California
I-10 starts in Santa Monica
heads east for 44 miles bypassing a host of communities, including Los
Angeles, with no RV parks until we get to San Dimas. There we find an RV
park buried almost in the middle of
Bonelli Regional County Park
on the shore of Puddingstone Reservoir. You would never guess you were
in the middle of one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.
You have to go another
30 miles to Loma Linda to find another RV park. From there it's out to
the desert and the famous Palm Springs area where almost every community
has at least one RV park.
On very special attraction we have enjoyed many times is Mount San
Jacinto State Park. Though San Jacinto Peak (elevation 10,834 feet) in
only 8 miles south of I-10 'as the crow flies' , by highway (CA-243 from
I-10 exit 99) it is a curvy 25 mile drive (and 3000 foot climb) to
Idyllwild which is nearest to the campground and many of the trailheads.
But there is another, easier way.Taking I-10 exit 112, follow CA-111
about 8 miles southeast to Tramway Rd in Palm Springs. Turn right and
follow Tramway up the mountain to the parking area at its end (not quite
4 miles). Trom there there is a tram which carries you up the mountain
to a perch at 10,000 feet elevation and one fantastic view of the desert
and California's second highest mountain range. For more information
phone 951-659-2607.
From Palm Springs you drive through some unique desert, dipping
below sea level as you pass through the Salton Sea valley, to
Blythe, There you'll find your last RV parks near I-10 in California
before entering Arizona.
Arizona
Arizona is much more
interesting than California along the I-10 right-of-way.
Ehrenberg,
which is exit 1, has nearly half a dozen RV parks. That's starting
off with a bang. Driving on we encounter Quartzsite at milepost 17
and well over a half dozen more RV parks.
Quartzsite is frequent host to numerous rallies. Understandably, when a
rally is taking place the prices go up — way up. Finally, some 140 plus
miles into Arizona, we encounter the first large city:
Phoenix. In
Phoenix I-10 heads Southeast to Tucson.
Tucson is one of our favorite places. If you enjoy horseback riding
you can rent horses for a few hours or a day and go riding to places
like Saguaro National Monument. True, this is desert, but it is
beautiful desert and these magnificent cacti are the ancient sentinels
of the desert. You'll find that, when riding through this area, if you
can refrain from talking you'll see an amazing variety of wildlife
— especially birds. They don't
seem to be afraid of the horses but they hide from noisy people. For
those folks without horses :-), we
recommend Saguaro East where the National Park Service has a Visitors'
Center and an 8 mile scenic drive. For
more information phone 520-733-5133.
New Mexico
I-10 cuts through the
southwestern corner of New Mexico on its way to El Paso, Texas. The
one highlight is at Santa Teresa: the War Eagle Air Museum. Even
though Santa Teresa is in New Mexico, you access it from exit 11 in
Texas. This museum has a fine collection of restored aircraft from
World War II and the Korean conflict. Some favorites are the P-51
Mustang, the P-38 Lockheed lightning, and the Curtis P-40. They even
have a few German aircraft but I don't remember which ones they are.
The museum also has a few vintage automobiles. When we were there
the admission was only five dollars but, for being senior citizens,
we got a one dollar discount. For more information phone
505-589-2000.
Texas
El Paso greets our entry
into Texas. El Paso is the home of Fort Bliss, an installation that has been very much in the news because of casualties in Iraq. There is a
lot of history in El Paso but it requires us to be stopped more than
just a few hours to see anything of significance. We suggest phoning the
Convention and Visitors' Bureau at 915-534-0600 or 800-351-6024 for
hints and information for what you can see.
Almost everybody knows Texas is a big state. Few realize how that
translates into the time it takes to cross it. It is about 881 miles
along I-10 from New Mexico to Louisiana. From El Paso it is about 135
miles to Van Horn which is the next town in which you will find an RV
park. Driving another 47 miles brings you to the I-20 interchange which
is the route to Fort Worth, Dallas, Atlanta GA and points east.
Sonora
(exit 392) has some very interesting tourist attractions including a
cavern which is quite beautiful. Outside, at least during the summer
months, they put on a special cowboy/western show. There are also guided
tours and many other optional activities. For more information you may
phone the Sonora Visitors' Center at 915-387-3105.
Continuing east on your way to San Antonio you'll pass a few small
towns some of which have RV parks but nothing exciting. If you're into
art — paintings that is
— Kerrville (exit 508) has a full-time
exhibition of what is known as cowboy art in their Cowboy Artists of
America Museum. if this might be of interest you can phone 830-896-2553
for more information.
San Antonio is quite a place. A large city with a small town feel.
Looking down on San Antonia you would notice 3 concentric rings -- like
a target with a bulls eye in the center. These are San Antonio's belt
highways and allow quicker access to the many points of interest. They
can also be used to help you skirt the heavier traffic when driving from
one side of town to the other. I-10 forms a 'V' in San Antonio, --
coming in from the northwest, looping around the south end of downtown
and then exiting to the northeast. Eastbound traffic can avoid all of
this by exiting I-10 at 556-A and following Loop 1604 east. 1604
eventually loops to the south and meets up with I-10 at I-10 exit 587.
Most of 1604 is freeway; the part that isn't is still excellent highway.
Also, central to San Antonio, is the San Antonio River (once the
cause of severe flooding) and its impoundments, Elmendorf Lake. The star
of the nautical show, however, is their 'river walk' (Paseo del Rio), a
very successful urban renewal project. Stroll along the river, enjoy a
beverage, even a snack, on an outside table or shop in one of the many
boutiques; this is a place designed for relaxation. If you're pulling a
toad, and if you're eastbound, park your rig at one of the RV parks on
Gambier Rd (exit 580). If you're westbound, park you rig at one of the
RV parks along I-410 near I-10
exit 564-A. Thus, when you depart in the
morning you will be driving in the opposite direction of most of the
rush hour traffic.
San Antonio has an excellent
Visitors' Information Center (it's even located by the Alamo). Phone
them at 210-207-6700 or 800-447-3372 ext 6748 (toll-free) for hints and
information about what to see in San Antonio.
Houston, almost 100 miles east of San Antonio, is a complicated and
complex metropolis. The dozens of suburban communities, nearly
indistinguishable from Houston itself, all make for a nightmare for
drivers not familiar with the area. Streets, even freeways, frequently
change names and highways signs are frequently meaningful only to
locals. If you want a pep talk on Houston, phone the Visitors' Bureau at
713-437-5200 or 800-449-8786 (toll-free). Give them enough time and
they'll even send you a tourist package on the area. Folks traveling
with kids (young and old) frequently want to see the Houston Space
Center. Sorry, folks, it's not in Houston! It is about 25 miles
southeast off I-45 on TX-1 (NASA Rd). It is open to tourists. Call them
at 281-244-2100 or 800-972-0369 (toll-free) for visiting hours and other
information.
If you're just 'passing through' Houston you'll probably want to go
around. In any case, try your best to avoid rush hours. If you think
they're bad
in a car; they're traumatic if driving a rig. Our favorite bypass
(from west to east but if you're westbound just reverse the directions)
is to exit I-10 at 751 to head north on TX-6 (Addicks Satsuma Rd). Just
before crossing US-290 freeway, TX-6 becomes FM-1960. Continue on this
highway as it continues to loop around the Houston megapolis. Where it
crosses I-45 and the Hardy Toll Highway 1960 starts heading straight
west to Dayton and TX-321 (Cleveland St). Turn right on 321, go 0.2 mi
southeast and turn left on US-90. Now continue your way east on 90 all
the way to exit 851 of I-10 in Beaumont. If you are westbound be sure
you don't miss the two turns in Dayton which take you from US-90 to
FM-1960. From Dayton, US-90 dives straight into central Houston.
Beaumont, Orange and their sibling to the south are all about oil
and shipping. I think it is still true that the largest concentration of
oil refineries is in this area. In fact, the first oil well in Texas was
right here. If you're interested, there is a museum about 3 miles south
of downtown Beaumont (Spindletop-Gladys
City Boomtown Museum)
dedicated to the history of the petroleum industry in Texas. Phone
409-835-0823 fo information.
Louisiana
You enter
Louisiana and you enter a different world. And that depends even more on
which season you visit. Southern Louisiana
— at least the area
around I-10 — is Bayou country. The western area (around Lake Charles
for example) is Cajun country and if you love Cajun cooking you're now
in Cajun heaven. Exit 20 in Sulfur is where you get on LA-27 (also
called the Creole Nature Trail National
Scenic Highway — so we'll call it LA-27) takes you south to and
through the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. You wanted to see
some alligators? They're here in mass plus a lot more wild life you've
probably never seen before. And there are flowers all year long. They
don't know what winter is, here.
There are many casinos in the area around I-10. This being a family
web site we won't dwell on that but if you want to get rid of some extra
gas money you can start in Lake Charles. If you just want to get out of
the rig for a few hours and enjoy some great dining, Lake Charles has
the famous La Truffe Sauvage (815 W Bayou Pines Dr which is just
off Lake St at exit 5 of I-210.
