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Non-Road Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Max Rockatansky on June 11, 2019, 01:30:47 PM

Title: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 11, 2019, 01:30:47 PM
Previous to joining this forum I was more involved with car clubs and forums related to the many aspects of driving a vehicle.  What I found interesting and somewhat surprising in the Highway/Road-geek world is that the act of driving or operating a vehicle doesn't seem to be a aspect that was even close to universally enjoyed.  So with thought in mind, what is everyone's take on driving?..do you enjoy or dislike it?

For me there are numerous aspects of driving that I really enjoy.  Something like a good mountain road, a good dirt/gravel highway or even something that has some historical value like driving a former Signed Highway are things I tend to enjoy quite a bit.  I also tend to enjoy vehicles that are fun to drive which isn't something that can be said to be universal. 

With that said there are several facets to driving I don't like.  Commuting is a bore simply due to the repetitive nature of going to the same place repeatedly.  While I don't prefer traffic I don't consider it to be something that would put me off on and drive if they end goal was something I wanted to do.  What I do find boring is freeway driving with few exceptions (I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge and I-70 in Utah come to mind as exceptions).  Freeways tend to be universal in nature and don't for most part offer anything engaging as a driver. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: AsphaltPlanet on June 11, 2019, 01:37:43 PM
I love to drive.

I am a roadgeek because of my love of driving.  It is not atypical for me to go on a four day road trip and put 6,000km on a car during those four days on the road.

When I drive, I tend not to have a set plan of where I am looking to go that day.  I tend to just bring a trusty road atlas and drive in the direction that the sky is the clearest.  My interest in this hobby is not at all clinching or anything like that, I just love the open road.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Rothman on June 11, 2019, 01:43:46 PM
Love driving.

I find boredom while driving is due to the landscape rather than type of road.  The one trip I took that bored me noticeably was driving around on back roads in western Ohio and eastern Indiana.  Not much to look at, although I did come across a couple of neat courthouses and Sycamore Row (along with its ridiculously wrong historical marker...No, logs do not sprout trees :D) on that trip.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: US 89 on June 11, 2019, 01:56:05 PM
I love driving just to see other places. For me there's also a lot of value in driving somewhere and being able to identify the name of the river/mountain/valley I just saw, understanding where it fits in the bigger geographic picture of the area. I guess that sort of ties in with some other hobbies of mine, like hiking and driving to scenic viewpoints.

In terms of commuting, I actually don't mind it at all. It's a time to relax and decompress, just me and the car radio, without anyone or anything else to worry about.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: webny99 on June 11, 2019, 03:33:53 PM
I believe we have had this kind of thread before. Anyone who is on this forum and says they don't like driving is probably a troll.  :sombrero:


Quote from: US 89 on June 11, 2019, 01:56:05 PM
For me there's also a lot of value in driving somewhere and being able to identify the name of the river/mountain/valley I just saw, understanding where it fits in the bigger geographic picture of the area.
Could not have said it better myself.

Quote from: US 89 on June 11, 2019, 01:56:05 PM
In terms of commuting, I actually don't mind it at all. It's a time to relax and decompress, just me and the car radio, without anyone or anything else to worry about.
Sometimes I find driving even more relaxing without music/radio. For myself (and I am assuming you as well) one benefit is that we don't have major traffic issues to deal with. If I was in one of the East Coast cities, I would have a much different perspective on commuting.
I much prefer commuting on the freeway. It is the back roads, especially in suburbia, that are most frustrating. The freeway may not have the best scenery, but it operates so much more smoothly and efficiently. Major commuter freeways also tend to have fast moving traffic, which can be fun. The "boredom" factor tends to lead many drivers to go faster than you might expect, thus turning boring into intense at times. I am usually more relaxed on the morning commute, while having less tolerance for left lane campers, etc. in the afternoon.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: noelbotevera on June 11, 2019, 03:40:51 PM
My father is not one for driving, considering he's well into his middle ages. I've become accustomed to his habits, however.

For me, I'll be receiving my license (hopefully) next year. I've always been one for exploration, so I'll probably be cruising down back roads with the windows down with no objective in mind. I've never been one for clinching, but sometimes I try to clinch some roads whenever I go on trips (my upcoming Boston trip will finally allow me to clinch PA 33! I've only been between US 22 and I-78).
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: AsphaltPlanet on June 11, 2019, 03:47:22 PM
Quote from: webny99 on June 11, 2019, 03:33:53 PM
Sometimes I find driving even more relaxing without music/radio. For myself (and I am assuming you as well) one benefit is that we don't have major traffic issues to deal with. If I was in one of the East Coast cities, I would have a much different perspective on commuting.
I much prefer commuting on the freeway. It is the back roads, especially in suburbia, that are most frustrating. The freeway may not have the best scenery, but it operates so much more smoothly and efficiently. Major commuter freeways also tend to have fast moving traffic, which can be fun. The "boredom" factor tends to lead many drivers to go faster than you might expect, thus turning boring into intense at times. I am usually more relaxed on the morning commute, while having less tolerance for left lane campers, etc. in the afternoon.

