Highways Skipped Because you Were the Passenger

[ethanhopkin14]

More detail:  How many highways have you wanted to go on, or even a section would make you complete a highway, but you were a passenger on a trip and it would be too difficult to explain to the driver to take the longer way just so you can be on that route?  Maybe it was because you were a kid and had no input and just went were the car went.

For me it is I-295 in New Jersey.  I had already driven the New Jersey Turnpike many time, then went up there with friends. The New Jersey Turnpike was the faster way to go, so we took that, so I have never been on I-295 except for the part that crosses from Delaware to New Jersey. 

[CtrlAltDel]

Not especially often, actually. If I'm not the driver, I'm almost always the navigator, and so people just go the way I say. That said, I've never suggested any routes that are too crazy.

For example, I'm somewhat of a sticker for maintaining route continuity, and so I would tell people to stay on I-75 through Macon instead of taking the bypass.

[ethanhopkin14]

Not especially often, actually. If I'm not the driver, I'm almost always the navigator, and so people just go the way I say. That said, I've never suggested any routes that are too crazy.

For example, I'm somewhat of a sticker for maintaining route continuity, and so I would tell people to stay on I-75 through Macon instead of taking the bypass.

I am big on that as navigator or driver, because it's easier to tell someone to stay on X highway, plus it's easier for me to stay on X highway so I don't have to memorize 5 route changes (because I do not use GPS) to save 10 minutes in a 10 hour drive (especially if a lot of those route changes happen at 11:00 PM or later at night when keeping up with all the changes is really tough seeing how I am tired and al my energy is spent on actual driving). 

[hbelkins]

A bunch. Most recently, I-184 in Idaho. If I had been driving, I would have gone out of the way to get a clinch of the route.

[Rothman]

Can't remember since it has been too long since I've been a trapped passenger.

That said, I wanted to cross a particular county line recently just to contribute to the Extra-Miler Club's monthly tally, but chickened out due to passengers in the car.

[JayhawkCO]

Anywhere outside of Denver, if I have a passenger, it's my wife.  And I generally just say something is only 15 minutes longer if I want to take another routing (no matter how long it actually is).  Now that I have Colorado clinched, it's a little less necessary.

Chris

[SkyPesos]

Missed out on an I-68 clinch, as coming home from DC once, the GPS suggested using US 40/PA 43/I-70 instead of I-68/I-79 between Keysers Ridge, MD and Washington, PA, and my dad followed it.

[Max Rockatansky]

I've missed out on more highways because of my passengers than me being one.

[Rothman]

I've missed out on more highways because of my passengers than me being one.

You made my point much more succinctly.

[achilles765]

I-85.  I wanted to come back from cT to Louisiana one time using I 85 but the friends I was with wanted to come back the same way we went: I 81, I-40, I-75, I-24, I-59, I-12, I-10....

[webny99]

I've missed out on more highways because of my passengers than me being one.

Interesting thought. I would guess it would be closer to 50/50 in my case, although I really have about equal say whether I'm the driver or the passenger. Technically I have more control as the driver, but I'm also the directions guy when I'm the passenger, so I've got a bit of input there as well, especially if we're already off the beaten path or there's a POI along a potential alternate route.




Actually a decent number of examples I can think of is where I did get to take the route I wanted.. free I-90 through Albany, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, a short detour from Vermont into New Hampshire, etc. But there's sort of an unspoken agreement that we'll take the fastest route unless otherwise planned or specified.

However, there has been several cases where I would have considered detouring into another county for the clinch if I was on my own. And I certainly would have considered taking I-279 to I-376 through Pittsburgh (instead of I-79 straight through) if I had been old enough to drive at the time.

The two main examples that I can think of are last fall, I wanted to return from Lake Placid via NY 3, but passengers insisted we take the highway (NY 73 to I-87, then cut the corner on NY 67 over to I-90). It cost me two new home-state counties and added about 10-15 minutes to the trip, so I'm still pretty disappointed about it, not knowing when I'll get another chance to get that far north. 

