Labor Day 2008 Trip

[Roy]

Monday - Drive the Maxwell Scenic Drive and hike around Santa Elena.  I'm not sure of the duration of the hike to Santa Elena.  If it's a short one, is there any other suggestion of something to see along the way?

Instead of driving back on Ross Maxwell, take the Old Maverick Road, if road conditions and your vehicle are up for it.  A number of interesting places to see and great scenery, and allows you an upclose encounter with the desert.  It's usually easier driving than the River Raod, Old Ore road, etc.,  but check with the Rangers for conditions when you get there  There's another side road off of it, to Terlingua Abaja, lots of ruins and an old graveyard, but you have to wade Terlingua Creek to get to them.  Old Maverick joins the pavement near the Maverick entrance station.  You can drive it in an hour ( road conditions permitting), or spend half a day.

[badknees]

Last time I took that "short cut" around San Antonio, it was a total disaster.  Took forever.  Never again.

I still maintain 10+ hours to Marfa.  I've done it many many times and I do tend to be a little heavy footed. 

I hate to do this, but.........I have to agree with SHANEA. Depending on which side of Houston, you will burn the better part of 10 hrs or more. It is virtually impossible to average 80 mph, and that is what it would take to make it in 8 hrs.

[RichardM]

Houston to Marfa in eight hours - especially hitting San Antonio around 5pm or so on a Friday - traffic on the other side will probably be heavy too with everyone escaping SA for the weekend for the Hill Country.    601 miles via Mapquest - indicating almost nine hours.  Driving at night along I-10, especially during Bambi season can be exciting - nothing like hitting Bambi at 65mph (speed limit after dark).  Road from Fort Stockton down to Marfa will be full of Bambi's in the dark and lots of other critters.  Been there, done that, an entire stretch of Hwy 190 for about 60 miles at 35mph.  I'd plan on closer to 10-11 hours.  Sorry to burst your bubble - unless you live on the far West side of Houston out towards Katy.

Easy 8 hours!! I can make it from Midland to Houston in 7.5 without speeding. Don't go through San Antonio, instead, take the Hwy 46 cut-off from Seguin to Boerne, then continue on I-10. You may think that traveling through a couple of small towns would slow you down as compared to staying on I-10 through SA, but it doesn't.......its much faster.

Google says 510 miles from Midland to Houston with the 46 cutoff. That's an average of 68 mph. Possible, but tough to do if traffic doesn't cooperate. League City to Marfa is 615 miles, so that's 9 hours at your pace. Guess we'll just have to wait for the trip report....

[oldfatman]

RichardM my old records were going through Del Rio.  That was back in the 70's.  Going by way of I10 most of the way is faster but not near as fun for me.  Any way you do it is a long drive.  Pulling the trailer it is 3 days for me now from where I used to live near Webster. But now I live everywhere.

[Al]

It's been a few years since I've made that drive from Houston.  If you can average over 65 mph I will be most impressed.

Al

[TheWildWestGuy]

Depending on where you live in Houston you can add another hour to the trip just to get to the outskirts of West Houston/Katy.  Leaving at 2pm seems too late - ShaneA is right you will hit rush hour on a Friday afternoon around San Antonio (no matter what route you take) and add a lot of time and frustration to the trip.   Add to that the Labor Day Weekend traffic and the deer on the road after dusk and you have a perfect storm of delays.   I would put it at 11 or 12 hours all things considered and that's with short minor bio-breaks.   Remember this is the Friday afternoon of Labor Day Weekend.

Leave Earlier - preferably before noon!   
Other than that your schedule looks OK but things normally take longer than you have planned so rather than rush to get to the next area/event I would shorten the list and enjoy the trip.... TWWG

[randell]

I can see 8 hours for a Houston to Midland trip since it is about 100 miles closer than Big Bend NP. 

I made it 625 miles from my house in Houston to the Persimmon Gap gate of Big Bend in 8 hrs 58 minutes in January with an average speed of 70mph.

This month me and five other guys made the same drive in 9 hrs 46 minutes.  It took us a bit longer since there were six of us in two cars and we had to made an extra stop or two.  Average speed: 64mph

I take 1604 around San Antonio.  Hwy 46, while scenic, has too many stops and turns.  If you get behind a slow driver, it could be 15 minutes before you get an opening to pass since it is one lane each way.  However, if I was getting to SA during rush hour, I would take Hwy 46 as it would likely be faster in that scenario.

