Some Aussie friends used to say it was relatively common to travel 2/300 miles to a party/dinner... I expect that the US is similar judging by the vastness of it.?
When I did my Saddle Sore 1000 (1000 miles in 24 hours or less), I rode from Phoenix, through Las Vegas and on to Denver. If I had taken the direct route from Phoenix to Denver, I would not have surpassed the 1000 mile mark. I have also done several cross country drives (Phoenix to San Jose area, 12 hours, Phoenix to Dallas, 2 days) with my longest run being Las Vegas to Orlando a couple of years ago. I had 2 weeks worth fo work in Florida and needed all of my equipment for at least one of the jobs. So it made sense to drive there. Took me 3 days driving there (stopped 3 nights), and only 2.5 driving back (I only stopped 2 nights). I also had to drive to Miami (another 4 hours from Orlando) for a portion of the trip before heading back to Orlando for the 3rd job, and then on home afterwards.
To help with the size of the US, take a look at the Iron Butt rides that can be done. I was going to attempt the CC50 (Coast to Coast in 50 hours or less) when I still had my ST. It's typically run between San Diego, CA and Jacksonville, FL. I was never able to make it work with my schedule though...
And one last bit about Texas...El Paso, the western most city in Texas is closer to Phoenix AZ (2 states away) than it is to Dallas TX. Granted the difference is less than 100 miles, but having done that drive a few times, its amazing just how much of Texas there is...