MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > I miss going on road trips.

I miss going on road trips.

posted 2 years ago by aliensalmon (5190)
41 replies | jump to latest

Yes, when me and my parents go on road trips, we don't stray too far from the beaten path a.k.a. the interstate. But there's still lots of stuff to see along the way.

It's always nice to stop at restaurants (even if they're just Denny's and fast food - there are some restaurants that aren't common anymore where I live such as Wendy's.), gas stations, hotels, and other rest stops. I guess it's comfort food after a long ride.

I also like seeing things along the way like livestock and crops in Iowa and Nebraska, the mountains and rivers of Colorado, the deserts of Utah and Nevada, and so on.

It's kinda hard to put into words but there's just something about road trips in America.

[–] bobbydallas (8132) 2 years ago

road trips are the BEST
rip cause of gas prices

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Yeah, the gas prices are a bummer now.

[–] db20db (16285) 2 years ago

"...there's just something about road trips in America."

I hear ya. That's why this was one of my favorite shows as a kid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI

Years later as an adult, I made it a reality, traveling all over the country, coast to coast, living out of a suitcase.

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Coolness!

[–] robocat893 (13806) 2 years ago

My favorite vacation was when me and my ex-wife drove over 8,700 miles in three weeks crisscrossing the US and Canada. We saw some really cool places and met some amazing people. It was so much fun I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Without the ex-wife of course!

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

That must have been awesome!

[–] GlenEllyn (21144) 2 years ago

When I was a kid, the occasional road trip was the only vacation we ever had. Our road trips were mostly between Illinois, through Wisconsin, into Minnesota and back. A favorite stop off for us kids were the oases along the Illinois Tollway.

The tollway oasis restaurants (think Howard Johnson's) are unique highway rest areas built on bridges over the roadway, accessible to people traveling in both directions. We'd stop for a meal or snack, check out the gift shop, and of course we kids loved sitting by the restaurant windows overlooking the traffic speeding by below. Each oasis had a name: Belvidere, Hinsdale, Des Plaines.
Belvidere was our favorite.
http://www.highwayhost.org/Illinois/IllinoisTollway/Postcard/tollway2.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/4037/4547418617_6b11438c9d_b.jpg
https://www.panix.com/~rbean/oasis/hojo/hojo-inside3.html

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Being from that area I do remember the oases! They were cool!

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

My two favourite road trips have been: -
San Fran to LA along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Brisbane to Sydney, again along the coast.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

The Brisbane to Sydney drive is lovely, have done it a few times myself 👍

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

I’m so glad we went there, we just had the best time - can’t wait to return.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

I've driven the entire length of the California Coast highways, several times! Okay, not all at once, I tend to do half the state in one go. I even took two days to do the Oregon Coast Highway, and then Northern California. What a trip!

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

Sounds grand. We spent a week in San Fran, then took two weeks getting to LA, making lots of stops on the way, then a week in LA before flying home. Although we had a fantastic time, if I could’ve done it again, I would have stayed longer in Monterey - it’s so beautiful.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

Sounds great! And yeah, I love Monterey - I had a summer job there once! I went again last March, as it's only a few hours away. Every time I see the place I'm newly astonished by how beautiful it is, somehow the way the sunlight hits the coast is absolutely magical. And I love the aquarium so very, very much.

FYI if you ever get a chance to go the other way, like start in SF and head north, I recommend that as well, and heck, I recommend that you keep going until you've hit Astoria, Oregon! If you ever decide to do that, ask me for details.. and gas prices. That's a problem at the moment.

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

Sounds like a super idea and I will take you up on your offer, as we are bound to do this one day. 👍

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

FYI the NoCal and Oregon coasts are much less populated than the SoCal equivalents, I don't think there's one city even as large as Monterey on the whole northern road, and Monterey is a very small city.

It's all small or medium towns from the Bay Area to Astoria, with a truly amazing and varied coast to see, and the famous art deco bridges on the Oregon highway, so you can probably make faster progress than you did on your previous trip, and depending on which way you go, you can spend some time in Portland, Or. or San Francisco, Ca. when you get to the end.

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

Stop it! You’re making me want to get on a plane right now!

Seriously though, all information is greatly received and appreciated. 👍

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 2 years ago

Coming from Australia I envy people that live in America and Europe where the scenery is so spectacular. A lot of Australia is flat and monotonous and even the vegetation is dominated by Eucalyptus trees so it all looks similar. Not that there aren't some spectacular places but they are few and far between.

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Australia is really like that?

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

I love road trips! Took a couple of limited ones during the pandemic, because what else can you do for fun during a pandemic?

Anyway, there have been a couple of times when I just hit the road without a plan, and I took my smartphone along and just reserved a hotel room every night when I had some idea where I'd be by bedtime. On my first such trip, the morning of the second day I was in Colorado, and in love! I spent days following my whims through Colorado and Navajo Country, dazzling my senses and totally forgetting the work-related stress that had been making my life a misery. I heartily recommend hitting the road without a plan, to anyone with a smartphone and a sense of adventure. Well, once gas prices come down.

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

I wish I could do that. I plan everything like a military operation, lol.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

I normally do a tremendous amount of over-planning, research, and over-packing as well, but this time I was just fried from work stress and couldn't manage it... so I said "Fuck it" and threw some clothes, hiking boots, and my shiny new smartphone into the car!

I recommend that every worrywart try this at least once, as an exercise in freeing their mind and forcing themselves into spontaneity... if the can afford to do so. I mean it's not terribly expensive as travel goes, but there are definitely going to be expenses you didn't plan for.

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

Sounds like the sort of thing I did when I was single.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

I've only done these trips solo. If the point is to follow one's whim and be spontaneous, well, I've never met a person I could be that spontaneous with! I tried a 3-week road trip like that when I was younger, and there was endless arguing and negotiation over which way to head and where to stop, what to eat and so on.

[–] AndyKing1967 (34444) 2 years ago

In life, I’ve adopted ‘The Good Ship Andy’ policy. Basically, the ship sails at a certain time and will head in a certain direction. Everyone’s invited to join the party, but if you don’t join, the party will take place anyway, so come or don’t come - I’ll have fun either way.

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Colorado is awesome. That overall sounds like a good idea!

[–] db20db (16285) 2 years ago

It is! It's one of my favorite states, having traveled through it several times. I remember driving through The Rockies for the first time late one night...constant hairpin turns, no guardrails and the prospect of cascading down the side of a mountain at any time. I was spooked, on high alert. ;)

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Dang, no guard rails?!? Must have been quite the experience....

The interstates in Colorado have them, thankfully...

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

Some people like to make road trips on Colorado back roads, and yeah. Some of those back roads have no guard rails and long drops, and some have no pavement! But still, people go for it.

FYI the San Juan Range of the Colorado Rockies is just breathtaking in every aspect, but i'm not going to do what some online acquaintance did... take a road trip through there in December! Holy crap, you'd have to hold a gun to my head to make me drive through a mountain back road that's more than 10,000 feet above sea level in the snow, and even with the gun I'd still only be going 5MPH.

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Oh boy. Yeah, that doesn't sound like something I'd do either....

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 2 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzg9cE7-2LQ&ab_channel=TimGorry

😎

[–] aliensalmon (5190) 2 years ago

Exactly!

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 2 years ago

🤣