Longest driving vacation
08-17-2003, 08:30 PM
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Longest driving vacation
What's the longest you've taken?
I drove 5,000 miles in 9 days with a friend a bunch of years ago. Picked him up at O'Hare at noon on a Friday. Had lunch in Santa Fe on Saturday. Then drove through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Utah again, Wyoming, and back through Colorado.
Monument Valley at sunrise is the most spectacular place I've ever been. That same day, we had lunch on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and dinner on the north rim, 250 miles away by road, 9 miles following the crow.
Took the trip in early July. Saw 104 degrees on the temperature indicator of the Saab 9000 going from the south rim to the north rim (you drop about 5,000 feet to the Colorado River, and then climb back up) and 32 degrees at the top of Mt. Evans.
Rode the trams to Sandia Peak outside Albuquerque and the mountain (forget the name) outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Drove to the top of Mt Evans in Colorado.
Finished back in Chicago on Sunday of the following week.
Oh, yeah, and we saw 137 on the speedometer heading east toward Steamboat Springs on one of those amazing western two-lanes that feel wide enough for four lanes and open enough that we could see 10 miles of road (with no traffic) the whole time. I figured that was the closest I'd ever get to the top end claimed by Car & Driver to be 141.
Seeing the country through the windscreen was the whole point, and we saw a lot of it.
After we got back, I wrote several things about it. Among them was this:
Forty miles west of Amorillo, Texas, heading west on I-44, which follows there the old Route 66, after an endless stretch of billiard-table-flat Texas and Oklahoma farmland, there is a sudden, extraordinary change in the land. Coming over a little rise, the terrain changes character so abruptly and so dramatically that it seems to be a vast optical illusion, as if a line is drawn down the middle of the country: behind is the farmland, open but not very interesting; ahead for an unbelievable distance lie sharply defined mesas and buttes rising hundreds of feet above valleys stubbled with tumbleweed. You are suddenly, and without warning, in the West; and the feel of travel changes in a way that is profound.
Where I live, most of the time the driver of a car senses, and feels a part of, only at the most a mile or two in any direction at a time. He thinks of himself as being at this intersection or on the slope of this hill or in this particular neighborhood of the city.
Out west, you "feel" a county or more at a time. Even at freeway speeds it is not unusual for a mountain to be part of your here-and-now for two hours as it slowly fills the windshield and then recedes through the back window. At every turn in a city like Alberquerque or Salt Lake City the surrounding country for hundreds of square miles is a part of the view through the windshield and, therefore, part of your immediate reality. The resulting difference in the experience of driving is extraordinary: in a city out west you think of yourself as being in an enormous piece of the country which has a city in it; in Columbus, I think of myself as being in this neighborhood which has a city around it.
For those of us born and raised in a world bounded on the clearest of days by that hill three miles away, to suddenly be able to see 20 or 30 or even 50 miles at every crest of a hill is a glorious explosion of reality. And that is a major part of what draws me back to the West.
The TSX is the first car in a long time that has made me want to think about a long driving trip again. Anyone else feel that way?
I drove 5,000 miles in 9 days with a friend a bunch of years ago. Picked him up at O'Hare at noon on a Friday. Had lunch in Santa Fe on Saturday. Then drove through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Utah again, Wyoming, and back through Colorado.
Monument Valley at sunrise is the most spectacular place I've ever been. That same day, we had lunch on the south rim of the Grand Canyon and dinner on the north rim, 250 miles away by road, 9 miles following the crow.
Took the trip in early July. Saw 104 degrees on the temperature indicator of the Saab 9000 going from the south rim to the north rim (you drop about 5,000 feet to the Colorado River, and then climb back up) and 32 degrees at the top of Mt. Evans.
Rode the trams to Sandia Peak outside Albuquerque and the mountain (forget the name) outside Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Drove to the top of Mt Evans in Colorado.
Finished back in Chicago on Sunday of the following week.
Oh, yeah, and we saw 137 on the speedometer heading east toward Steamboat Springs on one of those amazing western two-lanes that feel wide enough for four lanes and open enough that we could see 10 miles of road (with no traffic) the whole time. I figured that was the closest I'd ever get to the top end claimed by Car & Driver to be 141.
