Best route from San Diego to Albuquerque?
mbhockey13
My girlfriend and I are flying with her 10 year old nephew into
Albuquerque, then driving (with some stupid automatic rental car) to Los
Angeles. That's a no brainer - I-40 to I-15. My sister lives in
Pasadena, so we'll take CA-210 to I-210.
Later in the week, we're going to stay at my cousin's in San Diego, then
drive back to Albuquerque (whew - that is hard to spell!). Mapquest says
to take I-8 to AZ-85 to I-10 to I-17 to I-40 (which I have done before).
I can see how that is logical, but I think there has to be a better way.
We would be leaving early Saturday morning, and we have a hotel in
Albuquerque, with a flight out Sunday morning. I've driven the desert a
few times, and I'll have my Valentine One handy, so I can make up some
time there.
I did US-60 & US-93 from Phoenix to Vegas once and it wasn't too bad at
all. So, could I take either I-8 to I-10 to US-60 to AZ-61 to US-191 to
I-40, or maybe US-60 to AZ-61 to NM-53 to NM-602 to I-40, or even US-60
all the way to I-25. Is there another way? What do you guys think?
Mike Philadelphia, PA (formerly Buffalo, NY)
--
Posted at http://www.layover.com/
Trucking jobs, news, features, chat rooms, and more!
Lance Lamboy
> Hi all!
>
> My girlfriend and I are flying with her 10 year old nephew into
> Albuquerque, then driving (with some stupid automatic rental car) to Los
> Angeles. That's a no brainer - I-40 to I-15. My sister lives in
> Pasadena, so we'll take CA-210 to I-210.
>
> Later in the week, we're going to stay at my cousin's in San Diego, then
> drive back to Albuquerque (whew - that is hard to spell!). Mapquest says
> to take I-8 to AZ-85 to I-10 to I-17 to I-40 (which I have done before).
> I can see how that is logical, but I think there has to be a better way.
> We would be leaving early Saturday morning, and we have a hotel in
> Albuquerque, with a flight out Sunday morning. I've driven the desert a
> few times, and I'll have my Valentine One handy, so I can make up some
> time there.
Does your girlfriend's nephew's parents know your a criminal speeder?
> I did US-60 & US-93 from Phoenix to Vegas once and it wasn't too bad at
> all. So, could I take either I-8 to I-10 to US-60 to AZ-61 to US-191 to
> I-40, or maybe US-60 to AZ-61 to NM-53 to NM-602 to I-40, or even US-60
> all the way to I-25. Is there another way? What do you guys think?
>
>
I think your license should be revoked. Don't you ever think about the
people you are killing.
> Mike Philadelphia, PA (formerly Buffalo, NY)
>
>
> --
> Posted at http://www.layover.com/
> Trucking jobs, news, features, chat rooms, and more!
Lance Lamboy
mbhockey13
Lance Lamboy wrote:
>On Tue, 01 Jun 2004 16:14:33 -0400, mbhockey13 wrote:
>
>> Hi all!
>>
>> My girlfriend and I are flying with her 10 year old nephew into
>> Albuquerque, then driving (with some stupid automatic rental car) to
>> Los Angeles. That's a no brainer - I-40 to I-15. My sister lives in
>> Pasadena, so we'll take CA-210 to I-210.
>>
>> Later in the week, we're going to stay at my cousin's in San Diego,
>> then drive back to Albuquerque (whew - that is hard to spell!).
>> Mapquest says to take I-8 to AZ-85 to I-10 to I-17 to I-40 (which I
>> have done before). I can see how that is logical, but I think there
>> has to be a better way. We would be leaving early Saturday morning,
>> and we have a hotel in Albuquerque, with a flight out Sunday morning.
>> I've driven the desert a few times, and I'll have my Valentine One
>> handy, so I can make up some time there.
>
>Does your girlfriend's nephew's parents know your a criminal speeder?
I'm not sure I understand your question. Did you mean "you're", as in
"you are"?
Don't worry - my parole officer will be my escort - his Grand Fury will
have its lights blazin' and its siren whalin' !!! Still, I doubt the
automatic Chevy Malibu Classic or whatever else I get stuck with will be
able to go faster than 75 MPH anyway...
>
>
>> I did US-60 & US-93 from Phoenix to Vegas once and it wasn't too bad
>> at all. So, could I take either I-8 to I-10 to US-60 to AZ-61 to
>> US-191 to I-40, or maybe US-60 to AZ-61 to NM-53 to NM-602 to I-40,
>> or even US-60 all the way to I-25. Is there another way? What do you
>> guys think?
>>
>>
>I think your license should be revoked. Don't you ever think about the
>people you are killing.
Nah - they deserved it for getting in my way!!!
FREE-WHEEL BURNIN'!!!
>
>> Mike Philadelphia, PA (formerly Buffalo, NY)
>>
>
>
>Lance Lamboy
>
Thanks for the route tips, Lance!!!
Anyone want to offer any useful thoughts on the subject?
Arthur
My vote is for I-15 to Barstow, I-40 thereafter.