How much commuting experience does someone have at age 19?
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: webny99 on June 11, 2019, 05:32:24 PM
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on June 11, 2019, 03:47:22 PM
How much commuting experience does someone have at age 19?

Right on two years. Not a lot, but certainly not nothing, and more than most my age.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Scott5114 on June 11, 2019, 06:40:13 PM
I like driving, but that is because I like roads and seeing new stuff. I'm content to get my experience in the passenger seat, though; I find that when I am not having to worry about controlling the car I can appreciate smaller details, can do better photography than if I was driving, etc. The only thing that driving gets you that the passenger seat doesn't is an appreciation of subtle aspects of good geometric design, like nicely-banked curves and the like.

I am not into cars at all. The car is there to drag my butt down the road I'm trying to clinch. I don't care if I'm driving a 1978 Toyssan Sinatra JB+ sedan with a rear four-door suspection hatchback credenza or whatever. What's important is what's through the glass.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: vdeane on June 11, 2019, 09:30:41 PM
I love driving.  It just isn't the same as a passenger.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: webny99 on June 11, 2019, 10:02:02 PM
We have definitely had the driver / passenger discussion in the recent past.

It comes down to whether you are intuitive or observant by nature. Driving is more of an intuitive task,  while you can observe and make better use of your five senses as a passenger.
There is also the judging / prospecting and thinking / feeling dimensions. Those who like to maintain control tend to prefer driving.

Personally, I enjoy both. Sometimes I feel that my intuition runs too strong when I'm driving. I tend to be so focused on planning out my next move and maintaining consistency that I can miss important information and even start to lose track of my location. This is especially the case when traveling in a bandwagon with other drivers, something I try to avoid for that reason.
On the other hand, I take in a lot more of my current surroundings - even down to the mile marker - as a passenger. Watching traffic go by and spotting licence plates may sound boring, but I find it enjoyable. Good scenery helps, too.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: ilpt4u on June 11, 2019, 10:22:29 PM
I am not a huge fan of monotonous Interstate driving...

For example, for a trip up to Chicago, I would rather ride Amtrak or drive a route that is not nearly as boring as I-57 between SoIL and Chicago

Driving IL 1 or US 45 or US 51 may be a bit slower, but the towns are a nice change of scenery and pace. Amtrak is nice, because I'm a passenger

That said, a road trip much longer than 6 hours, I would rather fly, assuming halfway decent airfare. Not saying I won't drive, but flying will certainly be a considered alternative
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Scott5114 on June 12, 2019, 03:26:46 AM
Quote from: webny99 on June 11, 2019, 10:02:02 PM
We have definitely had the driver / passenger discussion in the recent past.

It comes down to whether you are intuitive or observant by nature. Driving is more of an intuitive task,  while you can observe and make better use of your five senses as a passenger.
There is also the judging / prospecting and thinking / feeling dimensions. Those who like to maintain control tend to prefer driving.

Personally, I enjoy both. Sometimes I feel that my intuition runs too strong when I'm driving. I tend to be so focused on planning out my next move and maintaining consistency that I can miss important information and even start to lose track of my location. This is especially the case when traveling in a bandwagon with other drivers, something I try to avoid for that reason.
On the other hand, I take in a lot more of my current surroundings - even down to the mile marker - as a passenger. Watching traffic go by and spotting licence plates may sound boring, but I find it enjoyable. Good scenery helps, too.

For me it's more the simple fact that the mental overhead of driving means I cannot devote time to examining comparatively minute things such as the precise layout of legend on a sign, whether it is at right angles to the road surface or tilted down slightly, etc. as clearly as when I am a passenger. For safety's sake I have to focus on traffic instead, so I miss part of the experience.

Another thing that I didn't realize until just now–I am the one driving so frequently that it's nice to be a passenger again sometimes, because it takes me back to the time before I had a license where I always was the driver. Back to old family road trips where I was just along for the ride and first noticed the little things like that.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: 1995hoo on June 12, 2019, 08:38:09 AM
I've always enjoyed driving (well, since I was old enough to drive, of course). While sometimes being a passenger and getting to look around is nice, for me that depends on who's doing the driving. I'm not a great passenger when my wife drives because I feel she's erratic and it drives me nuts that she doesn't use her signals and things like that (and then complains when the lane-keeping assist pushes back).