Seeing the country through the windscreen was the whole point, and we saw a lot of it.
After we got back, I wrote several things about it. Among them was this:
Forty miles west of Amorillo, Texas, heading west on I-44, which follows there the old Route 66, after an endless stretch of billiard-table-flat Texas and Oklahoma farmland, there is a sudden, extraordinary change in the land. Coming over a little rise, the terrain changes character so abruptly and so dramatically that it seems to be a vast optical illusion, as if a line is drawn down the middle of the country: behind is the farmland, open but not very interesting; ahead for an unbelievable distance lie sharply defined mesas and buttes rising hundreds of feet above valleys stubbled with tumbleweed. You are suddenly, and without warning, in the West; and the feel of travel changes in a way that is profound.
Where I live, most of the time the driver of a car senses, and feels a part of, only at the most a mile or two in any direction at a time. He thinks of himself as being at this intersection or on the slope of this hill or in this particular neighborhood of the city.
Out west, you "feel" a county or more at a time. Even at freeway speeds it is not unusual for a mountain to be part of your here-and-now for two hours as it slowly fills the windshield and then recedes through the back window. At every turn in a city like Alberquerque or Salt Lake City the surrounding country for hundreds of square miles is a part of the view through the windshield and, therefore, part of your immediate reality. The resulting difference in the experience of driving is extraordinary: in a city out west you think of yourself as being in an enormous piece of the country which has a city in it; in Columbus, I think of myself as being in this neighborhood which has a city around it.
For those of us born and raised in a world bounded on the clearest of days by that hill three miles away, to suddenly be able to see 20 or 30 or even 50 miles at every crest of a hill is a glorious explosion of reality. And that is a major part of what draws me back to the West.
The TSX is the first car in a long time that has made me want to think about a long driving trip again. Anyone else feel that way?
08-17-2003, 09:00 PM
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.WOW!! That sounds like it was an amazing trip. The longest I have done is about 4000 miles. I drove from NYC to Boca Raton Florida, just north of Ft. Lauderdale. That was about 4 years ago. Now, especially after reading about your trip I want to do something along those lines, only with no set plan, basically just grab a few items of clothing and getting into the car and driving. I have been north and south of NYC, but never really west. I WANT TO AT LEAST CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!! 
I only face 2 problems.
One being my gf, I don't know if she would be up for it but I see no reason why she wouldn't be.
And the second problem would be getting the time off from work.
The kind of person I am though I'm pretty sure it will get done.
I mean geez the only reason I had for driving to FLA. was to return a package of breath mints to my brother that he had left at my mom's house when he left that morning!
I only face 2 problems.
One being my gf, I don't know if she would be up for it but I see no reason why she wouldn't be.
And the second problem would be getting the time off from work.
The kind of person I am though I'm pretty sure it will get done.
I mean geez the only reason I had for driving to FLA. was to return a package of breath mints to my brother that he had left at my mom's house when he left that morning!
08-17-2003, 09:22 PM
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Originally posted by sheik28
.WOW!! That sounds like it was an amazing trip. The longest I have done is about 4000 miles. I drove from NYC to Boca Raton Florida, just north of Ft. Lauderdale. That was about 4 years ago. Now, especially after reading about your trip I want to do something along those lines, only with no set plan, basically just grab a few items of clothing and getting into the car and driving. I have been north and south of NYC, but never really west. I WANT TO AT LEAST CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!!
I only face 2 problems.
One being my gf, I don't know if she would be up for it but I see no reason why she wouldn't be.
And the second problem would be getting the time off from work.
The kind of person I am though I'm pretty sure it will get done.
I mean geez the only reason I had for driving to FLA. was to return a package of breath mints to my brother that he had left at my mom's house when he left that morning!
.WOW!! That sounds like it was an amazing trip. The longest I have done is about 4000 miles. I drove from NYC to Boca Raton Florida, just north of Ft. Lauderdale. That was about 4 years ago. Now, especially after reading about your trip I want to do something along those lines, only with no set plan, basically just grab a few items of clothing and getting into the car and driving. I have been north and south of NYC, but never really west. I WANT TO AT LEAST CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!!