184 miles from S.D. to I-40 Junction (from
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/calnexus/reports/fifteennorth.htm]
I-40 runs 153 miles in California (from
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/calnexus/reports/fortyeast.htm),
357 miles in AZ (based on last exit number in AZ, from 2004 Rand McNally),
and the I-25 interchange in Abq. is Exit 159.
Add those up and you get 853 miles. Can you do that in a day?. Arthur
--
Stop the chop by deleting it from my address.
Larry Scholnick
Of course, following the I-8/AZ-85/I10 route, you could 'cut the corner' by
using AZ-101 (one of the Phoenix Loop freeways) to reach I-17.
Your other major choices are I-15 to I-40 (which is rated at only half an
hour longer, but you'll have just seen most of those roads), or I-10 to I-25
(which is rated at an hour and a quarter longer). You can save 15 minutes
on the latter route by 'cutting the corner' in New Mexico using NM-26.
There are plenty of less major choices to traverse from I-8/I-10 to I-40,
which you have to do at some point in your journey. One is
US-95/AZ-95/CA-62/US-95 (or stay on AZ-95 thru Lake Havasu City). Another
is I-15/I-215/CA-60/I-10/CA-62/Amboy Road/National Trails Hwy. I've
seen/enjoyed parts of these routes when I wasn't in a hurry; you have to
decide how important it is for you to stay on the interstates.
By the way, my preferred alternative to mapquest is maps.msn.com. When you
change the scale of a map, the smaller/larger map is displayed almost
instantly. When you click on a map, the revised, re-centered map is
displayed more quickly.
"mbhockey13" wrote:
> Hi all!
Alan Hamilton
>Later in the week, we're going to stay at my cousin's in San Diego, then
>drive back to Albuquerque (whew - that is hard to spell!). Mapquest says
>to take I-8 to AZ-85 to I-10 to I-17 to I-40 (which I have done before).
>I can see how that is logical, but I think there has to be a better way.
>We would be leaving early Saturday morning, and we have a hotel in
>Albuquerque, with a flight out Sunday morning. I've driven the desert a
>few times, and I'll have my Valentine One handy, so I can make up some
>time there.
If you've only got one day, stick to the freeways (apart from AZ 85).
Speed limit is 75 on most of them (70 in CA). The only other
suggestion I'd make is to take AZ 101 around the NW side of Phoenix.
US 60 is almost all 2 lanes, and will have a lot of weekend traffic.
AZ 87 to AZ 260 to AZ 377 to AZ 277 is more direct to I-40 east, but
the traffic will be even worse. I-17 will be the fastest option.
--
/
/ * / Alan Hamilton
* * al...@arizonaroads.com
Arizona Roads -- http://www.arizonaroads.com
Paul D. DeRocco
>
> My girlfriend and I are flying with her 10 year old nephew into
> Albuquerque, then driving (with some stupid automatic rental car) to Los
> Angeles. That's a no brainer - I-40 to I-15. My sister lives in
> Pasadena, so we'll take CA-210 to I-210.
>
> Later in the week, we're going to stay at my cousin's in San Diego, then
> drive back to Albuquerque (whew - that is hard to spell!). Mapquest says
> to take I-8 to AZ-85 to I-10 to I-17 to I-40 (which I have done before).
> I can see how that is logical, but I think there has to be a better way.
> We would be leaving early Saturday morning, and we have a hotel in
> Albuquerque, with a flight out Sunday morning. I've driven the desert a
> few times, and I'll have my Valentine One handy, so I can make up some
> time there.
>
> I did US-60 & US-93 from Phoenix to Vegas once and it wasn't too bad at
> all. So, could I take either I-8 to I-10 to US-60 to AZ-61 to US-191 to
> I-40, or maybe US-60 to AZ-61 to NM-53 to NM-602 to I-40, or even US-60
> all the way to I-25. Is there another way? What do you guys think?
You've heard all the quick routes, so here's my scenic recommendation:
I-8 to El Cajon, CA
CA-67 to Ramona, CA
CA-78 through Julian, Brawley, and the Imperial Dunes, to Blythe, CA
I-10 for about 35 miles
US-60 to Aguila, AZ
AZ-71 to Congress, AZ
US-89 up into the mountains, past Prescott, AZ
AZ-89A through Jerome and Sedona, to Flagstaff, AZ
From there, you could take I-40. There are probably more scenic routes, but
I'm not familiar with that part of the country.
--
Ciao, Paul D. DeRocco
Paul mailto:pder...@ix.netcom.com
Alan Hamilton
<a.whitter.new...@shaw.caTHECHOP> wrote:
>Add those up and you get 853 miles. Can you do that in a day?
The route via I-8 and Phoenix is 810 miles. Even at an average of 60,
that's about 13.5 hours. A long day, but not too bad if you can
switch drivers.
Desert Dave
news:2i56amF...@uni-berlin.de...