I agree with the comment about the Interstate sometimes getting boring, but for me that's mostly when I'm going the same way I've gone many times. I always like to drive on a new route I haven't used before. But of course we all know there are often times, especially near home, where you're not going to find any good new route so until you've driven for a while.

I commute via mass transit mainly because of parking (I'd have to park a block or two from work anyway, ultimately the same distance away as the subway stop), cost, and traffic. The latter is especially problematic with Memorial Bridge under construction. My blood pressure is definitely lower since I stopped driving into DC every day.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Beltway on June 12, 2019, 08:48:48 AM
Driving starting at age 16 is what got me interested in roads and highways, actually using the roads for their intended purpose.

I do enjoy driving to a point.  I like long trips but normally there needs to be at least one other need for the trip than just seeing roads.  Driving 50 to 100 miles to see roads is not what I would consider a long trip.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Henry on June 12, 2019, 10:44:28 AM
I've been driving since age 15, and I'm still enjoying every minute of it!

I can say this: Once you've had your license, then being a passenger just isn't as fun as it used to be when you were a kid.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: ilpt4u on June 12, 2019, 11:22:42 AM
My older siblings would tell you I had my nose buried in map books long before I got my Driver's Permit @ 15...Grandma's house had a early-mid 90s National Rand McNally map book (yes I found it odd that I-95 was "broken"  in NJ as a young one), and Mom had the Rand McNally 6 County Chicagoland street level map book, and I wore the cover off both

It's fascinating, seeing what goes where, how far, how much variety in routes, planning a secondary or tertiary route option, etc.

Of course, that knowledge is nice to have, but with Google Maps and GPSs now, readily accessible maps are at everyone's fingertips

I wouldn't say I do not enjoy driving...but driving needs to make sense. I'm not setting off on a road trip to the Pacific NW just because I can...and also when I travel that way, I'd rather spend more time at/around the destination than in transit. I threw out 6 hours before, but probably 6-8 hours (each way) is about as much of a road trip as I want to tackle to reach a destination
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: ClassicHasClass on June 12, 2019, 02:34:35 PM
I'll drive instead of fly, anytime. My work lets me drive all around the state.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: In_Correct on June 12, 2019, 11:10:58 PM
I like driving. I can't say I love driving. Other people keep me from loving. Also I worry about cars wearing out if I drive too much.

I like to drive slowly be cause it is good for cars. I sometimes drive very fast be cause that is also good for cars. If I slightly over inflate my tires which means I am very alert and have to slow down prematurely. I also keep the P.S.I. levels the same in each tire. I also have emergency supplies ... Clothes, Pillows, Blankets, First Aid, Tools, Towels, and Food. I guess I have silly family cars. ... Sport Wagons and Mini Vans ... and also "Foreign" ones. I do not have a large, loud truck, race car, or even a sports car, or even a "Luxury" car ... in other words one with the tiny tires stretched around the over sized rims. Instead I have sensible cars and I drive sensibly. Neither makes me popular.

Other cars I prefer is Motor Home.  :coffee: And other similar sized cars. My favourite engine is Diesel-Electric.

I prefer roads to have passing lanes. I usually do not want to pass other cars. I also hate rail road crossings. I must have the bridges or the tunnels. Interstate Highways are best. Especially if they have Frontage Roads. I really prefer that the medians are very wide and have trees in them. As for Toll Roads I prefer them also, but I am still nervous. Toll Roads feels like I am driving through some body's house.

When ever I find a Rest Area or a Travel Center, I will not be slow but I will take my time if that makes sense. I like to enjoy the scenery. And some times I film it. If there is a Train nearby I will film it. If there is a Wind Mill nearby I will film it.

Also ... I like to pick up cans.

I hate listening to music while driving and hate it even worse when riding. If I listen to music, the volume is turned down.

I also commute and travel by Bus and Train. And Boat.

But not Flying.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: kphoger on June 13, 2019, 01:44:13 PM
I'm OK with driving but I wouldn't say I like it.  I would like it more if I had a car with a stickshift, but that's about it.  I'd much rather take the train somewhere, but almost never feasible where I live.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Flint1979 on June 13, 2019, 08:30:49 PM
I enjoy driving if I'm seeing different scenery. Living in Michigan it's hard to get that because my part of the state and a lot of Michigan is boring farm land, I like the forests though but the drives through farm land become very boring very quick. That's how the thumb part of Michigan is especially in Huron County.