I only face 2 problems.
One being my gf, I don't know if she would be up for it but I see no reason why she wouldn't be.
And the second problem would be getting the time off from work.
The kind of person I am though I'm pretty sure it will get done.
I mean geez the only reason I had for driving to FLA. was to return a package of breath mints to my brother that he had left at my mom's house when he left that morning!
Go for it, Sheik! You gotta see the west, and there's no better way than in a car you love.
08-17-2003, 10:29 PM
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Re: Longest driving vacation
Originally posted by lshenretty
.....Where I live, most of the time the driver of a car senses, and feels a part of, only at the most a mile or two in any direction at a time. He thinks of himself as being at this intersection or on the slope of this hill or in this particular neighborhood of the city.
Out west, you "feel" a county or more at a time. Even at freeway speeds it is not unusual for a mountain to be part of your here-and-now for two hours as it slowly fills the windshield and then recedes through the back window. At every turn in a city like Alberquerque or Salt Lake City the surrounding country for hundreds of square miles is a part of the view through the windshield and, therefore, part of your immediate reality. The resulting difference in the experience of driving is extraordinary: in a city out west you think of yourself as being in an enormous piece of the country which has a city in it; in Columbus, I think of myself as being in this neighborhood which has a city around it.
For those of us born and raised in a world bounded on the clearest of days by that hill three miles away, to suddenly be able to see 20 or 30 or even 50 miles at every crest of a hill is a glorious explosion of reality. And that is a major part of what draws me back to the West.
The TSX is the first car in a long time that has made me want to think about a long driving trip again. Anyone else feel that way?
.....Where I live, most of the time the driver of a car senses, and feels a part of, only at the most a mile or two in any direction at a time. He thinks of himself as being at this intersection or on the slope of this hill or in this particular neighborhood of the city.
Out west, you "feel" a county or more at a time. Even at freeway speeds it is not unusual for a mountain to be part of your here-and-now for two hours as it slowly fills the windshield and then recedes through the back window. At every turn in a city like Alberquerque or Salt Lake City the surrounding country for hundreds of square miles is a part of the view through the windshield and, therefore, part of your immediate reality. The resulting difference in the experience of driving is extraordinary: in a city out west you think of yourself as being in an enormous piece of the country which has a city in it; in Columbus, I think of myself as being in this neighborhood which has a city around it.
For those of us born and raised in a world bounded on the clearest of days by that hill three miles away, to suddenly be able to see 20 or 30 or even 50 miles at every crest of a hill is a glorious explosion of reality. And that is a major part of what draws me back to the West.
The TSX is the first car in a long time that has made me want to think about a long driving trip again. Anyone else feel that way?
I've taken the liberty of also putting it over here:
http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...5569#post25569
08-17-2003, 10:42 PM
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Originally posted by sheik28
I have been north and south of NYC, but never really west. I WANT TO AT LEAST CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!!
I have been north and south of NYC, but never really west. I WANT TO AT LEAST CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER!!!
j/kI made a couple friends who relocated from the midwest last year, and they were astouded by how ignorant east coasters are of the area between NYC and California, myself included.
BTW, I've driven to Massachusetts and Georgia, but I've never left the timezone by car.
08-17-2003, 11:02 PM
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Originally posted by jcg878
lol... if I may stereotype for a moment, that is so typical of us east coasters. We've been north, we've been south... but WEST???.....I've driven to Massachusetts and Georgia, but I've never left the timezone by car.
lol... if I may stereotype for a moment, that is so typical of us east coasters. We've been north, we've been south... but WEST???.....I've driven to Massachusetts and Georgia, but I've never left the timezone by car.
I have driven west -- halfway, anyway -- but not in a long time. In school days, went back a forth a few times between NY and Wisconsin. And you know, there was always much more of a feeling of "doing the country" when you go east-west than when you go north-south. Been back and forth a few times between NY and Florida, and between NY and Maine.
Somehow it's not like going <<<< thata way or >>>> thata way.
08-17-2003, 11:06 PM
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DAyum this is one of my goals that i will accomplish. Set aside a month or two and jsut drive across country with no destination in mind. wherever, whenever, whoever...someday it will happen.
great story!!
great story!!
