I-40 Road Trip

The day I left California for home I decided to squeeze in some head shots and ended up talking with the well-traveled photographer about my imminent journey ahead.

“Yeah, airports are never any fun, but have a safe trip back home,” he offered as we wrapped up.

“Oh, well, thank you, but I drove,” I informed him.

“You DROVE?!”

I was getting used to this reaction, which is understandable because Los Angeles, CA to Conway, AR is quite the trek. However, the reaction which made me question if whether or not I really was sane or not was the next one: “By YOURSELF?!!”

Interstate 40, one of the major east/west highways in America, spans eight states and I drove through seven of them. Driving it by yourself can be rather daunting, but I discovered the journey was rewarding in its own way. For one, having a front seat ticket to the evolving terrain of our beautiful county is like driving through a travel channel episode. But of course, driving it by yourself means that there’s no one to give you a break, so if you want to do any sightseeing you want to do it without adding many hours to your drive.

Here I’ll discuss my journey and excursions, state by state, and maybe you can plan your own road trip one day. All the stops I describe are very close to the Interstate so they’re easy to make without adding too many more minutes to your trip. If you’re not planning an intense road trip, then maybe reading will stir up some fond memories of a road trip past.

California

From Barstow, the city where I-40 ends or begins, depending on which way you look at, to Needles is dry, barren countryside spotted with scrub brush and the occasional gas station. When I drove in, I was passing through this area right at sunset, and it struck me how everything was some shade of orange: orange sun, orange sky, and orange ground. But this flat, crackled landscape is flanked with breathtaking mountains. As someone who knew the Ozarks as mountains, the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range is dramatic and monumental.

Arizona

Leaving Needles, the landscape slowly begins to gradate back to green. The drive through the San Francisco peaks is a beautiful one. Between Kingman and Flagstaff, the scrub brush stretches into tall evergreen trees and periodically, I could get a peek between these trees to see a field of blooming yellow flowers, a contrasting tree line, and a beautiful blue-gray mountain guarding it all. Absolutely stunning. A good pit-stop is Twin Arrows Trading Post just east of Flagstaff. It’s now abandoned but the two signature arrows in the ground are a great backdrop to a road trip photo and then when you turn and look to the west, you have a stunning view of the Flagstaff mountains, so it can be a good place to stretch your legs and snap some photos. As I approached New Mexico (if only it happened that fast) the mountains slowly began to plateau into mesas and the evergreens flanking the road shrink back, once again, into scrub brush.

New Mexico

As the trees diminish in height, the sky in New Mexico blossoms into a vast expanse that certainly makes you feel like our Earth isn’t so big after all. I had the pleasure of watching several thunderstorms brew across this state, which was amazing. New Mexico has plenty of rest stops and Native American trading posts to stop at and stretch your legs. I took a couple of stops myself to photograph the mesas. However, since I was aiming for Amarillo on this leg of the journey, and it was getting on into evening, I didn’t spend too much time in this state. But I was fortunate enough to see a beautiful Albuquerque sunset in my rearview mirror.

Texas

I drove through the western half of the panhandle of Texas at night to awake in Amarillo the next morning. So before I started off in the morning, I made a quick stop at the Cadillac Ranch for some photos and even a quick hooping session (viewable on my Instagram account @katiesunshine14). This is a great spot for a quick sightseeing stop because it is literally just off the Interstate so it’s an easy hop off, hop back on and it’s free! Simply park your car somewhere on the side of the road and walk right up. I gathered it was an audience participation installation based on the empty spray paint bottles littered around.

Then it was off to Braum’s for a quick breakfast on the go. Just as a side note, this is a fast food restaurant that I always visit when there’s one around. Although a chain, it’s run by a family farm located in Tuttle, OK. Restaurants will only open in a certain radius to the dairy farm to ensure freshness so they can be found in eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and Northern Arkansas. Even if I’m not ready for a full meal, I’ll stop for a waffle cone heaping with their heavenly vanilla frozen yogurt. Yum!

Oklahoma

Not long after breakfast, I found myself entering Oklahoma City. I didn’t actually stop this trip, for the sake of time, but I’ve spent time in Oklahoma City before and it’s quite lovely. The Bricktown District has beautiful riverwalk area lined with restaurants that can be great for a meal break and a walk if it’s nice weather. The rest of Oklahoma remains pretty flat right up until the east side. As I approached Arkansas, I began to notice the landscape begin to swell and roll into the Ozark Mountains that I know and love so well. The low trees began to expand into the deciduous trees. The sky shrinks away once again.

Arkansas

The Welcome to Arkansas sign never seemed so welcoming as it was this long trip. Although not the massive mountains of the East Coast, the Ozarks were the undulating hills that lulled me into a feeling of home. Because I feel not many folks know of good places to stop in Arkansas, I’ll spend a little more time recommending some spots. I recommend making a stop at Chateau Aux Arc (pronounced “Ozark”) in Altus if you’re into wine tasting. Altus is the one city in Arkansas that has vineyards and it’s fortunately right on the interstate. Chateau Aux Arc is the closest to I-40 but if you’re up for a longer trip, the entire stretch of Highway 186 is dotted with wineries and vineyards open for tours and tastings.

Next stop I recommend: Little Rock, AR. The downtown Rivermarket area has great spots to walk out some long unused legs for a spell right next to the Arkansas River. The Clinton Presidential Library, within walking distance, always has some interesting and cheap exhibits to see. For any traveling families, the Museum of Discovery is right in this area as well.

I was home for one day before leaving for a festival in Fort Payne, Alabama so I was back on the interstate once again.

Tennessee

Memphis is one of my favorite towns to sight-see. Right across the Mississippi River is the Memphis Pyramid, which is fun to photograph and hosts some excellent sporting events if an overnight stay seems appealing. If you just need a pit-stop for food, I don’t believe you can find bad bar-b-q in the entire city. Beale Street is one of my favorite streets in this entire country. The neon signs at night provide a welcoming glow in a city full of good music, good food, and Southern culture. At night, one can be entertained without even entering a bar as there are numerous street performers painting, dancing, somersaulting, and flipping down the street.

This particular road trip, Memphis was my last stop on I-40, so this is where my road trip effectively ended. Driving it by myself gave me the time to not only enjoy the landscape, but also reflect on what a lucky girl I truly am. So many people told me how brave I was to make the trip by myself, but honestly, it was easy. It was easy because I have such supportive friends, family, and fans and I couldn’t be more grateful. So I would like to end this post with a giant thank you to everyone who makes me the fortunate girl I am.

For more photos of my road trip and ideas of places to stop, visit my Pinterest board here.