[jay in va]

The wife and I will be attending our goddaughter's wedding near San Antonio, TX on Aug. 1. I plan on taking the wing, pulling a Harbor Freight trailer.(Piggybacker lookalike) Will be leaving Wed. 7/27, from Fork Union, VA, arriving at Woodstock, GA that evening. I have a 9:30am appt. at Traxxion the next morning for a rear shock replacement, as well as the fork upgrade.(Already have the All Balls, and their fork brace) Mike at Traxxion estimates 4 to 5 hours for the work, so I think we will be able to make it to Montgomery, AL that evening. The next evening will be New Orleans, then San Antonio by 7/30, allowing a full day to "chill" before the wedding. (can one "chill" in Texas?)
Most of the route will be interstate, I85, I65 and I10.
The route is 1500 miles, and without the Traxxion stop, I had planned on 3 days of 500 miles each. The detour for Traxxion allows us to get into New Orleans a little early the third day and might allow for some evening sightseeing.
Any advice on this trip/route? Road construction/detours? Must see places and places to avoid? Recommended motels?
Thanks in advance for info.
Jay

 

[wmduncan42]

trip

I went to San Antonio last year from Ga and it was so hot we decided to rent a air conditioned auto in Gpt ms. My son had a nice truck we used instead. The traffic was awful in Houston. I would try to find a way around Houston if I could.

 

[bingle50]

Like the post above said, this is Texas, it is hot and we are in the middle of a drought.

I assume you would be arriving New Orleans on 7-29 a Friday evening; a quick search finds the Hilton Riverside as probably being the best bang for the buck at $89.00, that does not include taxes and parking. The Hilton does have a parking garage with 24 hr security. That is a non refundable rate, wait to the day before to make your reservation to verify that you will make it to town; be sure to ask for a room on the river side as high as possible, you will not regret it.

http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details...-11&hotelId=112921&validate=false#description

The Hilton Riverside is
1. on the river walk (on the mighty Mississippi)
2. adjacent to the river walk mall
3. Harrah’s casino is right across the street
4. The river front trolley is just out of the down river door
5. The French Quarter is 3 blocks away ( I would take the trolley to the Jackson Square get off and save some shoe leather, exact change required or buy a one day pass)

One of the reasons you want to be near the Quarters is that you want to park the bike and not get back on it until your leaving. People in southern Louisiana do not know how to drive, especially in New Orleans. You honk you horn at them, they do not know why; you just hurt their feelings.

Where ever you decide to stay, make sure it is near the Quarters (check the address and compare, a lot of hotels advertise French quarter hotel when they are really 10 t0 20 block or more away) most of what you will want to see and do for (1) night is going to be near the quarters.

http://www.neworleansonline.com/ look at where to eat and what to do.

Consider, most of the drunks you see on Bourbon are tourist, not the locals; everyone wants to see the world famous Bourbon Street but temper that with a stroll down Royal or Charters and all the small shops. As far a safety, stay with the crowds and you will be just fine.

I-10 across southern LA. Is horrible; your going across swampland and from Baton Rouge to Lafayette it is just one long bridge. People drive like wild people, be very careful.

Going through Houston should be avoided if possible but it probably will not be with your schedule, try to hit the Houston area around 9am or 2 pm.


San Antonio,

Find a place on the Riverwalk, that is a treat not to be missed: the wife and I like the Hilton Palacio
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/SATPDHF-Hilton-Palacio-del-Rio-Texas/index.do
but it can be pricey.

I have never stayed here but it looks pretty good
http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details...-11&hotelId=136887&validate=false#description


There is no better place to chill in San Antonio than on the river walk – unless – you go to the Texas Hill County, just 45 minutes and a whole world away. While you in the area, you might want to see Bandera and Luckenbach.

http://www.hillcountrycruising.com/

BTW- Saturday morning, like as not, there will probably be a few wings parked in front of the OST for breakfast.
http://www.texasbob.com/eats/tbe_ost.html

 

[jay in va]

Thank you for the replies. I have anticipated the heat and have some LD Comfort undies ordered. As explained on this forum, the right amount of water applied to them, combined with the proper amount of air flow through the outer gear, should keep us comfortable. (fingers crossed)

Bingle50, are you a travel agent? Nice write-up! Especially about New Orleans. Your info and links helped narrow down some choices. Thank you.

