Cross-country question through OK

We will be driving cross-country, leaving from PA and hopefully going all the way to Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN) on the first day and staying 2 nights. Then we are going to make 2 single night stops between TN and Santa Fe, NM and then ending up in Arizona. My idea was stopping a night in Memphis (go on a riverboat cruise?) and then another night somewhere in OK, then onto Santa Fe. I would prefer to keep it simple, avoiding the city so I thought Woolaroc may work. However, that leaves a really long stretch to follow. Can anyone help me with a few suggestions of stops that may be nice for an evening, walking around, safe with something to see that doesn%26#39;t close at 5?

Thanks so much.

Cross-country question through OK

Sounds like a fun, but busy trip! Woolaroc is nice,but it is quite a ways off your route from Memphis to Santa Fe. It is about 75 miles north from Henrietta, Ok. I presume you would be using I-40 for most of your trip from Memphis to Santa Fe.

You might like stopping over in Clinton, Ok. It is about 90 miles west of OK City and they have a Route 66 museum there. If you google Clinton Ok. you can get the details. It looks like this town has quite a bit to offer for a small town, being a college town helps. The town is also just about halfway between Memphis and Santa Fe, so it will break up your drives nicely.

When you get ready to go north from I-40 to Santa Fe, take exit #230 (state hwy 3) and go through the village of Villnueva, it is a scenic drive on a quiet road. We took this route many years ago and had a black bear cub run across the road; some of the villages you go through seem more like old Mexico than being in the U.S.

Maybe on the return trip you could visit Woolaroc, which was Frank Phillips (founder of Phillips Petroleum) country home. His brother Waite Phillips had a large ranch out in Cimarron, New Mexico called Philmont Ranch. It is now a large Boy Scouts of America ranch and is in one of the most scenic areas of New Mexico. While in the area, if you want to get a good hike in, you could go to Kenton, Ok. near Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma. There is a geocache up on top if you do that. It is about a 3/4 mile hike to the top from the parking area.

Have fun!

Cross-country question through OK

I need to correct an error, the trail to the top of Black Mesa is 4.2 miles long. There is a shorter 1 mile trail called Black Mesa Vista trail and another easier 1 mile trail, the Black Mesa Bird Haven trail.

http://www.travelok.com/trails/hiking.asp

Thanks so much for your input. I had noticed both Clinton and Elk since each has a Rt 66 museum. The purpose of this drive is to take my son to college, and I will be flying home. I-40 and old Rt. 66 are the same sometimes, right? After Santa Fe we are going to Holbrook Az for a night at Wigwam Motel. I know we will be doing a lot of driving, but I think it will be a great trip. Any more tips?

The old Rt66 doesn%26#39;t join up with I-40 until OKC. The path generally follows I-44 from Chicago to OKC and then it follows I-40 to L.A. Here in N.E. Oklahoma, there are still places you can drive on some of the original narrow concrete of the old road.

Keep an eye out for ';Cadillac Ranch'; just west of Amarillo, Tx. It is where a bunch of old Cadillacs are half buried alongside the south side of the highway, kind of different! If you come back from Santa Fe through Albuquerque, the drive up to Sandia peak is nice. The last time we did it, we went up from the east and came down on the west side, a narrow dirt road that is well maintained. A bunch of radio and tv towers are at the top, called the ';steel forest'; and of course there is a wonderful view of the city and points west, along with a restaurant and gift shop. Skiing is available in season too, but is from a different peak. If time permits a leisurly drive from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, I recommend the ';Silver Trail'; which is Hwy 14 off of I-25 just south of Santa Fe. It will take you to the east side entrance to Sandia Peak (hwy 536)or if you decide to not do the mountain, you may contiunue to I-40 and come in on the east side of Albuquerque. Hwy 165 is the road you take off the mountain to come down the west side and end up on I-25 a little north of Albuquerque, a very scenic and twisting drive! Going west to Holbrook , I don%26#39;t recall much to see other than typical western scenery, with the exception of the Petrified Forest. The area south of Holbrook becomes quite scenic, as you get into some mountains again around Snowflake and Show Low.

To find unique places along the route you might check out

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

They have some real interesting and unique stuff to see there.

Have a good trip!

