Interstate Rest Area Guide

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Your chances of finding a spot in a rest area at 1:00AM are close to nil.

You might as well plan on pulling off the highway and parking on the ramp.

[adamdegraff]

I have found this site to be very helpful:

http://www.rvthereyet.cc/

More than just rest stops, but lots of good, easy to access info.

~Adam

[BrianE]

JDUB, Seems to me that fancy GPS of yours probably lists most of the RAs, recent closures, mtc, etc excepted.

[Jerry Winchester]

Yes it does list them, but it mostly does it as you are driving somewhere and want to know the next exit. From that point you get the rest areas, but it is in the bus and I am at the house, so for practical planning purposes, it is of very little use until you are under way.

[tdelorme]

Go ahead Mel, kick me while you can. But as I still have kids in school and that is their last day and they don't get our until 4:15, I will be hitting the road about the time you hit Luby's for the Senior Citizens Special with all the other old timers.

Then when you're off to bed by 8:45, I will be blazing across Coonass Country inroute to Mississippi exit 106 which I should reach about 1am or roughly about your third time to get up to pee.

Drink lots of water so you have something to do when you wake up........

Kids out of school at 4:15. Your on the road by 5PM. But, this is Friday evening, it's Metro Houston and you'll clear stop and go traffic at what, 8PM?

We'll be out of Luby's by the time you hit the road, and for your information, on Friday nights I forgo the SS Special and get the full meal deal. I'll be in bed by 8:30 not 8:45 cause Saturday morning I'll be up before daylight getting ready to spend a productive day mowing the back pasture.

So you can plan ahead, the 1AM pit stop is usually my second not third. But, it's good to see you getting up to speed on being an old fart cause you and MANGO will both be joining the club real soon.

Now, Jerry, I want to suggest that you double check your travel plans. Since I know Rae and the girls don't want to be woken up at 1AM Sat. morning by you having a little fit, you need to know the following. There is NO exit 106 in Mississippi on Interstate 59. Hello Wally World. Exit 152 at Meridian, up on the hill south side of the hwy. Sleep tight.

[Jerry Winchester]

State Hwy Type Exit Direction Area Other Information Phone

Ms I-10 Ra 10 Eb Parking Area
Ms I-59 Ra 106 Nb Parking Area
Ms I-59 Ra 109 Sb Parking Area
Ms I-55 Ra 117 Nb
Ms I-55 Ra 120 Nb Parking Area
Ms I-59 Ra 13 Sb
Ms I-55 Ra 163 Nb
Ms I-20 Ra 164 Wb
Ms I-59 Ra 164 Wb
Ms I-55 Ra 173 Sb

[Alan__]

Looks like you are missing "other information" and "phone". Does that help?

[Will Garner]

Hey JDUB,

I think the answer to your question is in one of your earlier posts. Why not go to the bus and use your GPS to plan the trip? It should be programmable if it is a really gee whiz GPS system.

Contacting the various State DOT websites might be useful also. They should have a listing of construction projects on the interstate including rest areas. We have a 511 system in NC where you are supposed to get current information, including on rest areas. Some of our rest areas have been closed due to illicit activities - California Supreme Court just legalized those activities in California. I think the Mayor of San Francisco was qouted as having said, "As goes California, so goes the rest of the USA." Sends shivers up my spine!

I was planning on stopping at the Meridian MS rest area on my trip to San Diego which starts on Friday. Unfortunately, the wife has rerouted me to use I-40 all the way into AZ then drop down to I-10 and pick up I-8 to CA.

Happy Trails to you - until we meet again (love that song). I wonder if ol' Roy ever had problems finding an open rest area!

[Ray Davis]

Will,

Make sure to give a hollar when you get in the area.


Ray

[Jerry Winchester]

Will,

Keep your eye peeled for us on 40 as we have a small stretch of it to drive on Friday afternoon.

As for using the GPS, I don't think driving to the airport and sitting in the coach in the hanger will win me any points here at the house or make the plan any better. Thanks to this post, I have three resources to use for rest area / exit info, so I will leave the GPS for more spontanious exit situations.

Alan,

You must be a lawyer or accountant since your answer was technically correct but served no useful purpose.

If it was tongue in cheek then "Bite Me".

But that is one nice Marathon you are riding around in..........