Unlike most
restaurants of this caliber, dress is casual (shoes and shirt required).
The menu is a mixture of French and Italian but their specialty is, you
guessed it, Cajun. The building is almost like a cathedral and helps
create the relaxed atmosphere. Oh, and the prices are very reasonable
(not like New Orleans). 337-439-8364.
Almost an hour and a half down the Interstate is
Breaux Bridge.
There is a double whammy, here: a Fish N Camp RV Park where you
can catch and cook (don't forget clean) your own fish
— or — you can go to
their restaurant (which is on the way to the RV park) and let them fix
the fare for you. We opt for the restaurant. This is the place to eat
fish! The restaurant is at 3015 Main (LA-31). Exit I-10 at 109 and
head 1.7 miles north
on LA 328, turn left onto
Poche Bridge Rd, cross bridge then turn right onto LA-31. Poche's
Market and Restaurant will be on your right about 250 yards east on
31 (Main Hwy). By the way, our mentions of restaurants, etc., are not
paid ads. Those folks probably don't even know about it. They are just
places we have enjoyed and hope you will, too.
Baton Rouge! We call this the decision spot; you must decide if you're
going to take I-12 and bypass New Orleans and its traffic or just shoot
straight east on I-12 to rejoin I-10 85 miles later at I-10 exit 267.
While you're thinking that over you might want to duck into Boutin's
Cajun Restaurant. They have a deck out back overlooking Dawson Creek
with a gum ball machine filled with fish food. You feed the fish right
from the deck. The kids love it. 8322 Bluebonnet Blvd off exit 162 of
I-10. If you decide to head east on I-12 instead of I-10, head back
north on Bluebonnet, pass up I-10 and continue on to Jefferson Hwy
(LA-73). Turn left and the I-12 on-ramp is 0.6 mile west on your right.
Just watch for the signs.
We're going to continue east on I-12. We've been to New Orleans,
seen that, done that, you know the script. They have restored central
New Orleans and the French Quarter so it is all there if you really want
to see it.
Hammond has an attraction popular with the kids: Kliebert's
Turtle and Alligator Farm at 40067 W Yellow Water Rd (504-345-3617).
This is a commercial farm raising turtles (they have thousands of them)
and alligators (about 250 but some weigh in at over 1,400 pounds). They
host a guided walking tour which takes a little less than an hour. Take
exit 40 of I-12, head 2.8 miles south on US-51 B to E Hoffman Rd, turn
right and go about 1.6 miles west to Yellow Water Rd. Turn right and you
can't miss the place.
(continued
in column 2) |
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(continued
from column 1)
If you love horses, you'll love
Covington. Some of the finest horse
farms in Louisiana are located in this area. They raise mostly Arabians,
Thoroughbreds, and quarter horses. If you want to give your seat muscles
a different workout, Amelia Farms not only rents horses but will
teach you how to ride. Take exit 63, head 3.3 miles north on US-190 to
LA-21 (Military Rd), turn right and go about 5 miles northeast to
LA-1084. Turn right and go 1.5 miles east to 1083, turn right and follow
the signs to Amelia Farms. We suggest you phone them, first, at
504-893-2380.
At Slidell (exit 85) we rejoin I-10. From here it is a beautifully
scenic ride of about 6 miles to the Mississippi border.
Mississippi
The
Mississippi Gulf
Coast is an economic center for Mississippi. If you've ever been to the
Mississippi beach you certainly realize why this is true. And for this
same reason, even most of the RV parks are located along the coast
— which is US-90, not I-10. So we are going to
bend the rules a little bit. We will cite the RV parks along I-90 but
list them under the nearest I-10 exit. If, however, you wish to sign
into one of these RV parks, our recommendation is that you take exit 2
and follow MS-607 to its junction with US-90. Then follow US-90 to your
destination. So it's not freeway but it is a good highway and makes for
a very enjoyable drive. After all, who wants to tear through this
beautiful area at 75 miles per hour :-)
There is a web site,
Official Guide,
listing most of the casinos and other entertainment centers along the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is not 'official' as in from the State of
Mississippi but it is an excellent guide. That lets us off the hook for
that is not the function of the RV Park Guides.
We start with Bay St. Louis. Several RV parks are available; you can
chose on which is also a Marina, one that has its own casino, or one
which is designed to give you quiet, relaxed shelter overnight, the
weekend or a week or more. Bay St Louis, with Waveland, is a peninsula
with the Gulf of Mexico on the one side and Catfish Bayou on the other.
