Travel Adventures Along Interstate 10

Interstate 10 runs from Florida to California and for any adventurous traveler makes for a great unique traveling experience.

Jacksonville, Florida is where Interstate 10 starts and then the highway travels west along the southern part of the United States. Traveling through what is known as the panhandle section of Florida, Interstate 10 skims by Tallahassee, Florida. Tallahassee is the capital of Florida and just as Jacksonville holds many great tourist attractions. Actually there are many Gulf Coast areas along the Interstate 10 as it stretches across Florida on its trek West.

Interstate 10 is not only one of the longest stretches of interstate in the United States but it is also the one of the flattest interstates.

I-10 then passes through the state of Alabama, however its only a short jaunt through the state and the biggest area you pass by is the city of Mobile, Alabama. Another city well worth visiting for its many sites and sounds.

In Alabama you also drive within traveling distance to many Gulf Coast towns, Alabama has some great beach front towns well known developed as tourist areas.

After passing through Alabama, I-10 then travels through the state of Mississippi and the Gulf Coast strip of Mississippi is a very well known tourist area for almost every gambling enthusiast from Kentucky to Georgia. Biloxi/Gulfport Mississippi is known for one of the best developed gambling sections of the Gulf Coast with its large casinos and great southern hospitality.

After leaving Mississippi, Interstate 10 crosses into Cajun country, the state of Louisiana. Interstate 10 then gives you the choice to stay on I-10 to New Orleans or to use Interstate 12 through Baton Rouge. Interstate 12 stops at Baton Rouge and there you can rejoin Interstate 10 and get back on your trek to the West Coast.

Interstate 10 also runs across the largest state in the lower part of the United States, Texas. One of the first cities you pass when entering Texas is Beaumont, Texas and Beaumont may be somewhat small but because of the tourist traffic from Interstate 10 Beaumont has a very well known Texas landmark city.

Although most of your trip until now on I-10 has been relatively flat, at least its been a trip full of sights and sounds. However Texas lays out a whole new experience on I-10, for one you start to notice traffic starts to pick off right off the bat. The reason the traffic starts to increase is that you will be traveling through one of the largest cities in Texas, Houston. Traffic just through Houston at a good time takes at least an hour but during a rush hour time expect traffic to be extremely dangerous and frustrating.

If you decide to stop in Houston the best thing to do is to try to get through the city and stay on the western portion of the city so that the next day you won't have to maneuver through early morning rush hour traffic.

Houston is one of Texas's major corporate cities and enormous, filled with culture, adventure and down home Texas pride this city rocks.

After you leave Houston you will start to notice that Interstate 10 starts to have less to look at, more barren in scenery. As well as the air has become drier the further west you've come. This is because you have left the Gulf Coast area and are now well inland, but there is still scenery to see the desert states hold various plant life, unique indigenous creatures and many beautiful rock formations.

Although traffic is very fast on Interstate 10, you will want to keep an eye on time because after dusk the speed limit drops in Texas usually by about 10 MPH, making I-10 and Texas well known for traffic stops.

The West side of Interstate 10 in Texas passes you very near El Paso, Texas where you'll be driving very close to Mexico. Traffic stops by immigration near El Paso are quite frequent so don't be alarmed. A typical traffic stops means someone will look over your car and you'll be free to continue your trek. Another point to remember is that Interstate 10 is one of the largest thoroughfares for drug trafficking so bare that in mind if you do get stopped by law enforcement.

After El Paso you will be crossing into New Mexico, where traffic and sights are even more sparse. The biggest thing you will notice is that small communities seem to pop up out of no where about every hour or so, keep your speeding to a minimum in this section of I-10.

The best thing about the New Mexico section of Interstate 10 is that its got scattered travel service areas everywhere. As well as in the Deming and Las Cruces area there are large Walmarts along side of the Interstate 10.

Las Cruces is one of the biggest tourist areas in New Mexico, the city actually feels more like a twin city of El Paso, which means it is packed with the same kind of Southwestern appeal and charm as El Paso.

Las Cruces has many sights to lure tourists traveling I-10 such as the Ole Town Mesilla, which is the Spanish city center and features a fabulous Spanish city center. The whole area is now a hot spot for arts and crafts and very similar to Santa Fe or Albuquerque, New Mexico but with less tourist traffic.

I-10 through New Mexico also features another immigration checkpoint which is just a minor inconvenience but the Interstate 10 terrain is flat with some occasional low rising hills. The towns through New Mexico are kind of sparse so you will want to top off your gas tank whenever possible and have plenty to snack on along the way.

New Mexico also has another branch off of Interstate 10 at Lordsburg, New Mexico. At some point you can choose to continue to Phoenix on I-10 via Tucson Arizona or you can choose to take the countryside back-road to Phoenix Arizona. The Interstate however gives you faster speeds but the scenic route is a tad bit shorter, but relatively the same so either way works fine.

On the Arizona section of Interstate 10 you will find a vast amount of highway construction going on, however really you are apt to find that anywhere along the Interstate trek. Another fabulous branch off tourist area is the old Tombstone area, however if you goal is to reach California it will be beckoning you by the time you have reached Arizona and unless you need time to stretch your legs you will more than likely keep going.

Another hot spot on the Arizona section of Interstate 10 is the Tucson area in which you will hit some heavy traffic. However the main reason is that I-10 is the only major thoroughfare through the city. Tucson is a big city but still manages to keep its small town appearance, unlike Phoenix which has grown by leaps and bounds in past years. Tucson is a great town with really nice people that make you feel very welcome.

Another point to remember on your trek through Arizona is that the Interstate through the Phoenix and Tucson area is always heavy. I think some people that live in one city actually work in the other so traffic is pretty much always heavy and peak times are horrible.

One point to remember is that Phoenix is covered up with photo enforcement, which means that your car can be photographed if your caught speeding through the city. After the camera catches you, you can then expect to receive a ticket by mail. Stationary cameras are mounted in several sections of town, as well as having to watch for regular law enforcement radar trafficking. The only good thing is that most camera points are well posted warning you of upcoming photo enforcement.

Another Interstate 10 point that travelers should take into consideration is that the famous Death Valley resides in this last portion of Interstate 10, as well as the city of Needles, California. The temperatures between Tucson and Southern California are well known for extreme scorching temperatures during the Summer months, so having water and other beverages is a definite necessity in case of any vehicle trouble while on the road.

Once you reach Southern Cali, you can either stay on Interstate 10 and head into Los Angeles by way of Palm Springs. However you can also take a shorter route on Interstate 8 starting in the Casa Grande area of Arizona that heads into San Diego, California. This of course all depends on where you want to end your Interstate 10 trek and both areas are exceptional tourist spots. I actually prefer the San Diego route, because Interstate 8 has less traffic.

No matter which route you pick for the end of your Interstate adventure, you have finally made it to Southern Cali, filled with dozens of major tourist attractions featuring Disneyland and Universal Studios.

Another point to mention is that no matter which route you take into Southern Cali, you will end up having to traveling across a mountainous area to reach the Pacific Coast.

Anyway I sincerely hope your Interstate 10 experience is filled with fun, wonderful sights and plenty of unique adventures for you and your family.

References for this article include:

i10highway.com/

www.desertusa.com/mag06/aug/happy10.html

www.interstate-guide.com/i-010.html