pick up US 65 south to US 82 and the crossing of the Mississippi to Greenville MS, and then take US 82 all the way across MS. Good 4-lane road and you miss all of the truck traffic on I-40 east of Little Rock as well as trying to get through Memphis. US 82 will take you all the way to Tuscaloosa AL where you can pick up I-20 to B'ham and I-459 around to pick up I-20 again on in to Atlanta.

[dkreuzen]

Interesting replies... I have done both and I would take I-10.

[suprz]

Driven both....hands down I40 is the way to go

[1320Fastback]

dedmiston wrote:
I would pick I-40 over I-10 any day. It's much more scenic in my opinion.

The last time I drove home from Houston to So Cal, we went out of our way to climb north to get to I-40, just because I couldn't bear the boredom of driving I-10 again.

When I was a kid we would take big trips every summer (L.A. to Nova Scocia, L.A. to Key West, etc.). Dad would always start the first day of the trip at 3:00 am to get as far as he could through I-10 in the dark because is was the most boring part of the trip and because he didn't want to drive our truck in the heat of the day. He would turn us north once we got someplace interesting, and then the vacation would begin.

Have a great trip. Sorry you don't have more time to chew the scenery.

I'd agree with this and taking the 40 if time permits.