Across Country Drive | take 2

So somehow my original post was deleted. Lame!!! But we will try this again. Officially a week until I am on the road and with the decision of which route, when to leave, who drives what is basically all on me. ok not really the who drives what but you know what I mean. There were 2 route options so with only one including my favorite city . I-40 straight thru was the winner.

California | Arizona | New Mexico | Texas | Oklahoma | Arkansas | Tennessee | 

North Carolina

Since the days are getting closer researching routes and time frame is pretty important. [ I'm not one who would want to end up in NOLA randomly lol ] Knowing when my apartment is ready was my deadline. I'm not financially capable of doing a week long road trip. As great as that sounds working until the very last minute was my goal. With that being said I'm 2 shifts away from leaving my job after 4.5 years. I think I'm done babbling for now... I figure two days will be plenty of time to drive. Especially knowing both of my parents will be helping me. 

With looking up which way to take and when ...yada yada yada, Google Maps was my go to on exact directions. Lucky for me its not very hard when it is only 1 hwy. I have been on road trips with my "sister in law" numerous times and we have concluded the love/hate relationship with the 40. I have been on it enough to know when it's time for me to pull over. Oklahoma and I are not friends. But Texas is.

Pros of Hwy 40: lots of signs for rest stops // welcome areas // gas // food // restroom , fast route , somewhat empty

Cons of Hwy 40: certain states are speed traps , pitch black in one state at night {no lights} , 2 lanes only {sharing hwy with semis} 

Last time I drove the I-40, I was coming back from Missouri [Ft. Lost in the Woods/Leonard Wood] to be exact and I remember stopping at the most twice in each state. That included snack stop + potty breaks for the dogs & humans. That was about a day and half trip so I know with 3 people driving it will not take longer than 2 days. The only detour in my plan is Nashville & Gatlinburg Tennessee. Excuse the fact I'm obsessed with Nashville, But Jacks BBQ is a must whenever in Nashville. The thought of smoked meat, homemade style mac&cheese, baked beans makes me gain the weight. Be prepared on my instagram: @delene_andrea for the #foodporn obsession when I get there. 

Gatlinburg is my next detour because I love some flavored LEGAL moonshine. And in the middle of the smokey's is where Ole' Smokey Moonshine is made...bonus. For a about 2 hours I will be a tourist sampling different ones and buying probably everything in the gift shop. 

 [insert DRINK UP here]

  

I know my family is really worried about weather and gas. So thanks to Google, roadtrippers.com & intellicast.com are my go to during the trip. Roadtrippers gives an estimate on how much gas and places to stop {waffle house & crackel barrel is a must}. Intellicast will be checked daily to give me the weather forecast on the hwy. It's a great website because It just gives the cities on the highway, no other random infomation. I will probably look up if they are apps just to make life easier for all of us. 

Is there any other apps, websites, or stops I should know about? 

happy thursday y'all