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08-18-2003, 07:37 AM
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Originally posted by mcourt83
9100 miles in about 30 days. My brother and I took a cross-country trip in 1988.
9100 miles in about 30 days. My brother and I took a cross-country trip in 1988.
That's gotta be close to the longest. You're going to have a lot of guys here envious.
The fact that you can do that without being stopped by more than a toll booth is one of the great things about this country. I met a young guy in England once who was determined to get to the States just to do that - climb into a car on the east coast and drive 2500 miles west. The idea that we could do that was all he could talk about.
08-18-2003, 07:45 AM
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That's one of the best things I've ever read on this (or the other) forum, lshenretty. Really.
I'm an east coaster and the only part of the west I've seen is Breckenridge, CO and Vegas. Neither of which I got to drive. A damn shame after reading your post. Thanks.
I'm an east coaster and the only part of the west I've seen is Breckenridge, CO and Vegas. Neither of which I got to drive. A damn shame after reading your post. Thanks.
08-18-2003, 08:16 AM
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Originally posted by captainjack
That's one of the best things I've ever read on this (or the other) forum, lshenretty. Really.
I'm an east coaster and the only part of the west I've seen is Breckenridge, CO and Vegas. Neither of which I got to drive. A damn shame after reading your post. Thanks.
That's one of the best things I've ever read on this (or the other) forum, lshenretty. Really.
I'm an east coaster and the only part of the west I've seen is Breckenridge, CO and Vegas. Neither of which I got to drive. A damn shame after reading your post. Thanks.
Thanks, captain.
There's some beautiful country around Vegas. You just can't see it from inside one of those caves they call a casino. Was out there a few years ago for a conference, and the best thing I did was rent a Miata for a day and head into the mountains north of town. Can't think of a much better way to use a convertible.
08-18-2003, 10:10 AM
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Great read. My boss just drove 6100 miles in 15 days this summer. From South FL to Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sedona, etc. Drove with his family in a Honda Odyssey.. not quite as fun to drive, but a great vehicle for the trip.
08-18-2003, 10:36 AM
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Not sure if it counts as a "road trip" but my G/F and I drove from LA to East Brunswick NJ in four days (3000 miles -- went through Texas, Oklahoma, etc.) We drove her '92 Eclipse, no A/C and it was September. Just a one-way trip though; she was taking her car out to begin school at Rutgers.
We made the cross country trip 4 times total (she came home to Cali for the summer and then back for her senior year), and took 3 different routes. Our favorite was through PA, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado...
Just one traffic ticket during the whole 12000 miles -- in Kansas -- going in the mid 70's
We drove though a tornado zone later that night -- scariest sh-t I've ever experienced in a car. Almost had to pull over and wait it out under a bridge.
We made the cross country trip 4 times total (she came home to Cali for the summer and then back for her senior year), and took 3 different routes. Our favorite was through PA, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado...
Just one traffic ticket during the whole 12000 miles -- in Kansas -- going in the mid 70's
We drove though a tornado zone later that night -- scariest sh-t I've ever experienced in a car. Almost had to pull over and wait it out under a bridge.
08-18-2003, 11:05 AM
#14
Originallly being from the NY/NJ area I must say there are a lot of things east coasters are missing west of the Mississippi. Even though these road trips are not that long, I've driven from NY to FL, NY to Boston, LA to SF, and LA to Denver in my driving career. I must say, the NY to Boston and NY to FL drive would rank as #3 and #4 in terms of my best road trips, respectively.
My #2 best road trip was the drive from LA to SF. It is only about a 400 mile drive but there is a coastal highway along the cali coast that curves and weaves itself alongside the Pacific Ocean from LA to San Francisco. Nothing is more exciting, and relaxing at the same time, then powering thru the oh-so-fun curves while having the pacific ocean in your view stretch for miles. When you pass thru SF, you pass over the infamous Golden Gate Bridge where you can stop and catch a glimpse of alcatraz and the SF skyline, if you catch it at the right time when the fog is moving in it's just breathtaking.
