You haven't lived...

...until you've done one of these lengthy drives across the United States. At least that's what I think. John and I grew up taking annual trips from NH to DE, so we're quite experienced on the road (I can still smell the Jersey turnpike). But that kind of trip is completely different than the empty stretches of interstate that crisscross our nation. My wife and I have done two big ones: NH to CA, and CA to MN. Let's just say that I've driven through three times as many states as I've vacationed or lived in.

Fortunately, we're giving ourselves plenty of time for the trip. So this is what John suggested as our planned route:
Day 1: drive to Amarillo, eat at Big Texan Steak House, hotel. 4 hours on the road
Day 2: drive to Memphis, check out Beale St, hotel. 11 hours on the road.
Day 3: drive to Asheville, hotel. 8 hours on the road.
Day 4: short trip to Durham. 3.5 hours on the road.

I responded with going beyond Amarillo on the first day, trying to get to OKC that day so we don't kill ourselves on the day we get to Memphis, where we're hoping to have something interesting to do at night. The only problem with that is if we overdose on steak at the Big Texan, we could be in for some serious gastrointestinal challenges afterwards.

My only other thoughts were trying to visit the Route 66 museum in the lovely metropolis of Clinton, OK. Awesome.