pecos or ozona ?

hi: We are driving from Houston to Carlsbad Cavern and won%26#39;t be able to do it in one day.

We will need to spend the night somewhere after about 7 or 8 hours of driving. Do you think Pecos is do-able in 7 or 8 hours or is Ozona or Sheffield more likely?

If anyone has driven this before and has a good route with stops/lodging suggestions, please chime in.

As far as routes go: Some say take hwy 90; some say I-10. We just want to get there quickly and safely. (we may be pulling a uhaul trailer behind a small car.)

Thanks, kindly!

pecos or ozona ?

If you follow the speed limits, 7-8 hours probably won%26#39;t get you all the way to Pecos. Maybe Fort Stockton. You%26#39;ll probably make Ozona in 6-7.

There%26#39;s nothing in Sheffield and I think the hotels are actually nicer in Sonora personally (Days Inn Devil%26#39;s River is cool), but maybe that%26#39;s just me. There are a couple of decent ones in Ozona as well though.

pecos or ozona ?

Thanks colinaz!

I%26#39;m so happy to have your feedback because you seem to know the territory so well. May I ask you a couple of more questions?

Since we are arriving Dec 27, evening, do you think it%26#39;s necessary to book a hotel or can we wing it (see how far we can drive before we stop...)?

Re: the route and good lunch stop. Does it make much difference in driving time and quality for these two options:

1. taking hwy 290 from Houston and stopping for lunch in Austin or Fredicksburg, and then carrying on to the I-10 from there.

2. stopping in San Antonio instead for lunch.

Re: HWY 285 from Ft Stockton to Carlsbad caverns. How long do you think that drive will take?

Thanks again!

Always enjoy giving roadtrip advice.

- Book in advance if you already know where you%26#39;re going. It%26#39;s never advantageous to just show up to a motel wanting a room, especially since you%26#39;ll almost always get a better deal in advance.

- US 290 takes quite a bit longer but I really like the drive better. There%26#39;s less traffic, it%26#39;s slightly less mileage and you wind through the Hill Country and some cute little towns. But it%26#39;ll add at least an hour. You can cut a little time by taking 10 to 71 to get to Austin instead of 290 all the way (unless you%26#39;re on the north side of Houston already).

- Ft Stockton to Carlsbad is about 4 hours. It depends on how fast you drive and how much you stop.

Thanks again!

I am so happy to have all this great advice.

i have a couple of more questions...

How long is the drive from carlsbad caverns to el paso, versus Las Cruces? We hope to stay in a place where we can park the car and just do some walking after dinner. Any leanings?

RE: walking/site-seeing in Tucson after dark...

Before i book accomodations in tucson--did you say there was a good area in town to park the car and walk after dark? Something historic/pretty but safe?

BTW, i read about a lot of dining options (el charro and St. Mary%26#39;s come to mind) But if we are going to drive somewhere to eat, we want to be able to walk a bit afterward. Any suggestions?

Carlsbad to El Paso will probably be about 4 hours. Las Cruces is another 45 minutes or so down I-10, but going over the mountain on US 82 would add at least an hour to your travel time. Absolutely stay in Las Cruces. There%26#39;s a historic district there with a plaza area with shopping and some wondeful restaurants called La Mesilla. I don%26#39;t think there are any hotels there, but there%26#39;s a large concentration of cheap motels about a mile away by I-10.

The historic areas of Tucson usually aren%26#39;t the safest. There are only a few hotels that I can think of where you%26#39;re in a safe area and can actually walk to something worthwile, but they%26#39;re not historic nor very pretty areas. The pretty and safe areas are in the Catalina Foothills, but there are mostly resorts up there, although there are a couple along Oracle Road north of River which are in a nice area and in walking distance to restaurants.

El Charro is polarizing. I personally hate it and I know that others feel the same way, but it%26#39;s a good tourist place because the Downtown location is in a very cool neighborhood (my neighborhood, actually) and it%26#39;s an actual restaurant where you can sit down for a $10 plate full of ';Mexican'; rice and beans and a little meat.

Saint Mary%26#39;s is on the other end of the spectrum: hole in the wall, great value for the money, no frills whatsoever (like BS decorations), no waitstaff, teenage niece taking the orders and in no hurry, and almost solely Sonoran customers. They%26#39;ve also been voted the best tortillas in town (they are really good). La Herradura, right next door to Saint Mary%26#39;s, is also very authentic, but also a total hole in the wall.

But the best Mexican in Tucson is at the places on the sides of the streets that set up in the parking lots in the evenings. Lots of hot dogs (Sonoran style), but you%26#39;ll get some great Carne Asada there and it%26#39;s CHEAP. There%26#39;s one right on Saint Mary%26#39;s that a co-worker of mine swears by (and he hates El Charro). One of the best of these is Guero Canelo, although it%26#39;s a little out of the way and maybe a little intimidating.

There are lots of great restaurants in Tucson though, certainly not all of which are Mexican.

thanks for your candor, colinaz

it%26#39;s good to know the ';ambience '; factor for restaurants and areas. Cheers for that!

st. mary%26#39;ssounds choice. I think i read that it closes at 5 or 6pm? Do you know how i can find out for sure? if so, we will get take-away on our way up from san xavier mission.

RE: hotels up north of the river

Any hotel names i shoud look up (that you mentioned woud be safe for walking after dark)? if that%26#39;s a dodgy idea, i%26#39;ll find somethng with a late gym. i just know we will need to stretch our legs after 2 days of driviing. :)

thanks so much for the safetyt/area tips. You seem like a really cool person and i appreciate your help!

Wow, I%26#39;m impressed at that description of it, but yes, Saint Mary%26#39;s closes at 6:30 and I believe it isn%26#39;t open on Sunday.

Specific hotels: I%26#39;ve stayed at the Towne Place (Marriott) on Oracle, Hampton Inn, the Flamingo Suites, and there%26#39;s a Country Inn (have friends that stayed there recently) and a Best Western further north by Orange Grove that%26#39;s nice. There are others on the east side like the Ramada and Comfort Inn on Tanque Verde, the La Quinta on Broadway, and the Williams Center stuff like the Embassy Suites and Residence Inn, all of which are close to shopping/restaurants and in safe neighborhoods. There are also a couple of hotels by the Tucson Mall that are fairly nice, although stuff is spaced out there and more difficult to walk to.

Hope that helps.

(heh) ';choice'; meaning a very good choice ... Is that, right? i thought i read that it was one of your choices for authentic regional food. if not, where else shoud i go?

cheers!

We stayed in Tucson one night and went to El Charro. Really good food and atmosphere. Not much else in downtown Tucson was worth the effort to see.

thanks, kcscout!