Road trip question: cross country on I-40

[bosk1]

Hey, y'all!  in a few weeks, my wife and daughter and going to road trip with my oldest son to get him back to college (they are leaving a car with him and flying home).  They will be going from CA to FL via I-40 (there are reasons why we choose that route).  We are trying to figure out where they are going to stop and spend the nights, but I don't personally know that route, so it's a bit difficult to figure out exactly where they should stop.  The way they are dividing up the trip, we were thinking they would stop in Williams, AZ (we actually did stay there when we visited Grand Canyon), Amarillo, TX, and Little Rock, AR.  Any tips, advice, etc.?

EDIT:  The specific stops are open to being changed, at least at this stage, since we don't have anything locked in.  We were just looking at reasonable driving distances and what cities/towns that would put them near.  If others have other suggestions, that is fine.

[El Barto]

I've done half of that trip one, and the second quarter numerous times. Personally, I always try and stay in Santa Fe when I can. It's only a half hour out of the way from ABQ, and I just like waking up and eating breakfast there.

Amarillo is as boring a place as you can find. I wouldn't stay there. It can also smell kind of bad. That said, Tyler's BBQ should be a mandatory stop. Dude smokes a damn fine brisket. It's not easy to time right, though. He'll sometimes sell out in the early afternoon.

If Little Rock is on the agenda they should consider bailing from 40 in Oklahoma and using state highways to get there. That section of OK is quite pleasant and there's a wonderful scenic drive to get into AR.

Of course the hard part is breaking it up into manageable legs. I believe my trip began around Kingman (someplace I crashed after leaving Vegas), lunch in Flagstaff, and dinner in Santa Fe. Next day was SF to Dallas, with a stop at Perry's in Amarillo. That works for me because there's no place even remotely close to Amarillo that's worth staying in. If they could shift their stops a few hours East that would work pretty well.  Rather than Amarillo they press on and crash someplace close to OKC and take the scenic route to AR the next day.

Took this from the aforementioned Scenic Byway.



Depending on when they choose to turn South from 40 I may or may not have other suggestions. Most of my experience there is revolves around TN. That said, if they're still on 40 in Nashville they should cross over the Great Smokys into SC NC. I got lost around there and it turned into a wonderful drive alongside a river for about an hour that was as green as anything I've ever seen in this country.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I drove that route once through AZ, NM, TX, but that was almost 10 years ago and we were in a hurry to make it back east to see my grandfather before he passed away (we unfortunately didn't quite make it). We drove from Tahoe area to Flagstaff, then to Amarillo the next day. Flagstaff is a nice place to stay. Some great scenic areas around there.

[Stadler]

I've done the eastern side of that trip in pieces a number of times, having lived in Atlanta and Charlotte.   I concur on that drive through eastern Tennessee (I've driven I-24 numerous times out of Chattanooga as well).   Where do you plan on heading south to Florida?  Where in Florida are you ending up?

[El Barto]

I've done the eastern side of that trip in pieces a number of times, having lived in Atlanta and Charlotte.   I concur on that drive through eastern Tennessee (I've driven I-24 numerous times out of Chattanooga as well).   Where do you plan on heading south to Florida?  Where in Florida are you ending up?

When I got turned around in Carolina I couldn't figure out how everything was so green. There were times I'd have the river to my right and limestone cliff walls to my left, and the cliff was covered in this emerald green ivy. Turns out that ivy is called English Ivy and it's an invasive species. It's wiping out all of their plant-life. 

On that same misadventure I returned to Chattanooga (more correctly Cleveland), presumably via that 24. I highly recommend the aquarium for anybody who's into such things. It's really one of the best I've ever been in (and I've been in a few). 

[pg1067]

Hey, y'all!  in a few weeks, my wife and daughter and going to road trip with my oldest son to get him back to college (they are leaving a car with him and flying home).  They will be going from CA to FL via I-40 (there are reasons why we choose that route).  We are trying to figure out where they are going to stop and spend the nights, but I don't personally know that route, so it's a bit difficult to figure out exactly where they should stop.  The way they are dividing up the trip, we were thinking they would stop in Williams, AZ (we actually did stay there when we visited Grand Canyon), Amarillo, TX, and Little Rock, AR.  Any tips, advice, etc.?

EDIT:  The specific stops are open to being changed, at least at this stage, since we don't have anything locked in.  We were just looking at reasonable driving distances and what cities/towns that would put them near.  If others have other suggestions, that is fine.

