The Friday Five
06/06/2014
On The Road Again
1 What is the longest drive you have ever driven?
With one destination: Eastern Vermont to San Diego County California, a long scenic drive across Ontario, back into the US at Sault Ste. Marie, down through Wisconsin/Iowa, across to Colorado/Utah and down, in a big S-shape, 3600 miles. Felt like continuing but there was the problem of the Pacific Ocean. The drive back was more straight, didn't involve Canada and thus shorter. But I did encounter Bigfoot off US 50 in southern Indiana.
With multiple destinations: driving in a truck convoy from Lancaster County Pennsylvania out to several stops in South Dakota, then over to Wyoming and up to Crow Agency Montana, then all over Montana as far as Cut Bank (up near Alberta) and then back to PA. It was somewhere over 5000 miles.
Longest drive in one sitting: possibly the panhandle of West Virginia to New Orleans, which is probably about a thousand miles. I don't recommend it. There are hallucinations waiting on the highway in Alabama.
2 Have you ever come across a stretch of road that scared you to cross?
Can't think of any really. Closest I can think of was trying to find a local music hall at a little village in Nova Scotia following typical word-of-mouth directions - we wound up on a dirt road that went on and on and on 20 miles or so (which it was supposed to be) but then the road became one lane, then it became nothing more than a grass path through the forest. Finally convinced we were off track I had to simply stop, throw 'er in reverse and back up about four miles to find a place to turn around.
We found the place at a later date with better directions.
But again, fear isn't a factor. I like a challenge.
3 What is the worst driving conditions you have ever experienced?
Realistically the "worst" may be any long, boring freeway that all looks the same. Like driving across South Dakota with nothing but army recruiting ads and counting down the mileage to Wall. The most challenging (which I find stimulating) would be more like the time I went to visit a friend in western NC (about 150 miles) and it started snowing hard as I was leaving... by around Waynesville everybody stopped for a semi that had jackknifed, so I backed up and took an alternate pass (there are two that cross the mountains)-- snow built up more and more, by Cherokee all lights were off and all businesses closed. Kept on until coming upon a tree that had fallen across the road.
I had only covered about 90 miles so I had to turn around. The road I had come in on was now closed -- or so the sign said. "Good", I thought, there won't be any morons in my way". Sure enough after driving around the road closed sign all I came upon was snowplows. Drove the rest of the way home slaloming around abandoned cars and up to my back door. Did the whole thing in a small front-wheel drive Saturn station wagon with no particular special tires -- but had a stick shift, which makes all the difference.
I love driving but I really love snow driving. My favourite sport.
4 Do you sing alone in your car?
Probably once in a great while but most of the time I'm listening. Either to what's on the sound system, or even better, my own thougthts. Driving is zen meditation for me -- that's assuming I'm on a long trip and don't need to navigate for a while. It's where I do my best thinking.
5 Have you ever been pulled over for speeding?
As much driving as I do it would be hard not to. Last time was let off with a warning with no speed specified (which tells me he really didn't know); the time before was the speed trap town of Benton Tennessee
- I gave them my list of discoveries which they skirted around illegally and the judge wanted to play the part of Mister Nice Guy, so I let him and didn't let on that I knew Tennessee and Carolina don't share their ticket info anyway. The time before that, I gave them my discovery list (the cop's traning record, record of who else he ticketed that day, certification of radar calibration, road survey, etc etc) and they responded with "um, the judge is just gonna dismiss your ticket"".
I don't drive for speed and I don't understand those who do. I drive for efficiency, in a nice relaxed manner. At the end of 700 miles I'm rested and ready to do another 700 rather than worn out from winding myself up trying to pass everything on the road. But driving for efficiency means sometimes given the benefit of a nice downslope, gravity is going to give you a boost, and it's senseless to say no. As far as energy expenditure I drive basically the same way one rides a mountain bike.
The best technique I have: constant throttle -- let the car slow on upgrades and speed up on downgrades (within reason) and don't try to compensate to keep a set speed. I've busted 50 mpg repeatedly this way.
