central NC to Lawton, OK

[byrdr1]

Have any of you traveled this way. ITS all I-40 from central NC to Oklahoma City then I-44 down to Lawton.
Looking at a reasonable time line.
We might have an chance to do this trip this summer but,
What I am expecting is 3 days tops to travel to this area and then retrun back with 2 days return trip..
Leave one Friday come back home the next Sunday.
1250 miles one way give or take..( Follow I-40 W and I-44 to US-281 BUS S/NW 2nd St in Lawton. Take exit 39A from I-44
17 h 39 min (1,219 mi)) Best Guess >$500.00 in fuel cost at 10.5 MPG round trip so that is just one round trip airline ticket..
17 plus hour drive and thats not towing.. JUST checking options.
Round trip airline tickets would be in the $900 range(cheapest tickets) then hotel room and board for the week plus a rental car once we got there..
In my mind I see the camper as a better trip but not sure about
03 7.3psd (245K miles) going that way and back in 5-6 days..
Just asking..
Thanks
randy

[JRTJH]

We travelled I-40 from North Little Rock, through Memphis and east to Nashville this past summer (July 2015). I can tell you that I-40 from Little Rock to Memphis was the worst stretch of interstate highway I have ever travelled. We finally decided to simply get off the interstate in Brinkley and took the backroads (mostly US 70) the rest of the way to Memphis. It may have been a little slower, but at least we didn't destroy the trailer on the potholes that were an integral part of I-40. From Memphis to Nashville was "better" but there was significant construction with delays on that part of the trip.

The roadway may be "improved" this summer, but there were virtually no road crews working in Arkansas, so I'd urge you to verify the condition of I-40, you may want to map out some alternative routes.

[byrdr1]

Thanks.. Funny I-40 is twelve miles from my home and US-70 is about seven..

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[gearhead]

Whatever you do, please post back. We're headed back to Indy in May and have to run I40 from Little Rock to West Memphis. Last year I remember it being bad.
I towed over half of east Texas this week to avoid I-10.

[ncrzrbk]

If I was going from Memphis to west of Little Rock,I would consider taking Hwy 64 out of Marion,Ar to Wynne Ar, to Bald Knob, to Searcy and come out in Conway. Growing up in that area it is much easier to bypass that part of I-40 to LIttle Rock.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[byrdr1]

Thanks for the heads all on the roads and I-40, kinda like I-95 from NC line through SC awful....
Looks like we might take the camper out there for the summer months.
MY youngest (21 YO daughter) has a 10 week internship in the Ft Sill/Lawton, OK area.
My truck is my biggest worry.. that 245K miles on it..
I guess I will take to local diesel shop in the next month or so and see what he says..Tranny and all that too.
thanks again.. I will keep you all posted about the goings on.
randy

[byrdr1]

Well its official now.
We are headed to Lawton, OK on Memorial day weekend.
daughter go the internship and starts work on June 1st for 10 weeks or 400 hours which ever comes first.
We are pulling the 5er out for her to use for these 10 weeks. found a nice home owner camper site that is right next door to a RV park on private property. the property is fenced in and private access. the owner lives on site with 2 other RV spots and his grandparents live there as well.
So we are feeling much better about all this. BUT still nervous with my baby girl being 1250 miles away in my camper. We have researched ever possible way for her to stay out there with out us pulling the camper.
Nothing comes close. Apartments & houses wont rent for 10 weeks hotels are expensive and Business class suites are ridiculous in price. So this was the best case for all of us without dropping large amounts of money on a place to sleep and chill when she is not working.
We plan 3 day trip out and then mama and me spend some time checking out he area. Then we will head home with plans for a 2 day trip back.
Then we will go back out in 10 weeks pick her up and the camper up and figure a 5 day go out, return and burn trip back home.
I am looking forward to it, I will just will miss my camper for 10 weeks and maybe not A summer get out of the heat trip to the mountains of VA/NC.
BUT will get to see the middle of the USA from the highway at 60/65 MPH.

randy

[byrdr1]

