Quintessential roads (per state)

[ChoralScholar]

I don't know if any other Arkansans have weighed in, but for this state, I'd have to say US-65 or US-71. 

US-65 runs from the delta-proper, through the Capital City, on up into the Boston Mountains and Ozark National Forest.

US-71 runs up the western edge of the state, through the Ouachita Mountains, through one of the largest metropolitan areas (Fort Smith) up into the Boston Mountains through the Northwest Arkansas Metro area.  You can also see into Razorback Stadium as you crest the top of the hill at Exit 58 on I-540/US-71.

Honorable Mention: US-67 and AR-7

[djlynch]

Texas: US 90.  It covers swamps, forests, big cities, the Hill Country, desert, and mountains.  One end sees hurricanes, and the other end sees snowstorms.  I-10 does all that, too, and goes a bit farther, but quintessential Texas is high speeds on very lonely two-lane roads, so I'd say US 90 wins.

Or at north to south, US 83. Not exactly a lonely road in a lot of places, but it covers the Panhandle to the Rio Grande.

Also, IMO, 90 misses the Hill Country by 10 miles or so. You can see the Balcones Escarpment, but the road itself is in some pretty flat terrain.

[US81]

Texas: US 90.  It covers swamps, forests, big cities, the Hill Country, desert, and mountains.  One end sees hurricanes, and the other end sees snowstorms.  I-10 does all that, too, and goes a bit farther, but quintessential Texas is high speeds on very lonely two-lane roads, so I'd say US 90 wins.

Or at north to south, US 83. Not exactly a lonely road in a lot of places, but it covers the Panhandle to the Rio Grande.

Also, IMO, 90 misses the Hill Country by 10 miles or so. You can see the Balcones Escarpment, but the road itself is in some pretty flat terrain.

Hmm, US 83 is a good contender but it misses some of the eastern geography. I like US 281 for the coast, the Rio Grande valley, the Hill Country, and the central prairie. US 83, however, runs through desert, mountain and high plains that US 281 is too far east for. I'd agree, too, that US 90 doesn't quite catch the Hill Country.

[TCN7JM]

To be completely honest, it'd probably be impossible for single road to capture everything Texas has to offer unless someone were to build a loop route around the entire state or something.

[agentsteel53]

To be completely honest, it'd probably be impossible for single road to capture everything Texas has to offer unless someone were to build a loop route around the entire state or something.

I think we would need at least two. I'd go with US-83 and US-80 (non-truncated).