Roadtrip from Georgia to Arizona (Summer 2022) Do you have any suggestions?

[InterstateFan621]

Hey guys, I am taking a road trip from Georgia to Arizona, around the Grand Canyon area.

I am planning to go north on Interstate 75 until Interstate 40, and the go west until I hit Texas. I will spend the night in Texas, and then go west further to New Mexico, spend the night there, and then go to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon, come back to New Mexico, and then go home.

I was wondering if you had any suggestions on which routes to take, or anywhere to go. I am gonna stop at a few places along the way, the cars that are sticking up from the ground (I forgot what the attraction is called), Roswell, New Mexico, Tombstone, Arizona, and the Grand Canyon. I am also gonna go to Route 66, as well, and I am very excited to do so.

Is there any places I should go to while on this trip or any routes that I should take other than I-40, as well? Anyway, I look forward to your suggestions, and I will see you in the reply section.

[jlam]

Either on the way there or the way back, you can get a straight-shot clinch along I-22. Unless you already have that, of course. You could also go through Dallas, Lubbock, and Roswell as a southern path.

[1995hoo]

Either on the way there or the way back, you can get a straight-shot clinch along I-22. Unless you already have that, of course. You could also go through Dallas, Lubbock, and Roswell as a southern path.

If you do this, use extreme caution on the eastern end of I-22. Brookside, Alabama, is getting a very nasty reputation.

[hbelkins]

It's a bit out of the way for you to go all the way north to Knoxville to hit I-40. Take I-24 west from Chattanooga. It's closer and also gives you the opportunity to travel Monteagle Mountain.

You might want to try to vary your route back so you're not out-and-back on I-40. I'm not sure if there's a good diagonal NW-to-SE route to take to connect with I-10 or I-20, or if taking I-17 south from Flagstaff would be your best bet.

[abefroman329]

It's a bit out of the way for you to go all the way north to Knoxville to hit I-40. Take I-24 west from Chattanooga. It's closer and also gives you the opportunity to travel Monteagle Mountain.

I thought that's what OP meant, but if not, then consider me the second vote against taking I-75 to I-40.  It's a massive detour (you're actually going due northeast from Chattanooga) and there's nothing along the stretch of I-40 from I-75 to Nashville that would make that detour worth it.

And I know that I-20 through Alabama and Mississippi is completely unremarkable, but I'm still not sure why you (presumably) plan to take I-40 west to I-30 west to I-20 west to I-10, when I-20 west from Georgia to I-10 is much, much faster.

[vdeane]

Either on the way there or the way back, you can get a straight-shot clinch along I-22. Unless you already have that, of course. You could also go through Dallas, Lubbock, and Roswell as a southern path.

If you do this, use extreme caution on the eastern end of I-22. Brookside, Alabama, is getting a very nasty reputation.

Based on this article, I don't think even extreme caution would avoid problems there.  Better to just avoid I-22 entirely - that's what this driver with New York plates will be doing!  What they're doing is reprehensible and I sincerely hope that every single "police officer" and "elected official" in that town spends the rest of their life in prison.  I'd even go so far as to say that the town needs to be disbanded with extreme prejudice.

[ran4sh]

Did Brookside recently expand its city limit or am I missing something? Both Google Maps and OpenStreetMap show I-22 as being completely outside the Brookside border.

[oscar]

Did Brookside recently expand its city limit or am I missing something? Both Google Maps and OpenStreetMap show I-22 as being completely outside the Brookside border.

AIUI, Alabama law allows local police to do law enforcement in some adjacent areas outside city limits. Thus all the "police jurisdiction" signs along Alabama roads. A quick web search indicates the scope of "police jurisdiction" may've recently been cut back, but still is allowed within three miles of the city limit.

[InterstateFan621]

Either on the way there or the way back, you can get a straight-shot clinch along I-22. Unless you already have that, of course. You could also go through Dallas, Lubbock, and Roswell as a southern path.

Yeah, I might take that route, and it's also the fastest route that Google Maps is taking me.