Late I know:
Oklahoma trip report 1:
I got back from Oklahoma Friday night 6-3. I left work on Friday 5-27 at 3:30 heading towards Lawton, OK. We drove I-40W, US52N up to MT Airy, NC then caught I-73 over to I-77N then grabbed I-81S at Wytheville back to I-40 around/ just before Sevierville, TN. Exits. My thoughts of bypassing the I-40 gorge past Ashville. So this was my chosen route. We made it on up I-77 and Fancy Gap Mountain on I-77. The truck pulled this hill fine with the camper attached. Got to Bristol, TN with thoughts of staying the night here but was feeling good driving so we drove all the way to Sevierville, TN and found a campsite for the night (NOW remember this is Memorial Day weekend) took me 3 campgrounds before finding a site and got set up just before dark. We then went and ate supper at like 8:30/9pm. Had a great site, pull through and full hookups and only $30 for the night cash. 303 miles of my trip under my driving belt.
Got up and on the road around 9:30 am, We (I) drove all day and called around looking for a place to stay the night. By the time we found a spot to stay the night I had been driving all day, I mean all day. We ended up in Sallisaw, OK at the KOA there. In case you wonder… that’s like 726 miles and almost 12 hours of drive time with stops for lunch in Jackson, TN, fuel stops along the way, We stopped and ate Supper(chips, cookies, junk food) at a Walmart and purchased diesel in Clarksville, AR. Should have stopped here for the night. First Walmart I have seen with a truck parking (15-20 spots) around/near the fuel pumps. BUT we had a place to stay with limited hookups? Not too far I hope. Wrong another 80plus miles but I did it.
So we arrive at this KOA with plans to hook up and go to sleep. BUT I have found a new meaning of limited hookups. (I.E. TENT SITE in the owners of the KOA front yard) Luckily I had brought my Champion 4000 generator with me, got leveled and un-hooked with the power turned on, AC running and away to sleep we went around 12 midnight. Woke up at 6:30 to no generator sound, It had run out of fuel during the night and we were never aware of it.
BUT it was all good, I slept well and we used the showers and toilets as good as a $30.00 tent site would allow. After showering we got the truck hooked back up and turned around in the front yard and used my daughter’s car to get breakfast at local dinner. Its now Sunday morning and we are not that far from our final destination (we are 239 miles away from Lawton, OK) and we are a day ahead of schedule as far as routing and driving due to my hard-headedness about driving. I will confess I had made plans and bought a seat cushion that was not too cheap to ride on while driving. IT worked for my back, hind end and everything else. I was tired but not worn out. I was excited to be going out west.
The rest of Sunday was getting to Lawton, OK and getting the camper set up (Sunday afternoon) on the rented RV lot. We spent the rest of day checking out all the sites around Lawton, OK which are pretty neat. We used Monday as a tourist day. Tuesday was a mama and me day riding around checking out the town of Lawton (3 Walmart’s) and the surrounding area. My daughter had to report to work that a.m.
Wednesday morning my daughter left for work while mama and I left for home with no camper on this return trip. We drove to Jackson, TN that day and ate along the way at fuel stops. We stopped in Memphis, TN at the biggest Bass Pro Shop & Pyramid we had ever seen and then spent some time on Beale Street (home of Blues). We then made our way to Jackson, TN and stayed for maybe the first time in 12 plus years at a hotel, we have always had our camper, so this was different for us. BUT it was nice and we had driven 633 miles this day. We got up the next morning (Thursday) to the very nice breakfast (not a simple thing, but real eggs, sausage, muffins, etc.). So we got ready and rode back to Sevierville, TN (328 miles) as this was a stop where my wife wanted to spend some time (Shopping, just chilling). We had a great day as we got there around 3pm, checked into another hotel room and chilled, spent some time around Pigeon Forge area (checked out 3-4 campgrounds) and got back to the room and spent some time in the pool and hot tub. Slept like a baby that night. We got up Friday morning with plans to stay another night but mama said: “let’s do Gatlinburg, TN, and head home later in the day”. So again we had a full breakfast at this hotel, we got checked out around 10am and headed to Gatlinburg, TN for the day. We shopped, walked, held hands while doing the touristy things again. We left Gatlinburg, TN and decided to go by Anchors Down RV resort on our way back to I-40E because we have read so much about it. All I can say it lives up to its billing and a very nice campground. One thing is its FULL SUN no shade anywhere and it you have a boat Douglas Lake looks very nice. IT is all it says it is (JMHO). So we jumped back on the highway I-40E for our trip home. our home was another 291 miles away. We left Lawton, OK on Wednesday around 9am and we made it into my driveway at 9:05pm on Friday night.
We had left the previous Friday at 3:30pm from work and drove all the way to Lawton, OK and returned home covered 2802 total miles with 1242 from home to Lawton, OK one way and back with the extra miles running around here and there in a 8 day period. I drove like a trucker and I wasn’t tired at all. Worn out yes, but had two days to recover, spent Saturday am mowing and doing yard work. Then we had a nice supper Saturday evening and a great worship service on Sunday and Sunday dinner with family. I will do this round trip again towards the first week in August. With less time to take off from work only 3 weekdays and 2 weekend days. So this will be a go out, turn around and burn the roads to get back home with NO recovery time to go back to work. Lucky I have a great boss and he is very understanding that these two trips have fallen on month end close weekends. Logistics’ paperwork is due each close out weekend. I was able to get it done before month end deadlines this JUNE for May and I will have more time in August to get it done for July’s close out.
I do have a fuel mileage reports too. JUST a heads while up towing I averaged 10.15 MPG, Not towing averaged 17.87MPG, with one tank of diesel fuel getting 18.8MPG. Average speed towing was 65-66 MPH, not towing was always 5 over posted speed limit (so around 75MPH) pushed 81MPH once (GPS said so).
I want to thank all you who have answered my questions about roads and routes. NOW that I have driven them I am better prepared for this return trip.

randy

[byrdr1]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Whatever you do, please post back. We're headed back to Indy in May and have to run I40 from Little Rock to West Memphis. Last year I remember it being bad.
I towed over half of east Texas this week to avoid I-10.

I-40 was under construction at various points all along this route. Just inside Arkansas line from Memphis, around Knoxville, Oklahoma City and in & around every state really had some type of construction. Lucky going out with camper in tow most had stopped working on the roads due to the holiday weekend. BUT coming back without camper busy busy.
thanks again for the heads up,
randy

[Tbos]

Great travel log. Hope your return trip goes well.