Orlando to Sandpt ID

[marwind]

We are traveling the month of Aug. in our 25 ft. Class A rv. We are leaving Okeechobee, (1 hr s. of Orlando ) and heading for Sandpoint, ID. At this point, after seeing most of the SE we are going to head towards South Dakota making stops just to sleep. Touristy stuff starts in S.D. We would like to stay off the interstates and may travel up I 75 to SR 82 which will take us through Montgomery, continue on 82 to Tuscaloosa, then pick up 78 through Memphis, 63 N of Memphis to 7 and Kanas City. If anyone is familiar with this and thinks it is just too slow ( keep in mind we are in a RV and don't go too fast anyway, lol!) or has too many small towns with traffic, please let us know.

Any thoughts of Kansas City and good places to stay or eat?

Next on to The Badlands. We have heard that 20 is a nice alternative to 1 90? Again, any thoughts? Somehow we will end up in the Badlands area. Any suggestions are welcome! Next stop Rapid City and some touring in that area for however long we need. We will rent a call in this area to sightsee as I don't think the RV will be too good for traveling here.

Leaving Rapid City and heading west on 1 90 to the Bighorns where we will spend a day or so in Buffalo, Wy. Then on to Montana.

At this point we are not sure what we want to do in Montana. We like parks, hiking, museums, scenic drives, sightseeing. Eventually as we work our way thorough Montana we are thinking of picking up 200 in Missoula and taking 200 right into the area of Idaho where we are going....Sandpoint. This leg of the trip we will give 11 days.

We will work on the trip home after we get this half figured out!! We welcome any suggestions for routes, sites to see and explore, campgrounds, etc. We are not making any reservations ( which may be a mistake but we don't want to be tied to an itinerary that might end up unrealtisc) and are just planning on enjoying ourselves. We are traveling with our 2 min pins who are road savvy!

[DonnaR57]

Just east of Kansas City, in Grain Valley, is an RV park called Trailside RV. It's a Good Sam Park, and was decent a few years back. It's close enough to the Truman Presidential Library if you like that type of thing.

Montana - if you can get up to Glacier NP, you will enjoy it! If you don't want to drive your MH through the park, you can either rent a car just outside the park or take one of the tours that's available.



Donna

[marwind]

Thanks Donna! We are saving Glacier and Yellowstone for next year!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

I have written elsewhere about the great system of four lane divided highways that crisscrosses the South and how it is a wonderful 'ground level' alternative to the Interstates. Unfortunately, for most of the length that you'd be driven it, US-82 is a two lane road. I would, therefore, suggest a minor alteration in your plans for getting up to Memphis. From Dawson, GA (on US-82) take GA-520 north to join US-280 west and stay on that to Birmingham, AL. Use the Stephens Expressway and I-20 west to get through town and onto AL-5 to Jasper, AL and US-78 west to Memphis.

US-63 through Arkansas will alternate between freeway quality, four lane divided, and two lane roads but there are bypasses around most of the larger towns. In Missouri, it and MO-7 both tend to be more four lane, but you'll need some connecting roads between them. At Cabool MO switch over to US-60 and take that to Springfield, There, skirt the city 's east and north sides on US-65 north and I-44 west to MO-13 north which will deliver you to MO-7 at Clinton.

Kansas City is known for its barbecue, so you really should check out one of it's many competing restaurants. Some of the best are Jack Stack, Oklahoma Joe's, BB's Lawnside, Arthur Bryant's and Danny Edward's.

US-20 through Nebraska is certainly and alternative to I-90 through South Dakota, but it is entirely two lane (though flat and open) and would require some hilly driving in western Nebraska and South Dakota to get you up to the Badlands and Black Hills. Consider, instead, staying on I-29 up into South Dakota but then taking SD-50 through Vermillion and Yankton to Wagner and using SD-244 (co-aligned with US-18 in parts) to get to the Badlands.

Between Buffalo and Sand Point I'm afraid that the reality of the situation dictates that you pretty much stick to the Interstates. This is where you'll be crossing the Rockies and the alternatives to I-90 all entail serious mountain driving where your rig would really slow you down.

AZBuck