[InterstateFan621]

Either on the way there or the way back, you can get a straight-shot clinch along I-22. Unless you already have that, of course. You could also go through Dallas, Lubbock, and Roswell as a southern path.

If you do this, use extreme caution on the eastern end of I-22. Brookside, Alabama, is getting a very nasty reputation.

I might have to.

[hbelkins]

You should be fine driving I-22 if you drive the speed limit and stay in the right lane.

[AsphaltPlanet]

The south is still the south.

It's actually funny since you are defending this practice HB, seeing as how frequently you bring up the fact that you won't fly or cross an international border for fear of having to deal with a TSA check or border official, but don't share the same outrage for local police blatantly using the law to collect taxes.

[1995hoo]

You should be fine driving I-22 if you drive the speed limit and stay in the right lane.

We really don't know that. Police departments like that will use anything as a pretense to write a ticket–the driver might be black, he might have long hair, he has an out-of-state plate, they don't like his long hair, they're jealous of his having a nicer car than they do, they don't like politician or sports team the bumper sticker supports, ad nauseam. Of course the ticket won't reflect any of those things; it'll reflect some technically legitimate charge that's probably trumped-up and doesn't even reflect something the person really did.

The cops in the infamous and unlamented New Rome, Ohio, used to pull people over for allegedly having license plates that were too dirty.

[adventurernumber1]

There is no defense for what is happening in Brookside, and I was completely unaware of it until reading this thread. The practice is despicable and should be outlawed as soon as possible. It truly is a shame, not only because of the injustice, but because this prevents people from being able to enjoy the new I-22. I echo the sentiment that if you must use this route, definitely proceed with caution.

The one time I've been to Texas, via charter bus, we actually took the unexpected route of going up into Tennessee from Georgia, via I-24, I-440, and then I-40 all the way to Little Rock, then connecting onto I-30. Our route back was pretty much the same but instead of I-440 we went east on what was then TN 840. I was honestly surprised as I thought we would most likely be on I-20 most of the way there, coming from Georgia (albeit the northwestern part of the state). All that to say is that going northwest up into Tennessee is not unprecedented for this type of route, but if doing so I would agree I-24 would be a much more direct route than I-75 to I-40 via Knoxville.

Whatever route you choose, enjoy the trip! It sounds like it will be fun.

[vdeane]

You should be fine driving I-22 if you drive the speed limit and stay in the right lane.

We really don't know that. Police departments like that will use anything as a pretense to write a ticket–the driver might be black, he might have long hair, he has an out-of-state plate, they don't like his long hair, they're jealous of his having a nicer car than they do, they don't like politician or sports team the bumper sticker supports, ad nauseam. Of course the ticket won't reflect any of those things; it'll reflect some technically legitimate charge that's probably trumped-up and doesn't even reflect something the person really did.

The cops in the infamous and unlamented New Rome, Ohio, used to pull people over for allegedly having license plates that were too dirty.

Indeed.  The case where a woman was pulled over for the "crime" of turning on her headlights when it was getting dark and then arrested and held in jail even after her family posted bail shows that if Brookside wants to screw with you, they will find a way.

[hbelkins]

The south is still the south.

It's actually funny since you are defending this practice HB, seeing as how frequently you bring up the fact that you won't fly or cross an international border for fear of having to deal with a TSA check or border official, but don't share the same outrage for local police blatantly using the law to collect taxes.

I'm not defending the practice at all, and I don't know how you could infer that from my comment. I was as outraged as anyone else when I read the story and it seems to me that the local sheriff or prosecutor could put a halt to it if they really wanted to, despite their comments in the story that they're against what's going on.

Just because I didn't say "OMG this is horrible!!!11!1!" doesn't mean I agree with it. In fact, I'm not a fan of traffic enforcement in general. I'd prefer the cops concentrate on real problems, like saturation patrols of areas with lots of assaults, burglaries, drug dealing, and the like.

My comment was merely that if you're just passing through the area, stay on the interstate and don't call any attention to yourself, the odds are you'll make it out just fine. Having a radar detector would also help notify you if the cops are trying to collect revenue.

