Dallas to Las Vegas

[DonMuncy]

What is the consensus on a good route from Dallas to Las Vegas with a fuel stop about half way. I am not looking for the cheapest fuel, but a decent place to eat might be nice.

[MooneyMitch]

Don.  

My experience with several trips between Texas and California (adjacent to Las Vegas)...... southern route via I-10, approximately.  

Check AirNav for fuel stop prices.

Food, others will probably follow along with quality recommendations for you.

Safe travels and don’t spend too much at the slots !  

Oh, and why would president of MS CB club not be looking for the cheapest fuel?  LOL.  

[TGreen]

A bit out of the way, but it you stop in Las Cruces, a great restaurant is La Posta de Mesilla.  https://www.laposta-de-mesilla.com/

 

[Danb]

Don I’d consider double eagle in Albuquerque a little over half way, I spent a few nights there awhile ago nice beautiful area. Good airport 

[MooneyMitch]

5 minutes ago, Danb said:

Don I’d consider double eagle in Albuquerque a little over half way, I spent a few nights there awhile ago nice beautiful area. Good airport 

Ah yes, up to, and via I-40 also............. +1 on Double Eagle.  Possibly verify restaurant is open for sit down dinning. 

[Ross Taylor]

Or Roswell?  We stopped there on the way from Flagstaff to Austin and it was a great stop.  The airport is big and friendly and has good "boneyard" aircraft viewing on the taxi to the FBO.  The FBO was small, but friendly and clean and they had a nice crew van which they insisted we use to run into town for coffee (we actually hadn't planned that, but they were so nice...).  There were lots of restaurant recommendations in the area, but we were focused on coffee.  :-)

[McMooney]

I flew KDWH KPEQ SFL DMN V94 TFD DVT KHND out.

Strapped on the 02 and flew KHND-KROW-KDWH back, E model didn't mind flying up high.

Second Roswell,  awesome stop. 

Walked around the boneyard, checked out a plane that once belonged to Elvis then Went into town looking for aliens.  Which according to the locals only come sometime in July 8)

 

Whatever you do, stay away from Pecos, it was so hot my tires melted to the pavement on the Landing roll. 

cold ac and free hotdogs if i remember correctly.

[MooneyMitch]

21 minutes ago, McMooney said:

I flew KDWH KPEQ SFL DMN V94 TFD DVT KHND out.

Strapped on the 02 and flew KHND-KROW-KDWH back, E model didn't mind flying up high.

Second Roswell,  awesome stop. 

Walked around the boneyard, checked out a plane that once belonged to Elvis then Went into town looking for aliens.  Which according to the locals only come sometime in July 8)

 

Whatever you do, stay away from Pecos, it was so hot my tires melted to the pavement on the Landing roll. 

cold ac and free hotdogs if i remember correctly.

Yes on the space aliens in July in Roswell.................My experiences there, more than likely they are present all year long! 

[LANCECASPER]

Um, hello @McMooney and @MooneyMitch !! 

Who landed in Roswell in weird looking little space ships with backwards tails?  No matter what month it was, you were the aliens!

[SantosDumont]

If you stop in ABQ I've been to Thai Tip a dozen times.  It's a great hole in the wall Thai restaurant.  My recommendation for SAF is Terra Cotta Wine Bistro, except that's a dinner / stay the night recommendation.

[MooneyMitch]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

Um, hello @McMooney and @MooneyMitch !! 

Who landed in Roswell in weird looking little space ships with backwards tails?  No matter what month it was, you were the aliens!

It wasn’t me in the Mooney.... I was on a motorcycle trip!  I just noticed a lot of the folks there looked like space aliens........ lol!  Just kidding 

[FloridaMan]

I can't speak for what's in the area for food so I'd call them, but I stopped at KAEG when coming home from Vegas after taking delivery of the Rocket (bad line of storms from Mexico to Colorado and I didn't have masks); their O2 service was really reasonable and the FBO was nice. I'd go back. I've stopped at ABQ and stayed enroute to Vegas in my M20F, but the approach to ABQ requires you to clear the mountains at 11,000MSL and drop nearly 5000ft to pattern altitude in less than 10 miles. At 180mph, that's a fairly aggressive descent. 

The day after I stayed at ABQ, I experienced the worst clear air turbulence I've ever felt crossing New Mexico at 11,000ft. It was smooth before and after, but I experienced 15 seconds of pure terror and being out of control. 

[MooneyMitch]

FloridaMan.....My experiences..... that part of our beautiful country at this time of year, early AM is preferred in order to avoid what you’re describing..... not always true, but mostly.

[Parker_Woodruff]

5 hours ago, MooneyMitch said:

 

Oh, and why would president of MS CB club not be looking for the cheapest fuel?  LOL.  

He's getting soft.  He always rounds up when he pays me for recurrent training and says I don't charge enough.

