The most convenient route from North Dakota to Matamoros, Mexico is U.S. Highway 83. Being 1,885 miles long, US-83 is one of the longest highways from north to south in the United States.
The drive along this road trip does not feature any major tourist attractions, nor is it one of the more interesting routes in the country. However, perhaps this is the charm about this drive in being understated and leaving time to stop along the road at simple local shops and small businesses. You will find the most boring landscapes in existence: the ecological community of grasses in the northern Great Plains, the very vast lands of western Nebraska and Kansas, and the scorching heat of Texas and the extreme western region of Oklahoma, before reaching the lower Rio Grande (south of the Gulf of Mexico). Then you will see those wide farmlands with very small towns, yet another grassland that seem not to end, and the roadways by the Missouri River.
Arriving at the Texas-Oklahoma Panhandle marks the 100th meridian of the US-83, which divides the refined and cultivated eastern United States and the rough and dry western deserts. The central landscape of the US-83 route are the small farms and cattle communities that provide everything they need. As you drive mile after mile in any direction, the only hint of civilization you will see are the emergency telephone booths and the electric poles on the roads. Watch your speed though, as you have to drop your 75 mph-run to nothing faster then 25 mph as enforced by radar. These radar-enforced areas are strategically spaced out for the occasional gas stations and/or diners you'll see along the way.
No doubt, the good thing about the US-83 is the absence of the typical tourist attraction. With that, driving the country from north to south via this route is a road trip experience to remember.
I hope everyone who visitis your blog has a good time here as much as I do.
Posted by: Creative Recreation | June 26, 2010 at 02:30 AM