Greetings . . . my heart is in an HDT . . . I just don't have the do-re-mi . . . anyway, I figured you all are the right folks to ask about a preferred route out of the southeast side of Phoenix and on to Cincinnati. I'd prefer not doing the mountains of Flagstaff. However, I do want to hear what sights you would recommend on that particular trip. Actually the time and route could be flexible. Leaving within the next couple of weeks. I don't post much, but I sure do enjoy reading a lot of the HDT posts, how you all help each other, the places you write about, the pictures of those rigs, wow. Maybe someday ? Any thoughts or comments will be appreciated. Be safe and thanks.

randy

Dont let moutians scare ya. Took my last trip to Las Vagas and went over the moutain outside Laughlin kinda scary but no problems. On the way back we stayed in a fog bank that covered mountian. We can laugh now but then it was quite the trip.

Rb:
Your post leaves no indication of what you drive or pull but to me that is not as important as you desires re: Interstate vs. US or lessor highways, wishes to avoid toll roads, etc. For me, usually the US highways are quite OK, perhaps require you to keep your driving skills sharp, especially with a longer rig, and I avoid toll roads if it is not too, too inconvenient to do it. I-17, Flagstaff, I-40 are too simple. The route I describe here I have taken as far east as Kansas City in my HDT and on separate trips in my old full size van with and without a small travel trailer. Some of the local sites you never see when staying on the Interstates, although some may value the gentler grades and wide lanes of them.

To go west from Phoenix I get off I-10 onto US-60 near Tempe and go to Globe, AZ. The mountain grade you go up has some of the most scenic rocky formations you’ll see anywhere. Take US-70 from Globe, go by the San Carlos Apache camp grounds and casino and a few miles on down at the Peridot Post Office is a Bashas’ super market that has a good deli. There is a Walmart back at Claypool and on down 70 near Thatcher where you go thru some beautiful cotton farming land. Going on US-70 to Lordsburg, NM will be a little mountainous near the AZ border into NM. Several miles into NM you’ll go by the Lazy B ranch road turn off to the south (monument there). Read U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s book "Lazy B" to find out about how she grew up there.

There are major truckstops at Lordsburg. I-10 will get you to Las Cruces and I’d take the US-70 turn off to the north, go thru Las Cruces and over the Organ Mountains (scenic), a good grade but not very winding, on down past the White Sands Missile Range, White Sands National Monument (one of the wonders of the world), skirt by Alamagordo and at Tularosa stay north on US-54. Go thru Carrizozo, Carona and Vaughn to I-40 at Santa Rosa, NM. I-40 will get you to Tucumcari, take the US-54 turn off to the north (truck stop), stay on 54 thru Texas, Oklahoma and well into Kansas.

I’ve felt just fine taking the lessor highways from Pratt, KS (KS-61) thru Hutchinson then US-50 thru Newton and stay on it to Emporia where you can get on I-35 to Kansas City and never have to trouble with a toll booth. For a quicker way to I-70 I’ve turned north onto US-283 at Minneola, KS where I picked up US-50 at Dodge City then stayed more northbound on US-56 at Kinsley, KS up past Great Bend to KS-156 which gets you onto I-70 at exit 225 which gets you on into Kansas City, again no tolls.

From Kansas City to Cincinnati the Interstates look like the way to go..

Sorry to get long with some details but nothing compares with these drives to see the US. Happy trails.

Depending on yor personal tastes you MAY want to see the Crater east of Flagg.

quote:

Originally posted by TRUCKTOY:
For a quicker way to I-70 I’ve turned north onto US-283 at Minneola, KS where I picked up US-50 at Dodge City then stayed more northbound on US-56 at Kinsley, KS up past Great Bend to KS-156 which gets you onto I-70 at exit 225 which gets you on into Kansas City, again no tolls.

The OP didn't indicate that toll road avoidance was a priority, but if it's a consideration, there is a slight error in this portion of Trucktoy's post. Fifty-some miles of I-70, from just east of Topeka to I-435 west of Kansas City, is tolled, although it's a nominal amount, which is probably why he forgot about it.

Oops. Thanks Phil D on pointing out my oversight, missing the toll part of I-70 at the east end. I guess one could get off onto US-40 before the toll and get on east to the non-toll continuation of I-70 that way.

See . . this is why I can and have spent hours reading the HDT section of this forum . . it's like family. Thanks for the quick replies and keep bringin em on. This trip is by car and yes we would like to avoid tolls. Now if I could borrow one of those nice HDT's I wouldn't have to worry about those mountains. Anybody need a driver to bring your rig to ya after you fly into a destination ? Hey, you can't blame a guy for tryin. You know what they say . . . the difference between men and boys is just the price of their toys ! Thanks again

rb, not near as pricy as a lot of people think! Good thing to .Have a Great Trip!!!
Maybe Geofkaye could light up a beacon for you to zero in on in CINCI.

....why in the hello would you want to ruin your vacation with a trip to Cincinchitty Ohio anyway.....go somewhere decent and fun with no worries about being in a riot or mugging robbery or getting murdered......only thing that is worse in Washington DC or Deee-troit....geofkaye [and yes I have lived here all my life........]

But geofkaye,I'm from Chicago and I love to come to cinci to get away from all the Pestulance.Besides,I thought with "Procter& God" in town I thought it would be the cleanest city in America!

HeyKaye,
We are in the lovely WashDC area and we aren't dead yet, but I'll let you know if that changes...

Charles

geofkaye,

I'm a fellow "river rat" so it's a return trip. You could probably throw a rock across the river from your place and hit the house where I was raised. If we get within a couple hundred miles of the mill creek, we'll find our way home. It's from Phoenix this way that I know very little about, mapquest is not much of a tour guide. . . . roadfitter, you peaked my curiousity with your "not near as pricy as a lot of people think" comment. I have done several searches on that subject with some "general" ideas of the costs. Even found a comment by ole geofkaye himself from a few years ago and on a different forum I think. Basically something like "put fuel in em and let em do what they were meant to do." Are the big toys content with a couple grand a year (usually)? And . . . any more sights tips ?

thanks again & be safe

rb

Hey rb (and all drivers), a most important discipline to develop in cross country driving, is safely handling your sleep needs. Part of that is timing and a place to do it. With rv setups we have the place, and with a Walmart Rand McNally road atlas and some truck stop directories we can chart out our timing on where to pull in and do some sleeping. But, rb, in a car that can be harder to do good at. I’ve done cross country in cars from nearly empty to packed to the gills, alone and with family.

For me now it is all back to the car or rv but I watch the hours driven and force myself to try for a nap at least. Even though you’re not trying to push it, not forcing the nap can let you get way out there where there is no good place to pull off and you get impossibly sleepy, then you are pushing it. In the car it is worth finding a way to get out of the saddle and onto your stuff to grab a nap, parked or while wife drives (maybe??). Think about it.

I didn’t adequately address the sleep issue till getting back into over the road big rig driving along with the log book and USDOT regulations. One of the stupidest things about that is the way the driving hours thing has gone. Apparently the regulator types have never been to sea and lived the watch cycle thing of 4 hrs on and 4 hrs off. Pushing drivers to 10 or ll hours on and requiring 8 hours in the sleeper just doesn’t match human work-rest metabolism like the seaman’s way does. However, in our personal driving we can time our rest by what works best and not what the DOT requires. Drive safe.

Very well put TRUCKTOY. One should have the time to travel & to rest built into their travels.

I stick to old habits of stopping every 150 miles. This allows me the opportunity to inspect the rig and assess the body.