Anyone here ever do day-long trips that cover a ridiculously long distance?
This past Saturday, my brother and I drove from Cincinnati all the way to Grand Rapids MI and back. And we still had time to see the Gerald Ford Museum. This was all within a calendar day. The whole outing was maybe 15 hours.
We used to do this a lot, especially in the early '90s. I think the longest was Madison WI. There was also Rome GA, Birmingham AL, Roanoke VA, Cape Girardeau MO, Greenville SC, an earlier visit to Grand Rapids, a little bit into Canada, and other outposts of amazingness. And we actually stopped at interesting things along the way, and we didn't even take the quickest routes.
It was mostly his idea, since this started when I was still in high school.
I remember the Greenville outing. That was the same Saturday that there was a 'Cops' marathon on TV, and I had set the VCR to tape it. But another family member had needlessly unhooked the cables for the TV, and it didn't tape. Aah, memories!
Oh, and there was also the Michigan's Thumb thing in 2003 that the Sesame Street Krew missed.
I drove from Knob Noster, MO to Ft Wayne via Indianapolis, then east into the corner of Ohio and up into southern Michigan because I had never been to either of those states, then to Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, LaCrosse, Albert Lea, Des Moines, Kansas City, and back to Knob.
I also drove from Kansas City to Pittsburgh via Springfield and Urbana to Youngstown back to Pittsburgh to Columbus to Cincinnati to Louisville to St Louis back to Kansas City.
I've driven between Minot, ND to Mena, AR or Tulsa several times.
I've driven 21 hours in a day. Actually my longest day away from home was 23 hours, leaving at 1:30 AM to Pittsburgh and not getting home till after midnight. Not doing that one again for oh so many reasons.
I used to do quite a few of them, but not for quite some time now. I don't like to drive unfamiliar roads in the dark because the dark impedes photography, and I don't like to drive freeways after dark because of the deer hazards.
I did a few forays out into far western Kentucky several years ago. I also did a Greenville, SC trip a few years ago, but of course I live about 2.5 to 3 hours closer to Greenville than you do.
Quote from: Alps on March 09, 2015, 09:44:58 PM
Actually my longest day away from home was 23 hours, leaving at 1:30 AM to Pittsburgh and not getting home till after midnight. Not doing that one again for oh so many reasons.
Because it involves going to/through Pennsylvania?
Funny, prior to seeing this thread I was using mapping software to try to assess whether it would be practical to do a roundtrip day trip from Albuquerque to Copperas Cove, Texas (answer: no way!). My wife has a four-day business trip to Albuquerque later this year and I may tag along and do my own thing while she's in meetings and such, and then we'd drive from there to visit relatives in Phoenix. So the idea of going to Texas to see where I was born crossed my mind.....until I saw I'd need to drive about 21 hours roundtrip (and that's using the most direct route in both directions, which would take a lot of the fun out of driving). Forget it. I'm not THAT interested, even if I split it over two days. It's been almost 41 years since I've been to Copperas Cove, so it won't matter if it's a few more! I'm not gonna drive 1300 miles roundtrip just to see a house I don't even remember living in.
About the weirdest single-day driving I've done was the time I made two roundtrips from Charlottesville to Fairfax in a single day during exams one year. I was moving stuff out of my apartment in Charlottesville at the end of the school year and my car was a 1982 Accord (smaller than the current Civic), so I was limited in how much I could take at a time. So I loaded up the car, drove home to Fairfax, unloaded, drove back to Charlottesville, loaded up again, drove to Fairfax again, unloaded, and drove back to Charlottesville yet again to continue with exams.
A few weeks ago me and my family went from my city Fontana, Ca to Hesperia, Ca, back to Fontana, Ca but not stopping then Santa Monica, CA then back home. It was a 200 mile ride.
I can't mentally handle extreme drives anymore. Too confining and wasteful of places along the way. An all-day drive now requires a deadline.
That said, the silliest amount of driving I've done for the least return has been a drive from Massachusetts to Montréal for dinner at a falafel shop, a single beer, and back. Only 5 hours' drive each way, but still.
Customs was not impressed by our feat, in either direction.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 10, 2015, 12:17:06 AM
Customs was not impressed by our feat, in either direction.
I like day trips to Canada but they're tough...the borders are a bitch, particularly the I-5 crossing. Ergo, most of my trips to Canada are at least two days.
Longest day trip for me was Seattle to Portland and back. Hardly impressive but I grow restless after a while.
About 10 years ago, early one Saturday evening I was sitting in this very chair at my house lamenting the fact none of the Italian restaurants near me had garlic rolls anywhere near as good as Mario's on W Dixie Highway in N Miami. My wife got tired of hearing me whine about it simply said "Shut up, we'll go get some."
I looked at her, looked at my watch, crunched the mental numbers as to whether it would be possible to get there and back before I had to get ready to go back to work Monday morning (with a good nights sleep in there somewhere).
12 hours and 865 miles later we were at our family condo in Hallandale Beach eating some of our garlic rolls, and freshening up for our return trip to New Bern.... 11 and a half hours after that we were back here at the house getting ready for bed.
My truck smelled real nice for a while after that :biggrin:
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 10, 2015, 12:17:06 AM
I can't mentally handle extreme drives anymore. Too confining and wasteful of places along the way. An all-day drive now requires a deadline.
Amen. I'm fine being on the road for 12-13 hours in a day, but only if there are a handful of stops along the way and/or it's not limited access highway driving.
My worst episode was the time I suddenly found myself not having to go to work on a Monday and decided to make a day trip to Richmond, VA to see some old friends and catch a minor league baseball game. I left at about 7 a.m., took a slightly longer route and stopped to walk around Winchester for a little bit, so I was approaching Richmond around 1 p.m. when my friends informed me that something had come up and they wouldn't be able to meet until just before the game. On a whim, I decided to go check out Appomattox, so that was another couple hours of driving each way. Got back to Richmond in time to get to the 6 p.m. game only about an inning late. It turned out to be one of those real ugly grinders of a game, and took nearly four hours to complete. After dropping my friends off, I got on the road to get home at around 10:30, already expecting to get home no earlier than 4 a.m. Of course, there was something going on at the 95/Beltway junction, and even at nearly midnight it was bumper to bumper through there. I didn't end up getting home until after 5, and had to go to work that day.
Never again.
I do this.
I have a tendency of starting off with the intention of only driving into town to go and get a coffee and then ending up in the next province.
I used to do that, now our max for a day trip is probably 3 hours each way. Getting too old for long drives!
Try driving a 28-hour day trip. (Hint: You need to start in Eastern Daylight Time and end in Pacific Standard Time.)
Closest thing I ever did was with my family as a twenty three year old. We went on a trip one fourth of July Weekend from Clark, NJ to Mystic, CT and back in one day. We did however, take an overnight bag and a change of clothes just in case we stopped along the way, but we did not.
We left New Jersey via the Goethals Bridge and across Staten Island. Then we took the Belt Parkway, Laurel Parkway, LIE, NY 24, NY 25, and drifted along county roads of Suffolk back to NY 25. It was mid day and the ferry was full at Orient Point. We made reservations for the next ferry, so to kill time we ate at a seafood restaurant near the ferry landing. Then after lunch we arrived for our voyage across Long Island Sound which was awesome.
After arriving in CT, we took I-95 to Mystic. Looked at the town from the rest area along I-95 that has an ideal view of Mystic. We then went into town, and got gas along US 1 where someone deliberately cut the gas pump hose which spilled fuel all over my dad. He was pissed! Told off the station attendant and had the car stink of gasoline from my dad's clothes.
We drove back I-95 toward home, and we stopped at the Connecticut Valley Railroad, rode the steam excursion, and then took some photos around the terminal. We got back on I-95 to go home, but when it got to be supper around New Haven we found that Valles Steak House was no longer in business, so my parents craved a Pizza from Pizza Hut. We got off of I-95 in Milford to look for one, and found no Pizza Hut's from Milford to Bridgeport. We got back on I-95 then where darkness came.
Considering we have covered a lot and did not travel all the time, it sure was a long day in sunlight so far, but still hungry. My folks were both obsessed with Pizza Hut and would not settle for anything else until we arrived at Nanuet, NY where we ate at a local Chinese Restaurant along NY 59.
We then headed home via The Parkway and that is the closest we went hundreds of miles within one complete day and covered three states, and that meaning that I consider Long Island to be separate from Upstate NY.
Quote from: 1 on March 10, 2015, 04:47:50 PM
Try driving a 28-hour day trip. (Hint: You need to start in Eastern Daylight Time and end in Pacific Standard Time.)
I was going to say this is ridiculous, but since the country narrows in the south you could do it on I-10 and I-8 if you averaged at least 73-74 mph or so. You can surely go much faster in the desert, which is good because you'll need to make up for gas stops. Most bathroom needs can be accommodated in the car, so long as you go easy on the coffee and fiber (start clenching exercises now to be ready). Leave in the early evening and you'll be past San Antonio before the morning rush. Clear sailing from there to the Colorado.
Yep, did it in 2013. Marquette, MI, up to Calumet, then back to Saginaw (was headed back to Detriot Wayne Airport but wound up stopping at a motel about 3am.
Lesson learned...don't say "just one more lighthouse" even to yourself, on the UP.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 09, 2015, 04:57:43 PM
Anyone here ever do day-long trips that cover a ridiculously long distance?
It's practically my road trip MO, even for road meets.
I did a loop through Iowa one day (July 4th of all days). I-80 west to I-380, north to Waterloo, then east to Dubuque. After that, it was US-52 back to I-39 and I-80. Got back in time to watch the fireworks.
Another was a loop through Fort Madison, IA; Hannibal, MO; and Quincy, IL; to hit some missing Illinois counties and cross the Fort Madison Toll Bridge in the free direction.
Then I did one that got me down to Evansville, IN and got the part of I-64 I was missing.