Sometimes I get tired of driving but I'm always up for a road trip. I love maps and studying maps it's how I became roadgeek. I love big cities and then love small towns too. I'll always drive through a small town on a business route just to get off the main highway for a minute.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: kphoger on June 14, 2019, 03:18:58 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on June 13, 2019, 08:30:49 PM
I like the forests though but the drives through farm land become very boring very quick.

I find forests more boring than farmland.  Tree after tree after tree after tree...  At least with farmland, I can see different crops and barns and livestock and stuff.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: In_Correct on June 14, 2019, 08:44:12 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 14, 2019, 03:18:58 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on June 13, 2019, 08:30:49 PM
I like the forests though but the drives through farm land become very boring very quick.

I find forests more boring than farmland.  Tree after tree after tree after tree...  At least with farmland, I can see different crops and barns and livestock and stuff.

Forests are not boring, but I do not like to drive near them at night.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:08:22 PM
Quote from: In_Correct on June 14, 2019, 08:44:12 PM
Forests are not boring, but I do not like to drive near them at night.

Gotta watch out for sasquatch.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 14, 2019, 10:14:24 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:08:22 PM
Quote from: In_Correct on June 14, 2019, 08:44:12 PM
Forests are not boring, but I do not like to drive near them at night.

Gotta watch out for sasquatch.

More like deer and coyote, lots of road meat comes out at night in the woods.  The desert is also surprisingly animal filled at night. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:37:09 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 14, 2019, 10:14:24 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:08:22 PM
Quote from: In_Correct on June 14, 2019, 08:44:12 PM
Forests are not boring, but I do not like to drive near them at night.
Gotta watch out for sasquatch.
More like deer and coyote, lots of road meat comes out at night in the woods.  The desert is also surprisingly animal filled at night.

I'm sure there are also some similar desert creatures (desert sasquatch?) to watch out for at night, too.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 14, 2019, 10:39:06 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:37:09 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 14, 2019, 10:14:24 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:08:22 PM
Quote from: In_Correct on June 14, 2019, 08:44:12 PM
Forests are not boring, but I do not like to drive near them at night.
Gotta watch out for sasquatch.
More like deer and coyote, lots of road meat comes out at night in the woods.  The desert is also surprisingly animal filled at night.

I'm sure there are also some similar desert creatures (desert sasquatch?) to watch out for at night, too.

Yes, Javelina to be exact...the most awful mammal to every walk the face of the planet. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: csw on June 14, 2019, 10:43:52 PM
Having lived my whole life in Indiana, I have no issue with driving through flat farmland. There's actually quite a bit to look at when driving through places like Indiana - one of the things I do is count how many hawks I see sitting on fenceposts or light poles.

I enjoy driving when there's little to no traffic and I have a destination. I used to take trips just for county clinching but I don't have the patience for that any more. I usually pick a place to go hiking or a city I want to explore and then take the scenic route there and the fast route back. (Also I usually go west in the morning and east in the afternoon for photo lighting purposes  :cool: ) Finding an old route marker or crossing over a cool bridge are things that make any trip more exciting for me.

As for type of roads, my favorite to drive on are divided highways that aren't interstates because I can go fast with (usually) less traffic, especially truck traffic. But any road will do as long as there's not a lot of traffic. I enjoy curvy mountain roads when they're not so crazy that my car can't handle it. That's both a pro and con of having moved to the DC area - there's a stupid amount of traffic here but there are also nice mountain roads an hour west.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: allniter89 on June 14, 2019, 10:50:08 PM
I really enjoy driving & always have since August 1969 when I got my 1st dl. The majority of my jobs have involved driving including a taxi cab, 3 axle produce truck, newspaper delivery & 20 yrs of driving an 18 wheeler all over this beautiful country.

If I'm out for a "ride" with nowhere to go I won't use an interstate or federal hwy. Sometimes I'll see how far I can go in one direction (n,s,e,w) or I play a game ie take our neighborhood road out to US 90, at the stop sign at 90 what ever direction the last car I see I follow, if they turn onto a numbered hwy I follow until they turn onto a non numbered hwy then I follow til the next car pulls in front of me &  so on & so on & scoobey scooby do ;-) Oh sha sha we got to live together RIP Sly. Delaware is very small but I can go from the PA line to the MD line south using only county roads yea I know big whoop ;-). it is what it is.
If I see thunderstorm clouds in the distant sky I'll head for that also
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Rothman on June 14, 2019, 10:57:27 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 14, 2019, 10:39:06 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:37:09 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 14, 2019, 10:14:24 PM
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on June 14, 2019, 10:08:22 PM
Quote from: In_Correct on June 14, 2019, 08:44:12 PM
Forests are not boring, but I do not like to drive near them at night.
Gotta watch out for sasquatch.
More like deer and coyote, lots of road meat comes out at night in the woods.  The desert is also surprisingly animal filled at night.

