No speed humps around these parts
The Interstate highway system in the United States of America is really a work of art that criss-crosses all over the country. Two digit even numbered Interstates, like Interstate 40, run from East to West. Two digit odd numbered Interstates, like Interstate 95, run from North to South. Interstates with three numbers, like Interstate 695, travel and circle around big cities.
Contradictory to what popular belief is the United States wasn't the country responsible for the idea of the Interstate highway system. The idea actually was borrowed from Germany's Autobahn system, which was created for fast deployment of military equipment and troops. A short time later the people's car, otherwise known as the Volkswagen came onto the scene to help fill a void on the barren Autobahn in it's early days. Stuttgart is around 300 miles North of Munich Germany on the Autobahn. I once in my younger days drove the entire distance between these two cities in just a little over two and a half hours. Yes, I was really rolling!
The birth of the Interstate in the United States brought about fast, safe, convenient, and dependable travel between the states. It helped connect the entire country as a whole, and brought everyone together.
I decided to write this hub about Interstate 40, since I already wrote a previous hub about Interstate 40's predecessor Route 66.
Interstate 40 starts off at a cross roads in Barstow, California and crosses the entire country Eastward until it's end in Wilmington, North Carolina at Carolina Beach. Interstate 40 travels through a total of eight Southern states which includes, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
Driving on Interstate 40 is almost like a lesson in American history. You drive over the Appalachian, Rocky, and Great Smokey mountains. You drive over famous rivers like the Mississippi, Colorado, and Missouri rivers. You drive by mesas, plateaus, the petrified forest, and famous Indian reservations like Cherokee and Navajo. You drive through famous American cities like Nashville, Little Rock, Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, and Memphis just to name a few. Interstate 40 is literally a history lesson on wheels.
Out of the eight states which Interstate 40 travels through, Tennessee has the most of Interstate 40's mileage with 455.28 miles. North Carolina comes in at a close second place with a total of 423.55 miles of Interstate 40's hard top. New Mexico is not far behind with 373.51 miles of Interstate 40 on it's land. Arizona is right behind New Mexico with 359.48 miles of the Interstate. You pass over a lot of flat land, and drive by a lot of colorful mesas in the state of Oklahoma which has 331.03 miles of Interstate 40. Arkansas has a a good chunk of Interstate 40 with 284.69 miles of it. The Empire of Texas is next with 177.10 miles. California rounds it off with the least amount of Interstate 40 at just 154.61 miles.
Interstate 40 travels an astounding 2,559.25 miles all across this great country, practically from sea to shining sea. So if you need to get somewhere quickly or you ever find yourself having a need for speed, then just hop onto an Interstate highway, and you won't have to worry about those speed humps anymore.
