Going Through Houston

[mitch5252]

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Okay, Texas ladies...I need your advice.



The blue line is my route heading west toward Beth and Baja...

The yellow square is an area I marked as "AVOID" (S&T tried to take me right through downtown Houston...ACK!)

The red dot with the yellow "6" is my brother's house.

Is this a reasonable route, and I see it's a tollway. Could that be a problem?
Might the northern route around Houston be a better choice, and I could find a campground just off I-10?

Thanks.

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[Paulette]

I know it's in your yellow box, but why not go a little further in and take 45? No toll and it wasn't that bad as long as you aren't trying to do rush hour. I wouldn't go thru Houston, but 45 wasn't bad. Just my 2 cents...probably worth less!

[Charliene]

Hi Mitch5252 ,
I am new to the site and saw your post this morning. I live near Bacliff and the Seabrook area. It is on Galveston Bay off of HWY. #146 (in the lower, right section on your map). The Beltway 8 route does have toll booths at specific locations. The charge is based on how many axles are on your unit; for cars is $2.00 and increase upwards depending on the size of your rig. If you don't want to incur the charges, there is an inner loop around Houston (I-610).

About the traffic; Houston (as with all large cities) is always busy.. That doesn't mean "congested", though it does congest every single day. I'm talking stopped or creeping along for an hour at the time. Don't want to scare you away. We all enjoy a challenge!

If you will tell me a little about yourself, ie: the size of your rig, where you are coming from, does heavy traffic make you nervous or is it just irritating, do you have a tight schedule or are you flexible with the time......I can help you decide on the best route for you. Have you ever been through Houston? Seems each large city has its own personality for drivers and Houston is no different. Possible a little more aggressive driving at times. (if you aren't driving over the posted speed limit, they dart around you and cut you off.)

Please feel free to PM me and I'll be glad to share my phone # with you.

[Charliene]

Possibly this link will help; http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/feature?sec ... id=8736033

[etexlady]

You sure you want to take I-10 through Louisiana? You would have to deal with New Orleans and Baton Rouge traffic. You could take I-55 from Memphis, get onto I-20 in Jackson, Ms and on across Louisiana and just after crossing the Texas border, go south on 59 all the way to Beltway 8 and go around the north side of Houston. Highway 59 is fairly good and much of it is a divided road plus there is not as much traffic vs. the Interstate. I'm assuming you want to go through Houston to visit with your brother? If that were not the case, I'd avoid Houston altogether and just keep on truckin' across Texas on I-20, pick up I-10 on into New Mexico, Arizona, etc. Of course, if you are in Houston, you can take I-10 from there and remain on it almost all the way. I'm sure the Houston ladies can tell you more about driving there. Isn't it fun to plan a trip?! Y'all are gonna have a great time!

[BirdbyBird]

I also think one of Mitch's favorite cooks live in southern LA..... she is probably needing to stop by for a cooking lesson or something?

[Yakn1]

I also think one of Mitch's favorite cooks live in southern LA..... she is probably needing to stop by for a cooking lesson or something?

Ohhhh, you're in trouble now, Tina!

[Acadianmom]

She has to come across I-10 because she has friends to see.

I live in South Louisiana and half my trips are in Texas. I have tried many ways to avoid Houston and it's going to take more miles and time. I just as soon go through Houston on I-10 when everyone is going 40 and just pray there is no accident. Some of the rudest drivers are there. Most won't let you change lanes. You really need a GPS that tells you what lane you need to be in. I find Sunday is the best day.

Coming across I-12 to Baton Rouge I find Sunday afternoon is heavy traffic. Holiday weekends are the worst. The bridge over the Mississippi is a bottle neck if traffic is heavy. Trying to miss Baton Rouge is like trying to miss Houston. You will have to go way out of the way to get around.

Martha

[JoanE]

Martha is so correct about rude drivers near Houston. I needed to move from right lane to center lane to avoid an exit only. Had my signal on but driver alongside would not budge even though the next lane was empty. I had to slow my rig to get behind the driver.