If you're looking to drive San Diego - Albuquerque in one day, your best bet
is to stay with the freeways as Alan suggested. I just hope your girlfriend
and her nephew can handle long drives well. Be prepared - the desert is HOT
this time of year. (Some suburbs of Phx hit 110+ today.)
Other than I-8 E / AZ-85 N / I-10 E / AZ-101 N / I-17 N / I-40 E, your only
other reasonable alternative is to go through Mesa, Payson, Heber, and
Holbrook. I-8 E to AZ-85 N to I-10 E to AZ-202 E to AZ-87 N to AZ-260 E to
AZ-277 E to AZ-377 N to AZ-77 N to I-40 E. Your only potential for trouble
would be the 50-mile stretch of AZ-260 between Payson and Heber. It's under
construction, and mostly 2 lanes with heavy, often slow-moving traffic. You
will encounter many campers, and several small towns. Oh, and possibly
encounter with elk. 87 handles even heavy weekend traffic well and traffic
on 377/277/77 is usually pretty light. Phx-area freeways are always heavy
at any time on Saturday, but they move pretty well. The 15-mile stretch of
I-17 between AZ-101 and Anthem can be slow at times, as can the hills
climbing out of Black Canyon City and Verde Valley.
mbhockey13
alanh wrote:
>On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 04:07:57 GMT, Arthur
><a.whitter.new...@shaw.caTHECHOP> wrote:
>
>>Add those up and you get 853 miles. Can you do that in a day?
>
>The route via I-8 and Phoenix is 810 miles. Even at an average of 60,
>that's about 13.5 hours. A long day, but not too bad if you can
>switch drivers.
My girlfriend and I can switch. It shouldn't be too bad. We both like
driving, and we're even considering getting that XM Radio "Roady" that
you can move from car to car...
Anyway, 810/75 = 10.8 Hours, and it shouldn't be too hard to average
something close to that, especially with the speed limit being 75 MPH
for most of the way...
>--
> / / * / Alan Hamilton
> * * al...@arizonaroads.com
>
>Arizona Roads -- http://www.arizonaroads.com
>
Geoffrey William Hatchard
I'd also highly recommend maps.yahoo.com. I think the interface is much
cleaner and the cartography (if you can call it that) is simpler to
read.
--
All the best,
Geoff
m...@me.com
>
>
>alanh wrote:
>>On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 04:07:57 GMT, Arthur
>><a.whitter.new...@shaw.caTHECHOP> wrote:
>>
>>>Add those up and you get 853 miles. Can you do that in a day?
>>
>>The route via I-8 and Phoenix is 810 miles. Even at an average of 60,
>>that's about 13.5 hours. A long day, but not too bad if you can
>>switch drivers.
>
>My girlfriend and I can switch. It shouldn't be too bad. We both like
>driving, and we're even considering getting that XM Radio "Roady" that
>you can move from car to car...
>
>Anyway, 810/75 = 10.8 Hours, and it shouldn't be too hard to average
>something close to that, especially with the speed limit being 75 MPH
>for most of the way...
You are expecting to average 75 MPH for nearly 11 hours? Good luck.
Meal breaks, gas breaks, bathrooms breaks, switch-the-driver breaks,
and just the average slowdowns on the highway because of other drivers
will definitely lower your average speed unless you spend lots of time
at 90.
The 13.5 hours the other person posted is a very reasonable amount
of time.
Pat O'Connell
m...@me.com wrote:
> In article <40bf287c$1...@news.vic.com>, mbhockey13 <MBHoc...@aol.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>alanh wrote:
>>>On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 04:07:57 GMT, Arthur
>>><a.whitter.new...@shaw.caTHECHOP> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Add those up and you get 853 miles. Can you do that in a day?
>>>
>>>The route via I-8 and Phoenix is 810 miles. Even at an average of 60,
>>>that's about 13.5 hours. A long day, but not too bad if you can
>>>switch drivers.
>>
>>My girlfriend and I can switch. It shouldn't be too bad. We both like
>>driving, and we're even considering getting that XM Radio "Roady" that
>>you can move from car to car...
>>
>>Anyway, 810/75 = 10.8 Hours, and it shouldn't be too hard to average
>>something close to that, especially with the speed limit being 75 MPH
>>for most of the way...
Freeway speed limit in CA is still 65, and there are reduced speed
limits (enforced) in Flagstaff and Phoenix, as well as in SD (not so
enforced).
Personal experience: Wife and I left Abq around 6 PM Friday, thru
Flagstaff, Phoenix and Yuma. Breaks at Phoenix and Yuma and a rest area
in CA, with driver switches. Arrived at the Naval Hospital in San Diego
(my son was in training there) around 9 AM Albuquerque time. That's 14
hours.
We went through Tucson on the way back using the shortcut between Deming
NM and Hatch, which was at least an hour or two longer.
> You are expecting to average 75 MPH for nearly 11 hours? Good luck.
...
> The 13.5 hours the other person posted is a very reasonable amount
> of time.
Maybe a bit optimistic.
--
Pat O'Connell
[note munged EMail address]
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints,
Kill nothing but vandals...