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Trip From Sj,ca To Arkansas


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I'm planning a trip from San Jose, CA to Arkansas. I'd love to be able to leisurely take this trip via two lane roads instead of the interstates if at all possible. I don't have to visit tourist places unless something strikes me such as antiques. I'd like to be able to know where to stop for a hotel or motel before it gets dark so that I can possibly reserve a room ahead of time to avoid no vacancy. Once I get to Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas, I'm in familiar territory but up till then, need some some. The trip doesn't have to be a straight shot as long as it gets me there and it is via the two lane roads and/or less traveled roads etc. Would appreciate any advise.

IW :)

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Greetings,

 

It looks like you are new to the American Road Forum. Welcome!

 

There are a few different routes (well, more than a few) that you could take. Here are some ideas:

 

1) Route 66 from Santa Monica to Oklahoma - If you take this route I think you'll have LOTS of recommendations from Forum members. To get things started, I can say the WigWam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona is a blast. Or, if you want to stay in an historic hotel you'll love the La Posada in Winslow, Arizona. The food at the restaurant in the hotel is amazing. There are so many wonderful people to meet and awesome roadside attractions to see.

 

2) US 80 - (here's a link to a cool old map showing the early highway routing (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/us80map1.cfm). Parts of US 80 are also know as the Old Spanish Trail. Our authors of the Old Spanish Trail department in American Road magazine may know some hotels/motels where you might stay. One of our authors recently stayed at the Butterfield Stage Motel in Deming, New Mexico. An excerpt from the article in American Road may be found at: http://americanroadmagazine.com/memory_mot...mory_motel.html. (You'll find other articles about classic motels that have been featured in American Road magazine on this page as well).

 

3) US 50 - Lots of fun. A stunning mountain drive up to Tahoe (stop at Strawberry Lodge), then down again to Reno. Some great small towns to drive through and see. There's a detailed article in Volume 2 #3 of American Road about US 50 through Nevada. There are some great overnight stays, the Hotel Nevada in Ely, there are a number of casinos/hotels in Wendover (and you can see the big neon sign "Wendover Will." One of the best breakfasts that I ever had was at the Old Middlegate Station (they have cabins there, too - but, they were all full . . . instead we 'camped' in our van).

 

Colorado Hwy 50 travels along the river for a good stretch and is beautiful. Again, there are a wealth of things to do and see. I could go on, but, if any of these routes sounds interesting let us know and I'm betting you'll get lots of great recommendations from Forum members.

 

:)

 

 

 

 

 

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3) US 50 - Lots of fun. A stunning mountain drive up to Tahoe (stop at Strawberry Lodge), then down again to Reno. Some great small towns to drive through and see. There's a detailed article in Volume 2 #3 of American Road about US 50 through Nevada. There are some great overnight stays, the Hotel Nevada in Ely, there are a number of casinos/hotels in Wendover (and you can see the big neon sign "Wendover Will." One of the best breakfasts that I ever had was at the Old Middlegate Station (they have cabins there, too - but, they were all full . . . instead we 'camped' in our van).

 

 

:)

 

And you've got the original unpaved route of the Lincoln Highway\Pony Express Trail from just North of Ely through the Utah Desert.

 

Roadhound

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  • 4 weeks later...
I'm planning a trip from San Jose, CA to Arkansas. I'd love to be able to leisurely take this trip via two lane roads instead of the interstates if at all possible. I don't have to visit tourist places unless something strikes me such as antiques. I'd like to be able to know where to stop for a hotel or motel before it gets dark so that I can possibly reserve a room ahead of time to avoid no vacancy. Once I get to Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas, I'm in familiar territory but up till then, need some some. The trip doesn't have to be a straight shot as long as it gets me there and it is via the two lane roads and/or less traveled roads etc. Would appreciate any advise.

IW :)

 

 

Just checking in - how are you doing on your trip planning?

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