VX Across America! 2006

[Guest]

Shitty because there isn't anything out there. The I-10 is bad, but at least there's places to stop like Dallas and Phoenix. I've been on the 40 East twice, and the I-10 West once. The last time I drove the I-40, I wound up flying back after selling my car.

 

The 40 has Laughlin, Albuquerque, Amarillo, OKC, and Little Rock. I've never been any further than that, and don't have any desire to.

[Guest Vitamin X]

The Memphis route is fine, trust me. Plus, you'd be taking US 49 up through Mississippi. Think of the opportunities to see the locals. Memories, man.

Sounds good, I'll take it into consideration, the problem being that it gets me on a detour of about an extra 4 hours' worth. I'm planning my first leg of the trip to get all the way from Miami to there, Memphis is about 16 hours (1000 miles) away. Baton Rouge's only 12, 13. Have you been there post-Katrina and is it as bad now as it was a year ago? I remember going through there when I came down from Los Angeles in March 2004, and it was fine. Have a restaurant I frequent there every time too, Boutin's. Good alligator steak.

 

Are you taking the turnpike? I've only traversed it once and didn't like it all, though I suppose it's the most convenient route for you.

Yes, have you taken I-95 from Jacksonville down to Miami before? No matter how bad you may think the turnpike may be, I-95 is infinitely worse, especially in the stretch between Daytona and West Palm. It just goes on forever. I would normally complain about the tolls, but I have a SunPass (lots of toll highways here so it was convenient), so it saves me money and time. It'd cost me $20, though. And at least there's nice rest stops with restaurants and the like along the way.

 

That drive from Oklahoma City to Barstow is going to be the boringest drive of your entire life.

Anytime myself and various friends have pondered road trips to California, inevitably we considered the grim possibility that the stretch of I-10 from Texas to California was as soul-crushing and desolate as the stories we'd heard.

As I mentioned before, I've done that stretch of I-10 from Texas to California and vice versa quite a few times already. From Tucson to El Paso is the worst. I hate the state of New Mexico. I-10 there just feels like the road is being pulled out from under you. Remember those old 80's racing games in the Arcade where you're driving on a seemingly infinite road in the desert? That's basically what it's like, except quiet, with nothing around, and it goes on for hours. Shit gets me paranoid about speeding as well, since the fact there's even less people around makes me think I'm being all the more watched.

 

Maybe you've answered this VX, but why not go through Mormon country? (Utah) Seems quicker.

As mentioned, I want to go visit friends in L.A. and Oklahoma, and family in L.A. as well. But even more than that, the route going through Mormon country is snowy/icy, and I'm not used to driving in such weather conditions (I don't even have snow chains), plus it's desolate and there's pretty much nothing along the way that's interesting. At least I get a little interesting vacation this way.

 

Texas is a bit creepy, but I enjoyed Austin and Houston, as they seemed like more normal towns. I loathe Dallas and San Antonio. The people are nice, but as mentioned above, a bit bizarre.

 

The 40 has Laughlin, Albuquerque, Amarillo, OKC, and Little Rock. I've never been any further than that, and don't have any desire to.

My stop after I visit my friend in Norman is in Albuquerque. How was it there?

[Man Who Sold The World 0]

After you make it to Barstow, drive 50 miles into Victorville and stop by to see what Los Angeles looked like in 1991 (well, with tumbleweeds and such)! It's a glorious history lesson.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

The Memphis route is fine, trust me. Plus, you'd be taking US 49 up through Mississippi. Think of the opportunities to see the locals. Memories, man.

Sounds good, I'll take it into consideration, the problem being that it gets me on a detour of about an extra 4 hours' worth. I'm planning my first leg of the trip to get all the way from Miami to there, Memphis is about 16 hours (1000 miles) away. Baton Rouge's only 12, 13. Have you been there post-Katrina and is it as bad now as it was a year ago? I remember going through there when I came down from Los Angeles in March 2004, and it was fine.

 

I haven't been back since the hurricane, but I've talked to people who have. I've heard everything from "Didn't look too bad. LOTS of construction, but most stuff was still intact," to "Looks like that shit happened yesterday." Depends on where you go, I figure. Plus New Orleans smells funny.

