Tulsa to Dallas - Thursday afternoon (Muskogee, Ada: house, living, price)

[SilverC]

From our home, we usually travel to Dallas via Little Rock to I-30, however, due to a doctor appointment in Springfield (MO) Thursday morning we will be closer to Dallas via Oklahoma...Here's the question, considering we will be in Tulsa around 1 or 2p, will it be quicker to take I-44 to OKC to I-35 to Dallas, or should we follow the mapping programs and take the 75 to 69 route. Didn't know how bad traffic is around OKC in the early afternoon just before rush hour. Thanks!

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by SilverC

From our home, we usually travel to Dallas via Little Rock to I-30, however, due to a doctor appointment in Springfield (MO) Thursday morning we will be closer to Dallas via Oklahoma...Here's the question, considering we will be in Tulsa around 1 or 2p, will it be quicker to take I-44 to OKC to I-35 to Dallas, or should we follow the mapping programs and take the 75 to 69 route. Didn't know how bad traffic is around OKC in the early afternoon just before rush hour. Thanks!

I would take 69 to 75 and just stay on the east side of Oklahoma. If you take 35 S then you'll eventually have to go back east to get to Dallas once you get into North Texas (35 splits 35E and 35W).

[SilverC]

That makes sense. I just didn't know if the interstate was significantly quicker than going thru a bunch of small towns and having to slow down. Thank you, I appreciate it.

[SouthXSW]

Originally Posted by SilverC

That makes sense. I just didn't know if the interstate was significantly quicker than going thru a bunch of small towns and having to slow down. Thank you, I appreciate it.

There are a handful of small towns and there are stoplights, the worst being Okmulgee and Atoka. Otherwise you can go pretty fast. It's a scenic drive through lots of hills, especially down by Stringtown/Atoka. Even with stopping in the small towns it's more direct to Dallas than I-44/I-35, and OKC traffic can slow you down a lot.

[Goodpasture]

Highways 69 and 75 don't join until they are in Atoka.

If you want to travel 75-80mph, stay on I44 to I35 then go south.

If 65 to 70 mph with frequent small town slowdowns and stoplights don't bother you, take 69 to Atoka then 69/75 to Dallas.

Just from Big Cabin to Muskogee, you will go through Muskogee, Wagoner, Chouteau, Pryor, Adair, and Big Cabin. Big Cabin does not have a stop light except where you get off the turnpike, but it is a notorious speed trap. Adair has one stop light, there are four or five in Pryor, one (I think) in Chouteau, a couple or more in Wagoner, and a whole bunch on 69 in Muskogee.......much of that highway is two lane, and I have heard as many as 20,000 semi's pass through Pryor in a day on the way to or from Dallas. So expect a lot of traffic as well as some congestion.

On the up side, the KFC in Pryor (intersection of 69 and Highway 20) has an all you can eat buffet, Four States Processing in Big Cabin has some of the best beef in the country, Chouteau has the Amish Cheese House where they serve good sandwiches and it also has the Dutch Pantry, an AYCE Amish styled food buffet.......their food is good, if plain, but their pies are worth the price of the meal. I can't think of anything on 69 in Wagoner or Muskogee that is worth the traffic and lights........

Food places on 44 and 35 are few and far between. Of course there is what used to be the worlds largest McDonalds above the turnpike near Vinita. If you get off in Vinita, there is Clanton's as seen on Guy Fieri's tri D show and featured in Southern Living and Gourmet magazines. Then in Tulsa, at the western edge of town there is Go West, open lunch and dinner that is absolutely wonderful, Stroud has the Rock Cafe. Once you hit OKC and 35 I can't think of anything special until you hit the Oklahoma/Texas border.......McGeehee's just outside of Marietta is THE best catfish in Oklahoma. Once you get into Texas I don't know what's good or bad. I know there are the usual Cracker Barrel's and other national chains in all the cities.