Memphis, TN, to Oklahoma City, OK

15 January 2016:  Today was another day focused exclusively upon driving: ca. 470 miles (755 km) from Memphis to Oklahoma City.  It was a bright, sunny day, with temperatures climbing up to and above 60° F (mid-teens Celsius).  As I drove, listening to an audio book, I reflected upon some of the distinctive aspects of driving on American interstate highways, in comparison with French autoroutes.  

For example, one sees many strips of tire tread lying on the shoulder beside the highways here.  I assume those strips have peeled off re-tread tires (mostly truck tires, I think).  I did not know re-treading tires remains so common here.  One certainly does not see such debris beside French autoroutes.

There is also a lot more road-kill on and beside the highways that I have been driving on.  Perhaps it is not surprising to see the remains of so many animals that have been hit by cars and trucks, since I have been driving mostly through rural areas, but I think that there is more here than on rural French autoroutes.  I don't have an explanation for the difference.

I've been surprised to see a significant number of cars parked on the shoulder of the highway that appear to have been abandoned.  Of course, one cannot know for sure why a car is parked beside the highway when one zips past it at 70 mph.  But the position of some cars (e.g., with one or two wheels resting on a downhill slope beside the shoulder) suggests abandonment and maybe foul play.

I miss the frequent rest stops (ranging from full-service areas with services stations, restaurants, etc., to simple places with parking, WC and some picnic tables) that one finds along French autoroutes.  Here, rest stops are simple and rare (at best, 50 miles apart).  For fuel, food, etc., one must generally leave the highway; sometimes it's easy off/easy on; sometimes not so easy.

And then there are the trucks...  They are enormous in the United States, and they roll at or above the speed limit -- often in the left lane.  If you drive at, say, 72 mph in a 70 mph zone in relatively flat terrain, you can expect to be passed frequently by these behemoths -- or to find yourself behind a truck as it works its way past another one.

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Today's characteristic view:

Highway rest area in Oklahoma:

I decided this evening that it was time to have a good steak for dinner.  The nearby Cimarron Steakhouse (http://www.cimarronsteakhouse.com), recommended by the clerk at my motel this evening, fit the bill quite well.  

I enjoyed a T-bone steak, cooked rare according to the directions.