I'm sure there are also some similar desert creatures (desert sasquatch?) to watch out for at night, too.

Yes, Javelina to be exact...the most awful mammal to every walk the face of the planet. 


The volunteers at Big Bend National Park first try to avoid the jackrabbits, but a significant percentage of the volunteers end up pretty jaded after a while (e.g., "they seem determined to die...").
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: CtrlAltDel on June 16, 2019, 06:49:29 AM
I like driving when I feel a sense of freedom. So, what I usually enjoy most is a fairly open road and a simple routing.

I get very upset, more upset than I should, on two-lane roads when there is someone ahead or behind more for more than about a minute or two at a time. This means that I tend to prefer the interstates, since I can pass more or less at will, but when I am on an empty two-lane road, it's one of the nicest experiences I've ever had. I can go as fast or as slow as I want and I can look at what's around me without having to divide my attention too much. One of my favorite moments was driving US-385 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Due to traffic stoppages for road construction, I had no one ahead of me, and only slow RVs behind me, and I most happily made the most out of that.

Simple routings also give me that same feeling. Taking I-40 for a thousand miles, say, and then I-25 for five hundred would be perfect for me. It's okay to have complicated bits here and there, such as going through a large city, but when the whole route is five miles this way, and then four miles that way, and then eight miles this way, it takes away from the experience.

Uncommonly, I've found, I enjoy pretty much all scenery. Wide stretching plains appeal to me as much as curvy mountain passes. I-70 in Colorado, for example, is just as amazing to me as I-70 in Kansas.

What I don't care about too much is the car itself, or at least its capabilities, styling, or technical specifications. Some people care very much about having the right car for the road, but I do not. I have a rather run-of-the-mill Honda Civic that I prize precisely because I've taken it through all forty-eight of the contiguous states. The transmission though seems to be have gotten a bit clunkier lately, and I'm beside myself in deliberating between fixing it or getting a newer vehicle.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: In_Correct on June 17, 2019, 01:37:58 PM
Fix It.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 01:44:44 PM
Something that I've really found I don't care for since being married is being the passenger.  On a flat road things are fine but it's when it comes to mountain grades that I kind of get a small sense of vertigo.  I'd almost compare it to the same sensation I get on a roller coaster or even an airplane.  I've never once experienced anything akin to it on any time I've been the driver, no matter how haggard. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Flint1979 on June 17, 2019, 01:45:31 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 14, 2019, 03:18:58 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on June 13, 2019, 08:30:49 PM
I like the forests though but the drives through farm land become very boring very quick.

I find forests more boring than farmland.  Tree after tree after tree after tree...  At least with farmland, I can see different crops and barns and livestock and stuff.
It's better than around here. I can see a mile across a farm field with nothing to look at. At least in the forest there are trees it's not boring to me. But I live in an area with several farm fields and forests about an hour away.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Flint1979 on June 17, 2019, 01:46:52 PM
When I was driving through the forest in the U P of Michigan I was more worried about black bear and coyotes more than anything.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: AsphaltPlanet on June 17, 2019, 01:50:14 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 01:44:44 PM
Something that I've really found I don't care for since being married is being the passenger.  On a flat road things are fine but it's when it comes to mountain grades that I kind of get a small sense of vertigo.  I'd almost compare it to the same sensation I get on a roller coaster or even an airplane.  I've never once experienced anything akin to it on any time I've been the driver, no matter how haggard. 

I remember watching an Infinity G37 just fly down the Priest Grade on Hwy 120 in California a few years ago.  The driver was obviously having a great time testing out the handling capabilities of his car.  His female passenger seemed less impressed when he pulled off the highway in a pull-out and she proceeded to get out of the car and stagger to the mountainside in order to throw up over the guardrail.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: AsphaltPlanet on June 17, 2019, 01:51:30 PM
Quote from: csw on June 14, 2019, 10:43:52 PM
Having lived my whole life in Indiana, I have no issue with driving through flat farmland. There's actually quite a bit to look at when driving through places like Indiana - one of the things I do is count how many hawks I see sitting on fenceposts or light poles.

