It's Easter. (Happy Easter.) I drove 1235 miles yesterday. Crazy? I set out, as you can see from the last post, thinking it was possible. I was starting at 6 a.m., before dawn, so I'd have a whole long day of sunlight. I'd be way into Iowa before it would get dark again. It would be easy to drive as far as Des Moines. But why stop at a motel in Des Moines, when home is so close? But if you don't stop in Des Moines, you aren't going to see any other good place to stop. And it so annoying to stop, unload, check in, sleep in an unfamiliar place, pack up, pay, load the car back up, when if you just put in a few more hours, you can be sleeping in your own bed.
I kept thinking about the time I drove 1100 miles. If I can do 1100, why not 1200? Of course, the 1100 was a mistake. I'd driven all the way from Madison to Salt Lake City and then made the snap decision to just go as far as the next town, which was remarkably ignorant. Still, I did it, and this time, the end of the drive would be familiar territory -- the push through Dubuque, across the bridge to the southwest corner of Wisconsin, and then the final stretch, which looks horribly desolate at night but is nowhere near as desolate as the Great Salt Lake Desert.
UPDATE: Something in the comments makes me realize that 1100 was not the distance I drove when I went from Madison to Wendover, Nevada. Checking Google Maps, I see it was 1,476 miles! I wish I'd realized that when I was driving 1235 miles on Saturday. I think it would have eased my mind. What a nut I was to drive almost 1500 miles that time! Yes, I think it was about 1100 to Salt Lake, and then I thought I should go a little further, without realizing I was at the edge of a 300 mile desert.
April 8, 2007
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45 comments:
Glad you're home safe. :)
I wonder if that parenthetical "Happy Easter" will satisfy The Maxine.
Good to have you back, Ann! I've done that 'frazzlizing' driving, and it messes you up for at least a day in a strange place! Still, driving itself give you that tunnel vision.
Did you get to Guerros? Threadgills? Kruez (sp) market?
If you don't drive the 1200 you get a room in Iowa, basically you're paying to sleep 6 hours and have a shower. Its not like you're going to sleep very well in a Motel room. Plus you're facing driving all day Sunday.
This way you get to rest up all day today and you're sleeping in your own bed - meaning you'll actually get some quality rest.
I'm sure you're glad you did it now.
Been there, done that. Denver to Morristown, NJ non-stop. (Although my wife did take the wheel for a 2 hour spell around Cincinnatti.) My son drove from Moscow, ID to Morristown solo three years ago. Said it was fine except for the hippos in tu-tus that showed up and danced on the dashboard as he drove across Pennsylvania.
Never again!
Glad to see you made it home safe and sound. From your posts it sounds like you had a great time.
If I'd had someone to share the driving with, it would have been a snap!
Longest I've ever done was Knoxville to Amarillo (about 1100), which was done in one shot so as not to violate the Never Wake Up in Oklahoma Rule. I was hallucinating like a dogsled driver out on the Iditarod by the time I finally quit. Glad you made it home safe.
It's Easter. (Happy Easter.)---Althouse
Yeah, I'm just bowled over by the sincerity. So genuine. Althouse truly wants everyone to have a most joyous Easter.
That's why she's carefully layered each basket with grass, a chocolate bunny, marshmellow and colored eggs.
And, that's just for her readers. Of course the Althouse children get even more extensive Easter baskets.
Later, Althouse will prepare the traditional ham with mint jelly, with a special easter slaw, and hors'deurves of deviled egss etc..
Peace, Maxine
Glad you made it back safely. I've done trips like that before, though never that long on a solo venture.
I wish I'd had more blog-reading time while you were here in Texas, as I'm sure I would've had a few things to say. Hope you enjoyed your stay here.
I find that the always-accompanying dog gets tired after 500 miles.
I usually leave at 2am, after the drunks are mostly gone, making sure first that there's no big city rush hour looming at wherever 7am will find you. But it's a more interesting time to drive, if you don't do it often.
It's you and some jaded truckers out there, and not much else traffic-wise.
Ann, well done! If you'd done it on a motorcycle, you'd have been completing a "SaddleSore 1000," an official ride of the Iron Butt Association. It requires a documented ride of >1000 miles in <24 hours. The next higher difficulty ride is the "Bun Burner Gold," which requires >1500 miles in <24 hours. I know folks probably think it's harder on a motorcycle, but I think it's harder in a car, so again, well done!
