Top Places To See Driving From Dallas To San Diego

Interstate 30: The beginning

The first leg of this journey begins with I-30 found south of downtown Dallas. Keep in mind that right of 30 in downtown Dallas sits Smoke, a classy old school barbeque joint that serves some of the best brisket this part of the city. While ahead of the journey is a bountiful array of cultural cuisine to include fish tacos, new Mexican chilies, and adobe cakes, this will be the best opportunity to enjoy a Texas tradition. The first leg is a short one with an hour on the road until the merge with I-20.

Interstate 20

This highway will seem long as the majority of the road is lined with trees and spotted with a few gas stations that will offer the same jerky, coffee, and clean restrooms. Drive about 30 minutes from the I-20 and I-30 merge and signs for historic Mineral Wells and their Crazy Water will spring from the fertile soil. The town, which is about 20 minutes from the highway, offers a spectacle of local haunted sites, small town eateries, and enchanting farmland.

The I-20 highway dissects the middle of Texas and cuts through colonies of oil farms. And because of this going through Abilene, Midland, and Odessa will be long and tiring. Soon I-20 leads into Pecos and an hour later is the third leg, the I-10 merge.

Interstate 10

From the I-10 merge there is about 3 hours until El Paso, the biggest city on this path since Dallas. El Paso, a border town, offers a lively cultural scene mixed with constant nightlife. From the I-10 highway city lights of Juarez blanket the rural desert on the south side of the border. While the city has much to provide to include hotels and restaurants on every corner, a mere hour here will not suffice. No more than 45 minutes through this city the road will enter the billowing sands of New Mexico.

From the start of the New Mexican border, gusts of wind can be felt as sand and hot air presses on this highway. The mesas make for a sight to see as I-10 cuts through southern New Mexico. This state, commonly known as the Land of Enchantment, is a cultural hot spot for the deeply entwined Native, Mexican, and cowboy identities. A quick 3-hour detour to Hatch along this drive is well worth the visit. The old town is famous for the Hatch chilies that are exclusive to this region. Restaurants graciously offer enchiladas smothered with varied levels of heat and cheese. Hatch, a little town of Southwest charm, is sure to delight those weary tourists looking to welcome the spice of life.

The passage through New Mexico is a quick 3-and-a-half-hour drive with no detour. If the spices of Hatch or anywhere else in New Mexico weren’t much reason to stop for a bit, then one should take advantage of the warm red glow dawning on the Arizonian mountains as a moment to reflect. As I always left Dallas in the evening around 6 p.m., I would arrive in Arizona by the early morning to enjoy the sun rising behind in the rear view mirror with a truck stop coffee in hand. During this time, signs advertising The Thing across the highway were enticing this traveler to stop about an hour and a half into Arizona. So with a tank half full and bellies on empty, we stopped at the gas station / museum roadside attraction to find out what this Thing was.

The Museum charged a modest 3 USD entry for a 20-minute walking tour of ancient weapons, torture devices, and dying mannequins. We then came upon what was an unearthed tomb for an ancient Native that was found during a time of settlement. The Thing, as it’s crudely marketed, is nothing more than displaced remains, but it is interesting to behold what was a traveler during that time.

About an hour later on the road, we were just outside Tucson, a major arid city of Arizona. While Tucson is one of the bigger metropolitans since El Paso, a lot can be seen or done here, and again much more than an hour to enjoy. Take the exit towards Tombstone, a 30-minute ride south, and live in the wonders of what is a town too tough to die. Known famously for the home of legendary Lawman Wyatt Earp and his many encounters with the cowboys of that era, Tombstone offers a day’s or hours’ worth of excitement with live reenacted shoot outs, western grave sites, and small town burger joints and pubs for the weary traveler to enjoy.

Back on I-10 and through Tucson comes I-8, just an hour and half outside the city limits and the last leg of this journey.