Hello friend.

I need serious advice or suggestions from serious folks, and I know that eliminates plenty of people who'll post anyway, and others who'll post on what they posted and off goes the topic, but here goes.

I'm in-between taking days one and two of the Oklahoma Bar Exam.  Day one wasn't fun and was the part I was more nervous about, so right now I'm somewhere between nervous about tomorrow and simply transcended anxiety into a mock-intoxicated numbness.  I've prepared for this exam more than any single test or event or anything in my entire life.  The entire month of February and more than half of January... I watched as my days ceased to be about anything other than waking, studying, eating, and sleeping.  By the end, even the few moments spent not studying were spent either pondering study topics that wouldn't flee my head, or worrying anxiously as to what I could be studying.  Last night I was so catatonic I couldn't even bring myself to surf the web, and now I can ramble incomprehensible things to a forum of people around the world.  Maybe the fog is lifting.  Regardless... after tomorrow (Weds) afternoon, it will be done.

I am also getting married.  Quite soon, in fact.  The exam ends tomorrow, but the wedding is March 14, honeymoon beginning the day after.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a "loner" per se, but stepping back and looking at the calendar, I'm going from two months of stress and anxiety of the bar into the stress and anxiety of a wedding, immediately followed by round-the-globe high speed travel (albeit with the woman I love).  I don't regret any of it, past or to come, but here in the eye of the storm of a mini-climax in my life (or between seizures of a stroke patient, choose your own image), some tiny part of me just wants to get away......

I don't want to play games.  I don't want to sit in front of a TV.  I don't want to go someplace to DO anything.  I just want a few days of... nothing, maybe a good book.

So now that you're up to speed...

I want to drive somewhere.  Some people hate long distance driving, I love it, alone, especially as a seemingly purposeful chance to escape from the world around me.  I don't want to drive to  some place, at least not to do something.  I don't want to drive to Vegas so I can party by myself for a few nights.  I want to drive somewhere such that the place I go is little more than an extension of the solitude and peace I feel when I'm on the road.

I need someplace close.  I live in Oklahoma City, OK, smack in the middle of nowhere.  I considered Sedona, Arizona (see pic) as about the furthest I could push myself.  It's a 13 hour drive.  Reign it in a bit and I've also thought about Santa Fe, New Mexico (8 hrs).  That seems more doable...Out of the southwest USA, I've thought about Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, but its 14 hrs seems way too excessive.

Thinking back on it, I just want a meaningful, peaceful place that I can go to, be alone and myself, and maybe find myself a little bit while I'm there.  I can think of half a dozen places that would suffice, but none within my driving restrictions.

Hence I come to my friends here.

I don't have a great deal of time to make my decision, the exam ends tomorrow, and if I want to have any hope of a moment to break free for a few days before the next stress and anxiety arrives full steam, I need to ship out quickly.

Does anyone have any recommendations for me?  Anyone know what I'm feeling or looking for?  Are there any places that fit my needs in the rough south-central area of the US?

These boards so often deal with trivial issues.  Help me find my muse here, and you'll have made one person on this earth a happier person.

The landscape around sedona is pretty damn win, but stay the hell away from the actual town unless you want to buy some drugs. I would even say try to camp out the whole time just to avoid the continuous facepalming brought on by the tourist traps/weird hippie mystic bullshit.

Its not terribly far but you could always do the talimena mountain drive that goes out of southeastern oklahoma and into the arkansas quartz mountains.  It's a pretty drive and curvy.  if you just want an open stretch of federal highway going to another state, this isn't it.  It's very pretty...although im not quite sure of the foilage this time of year.  But here in Ardmore alot of the trees are going to start blooming next week.  Anyway will the drive down there and then the drive into arkansas you are probably looking at 8-10 hours round-trip....more if you want to push it farther into the quartz mountains.

Shannon and I are going to do it later this year with the local Mini club when they all drive it together.

Just be back for Watchmen on March 6th...we are all going to that movie.

haha, I was going to suggest Sedona. There are a couple of natl. parks up around the AZ-UT border that are really nice like brice canyon, zion monument, and maybe one more...been too long since I went.

good luck with gasoline. what're the prices around over in OK?

COLORADO SPRINGS. 9 HOURS 30 MINUTES FROM OK CITY.  The town itself is large, but drive west or southwest from town and the farther you go the more alone you will be and the scenery is breathtaking.  I would recommend the drive from Buena Vista,Co to Breckenridge during the spring and summer months.  The first time I did it, I never forgot it. I took my kids a year ago and asked which was their favorite part, they both said it was between that section and the area around Glenwood Springs. Check the weather before you go.

edit- Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs