LA to NYC (Gulf Coast) - suggestions?

[RNYC]

I will be driving from LA to NYC from September-November in a Rialta. First trip. Biting off more than I can chew? Perhaps.

I'm thinking of driving along the gulf coast and am looking for suggestions. Feel free to tell me I'm insane because it's hurricane season. I want to hit Phoenix, New Orleans, Tampa, Ft. Myers and Asheville because I have family/friends in those places.

I'd love suggestions on camp grounds near Phoenix, El Paso, New Orleans and Asheville or anywhere in between. I'm planning to drive smaller roads and only 2-6 hours a day - no rush to get back to the city.

I'm most anxious about not being super hot at night in the desert so any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated.

I promise that in return for all the amazing advice I've already received on this forum I will post about the sites I visit and give advice once I have it to give

Thanks!

[mkguitar]

get a map, look at hwy 60--- that's the Pomona fwy at your end- once you get East of Mesa AZ, it is a pretty dandy route...it goes all the way to the east coast

BTW September will still have you in monsoon season in the southwest- watch for storms esp late afternoon, dust storms can close hwys---heat will be extreme , keep an eye on you rtemp gauge- if it goes up, turn off a/c...if it goes up higher- turn on heater full blast, open windows and slow below 50 mph ( the heater is essentially a small radiator and can shed heat- unfortunately it sheds into the cabin...
never add cold water to a stopped hot motor- you may add water slowly to a running motor...slowly

60 doesn;t hit the gulf coast but you may find this route fun for either the coming or going

Mike

[Twinbridges]

It is a great journey. I left NC and went due south to the Destin Fl area, then followed the gulf coast as close as there is a small road. Don't do interstates unless you like to be bored. Fine places like Creole La which is only a crossroad with a great Cajun restaurant.
Stayed on the beach near Houston, then over to Big Bend NP, and ask for a remote campsite. Out the west gate and follow the Mexican border over to Phoenix. I was heading to Montana so made a right turn north.

Enjoy.

[tmshih]

We just drove the opposite direction cross country and recommend taking I15 to I70 towards Denver for the spectacular views. This will also take you out of the hotter temps at higher elevations. Tricks we learned to maximize our A/C on hot days include:
Park under shade
Cut Reflectix to block heat from coming through the windows
If possible, block off the front cab area with a blanket or other thermal barrier to reduce the interior volume to be cooled
On our rig we noticed our A/C worked better off the generator than shore power so we'd run the A/C with the generator for 30 minutes while driving before pulling into a campground to pre-cool our unit.

[RNYC]

Basically I have to end up in Tampa. I'm working all day from the RV so I'm trying to get from Santa Fe to Austin in a week. It looks like it's doable with 2-3 hours of driving a day. I hate the interstates and don't necessarily mind the heat (just went through So Cal, Arizona, So Utah and NM). Any favorite places to stay in Abilene, Tucumcari, Lubbock, Odessa or Amarillo? Any reason you'd totally avoid them?