I enjoy driving when there's little to no traffic and I have a destination. I used to take trips just for county clinching but I don't have the patience for that any more. I usually pick a place to go hiking or a city I want to explore and then take the scenic route there and the fast route back. (Also I usually go west in the morning and east in the afternoon for photo lighting purposes  :cool: ) Finding an old route marker or crossing over a cool bridge are things that make any trip more exciting for me.

As for type of roads, my favorite to drive on are divided highways that aren't interstates because I can go fast with (usually) less traffic, especially truck traffic. But any road will do as long as there's not a lot of traffic. I enjoy curvy mountain roads when they're not so crazy that my car can't handle it. That's both a pro and con of having moved to the DC area - there's a stupid amount of traffic here but there are also nice mountain roads an hour west.

As a southern Ontarian, I second the love of driving through rural farm fields.  I'd much rather drive through bucolic farm-fields of southern Ontario than hour after hour of jack pines and rock outcrops up north.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: kphoger on June 17, 2019, 01:53:30 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on June 17, 2019, 01:45:31 PM
I can see a mile across a farm field with nothing to look at. At least in the forest there are trees it's not boring to me.

But then, a mile later, it might be a different type of farm.  Maybe growing soybeans instead of wheat, or horses grazing, or maybe even just that the corn is significantly shorter than the last field and you wonder what made the difference.  I'll take that any day over driving through a forest, where I can't even see a quarter-mile because there's nothing to look at after the first row of trees.

Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on June 17, 2019, 01:51:30 PM
As a southern Ontarian, I second the love of driving through rural farm fields.  I'd much rather drive through bucolic farm-fields of southern Ontario than hour after hour of jack pines and rock outcrops up north.

I specifically recall enjoying the farmland of southern Ontario.  I got to see such crops as lettuce and stuff that I hadn't really ever seen growing on a commercial scale before.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: 1995hoo on June 17, 2019, 01:53:54 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 01:44:44 PM
Something that I've really found I don't care for since being married is being the passenger.  On a flat road things are fine but it's when it comes to mountain grades that I kind of get a small sense of vertigo.  I'd almost compare it to the same sensation I get on a roller coaster or even an airplane.  I've never once experienced anything akin to it on any time I've been the driver, no matter how haggard. 

Ms1995hoo was Very Unhappy, to say the least, to be in the front passenger seat going down the Moki Dugway. I probably should have told her to ride behind me until I got to the bottom.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Flint1979 on June 17, 2019, 05:44:22 PM
And this is why I consider the thumb area of Michigan to be one of the most boring places ever. I love the drive on M-37 through the Manistee National Forest.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 07:37:30 PM
Considering I'm in a giant valley in Central California surrounded by farms I tend to find them kind of dull.  The worst part is the farmers love to scrape up any interesting ruins of rail sidings that might be out there.  Occasionally I find a gem line a derelict bridge or a weird road along a river but those are pretty rare. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 08:54:42 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 17, 2019, 01:53:54 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 01:44:44 PM
Something that I've really found I don't care for since being married is being the passenger.  On a flat road things are fine but it's when it comes to mountain grades that I kind of get a small sense of vertigo.  I'd almost compare it to the same sensation I get on a roller coaster or even an airplane.  I've never once experienced anything akin to it on any time I've been the driver, no matter how haggard. 

Ms1995hoo was Very Unhappy, to say the least, to be in the front passenger seat going down the Moki Dugway. I probably should have told her to ride behind me until I got to the bottom.

Having driven the Dugway a couple times I would consider it not all that big of deal if you ride in low gear.  That said I wouldn't want to be the passenger in a car driven by my wife or anyone not familiar with dirt roads or knows that riding the brakes isn't a good idea.  The one that gets me with her is the Sierra Foothills on CA 168.  I love that road when I drive but always feel like I'm going to get tossed at the window as the passenger. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: vdeane on June 17, 2019, 08:58:56 PM
Quote from: AsphaltPlanet on June 17, 2019, 01:51:30 PM
As a southern Ontarian, I second the love of driving through rural farm fields.  I'd much rather drive through bucolic farm-fields of southern Ontario than hour after hour of jack pines and rock outcrops up north.
I actually like Canadian Shield/Adirondacks/1000 Islands style scenery.  There's something about the rocks (I'm pretty sure all three have metamorphic rocks in common, actually) that does it for me, especially if it's rocks + water.  After that, farms (though I can understand why the corn belt would be boring; haven't gotten out there yet myself), and lastly, normal forests.  I have a hard time finding this (https://www.google.com/maps/@43.137361,-73.7305293,3a,75y,22.8h,78.93t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sh33yd4KAj0m76rt7uu7CKw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dh33yd4KAj0m76rt7uu7CKw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D165.14548%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656) or this (https://www.google.com/maps/@36.8781628,-77.8201401,3a,75y,40.21h,91.08t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sSrT-oN5hcPnxnYJl7bnIOg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DSrT-oN5hcPnxnYJl7bnIOg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D140%26pitch%3D-20%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656) interesting (the irony is, the latter example is actually in farm country; the interstate is just lined with trees for some reason).
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: 1995hoo on June 17, 2019, 09:07:49 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 08:54:42 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 17, 2019, 01:53:54 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 01:44:44 PM
Something that I've really found I don't care for since being married is being the passenger.  On a flat road things are fine but it's when it comes to mountain grades that I kind of get a small sense of vertigo.  I'd almost compare it to the same sensation I get on a roller coaster or even an airplane.  I've never once experienced anything akin to it on any time I've been the driver, no matter how haggard. 