And back in 2019 returning from TN, I wanted to get to Blackwater Falls and get a bunch more routes/counties in WV, MD, and PA instead of taking I-81 through VA for a second time. We ran out of time, but it was poor advance planning on everyone's part, including mine, plus rainy weather that interfered with our plans for Skyline Drive. However, as a counter-example on the same trip, I took I-77 south from Cleveland to I-70 to get to Hocking Hills, netting me a bunch of new counties and mileage even though it was a bit longer.

[Flint1979]

For the longest time I hadn't completed my clinch of I-75 because I-475 in Macon, GA is a shortcut. Well it was the only stretch of I-75 I had never driven or rode on so when I was coming back from Florida last year I finally drove on that completing my clinch of I-75.

I had for years had the northern stretch north of Macon clinched and had the stretch south of there complete to Naples and just completed the Alligator Alley stretch and went to the southern terminus of the highway about 13 years ago.

For this reason alone a lot of people probably don't have I-75 clinched. I'm happy that I do now.

[vdeane]

The two main examples that I can think of are last fall, I wanted to return from Lake Placid via NY 3, but passengers insisted we take the highway (NY 73 to I-87, then cut the corner on NY 67 over to I-90). It cost me two new home-state counties and added about 10-15 minutes to the trip, so I'm still pretty disappointed about it, not knowing when I'll get another chance to get that far north. 

More like half an hour longer, according to Google.  It's not even a suggested route.  Google actually does want to go the way you wanted (well, mostly; it takes NY 3A to bypass Carthage and then NY 26/US 11/I-781), so next time, just plug your address into the GPS and say you're following that.

[SkyPesos]

For the longest time I hadn't completed my clinch of I-75 because I-475 in Macon, GA is a shortcut. Well it was the only stretch of I-75 I had never driven or rode on so when I was coming back from Florida last year I finally drove on that completing my clinch of I-75.

I had for years had the northern stretch north of Macon clinched and had the stretch south of there complete to Naples and just completed the Alligator Alley stretch and went to the southern terminus of the highway about 13 years ago.

For this reason alone a lot of people probably don't have I-75 clinched. I'm happy that I do now.

The only reason how I got I-75 in Macon is by lying to my dad (who is driving) "GPS is wrong, I-75 is faster" on my last trip to Florida 

[Flint1979]

For the longest time I hadn't completed my clinch of I-75 because I-475 in Macon, GA is a shortcut. Well it was the only stretch of I-75 I had never driven or rode on so when I was coming back from Florida last year I finally drove on that completing my clinch of I-75.

I had for years had the northern stretch north of Macon clinched and had the stretch south of there complete to Naples and just completed the Alligator Alley stretch and went to the southern terminus of the highway about 13 years ago.

For this reason alone a lot of people probably don't have I-75 clinched. I'm happy that I do now.

The only reason how I got I-75 in Macon is by lying to my dad (who is driving) "GPS is wrong, I-75 is faster" on my last trip to Florida 

I didn't have to do that since I was driving lol. I thought geez I'm down here and have this small stretch of I-75 to complete the entire highway so it was easy. It takes maybe an extra 5 minutes.

[webny99]

The two main examples that I can think of are last fall, I wanted to return from Lake Placid via NY 3, but passengers insisted we take the highway (NY 73 to I-87, then cut the corner on NY 67 over to I-90). It cost me two new home-state counties and added about 10-15 minutes to the trip, so I'm still pretty disappointed about it, not knowing when I'll get another chance to get that far north. 

More like half an hour longer, according to Google.  It's not even a suggested route.  Google actually does want to go the way you wanted (well, mostly; it takes NY 3A to bypass Carthage and then NY 26/US 11/I-781), so next time, just plug your address into the GPS and say you're following that.

Yeah, my dad was aware that the NY 3 route (including the modifications you noted) would be shorter and faster, but part/most of it would have been in the dark, and he wanted to avoid doing that much two-lane mileage in the dark, for safety reasons and because NY 3 is not exactly a super-2 - it's winding at times, and that can get wearing, not to mention that it can be hard/impossible to pass if you get stuck behind someone.

Even so, I was disappointed, but will be worth the wait if I can do it in the daylight sometime, and we did end up finding a cool place for dinner that made up for it somewhat (Sticks & Stones on US 9 just south of Schroon Lake, for the record).