The Drive from LA to Denver would be my #1 best road trip. The drive is about 1000 miles. Along the way we stopped in Vegas to try our luck and fuel up with their infamous buffets. (nope, didn't stop at their infamous t-bars as i was driving with the gf
) passing through Nevada to Utah to Colorado we pass through several state and national parks. the views with the snow capped mountains, rock formations, wide open plains, flowing rivers, etc are just amazing. there are many scenic points that we took advantage of, even viewing natural wildlife at some points. the driving fun gets even better when we reach the rockies with its twisty mountain roads.
i would recommend LA to SF and LA to Denver drives to anyone as they are both fun and breathtaking. the only drives i miss from the northeast is during the fall season when the leaves change color. for all you east coasters, just get in your TSX and drive west! you wont regret it!
My #2 best road trip was the drive from LA to SF. It is only about a 400 mile drive but there is a coastal highway along the cali coast that curves and weaves itself alongside the Pacific Ocean from LA to San Francisco. Nothing is more exciting, and relaxing at the same time, then powering thru the oh-so-fun curves while having the pacific ocean in your view stretch for miles. When you pass thru SF, you pass over the infamous Golden Gate Bridge where you can stop and catch a glimpse of alcatraz and the SF skyline, if you catch it at the right time when the fog is moving in it's just breathtaking.
The Drive from LA to Denver would be my #1 best road trip. The drive is about 1000 miles. Along the way we stopped in Vegas to try our luck and fuel up with their infamous buffets. (nope, didn't stop at their infamous t-bars as i was driving with the gf
) passing through Nevada to Utah to Colorado we pass through several state and national parks. the views with the snow capped mountains, rock formations, wide open plains, flowing rivers, etc are just amazing. there are many scenic points that we took advantage of, even viewing natural wildlife at some points. the driving fun gets even better when we reach the rockies with its twisty mountain roads. i would recommend LA to SF and LA to Denver drives to anyone as they are both fun and breathtaking. the only drives i miss from the northeast is during the fall season when the leaves change color. for all you east coasters, just get in your TSX and drive west! you wont regret it!
08-18-2003, 03:03 PM
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That's Highway 1 along the coast LA to SF, and it is a spectacular drive. You're right about that.
You don't take this road accidentally. Much of it is slow going, even if you drive aggressively, which you're probably not going to be able to do if you have a passenger, especially of the common-sense-burdened-spouse variety. And it's a long way - probably quite a bit more than the 400 miles or so if you take I-5, the inland interstate.
But dabuda is absolutely right. It's well worth it. Doing it in a couple days would be perfect. Three would even be better - you'd have plenty of time to take in the vistas. One of the CA guys can probably help with where a good stopover is. Maybe Big Sur?
Anyone interested in trying to organize a meet-drive out there? That would be hard to pass up.
You don't take this road accidentally. Much of it is slow going, even if you drive aggressively, which you're probably not going to be able to do if you have a passenger, especially of the common-sense-burdened-spouse variety. And it's a long way - probably quite a bit more than the 400 miles or so if you take I-5, the inland interstate.
But dabuda is absolutely right. It's well worth it. Doing it in a couple days would be perfect. Three would even be better - you'd have plenty of time to take in the vistas. One of the CA guys can probably help with where a good stopover is. Maybe Big Sur?
Anyone interested in trying to organize a meet-drive out there? That would be hard to pass up.
08-18-2003, 04:25 PM
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Originally posted by lshenretty
That's Highway 1 along the coast LA to SF, and it is a spectacular drive.....
You don't take this road accidentally. Much of it is slow going, even if you drive aggressively, which you're probably not going to be able to do if you have a passenger, especially of the common-sense-burdened-spouse variety......
That's Highway 1 along the coast LA to SF, and it is a spectacular drive.....
You don't take this road accidentally. Much of it is slow going, even if you drive aggressively, which you're probably not going to be able to do if you have a passenger, especially of the common-sense-burdened-spouse variety......
BTW -- I've wondered, what is it about rides being harder on the passenger? Is it just psychological -- you know, "not being in control" -- or, something sort of related, which is that if you're the driver you always know what's happening so you're always automatically bracing yourself in the best way, or just that holding the steering wheel gives you extra stability, or some combination of the above, or something different about the seat (unlikely I think)?
