Who doesn't love a road trip! Say, for example, you need to get from northern California to southeast Texas. If you are on your own and plan to come back right away, you would probably choose to fly. It takes seven hours and costs around five hundred dollars, probably less. The down side of this way is that you will have one or more plane changes along the way. Seven hours becomes one very long day! But what if you drove? Another option is to grab a handful of Mapsco maps and drive.
Driving from, for example, San Jose, California, to San Antonio, Texas takes around 25 hours, depending on which way you go. The distance is roughly 1,500 miles or so. Using this mode of transport, you are your own boss. You set your own pace, stop when and where you like and get to see two states up close, Arizona and New Mexico, that you would otherwise completely miss if you were on an airplane.
Taking the southern route, you drive south to Los Angeles and hug the Mexican border as best you can until you touch the border at Ciudad Juarez. From there, cut across the state, passing north of San Antonio, until you reach your destination in Temple, Texas. On the other hand, giving Juarez a wide berth might be a good idea. The city is notorious for female homicides.
Via the northern route, you turn left roughly two-thirds down the state of California and pass through the upper thirds of the states of Arizona and New Mexico. Proceed south on a diagonal to Temple when you reach the panhandle of Texas. An alternative approach is to cross the panhandle and veer down through Dallas. Either way, you avoid having to make troubling decisions about whether or not to brave the legend that is Ciudad Juarez.
The estimated driving time does not take into account stops for meals, potty breaks, staying overnight or sightseeing. The decision how many overnight stops to make will depend mostly on how many young children and/or pets will be accompanying you. Remember also to incorporate a minimum of 15-minute rest stops to get out of the car, stretch your legs, get some fresh air and make sure you stay awake. Highways can be hypnotic, especially when the sun is blaring down on the road ahead and in your eyes.
The number of days you decide to travel will also depend on how many qualified drivers are in the car with you. A lone driver will need to drive for shorter days and will therefore take more days to travel from the west coast of California to southeast Texas. Having two or more drivers means you can take the wheel in two-hour shifts.
Another decision over which you are in control is whether or not to drive after dark. If your eyesight isn't that hot, you will want to stop for the night sooner rather than later. On the other hand, by the time you get into the hot, southern states, you may be better off traveling at night, when it is cooler.
Another advantage to leaving in the morning while it is still dark is when you have made your maximum hours, when you do stop for the day you will be able to enjoy more hours of daylight. Keep safe and enjoy the trip!
Driving from, for example, San Jose, California, to San Antonio, Texas takes around 25 hours, depending on which way you go. The distance is roughly 1,500 miles or so. Using this mode of transport, you are your own boss. You set your own pace, stop when and where you like and get to see two states up close, Arizona and New Mexico, that you would otherwise completely miss if you were on an airplane.
Taking the southern route, you drive south to Los Angeles and hug the Mexican border as best you can until you touch the border at Ciudad Juarez. From there, cut across the state, passing north of San Antonio, until you reach your destination in Temple, Texas. On the other hand, giving Juarez a wide berth might be a good idea. The city is notorious for female homicides.
Via the northern route, you turn left roughly two-thirds down the state of California and pass through the upper thirds of the states of Arizona and New Mexico. Proceed south on a diagonal to Temple when you reach the panhandle of Texas. An alternative approach is to cross the panhandle and veer down through Dallas. Either way, you avoid having to make troubling decisions about whether or not to brave the legend that is Ciudad Juarez.
The estimated driving time does not take into account stops for meals, potty breaks, staying overnight or sightseeing. The decision how many overnight stops to make will depend mostly on how many young children and/or pets will be accompanying you. Remember also to incorporate a minimum of 15-minute rest stops to get out of the car, stretch your legs, get some fresh air and make sure you stay awake. Highways can be hypnotic, especially when the sun is blaring down on the road ahead and in your eyes.
The number of days you decide to travel will also depend on how many qualified drivers are in the car with you. A lone driver will need to drive for shorter days and will therefore take more days to travel from the west coast of California to southeast Texas. Having two or more drivers means you can take the wheel in two-hour shifts.
Another decision over which you are in control is whether or not to drive after dark. If your eyesight isn't that hot, you will want to stop for the night sooner rather than later. On the other hand, by the time you get into the hot, southern states, you may be better off traveling at night, when it is cooler.
Another advantage to leaving in the morning while it is still dark is when you have made your maximum hours, when you do stop for the day you will be able to enjoy more hours of daylight. Keep safe and enjoy the trip!
