My parents and brother recently completed a cross country drive across the US, from Durham (North Carolina) on the East Coast to San Francisco on the West Coast. During this trip, they drove from one end of this vast country to the other, crossing 9 US states on the way and driving more than 4000 miles in 15 days. It was a leisurely paced trip, with them driving only a couple of hours every day and spending the rest of the day exploring places on the way and stopping in a new city and state every night.
And even though I was not a part of this trip (sadly!) I am still putting up what they wrote about it, because for one I think such a long driving trip is pretty cool for my blog:) and secondly because such information would be very helpful for anyone else planning a trip like this!
Anyways, so they drove on the I-40 for most part, as this highway runs across the breadth of the country. On the way they witnessed the interiors of US, people were different everywhere: vegetation varied from green forest to cactus: landscape varied from yellow deserts to lush green mountains, orange canyons to blue lakes and rivers. It was an exciting trip for them all, something to remember forever!
And since it was a long trip, I would be breaking it down into multiple posts. In this post, I would describe their journey from Durham to Fort Smith across the states of North Carolina, Tenessee and Arkansas.
Day 1 : Durham (North Carolina) - 300 miles - Pigeon Forge (Tennessee)
We started from Durham, North Carolina for Pigeon Forge in the Smoky Mountains (Tenessee) around 2 PM in the afternoon along the interstate highway, I-40. This highway crosses the US from east to west through the southern part of US, crossing nine states on the way. The drive was not too long, about 5-6 hours and was very enjoyable, driving through the Smoky mountains with lush green forests and a cool breeze everywhere. There was very little wild life in this region though, even though its all forested.
On the way, if you are interested, you can hike in the Smoky Mountains or engage in activities like white water rafting etc or visit Asheville, a small little quaint town on the way or the Biltmore Residence. We however did not have much time, so we drove directly to Pigeon Forge, and reached in the evening around 7 PM after a comfortable and enjoyable drive. We did however stop on the way in the mountains for a quick lunch, any place on the way is a picnic spot you see!
We stayed the night at Pigeon Forge, a small resort town built mainly as a tourist attraction or as I would call it, 'Las Vegas for the kids'. The town is located on a river bank which adds to its beauty. There are also colourfully designed buses running city tours.
In the main street, there are different activities and attractions for all to see like the Jurassic jungle boat ride, go-carting, miniature golf greens for putting, a house model constructed in an upside down design (!!), a model of the Titanic and many other similar attractions. Its good fun to explore this place for a couple of hours.There are many good hotels located in and around Pigeon Forge if you are looking to stay. And if you crave for Indian food, there is an Indian restaurant nearby too, Tastes of India which serves good Indian food.
Day 2 : Pigeon Forge (Tennessee) - 425 miles - Memphis (Tennessee)
On the second day, we had a long drive ahead of us and so we left early after breakfast. We again drove on the I-40 across the state of Tennessee towards its capital, Memphis which is located on the border of three states: Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. The drive was again enjoyable driving through green forests with pleasant weather.
We covered a distance of more than 400 miles across the state of Tennessee and also stopped at many viewpoints enroute to see the vast countryside. We stopped at Hunter State Park on the way for our lunch. You can also stop at Nashville on the way if you have time, its a pretty town to visit on the way. The houses built along the road in the forests were really handsome and would be fun to stay in. We reached Memphis around 6 PM and stayed at the Hilton, is quite a good place to stay.
Memphis is a green town with a lot of vegetation and pure clean air. The Beale Street in the historic part of the city is also worth visiting as is Graceland, the birthplace of Elvis. We gave both these areas a miss though, had had a long day of driving today. In the evening we just visited the First Evangilical Church in the city which was pretty. And for dinner there was Mayuri, an Indian restaurant with tasty Indian food.
Day 3 : Memphis (Tennessee) - 320 miles - Fort Smith (Arkansas) via Hot Springs and Ouachita Lake
We took a little detour towards the south and visited the town of Hot Springs (apparently the place where Bill Clinton spent his childhood!). Its a pleasing little town, and you can spend some time here. At the Hot Springs national park, you have springs where hot water is oozing out from the base of the hill which you can take a bath in even in the cold weather. There is also a very high tower built on the top of the hill from where you can get a good view of the town.
About six miles from here is the Ouachita lake where many water sports facilities are available. There is a also the Diamond State Park crater on this route, where you can see an open diamond mine and find some diamonds for yourself;-). We however gave this a miss.Anyways, from Hot Springs, we drove towards Fort Smith, back on the I-40. It's again a pretty drive along the state highway through forests and small hills all around covered with lush green vegetation all along the road (Ouachita State Park). It also started raining by this time which made the drive even more enjoyable. By late evening, we reached Fort Smith and spent the night there.
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