Southern TBN'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

Hank · Aug 27, 2002

Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

The time (November) is rapidly approaching when we will make our final relocation from MD to AZ, and camp on our property (future CUT home) while the builder finishes our house.

After visiting family near Mobile AL, it appears we have two main choices to cross the South and Southwest, I-10 alone, or I-10 and I-20 combined.

It has been (too) many years since I grew up in NE Texas, and was halfway familiar with these roads. We will be travelling in a <12,000# CVW Suburban and travel trailer.

Some questions:

1. Which route is going to be the better choice, in terms of the physical condition of the roads, and considering this is our first lengthy adventure with a travel trailer?

2. RV enthusiasts, any favorite campgrounds near or off the beaten path along those routes?

3. scanner enthusiasts, LEO's, HAM's, any scanner frequencies of interest, such as local and state PD's?

All assistance appreciated.

MikePA · Aug 27, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

I recall reading or seeing that Rt 10 was one long speed trap. Is this still true?

mikim · Aug 27, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

As I see it you have either DFW traffic or Houston/SanAntonio traffic -- rock & the hard place -- 1 thing though should you choose Hou over DFW -- go through Houston at the top of the clock. Either from 0900 -> 1500 or 2100 -> 0300. Any other time can be considered rush hour if you're pulling a trailer.
mike

RanchMan · Aug 27, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

Hank -

I just got back from a 3 day 2100 mile round trip from Dallas to Phoenix towing a trailer, so hopefully my "observations" will be a bit "timely."

1. Which route

Houston folks say Dallas traffic is worse, Dallas folks say Houston is worse, SA Folks say both are worse. I've lived in/around each (Houston/Dallas/San Antonio), so I have little different perspective.

Well, I have to disagree with Mikim... (sorry Mikim /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif) AVOID HOUSTON! Houston is by far the WORST traffic of all 3 cities. Even if it were a little easier (which it isn't), by taking the straight I-10 route, you'd have to go through Houston and SA - a double whammy. Why submit yourself to "double jepordy?"

I took I-20 to I-10. No, it isn't "one long speedtrap." Yes, I did see Smokey several times along the way, but what would one expect in 2100 miles? 18 wheelers are their main prey (and there are LOTS - I MEAN ***LOTS*** of trucks on the roads - so just be aware.) Get yourself a CB and the truckers will let you know where the bears are along the way. Channel 19 - standard deal. You don't even have to talk - just listen and you'll know where DPS is long before he sees you.

'Course the speed limit is 70 or 75 mph most of the way, so unless you just have a lead foot, I doubt you'll be much over the speed limit anyway. I-20 is a good road all the way to the I-20/I-10 merge. A couple of construction stretches along the way, but no real slow down (didn't have to go below 55 in those zones and no "stop & go" either.)

After the I-10 merge you'll have a bit more construction in before El Paso (again, no significant slow down) and some construction in NM around Deming. (Saw 3 bears there, just follow the posted limits when you get there and you'll do fine.)

2. RV enthusiasts

Can't speak to which ones are "good" or "bad" but suffice to say there are plenty along the way. Shouldn't be a problem to find one, but again, not sure about the quality.

3. scanner enthusiasts

In Texas it is illegal (or at least was last time I checked) to have a scanner in your vehicle while driving. (smokey doesn't want you listening in on his conversations.) Not sure about AZ or NM laws. Might want to check with all three states (NM, <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.dps.state.az.us/welcome2.htm>AZ</A>) just to double check if you are set on listening in. Again, I think the CB should provide quite a bit of "entertainment" anyway. I had a GPS for entertainment/planning too - fun (and useful) gadget to have in addition to the standard old "roadmap."

Also, as I'm sure you're aware, there is no way to use a cell phone for a lot of the trip (only near major cities), so you will be traveling literally several hundred miles at a stretch with no way to contact anyone unless you have a CB or something like that. I'm not the paranoid type, but I think it would be a good thing to make sure you have some "emergency supplies" during your treks across the desert as a breakdown could be a "very bad thing." Fortunately my battery didn't "die" until the last 100 miles on my trip back (when I was in "civilization" again, but a few extra supplies (H20, spare hoses, belts, tools, etc.) may be "good to haves" just in case.

As you're also probably aware, you will be going over some mountains along the way (nothing like Colorado - but you will go up about 4000 feet along the way (the highest passes were in Texas and Arizona.) Doing that in the high Chihuahuan Desert heat is kindof hard on engine/transmission, so just make sure you are prepared.

Hope this all helps....