Chris
LOL. Thanks for the memories, Ann. In 1984 I did an 18 hour pound (including an hour rest stop on the lovely Merced River) from Tacoma down here to Orange County in my Alfa (1145 mi.). Thanksgiving of 1985, after a fairly "relaxed" day trip from OC, and two days of skiing at Alta, I left Provo, drove through Heber City for a half-day at Park City, hopped in the Alfa and pounded on down to Tonopah. After about a five-hour rest, drove to Mammoth for a half-day - almost all on "Gunslinger". Then I hopped in the Alfa, and drove home (1637 mi. altogether).
Of course, I was MUCH younger then. :)
1000 miles plus in a day?
Nothing.
You people should try 10 round the M25 in the morning rush hour!
Kevin: If it wasn't a cool car, it would all have been different, though, right?
I love my car, and it is extremely comfortable. The ergonomics are perfect for me. I didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable the whole time. My only real concerns were: 1. falling asleep and 2. visual fatigue. I was never really sleepy. (I stayed up 2 more hours after I got home.) But periodically I felt unalert. I would turn down the temperature and turn up the radio. The vision was the biggest problem, especially in the end on the dark road where I had to concentrate on the painted lines and the tail lights ahead.
So YOU'RE the one who almost ran me off the road yesterday here in Des Moines! Stop here next time and I'll buy you a cup of coffee for the road.
Glad you made it safely. Happy Easter!
Ha ha, if we're going to compare lengths, so to speak, like the guys in neighboring urinals, then when I was (a lot) younger I drove from Chicago to San Francisco (2200 miles) in one go. I think it was about 36 hours, on account of those wretched 55 MPH speed limits. No big problem, but I do recall being so damned tired of Nebraska that I pulled over when I finally got to the Wyoming state line and took a leak, standing on Wyoming, on Nebraska.
Oops, that was "Shaft", not "Gunslinger".
Yeah Ann, having the right car (or bike) is key. The old Alfa's performance (115 mph top end - which I did most of the way through Nevada) would be mediocre for an econobox today. And, of course, I was on a first name basis with my mechanic. (In fact, on the trip north to Tacoma, I had to call him at home from Petaluma.) But, when everything was running right, it was marvelous - the classic European GT.
Ann,
You are definately a better man (ok, person) than I here. Back in my late 20s and early 30s, I would drive nonstop from D.C. to Colorado or the reverse a couple of times a year. That was somewhere around 36 hours - I would leave after work, drive all night, and then through the next day and night, getting in around dawn.
But more recently, I popped back and forth between either Golden or Dillon CO and Phoenix, which is usually between 750 and 800 miles, and have only a couple times been able to do it in one shot - usually, like you this time, coming back. Then, when I start getting back into CO, I think how easy it is from here on in. Then I get a bit closer, and remember how close I am, etc. And, I can keep that up the last 250 miles or so.
But that 800 miles is a fairly hard limit now for me. And I tend to split it up anyway, usually 300 and 500, though sometimes I stay in Durango/Cortez, which is pretty close to half way.
So, welcome back, and congrats on a good trip.
Ron,
I spent my five to six years in Austin immediately adjacent to what is now the southern Threadgills (by the Armadillo Headquarters) in the high rise office building next door (One Texas Center). Unfortunately, Threadgills was only there the last couple of years that I was in Austin. And, as with anything that is that close (by far, the closest place to eat to work), I didn't eat there nearly as often as I think I should have.
"The Maxine" -- Ruth Anne, that's priceless.
cdhall, a friend of mine did a Saddlesore 1000 ride back in 2005. He stopped at a Harley shop in central Louisiana to record the event. Imagine the looks on the faces of the guys at the shop when they went outside and got a look at his vehicle -- a Vespa scooter.
Ann, I'm glad you're home safe. So, when faced with a 1300 mile trip, are you going to think back on this and ask "what's another 100?"