I also did the Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland, Appleton, Wausau, Port Huron, Flint, and both St Louis road meets that way. Why spend money on a hotel?
I figure 6-8 hours in one direction is do-able.
From my apartment in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, to Cape May, New Jersey, at the beginning of the year for the road meet there. Took the subway and LIRR to Flushing to meet up with Anthony and Alyssa, and we drove from there via Staten Island. On the way back we clinched NJ 35 and then I picked up an NJ Transit train in Linden. Overall, probably a good 3+ hours each way but totally worth it.
Quote from: bandit957 on March 09, 2015, 04:57:43 PM
Anyone here ever do day-long trips that cover a ridiculously long distance?
Pretty much every time I drive up north and back.
I assume we are talking round trips with at least some sort of pleasure or business in between the two segments.
Yep, more than once by car and motorcycle.
The first one I remember was in my early years while living in Munich, Germany. I had friends with whom I graduated from HS with that was a 6 hour drive in those days. I wanted to see them but only had one day. I got up early, jumped in my old VW Beetle, and drove to Baumholder. I got some visiting in while stopping at a couple of our favorite watering holes. I left for home around diner time. It was only 12hr of total driving time but a lot of visiting in between.
I've done more day trips of 600 total miles round trip of this type than I can count.
Somewhat recently I rode my motorcycle from Dallas to San Angelo, TX by secondary roads, toured Fort Concho, then rode back home. I put 750 miles on that day. Another and longer round trip was a motorcycle ride to Van Horn and Sierra Blanca, TX, for a look around then back home the same day for 1150 miles which qualified me for the Iron Butt Association Saddle Sore 1000, 1000 miles by motorcycle in less than 24 hrs.
I've done numerous 1000+ mile one day trips, one direction.
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
When I was out West in April 2014, our drive from Carmel to LA took around 9-10 hours. About 2 of those hours were spent in Santa Barbara, or in LA traffic. I think that's the longest I've ever been in a car. Usually the road trips I go on last around 4-5 hours.
Two stories:
First: one year on St. Patrick's Day, my mom and I left our house in Livonia, MI around 9:00 am, drove to Ann Arbor and picked up my sister who was at U-M at the time, then drove to Chicago via South Bend (I-94/I-69/Indiana Toll Road). Got off the road in South Bend and took a quick tour of the Notre Dame campus, then got back on the highway to Chicago. Once in Chicago, tooled around downtown, saw the Chicago River dyed green, took a boat tour, had lunch, got back in the car and drove home (all I-94 in Michigan), stopping only to drop my sister off at school. Got home mid-evening, distance of close to 500 miles.
Second: many summers ago, a buddy and I did a sports weekend in Chicago and Milwaukee. We left Detroit on Friday morning, saw Cubs-Astros at Wrigley that afternoon, had dinner at Harry Caray's after the game, then spent the night in Racine, WI. The odyssey came the next day. We had tickets for Brewers-Angels at County Stadium Saturday night (this was when the Brewers were still in the AL), so we had all day to kill. So, we drove to Milwaukee and took the Miller Brewery tour (beer samples at 11:00 am!), then up to Green Bay, cruised around town, did the Lambeau Field stadium tour and toured the Packers Hall of Fame. Drove back to Milwaukee and arrived about an hour before first pitch, just enough time for a brat and a brew. Slept that night back in Racine. Total mileage that day was only about 300, but at least we had things to do and didn't just spend the whole time on the road.
We've done a bunch of sports-related road trips like that, but never just day trips. Sometimes we covered a lot of miles in one day, but we had destinations to get to.
I also used to work with a older gent, who was a field sales rep for the company I worked for at the time. He and his wife were empty-nesters, and one Saturday a month they would leave home at 8:00 AM, pick a direction, drive for 5-6 hours, stop for lunch, then turn around and come home. From Detroit, a five-hour drive could land you in Chicago, Indy, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Buffalo-Niagara, or the U.P. And they always had the freedom to extend the drive and/or spend a night on the road if they wanted. I remember thinking that was a pretty cool thing.
Two more:
Bangor, ME, to Newark, NJ, 2009
Burlington, NC to Cape May, NJ, 2007.
For a single-day roundtrip, my longest is probably Montreal to SE Massachusetts and back. The company that made my father's kit car (Factory Five Racing, based in Wareham) was revealing a new model, and he needed a second driver. We left at midnight after the Vancouver 2010 opening ceremony, arrived for breakfast, left after lunch time and got home for dinner.
It was also the first trip that I actually enjoyed from a roadgeek mindset.
Quote from: vegas1962 on March 18, 2015, 11:29:06 PM
I also used to work with a older gent, who was a field sales rep for the company I worked for at the time. He and his wife were empty-nesters, and one Saturday a month they would leave home at 8:00 AM, pick a direction, drive for 5-6 hours, stop for lunch, then turn around and come home. From Detroit, a five-hour drive could land you in Chicago, Indy, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Buffalo-Niagara, or the U.P. And they always had the freedom to extend the drive and/or spend a night on the road if they wanted. I remember thinking that was a pretty cool thing.
I can relate. My wife and I started going on short day trips on Saturdays after our household chores were done almost from the time we got married in 1980. Initially, these were to destinations 1 or 2 hours away from our home in the western Detroit suburbs. We started calling these trips "going out for ice cream" since that was usually part of the routine.
Now that we are both retired, these trips have gradually gotten longer and now fill the entire day. Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and even Pittsburgh have been destinations. We take an overnight bag with us in case we decide to stay over, but we've only done that a handful of times. My wife, who accepts but doesn't really understand the road geek in me, always mentions while rolling her eyes that our route to any particular destination and back has never been the same from one trip to the next. I don't see a problem with that. :)
We still call it "going out for ice cream" even though some trips center around lunch and/or dinner instead.
Longest daytrips from my home in Central CT:
1. Kittery, ME and Manchester, NH.
2. Riverhead, NY. Sure it's 60 miles as the crow flies, but it's 160 as the car drives. By the time you get out there, all the Hartford and New Haven stations are back on the radio and you feel like Alice on the other side of the looking glass.
3. Cooperstown. Left 10 AM. Did the Ommegang Brewery tour and the Baseball HOF, and made it back by 1:30.
Bonus: Edgewood, MD to Atlantic City. Left at 1 pm. Stayed 5-midnight. Back by 3:30.
I went from Northern Virginia to Enfield, CT (one-way), one day in the summer of 2009. We actually started at, like 11:00 AM, I guess.
Hmm, probably the best one I've had was my 11th grade field trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. We left at like 6 AM (!) and didn't get back until after midnight. The drive there took about 3.5 hours - after the museum tour, we got to walk around Capitol Hill and explore the various monuments in the city. I love that place. Definitely need to go back, and soon, because that was one of my favorite experiences I've had, and more shocking that it was a school trip.
Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 18, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
You went on a day trip from Cincinnati to Sarasota?
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
I went from Northeast CT to Brattleboro VT, to Kittery ME, and back home in the same day. All six New England states in maybe 10 hours.
I've done Danbury CT to Baltimore and back in the same day three times
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 20, 2015, 09:43:34 PM
Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 18, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
You went on a day trip from Cincinnati to Sarasota?
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
So, I take it your middle name is Webster? Your definition of a day trip and my definition of a day trip might differ slightly, no need to call others out because you don't like their definition.
1 Day=24 hoursMy definition of a day trip is to leave home and return home in the same trip without staying over somewhere and doing it within a single 24 hour period...hence a day.
Quote from: slorydn1 on March 21, 2015, 06:56:05 AM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 20, 2015, 09:43:34 PM
Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 18, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
You went on a day trip from Cincinnati to Sarasota?
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
So, I take it your middle name is Webster? Your definition of a day trip and my definition of a day trip might differ slightly, no need to call others out because you don't like their definition.
1 Day=24 hours
My definition of a day trip is to leave home and return home in the same trip without staying over somewhere and doing it within a single 24 hour period...hence a day.
Google Maps has Cincinnati to Sarasota as a 13.5 hour drive (or 27 hour day drive) so it actually CANNOT be done as a round trip in 24 hours.
Quote from: slorydn1 on March 21, 2015, 06:56:05 AM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 20, 2015, 09:43:34 PM
Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 18, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
You went on a day trip from Cincinnati to Sarasota?
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
So, I take it your middle name is Webster? Your definition of a day trip and my definition of a day trip might differ slightly, no need to call others out because you don't like their definition.
1 Day=24 hours
My definition of a day trip is to leave home and return home in the same trip without staying over somewhere and doing it within a single 24 hour period...hence a day.
The linked examples above aren't day trips; they are a drive from one city to another in one day, which almost everyone can provide pretty good examples of doing.
Having said that, this is your quote:
Quote from: slorydn1 on March 10, 2015, 03:49:38 AM
12 hours and 865 miles later we were at our family condo in Hallandale Beach eating some of our garlic rolls, and freshening up for our return trip to New Bern.... 11 and a half hours after that we were back here at the house getting ready for bed.
That would be an average of 72 mph on the way down...including stops for gas, facilities, etc. On the way back, you averaged even faster: 75 mph, including stops. In general, most people can only average 60 - 65 mph tops, regardless of their normal highway speed, due to necessary stopping.
And even so, unless you ate and freshened up in about 30 minutes, you didn't even meet your own definition of a day.
Quote from: slorydn1 on March 21, 2015, 06:56:05 AM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 20, 2015, 09:43:34 PM
Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 18, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
You went on a day trip from Cincinnati to Sarasota?
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
So, I take it your middle name is Webster? Your definition of a day trip and my definition of a day trip might differ slightly, no need to call others out because you don't like their definition.
1 Day=24 hours
My definition of a day trip is to leave home and return home in the same trip without staying over somewhere and doing it within a single 24 hour period...hence a day.
