Cancelled my flight

I usually fly to AZ each month to visit my girlfriend, but this time I'm going to break in the new runner and let her eat some 1500 miles each way. With current fuel prices it's probably not the best time to make that trip, but taking $5/gal into consideration, it's actually cheaper to drive than fly and pay for parking at the airport. The silver lining, besides seeing and spending a month with her, is that I get to pick up two motorcycles and bring them back home with me!

I'm probably going to leave real early on Friday and take the I40 west for 1500 miles. Hopefully, there are no major storms predicted! Are there any sites I should see near the I40 worth looking at? I'll be going through TN, AR, OK, TX, NM, and obviously AZ.

 

Don't know much about the eastern part of your trip but once you cross into AZ on the I40 there are quite a few interesting things. The I40 cuts through the Petrified Forest Park near Holbrook and it's worth checking out. There's Walnut Canyon just east of Flagstaff with the cliff dweller ruins. There's a bunch of neat areas south of Flagstaff if you're heading toward Phoenix like Montezuma's Castle and Oak Creek Canyon.

 

Wherever possible, I always drive instead of flying. Love stopping by these mom and pop restaurants in the middle of nowhere, stoping for a pic here and there and driving at my own pace. Yea, it’s longer than flying, but I love seeing new places.
Example: our last trip from Florida, we stopped in Punxsutawney to see the groundhog place (we love the movie Groundhog Day)

cheers !

 

Me too. I hate flying. Finally get to check out the Custer Battlefield on my drive with the ORP to SD and probably Mt Rushmore.

 

are you driving straight through?

we did the trip from Austin to Las Vegas not too long ago. Gas prices shot close to 5 bucks or more in Nevada and I was lucky to get 14mpg

 

I love flying as I used to fly fixed and rotary wing, but I love every chance to get back into the air even if I'm a passenger on a bus in the sky!

 

Not sure yet, I'll probably grab a cheap hotel in OKC or Armadillo and drive the rest the next day. When I made the trip out East a few years ago I spent 2 weeks doing it. Stopping at multiple cities and resorts to snowboard and do some sightseeing.

 

Driving north from Albuquerque there is a back road by a beautiful river that’s a nice drive.

 

Right on. I’ve hit all the states you listed in the last 2 months. Can’t say I have anything worth recommending lol. Nothing is really easily accessible or doesn’t add hours on

 

It's a Punjabi affair in amarillo, fantastic Indian food if you're into that.

 

Love Indian food and not that basic chicken tikki marsala haha

 

Yeah I've looked around on the maps and such and there's a couple of things maybe worth looking at, but it'll add a few hours and I'm not sure it'll be worth it

 

tons of great brewery’s all along the way if you’re into beer!

 

I love beer, but I absolutely do not drink and drive

 

If you will be traveling through Flagstaff AZ be sure to stop at the historic downtown area at the Beaver Street Brewery and the Lumberyard Taproom. Great food and great beers.

 

When I get a chance, I will calculate how many gallons of fuel and the price along the way out west. Then I will do the same heading back east, although it'll be with an open 5.5'x10' ramp trailer with the two motorcycles. I'm really looking forward to the difference in numbers between the two trips. Let's just hope the inflation doesn't get significantly worse in 3 weeks.

 

We will be making our annual trip to Pennsylvania middle of September. We have a cottage there right on the Loyalsock Creek. We will spend a month and half there and then return to NM. We always drive because we take the birds and the dogs with us. I pull a 5x8 enclosed trailer all set up for the birds and all our gear. We go a different route every year and usually takes about 5 days to get there cuz we don’t drive at night. This will be the first trip with the 4Runner.

 

My wife & I love beer but if your driving don’t drink & if your drinking don’t drive. We lost her brother in an alcohol related car accident & we won’t drive when partying now. Thank you!!

 

Just did this trip at the end of April and came back at the beginning of May. Coming from North Carolina to Mesa, AZ. I got there is less than 40 hours. Mostly gas and go and since I have 4 young kiddos it was lots of potty breaks and we slept for 5 hours in a hotel on the way there. It took a little longer on the way back (losing daylight, time going against you, one kids got sick bad). Took 44 hours as we slept for 8 hours in a hotel. Needless to say I am not looking forward to a road trip again anytime soon. We didn’t stop much (except to eat). A good mom and pop bbq joint was:
Smoke ring bbq in Checotah, Oklahoma. Right off of I-40.

Also there was a nice rest stop in Gray County, TX. Just off the I-40 with a nice desert view and there was a little history surrounding the building. It was called Gray County Safety Rest Area. Other than that, there are some history spots in Arizona as already mentioned. Lived there for 15+ years so nothing new to me.

Have a safe trip.

 

Your gas bill going to cost more than the flight probably, but it will be an amazing drive.

In AZ, expect gas prices more in the 5.30 to 6.00 range.

 

Southwestern NM gas price in my little town is 4.95. The price is a little cheaper along I-10. My town is about 45 miles north of I-10

 

As much as I enjoy living in Arizona, the trip across I-40 is really not that wonderful especially from way far east. I did I-40 from Albuquerque to North Carolina and back a couple of years ago and it was almost as bad as I-70 across Nebraska!
If you have time, there are a lot of great places to visit but you have to leave that Super Slab to smell the roses.
Have a good trip.

 

I40 had the Cadillac ranch outside of Amarillo. Clines Corners in NM. Not huge must do places, but will give some leg stretching time.

 

Their is a large casino after you pass through Albuquerque..I don't recall how far though. Great place to take a break, fuel up, and win enough to pay for your trip.

 

20 miles west of Albuquerque.

https://www.rt66casino.com/

 

Gas price in Southwestern, NM are running around $3.54 a gallon. Along I-10 it’s about .25 cheaper. My town (Silver City) is about 45 miles north of I-10 and about 225 miles south of I-40 and Albuquerque. Let me know if you get down my way.

 

We will be leaving Pennsylvania on Thursday heading home to NM. We will go to DC for a couple day visit with our daughter, then stopping in Lexington, Ky, Kansas City, Mo and then a 2 night stop in Hays, Kansas for a short pheasant hunt. Then Albuquerque before finally getting home near Silver City, NM. We are pulling our 5x8 cargo trailer, so, burning some gas along the way.