My fastest time of 8 hrs 58 min was ideal since I stopped only 3 times and had absolutely no traffic.  I left between 2 and 2:30am on both of these trips to miss San Antonio AM rush hour.

[SHANEA]

Last time I took that "short cut" around San Antonio, it was a total disaster.  Took forever.  Never again.

I still maintain 10+ hours to Marfa.  I've done it many many times and I do tend to be a little heavy footed. 

I hate to do this, but.........I have to agree with SHANEA.

 

See - we can all be friends and agree with one another every once in a while... 

Tell you what, please do us all a big favor and time your trip from Houston to Marfa and let us know how long it took you.  Please...   

[DonnaB]

Well I had this great reply all typed up, and I somehow lost it.  Newbies ::::thumping head:::::: we have a lot to learn.  I'm also not sure how to use the quote thing you all use, so this is just a blanket reply.

I made a typo on my first post.  I actually meant to say Houston to Marfa in 10 hours.  I actually live in League City!  I figure I'm on vacation - once I leave the Houston Rat Race, even if I get there in 12 hours, it won't make alot of difference.  We are there to "try" to see the Marfa Lights for my nephew, all we'll need is darkness  

Thanks for all the great suggestions!  I definately respect the need for awareness, when it comes to the heat.  On our first trip a few years ago and my first hiking trip EVER! I did a wonderfully smart thing and hiked to Emory Peak via the Pinnacles, with 35lbs on my back!! (can we all say stupid)  I was exhausted, but got my second wind quickly, when it came to finishing the few hundred feet to the peak!  I love heights (the husband hates them).  I could have stayed up there all day long.  I must say, I'll never hike with that much weight again.  It will be a sleeping bag, tarp, water and dry foods!    My husband should be so glad he is married to a "rough it" woman, don't ya think?  At the time we had a Honda Element and took it on Old Ore Road - it was fantastic!  and we made it through alive.  God was so good to us, we saw lots of things we hadn't mapped out (out of ignorance of never having been there before).  Ernst Tinaja was such a beautiful sight.  Somewhere on one of the posts yesterday, I forget where, forgive me - - I found a link to the Historic Structures Report for the Langford Hot Springs.  Great reading!  It was neat to read about somewhere I'd been before.  We couldn't find the springs at the time we were there, but found out later from a man in one of the stores, from a picture we had taken, that I was actually standing on the wall remant.

I'm really excited about heading that way.  It's like when I was a child at Christmas time with butterflies in my stomach.  This trip I won't be shy about posting pictures when I get back.  I've attached two pictures from our last trip (of the hundred we took).

[homerboy2u]

I'll see you in the woods this weekend HB2U2.  Guess what, no Wi-Fi access! 

 I really thought you were on your way by now...honestly. Given all the business trips and sales achivements. Now go, and bring back our pictures, thank God there is no wi-fi, meaning more time for you to hang on the kayaks and the sweat shop tents with the fans...plus mosquitoes biting thru the back of the chairs.

 Do not stir up the pot anymore, get your gear..... CHECK YOUR TRANSMISSION , this time......and be gone my comnbatant friend, Conquer !!!. Onward, thru the fog!!!!

[East Texan]

..... CHECK YOUR TRANSMISSION , this time......and be gone my comnbatant friend, Conquer !!!. Onward, thru the fog!!!!

Homero, I'm the only one who has transmission problems in BiBe!

[homerboy2u]

Oh East Texan, if you only knew..Sahne made a whole topic out of it. I think it is the worst frustated trip i have read so far, so senseless !!!

[dkerr24]

If you can, I'd recommend leaving a bit earlier than 2pm.  I can't speak for Houston traffic as we really don't have anything remotely like your traffic up here in OKC. 

It gets dark around 8:30pm or so at this time of year there, I'd think you would want to get to Marfa before full sundown to allow you a chance to stretch your legs and find a good spot to watch for the lights.

[DonnaB]

Richard, how long does it take to hike to Cattail Falls?  I'll have four in my group, two who've never hiked before.

[RichardM]

Richard, how long does it take to hike to Cattail Falls?  I'll have four in my group, two who've never hiked before.

It's only around 3 miles, round trip from the parking area. That assumes that the dirt road is in good enough shape to drive to the parking area. Check with the rangers at the visitor center for the latest scoop.

See also the Waterfall pics needed topic and others in the el Salón member's only forum.