So...Sacto area to Williams in one day?  That's an 11 hour drive (at best), so that might be a bit ambitious.  Depending on which route they take to get to the 40, Kingman, AZ, Vegas, or Barstow might be a better stop.  Williams to Amarillo and Amarillo to Little Rock are both easily doable in a day, but if they don't make it to Williams the first day, then Albuquerque and OKC would probably be better stops.

By way of reference, many years ago, I did a trip from Socal to the Grand Canyon to ABQ, to Denver, to Cheyenne, to Yellowstone and then Boise, and I drove from Boise back home in one day.  I don't recall it seeming like a crazy long drive, but it must've been 14+ hours with a couple stops.  I also did an overnight drive from Socal to ABQ around the same time.  Apparently not a big deal at age 25, but I'd never do either of those now.  A couple years later, my now wife and I moved her out here from Boston.  After a stop at her parents in the Albany, NY area, we did legs of Albany to Dayton, OH (10 1/2 hours), Dayton to OKC (13 hours), OKC to Gallup, NM, and then Gallup to Socal.  The Dayton to OKC leg almost killed us.  We were on the 40 from OKC until Barstow, CA, and it's some of the most boring country I've ever driven through.  Of course, we were on interstates the whole way, and interstates are almost always going to more boring but, obviously, faster, so the big question is whether the priority is getting there as quickly as possible or actually enjoying the drive.

[bosk1]

Mainly, the goal is getting there fairly quickly.  They are leaving early morning on a Tuesday and want to get to Huntsville, AL by Friday evening.  Not much sightseeing involved along the way, other than what can be seen from the highway.  Mainly just looking for places they can stay that are safe and convenient.

After posting that, she actually talked to someone that did the drive fairly recently, but went via 80, then dropping down to KC on 29, and then to 70.  It only adds about an hour to the total drive, should be more scenic, and less hot.  If they keep up a good pace, they may drop in on some friends in the Nashville area.

@Stadler:  The school is in the Tampa area.  After leaving Huntsville, they will drive to Atlanta where he will drop the girls off at the airport to fly home, and then he will do the last part of the drive from Atlanta to Tampa himself.

[pg1067]

If they want to do the 40 route, I might use Kingman as the first stop to better equalize the first two days, but I'm inclined to agree that the 80 route would be more enjoyable (especially the part through Wyoming).

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

If they want to do the 40 route, I might use Kingman as the first stop to better equalize the first two days, but I'm inclined to agree that the 80 route would be more enjoyable (especially the part through Wyoming).

Ugh, I did 80 through Wyoming a few years ago and that highway is a disaster. Might have been the worst maintained highway I've ever driven on (and I've driven 80 over the Sierras plenty of times). I was dodging potholes the size of beach balls (perhaps they've fixed it...). But the scenery is very nice.

[El Barto]

I didn't think Wyoming got particularly scenic until much further North than 80. Moreover, I found the interstates to be pretty ugly. Once you got out onto the state highways it was beautiful, though. That having been said, I never made it East of Casper. Maybe the Southern part gets better as you move West. 

[TAC]

We drove from Jackson Hole back to Denver, and it was literally one of my favorite drives of my life. So beautiful. No idea what route we took.

[romdrums]

Having done I-70 across Kansas and Missouri and then I-80 across Nebraska and Iowa, I don't think there's a way to drive across any of the states between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi and not be bored.  It mostly comes down to what you want to be bored by.  That said, the drive on I-24 from southern Illinois into Chattanooga is really nice, especially the last leg from Nashville to Chattanooga.  I'm making the drive from Indiana to Florida next week to go to my Grandma's funeral, and I'm looking forward to the drive from Louisville to Atlanta.  From Macon, GA to the Gulf coast is pretty boring though.

[bosk1]

Not too worried about boredom.  For most of the drive, they are just looking to make time.  As it sits now, looks like they are going to take 4 days straight through (just stopping to eat and sleep) to get to Nashville, spend the night and early part of the next day with some friends, then to Huntsville, AL for another visit.  Then they will head down to FL.

Thanks for the input.  Although we may not be following much specific advice from this thread, talking it through and seeing what people said was helpful.

[Stadler]

Not too worried about boredom.  For most of the drive, they are just looking to make time.  As it sits now, looks like they are going to take 4 days straight through (just stopping to eat and sleep) to get to Nashville, spend the night and early part of the next day with some friends, then to Huntsville, AL for another visit.  Then they will head down to FL.

Thanks for the input.  Although we may not be following much specific advice from this thread, talking it through and seeing what people said was helpful.

The Space Center is worth it. 

[MinistroRaven]

Check this website bosk1

https://makemydrivefun.com/

[chknptpie]

Check this website bosk1

https://makemydrivefun.com/

I haven't seen that one before, but I have used roadtrippers.com in the past. Similar idea.