I have a feeling the answer is going to be "yes."
08-18-2003, 04:31 PM
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Originally posted by larchmont
I was gonna ask if this was Rt. 1. Never driven on it, but I know it's legendary.
BTW -- I've wondered, what is it about rides being harder on the passenger? Is it just psychological -- you know, "not being in control" -- or, something sort of related, which is that if you're the driver you always know what's happening so you're always automatically bracing yourself in the best way, or just that holding the steering wheel gives you extra stability, or some combination of the above, or something different about the seat (unlikely I think)?
I have a feeling the answer is going to be "yes."
I was gonna ask if this was Rt. 1. Never driven on it, but I know it's legendary.
BTW -- I've wondered, what is it about rides being harder on the passenger? Is it just psychological -- you know, "not being in control" -- or, something sort of related, which is that if you're the driver you always know what's happening so you're always automatically bracing yourself in the best way, or just that holding the steering wheel gives you extra stability, or some combination of the above, or something different about the seat (unlikely I think)?
I have a feeling the answer is going to be "yes."
08-18-2003, 04:56 PM
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My longest roadtrip occurred last summer on an adventure from Northern California to Colorado and back. 2500 miles roundtrip over 10 days. Experienced and photographed a lot of awesome scenery throughout the American Southwest. Endured 110+ degree temperatures for most of the trip.
Photos here:
http://www.pbase.com/xplorx4/200207_roadtrip
The next long roadtrip I plan to take will be to either Alaska or to Yellowstone NP.
Photos here:
http://www.pbase.com/xplorx4/200207_roadtrip
The next long roadtrip I plan to take will be to either Alaska or to Yellowstone NP.
08-18-2003, 05:02 PM
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Originally posted by larchmont
.......I've wondered, what is it about rides being harder on the passenger? ......
.......I've wondered, what is it about rides being harder on the passenger? ......
But it doesn't have to be aggressive to be uncomfortable. I've ridden with a few people, my wife included, who drive without cruise control and without paying any attention to the traffic around them until they have to. So they run up onto the bumper of someone, then hit the brake, then start craning around to see if they can pull into the passing lane, usually jerking the steering wheel and swerving left in the process, then floor it to go around, then as often as not slow back down to the point that the car they just passed has to pass them, and it starts all over.
And around town, they treat the accelerator like an on/off switch, and you're either straining to keep your face off the dash or straining to keep from bouncing your head off the restraint.
I hate drivers like that when I encounter them, but I hate it worse to be riding with one.
Doesn't answer Larch's question, but I seldom miss a chance to vent.
And I feel so much better.
08-18-2003, 05:08 PM
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Originally posted by XPLORx4
My longest roadtrip occurred last summer on an adventure from Northern California to Colorado and back. 2500 miles roundtrip over 10 days. Experienced and photographed a lot of awesome scenery throughout the American Southwest. Endured 110+ degree temperatures for most of the trip.
Photos here:
http://www.pbase.com/xplorx4/200207_roadtrip
My longest roadtrip occurred last summer on an adventure from Northern California to Colorado and back. 2500 miles roundtrip over 10 days. Experienced and photographed a lot of awesome scenery throughout the American Southwest. Endured 110+ degree temperatures for most of the trip.
Photos here:
http://www.pbase.com/xplorx4/200207_roadtrip
I love this one. Gives me a little vertigo just looking at it.
http://www.pbase.com/image/3509507
And this. How would you guys like to drive your TSX through this stretch?
http://www.pbase.com/image/3510392
You think you might be a little uncomfortable as a passenger here, Larch? I would be. I'd want to be driving.
08-18-2003, 05:30 PM
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Originally posted by lshenretty
It's always hard to ride with someone who isn't driving smoothly, and I would doubt that many of us are good enough to drive aggressively and smoothly at the same time.
But it doesn't have to be aggressive to be uncomfortable. I've ridden with a few people, my wife included, who drive without cruise control and without paying any attention to the traffic around them until they have to. So they run up onto the bumper of someone, then hit the brake, then start craning around to see if they can pull into the passing lane, usually jerking the steering wheel and swerving left in the process, then floor it to go around, then as often as not slow back down to the point that the car they just passed has to pass them, and it starts all over.