This is what "day trip" means–there and back in the same day, without staying over, not simply a trip made in one direction in one day before stopping for the night. You can call your shoelace a "day trip" for all I care, but the phrase has a commonly accepted meaning, and abiding by those is what helps us understand one another.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/american-english/day-trip
"a visit to a place in which you return home or to your hotel on the same day"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day-tripper
"A day-tripper is a person who visits a tourist destination or visitor attraction from his/her home and returns home on the same day."
From New Britain, CT for day trips?
Portland, ME
Concord, NH
Brattleboro, VT
White River Junction, VT (1992)
Philadelphia
Baltimore
Washington, DC with Arlington, VA (last done in 2004)
Some day trips I have done: Manhattan, Kansas, to . . .
* Minden, Neb. (208 miles)
* Grand Island, Neb. (207 miles)
* Hastings, Neb. (187 miles)
* Aurora, Neb. (186 miles)
* Lincoln, Neb. (135 miles)
* Omaha, Neb. (169 miles)
* Des Moines, Iowa (306 miles)
* Hays, Kansas (159 miles)
* Burlington, Colo. (328 miles)
* Fulton, Mo. (274 miles)
* Tulsa, Okla. (271 miles)
* Oklahoma City, Okla. (292 miles)
* Mitchell, South Dakota (387 miles)
All of the distances quoted are the minimum mileage Google reports one-way. In many cases the route actually travelled was much longer--for example, the Mitchell trip was a sort of loop with a total roundtrip length of at least 827 miles in KS, NE, IA, SD, and MN.
All of these were in the mid-nineties at a time when I was racking up 30,000 miles a year. I don't do that kind of mileage anymore. During parts of the Mitchell trip I was struggling to stay awake despite multiple cans of Mountain Dew, and I was fortunate to have an unblocked full moon to light my way down US 81 in Nebraska. After that trip I realized I had to set some one-way mileage limits on my day-tripping. I chose 100 miles for casual half-day trips, 200 miles for full-day museum visits, and 300 miles for special trips.
I was usually able to accomplish day trips of up to 100 miles one-way without altering my sleeping schedule, but trips of up to 200 miles with sightseeing at the destination usually meant getting up two or three hours early with in-car eats substituted for breakfast, and going to bed perhaps an hour or two later than usual. The Mitchell trip was damn near a 24-hour affair (departure perhaps around 5 AM, return around 3 or 4 AM).
These days I live in Wichita and am no longer an undergraduate in Manhattan with relatively easy access to the curiosity-shop strip in Nebraska (the motivation for most of these trips). I am slowly getting back into daytripping, but so far most of my excursions have been sightseeing loops through parts of this and the neighboring counties with which I have very little familiarity, with most of the mileage travelled being on city streets and paved county roads rather than state highways.
The last "destination" daytrip I made was Oklahoma City in November, to visit the Oklahoma History Center, the state capitol, the (gentrified) Bricktown district, and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. I structured the trip around the OKCMOA and deliberately left and returned late in order to take advantage of a steep discount for evening admission there (regular adult admission of $12, drops to $5 after 5 PM on Thursdays). I left around noon. On arrival I discovered two hours was really not enough for the Oklahoma History Center. There was more art than I expected on display in the capitol, some of it good, some of it more civic-minded than aesthetic. When I ate dinner in Bricktown at what turned out to be a chain restaurant, the waiter, angling for a bigger tip, carded me. The OKCMOA proved surprisingly hard to find despite repeated Google Maps checks, because it does not have its own freestanding building--instead, it has four floors in a structure that houses an auditorium and other cultural facilities. It runs interesting temporary exhibitions which, however, do not quite disguise its lack of permanent collections, so I was quite happy to get my money's worth rather than pay full whack. After some casual roadgeeking, including a drive up and down the new Crosstown freeway, I pointed my car north and got home around midnight. I felt I had had a satisfying day but was very exhausted.
Extreme daytripping is, I think, a young person's game.
I think my longest day trip was Rome, NY to Lebanon, NH.
Quote from: The Nature Boy on March 21, 2015, 05:01:50 PM
Quote from: slorydn1 on March 21, 2015, 06:56:05 AM
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 20, 2015, 09:43:34 PM
Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 18, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
You went on a day trip from Cincinnati to Sarasota?
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
So, I take it your middle name is Webster? Your definition of a day trip and my definition of a day trip might differ slightly, no need to call others out because you don't like their definition.
1 Day=24 hours
My definition of a day trip is to leave home and return home in the same trip without staying over somewhere and doing it within a single 24 hour period...hence a day.
Google Maps has Cincinnati to Sarasota as a 13.5 hour drive (or 27 hour day drive) so it actually CANNOT be done as a round trip in 24 hours.
It probably CAN be done in 24 hours if you drive fast enough. Google's time estimates factor in the speed limit. Google Maps says it's an hour three minutes from my house to the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge (61 miles). I made it in 40 minutes once 12 or 13 years ago (had to be prior to 2004 since it was in my previous car), quite early in the morning going far in excess of legal speeds (IIRC I seldom slowed down as low as 80 mph).
This is not meant to say it's realistic to think anyone could sustain such speeds for 24 hours (other than professional racers at Le Mans or the like)–I'm just saying its theoretically possible. I've sustained average speeds in excess of 70 mph for over four hours at a time down South, but that's definitely been the exception and not the rule.
I believe this thread was about a ROUND TRIP IN A DAY (24HRS). A "round trip in a day" is when you start at point A and return to point A in 24 hours or less.
As part of the Virginia Highways Project (http://www.vahighways.com), Mapmikey has done some pretty epic (typically 16-17 hour) daytrips around Virginia and into North Carolina. I've joined him for a couple.
I've done a fair number myself, typically in the 12-14 hour range ranging from wherever I was stationed at the time (Mississippi, Norfolk, or DC). The Quebec City meet last October was a day-trip for me (my longest one within the past year).
I've done at least one lengthy (12+ hour) daytrip each with Alex Nitzman, Billy Riddle, Monte Castleman, and Adam Prince.
Though not particularly long, Billy Riddle and I did a pre-roadmeet "daytrip" together the morning before the 2004 Gastonia meet. We ranged west on US 74, caught the sunrise near Columbus, NC, got as far west as SC 130, and even "bumped into" (not literally) Carter Buchanon on I-85 on his way to the meet.
I've done numerous 16+ hour daytrips (several a year), up to 19 hrs. Distances range from 750-1050 miles depending on the amount of freeway involved. These days I'm spread out more geographically in the quest to "clinch everything" - In the last year or two I've reached SC, TN, KY, OH, and NY. I have one in mind that I think I can accomplish that will get into MA and CT.
The two trips I've done with Froggie are the only ones I've done with someone else.
On cross country vacations with the wife, I try to stick to under 12 hr days for her sake although in 1997 we made it to northwestern Montana in 2.5 days from Virginia. She did have me drive 15 hrs from Mississippi back home at the end of a business trip recently because she missed her cats. We also drove from Ellensburg WA to Miles City MT more recently in one day.
Mapmikey
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 20, 2015, 09:43:34 PM
Quote from: iBallasticwolf2 on March 18, 2015, 08:13:14 PM
I've gone from Cincinati to Clevland, Cincinati to Bowling greeen, Sarasota to Key West. And for vacations I go from Cincinati to Sarasota in about 16 hours
You went on a day trip from Cincinnati to Sarasota?
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
To be fair it was phrased exactly like this in the OP
Quote from: bandit957 on March 09, 2015, 04:57:43 PM
Anyone here ever do day-long trips that cover a ridiculously long distance?
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 20, 2015, 09:43:34 PM
People, a "day trip" is a trip from starting point to somewhere and back in a day, without staying over. Contrast it with "overnight trip." It does not simply mean "trip made in one day," which is covered in other threads.
Oh, well in that case, in August 2001 I drove from Shady Hills, FL to Winter Park, FL to see the 2001 cult classic "Ghost World," because after some serious online discussions with my fellow Daria fans I was convinced that no movie theater in the Tampa Bay Metro Area was going to show it.
On May 8, 2014 I drove to DeBary, FL to ride SunRail for free and snap some pictures for Wikipedia. Sadly, I didn't do enough. As of this writing, the Sanford, Altamonte Springs, and Maitland station articles still need them, and Lake Mary needs something way better than what's there now.
I've had other daytrips in the state, but I'm not sure I want to list them all now.
And I've taken quite a few on Long Island and New York City too.
By most standards, every weekend is a ridiculously long road trip compared to most people's drives.
Woke up at 3AM on Saturday morning, made some coffee and drove to Portland, ME...166 miles, 2.5 hours. Arrived at Allagash brewery and bought 4 bottles of their new beer. GF and I were first in line. Then we had breakfast in Portland at a small diner and drove straight back home. Were back home by noon.
I drive up to the NEK in Vermont (Northeast Kingdom) every week or every 2 weeks just to buy beer. That's 77 miles each way and always a day-trip with a stop for pizza and a beer in St. Johnsbury VT.
Finally, about a month ago we drove up to Montreal, overnighted there, then to Quebec city, overnight there and back home on Sunday. Not a day trip but was a LOT of driving.
Luckily, I have a really fun little car for these road trips. Great for 2 people and a day-bag with room for beer :)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/16010122568_b9cbcb5b83_b.jpg)
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8260/8649433987_e1afa169e5_b.jpg)
I bet you guys don't see ice accumulation like this down-south. took this in February while driving home from Boston:
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8597/16195719151_050a2c6914_b.jpg)
You must have gotten a very coastal version of our snow, because very little of we got was wet enough to form ice. However, it was definitely shitty driving, as my terrible snowboarding habit continually made me aware.
I am trying to think if I ever drove from the New York area to Massachusetts and back twice in one day. I have done at least three of those legs in one day (during a couple of moves, there and back with a van, then one more time with the car). If there was, it would be the longest combined pair of daytrips I'd done in a single day.
That actually looks a lot like freezing rain.
