Taking the long way to reach a destination

[Alps]

I used to date someone in Ocean Twp., NJ when I lived in Livingston. I used the following routes, in order of exasperation (all northbound for consistency)

NJ 71 north, NJ 36 west, Garden State Parkway, exit 139B, 82 west, 124 west, 24 west, JFK Parkway north
West Park Ave., NJ 18 north, US 9, GSP as above
West Park Ave., NJ 18 north, NJ 34, US 9, GSP as above
West Park Ave., NJ 18 north, NJ 79, NJ 34, US 9, GSP as above
NJ 71 north, NJ 35 north, US 9, GSP as above

Then she moved to Toms River. I never used the Parkway at that point. US 9, CR 527, CR 571, CR 549, New Hampshire Ave., all got some use.

[hbelkins]

I've done this more times than I can count -- or remember.

Most memorable might be when I was going from Frankfort to Grayson County, southwest of Elizabethtown, to visit relatives. Picked my brother up in Frankfort and instead of taking US 127 to the Bluegrass Parkway, which would be the shortest route, I took I-64 west and either I-265 or I-264 around to I-65 south. Going up Muldraugh Hill, north of and approaching E-town, is when the engine blew in my '88 S-10 Blazer, and I limped to a stop near the little green shrub made infamous by Carl Rogers.

My aunt and uncle had a spare vehicle and let me drive it home, and he arranged for repairs on my Blazer. My dad and I went back a couple of weeks later to pick up my vehicle. On the way back we took US 31W north out of E-town, and then I-264 around to I-64, just for the heck of it. BG Parkway to US 60 to Lexington would have been the shorter and faster way.

[ftballfan]

Some examples for me:
Allegan, MI to Hudsonville, MI via M-40 and I-196
Allendale, MI to Benzonia, MI via M-45, US-131, and M-115
Allendale, MI to Muskegon, MI via M-45 and US-31; M-45, 68th Ave, Leonard St, M-104, and US-31
Lansing, MI to Ann Arbor, MI via US-127 and I-94
Manistee, MI to Frankfort, MI via US-31 and M-115
Muskegon, MI to Ludington, MI via old US-31
Sandusky, OH to Manistee, MI via Hillsdale, MI and Alma, MI (I-80/90, OH-15/M-99, US-12, back roads via Horton, MI, I-94, US-127, M-115, and M-55)
Traverse City, MI to Manistee, MI via Cadillac (M-37, M-113, US-131, and M-55)

[BigMattFromTexas]

My family doesn't really care about roads, they're they stereotypical "get there fast" people.. But we ALMOST went to Iowa via Colorado. Coming home from Del Rio, we sometimes take the back way (TX 163), and you can drive 80 on that road easy, just watch out for cattle, deer, sheep, etc.. Also, we went home from Ft. Worth via Waco. When I start road tripping, I'll definitely take the long ways!
BigMatt

[nwi_navigator_1181]

Another one that crossed my mind was the trip from Rockford, IL to home during the Labor Day weekend of years past.

The easiest route, by far, is to take I-90 all the way in to Dunes Highway, with just another mile to home. There may be some variances due to traffic or toll avoidances; we may hit up I-294 southbound into Indiana (via I-80/94) and head home (via I-65 north to terminus), or we may stay on I-94 in Chicago when I-90 breaks for Indiana via the Skyway/Toll Road.

However, the route my father has become fond of is to take I-39 South to I-80 East to head home. This was before open road tolling was a reality, so toll stops on Labor Day would be longer that normal...to the point of unbearable. So we experimented with this route. It added 50 miles to the trip and took about an hour longer, but we stayed on the move. It helped because we bypassed Chicago completely and only had to pay one toll, versus the seven or so with the other routes.

In 2006, my mother and I left for home about an hour ahead of my father. After waiting about an hour at the Elgin Toll Plaza (her vehicle did not have an I-Pass), I called my dad. I asked him if he left yet; when I found out he didn't, I told him it would be best to take I-39. That was a nightmare.

[SSOWorld]

Try Platteville WI to Rhinelander WI - via Green Bay or Milwaukee (or both ) or Eau Claire or worse (I mean "better")... Superior.

[bugo]

I recall a conversation I had with a man on a plane who said that as a kid, his dad was taking the family on a trip from New York to New Orleans. When they got to Mobile, his dad realized that they'd have to go through Mississippi to get to the Big Easy. Once he found this out, he then decided to ride up north into Tennessee, cross over into Arkansas and enter Louisiana. He did all that to avoid Mississippi because of the things he heard about the state. This was in the 60s.

I went from Mena, AR to Florida in 1998.  On the way there, we passed through a short portion of Mississippi.  Coming back, we went all the way through Nashville just so we wouldn't have to drive through Mississippi.

[bugo]

I drove from Ft Wayne, Indiana to Knob Noster, Missouri via US 24 west, OH/MI 49 north (so I could pick up those states,) US 12 west to Coldwater, I-69 south to I-80/90 west to Chicago, then I-94 west through Milwaukee and Madison up to Tomah, then I-90 west to Albert Lea, I-35 south to KC, and US 50 east to Knob.  Don't know how many miles out of the way that trip was but I picked up 5 states that day.

[hbelkins]

I went from Mena, AR to Florida in 1998.  On the way there, we passed through a short portion of Mississippi.  Coming back, we went all the way through Nashville just so we wouldn't have to drive through Mississippi.

Why? The few times I've been in Mississippi, I've found the roads to be in pretty good shape.

[roadman65]

Just recently, I took NY 5 from Utica to Colonie instead of the I-90 Thruway.  That added some time, but wanted to see the country.

Then  I took the Taconic Parkway  from Albany to NYC to avoid the tolls.  That is much longer, with 55 mph maximum and very winding as this road was not built for speed, but for scenic beauty.  I-87, as you know, is more straight, 65 mph most of the way, and most of all faster.