Re: From Colorado to Tampa this winter - suggestions?
Well you won't have any trouble gettin' warm in "southern" Texas!
It isn't south Texas, but we like the route that includes I-25 south to Raton Pass, then southeast to Amarillo on US-64, then southeast through Wichita Falls. There's a neat geological feature (I think its a defunct volcano) around Des Moines on US-64.
Now while you're in the Amarillo area, you should stop at Cal Farley's boy/girl home on the way and go by the canyons next biggest in size to the Grand Canyon; Palo Duro Canyon. (And if you're into BIG steaks, they have that there, too.) There's two good RV parks in Amarillo.
We end up heading southeast to around Houston, but you might want to keep going east from Wichita Falls into Texarkana and drop on down to Shreveport to visit the casinos there and hook up with I-49.
Now, when you head south out of Shreveport on I-49 you'll be headed for I-10 near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but don't forget to pull off at the small town of Nachitoches (pronounced: nack-a-tish). It is especially decorated for the Christmas season and has many small shops centrally located. (Do I need to say, "Bring your wallet?")
OK, if you went east on I-20 from Shreveport you would go through the old Civil War town of Vicksburg. There's a great museum and cemetery tour. Further on east and you're in Jackson Mississippi where you can pick up I-55 south and run on into I-12 and east to I-10 on the north side of New Orleans.
Its just nice country all the way.