From Goldsby, Oklahoma up to Boise City in the Panhandle (this was before the truck trarffic had been elimitanted, mind you), then north on 287 to snag Baca County, CO, then west of OK-325 to snag Union County, NM and clinch NM-406, then back to Boise City...at which point I was confronted with a random mileage sign to Oklahoma City and I realized what a terrible mess I had gotten myself into. South on 287 to Dumas, TX, where I turned east and clinched TX-152, and followed OK-152 until it met up with I-40. I-40 all the way back to the OKC area.
Ended up being ~900 miles (Google Maps says 877 mi and 14½ hours) and I flat out did not remember parts of the way back. I remember being in El Reno and then suddenly rolling into the west side of Oklahoma City with no memory of Yukon in between. So yeah, no more 900-mile trips.
Quote from: J N Winkler on March 22, 2015, 01:16:58 AM
When I ate dinner in Bricktown at what turned out to be a chain restaurant, the waiter, angling for a bigger tip, carded me.
Which restaurant was it, if you don't mind me asking?
Two notable trips that stick out in my mind for storm chasing:
Bloomington, IN to near Cedar Rapids, IA via Rockford, IL and back. A little over 1,000 miles and 20 hours.
Murfreesboro, TN to Paducah, KY to Effingham, IL to Terre Haute, IN to Evansville, IN to Murfreesboro, TN. 700 miles and some change after driving state and US routes east of Effingham.
Growing up, we did a lot of day trips from Amsterdam, NY, to places like Cape Cod, southern Maine, the Jersey shore, etc. Usually we'd get up and be on the road well before sunrise, be at our destination for at least a late-ish breakfast, do the things we went to do, and be home before too late at night (usually).
Now, my longer day trips tend to happen when I am somewhere on business and I can extend a day or two on either end. As a few examples, about 10 years ago in the San Francisco area, I had one day ride up to Muir Woods (for redwoods), Santa Rosa (for the Schulz museum), up to Ukiah (why not?) then down through Napa and back. Not a ton of miles, but a very long day. When in Minneapolis for a while almost 20 years ago, I made several day trips. One that included Duluth and International Falls. I made a ton of day trips out of Albuquerque as well, though some ended up as overnights somewhere so don't count. My last conference in Denver included two "out and back" loops from my hotel in Aurora: one up through Cheyenne and one out to Sterling. So these don't compete with some of what has been posted, but long and enjoyable days, though.
When I was a kid, my family would take biennial vacations at a rental cabin in eastern Idaho just across Palisades Dam from US 26. Each time we went, we would make at least one day trip into Yellowstone. Sometimes our route took us through West Yellowstone, MT in at least one direction, though more commonly we went via Jackson, WY and Grand Tetons NP.
In 2003 I went with a couple of friends (driver and financier; I was the navigator) from my home near Columbus down US 23 to Jenkins, KY to check out some railroads that turned out no longer existed. So we headed east to Breaks Interstate Park. From the high scenic overlook, we saw a southbound coal train rolling through the water gap, and decided to chase it down. We caught up with it a dozen or so miles into Virginia (just before driving off the page of my Delorme Kentucky atlas). It was almost dark so we headed home, stopping to wait out a heavy storm in Piketon, OH. After getting back home a little past midnight, before my friends continued home themselves, my brother and I convinced Mom to take in a kitten from our front porch, who still lives here.
After Ed moved in, for a few years we would make semi-regular day trips to Coldwater, MI and Monroe, MI to visit his parents and friends. Now that he has a license and a satnav, he makes those trips by himself, though he usually overnights in Michigan somewhere when he does it.
In 2008 Ed got a part in the movie Secretariat, filming in Louisville. (One of the trackside security guards, visible for a couple of seconds in the movie, uncredited.) We overnighted for the audition and the shoot date, but in the interim we made a day trip for the costume fitting. Five hours each way, just to spend ten minutes at Churchill Downs, and not even see a horse race – that was ridiculous, for sure. (Ed did some of the driving that time, but he was very inexperienced so was of almost no help as a relief driver.)
I don't take a lot of long trips anymore because I drive hundreds of miles a day for a living, and usually want to stay local on my days off. But a few months ago a quick errand to my brother's house spontaneously became an expedition to Washington C.H., OH to investigate a suspected reroute of OH 38. What should have been a 40 minute round trip became over two hours.
From New York City, I've been to Maine and back in one day. I tell people that and they look at me like I'm batshit insane, superhuman, or both. But really it sounds a lot more impressive than it is. People don't think it since there are several state lines and so many other points of interest in between, but from NYC it only takes you a bit over 4 hours driving direct to get to the NH/ME line. Fun fact - Kittery is actually closer to New York City than to the northern end of I-95, still in Maine.
Of course that trip was not just a quick run to Maine and back. It involved being in Maine for about an hour in the early afternoon but was overall a 20 hour trip (6 AM - 2 AM) poking around in RI, MA, and NH in addition to Maine.
I've been on a few other day trips that have lasted 20 hours or close to it.
Meanwhile I do find myself growing less fond of the idea not because of fatigue while on the trip itself, but because doing that doesn't actually fit more in a day compared to staying overnight, it just borrows time from the days on either side by making me go to bed early the night before and sleep late the morning after.
Florence, KY to Cape Girardeau, MO to St Louis, MO back to Florence: Left home at 5:30 AM, back home at 3:30 AM the next day.
Edited to remove the second one, which didn't fit the definition of the OP and I JUST now realized it.
A few days ago I took a trip from Cincinnati to Point Pleasant WV, I went back on OH-2 and drived all the Ohio River brigdes in Huntington, Ashland, Ironton, and Greenup, I went back on the Greenup spur of the AA highway and then the mainline AA highway.
Must say it was quite the road trip
The farthest I've been on a day trip so far has been to Gadsden, AL from Huntsville, AL.
Quote from: JMoses24 on May 12, 2015, 01:53:23 AM
Florence, KY to Cape Girardeau, MO to St Louis, MO back to Florence: Left home at 5:30 AM, back home at 3:30 AM the next day.
This was a one day storm chase...I didn't have time to think during part of it!
Longest day trip was an 18-hour county clinching trip from the Capital District in NY down a winding route down through Virginia, NC and crossing into SC and then turning back north a ways.
Never doing that again. Learned my lesson on that trip that 14 hours is really my daily limit for driving.
Longest was a ten or so hour trip to Providence RI. Insult to injury was that the hotel we were staying at was in Fall River, in Massachusetts. Ugh. Took us a day, going through 4 states.
Edit: the first day was in NYC - the next day took us to Fall River through 4 states
New York City - Toronto
Quote from: Scott5114 on April 16, 2015, 06:04:57 AMQuote from: J N Winkler on March 22, 2015, 01:16:58 AM
When I ate dinner in Bricktown at what turned out to be a chain restaurant, the waiter, angling for a bigger tip, carded me.
Which restaurant was it, if you don't mind me asking?
Sorry to be late getting caught up with this question--it was Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oklahoma+City,+OK/@35.4632078,-97.5076148,21z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x87ad8a547ef8d281:0x33a21274d14f3a9d). I gathered it was the offspring of some kind of deal where the country singer licensed the use of his name but had little, if any, involvement in the day-to-day operations.
The old Crosstown expressway was in the process of being deconstructed when I was there. If you change to satellite view and pan a bit to the south and west, you will see the lot where I parked, which is just south of a section where the deck has been reduced to bare girders.
Quote from: NJ on December 23, 2015, 10:27:06 AM
New York City - Toronto
When I did a day trip from Massachusetts to Montréal, the border guards gave me a hard time because admittedly, it was a ridiculous distance to drive and not stay over, and therefore seemed suspicious. Did you get any such grief upon your return?
From CT to Cooperstown, NY and back in 15 hours. Managed to hit both the Ommegang Brewery and the Hall of Fame. Did another one from CT to Kittery, ME, then back over to Manchester, NH. And a few times went to Riverhead and The Hamptons on LI (50 miles as the crow flies, 150 miles as the car drives).
I once covered Dallas from driving back between Houma, LA and Hobby Airport. I had an extra day where I did have time to do some extra roading, so I drove up I-49 to check out the construction on the now completed I-49 north of Shreveport (it was 2012 when I was there) and the then signed AR 549 and roads around Texarkana.
I ended up staying the evening in Shreveport where I should have really headed back to Houston from there, but I wanted to see Dallas so badly I went up US 71 and AR 549 to I-30 W Bound to Dallas and then back down I-45. My flight was at 5 AM the following day so I had to travel through the evening to get a motel close enough to Hobby to be there at take off time, so I had to sacrifice some good photo opportunities along I-45 to get to Houston as most of the way was after dark even in the Summer as it took me till after Midnight to arrive at the Motel 6 at Hobby.
However, as ridiculous as that was, I got to see Dallas and the I-49 construction. Even though I did not get many I-45 photos especially around Houston, it was worth it. An excuse to visit Houston again I call it.
The longest day trip I have ever done is when I drove to Madison, WI, and back in one day.
Longest day trip I've done was this past September when I did an Autobahn-clinching roadtrip mostly through Eastern Germany. Left at 546am and arrived back home at 130am the next day, after a total distance of 1031,39 miles.
I did do a trip about 2.5 years ago that went from 610am until 230am the next day, but that was 'only' 875 miles.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on December 23, 2015, 01:17:08 PM
Quote from: NJ on December 23, 2015, 10:27:06 AM
New York City - Toronto
When I did a day trip from Massachusetts to Montréal, the border guards gave me a hard time because admittedly, it was a ridiculous distance to drive and not stay over, and therefore seemed suspicious. Did you get any such grief upon your return?
:colorful: Same thing happened to me but I told them spending 10 - 12 hours in the city was enough for me to see a taste of the city.