Crossing the US-90 bridge puts you on one of the main beaches.
Passing Diamondhead, Pass Christian and Long Beach we come to
Gulfport
(exits 31-38), the largest city on Mississippi's Gulf Coast (in fact,
the second largest
— after Jackson — in
Mississippi). Like any city of 70,000+ people you can find about
anything in Gulfport; but for the same reason, it is very urban.
Gulfport has RV parks near I-10 as well as near the beach. You chose.
North of I-10
exit 34-B we have a contrast to beach life; De Soto
National Forest has an excellent campground on the banks of the Big
Biloxi River just 8 miles north of the exit. Their fee is also much less
than the parks along the beach.
Biloxi (exit 46-A, population 50,000+) is also a large urban area.
And urban development, as with Gulfport, stretches right up to the
beach. Biloxi even has its own Interstate highway (I-110).
Ocean Springs (exit 50) has a little gift from Uncle Sam: Gulf
Island National Seashore complete with a RV friendly campground.
Bisected by Stark Bayou, this is a quiet, pleasant oasis to relax and
recuperate.
Gautier (exit 61) also has a park of its own: Shepard State Park.
Facing Twin Islands in the mouth of the Pascagoula River, this, too, is
in contrast to beach life. So, folks, even on the Mississippi Gulf
Coast, you have your choices.
Alabama
Coastal Alabama, too,
is very special to us. The Gulf Coast of Alabama is unique. Its next
door neighbors share many features of Alabama' coast but not all. Some
of these features no longer exist; Mother Nature wiped them out in a few
moments of wind-driven water. One very special feature, however, will
probably be around a very long time but has become so popular it can no
longer be enjoyed by us. That is the beautiful bluff, Red Bluff it was
called, overlooking Mobile Bay. We couldn't park there but were within
strolling distance. We could stand there, a hundred feet above the Bay
and watch the waves struggle as they rolled over shallower and shallower
water. You could see the currents change. The water was so busy it was
actually exciting to watch.
There is an RV park, now, in
Fairhope. It is about 4 miles from the
coast and that is about as close as you're going to get. The property in
the area has swelled in value. Yes, things change.
We bent the rules for Mississippi; it is only fair that we do the
same for Alabama. In Mississippi there was, typically, only about a half
dozen miles between I-10 and the coast (US-90). Both I-10 and US-90 are
a long way from the coast on the east side of Mobile Bay; we have US-98,
instead. From the point of land on which Fort Morgan is situated, to
Gulf Shores, to
Orange Beach at Wolf Bay is a stretch of coast line that has become very
popular and for good reason. The weather is usually good, the
temperature much milder in the summer than one would expect and the
people — well, most of them — actually welcome
visitors.
Eastbound travelers can get there via AL-59 (I-10 exit 44), an excellent
highway, and westbound travelers would take I-110 (I-10 exit 12 in
Pensacola FL) to US-98, then west to AL-59 in Foley and south to the
shore. All are excellent highways and Class A rig friendly.
RV parks are scattered all over the area. There is even an
excellent KOA just off US-98 on Perdido Bay (near the Florida border).
The slope to the Bay is more gradual but the park is about 70 feet
elevation and does have a great view.
Gulf State Park, a
6,150 acre recreation area set aside by the State of Alabama for folks
like us to enjoy, straddles Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. The facilities
include a resort hotel,
fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, golf, a kids playground and, most
importantly, a campground. The campground is on the west side of the
park (in Gulf Shores). It has been virtually rebuilt recovering from
hurricane damage. The Gulf Park is now our favorite spot.
You can get more information from the Alabama Gulf Coast Visitors
Bureau. Phone 800-745-7263, e-mail
info@gulfshores.com. Their web site is
www.GulfShores.com.
We haven't forgotten those of you who wish to drive straight through. At
exit 53 of I-10 (about 18 miles east of the east end of the Mobile Bay
bridge) there is a trio of RV parks very convenient to the Interstate.
There's more information on our
Robertsdale page.
Florida
For many
of us who lived through WW-2, Pensacola evokes many memories, the least
of which is Pensacola as a vacationer's Paradise. But here it is and
Pensacola seems to have it all. Perdido Key on the Gulf sucks them in by
the hundreds. In addition to the usual hotels and condos, Pensacola has
quite a few RV parks
—
some quite deluxe. Of course we list those more easily accessed from
I-10 — US-98
(Gulf Breeze Hwy, here) is not convenient to I-10 and, as you go east,
it gets more distant. Pensacola is the nearest I-10 will get to the Gulf
of Mexico in Florida. From the moment you roll onto the Escambia Bay
Bridge you are heading northeast and away from the Gulf. Part of the
reason is that I-10 has to skirt the huge Elgin Air Force property.
