Phx, Az to Hobbs, Nm

Yes, page A36 on the atlas (which I should have checked before starting this thread) mentions steep grades, which negates the point of having a fast truck.

 

I go through El Paso often and I almost always have to deal with some moron four wheeler, which annoys me after hammering along I-10. As I type this there are three incidents and some construction according to google maps. So I was hoping to avoid the stupidity if at all possible.

When you say "a road that goes up and over and back down. Right before the nm scale.." are you referring to the 404 eastbound right above the NM/TX border? From there, it looks like the 213 south will take me to 375 east. From there I can connect to 62 east. This will skirt El Paso, and I don't see 404, 213, 375 being restricted.

 

The elevation profile for the 404 looks flat or close to it.

The other option is to cross TX border, then take 375 east to 62. But that means I still have to go through the muck in El Paso and it also looks like that section of 375 goes through some elevation at the Franklin mountains.

If I take the 404 at NM to 213, it will take me to the 375 after the Franklin mountains, on the east side of the mountain range.

Not afraid of hills, just don't see the need to slow myself down if I don't have to.

 

On the 404?

If that's the case, I'll go back to my original plan: time my departure at Deming so I have minimal traffic going through El Paso.