Back in the day (when I was younger and single), I regularly did ridiculously long day trips seemingly every Saturday because I had nothing else to do. From metro Detroit, I thought nothing of a round trip to Pittsburgh and back, or to Whitefish Point and back (in the Upper Peninsula, about 730 miles round trip, not all freeway). Probably my most brutal day trip in terms of miles and hours was a loop around Lake Superior Erie -- that's right, out to Buffalo and back. This was all before I got into taking photos of highway signs, so I was able to put in the miles.
EDIT: Superior, Erie -- one o' them lakes. Yep, I did it alone.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on December 31, 2015, 09:44:24 PM
Back in the day (when I was younger and single), I regularly did ridiculously long day trips seemingly every Saturday because I had nothing else to do. From metro Detroit, I thought nothing of a round trip to Pittsburgh and back, or to Whitefish Point and back (in the Upper Peninsula, about 730 miles round trip, not all freeway). Probably my most brutal day trip in terms of miles and hours was a loop around Lake Superior -- that's right, out to Buffalo and back. This was all before I got into taking photos of highway signs, so I was able to put in the miles.
Interesting... you drove alone?
Quote from: wanderer2575 on December 31, 2015, 09:44:24 PM
Probably my most brutal day trip in terms of miles and hours was a loop around Lake Superior -- that's right, out to Buffalo and back.
Did you mean Lake Erie?
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on December 23, 2015, 01:28:32 PM
Managed to hit both the Ommegang Brewery and the Hall of Fame.
My problem would be needing like 6 hours at the HOF.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on December 31, 2015, 09:44:24 PM
Back in the day (when I was younger and single), I regularly did ridiculously long day trips seemingly every Saturday because I had nothing else to do. From metro Detroit, I thought nothing of a round trip to Pittsburgh and back, or to Whitefish Point and back (in the Upper Peninsula, about 730 miles round trip, not all freeway). Probably my most brutal day trip in terms of miles and hours was a loop around Lake Superior -- that's right, out to Buffalo and back. This was all before I got into taking photos of highway signs, so I was able to put in the miles.
Out to Duluth and back? or was it a loop around Lake Erie and not Superior...
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on January 07, 2016, 11:35:24 AM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on December 31, 2015, 09:44:24 PM
Back in the day (when I was younger and single), I regularly did ridiculously long day trips seemingly every Saturday because I had nothing else to do. From metro Detroit, I thought nothing of a round trip to Pittsburgh and back, or to Whitefish Point and back (in the Upper Peninsula, about 730 miles round trip, not all freeway). Probably my most brutal day trip in terms of miles and hours was a loop around Lake Superior -- that's right, out to Buffalo and back. This was all before I got into taking photos of highway signs, so I was able to put in the miles.
Out to Duluth and back? or was it a loop around Lake Erie and not Superior...
Duluth and back around Lake Superior is a bit much for a day trip from Detroit. It's the miles to/from Whitefish Point plus going around the lake.
Quote from: wphiii on January 07, 2016, 11:28:57 AM
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on December 23, 2015, 01:28:32 PM
Managed to hit both the Ommegang Brewery and the Hall of Fame.
My problem would be needing like 6 hours at the HOF.
Definitely a reason to hit Ommegang first.
I haven't gotten gone on any major day trips yet, but when we were out in California it took us 9-10 hours to drive from Carmel to LA. Considering we stopped a few times in the towns along the way and also getting stuck in LA rush hour, it was brutal.
I've done the trip around Lake Erie in a day before. I did it back when I drove an old Buick with far too many miles on it that was at the time losing its ability to turn right.
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on January 08, 2016, 02:52:23 PM
I've done the trip around Lake Erie in a day before. I did it back when I drove an old Buick with far too many miles on it that was at the time losing its ability to turn right.
Presumably, then, you did it counterclockwise.
I ask everyone this, but how did it go at customs when you said "I'm reentering the country after simply driving around the lake, just because"?
I did go counterclockwise, I went through Detroit and then came back at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. I`ve actually driven around Lake Erie twice, but the second time I did it I took two days and stayed with friends.
I don`t recall customs being a huge deal, though I think on one of the occasions that I did it they may have searched the car when I re-entered Canada. You have to anticipate being searched every now and then though when you cross, so it really wasn`t that big of deal.
It`s not a crime to do odd things.
Quote from: Pete from Boston on March 10, 2015, 10:32:19 PM
Quote from: 1 on March 10, 2015, 04:47:50 PM
Try driving a 28-hour day trip. (Hint: You need to start in Eastern Daylight Time and end in Pacific Standard Time.)
I was going to say this is ridiculous, but since the country narrows in the south you could do it on I-10 and I-8 if you averaged at least 73-74 mph or so. You can surely go much faster in the desert, which is good because you'll need to make up for gas stops. Most bathroom needs can be accommodated in the car, so long as you go easy on the coffee and fiber (start clenching exercises now to be ready). Leave in the early evening and you'll be past San Antonio before the morning rush. Clear sailing from there to the Colorado.
For the purpose of this excercise it doesn't matter so much how wide the country is as it matters the distance between the Eastern/Central line and the Mountain/Pacific line.
Along I-10, I-12, I-10, and I-8, this distance is about 1,970 miles (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/30.6326931,-84.904219/32.7286088,-114.6175216/@30.8403221,-97.9454254,6z). The feat would actually be much more within the realm of reasonability if you did it along I-80, where it's only about 1,580 miles (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.7447877,-86.4992163/40.7381736,-114.0442965/@41.9929461,-108.7711166,5z). A northern tier route could even get this down to 1,368 miles (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/46.5644139,-89.6672651/46.633109,-114.5811238/@46.1222094,-110.8512653,5z), although this route is not all-freeway.
The only caveat to beware of here is that if you want to experience a proper 28 hour day, the entire first hour of it must be spent within Eastern time because if you cross into Central before 1 AM Eastern, you'll go back to the previous day. Therefore you have only 27 hours to get from the Eastern/Central line to the Central/Pacific line.
It's totally doable, though, if you have the stamina for being awake and driving for that many consecutive hours. One of those more northern routes would leave you a good 5 hours or so of wiggle room to lose on stops and traffic.
Personally, I can at least claim to have crossed one entire time zone within a day - I woke up in Pacific time in northern Idaho, and went to sleep in Central time in North Dakota. What was fun is that I did this quite inadvertently, I didn't realize until I saw the clock in the hotel room in Williston that I was in Central time.
Quote from: Duke87 on January 10, 2016, 01:14:01 PMFor the purpose of this excercise it doesn't matter so much how wide the country is as it matters the distance between the Eastern/Central line and the Mountain/Pacific line.
Along I-10, I-12, I-10, and I-8, this distance is about 1,970 miles (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/30.6326931,-84.904219/32.7286088,-114.6175216/@30.8403221,-97.9454254,6z). The feat would actually be much more within the realm of reasonability if you did it along I-80, where it's only about 1,580 miles (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.7447877,-86.4992163/40.7381736,-114.0442965/@41.9929461,-108.7711166,5z). A northern tier route could even get this down to 1,368 miles (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/46.5644139,-89.6672651/46.633109,-114.5811238/@46.1222094,-110.8512653,5z), although this route is not all-freeway.
The only caveat to beware of here is that if you want to experience a proper 28 hour day, the entire first hour of it must be spent within Eastern time because if you cross into Central before 1 AM Eastern, you'll go back to the previous day. Therefore you have only 27 hours to get from the Eastern/Central line to the Central/Pacific line.
Two additional thoughts:
First, if you weaken the "start in Eastern, end in Pacific" criteria to "end in a time zone three hours behind the one you started", then for much of the year you only need to get to Arizona (excluding Navajo land) if you take the southern tier.
Alternatively, if you did the trip on the first Sunday of November, you pick up an extra hour in the day due to the shift back to Standard Time.
That's a trick that has been used by someone before (https://www.barrystiefel.com/21_states_in_one_day/21_states_in_one_day.htm)
Just a comment on the loop around Lake Superior in a day. Go to the Iron Butt Association web site www.ironbutt.com and you will see names of several people who have circled it in less than 24 hrs by motorcycle.
Also there is a Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and what they call the Lower Great Lakes (Erie + Ontario as one ride) each in under 24 hrs. They also have the Great Lakes 100, circle all the Great Lakes, around 2450 miles in under 100 hours. Then there is the extreme ride, Great Lakes Gold, of circling all of the Great Lakes in under 50 hours, same 2450 miles.
When I moved to the west coast a couple decades ago my Dad and I alternated for two days. I would drive the first ten hour or so segment and he would drive the second. We traveled about 2,000 miles in two days and only had one hotel stay. Ever since I had my learners permit my Dad and I would do similar trips out of Chicago to Florida straight through in shifts. I got off of crap like that years ago because I get spent after 9-10 hours or 500 miles. Besides what is the point of traveling if you are just going to blow by everything worth seeing on doing on the way?
Usually I have at least three or four 2,500 mile plus road trips a year with another half dozen in the neighborhood of 1,000. I even used to drive about 80,000 miles a year on business trips at one point. My cousin recently asked me how I was managing to do all that because he was always exhausted after 18 hour plus drives....simple; stop, rest, see things and most importantly plan ahead.
I haven't done any day trips as long as you, the longest ones being around 120 miles which I have done several times now: from Huesca to Ariza (twice!) and Monreal del Campo. However I'm now planning to do one of my last year's weekend roadtrips, the one to San Leonardo in Soria province 170 miles away, as a day trip. Still not as extreme as some trips posted here.
While I wasn't the one driving, I was alert the whole time, but I have done the trip from here in the GTA to the Marine Atlantic Ferry Terminal in North Sydney, NS, a distance of around 1250 miles.
Back in 2006, there was a Laser Quest tournament the night before that went on overnight (yes I was somewhat involved in the tournament scene even though I was awful) and as soon as I got home at around 5am, it was time to go to Newfoundland, where we had to catch our ferry we booked that was leaving the following day at 6AM Atlantic time. Needless to say, we left and made it to the ferry terminal at 1AM Atlantic time roughly, and never again I hope I would have to deal with that hell again. (Consider that New Brunswick's Route 2 freeway was only about half or 2/3 finished) I had to be awake for close to 40 hours.