Jay

 

[LostTexan]

If you've already been to New Orleans then shoot across I-12 and save a little time. If New Orleans is a destination then take Hwy. 90 for a southern route out of New Orleans. I-10 on both sides of Baton Rouge and halfway to Lafayette is always a train wreck. If there is a wreck on the Basin Bridge (17 miles long) you could be there for a couple of hours or more. Taking Hwy. 90 will put you back on I-10 again in Lafayette, a little longer mileage wise but typically saves you time vs going through BR. Houston can be bad but typically isn't horrible due to having 4 to 6 lanes all the way through. When you get into the east side of Houston get in the second lane from the left and you won't have to worry about having to change lanes all the way through town and out past Katy. You may want to because of slow traffic but using that lane won't catch you in the wrong place at the wrong time. I-10 is a pretty quiet run from there to San Antonio. Be sure to hydrate, Texas is the devil's summer home and he likes it HOT!:evil:

 

[Remphoto]

We just got back from a long weekend in SA and had a blast. Was hot but tolerable with fairly low humidity. We stayed cool by renting tubes and floating down the lazy Comal River in New Braunfels. Also watched frr live band at Luckenbach. Visited historic town of Greune and ate at Gristmill. The 250 year old mission churches south of SA are also worth seeing.

 

[bingle50]

Thank you for the replies.
Bingle50, are you a travel agent? Nice write-up! Especially about New Orleans. Your info and links helped narrow down some choices. Thank you.

Jay

Naw, just a past resident and a very frequent visitor.

That is just the tip of the iceberg, there is so very much more to see and do.

If you have any other question about either place, let me know.

+++ On the Gristmill - and the Mission Trail

Pickers out back the Luckenbach General Store

 

[jay in va]

Thanks again for the replies.

LostTexan...Thank you for the escape route (hwy 90) out of New Orleans, and the lane positioning on I-10 through Houston. I will adapt accordingly.

Remphoto...New Braunfels is where the wedding/reception is actually taking place, and we will be staying in Greune. (motel rooms already pre-arranged for wedding guests). If the reception gets boring, perhaps I can sneak out unnoticed and float the river. Will have to adapt an extra inner tube for the cooler!

bingle50...The Luckenbach store looks like fun...will have to see if we can fit it in.

Jay

 

[thumperjlb]

The wife and I will be attending our goddaughter's wedding near San Antonio, TX on Aug. 1. I plan on taking the wing, pulling a Harbor Freight trailer.(Piggybacker lookalike) Will be leaving Wed. 7/27, from Fork Union, VA, arriving at Woodstock, GA that evening. I have a 9:30am appt. at Traxxion the next morning for a rear shock replacement, as well as the fork upgrade.(Already have the All Balls, and their fork brace) Mike at Traxxion estimates 4 to 5 hours for the work, so I think we will be able to make it to Montgomery, AL that evening. The next evening will be New Orleans, then San Antonio by 7/30, allowing a full day to "chill" before the wedding. (can one "chill" in Texas?)
Most of the route will be interstate, I85, I65 and I10.
The route is 1500 miles, and without the Traxxion stop, I had planned on 3 days of 500 miles each. The detour for Traxxion allows us to get into New Orleans a little early the third day and might allow for some evening sightseeing.
Any advice on this trip/route? Road construction/detours? Must see places and places to avoid? Recommended motels?
Thanks in advance for info.
Jay

Note: Traxxion Dynamics is in the middle of no-where, take some snacks and something to do for 4-5 hrs. The folks there are really nice they have a wireless internet connection you can use. They also have magazines to read and videos to watch. I spent 5 hrs there in April and it was quite boring. They will lend you a GW to ride if you want to go get some lunch... I ride a trike and am too short to reach the ground on a wing so I was stuck at the office. Have a great trip.

Jacque

 

[docweb]

your trip

i live in boerne just north west of san antonio, and there is some great riding out here in the hill country pm me and i'll give you my cell and we can talk.

if you can ride the three twisted sisters while you are here you have reached nirvana.

 

[beaux43]

river float

They already have tubes made for coolers or some built-in to a 2 man tube.

I agree with LostTexan...unless N.O is a definite destination for B. St. and the like; then ride 12 across the North side of Lake Ponchatrain. It will definitely save you some time.

Ride safe and ride long!