Looking for suggestions: I-40 NC to CA

I was reading this thread tonight and it caused me to get out a map. It looks to me like Creepyjap is going to gain 75 lbs in the first 750 miles of his drive. And, given the above responses, he is going to starve to death between Ft Smith, AR and Barstow, CA. What's to eat in that Great Heartland of ours? OklahomaAmarilloGallupNewmexicodon'tforgetFlagstaffKingmanSanBernadino? I have never taken that route. So I don't know. Driven I-20 a couple of times and taken the train 3 or 4 (great trip, highly reccomended in the "Great Train Trip" world. Or is it that there just isn't that much out there?

I would put a big smile and a wink on this, because it is a joke, but no one has helped me out with my non working emoticon question;)

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

RE- BARSTOW, CA. I don't believe anyone but the military units assigned to train at Fort Irwin or the Marine depots in Daggett or Yermo....or even 29 Palms would ever consider ending a journey in Barstow!!!
ED, Don't let the Anti-SoCal folks get to you...Just call the city by the Bay "Frisco" like all the world did before the Yuppies took over our language and started insisting they were 'above all that'...must be the fog affecting the brain or something !

Really---BARSTOW???!!!---but about "Frisco"---i remember being blasted for calling-"the City"-Frisco LONG before the first yuppie bought a Volvo--like 1968--all my Bay Area native friends hated the name "Frisco'--at the time i remeber feeling that was pretty uppitty for a town that served a corned beef sandwich on white with mayo, lettuce and tomato!!

If you are by Oklahoma City at mealtime and in the mood for great steak, go a little south of I-40 to the stockyards and grab a "blue ribbon" at Cattlemen's Cafe. For pizza, check out one of the "Hideaway" locations around OKC (just off 63rd on Western), Edmond or Norman. For burgers, try the "Charcoal Oven" or "Johnny's" on Northwest Expressway. For chicken & dumplins, meatloaf, fresh veggies and other "country" specialties, get to "R.J's" on Santa Fe. And regardless of the time you are through there, follow one of the signs to a "Braum's" ice cream treat.

For a break in the driving action, check out the fabulous "Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum" and the very moving "Muir Building Memorial" (not just the memorial, but also the displays in the museum next door). The Muir memorial at night is unforgettable.

There is a restaurant called the Log Cabin on I-40 between Nashville and Jackson, TN. It is at the Linden exit and is the one just before the TN river.

You will never have a better breakfast. They have wonderful homemade pies with meringue piled up high. They are friendly and you can also buy jams and jellies from the region.

Mayhaw--
The smiley face first....In the regular reply mode--not the quick one but the one that says "reply to topic" 1. type your message..2.put the cursor where you want the smile of choice to appear..3. click on the smile of choice, you should see a typed image of the smile appear at the cursor's location...4. go to preview of the message and see if you did it right...if not repeat the process.
If you use the quickie reply mode you can place a smileface at the end of the message but you can't go back and put it in the text.

Now for the vacant space in the I-40 quest... In Shawnee OK-VAN's PIG Stand is a short distance into town from the freeway. Good BBQ stand.. Check out the BIG TEXAN in Amarillo TX, right next to the freeway. 72 oz steak free if you can eat it (and the rest of your dinner) in an hour. Plenty of other choices on the menu. A bit touristy, but a fun stop and change of pace from drive-thrus. I like Dyer's BBQ in Amarillo better, just off the freeway, comfortable, calm, and good BBQ also.
In New Mexico we have tended to stay in Gallup and have yet to find a special place for food there.
In general both Flying J and Petro Truck Stops have decent food stops included in their site.
Lastly In CA, Just east of Barstow, Peggy Sue's 50's Cafe is in Yermo. It is actually at the Yermo exit for I-15..but that is only a couple of miles from the Daggett exit for I-40. I recommend it for burger/diner food. Avoid it on Friday evenings and all day Sunday as it gets buried in the L A to Vegas and return Traffic. (If you have never been in the weekend Vegas traffic on I-15, you haven't experienced CA driving at it's best. It is a 250 mile traffic jam with a 75mph minimum entry speed !!)