Good luck! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Tdog · Aug 27, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

Hank,
My daughter lives in Houston & comes this way fairly regularly. She is NOT a slow driver, but she tells me that in & around Houston they have dropped the speed limit to 55 well outside of town, & it is rigorously enforced. Apparently this is in response to the smog problem. I agree that Houston AND SA is probabably worse than DFW, although Dallas & FW take up quite a bit of real estate east to west.

Enjoy your trip.

Hank · Aug 28, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

"I recall reading or seeing that Rt 10 was one long speed trap"

hehe, Mike, I used to call them speed traps, too. But, since marrying a LEO, and in order to preserve domestic harmony, I now refer to them as "enforcement details".

Hank · Aug 28, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

Ranchman, thanks for the thorough info, esp. since you just made the same trip.

"I took I-20 to I-10."

I was leaning this way anyway, because my *only* recent experiences have been on I-20 in the east Texas and DFW areas. If I took this way, my plan was to overnight around Tyler, hit the road about 0300, and then be passing by DFW about 0500-0600. Wouldn't eliminate rush hour, but certainly minimize it.

"In Texas it is illegal (or at least was last time I checked) to have a scanner in your vehicle "

You know, this is just stupid. There is nothing classified on police frequencies. My wife and I are simply used to listening to them (she has to), and I like to listen in just to break up the monotony of regular radio and CD's. Since I am an amateur radio operator (KE3VB), I may just go ahead and purchase a mobile VHF/UHF transceiver that has extended scanning capabilities. But your suggestion for a CB unit is also good, esp. since they are cheap, and there are such long stretches of dead air, which I had not fully considered.

"Doing that in the high Chihuahuan Desert heat is kindof hard on engine/transmission, so just make sure you are prepared"

I had hoped travelling in November would minimize the heat issues, but you're correct, being prepared is the name of the game. Got a good supply of emergency gear, and it was all onboard Monday when I weighed the rig on the state police truck scales.

--thanks again

RanchMan · Aug 28, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

Hank -

I had hoped traveling in November would minimize the heat issues

Eeep! /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif I completely missed that part of your original post even though it was in the first sentence!! Sorry... Yea, November will help considerably w/ regards to the heat, but like you point out, the Boy Scout motto of "being prepared" is a good thing to hold close.

Not sure the rate of speed you intend to go, but avoiding rush hour in any city is certainly a good idea. I left the Dallas area @ 5:30 on a Saturday morning so there was NO traffic (well, virtually none, I did see a few cars here & there) to deal with.

You know, this is just stupid. There is nothing classified on police frequencies.

Can't say I concur with the laws either on this one, but I think the reasoning behind it is that a criminal could use them to evade the police. Don't want to insert politics or such in to this thread, just repeating how it was explained to me once.

The CB is definitely entertaining! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif (along with adding a bit of safety too.) I actually took a whole host of CDs to listen to on my trek, but only wound up listening to 1 the whole way! (I did listen to 820 WBAP AM for a considerable way though. Not sure if you listen to much talk radio, but I like them. You should probably be able to pick them up from Tyler through a couple of hours West of Dallas if you choose to tune in to them along the way.)

One thing you might consider if you decide to get one of the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.electronicgadgetdepot.com/c/CB_Radios/index.html>handheld CB's</A> vs. one you mount under the dash, you should consider getting a magnetic antenna or such to extend your range. The handhelds work, but don't count on them having a lot of range with their standard antenna. ‘Course not all antennas work with all handhelds, so just make sure they are compatible if you decide to go this route. Just my $.02.

Good luck!

Hank · Aug 29, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

"Can't say I concur with the laws either on this one, but I think the reasoning behind it is that a criminal could use them to evade the police."

Sure they could, but the police are also astute enough to use more secure methods of communication when necessary (mainly when they want to keep the media out of things).

In the case of a radar enforcement detail, on a scanner you would probably only hear them "setting up". After the initial set up, the only clue you would have to its existence would be their "running" license plates and drivers licenses, with no clue as to the actual location of the speed trap. A CB is much more useful for this purpose.

My wife's department actually, for a time, went to using "plain English" instead of the 10-codes. This was a community policing effort, intended to make their radio traffic more understandable to the average citizen. They abandoned this after about a year. They finally learned/understood the original reason the 10-codes came into being was that they facilitate over-the-air communications, and this was more valuable to them.

RanchMan · Aug 29, 2002

Re: Southern TBN\'ers, I-20, I-10 road conditions ??

Sure they could, but the police are also astute enough to use more secure methods...After the initial set up, the only clue you would have to its existence would be their "running" license plates and drivers licenses, with no clue as to the actual location of the speed trap. 

I was really referring to evasion after committing a more serious crime. I can recall a couple of incidences in the past 'round here where the "bad guy" had a scanner and was able to avoid road blocks, etc. Sorry for the lack of clarity...