Moving from Oklahoma to Las Vegas

[Lucy24]

I have been to Vegas several times to visit family. Fell in love with the place. I graduated from college this past May and decided to move there. There is not much opportunity in Oklahoma and to be blunt I want to get out of this state. ... My brother picked up and moved to Phoenix AZ 2 years ago and said leaving OK was the best decision he ever made.

In the past I have always flown to LV but this time I will be driving. My 18 year old nephew will be traveling with me. I have been looking at yahoo maps and it appears we will be spending a good chunk of time on I-40 West.

I am not on a time crunch and my nephew is not the best traveler so I can see having to stay 2-3 nights in a motel to accommodate him. So does anyone know of any interesting things to see along the way? Any good places to stay that is on our route of I-40? I don't want to take any major detours.

Thanks,
Lucy

[Mark Sedenquist]

I have been to Vegas several times to visit family. Fell in love with the place.

That is much easier to do, than many people realize.

I have been looking at yahoo maps and it appears we will be spending a good chunk of time on I-40 West.

I-40 is only one of the routes you can use to reach Las Vegas. I don't know where in Oklahoma you are starting from, but it is probably about a 1100 mile trip by the most direct route.

So does anyone know of any interesting things to see along the way? Any good places to stay that is on our route of I-40? I don't want to take any major detours.

That section of I-40 parallels old route 66 and this link will share some of that route with you.

Mark

[Robert Schaller]

You'll find great lodging choices all along the route -- places like Clinton, Elk City, Amarillo, Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Albuquerque, Grants, Gallup, Winslow, Holbrook, Flagstaff, Seligman and Kingman are all rich in the old highway's history (Rt 66). Rather than stay in the generic editions of the Holiday Inns, or similar chains, try taking a detour down the old main streets in these towns and find some of the old Rt 66 motels. You can find some great places to stay this way.

In Arizona, why don't you have your brother meet you for the day in Flagstaff, Sedona or even the Grand Canyon? Any one of these spots has enough to do that you can easily fill up an afternoon, or you could simply spend a day doing not much of anything except splash your feet in a creek (or fish), before you head on to your glittery new Las Vegas home! Bob

[Carol White]

We loved Gallup, NM - check out the El Rancho Hotel - restored to its former glory -- it was a frequent stop for movie stars filming in the area. The rooms are named for many of them. We had the Alan Ladd room.

Also not to be missed is Canyon de Chelly - a National Monument just over the border in AZ. Still run by the Indians who inhabit the canyon. Very unusual for a National Park. Be sure to take the jeep ride into the canyon.

Of course, Mesa Verde National Park is fabulous. Be sure you are in good shape -- climbing up and down the ladders to see the ruins up close takes some stamina! But well worth it.

Enjoy!