The following year, on the way back, the boat had problems and we got back to Nova Scotia at about 3AM, which ruined all the plans for the hotel stay. Spontaneously, we decided to make the entire trip back in one shot, and I believe we got home at about 9pm Eastern....I also recall running into nasty traffic along the Metropolitan (A-40) in Montreal and a massive accident west of the 416 on the 401 which we used Hwy 2 to get around. Yeah, about 18 hours again of driving.
Roundtrip: When I was 24 or so, I did a daytrip from Las Vegas to San Luis Obispo and back, about 900 miles via Los Angeles.
One way: I've done 1,066 miles from St. George, Utah, to Portland a few times. The worst was last summer when half the west was covered in wildfire smoke and my eyes were burning the whole drive.
When I was collecting the Illinois highways, I took a day trip from the Aurora, IL area south to Marion, IL and back. This is because I had forgotten IL-166 as a gaping hole in my collection. About 5 hours one way! Now the most I plan for is 3 hours one way, if I expect to enjoy the destination at all. I just did this last week taking a day trip to Portland during my stay in Seattle (well, the Seattle burbs).
Not as long as some of the others on this thread, but I have done Pittsburgh to NYC and back in 1 day before.
Many years ago- 1977, I was selling books door to door for Southwestern Publishing out of TN. I had quit my territory in Anderson Indiana and left my roommate on his own. Went to visit grandparents in Kansas for week.
Anyway on return trip leaving Topeka heading back to Mass- I left Topeka 5AM on a Friday- and headed back toward Indiana to pickup my mail where I had stayed and got there for dinnertime. My roommate had been transferred to Ohio and left a number for me to call him. He wanted back home as well, but we had to drive down to Franklin TN to close out his acct and get his money, and be there before they closed at Noon Saturday.
I headed for Ohio- I remember a US 33 or US36, and hitting a dog at midnight in whatever city I was in. Picked him and his stuff up- and pointed the Mercury Marquis south for Franklin TN. Got his acct closed and leaving Franklin by 8 or 9- headed east on I40- got outside of Nashville, and his gave him the keys! A 26 or 27 hr day.
Chris
Just got back last night from a little motorcycle ride from Dallas to Sierra Blanca and back. 1150 miles round trip in 18 hours. I only had a 130-140 mile range on this motorcycle so fuel stops ate into the time.
Texas Panhandle from St. Louis for a storm chasing trip. Left at 12:15 AM, got to the panhandle about 2PM that day. I-44 in the dark is tedious. Ended up being a bust and so I headed home to lick my wounds. OKC was interesting as was Tulsa. Unfortunately it was getting near dark when I passed OKC and totally dark when in Tulsa.
I plan to do the following trip tomorrow.
I live north of Baltimore. I'll make my way out to I-83, take I-83 from Shawan Road in Hunt Valley to I-695, I-695 from there to I-70 and I-70 to U.S. 29 near Ellicott City. I'll take U.S. 29 all the way into Washington, DC where I think eventually I-66 begins at. I'll hook up with I-66 and travel the entire length of that out to I-81 near Front Royal so I can get that clinched (all I need is the part inside the Capital Beltway). Then, I-81 north through the panhandle of West Virginia and that little part of Maryland and then up into Pennsylvania. I'll exit at U.S. 11 near Carlisle and take that to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Then the PA Turnpike all the way to where I-76 splits off, I-276 picks up and take that all the way into New Jersey. Then I'll hook up with the New Jersey Turnpike and take that to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and continue on I-295 out to I-95 outside of Wilmington, Delaware, and take I-95 back into Maryland. It will be extremely long if there's a lot of traffic.
Once, I drove from Phoenix to San Jose in one day. This was several years ago, for a convention of insulator collectors there. Truvelo was also there; as well as being a road fan, he's an avid insulator collector himself. He's seen my collection once.
Quote from: epzik8 on August 04, 2016, 10:21:53 AM
I plan to do the following trip tomorrow.
I live north of Baltimore. I'll make my way out to I-83, take I-83 from Shawan Road in Hunt Valley to I-695, I-695 from there to I-70 and I-70 to U.S. 29 near Ellicott City. I'll take U.S. 29 all the way into Washington, DC where I think eventually I-66 begins at. I'll hook up with I-66 and travel the entire length of that out to I-81 near Front Royal so I can get that clinched (all I need is the part inside the Capital Beltway). Then, I-81 north through the panhandle of West Virginia and that little part of Maryland and then up into Pennsylvania. I'll exit at U.S. 11 near Carlisle and take that to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Then the PA Turnpike all the way to where I-76 splits off, I-276 picks up and take that all the way into New Jersey. Then I'll hook up with the New Jersey Turnpike and take that to the Delaware Memorial Bridge and continue on I-295 out to I-95 outside of Wilmington, Delaware, and take I-95 back into Maryland. It will be extremely long if there's a lot of traffic.
Good luck, especially in DC. You'll want to take a good look at a map before you leave, since US-29's signage in the District is abysmal. Also, check up on HOV rules, I think I-66 inside the Beltway is a little wonky in that regard.
The longest "day" trip I took was with my dad this past weekend. We left College Park, MD at 7 pm, arrived at Valparaiso, IN (via I-270, I-70, I-68, I-79, I-76, I-71, and US-30) at 7 am the following day. 720 miles, 13 hours (including stops).
(edited to specify start/end locations)
I would think he'd be long gone by the time the WB HOV restrictions start on I-66. If he hasn't gotten out of DC by 4pm, there's no way he'd be able to get the rest of the trip done in a day.
My best one so far is Chicago IL to St. Cloud MN and return. It was nearly 1000 miles and took just over 16 hours.
That was one long day!
Wasn't the one driving, but went from SE Kentucky to Galveston in one go. We took an hour-long nap, loaded up a cattle trailer with junk, and made the turn towards home. Managed to make it to Baton Rouge before things nearly ended in disaster and we realized we had to get some sleep. Checked into a hotel and left out early the next morning
Though it was a one way trip, I was able to make it from Jacksonville, FL back home to near Pittsburgh, PA in around 13 hrs by doing the I-95/I-26/I-77/US 19/I-79/I-68/WV CR 857/PA 857/US 119/PA 51 route.
Longest I've made was in 2003 from Zacatecas, Mexico to Kissimme, FL in 33 hours of constant drive (only few stops for resting, eating and pump gas), leaving at 5 am, crossing the US-Mex border at 11 am then arriving to Kissimme, FL by 11 am next day, using mostly all I-10 non-stop. Never again I guess.
Back when I was in grad school in Boston, I did a lot of ridiculously long day trips. One day I took my then-girlfriend with me, and we drove to Montréal, ate dinner, and then drove right back. This triggered having my car sniffed by drug dogs when crossing into Canada. I also did a day trip to Derby Line VT and back (seperately).
I've done Nashua, NH to Winter Harbor, ME, via the Everett Turnpike to NH-101 to I-95, then back to Nashua via US-2 and NH-16, in a single day. That tested my endurance.
I did a cross-country road trip in 2006 where I typically did 14-18 hours of driving in a single day continuously for about 3 weeks. Yikes.
When i was about 7 my 16 year old sister ran away from home in Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ and made it to my Granny's house in Jacksonville.
My mom and her friend drove to fetch her with my brother and i in the back of our 1973 Ford LTD wood panel wagon. (My dad could not get time off.). They got her and turned around and drove back. My mom is the queen of 55 so 18 hours each way.. Her friend got a kick out of saying she took a trip to Florida for a cup of coffee...
Bad enough alone. I could not imagine 2 little kids and being pissed at a 16 year old...with that drive
LGMS428
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on January 10, 2016, 09:51:54 AM
I did go counterclockwise, I went through Detroit and then came back at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. I`ve actually driven around Lake Erie twice, but the second time I did it I took two days and stayed with friends.
I don`t recall customs being a huge deal, though I think on one of the occasions that I did it they may have searched the car when I re-entered Canada. You have to anticipate being searched every now and then though when you cross, so it really wasn`t that big of deal.
It`s not a crime to do odd things.
When i go on roadgeeking trips i always think of a reason to be there for the cops if i get pulled over Its not illegal to do something odd, but most cops would think you are running drugs or some sort of 'home-grown' terrorist. Especially if you are seen taking pics of infastructure or construction..
Thankfully it hasnt happened but i dont have to go through customs etc.
Although my brother in Maryland gave my parents his old car, i flew to D.C. and drove it home to Jacksonville.. I got a speeding ticket in Sellers SC on us301, avoiding a wreck on 95. I was expecting flack for a FL DL with MD tags and registration, but no prob... Maybe bevause i had a reason for my travels
LGMS428
I once had to explain about my trip when the state police decided to do a "safety" checkpoint on NY 74 between I-87 and US 9 when I was out clinching some things. Fortunately it was in the Adirondacks, so it's not like the roads weren't scenic, and I didn't need to do much to justify myself.
Quote from: vdeane on November 17, 2016, 12:52:25 PM
I once had to explain about my trip when the state police decided to do a "safety" checkpoint on NY 74 between I-87 and US 9 when I was out clinching some things. Fortunately it was in the Adirondacks, so it's not like the roads weren't scenic, and I didn't need to do much to justify myself.
Why should one have to justify where they're going, or why?
"Just out for a drive" ought to be a perfectly good reason.
Quote from: hbelkins on January 09, 2017, 12:40:48 PM
Quote from: vdeane on November 17, 2016, 12:52:25 PM
I once had to explain about my trip when the state police decided to do a "safety" checkpoint on NY 74 between I-87 and US 9 when I was out clinching some things. Fortunately it was in the Adirondacks, so it's not like the roads weren't scenic, and I didn't need to do much to justify myself.