I avoided the toll on my trip west. Have you asked your brother for his advice?

[Aokay]

Mitch,

Having lived in Houston for 18 years, I will say the drivers ARE pretty aggressive so you have to keep up with the flow of traffic. I have actually found it more frustrating to drive here in Oregon because the traffic moves so much slower and the drivers seem more indecisive. I guess it depends on what kind of traffic you are used to. You will find heavy traffic around any major city and in that respect, I don't think Houston is any worse especially if you drive through there in the middle of the day. After 3:00 PM, it gets a little more difficult to handle.

I stayed at two very nice RV parks in the north part of Houston and can give you information about them if you decide to go that route but that would be far from your brother's. I'm not familiar with any in the south part where you will be staying. When I headed West, I drove my RV right through Houston, instead of around it, and had no trouble at all with the traffic even though this was my first experience driving through a city. I took I-45 to I-10 and took I-10 all the way through Houston. I am not crazy about the Beltway (toll) and I always tried to stay away from South 59. It sounds like your brother lives in the Sugarland area so you might want to consider staying on I-10 and taking Dairy Ashford or Hwy 6 down to his home from I-10...then going back the same way to catch 10 on your way West.

The anticipation is always worse than actually doing it. You will do fine. Maybe you should park at Camper's World on I-10 and have your brother pick you up from there.

Judy

[cnq50b]

Yike, Houston!!!!

Sounds like others have more recent experience than I do - but why should that stop me from giving my 2 cents?

We lived there 20 some years ago - right off Dairy-Ashford & I-10. Last time I visited just a few years ago I refused to get on the loop (I-610) at all costs & that was in my minivan! The others are right, you must be agressive & I'm not.

Actually I agree with Judy - go straight thru on I-10 maybe at 6 am Sunday morning. Of course Sunday morning at 6, you can probably take any route you'd like without too much trauma.

Maybe Charliene could recommend the best day/time to pass thru the city.

You'll do fine - just remember your GPS will "recalculate" if you can't get to an exit on time.

[VickieP]

You are right Ladies, there is NO WAY she is going to avoid I-10, because she is coming to torture ME!

For the 17 years that I lived in Victoria TX, I always went I-10 & 59 South, back & forth to Sulphur. Always try to avoid the rush hours & there is ALWAYS construction going on in Houston and there is no way to pick one Lane & stay in it, because there is always Exit Only lanes & lanes coming out of nowhere & merging lanes. You just grip the steering wheel, say a prayer & try to stay with the traffic flow.

[Redwahine]

Hi Mitch, first thing is I hope we get a chance to meet when you are in town. Personally, I would take the route you selected. I like the beltway. Because I live off the 290, I usually take the north beltway when driving RED. It seems to flow better. The south beltway flows well too! However, I have an EZtag for RED and don't have to stop for the toll booths. There are several toll booths along that route and they can be a hassle, however you should do OK. I think your choice is the best. If you took HI10 through town you would have to maneuver several interchanges to get to your brothers part of town. That would be stressful and like others have said, drivers are aggressive and the interchanges can be confusing.

There is an RV park right near your brother's area. All Star RV resort is right at the junction of 59 and the beltway 8. Very close to an RV lot with RV supply store

[Bethers]

I've driven every route in Houston and find them all about equal, so don't try avoiding driving through anymore, except morning and evening rush hours. And I try to avoid those around any major city.

Have you considered taking the Natchez Trace for your north south route? Best one around (other than the Blue Ridge Parkway) for no trucks, etc - and a great drive. Just a suggestion.

[mitch5252]

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I'm actually a very non-aggressive driver, especially towing a trailer with a new truck! So, I think the best thing to do is plan to do the Houston leg very early on a Sunday morning.

I'm already starting to get nervous about the drive. I just need to get out and do it more often!!

I will probably stay at the AllStar RV Resort. I just realized - bro doesn't know I'm coming. Don't know if they'll even be home. Plus, I HATE imposing at Christmas. People have plenty enough to do without entertaining out of town guests. I'll have to re-think. Maybe on the return trip.