Need routing advice Dodge City, KS to Memphis TN

IslandTractor

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I'm starting a Seattle to Boston trip in two weeks via ID, MT, WY, CO and KS with stops after that in Memphis before heading over to the Blue Ridge Parkway and up the east coast. Solo. Will stay in motels.

I have the Seattle to Dodge City part of the route pretty well set and the same is true of the Memphis to Boston leg but I am looking to find the best way to travel from Dodge to Memphis. Trying to avoid superslabs and major urban areas as much as possible. Looking pretty much to transit rather than explore extensively but wouldn't want to miss a good ride or interesting place or good food so long as it's not a big detour.

Any thoughts or experience??

Thanks
 

OldRider

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Take what ever road you want out of Dodge over to Joplin, then South to Springdale and go across Northern Arkansas, then south to Memphis. I've rode 400 several times and it's ok, but really in that part of Kansas, the scenery is all the same b
 

Checkswrecks

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Sorry for moving your thread twice. I fumble-fingered it the first time, putting your area in the Eastern portion of the country. Duh.
 

Blind Squirrel

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If you are just trying to get across the Midwest, I STRONGLY suggest slabing it. I made the mistake of taking a highway from East to West. Two lanes (one going each direction), Howling wind (Kansas is an Indian word that means "people of the south wind") that puts you at a 35 degree tilt on the bike to go straight. You meet oncoming semi trucks every 30 - 45 seconds going the other way. You get slammed by their oncoming air pressure wave which tosses you over 1/2 a lane. It also blocks the howling wind for about a second, then you get hit with the wind as you clear the truck. You look like a drunk sailor weaving down the highway. You feel like you have taken a beating by the time the day is through.
 

OldRider

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Kansas does have it's windy days, but not always. I've made at least ten trips across kansas on two lane roads, mostly 160, 166 & 400 and have never had any problems. I've also ran 60 across Northern OK. too. There are farm and cattle trucks, but I haven't had any problems with them. I've made several runs across on I70 and in my opinion the bumper to bumper 85mph truck traffic there is way more dangerous than the two lanes.
 

RIDEMYST

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I took US64, US60 & US62 this summer (in reverse) and it was pretty good. As already mentioned you will like Arkansas!
Also take a look at the Telemena Hwy as it is short but nice.
I also have POI's on the Blue Ridge Pky.
I'll be glad to send you my GPS routes (GPX or GDP formats) if that's any help, just PM me. -JEP-

Video from Mountain Home Arkansas to Dodge City:
https://youtu.be/NsqRsWstGb8

Route and Trip Photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ridemyst/albums/72157683469190526
 

IslandTractor

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Thanks guys, food for thought.

I guess there is an advantage to divided highways at least across KS and it looks to me (from Google Earth) that Rt 400 is divided. Maybe that was just in the area I checked so I'll do more research. Looking for a balance of speed and less trucking. I'll be traveling on Rt 50 from Colorado so will get an idea of what that's like before I hit Dodge.

I am now thinking of making Joplin my overnight stop then entering Arkansas south of Branson MO on I=65. Looking to ride about 300-350/day so if you guys have other thoughts for an overnight stop about that distance from Dodge let me know.

Rever gave me a route from Dodge that goes Rt50 to the MO border and then over to I=65 down through Branson MO to 49 and other roads heading SE where I'd cross the Mississippi about 80-100 miles south of Memphis and work my way back up north. I'd asked Rever to "avoid highways" but I'm assuming I=65 is not a country road so maybe "you can't get there from here" without a bit of superslab. I don't want to get on to gravel or off road but would prefer simple state highways to interstates.

Any other thoughts on roads or sights heading southeast from MO through Arkansas?
 

mrpincher

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Isn't the TAT just south of you on the Ks. Ok. border? I know it is. I've only been on the western half of that route. The Tenere might make the eastern half an adventure.?? Anyone ?
 

IslandTractor

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The TAT website makes very clear that you cannot ride the TAT West to East. Not clear to me exactly why but they are explicit about the warning. I don't really have the time to venture off road on this trip anyways (unfortunately).
 

Cycledude

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If you don't already have one I suggest stopping at a truck stop and picking up a nice RAND MCNALLY road atlas, they cost a little more than some of the other brands but in my opinion very well worth the extra cost for the extra information they give. The past four days I have traveled 1,700 miles from Wisconsin to Idaho without using even one mile of interstate hwy.
 

IslandTractor

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Cycledude said:
If you don't already have one I suggest stopping at a truck stop and picking up a nice RAND MCNALLY road atlas, they cost a little more than some of the other brands but in my opinion very well worth the extra cost for the extra information they give. The past four days I have traveled 1,700 miles from Wisconsin to Idaho without using even one mile of interstate hwy.
Thanks, which size and edition did you use? I was hoping to do the trip without a big atlas but I'll rethink that. I have an Ipad with Rever and inRoute subscriptions as well as a Garmin. If the Rand McNally was like the old AAA tripticks it would be useful to slide into my tank bag but I'd need to dismount to gain access to a big atlas in a pannier. Might be nice to have at night and at lunchtime though for general planning purposes.
 

Arkyrider

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I would look at getting on Hwy 16 out of Fayetteville, AR and following it all the way to Searcy, AR. Drop down out of Searcy to I40. You would hit I40 about halfway between Little Rock and Memphis. Hwy 16 takes you thru the Ozark Natl Forest and by Greer's Ferry and Heber Springs. From Dodge City Head south to Hwy 412 thru Tulsa and follow to Springdale, AR which is just north of Fayetteville. You could stay on 412 until you come to Marble, AR then head south on Hwy 21 until you Come to Hwy 16.
 

Cycledude

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IslandTractor said:
Thanks, which size and edition did you use? I was hoping to do the trip without a big atlas but I'll rethink that. I have an Ipad with Rever and inRoute subscriptions as well as a Garmin. If the Rand McNally was like the old AAA tripticks it would be useful to slide into my tank bag but I'd need to dismount to gain access to a big atlas in a pannier. Might be nice to have at night and at lunchtime though for general planning purposes.
What I do is buy the truckers atlas and use a scissors to cut out most of the unneeded pages so it packs a little smaller, I prefer the truckers version because it offers a lot of little details that are not in the cheaper general public version.
 

IslandTractor

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Cycledude said:
What I do is buy the truckers atlas and use a scissors to cut out most of the unneeded pages so it packs a little smaller, I prefer the truckers version because it offers a lot of little details that are not in the cheaper general public version.
I've never seen the trucker's edition. What types of extra detail does it have? From the description on Amazon it seems it focuses on truck routes.
 

IslandTractor

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Arkyrider said:
I would look at getting on Hwy 16 out of Fayetteville, AR and following it all the way to Searcy, AR. Drop down out of Searcy to I40. You would hit I40 about halfway between Little Rock and Memphis. Hwy 16 takes you thru the Ozark Natl Forest and by Greer's Ferry and Heber Springs. From Dodge City Head south to Hwy 412 thru Tulsa and follow to Springdale, AR which is just north of Fayetteville. You could stay on 412 until you come to Marble, AR then head south on Hwy 21 until you Come to Hwy 16.
I will definitely get out the map and check out your suggested route. Local knowledge is better than Waze!

Edit: Just checked out that route. Looks good. Is there any reason to take I40 rather than just continuing from Searcy east on 64 directly to Memphis?
 
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