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I-40 does not go from ABQ to Houston, it goes from ABQ to Oklahoma City, Memphis and ends in Wilmington, NC.
There are several ways to get from ABQ to Houston, all of which you can see on any map search program like Google map. Regardless of which way you pick, it involves a long drive across the dry, sparsely populated areas of eastern NM and western TX. Most people including me would say that the trip is not very scenic along most stretches, but you will pass by some nice towns and places worth visiting in the central part of TX (anywhere inside the big triangle formed by DFW, San Antonio and Houston).
You can play with this map and see other options. Just move your cursor to select different routes. Click on folders above the map.
Pull a list of things to see and decide where you would like to stop.
Happy traveling!
I recall I40 being reasonably scenic between Albuquerque and the NM border. After that the scenery and the food declined considerably.
It really isn't scenic even while still in NM, going the other direction from ABQ to AZ is scenic. but you are right about after crossing the border and I don't think the OP really plans on taking I40 to Houston. It isn't anywhere near Houston.. but then again, I guess he might start on I40, then head south somewhere along the way. Yes, he needs to really study the map.
We took the I40 last year and all I can remember is trucks, trucks, trucks...
A fair amount of them, yes. One of the positive things about I-40 out of Albuquerque is the work they have done on the on ramps in the Tijeras Canyon area, 15 miles east of town. I've seen some bad crackups in my day as I have friends in Edgewood, Moriarty, and Tucumcari.
Once you get up to Moriarty the high desert stays fairly flat going through Moriarty and Santa Rosa. East of Santa Rosa about twenty miles west of Tucumcari the scenery sits up though with attractive mesas from Tucumcari to maybe twenty miles east of the Texas border. It's the area they call Llano Estacado. Amarillo is an hour and a half drive from Tucumcari. The rest of the drive from Amarillo to Houston via U.S.285 and I-35 and I-45? Traffic, lots of traffic starting at Denton and going all the way down south.
OP, have you considered dropping down to I-10 by going through S.E. New Mexico through U.S.287 and getting to I-10 at Pecos?
Its awful from Amarillo to Oklahoma City and pretty bad from Albuquerque to Amarillo. It is a little nicer in some parts of New Mexico. I believe you pass an old Spanish mission or two. My advice for anyone driving I-40 in this area is have a good CD player and lots of book tapes to listen too.
Its awful from Amarillo to Oklahoma City and pretty bad from Albuquerque to Amarillo.
I-40 is awful for just about every mile of it... just different sorts of awful in different places.
The ONLY redeeming feature is how convenient it is to so many sections of the country.
"300 miles or so on I-40 to (X or Y) then..."
Using it to go all the way across? Insanity or desperation.
There are a dozen better ways to do it.
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