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Driving back for the Spring Football Game

I have to go with #2, the back R(h)oads. It is 95+% 4 lanes and is not as patrolled as the interstates. Plus you skip around OKC, which is usually a mess of traffic and construction. The only caveat is be careful in the 3 or 4 towns you pass through as cops have a tendency to hide and trap out of staters. However, it is worth the extra speed you get on I-44 and US 71 after Joplin.

Superfan, back me up here.
 
d4nim4l said:
I have to go with #2, the back R(h)oads. It is 95+% 4 lanes and is not as patrolled as the interstates. Plus you skip around OKC, which is usually a mess of traffic and construction. The only caveat is be careful in the 3 or 4 towns you pass through as cops have a tendency to hide and trap out of staters. However, it is worth the extra speed you get on I-44 and US 71 after Joplin.

Superfan, back me up here.
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I always go the second route. Part of it is driven by an irrational hatred of the state of Kansas and their toll roads with 100+ miles in between stops. The other part is ease of (not) dealing with major traffic in Kansas City, OKC, and (to some extent) Dallas. Going from I-45 Northbound to US-75 North is in Dallas pretty straightforward - moreso than actually trying to go from I-45 to I-35. I think I-35 to US-75 is the same way. Going up the east side of Kansas City on 75/435 is a helluva lot easier than going through the city.

There are some slowdowns in the cities going up US-71 in Missouri, but you'll wind up paying about $1.25 toll in Oklahoma vs. around $8 to go on I-35 through Kansas, and Muskogee and Joplin are both good stopping points if you need to hole up for the night.
 
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Ace000087 said:
Hey guys, gotta ask, what route would you take? Is I-35 the best way to go, or the back roads? Got into a debate with my buddies on what way is faster.

I-35:

Driving Directions from 17239 Shavano Rnch San Antonio, Texas to Ames, Iowa

Back R(h)oads:

Driving Directions from 17239 Shavano Rnch San Antonio, Texas to Ames, Iowa
Click to expand...
what-you-did-there-i-see-it.jpg
 
Dude, you have to take the back roads through Oklahoma. Much, much shorter/faster. Those roads are pretty much 4 lane the whole way, and it's shorter. I-35 is longer and more expensive.

Just be careful in Kiowa, OK. On the way to A&M we got pulled over by some half toothless cop, who we couldn't understand, and who asked us if we were playing in the game when we told him we were going to a game between ISU and A&M.

The worst part about that was that he told us the light above my license plate was out. We stopped 5 miles later, and sure enough it wasn't.
 
KAnsas may make you pay to drive thru their crappy state, but is quick and usually maintained well.
 
I always go around KC on the west side. Take I435 north to I29 to MO 36 at St. Joe to I35 at Cameron. Far less traffic than the east side.
 
I just drove to Houston on the backroads, and came back on the interstate. I'll take the interstate route any day. I couldn't stand the backroads in OK. Had to stop at a stoplight in each POS town. On I-35 set the cruise and go! I think the I-35 route added 15-20 minutes, but was so much easier. As far as the cops are concerned, my parents just drove the backroads from Houston and they counted over 30 cops with radar. Over 20 of them had someone pulled over, already!
And since you live in Texas - as I did several years ago- my best advice is to drive to Iowa and DON'T GO BACK!!!
 
CYCL0NE1 said:
I just drove to Houston on the backroads, and came back on the interstate. I'll take the interstate route any day. I couldn't stand the backroads in OK. Had to stop at a stoplight in each POS town. On I-35 set the cruise and go! I think the I-35 route added 15-20 minutes, but was so much easier. As far as the cops are concerned, my parents just drove the backroads from Houston and they counted over 30 cops with radar. Over 20 of them had someone pulled over, already!
And since you live in Texas - as I did several years ago- my best advice is to drive to Iowa and DON'T GO BACK!!!
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Awesome!

The backroads save you money in gas and wear and tear though, too. The cops are a pain, but just don't speed I guess. Of course, we still got pulled over without speeding.
 
Just take I-35. Once you're on it, you never have to think again about where you're going.
 
Ace, at least stay at the Spring Game longer than you did last year. You guys left after one quarter or so...
 
Take one route 1 way and the other back...then decide for yourself.
 
Pros to the back way:

More scenic (Eastern OK has some lakes and forests)
Shorter
Cheaper (toll wise anyway)
More opportunities to stop for gas/food
Non-stop in MO along 71

Cons:
Stoplights in about 4-5 small towns in OK
Small town cops
Speed limits down to 35 for a few minutes

Overall, I recommend the back way (US 75/69)
 
I have made this trip from Austin 14 times (7 round trips) in the last 2 years. I recommend I-35 all the way. It's a boring *** trip both ways and getting there faster is definitely better. I've driven the back way (with a couple of different variations) 5 times and the I-35 way (staying on I-35 not going through Topeka) 9 times and I-35 is 50 minutes faster on the average.
 
Thanks for the input guys... looking forward to driving up for this. Drove up from Marietta last spring, keeping the tradition alive this year. I think I am going to just take I-35 the entire way. The back roads just reminds me of trying to take highway 30/151 home to Dubuque from Ames my freshman year before 20 was finished. :sad:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACZ40kSlU3k]YouTube - ISU Spring Game tailgating.[/ame]

My prediction was right last spring! lol
 
Ace000087 said:
Thanks for the input guys... looking forward to driving up for this. Drove up from Marietta last spring, keeping the tradition alive this year. I think I am going to just take I-35 the entire way. The back roads just reminds me of trying to take highway 30/151 home to Dubuque from Ames my freshman year before 20 was finished. :sad:

YouTube - ISU Spring Game tailgating.

My prediction was right last spring! lol
Click to expand...

Could you swing through College Station and see if the Natty Light truck wants to come with? :wink:
 
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