Following the Trans-American Trail (TAT) through the Central US w/ GAIA GPS

I recently had the opportunity to take my '06H3 on a cross country trek. I had a week long conference in Denver CO, and the family wasn't able to tag along, so with a 4-day weekend ahead of me I was ready to leave my home in NE Mississippi (Corinth) set out on the Trans-American Trail.

Due to some last minute issues with work I had to head into Memphis, TN the morning I was to leave, so I cut short the beginning of the TAT and took I-40 until the two crossed near Stuttgart (East Central) AR.

For those who don't know, the TAT is (theoretically) all 2-lane public county roads, much of which is gravel back roads, 2-track field roads, national forests, etc. and the like, so you can traverse America without the threat of trespassing on private property. That being said, some of these roads are maintained much better than others, and I crossed several NO TRESPASSING signs next to cattle guards on the trail. Western Arkansas and the Ozarks was a fun ride and I needed 2X the time I had set aside to really enjoy the ride.

Oklahoma was a transition from the Ozarks, to rolling hills and broad valleys to the open plains of Kansas.

Taking a 2-track trail through a soybean field, you run head-long into a barbed wire fence that is the New Mexico Border. For a fellow from Mississippi, New Mexico was spectacular. It quickly changed from Broad plains, to rolling scrub, and then out of nowhere you were on the lip of a canyon.

Taking a series of tight switchbacks, to the canyon floor, I passed through a couple ranch houses and barns to a goat trail heading up the face of the far canyon wall. The H3 did fine scaling the heights, & I was just hoping I didn't look the wrong way and accidentally drive off the cliff. I camped at the top of the canyon that night, near Branson, NM and headed into Colorado the next morning.

The following morning, leaving NM I felt like I was on a North American Safari. A 1-lane dirt road, no structures as far as you could see in any direction, Jack rabbits, Pronghorn, Elk, Muleys would hear me coming and hop up and start trotting off in either direction. Approaching the "Shadow of the Rockies", it was real easy to figure out where the plains stopped and the mountains began. The rest of the route was a real-life version of Disney's Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Half the trip was open range land and several times I had to slow to a crawl to let cattle get out of the roadway.

Unfortunately, I ran out of time & had to jump off the TAT onto interstate to be able to get into Denver and get checked into my hotel. I did find it very humorous when I pulled my H3 up to the Hilton Valet with 4 days of 'back-roads patina' while I checked my bags.

On a side note, There's nothing like a 3,000 mile road trip to point out everything that's wrong with your 12 yr old, 225,000 mile rig. I got a new radiator, in Texas on the way back.
and had to stop outside of Little Rock and add fluid to my Tcase (rear seal went out).
But she got me there & back, and I'd do it again anytime. All in all, with the exception a very few places, the TAT is nothing too extreme. It's just wide open America.

Looks like an awesome trip, thanks for sharing with us!
I should try this one myself sometime.

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I'd recommend it. Sam Correro, who mapped out the TAT, sells the GPS Track for $8.00/state. I got them and a free GAIA GPS download for my Android phone & had no issues.

That sounds like a great adventure!