Ms1995hoo was Very Unhappy, to say the least, to be in the front passenger seat going down the Moki Dugway. I probably should have told her to ride behind me until I got to the bottom.

Having driven the Dugway a couple times I would consider it not all that big of deal if you ride in low gear.  That said I wouldn't want to be the passenger in a car driven by my wife or anyone not familiar with dirt roads or knows that riding the brakes isn't a good idea.  The one that gets me with her is the Sierra Foothills on CA 168.  I love that road when I drive but always feel like I'm going to get tossed at the window as the passenger. 

It was the sheer dropoff she didn't like, as I did not drive in the middle the way some people do–I kept to the right–so she felt like she was hanging off the edge of the cliff. (Regarding gearing, I both put it in low gear and engaged low-range 4WD for the descent.)
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: kphoger on June 17, 2019, 09:43:25 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 01:44:44 PM
Something that I’ve really found I don’t care for since being married is being the passenger.  On a flat road things are fine but it’s when it comes to mountain grades that I kind of get a small sense of vertigo.  I’d almost compare it to the same sensation I get on a roller coaster or even an airplane.  I’ve never once experienced anything akin to it on any time I’ve been the driver, no matter how haggard. 

I have to take steep descents and curves somewhat cautiously because my wife can get car-sick as the passenger.  If she's the driver, on the other hand, she can take them as fast as she pleases without a hint of car-sickness.  So, when I'm the passenger, it can actually be more fun because she ends up driving the hills and curves faster than I would.

We found out in Colorado a couple of years ago, though, that our youngest son can get car-sick...
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 10:05:33 PM
^^^

We're noticing almost everyone of my Wife's nieces get car sick easy.  It's a shame too because we want to take them places up in the mountains camping or hiking.  The oldest one has mostly grown out of it thankfully.  Surprisingly my wife doesn't get car sick and usually falls asleep even on some really treacherous one-lane or dirt roads.  The only thing she gets upset about is hard braking.   She doesn't have a good sense for dirt roads yet...recently she tried to convince me to drive through 18 inches of water in a ford when I was in my Impreza. 

Quote from: 1995hoo on June 17, 2019, 09:07:49 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 08:54:42 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on June 17, 2019, 01:53:54 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 01:44:44 PM
Something that I've really found I don't care for since being married is being the passenger.  On a flat road things are fine but it's when it comes to mountain grades that I kind of get a small sense of vertigo.  I'd almost compare it to the same sensation I get on a roller coaster or even an airplane.  I've never once experienced anything akin to it on any time I've been the driver, no matter how haggard. 

Ms1995hoo was Very Unhappy, to say the least, to be in the front passenger seat going down the Moki Dugway. I probably should have told her to ride behind me until I got to the bottom.

Having driven the Dugway a couple times I would consider it not all that big of deal if you ride in low gear.  That said I wouldn't want to be the passenger in a car driven by my wife or anyone not familiar with dirt roads or knows that riding the brakes isn't a good idea.  The one that gets me with her is the Sierra Foothills on CA 168.  I love that road when I drive but always feel like I'm going to get tossed at the window as the passenger. 

It was the sheer dropoff she didn't like, as I did not drive in the middle the way some people do–I kept to the right–so she felt like she was hanging off the edge of the cliff. (Regarding gearing, I both put it in low gear and engaged low-range 4WD for the descent.)