I would suggest that you might get off I-40 at either Henrietta and pay a visit to Woolaroc and Bartlesville, OK, or continue on to Hwy 183, about an hour west of OKC (and stay at Roman Nose State Park, near Watonga), then head north until you connect with Hwy 64 West. In Bartlesville, you can stay at the Hotel Phillips (very nice and reasonable) or the Inn at the Price Tower, which is a pricier boutique hotel situated in the Price Tower, which is the only skyscraper ever built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Whichever route you choose, you can then follow the highways westward from Bartlesville, or north and then west from Watonga, through the OK panhandle, stopping at Black Mesa, then heading on through Clayton, NM, and westward to Raton, NM. You might enjoy the drive up the Capulin Volcano between Clayton and Raton. From Raton, it%26#39;s an easy drive to Santa Fe.

Along the way, you will see much more countryside and scenery than you will see from I-40. The drive will be slower and a bit out of your way, but in my view, well worth the investment of time. In the Watonga, OK area, there are the Gypsum Hills. At Roman Nose State Park, with a little hike, you can see some of the most spectacular views (that few people know about) in the state. Atop the buttes that form the Gypsum Hills, you can see for many miles on a clear day. North and west from there, are Little Sahara and Alabaster Caverns State Parks. In Bartlesville there are the Price Tower Arts Center, Frank Phillips Mansion, and Woolaroc (20 miles from town). Tulsa (between Henrietta and Bartlesville) also has two very good museums - Philbrook and Gilcrease. Between Black Mesa and Raton, there is the Capulin Volcano, and you will likely see lots of pronghorn antelope. Between Raton and Santa Fe, if you have the chance, stop and have a meal at Estella%26#39;s Cafe in Las Vegas, NM. Best and most authentic Northern New Mexican food you can get, without eating in someone%26#39;s home.

Sorry, but I made a reference to Hwy 183 in my earlier post, and it should have been Hwy 281. Don%26#39;t know where that came from.

You will be trying to cover a lot of ground and, while I have enjoyed visits to both Woolaroc and Black Mesa, I don%26#39;t think either is worth the time it would add. Also, if you%26#39;re taking your son to college, which suggests to me that you will be traveling in August, keep in mind that Oklahoma will be hot, hot, and hot.

So here%26#39;s my suggestions. About 50 miles after entering Oklahoma, take the Muskogee Turnpike (toll road). Stop in Muskogee to visit the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, and then continue to Tulsa where you can visit the Gilcrease Museum and stroll the shops of the Riverside neighborhood or Utica Square, both near the museum. Several sections of old route 66 are still around in Tulsa.

After visiting Tulsa, head to Oklahoma City for the night. Instead of following I-44, take OK66 which parallels it, thus following the old highway. Spend the night in downtown Oklahoma City (a very manageable sized city) visiting the bombing memorial, the art museum (open evenings on Thursdy and Friday) and the Bricktown area.

Clinton, by the way, is not a college town; that would be Weatherford.

Your idea sounds interesting. My hesitation is the time factor. I only have three days to travel from Memphis to Santa Fe and would like to arrive in SF by late afternoon. So, I%26#39;m concerned about making that day longer (OKC to SF is an hour longer than Clinton to SF). But perhaps I could do some of what you suggested, stopping at the Five Tribes Museum, then proceeding past OKC for the overnight. What do you think of that? And do you have town suggestions if that is a good plan? I only thought of Clinton because of the Rt. 66 Museum. Thanks for you help!

You will find almost nothing between Oklahoma City and Amarillo. The only towns of any size are Clinton, Weatherford (which is a college town), and Elk City. You%26#39;ll be paralleling route 66, so you%26#39;ll see a few sights, but it%26#39;s mostly dry, flat land devoted to cattle, oil, and wind farms.

Keep in mind as you plan that speed limits are 70 in Oklahoma and Texas (75 on toll roads) but few drive that slowly. Once you hit New Mexico, speed limits are 75. If you set your cruise at 5 mph over those limits, you%26#39;ll be just about right.

Only you can accurately judge the trade-offs between time and quality, but whichever route you choose, I would stay off I-40 between OKC and Albuquerque as much as possible. It must surely be one of the most boring stretches of highway on the planet.