[MooneyMitch]

45 minutes ago, Parker_Woodruff said:

He's getting soft.  He always rounds up when he pays me for recurrent training and says I don't charge enough.

Always a true gentleman!

[Flash]

Best route is just to the north of direct, so that you pass north of the Sandia Mountains, which guard the east side of ABQ. Agree with others that AEG is OK for a lunch stop, but it's well out of town so you're eating at the field or you're driving a bit. ABQ is a lot closer if you actually want to see Albuquerque; Frontier Restaurant just across the street from the University of New Mexico has amazing tortillas. Fuel price at ABQ is about a dollar a gallon higher than at AEG.

If you're not in a hurry, detour to the north as you approach Las Vegas so you can overfly the Grand Canyon. If you're really not in a hurry and want to see the whole Grand Canyon, consider landing at L41 (Marble Canyon), which is within walking distance of a place that when I went to it had some great fry bread. No fuel at L41, though. When I went there, I parked, stepped out onto the wing, and then had a few seconds of horror as the plane started to move toward a chain-link fence. Plane stopped before it got there, though.

 

[Flash]

If you want to stop short of AEG/ABQ, Tucumcari has cheap fuel, and you can sing to yourself the classic Little Feat song, Willin':

I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonapah
Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made
Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed
And if you give me weed, whites and wine
And you show me a sign
I'll be willin', to be movin'. 

Both Tucson and Tonapah are well out of your way, however.

[KLRDMD]

2 hours ago, FloridaMan said:

The day after I stayed at ABQ, I experienced the worst clear air turbulence I've ever felt crossing New Mexico at 11,000ft. It was smooth before and after, but I experienced 15 seconds of pure terror and being out of control. 

Just 15 seconds? One trip in the Bravo, ABQ to Tucson at 16,500 ft I got the crap beat out of me for two hours.

[cliffy]

AEG may be open for lunch or not Check first Easy airport in and out but ATC will take around the ABQ airspace.

ABQ is not that hard to get in and out of and has a much better variety of restaurants near by. Maybe courtesy car maybe Uber. I stop there. 

BE ADVISED!  You WILL get beaten up going to LAS from 50 miles east of ABQ to LAS. Its a summer time thing out here.

Check the winds aloft and if they are 25-30 or more out of the west (they will be) on the lee side of ABQ you'll get hit from the Sadia mountains turbulence. From there on it will be a rough ride.  If you go high it will ride better but be lots slower and you still have to go down into it. 

I have done that route many times . Always the same, moderate or worse turbulence in the summer time. 

[FloridaMan]

4 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

Just 15 seconds? One trip in the Bravo, ABQ to Tucson at 16,500 ft I got the crap beat out of me for two hours.

I remember I texted Parker on that trip out to Vegas in my M20F. It was in October and maybe around 11AM; I was bucking a 50-60kt headwind. He says, "I usually try to get out earlier when heading that way this time of year". 

It wasn't just getting beat up, it was like a 1000ft roller coaster. 

[DonMuncy]

I had planned on going into North Las Vegas, but I had forgotten about Henderson. What is the consensus about VGT vs L15?

Availability of rental cars is an important consideration.

[FloridaMan]

I found that Uber from VGT to the strip was cheaper than Henderson, which is why I chose VGT; I have never flown into Henderson. Also, sometimes the controllers send you right down the strip when you're going to VGT, which I remembered being a lot of fun. The procedures in and out of VGT can be a bit weird with sandwiched altitudes. I also would recommend stopping in Sedona just to see it if you can afford to take the time to do it. 

[Ross Taylor]

+1 on the Sedona stop. 

I've not been to the others, but I spent a couple years flying into Henderson once a week for work. Come in under the class Bravo from the southeast, over the water plant and over the ridge, dropping right down to the airport. The controllers at Henderson are some of the nicest I've ever worked with. 

[ArtVandelay]

I bet a night flight around Vegas would be beautiful.

[SantosDumont]

11 hours ago, DonMuncy said:

I had planned on going into North Las Vegas, but I had forgotten about Henderson. What is the consensus about VGT vs L15?

Availability of rental cars is an important consideration.

I tied down at HND for a few months until I got a hangar at BVU. As a local I would recommend HND over VGT. HND is much nicer and not in the sketchy part of town. They are building the new Raiders HQ right across the street from HND.  

It’s easier to avoid the Bravo at HND.  The only way to get to VGT from the East is to talk to Nellis and get a transition over the base, but you can easily approach HND VFR from the SouthEast.  I don’t like going to VGT squawking 1200 because you have to fly pretty low under the western Bravo shelf.

I’d call to confirm but there is both Hertz and Enterprise available at HND. 

After about 10AM it will be bumpy. If I was making the trip for pleasure I’d stop in ABQ or SAF and leave for LAS at first light, but I’ve done the ABQ-LAS trip in the afternoon plenty of times for work and just suffered through the roller coaster ride.