The last time I drove it was in a Chevy Sonic.   For the most part I found myself in 2nd gear floating somewhat around probably an average of 20 MPH.  Personally I think the Dugway (aside from the sight of the cliff) is fairly tame and well Graded by dirt standards.  It certainly is leagues better than the horrid wash boarding AZ 88 has east of Tortilla Flat. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: kphoger on June 18, 2019, 02:11:51 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 10:05:33 PM
The only thing she gets upset about is hard braking.   

My wife is very sensitive to waking up at the slightest braking or turning.  There are a couple of reasons for that.  First and foremost is that, when she was a child, she was sleeping in the car when a trucker ran her grandparents off the road and their car rolled.  She came out of a nap with the car upside down in the ditch along I-35.  Ever since then, she's been a light sleeper in the car.  Secondly, I was pulled over for speeding a couple of times several years ago while she was sleeping.
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Max Rockatansky on June 18, 2019, 02:19:03 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 18, 2019, 02:11:51 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 17, 2019, 10:05:33 PM
The only thing she gets upset about is hard braking.   

My wife is very sensitive to waking up at the slightest braking or turning.  There are a couple of reasons for that.  First and foremost is that, when she was a child, she was sleeping in the car when a trucker ran her grandparents off the road and their car rolled.  She came out of a nap with the car upside down in the ditch along I-35.  Ever since then, she's been a light sleeper in the car.  Secondly, I was pulled over for speeding a couple of times several years ago while she was sleeping.

Similar circumstance, she was in a pretty bad accident as a kid that involved a roll over along with a broken leg.  The problem was much more pronounced when I would drive my old Sonic the her Forester.  I was having issues maintaining a good pedal feel in the Sonic which would require hitting the brakes hard at times before I fixed it.  Her Forester is four wheel disc which meant that there was some accidental fast stops on my part until got adjusted to the feel. 
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: tolbs17 on July 28, 2019, 12:04:37 AM
When I was driving a car, I driven a Mercedes ML350, a Honda Accord, Acura TSX, and Toyota Camry. I'm 17 and i'm having fun driving!
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: Richard3 on July 28, 2019, 03:48:52 AM
I drive (legally) since I'm 18 years old; that was a long, long time ago!

For the roadgeek part, it's probably because the A-40 work site (in Maskinonge, QC), in the mid-1970s, was my playground as a 10 years old kid.  Every day of my school summer vacations, I went there at 7 AM, "working" with the guys; sometimes in a 10-wheel dump truck, sometimes with a foreman,... the good ol' days.  Things are not the same today.

Back to the subject, I love to drive. Along my life, I drove personal cars and trucks, even a motorcycle, and professionnally since about 20 years. I even return to school at age 51 to learn to drive semis, and I now do it as a full-time job, in Canada as well as in USA.  As other said, driving gives me a sense of freedom, even when I drive as a job.  Every trip is a new adventure, as you never know what will happen along the way.

Some journeys bring me their load of surprises, and the most turned out to be funny.

One time, I was coming back from Florida, on my way to Canada, and I decide to follow the GPS, somewhere in Virginia.  I quit the I-64 West to take US-15 North, around Zion Crossroads, but I realised, once around Culpeper, that I wasn't gaining any time.  After a while on US-522 North, I decided to take the first US highway heading west, in order to reach the I-81. Once at Sperryville, I saw the US-211 West, going towards New Market, and I took it.

The brand new Peterbilt I was driving had an integrated GPS in the sound system, but I prefer use the GPS included in the tablet that also hold the e-log, because the one with the sound system pings about anything. I mean, if there's a low bridge in the county, it will ping.  But this time, it was not pinging for a low bridge, but to tell me my semi (highway tractor with sleeper, plus a 53-feet reefer trailer) was... too long for the road!  I said to myself that device was just crazy, and I went ahead.  But that part of the US-211 goes across some huge mountain passes, with sharp curves.  Even with its three lanes (2 lanes when climbing hills, 1 lane going downhill), sometimes it was very close when I crossed some other vehicles. But everything was OK, and I reached New Market, then the I-81, without any problem.

That's the kind of run I say any semi driver must take at least once in his career.

It's sure that truck driving brings its lot of challenges, and some of them are not so funny.  But all in all, I don't see myself doing any other job, now.

I also had a period in which I visited many work sites, as I put lots of pictures on a blog I still hold, but I didn't put pictures on it since many years. My job takes too much of my time, so I try to rest on my days off.

So, that's it!
Title: Re: Driving
Post by: tolbs17 on July 28, 2019, 07:45:22 PM
Trust me. When i was in high school, I took drivers ed and only did 60% of my questions and I still passed to get my permit! I'm on my restricted license now and I'm to get my full in about 4.5 months.