Why should one have to justify where they're going, or why?
"Just out for a drive" ought to be a perfectly good reason.
Tell that to any Border Patrol Agent in Southern Arizona and New Mexico, I guarantee they'll disagree. The last time I got one of those talks was heading south on AZ 85 past Why to Organ Pipe National Monument. I was out there to check out a dirt road I had never done, you'd swear that was about the most suspicious thing I could have ever said.
Quote from: hbelkins on January 09, 2017, 12:40:48 PM
Quote from: vdeane on November 17, 2016, 12:52:25 PM
I once had to explain about my trip when the state police decided to do a "safety" checkpoint on NY 74 between I-87 and US 9 when I was out clinching some things. Fortunately it was in the Adirondacks, so it's not like the roads weren't scenic, and I didn't need to do much to justify myself.
Why should one have to justify where they're going, or why?
"Just out for a drive" ought to be a perfectly good reason.
It should be that way.. But realistically if you say "out for a drive" cops would find that evasive, especially if you are out your local area
LGMS428
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
It would fall under the territory driving being a privilege and not a right. You don't "have" to drive but if you do you consent to X, Y, and Z rules. Airports operate under the same assumption in the transportation world in regards to screening. And really if you aren't being arrested for a crime or prosecuted it would hard to argue a fourth amendment violation.
Now, the one that really pisses me off....or rather is just a pet peeve is the agricultural stations at the state lines here in California. Florida had them too, but for commercial vehicles....here they just check everyone for produce. Granted the reason it is probably like that is to save money on building a big complicated and dedicated commercial checkpoint when you can just lob one in the middle of the existing road. For the most part the agriculture inspectors have just waved me me by without asking any questions the last couple years, sure didn't used to be that way.
Quote from: jwolfer on January 09, 2017, 10:34:28 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 09, 2017, 12:40:48 PM
Quote from: vdeane on November 17, 2016, 12:52:25 PM
I once had to explain about my trip when the state police decided to do a "safety" checkpoint on NY 74 between I-87 and US 9 when I was out clinching some things. Fortunately it was in the Adirondacks, so it's not like the roads weren't scenic, and I didn't need to do much to justify myself.
Why should one have to justify where they're going, or why?
"Just out for a drive" ought to be a perfectly good reason.
It should be that way.. But realistically if you say "out for a drive" cops would find that evasive, especially if you are out your local area
LGMS428
Funny this came up today as I'm just now thinking about a roadtrip out east. Among other stops, I want to get photos in Houlton ME and the end of US-2. But I'm wondering, if I got on the I-95 ramp there and went to the border to get a photo of the END I-95 assembly, what kind of hassle might I expect from Canada Customs ("I'm just here to make a U-turn") and U.S. Customs?
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Sounds more like a checkpoint, where the cops are checking for sobriety or proof of insurance, instead of the poster (I think it was Valerie) being pulled over and singled out for a stop.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on January 09, 2017, 11:26:38 PM
Quote from: jwolfer on January 09, 2017, 10:34:28 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 09, 2017, 12:40:48 PM
Quote from: vdeane on November 17, 2016, 12:52:25 PM
I once had to explain about my trip when the state police decided to do a "safety" checkpoint on NY 74 between I-87 and US 9 when I was out clinching some things. Fortunately it was in the Adirondacks, so it's not like the roads weren't scenic, and I didn't need to do much to justify myself.
Why should one have to justify where they're going, or why?
"Just out for a drive" ought to be a perfectly good reason.
It should be that way.. But realistically if you say "out for a drive" cops would find that evasive, especially if you are out your local area
LGMS428
Funny this came up today as I'm just now thinking about a roadtrip out east. Among other stops, I want to get photos in Houlton ME and the end of US-2. But I'm wondering, if I got on the I-95 ramp there and went to the border to get a photo of the END I-95 assembly, what kind of hassle might I expect from Canada Customs ("I'm just here to make a U-turn") and U.S. Customs?
"I'm just making a U-turn" isn't unusual when you get to a secured checkpoint. Just look a little confused. :-)
Quote from: hbelkins on January 10, 2017, 11:37:15 AM
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Sounds more like a checkpoint, where the cops are checking for sobriety or proof of insurance, instead of the poster (I think it was Valerie) being pulled over and singled out for a stop.
The fourth amendment does not necessarily protect against checkpoints, but there are several States that have their own protection against checkpoints. Washington State's Supreme Court ruled against checkpoints in the 80s, citing the state's Constitution. Article 1, Section 7 states that "No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law".
Quote from: hbelkins on January 10, 2017, 11:37:15 AM
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Sounds more like a checkpoint, where the cops are checking for sobriety or proof of insurance, instead of the poster (I think it was Valerie) being pulled over and singled out for a stop.
Right, but they're not discriminating between those they would have actual cause to stop and those they would not. They're just stopping everyone -- just being behind a wheel is apparently enough cause for them to stop you and check for sobriety or whatever else.
Quote from: jakeroot on January 10, 2017, 11:50:08 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 10, 2017, 11:37:15 AM
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Sounds more like a checkpoint, where the cops are checking for sobriety or proof of insurance, instead of the poster (I think it was Valerie) being pulled over and singled out for a stop.
The fourth amendment does not necessarily protect against checkpoints, but there are several States that have their own protection against checkpoints. Washington State's Supreme Court ruled against checkpoints in the 80s, citing the state's Constitution. Article 1, Section 7 states that "No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law".
Yeah but that's a ruling on State Level Constitional Law. Basically states can afford greater constitutional protects so long as minimum they conform to the protections of the U.S. Constitution. That wording "private affairs" apparently means even driving your car to the state of Washington.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2017, 12:51:59 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on January 10, 2017, 11:50:08 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 10, 2017, 11:37:15 AM
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Sounds more like a checkpoint, where the cops are checking for sobriety or proof of insurance, instead of the poster (I think it was Valerie) being pulled over and singled out for a stop.
The fourth amendment does not necessarily protect against checkpoints, but there are several States that have their own protection against checkpoints. Washington State's Supreme Court ruled against checkpoints in the 80s, citing the state's Constitution. Article 1, Section 7 states that "No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law".
Yeah but that's a ruling on State Level Constitional Law. Basically states can afford greater constitutional protects so long as minimum they conform to the protections of the U.S. Constitution. That wording "private affairs" apparently means even driving your car to the state of Washington.
Right, exactly. I assume that states along the southern border probably don't have similar constitutional articles, due to high levels of illegal immigration. My point (really directed at Rothman) was that the fourth amendment still permits checkpoints, but some states take privacy to the next level by banning checkpoints at the their level.
Quote from: hbelkins on January 10, 2017, 11:37:15 AM
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Sounds more like a checkpoint, where the cops are checking for sobriety or proof of insurance, instead of the poster (I think it was Valerie) being pulled over and singled out for a stop.
My case was actually a temporary checkpoint. There were multiple police cars on both sides of NY 74 with officers standing on the double yellow line stopping and questioning everyone.
Quote from: jakeroot on January 10, 2017, 01:58:00 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2017, 12:51:59 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on January 10, 2017, 11:50:08 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on January 10, 2017, 11:37:15 AM
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PM
I'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
Sounds more like a checkpoint, where the cops are checking for sobriety or proof of insurance, instead of the poster (I think it was Valerie) being pulled over and singled out for a stop.
The fourth amendment does not necessarily protect against checkpoints, but there are several States that have their own protection against checkpoints. Washington State's Supreme Court ruled against checkpoints in the 80s, citing the state's Constitution. Article 1, Section 7 states that "No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law".
Yeah but that's a ruling on State Level Constitional Law. Basically states can afford greater constitutional protects so long as minimum they conform to the protections of the U.S. Constitution. That wording "private affairs" apparently means even driving your car to the state of Washington.
Right, exactly. I assume that states along the southern border probably don't have similar constitutional articles, due to high levels of illegal immigration. My point (really directed at Rothman) was that the fourth amendment still permits checkpoints, but some states take privacy to the next level by banning checkpoints at the their level.
Yep, and it gets more interesting in states like Florida where there can and has been Border Patrol checkpoints in the past. I couldn't resist chiming in since Criminal, Constitutional, and Procedural law were all part of my major in college.
Quote from: Rothman on January 09, 2017, 10:53:01 PMI'm wondering how those stops don't violate the right to due process or the Fourth Amendment. Just driving around is cause enough to stop people? Seems like a stretch to me.
There are US Supreme Court decisions that lay out specific and limited exceptions for certain types of random checkpoints, including Border Patrol checkpoints, sobriety checkpoints, and agricultural inspections in California. The key commonalities are that if not all traffic is stopped, traffic must be chosen for stopping by a method that guarantees randomness (e.g., every third vehicle signalled to stop), and further search requires probable cause. Legal U-turns to avoid checkpoints do not constitute probable cause. The jurisprudence on drug checkpoints is rather cloudy, but a recent decision has established that if the officers do not have the drug dog handy (if the dog alerts, that is probable cause to search your vehicle for drugs), they cannot make you wait for it to arrive.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on January 09, 2017, 11:26:38 PMFunny this came up today as I'm just now thinking about a roadtrip out east. Among other stops, I want to get photos in Houlton ME and the end of US-2. But I'm wondering, if I got on the I-95 ramp there and went to the border to get a photo of the END I-95 assembly, what kind of hassle might I expect from Canada Customs ("I'm just here to make a U-turn") and U.S. Customs?
My suggestion would be that you take the relevant photos on foot and that you take your passport (or other identity document that meets WHTI standards) with you. You have no obligation to present yourself to the Canadian immigration officers unless you actually set foot in Canada, and on the US side the immigration officers will usually be accommodating if you present yourself for inspection and say that you have just been taking pictures at the border without crossing into the neighboring country. I have done this successfully at Eastpoint, Idaho and Lukeville, Arizona.