And around town, they treat the accelerator like an on/off switch, and you're either straining to keep your face off the dash or straining to keep from bouncing your head off the restraint.
I hate drivers like that when I encounter them, but I hate it worse to be riding with one.
Doesn't answer Larch's question, but I seldom miss a chance to vent.....
It's always hard to ride with someone who isn't driving smoothly, and I would doubt that many of us are good enough to drive aggressively and smoothly at the same time.
But it doesn't have to be aggressive to be uncomfortable. I've ridden with a few people, my wife included, who drive without cruise control and without paying any attention to the traffic around them until they have to. So they run up onto the bumper of someone, then hit the brake, then start craning around to see if they can pull into the passing lane, usually jerking the steering wheel and swerving left in the process, then floor it to go around, then as often as not slow back down to the point that the car they just passed has to pass them, and it starts all over.
And around town, they treat the accelerator like an on/off switch, and you're either straining to keep your face off the dash or straining to keep from bouncing your head off the restraint.
I hate drivers like that when I encounter them, but I hate it worse to be riding with one.
Doesn't answer Larch's question, but I seldom miss a chance to vent.....
08-18-2003, 07:30 PM
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Originally posted by larchmont
Gonna show this to the lady. Damn right she'll think you answered my question!
Gonna show this to the lady. Damn right she'll think you answered my question!
They'll probably just nod and say "Yeah. I hate it when people drive that way!"
08-18-2003, 08:58 PM
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Originally posted by LeMasseHammer
Not sure if it counts as a "road trip" but my G/F and I drove from LA to East Brunswick NJ in four days (3000 miles -- went through Texas, Oklahoma, etc.) We drove her '92 Eclipse, no A/C and it was September. Just a one-way trip though; she was taking her car out to begin school at Rutgers.
We made the cross country trip 4 times total (she came home to Cali for the summer and then back for her senior year), and took 3 different routes. Our favorite was through PA, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado...
Not sure if it counts as a "road trip" but my G/F and I drove from LA to East Brunswick NJ in four days (3000 miles -- went through Texas, Oklahoma, etc.) We drove her '92 Eclipse, no A/C and it was September. Just a one-way trip though; she was taking her car out to begin school at Rutgers.
We made the cross country trip 4 times total (she came home to Cali for the summer and then back for her senior year), and took 3 different routes. Our favorite was through PA, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado...
My longest was from Rutgers to Toronto and back, one of those post-college pre-work road trips and the objective was good dim-sum. Objective met. Toronto is cool. If I drive up there again, it seems I'll be seeing a lot of TSXs (based on here).
Go R U!
08-18-2003, 09:04 PM
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Originally posted by lshenretty
Great idea. Send it back to me as if you wrote it, and I'll show it to a couple people who need to see it.
They'll probably just nod and say "Yeah. I hate it when people drive that way!"
Great idea. Send it back to me as if you wrote it, and I'll show it to a couple people who need to see it.
They'll probably just nod and say "Yeah. I hate it when people drive that way!"
XPLORx4, I think your pictures just inspired MY west coast trip! Some great photography in there.
08-19-2003, 07:55 AM
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Originally posted by larchmont
Gonna show this to the lady. Damn right she'll think you answered my question!
Gonna show this to the lady. Damn right she'll think you answered my question!
Can't be, larch. Say it isn't so.
08-19-2003, 11:32 AM
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Originally posted by lshenretty
Just re-read this. I think I misunderstood it the first time. You're saying she's gonna read it and say "That's exactly how you drive"?
Can't be, larch. Say it isn't so.
Just re-read this. I think I misunderstood it the first time. You're saying she's gonna read it and say "That's exactly how you drive"?
Can't be, larch. Say it isn't so.
But of course she would be WRONG!
08-19-2003, 12:49 PM
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My longest roadtrip is between Washington DC and Key West, for a total of what, 2500 miles roundtrip? My most recent one was from DC to Miami, FL on 6/7/03 with my then-fiance, now-wife. There was about 2200 miles in that trip.