Besides, it's quite likely that with the national negative scrutiny that has erupted, the town will back off its aggressive ticketing to prevent a major backlash.

I drove this section of freeway twice. Once, I accessed the route via Coalburg Road heading west toward Memphis before the connection to I-65 was complete. After the freeway was done, I drove it again. I don't remember where I accessed it, but I drove east from that access point to get to I-65 to complete the clinch of the I-22 freeway. I had no issues either time.

If Google Maps boundaries are accurate, the town's borders do not encompass any part of I-22.

[oscar]

If Google Maps boundaries are accurate, the town's borders do not encompass any part of I-22.

Doesn't matter, if the town's extraterritorial "police jurisdiction" includes part of I-22. The article indicates it does.

[ran4sh]

The south is still the south.

This is the kind of thing that is said by people that think the North is somehow better. There is some merit to arguing that the West is better than the South, but not for the North being better than the South.

[hotdogPi]

The south is still the south.

This is the kind of thing that is said by people that think the North is somehow better. There is some merit to arguing that the West is better than the South, but not for the North being better than the South.

Yes, the North is better. It's not red vs. blue; North Dakota and surrounding states are also on the higher side. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_Human_Development_Index

[ran4sh]

The south is still the south.

This is the kind of thing that is said by people that think the North is somehow better. There is some merit to arguing that the West is better than the South, but not for the North being better than the South.

Yes, the North is better. It's not red vs. blue; North Dakota and surrounding states are also on the higher side. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_Human_Development_Index

It may not be red vs blue, but it's close to being white vs black. North Dakota, despite being "red", has never had much black population.

[CtrlAltDel]

You should be fine driving I-22 if you drive the speed limit and stay in the right lane.

We really don't know that. Police departments like that will use anything as a pretense to write a ticket–the driver might be black, he might have long hair, he has an out-of-state plate, they don't like his long hair, they're jealous of his having a nicer car than they do, they don't like politician or sports team the bumper sticker supports, ad nauseam. Of course the ticket won't reflect any of those things; it'll reflect some technically legitimate charge that's probably trumped-up and doesn't even reflect something the person really did.

The cops in the infamous and unlamented New Rome, Ohio, used to pull people over for allegedly having license plates that were too dirty.

Indeed.  The case where a woman was pulled over for the "crime" of turning on her headlights when it was getting dark and then arrested and held in jail even after her family posted bail shows that if Brookside wants to screw with you, they will find a way.

Well, good news for I-22 travelers, maybe. The lieutenant governor has called for an audit of Brookside's finances, and the chief of police has resigned.

[JKRhodes]

Arizona's Canyon De Chelly, Meteor Crater and Petrified forest are beautiful. The Grand Canyon Railway in Williams is fun.

Say you wanna kill a day and avoid the tourist traps: I would take 89 through Oak Creek Canyon between Flagstaff and Sedona. Head over to Jerome and eat at the Haunted Hamburger. Take 260 from Verde Valley up to Payson, visit the Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery and Woods Canyon Lake. Lots of places to explore up there, beautiful pine trees.

[JKRhodes]

If you make it to the Show Low, Pinetop, Springerville area I highly recommend dinner at The House restaurant. It's located behind the KFC in show low. Also, Avery's BBQ in Springerville on US 60, I'm sure some would say it's not as good as real southern bbq but I've always enjoyed it. Western Drug in Springerville is a cool little store; imagine Cabela's and old school walmart having a tiny child.

If you wanna explore lakes, take US 180 out of Springerville/eagar toward alpine. There's Big Lake, Nelson Reservoir and Luna Lake, it's easy to visit all three within a day. US 191 south of Alpine has over 400 slow curves. not for the faint of heart but definitely some of the most remote, rugged terrain you'll see anywhere. once you get to the edge of the forest it takes you right through the middle of one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world!

[InterstateFan621]

Thank you so much for the suggestions! All of that sounds fun, and I will try to do it ony trip.