The most important thing to notice is getting gas! Without that you may be stuck in the desert at night and it can be very cold!
I nearly made that mistake, but fortunately, we glided, gas tank empty, in neutral down a sloping highway for a half a mile and into a gas station just closing at dusk!
The motel had roaches and sheets were not too clean, so I had my kids sleep fully dressed!
My plan was to burn the clothes but my wife felt that such revenge was pointless!
Asher