I love road trips. Like the stereotypical eastcoaster, I've driven north to Toronto, Cape of Massechusettes, south to Key West, but the west-most point I've driven is the mountains and rivers of West Virginia for a bit of light camping and white water rafting.
My most memorable road trip was the first one I took back in the winter of 1985. I was 11 years old, fresh off the boat from China, taking in the wonders of this new world. My dad was a "visiting scholar" in Washington DC, and our family of four packed into a little red 1979 Honda Civic 2-door hatch back and putted our way to Orlando, FL. I had never experienced anything like that before. The concept of driving a privately owned vehicle anywhere we wanted within a vast network of smooth highways is something out of a fairy tale. But with the in-rush of new things I was coming in contact with each day, I filed this one away with ice-chilled pineapple flavored sodas. Through two days of driving, we went started out with clear sunny weather, into a snow storm somewhere in the Carolinas, then out into rain in Georgia, and then sunny again in Florida. It was strange and exciting to go into and come out of weather, as opposed to have weather come and go.
A few years later, our red little hatch back was vandalized, smashed up and ultimately sold as a parts car. But I'd like to think that my enjoyment of road trips, and my preference for Honda automobiles are all linked back to that first trip. 1.5 Liters and 63HP never felt so great.
I love road trips. Like the stereotypical eastcoaster, I've driven north to Toronto, Cape of Massechusettes, south to Key West, but the west-most point I've driven is the mountains and rivers of West Virginia for a bit of light camping and white water rafting.
My most memorable road trip was the first one I took back in the winter of 1985. I was 11 years old, fresh off the boat from China, taking in the wonders of this new world. My dad was a "visiting scholar" in Washington DC, and our family of four packed into a little red 1979 Honda Civic 2-door hatch back and putted our way to Orlando, FL. I had never experienced anything like that before. The concept of driving a privately owned vehicle anywhere we wanted within a vast network of smooth highways is something out of a fairy tale. But with the in-rush of new things I was coming in contact with each day, I filed this one away with ice-chilled pineapple flavored sodas. Through two days of driving, we went started out with clear sunny weather, into a snow storm somewhere in the Carolinas, then out into rain in Georgia, and then sunny again in Florida. It was strange and exciting to go into and come out of weather, as opposed to have weather come and go.
A few years later, our red little hatch back was vandalized, smashed up and ultimately sold as a parts car. But I'd like to think that my enjoyment of road trips, and my preference for Honda automobiles are all linked back to that first trip. 1.5 Liters and 63HP never felt so great.
08-19-2003, 06:28 PM
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Originally posted by LeeLee
I was 11 years old, fresh off the boat from China, taking in the wonders of this new world. My dad was a "visiting scholar" in Washington DC, and our family of four packed into a little red 1979 Honda Civic 2-door hatch back and putted our way to Orlando, FL. I had never experienced anything like that before. The concept of driving a privately owned vehicle anywhere we wanted within a vast network of smooth highways is something out of a fairy tale.
I was 11 years old, fresh off the boat from China, taking in the wonders of this new world. My dad was a "visiting scholar" in Washington DC, and our family of four packed into a little red 1979 Honda Civic 2-door hatch back and putted our way to Orlando, FL. I had never experienced anything like that before. The concept of driving a privately owned vehicle anywhere we wanted within a vast network of smooth highways is something out of a fairy tale.
And more to the point of this forum, the freedom to move at will through this vast country is something we probably don't appreciate enough, although it's surely the source of our love of the automobile.
Thanks for reminding us. We're glad you're here.
08-19-2003, 08:56 PM
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Originally posted by lshenretty
..... the freedom to move at will through this vast country is something we probably don't appreciate enough, although it's surely the source of our love of the automobile......
..... the freedom to move at will through this vast country is something we probably don't appreciate enough, although it's surely the source of our love of the automobile......
08-19-2003, 09:12 PM
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I've done cross country trips by myself with 40 hours driving over 3100 miles from Oregon to Virginia or to New England. Done that about 5 or 6 times in the past 2 years, first in my Accord and then in my TL, both are great on the highway, though the TL has double the horsepower, literally. If I were driving a Camry or any Buick I would honestly have fallen asleep at the wheel in some states.
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