Anyone give me a rundown of what to expect on this route?

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AmeDeBoheme

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Hi gang,

Is there (without purchasing the very expensive rv route specific GPS devices) any app, program, map or website that can give me a rundown as to what to expect on a driving route?

We have a thirty year old 40 ft class A MH and would like to avoid low clearance and super mountainous regions (the brakes are great but the E-break is not and I have a few times on this trip gone down steep grades and had to clean my pants when at the bottom) (she (the MH) also gets super hot pulling her hefty self uphill)

If there isn't (or even if there is) can any road experts give me a rundown of what to expect/offer alternate ways (and too, some must see stops) on the road google maps takes me from Austin Tx to Alberqueque NM to Phoenix AZ? 

https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d1418446!2d-105.6091292!3d33.834873!4m33!3m24!1m5!1sAustin%2C+TX!2s0x8644b599a0cc032f%3A0x5d9b464bd469d57a!3m2!3d30.267153!4d-97.7430608!1m5!1sAlbuquerque%2C+NM!2s0x87220addd309837b%3A0xc0d3f8ceb8d9f6fd!3m2!3d35.110703!4d-106.609991!1m1!1sPhoenix%2C+AZ!2e0!3m8!1m3!1d2871733!2d-102.1745346!3d32.7702842!3m2!1i1366!2i642!4f13.1!5m2!13m1!1e1!7m4!11m3!1m1!1e1!2b1&fid=0
 
AmeDeBoheme said:
Hi gang,

Is there (without purchasing the very expensive rv route specific GPS devices) any app, program, map or website that can give me a rundown as to what to expect on a driving route?

We have a thirty year old 40 ft class A MH and would like to avoid low clearance and super mountainous regions (the brakes are great but the E-break is not and I have a few times on this trip gone down steep grades and had to clean my pants when at the bottom) (she (the MH) also gets super hot pulling her hefty self uphill)

If there isn't (or even if there is) can any road experts give me a rundown of what to expect/offer alternate ways (and too, some must see stops) on the road google maps takes me from Austin Tx to Alberqueque NM to Phoenix AZ? 


https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m4!1m3!1d1418446!2d-105.6091292!3d33.834873!4m33!3m24!1m5!1sAustin%2C+TX!2s0x8644b599a0cc032f%3A0x5d9b464bd469d57a!3m2!3d30.267153!4d-97.7430608!1m5!1sAlbuquerque%2C+NM!2s0x87220addd309837b%3A0xc0d3f8ceb8d9f6fd!3m2!3d35.110703!4d-106.609991!1m1!1sPhoenix%2C+AZ!2e0!3m8!1m3!1d2871733!2d-102.1745346!3d32.7702842!3m2!1i1366!2i642!4f13.1!5m2!13m1!1e1!7m4!11m3!1m1!1e1!2b1&fid=0
Click to expand...

Austin to Abq... Slow gradual climb from 800' to 7500' then down to 5000'  usually against a brisk headwind....very light traffic

Abq to Phx... Pretty flat to Flagstaff... Then some long descents and some long climbs going down to Phx.  Traffic can be intense

Nothing much compared to the Rocky Mts.
 
Delorme has a sale on the street Atlas today for about $30 for another $20, you get a GPS that hooks to your computer.  I am not sure what their topo mapping program costs but it will be about 2X the atlas.
 
Flag down to PHX has three 6% grade segments, one is 11 miles, then 6 miles, and then 5 miles IIRC. You drop from 7000 feet to 1200 in about 100 miles. It is still the best choice except for bypassing ABQ and staying on I-10 all the way.
 
I can speak to the Austin to ABQ ride being pretty much a non-event as we travel it several times a year.

I would, however, strongly recommend you getting your exhaust brake examined and repaired. The wear and tear on your service brakes and the chance of overheating them is pretty good with a rig of that size, even when you are not in the hills. There's a valid reason why large rigs have a second brake system. In the long run, you will be money ahead.
 
AmeDeBoheme said:
...(and too, some must see stops)...
Click to expand...

In Lubbock:
Buddy Holly Center,
American Wind Power Center and Museum,
National Ranching Heritage Center,
Museum of Agriculture

Tucumcari has a number of things to see and do.

Santa Rosa has The Blue Hole.

In Albuquerque:
Petroglyph National Monument,
Pueblo Cultural Center

Near Grants:
Acoma Sky City,
Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano,
El Malpais National Monument,
El Moro National Monument,
Mining Museum

Between Gallup and Flagstaff:
Petrified Forest National Park,
Meteor Crater,

Near Flagstaff/Sedona/Camp Verde:
Sunset Crater National Monument,
Wupatki National Monument,
Walnut Canyon National Monument,
Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well National Monuments,
Tuzigoot National Monument,
Palatki and Honaki Ruins,
V-Bar-V Heritage Site,
Verde Canyon Railroad,
the town of Jerome
the town of Sedona.

Hope you have a Great Trip!!

 
AmeDeBoheme said:
We have a thirty year old 40 ft class A MH and would like to avoid low clearance and super mountainous regions (the brakes are great but the E-break is not and I have a few times on this trip gone down steep grades and had to clean my pants when at the bottom) (she (the MH) also gets super hot pulling her hefty self uphill)
Click to expand...
Sorry, I'm not familiar with the area you are traveling nor any software able to assist. The above statement did get my attention however?
Based upon what you have described, I would suggest you address the safety issues first, before taking your rig back out on the road. A vehicle, such as you have described, is a safety concern that affect not just you but everyone else around you on the road as well.

And, if the safety aspect alone is not enough, consider the potential repercussions now that you have publicly disclosed that you're driving a vehicle you know to be unsafe. I believe the term for that is "negligence" and it opens up a whole new world of legal liability.

I know, we all think that nothing bad will happen, until is does.
 
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