Yesterday, I got a text about a car I thought I might not see again. It’s on the East Coast and the current caretaker is ready to move it along, which means that I need to pick it up. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends lately I’m headed into a busy couple months of travel, so I hatched a plan to fly into Boston/NY, grab a truck, a U-Haul trailer, and drag my old car back. Ideally, one of our East Coast staffers would drive it back after a visit to the Empire Hill Climb in September. Fool proof. I suggested the idea, and the staffer who will remain nameless said they’d prefer not to do a 13 hour drive, reminding me that not every car enthusiast loves piling up miles.
I do love it, though. Generally speaking, I’ll jump at the chance to drive cross-country, or drive through another, wholly unfamiliar country. There’s so much world to see and still, there’s no better way to see it than in a car. If time away from work wasn’t a problem and I could take my family, I can’t think of a road trip I wouldn’t do again. I’d jump at the chance to drive back to the West Coast and if I don’t make a return drive to Patagonia before I sputter out, I’ll be pretty bummed out. I will say my days of driving 20 hours or more in a stint are probably behind me. My most recent cannonball drive from South Florida to Detroit in the dead of winter stopped being fun in Tennessee.
What about you? Was there a time when it stopped being fun and turned into a slog? Was there a long-ass trip you’d hop in the car and do again tomorrow? What’s the road trip you’d do again?