The ports of entry that are the most troublesome are the ones with fencing right at the road edge with "No Pedestrians" signs--Mariposa, Arizona (near Nogales) is one example. In some places the signing you are interested in may be upstream of a final turnaround (usually located so that if you use it to U-turn, you join traffic leaving the POE after clearing immigration and customs), but such turnarounds are not universally provided.
I cannot recall encountering a land border crossing where photography was prohibited on the US side. However, the Border Patrol does prohibit photography at some of its checkpoints, including the one on I-19 northbound just south of Amado. At this checkpoint, the photography prohibition applies only to the last hundred feet or so before the line where the officers stand processing traffic, and does not apply to any of the advance signing. I personally think these photography bans are constitutionally infirm, but I would not like to make myself a test case and have government lawyers try to bowl the judge over with some kind of national-security exception.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 09, 2017, 09:30:02 PMTell that to any Border Patrol Agent in Southern Arizona and New Mexico, I guarantee they'll disagree. The last time I got one of those talks was heading south on AZ 85 past Why to Organ Pipe National Monument. I was out there to check out a dirt road I had never done, you'd swear that was about the most suspicious thing I could have ever said.
It got kind of interesting a few days ago when I passed through the I-19 Amado checkpoint. This time they were actually checking traffic, not just waving it through, like they had been doing a few days earlier at the I-10 MP 119 checkpoint near Columbus, New Mexico. I rolled down the window and the Border Patrol officer (female, Hispanic-looking) asked me something. I couldn't hear it (of course not, with > 90% hearing loss in both ears), and on the lips it didn't look like the usual "Are you a US citizen?" I shook my head in incomprehension. Then she said something that had the word "ID" in it. I said, "Why do you need to see ID?" Then she pointed to the secondary inspection area and told me to go there.
I pulled up and two (male, Anglo-looking) Border Patrol officers came up to me and said something that again had "ID" in it. I made a scribbling gesture and one of them pulled out a small notepad. "Do you have ID?" I wrote back: "Does it have to be citizenship proof?" Pad comes back: "Are you a US citizen?" "Yes." "You can go."
I actually had both my driver's license and my passport with me, but I didn't want to dig for my wallet (I carry it in my right front pocket and thus would have had to take off my seatbelt), and the passport was out of reach on the floor behind the driver's seat.
Yeah "just driving" is not a good excuse. It's gotten me searched both times I've used it. Of course I never have anything illegal on me, and my car is extremely clean (not cluttered) so it's always really quick and easy.
I did Buffalo to Lake George/western Vermont a few times in high school and undergrad. That's 5.5 hours straight driving. From Buffalo, I always did Pittsburgh as a day trip (~4 hours straight driving, plus several hours there). Last spring, I did a trip to New Hampshire and Burlington as a day trip. Was out for ~19 hours.
Quote from: J N Winkler on January 10, 2017, 10:39:14 PM
"Are you a US citizen?" "Yes." "You can go."
I believe that question is the only one to which they're legally entitled to an answer. Once you say 'yes,' you theoretically don't have to answer any more questions. There have been cases of people putting that to the test, however, and it ending up badly for them because the drug dog supposedly made some sort of 'indication' which sent them in for secondary.
I've never been sent to secondary. The one time I've been asked more than my citizenship was on I-35 north out of Laredo. They asked where I was coming from, and I decided to just try 'Laredo.' (That wasn't actually true, as I had bypassed Laredo and crossed the border at Colombia.) The agent asked if we had been in Mexico as well, and I went ahead and answered yes. Pressing an issue with a gun-wielding official is one thing to consider in the comfort of your own home, but it's another thing altogether to actually do in real life.
Quote from: kphoger on January 19, 2017, 09:19:33 PMI believe that question is the only one to which they're legally entitled to an answer. Once you say 'yes,' you theoretically don't have to answer any more questions. There have been cases of people putting that to the test, however, and it ending up badly for them because the drug dog supposedly made some sort of 'indication' which sent them in for secondary.
Actually, you are not even required to say whether you are a citizen. You can politely refuse to answer and they have to let you go unless they find probable cause for search. The dogs are one way to manufacture such.
Quote from: kphoger on January 19, 2017, 09:19:33 PMI've never been sent to secondary. The one time I've been asked more than my citizenship was on I-35 north out of Laredo. They asked where I was coming from, and I decided to just try 'Laredo.' (That wasn't actually true, as I had bypassed Laredo and crossed the border at Colombia.) The agent asked if we had been in Mexico as well, and I went ahead and answered yes. Pressing an issue with a gun-wielding official is one thing to consider in the comfort of your own home, but it's another thing altogether to actually do in real life.
I don't have a problem saying that I am a US citizen. I also don't usually have a problem with opening my trunk for inspection because every car I have owned since 1995 has had an internal trunk release that is accessible to the driver. (My first car was a 1978 Chevy Impala base model and I suspect an internal release might have been an extra-cost option.) However, I was pushing back on the ID questions because neither of the two forms of ID I had was within easy reach.
In regard to trunk searches, I don't think I have ever encountered that in Arizona or Texas, but I did once on US 70 just outside the entrance to White Sands National Monument, where the Border Patrol intercepts traffic going east from Las Cruces. The officers cannot require that the trunk be opened for searching unless there is probable cause, but if they ask the driver to open the trunk without saying that he or she can refuse to do so, then it counts as a search with the driver's consent. The Border Patrol (and law enforcement in general) is tricky that way.
For a while, everyone was getting trunk searched at Lewiston, NY heading into the US. That was quite a pain.
I've been secondaried once at the north end of I-95 (with NEXUS). Nobody passed by in either direction in the 10 minutes they were tearing apart my car.
Back in December, I left my dad's house in the Baltimore suburb of Jarrettsville, Maryland at 4:30 in the morning, made my way to I-83 and took that through York, Pennsylvania and to the Pennsylvania Turnpike; then I took the Turnpike 242 miles into Ohio, and by crossing the state line I clinched the mainline PA Turnpike. From there I continued on I-76, now the Ohio Turnpike, to the first exit at I-680 and took that to U.S. 62 in Youngstown. A few miles up the road in Hubbard, Ohio, I picked up I-80, which within a few minutes took me back into Pennsylvania. It was a little after 10AM when I re-entered Pennsylvania. I stopped at a rest area in Venango County before exiting I-80 at exit 123 in Clearfield County and taking whatever road that is to U.S. 322. Stopped for lunch at Sheetz in Philipsburg. Eventually I made it to I-99 and passed through the area of a certain university whose name I refuse to mention due to my low opinion of that university. By 1:00 I was continuing to make my way down 322 in Mifflin County. I got to Harrisburg, taking I-81 a few miles to I-83, and took I-83 through Harrisburg, and then when I got to the Turnpike interchange I was going back the way I had come in that morning. I fueled up at Rutter's off I-83 exit 32 in Newberry Township, York County. I exited I-83 at Shrewsbury (exit 4) and took PA-851 to PA-24 at Stewartstown, then took PA-24 back into Maryland where it becomes MD-23. And then I took local roads the rest of the way back to my dad's neighborhood. I arrived back at 3:30 PM, 11 hours after my departure.
The very next day after my Ohio trip, I left just after 5AM and made my way to U.S. Route 1, took that over the Conowingo Dam, then cut through Cecil County taking MD-273 to 274 to 272 to I-95, got off at Exit 109 and took MD-279 into Elkton, then followed MD-213 from there into Kent County, and took MD-313 from Galena to the U.S. 301 junction. Followed 301 back to 213 and took that to U.S. 50, then I took the 404 through Denton, into Delaware and to U.S. 13 at Bridgeville where I stopped at Wawa at about 8AM. I took U.S. 13 into Maryland, bypassed Salisbury, went through Princess Anne and Pocomoke City, and landed in Virginia's Eastern Shore. I kept going on U.S. 13 across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and exited onto U.S. 60 at Virginia Beach and made my way to I-64. Took I-64 into Richmond, which I reached just after noon. Since I'm a NASCAR fan, I looked for and found the Richmond International Raceway, took some pictures, and then got onto I-295 to I-95. I got off I-95 at exit 104 and took the Route 207 connection to U.S. 301 at Bowling Green, and took 301 across the Potomac River into Maryland. I stopped for gas in Bowie and then hit up U.S. 50 to go to I-97. I took that to I-895, went through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, rejoined I-95, got off at exit 74 and then went the rest of the way back to my dad's house on state routes. I was back about 5:35 PM.
My longest day trip is Boise to Bend and back. Though technically, my then-girlfriend (now wife) drove me to Ontario, I took the bus to Bend, then drove back. I was picking up a car.
As for driving the whole way, we took a day trip from Meridian to Twin Falls (135 mi each way, though we took some back roads on the way back). And two separate day trips from Seaside to Portland (about 80 miles each way, though one time we took US-30 through Astoria back). Nothing too long really.
I went from Milwaukee to Indianapolis and then back in one day back in May 2013. I was there for a tour of Lucas Oil Stadium spent 10 hours on the road for a 2 hour tour. Left at 6AM in the morning got back around 9PM.
Longest been on is 2 1/2 hours each way.
I've had a few decently long day trips. Last summer I drove from Indy down to SW Indiana to cross of some counties from my list. It rained all day and made the trip less enjoyable than it would have been otherwise, but it was still worth it. Left about 8:30am and returned around 4 or 5pm. I didn't want to leave my dog alone for any longer than that!
Route map: http://www.mob-rule.com/routes/csw/84
Another day trip while I was in New York State last autumn, drove up to the Adirondacks for some hiking and took the scenic route back through Lake George and Albany. I-88 is beautiful in the fall. Left early in the morning and didn't get back before it was dark.
Route map: http://www.mob-rule.com/routes/csw/239
This doesn't really count, but in November I also flew to Kansas City from Indy and back in a day for an interview. Managed to cross off a few more counties in the area with my provided rental car, don't tell anyone. What a day that was.