🌵 Across the Desert Line

A Drive from California to Oklahoma

With the sale of our house completed, we were finally ready to begin our retirement.

We had initially thought we would collect our money, say our goodbyes, and be on the road. However, there’s a lot of details that go into a move that has been two years in the making.

It was just slightly over two years ago that we began closing up our house of 27 years. First, there was the packing up. Then the selling off of unnecessary items. Then the moving of the cats that Mary has spoken of in her blogs. Four trips to our Oklahoma storage shed and an additional three trips of scouting out areas to relocate in and to check on our cats.

Then came the house repairs and repainting, followed by finding a realtor and listing our house. That took six months, and then the house sat waiting for the perfect buyer. That took another six months.

The sale was finalized this week, and now we sit perched, ready to fly. Soon we’ll be leaving from Yuba City, having spent four nights in the local Hampton Inn (a very nice and accommodating facility) for a six- to seven-day drive in our faithful Toyota Tundra. It currently has 260,000-plus miles on it and is beginning to show its age, but it’s a trooper and it continues to hang in there for us.

One more trip.

🚙 Day 1: Yuba City to Tulare

This is the first blog I’ve written telling a story that hasn’t happened yet. We will be setting out on a cross-country drive that will stretch just over 1,700 miles toward Poteau, Oklahoma. We’ll be keeping the pace slow—about 300 miles or 6 to 7 hours a day—enough to stay awake to the world rolling by instead of just counting the miles.

The first day will take us east across the Sacramento Valley to Tulare in the Central Valley. There will be a big climb to Tehachapi the following day of about 3,600 feet within about 20 miles, so we will save that for day two.

🏔️ Day 2: Tehachapi and the High Desert

On day two we will climb up the Tehachapi Mountains along Hwy 58 east and into the high desert, with plans to rest somewhere around Needles, California. It will be interesting for both of us because it will be the last night we sleep in California.

It’ll be the beginning of Highway 40—the long asphalt spine that runs straight through the heart of the Southwest.

The second day will bring us farther into the Mojave Desert into Needles. Needles is a little town crouched along the Colorado River. The heat there has its own personality—dry, intense, and honest. From there, we will continue along Interstate 40, crossing into Arizona and leaving the state we called home for sixty-some years. Here the scenery will turn from sand to sandstone.

🌲 Day 3: Williams, Arizona

Williams, Arizona, will probably be our third stop. At over 6,400 feet, it’s a city that both Mary and I would like to spend more time in. It’s nestled in a combination of shrub oak and pines and has some amazing history.

I’m terrified of driving a trailer when it’s stormy or windy. So I’ve checked the forecasts; there might be wind, maybe even a bit of snow on the peaks by the time we roll in. It’ll be a welcome break—pine air after so many miles of sun and dust.

From there, the land will start to soften.

🌄 Day 4: New Mexico Skies

Day four we should be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but we will probably press into Moriarty. New Mexico is probably the prettiest of the southwestern states. The majority of New Mexico’s landscape is striking to look at.

There are high desert plateaus, rugged mountains, and wide, arid basins full of sagebrush, piñon pine, and juniper, with red or tan soil that glows in the afternoon. It is stunning.

🌾 Day 5: Across the Texas Panhandle

Day five we will cross the flat openness of the Texas Panhandle and spend the night in either Amarillo or Shamrock. I’m not a fan of Texas—too flat, too dry. But they do have a great restaurant in Shamrock called Rusty’s. People are great there, inviting and friendly. Great food also.

The Conoco gas station from Pixar’s Cars movie is right next to Rusty’s.

Each day, another 300 miles, another hotel, more great conversation with my bestie.

🦌 Day 6: Elk City, Oklahoma

On day six, we will probably be staying in Elk City, Oklahoma. It got its name from Elk Creek, a small stream that runs near the original townsite. According to local accounts from the early 1900s, early settlers named the creek after seeing local elk along its banks.

Elk City went through a couple of other names—first Crowe, then Busch (in hopes of attracting support from Adolphus Busch of Anheuser-Busch). When that didn’t pan out, townspeople voted to adopt “Elk City,” drawing on the name of nearby Elk Creek to give the settlement a regional, natural identity.

It’s a cute small town reminiscent of many similar towns in this part of the country.

🌳 Day 7: Into the Muscogee (Creek) Nation

Our final push toward our new home will take us into the area of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, part of former Creek Nation lands. We will pass through Eufaula in the Ozark Plateau region.

By the final leg into Oklahoma, the landscape turns greener, the towns closer together. The region is covered in forested hills, river valleys, and lakes. It’s pretty there.

Our last stop will be Poteau. Poteau sits near the base of Cavanal Hill—the “world’s highest hill,” as locals call it—and we are looking forward to seeing that sign on the edge of town.

It won’t be the fastest way to cross the country, but that’s not the point. This drive will be a slow drift eastward, a way to watch America change—its light, its language, its air—mile by mile.

And to save a faithful old friend, my Tundra.

🧭 If You Go

Route:
Highway 40 (I-40) runs from Barstow, California, to Oklahoma City, tracing much of the old Route 66 path. From there, U.S. 59 south leads to Poteau.

Daily Distance:
Around 300 miles a day keeps the drive relaxed. Expect about six days total with time for stops and detours.

Suggested Stops:

• 🚗 Barstow, CA: Gateway to the desert; good place for an early start the next morning.

• 🏜️ Needles, CA: Riverside motels and a classic Route 66 feel.

• 🌲 Flagstaff, AZ: Cool air, coffee shops, and mountain views.

• 🍖 Amarillo, TX: Big skies and a famous steakhouse challenge if you’re hungry enough.

• 🦌 Elk City, OK: Small-town charm and a fine Route 66 museum.

Weather:
October can bring warm desert days and chilly mountain nights. Winds often pick up across northern Arizona and New Mexico; always check local forecasts.

Tips:
Keep your gas tank at least half full in the desert stretches, and carry water even in cooler months. At higher elevations like Flagstaff, be ready for sudden changes in weather—sometimes even snow.