Oh, incidentally, I intend to shortly approximate some of the old glories (foolishnesses?) - albeit in a more mature manner. I recently bought a Volvo Turbo Wagon, which shares a lot of characteristics with the old Alfa - save for that it is a hell of a lot more reliable, and hauls a hell of a lot more. And I've been looking at BMW R1150RTs - Although economics might force me into something like a Honda V65 Magna. And I've got relatives who have moved to Tennessee, and old AF buddies in Florida and Georgia.
Good show. I've done over a 1000 miles more than once. Newport, TN to S.Sioux City, IA comes readily to mind.
That's an amazing trek. The one and only time I have been to Madison was when I stopped there on a North Carolina to Seattle drive. Lexington, NC to Madison was a little over 900 miles, by far the longest I have driven in one day.
Welcome home!
Jeff: Wow! But when there's a second driver, it's entirely different. You can go forever. Why would anyone stop at a roadside motel if they aren't alone? (I can credit one answer: they are overcome with sexual passion. But that seems to be just a lack of creativity.)
Just did 990 miles (Outer Banks to Chicago) in ~ 15 hours but with a second driver it really was a snap, and as Anne said we could have gone on for a lot longer. From Toledo to Chicago there's really nowhere to stop, so you might as well come on through to your own bed.
Heh. We drove from Denver to Sacramento (1185 miles) in one day (exactly) once, which would have worked out better had the car not broken down near Laramie. On Labor Day. I'm actually kind of shocked we were able to get back on the road so soon.
I think the hardest endurance slog we ever did was driving down from Spokane to Eugene (~400 miles) and then back the next day... for six weeks running on our days off. We really didn't want to drive a moving van down the Columbia River Gorge.
Solo endurance stories eh?
Well then, try 1100 miles in one day from Dallas/Fort Worth to Luke AFB, AZ. I did it in August of 1973. Not too big a deal in a nice air-conditioned car, but I did it on a 1972 Kawasaki H-2. The H-2 is a high-revving two-stroke motorcycle, with a max range of 130 miles betwen fillups including 'reserve' (a challenge when crossing West Texas), and the vibration at speed will put your feet asleep to make those pit stops sporty. Gawd, I was an idiot, young, or both.
Reminds me of my 1976 ride from Biloxi to New York non-stop.... on a 400 cc Honda motorcycle ... in the rain. Young & dumb.
I'm not sure many of you get it. I know Ann does, as "Alfa" perked her ears.
There's a difference between a "pound" and a "magic drive." Peter, I pity your trip across the "I" states. But, from what I gather from my correspondents, the trip from Newport to Frankfort should have been pure magic time. Unless, perhaps, you were in the wrong vicuhle, or with the wrong company.
On Nov. 17, 1971, Dan Gurney and Brock Yates rolled into the Portofino Inn, in Redondo Beach, CA, 35 hours and 54 minutes after leaving NYC.
Well, this would normally be just a pound. But who among us wouldn't give up a big portion of their trust fund, just to spend a couple of hours at the wheel of a Ferrari Daytona, or with either Dan Gurney or Brock Yates at their side?
Early one day in October of 1975, one of my Air Force compatriots (whose name I can't recall), and I arrived here in Orange County, Ca, about 24 hrs. after leaving Keesler AFB, in Biloxi MS (about 1960 mi, distant), We had a sleeping palate in the back, a cooler full of food/beverage, and various catheter devices, in his Ford Van. And he was lousy company (likely why I can't recall his name).
That was nothing but a pure pound.
SMSgt Mac: Right with you on that. Early in 1976, with my Suzuki GT 750 down, I made the Friday-after-work pilgrimage home to OC, from Castle AFB, in Merced (about 325 miles), on a friend's 350 Kawi triple. That sucker beat the shit out of me.
Oh, BTW, that was my second GT 750. The first one I ported. And it ate H-2s for lunch. ;)
Having driven from Denver to Minneapolis (while hungover) in one shot, I can sympathize with Quadraginta's feelings about Nebraska.
I'm impressed.
I once did 950 from Amarillo to Nashville in one shot - and what made it easy was stopping halfway (Fort Smith, Ark) and going into a restaurant for a sit-down meal (steak). The rest delayed the trip's end by an hour, but made the second have as easy as the first.
I nearly made it from Denver to Nashville once, but made a mistake by going from Denver to Colorado Springs first instead of heading straight east. (I wanted to see Colorado Springs!) Wound up stopping somewhere in souther Illinois not far from the Kentucky border, after I tired of seeing stop signs and giant bunny rabbits in the middle of the interstate. That was about 1,000 miles I think.
