Just really wanting some opinions regarding my upcoming trip which is going to be about 3k from N. Houston to NW Colorado.
I have done long distance riding before and my plan usually is to leave around midnight. I am going alone this time. This may seem an odd time to leave but I rather deal with the deer and light I-45 traffic at night than deal with Dallas/Ft Worth (traffic and just awful traffic) during the day. I have rode thru Dallas on a Friday afternoon last July and I have a healthy fear of those "wonderful" drivers.
So really looking for just any general observations. I tried to go the "long way" around Dallas/Ft Worth but for me just leaving late at night and getting past Dallas is a win.
Any advice or comments will be great. Except saying how stupid I am...I get enough of that at work!

 

I left Houston around 10 one night....enroute to Kansas. Never ran under 65-70 including right through Dallas. Two issues for me...upgrade the headlight and at 1-4 AM you are likely to be the only sober operator. Calls for well lit, defensive, tactics. Many people plan trips with traffic the biggest factor on deciding departure, arrival and transit times. In the Houston/Dallas example the only possible way to avoid sitting still on 4-8 lane highways is leaving very late evening or later yet.

 

I don't particularly like to ride at night unless it's within the city. Whenever my trip takes me through a major city (Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, etc) I just plan so I will not be trying to travel through the city during morning or evening commute times. Dallas is a lot better at 10:00AM than at 8:00AM.

 

4 hours from Houston to Dallas..... I would leave about 6am Houston (the traffic will be coming in, not out) get through Dallas just before lunch... are you taking 287 or 82 to CO?

 

Thanks for the replies. Im heading out 287 to Amarillo then to Clayton and Raton. I did the route in my car just last month and that construction just past the beltway before the 287 turnoff looks pretty bad and in Ft Worth they are doing some just south of downtown. Guess its just a trade off on what you are comfortable doing! Maybe I should just forget Dallas and go west on I-10 and do something different!

 

Well, at least you're on the north side of Houston When I lived in East Texas I did many rides to Montana and tried all sorts of ways to avoid DFW. None of them worked. OK, what about leaving Houston around 7 PM, putting you in the Metroplex around 11 PM and then just grab a motel NW of Fort Worth...say, Decatur or even earlier in one of those FW burbs like Rhome that are along 287 which will be on the correct side of town for the next morning. True, not big miles your first day but you've minimized what flibuoy talked about and you'll be fresh and stress free for that boring grind up to Amarillo.

 

Ive been about 40 miles north of downtown Houston and its not the same as the Houston suburbs of old! Its changing so much...too fast. The state is doing construction for about 20 miles north of me (making it a three laner so more drunks can go north) and for some reason traffic stacks up going outbound leaving town way before the construction. The "rush" starts at 530am and ends around 10am now...but its do-able...just now a bunch of fun. I think that 10pm start time is looking good. Got the good LED headlights...its all good to go!

 

There are so many great secondary roads, why take the super slabs ( unless you are in a hurry. ) i ofter drive them, this country is absolutely beautiful why not try another route.

 

I hear you about back roads and I do it often so I should have included that the growth of the metro area (actually about 50 to 70 miles out) makes those back roads, which are mostly two lanes, pretty crowded with construction trucks, big rigs and general 4 wheel type mayhem. Lots of construction on those secondary roads.
But if you leave early enough its another option.
thanks...
Im leaning for that 10pm start up to Dallas and get thru it and then taking it easy the rest of the way and enjoying the ride.

 

I'd take 105 to 6 and stay on 6 all the way to 287. I hate cities.