 

PS: You don't need snow chains to drive in snow. I've got a V-8 rear wheel drive pickup that spits slush and fishtails like a motherfucker unless I build an igloo in the bed, and I can make it around fine. A front wheel drive car will be able to make it up through Utah or whatever on the interstate just fine.

 

Since you're travelling north through California, take the PCH.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I'll second the hell on earth that is going across Kansas east-west. I pledge to never go that route ever again even if it's the most efficient.

[EricMM 0]

What is so bad about snow? Its not a problem...

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Are you taking the turnpike? I've only traversed it once and didn't like it all, though I suppose it's the most convenient route for you.

Yes, have you taken I-95 from Jacksonville down to Miami before? No matter how bad you may think the turnpike may be, I-95 is infinitely worse, especially in the stretch between Daytona and West Palm. It just goes on forever.

Ha. I haven't, actually—I've only been to Miami once; layovers in Gainesville were involved on the way to and on the way back, so I took 75—but I know how bad 95 gets south of Daytona. I've taken it down a few times to Titusville on my way to Orlando to avoid I-4 rush hour traffic and almost always regretted not manning up and going with I-4, anyway.

 

For those of you unfamiliar with I-95 as it goes through Florida, there are no major cities between Daytona and West Palm's run of 200 miles; all of those are either in central or western Florida. All you get on the eastern half are a few hick and beach towns. The only other thing you get is trees. Miles and miles of trees.

[Guest Felonies!]

I took I-75 into Florida when we went to Orlando. It was like a humid Wisconsin, dairy farms and Confederate flags everywhere.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I was on that I-4 motherfucker during my Florida soiree a couple years ago when I went from Jacksonville down to Ft. Myers. Traffic was fucking insane. Not Atlanta-bad, but bad.

[Guest]

The 40 has Laughlin, Albuquerque, Amarillo, OKC, and Little Rock. I've never been any further than that, and don't have any desire to.

My stop after I visit my friend in Norman is in Albuquerque. How was it there?

My best memory of Albuquerque is pissing in someone's cup at a gas station so that they would pass their drug test. I never did any exploration.

[Guest Vitamin X]

So, I'm in Norman, Oklahoma now. Oklahoma's a funny state, especially since when you cross the Red River into here there's absolutely nothing telling you that you're in a different state, it's just suddenly like, "Hey look, I think I'm in Oklahoma now." when you see the state signs and whatnot.

 

Louisiana was tons of fun actually, staying the night in Baton Rouge. I even went to I guess some popular LSU bar there named The Chimes. They had assorted beers from around the world, and I almost went "around the world" that night (which is to do a tasting of all the beers). The local brew, I think it was called Asabi or Asati, was pretty good. Everything from that point on was pretty horrible (up to shreveport, then west to Dallas. Norman's surprisingly alright though, and I even visited the OU Library last night pretty late.

 

I hear they have a stringent no chewing tobacco policy there.

[Slayer 0]

Say "what's up" to TSM's favorite Oklahoman while you're there

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

The local brew, I think it was called Asabi or Asati, was pretty good.

Abita?

[Guest Vitamin X]

That's what it was. I knew the arrangement of letters I had in mind for it was close enough. The one I tried was the rye ale, it was ridiculously smooth.

 

Went to a strip club in downtown Oklahoma City last night called Night Times. Not my first experience with rednecks, but first one real and upclose with these flannel-adorned, trucker hat wearing, mulleted types up close and personal. OKC has some surprisingly attractive women, but then again this was a strip club. First one I've been to that serves beer (In California, there's no alcohol in strip clubs, and I only went to one quite briefly in Miami that was a ripoff, moreso than most strip clubs).

 

There was a bit of an awkward moment yesterday while at a fast food place here with my friend, and for some reason we got on the topic of Brokeback Mountain where I joked that "yeah, but the whole cowboy thing is pretty gay to begin with." At that point there was sudden silence and my friend looked at me, dipped his fries nervously into ketchup and said, "Uhhhhhh, I'd be careful saying that here..."

[Slayer 0]

"Oh, he's just a Mexican, don't listen to him"