Oh, just remembered my longest non-stop car drive: Approximately 1560 miles from Abilene Texas, to San Jose, California, including crossing the Mojave Desert, all without stopping 'cept for gas and food. In a $500 Pontiac Sunbird with no a/c, believe it or not, and we did it it all in reverse a week later, back in 1987. I had a co-pilot, though. Does that count?
(We went from Abilene through Lubbock, Clovis N.M., Tucumcari, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Kingman, Barstow and Bakersfield. Mapquest shows a slightly shorter route that goes through El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix and LA., but we didn't have Mapquest back in '87.)
I don't think I could do that trip today without it killing me. Back then, I was a college student then, headed to California for spring break.
Bill Hobbs
www.billhobbs.com
You're insane.
No mention of coffee. No mention of astronaut Lisa Nowak-like technique.
Happy Easter.
Yeah, but was it uphill both ways?
[Cringe.]
I used to do DC to Tulsa (or Tulsa to DC), pretty regularly -- 1040 miles -- but I had a partner to split the driving time.
I can't imagine doing this distance by myself...
Of course, my father-in-law used to do Las Vegas to San Antonio back when there were no speed limits -- he said he averaged 85 mph. Those were the days.
Bill:
In a $500 Pontiac Sunbird with no a/c, believe it or not, and we did it it all in reverse a week later...
That Sunbird must have one damn good transmission. :))
I listen to podcasts when I roadtrip, less music then when I am in town. Podcasts make the time go by faster for me.
Trey
In the 60s I used to drive straight through from California to Madison - about 48 hours. Did it three times (and back), and each time I would begin to hallucinate on a certain stretch of road in Iowa. Fun.
I love all these long-distance driving/riding stories. I'll add that my longest ride was 1525 miles in a little under 22 hours. I left Blacksburg VA at midnight and enjoyed dinner in Santa Rosa NM at about 8 PM. It was on a Honda ST1300 motorcycle. Starting the next morning, I spent 5 days getting from Santa Rosa to South Lake Tahoe for the 2005 Astrodynamics Conference. I made the return trip to Blacksburg in 4 days, one of which was in non-stop torrential downpour from central CO to southern IL.
I'd do it all again tomorrow if I could get the day off.
Hallucinations huh? OK, we had a coffeehouse at my fraternity every semester. Kind of a satirical skit and occasional talented performance kind of thing that involved lots of fun, frivolity, and intoxication. With a group of friends, I was driving from Chapel Hill to Miami to fly to Jamaica for Spring Break.
I was elected the driver for the first leg when it was ascertained that I, truthfully, had ingested no alcohol. So I drove while the others slept.
At around the South Carolina border I had to pull over. When the guys asked why, I pointed to the doorknobs littering the freeway and said that it was just not safe with all that detritus in the road.
Someone had the good sense to ask if I had perhaps engaged in using some intoxicant other than alcohol, which, sadly, but truthfully, I had, and relegated me to the back seat for several hours.
It was a good call as he was somehow able to drive between all the doorknobs.
Who knew?
Trey
CDHall:
It was on a Honda ST1300 motorcycle...
I'd do it all again tomorrow if I could get the day off.
If I had an ST1300, you'd have to pry me off of it with a wrecking bar. ;)
Oh, Jim makes me realize I drove almost 1500 miles that one time.
As for hallucinations, well, if I had them, I wouldn't admit it. But my theory is that they aren't like crazy or druggy hallucinations, just a physical reaction on the retina, similar to a flashbulb effect, or, really, the reverse of a flashbulb effect. You're totally concentrated on the central part of your vision, which is what you need to drive. There's that tunnel of light, within which you focus on the painted lines and the tail lights in front of you. You don't care about your peripheral vision, and it's all just dark gray, but after a while you start seeing mountains and bridges and such things. Basically, it's just the unstimulated retinal tissue that you brain is picking up. That's what I would say if it happened to me.
Dangerang, y'all are good. I was proud of myself for making it from Norman, OK to Los Angeles in under 20 hours (1,348 miles). That's nothing compared to some of these folks.
Well done, Ann.
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