I've made the trek between SoCal and central MO many, many times for several decades. Over the years I have done the #1 route and #3 route on the list. Our favorite is the #1, but yes, it's mountainous. If you're driving your new rig and are not that familiar with it, you may not want to try #1 on the first trip!

Another route that we've used is kind of a hybrid of #3 and #4: I-40 to OKC, swing north on I-35 (which, btw, is toll road in KS), then you can go to US-50.

A little locals tip about Sedalia: just south of there, on a backcountry road near Lincoln MO, is an Amish Buffet eatery called Charley's. You'll have to ask around and see about getting good directions, and this is only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Here's one link to it, and here is another. There's no website for it, as this is run by the Amish who don't believe in a lot of the latest contraptions, the computer being one of them. (The "Website" link on TripAdvisor goes nowhere for that reason.) The food is wonderful, and if you can't find something you like, you're not looking hard enough. They do have sugar-free desserts.


Donna