Before we get away from Pensacola, there is a very different RV park
(actually much more than an RV park) about a dozen miles north of
Milton
(a suburb northeast of Pensacola). It's called
Adventures Unlimited.
Floridians frequently get a little upset when I tell this story but
it does a good job of making my point. A chap from New England told me
he hates Florida (he vacations here every Winter:-). I finally got him
to tell me why: "People go there to die. They leave never to come back.
You visit them and they are just sitting around playing bridge or, at
the highest energy level, playing shuffle board. And that's why they
die; they have quit living."
You'll find the people in Florida, for the most part, are very
active. Not only does the weather encourage it but the spirit seems to
be contagious. Speaking of active, another RV park (they prefer to be
called 'resort') is northwest of De Funiak Springs:
Sunset King Lake Resort.
You want activity? There, you have it.
Only a few miles south of I-10 exit 120 in Chipley is Falling Waters
State Park. The center of attention is a cylindrical pit, like a missle
silo, 20 feet in diameter and about 100 feet deep. A small spring-fed
stream flows into the pit dropping about 73 feet to the bottom never to
be seen again (as far as we know). There is much more in the park: a
very cool lake, three easy nature trails, a butterfly garden (which can
be exciting when the little guys are migrating). And they have a 24 site
RV friendly campground with water, electricity and a dump station.
Camping fee —
only $15.
It seems almost every state has a spectacular cavern they want you
to see. Some are really exquisite; other are about as interesting as a
subway station. Florida also has caverns, many of them. One, just north
of Marianna (eastbound use exit 136; westbound exit 142) offers guided
tours (considered 'moderately strenuous') and a visitors' center with an
audio-visual program. We didn't go (our favorite is in eastern Nevada
far, far away from any Interstate highway) but, if you're interested,
check out their
web site.
There's another great, state operated, campground at
Three Rivers State Park just north
of Sneads (exit 158). It is on the Florida side of Lake Seminole (the
impoundment of the 'three rivers'). Here, again, you have water, 50 Amp
electric, generous-sized spaces and a dump,
—
plus a very beautiful park.
Now to change channels, there is a spectacular garden 1/2 mile
north of exit 203 in Tallahassee:
Alfred B
Maclay Gardens State Park. (Sorry, no campground here.) If you'd
like to stretch your legs, the park has some 8 miles of trails. The park
is on the south and west shores of Lake Hall. We were told that,
though the lake is not within the park grounds, it is used by park
visitors.
Changing channels, again, here's something for music lovers
(perhaps not all of them): Spirit of
the Suwannee Music Park. And, yes, they do have camping; how about
600+ improved campsites with water and 50 Amp electric hookups? Each
campsitre is about 40' by 60' and they have both pull-throughs and
back-ins. The real attraction, however, is the long list of music venues
they present through the year. You'll have to visit their web site to
see what is coming, when. The pricing for camping during a specific
venue depends on that venue. Pricing when there is no concert scheduled
is reasonable (around $30 - $40 inclusive).
"Are we there, yet...?" Yes;
Jacksonville is the eastern end of
I-10. Jacksonville is the largest (counting acres) city in Florida. I
would guess that half of those acres are water (St Johns River). It also
seems like Jacksonville has more major bridges than anyone else. The
best way (my opinion) to see Jacksonville
— the city — is from
the St Johns River. And there just so happens to be several river
cruise companies that are ready to offer you that opportunity One web
site of interest is
JaxRiverCruises.com. We have 'sailed' with them several times to
watch the fireworks but they regularly have dinner cruises with dancing
to a live band, etc.
One last diversion: we reached the end of the Interstate — but —
there is more: Jacksonville Beach (and its neighbors). Getting there is
on again, off again freeway hopping but even the non-freeways are
four-lane and excellent highways. For the route with the most freeway
head south on I-95 to exit 344. Turn left at the end of the off-ramp and
follow FL-202 west all the way to the beach. The first 2.3 miles are
good road but not freeway; the remaining 2.3 miles are freeway. Note: Unless
they've just been changed, the signs directing you to Jacksonville Beach
along I-95 direct you to US-90 — none of which is freeway. It is a good
highway, though. You chose.
Hope you've enjoyed your trip as much as we do.
contributed by Bob Masters |