S. California to Dallas, TX

[Ann]

Hi, I'm planning a X'mas road trip from S.California to Dallas, Texas. This will be my first long road trip... any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Need info regarding:
1. driving condition in I40 during winter.
2. safe restroom & gas stations
3. any safely precautions
4. will be stopping at Grand Canyon & Santa Fe, NM

[Mark Sedenquist]

There is a company based in Kentucky that hires field staff to personally check out and rate restrooms found along Interstate highways. The results of their surveys can be found on-line. For more information read our review of <a href = "http://www.roadtripamerica.com/travelplanning/userguidecustom.htm#travmatix">TravMatix</a>.

[Partha]

Hi,

I am interested in doing exactly the same trip myself. Pl do let me know what you find out abt this. Thanks.

Partha

Welcome to the world of road tripping. I'm assuming you're driving alone if your primary concern is safety along the route.

I'll answer your questions in order.

1. Driving conditions on I-40 between SoCal and Albuquerque, NM will most likely be very pleasant. You'll probably have high temps ranging from the high fifties to the low seventies. Once you venture east of the I-25 junction, you might experience some icy conditions in northeastern NM and the Texas Panhandle. Consider taking I-25 South out of Albuquerque and meeting up with I-10, which will eventually split off into I-20 which you'll take to Dallas.

2. The best places to go to the bathroom during a roadtrip is the lobby of chain motels. They will almost never even question your use of their facilities, even if you're just passing through town. They are more concerned with your associating your comfort with their name. As far as safety at gas stations, your best bet is to simply use common sense. If it's during the day and there are at least another two or three businesses nearby, I really can't imagine anything too crazy happening. You can be more choosy if you plan to fill up when you're closer to the half-tank point rather than the quarter-tank point. (You should try not to let your tank go below a quarter tank as a rule of thumb.)

3. Like I said, common sense is a good companion when you're traveling alone.

4. The Grand Canyon and Santa Fe are wonderful places. I also recommend Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It's located within a stone's throw of I-40 and has a very scenic access road that loops through the park and back up to the highway.


Good luck and safe driving.



AB