nefarious plans, or, dear lazyweb:

[zwol]

In August I am driving to Georgia with queenpam. We're taking I-40 most of the way. We've got plans for Arizona, but does anyone know fun things to do in New Mexico, north Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Tennessee which do not involve diverging very much from the interstate? "Not very much" should be read as "adds no more than an hour total to the drive", and examples of things I'd like to hear about are: spectacular scenery; bizarre roadside attractions; really good yet cheap restaurants; Fortean phenomena; waterslides.
 

Comments

[lutin.livejournal.com]

try travel_advisory?

[zwol.livejournal.com]

oo! thanks.

[emmett-the-sane.livejournal.com]

Don't recall how far off the interstate these are...

Canyon deChelley: imagine a canyon with verdant green in the middle of the desert, ancient cliff dwellings on the walls. The wise men say that their people will live in the canyon again in the future, after the fall of the west. If you've any interest in Navajo history, this is worth the drive and the walk.

Sky City: Not far off the 40 at all, as I recall, towards Albuquerque. One of the oldest continuously-lived-in sites in America, this is basically a really tall mesa (big rock with a flat top) where people built homes. Some still live there, and will sell you handmade crafts and fry bread (be sure to bring a drink, though). Ignore the casino and gunk on the website:
http://www.skycity.com

[zwol.livejournal.com]

Both of those things look neat, but unfortunately they're both on the Flagstaff-to-Albuquerque leg of the trip, and we already planned to hit the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest on that leg, so we may not want to add stuff.

Do you know anything about this Petroglyph National Monument just outside Albuquerque? It looks like we could do that on the way out of town without too much backtracking.

[emmett-the-sane.livejournal.com]

I sadly didn't make it there on my one trip. Petrified Forest is nifty, though. Be sure to give yourself extra time for it, and bring lots of water.

[madmanatw.livejournal.com]

I can probably at the least find you some good restaurants in Nashville, which 40 passes through.

[madmanatw.livejournal.com]

Actually, when in August are you doing this? It would amuse the bejeezus out of me if it's while I'm in Nashville- I'd insist on meeting up for lunch. Unlikely, though.

[zwol.livejournal.com]

August 12 plus or minus two days. We haven't nailed down exactly when we're leaving or how long we're spending on each segment. We gotta get to Atlanta by the 15th, though.

queenpam has relatives in Nashville, so I don't think we need restaurant recommendations for there; now if you know anything about Memphis...

[madmanatw.livejournal.com]

Nope, my TN knowledge and sources are very Nashville-centric. I'll be there Aug 3-7ish, so we'll miss each other in any case.

[zwol.livejournal.com]

Oh well. It would have been amusing.

Might be I'll actually make NYEP this year, though, since I'm now going to have an additional reason to visit the old South.