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Going on a long drive...
Lackadaisical
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've never driven for more than 4-5 consecutive hours, and in this case I'll be making a trip from Nor cal to Oregon. Google maps says it is about an 11hour 20 minute journey.
I just don't know what else I need, I'll have a map, a bottle or two of water, and I intend to take at least three breaks in driving, get out and stretch, get gas...
Am I missing anything, PA?
P.S. Getting an oil change and having my tires rotated beforehand.
I just don't know what else I need, I'll have a map, a bottle or two of water, and I intend to take at least three breaks in driving, get out and stretch, get gas...
Am I missing anything, PA?
P.S. Getting an oil change and having my tires rotated beforehand.
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pretty much just queue up some good music and get ready for a loooong drive. wear comfortable clothes like shorts as well
edit: this is usually part of the whole oil change and tire rotation but make sure the tires are also balanced and aired up (standard passenger car is usually around 29-32 psi) and check all of the liquid levels on the car
You'd be surprised how much sitting in a mcdonalds for 30 minutes refreshes you for another 5 hours driving stint.
I like this idea. I drove to California once with my mom and sister from Washington state (19 hour drive), and we took about 5 breaks altogether. 3 of those were the standard potty breaks, but two of those were getting a meal to eat or just walking around a farmer's market when the time was right. It's also nice finding a rest stop with a beautiful view and enjoying the scenery while not going ~70 mph.
With the weather warming up, I'd recommend taking more than one or two bottles of water. Also, try to take more than three breaks. I'd recommend taking one at least every 1-2 hours.
On the 22 hour drive back, I took a massive upper body sunburn, so the pain of my seat belt kept me awake just fine.
I probably should have mentioned that my CD player is broken (The CD is caught in it.) It's been like that for the better part of two years.
Driving 11 hours with nothing to listen to but your own thoughts and AM radio is the doorway to madness.
You may or may not need a lot of caffeine, I mean, it's only an 11 hour drive which really isn't too bad.
You will need food though. I don't care if you stop for it or if you eat it while you drive, but if you don't eat good quantities of food; not just some convenience store junk or snacks, but real food you will become fatigued very quickly.
Also lots of loud music. I suggest Blood Mountain by Mastadon. Listened to that turned up to 11 while driving through a flash flood in Iowa, I thought I was going to die.
Audiobooks are amazing on long drives. If you're going 11 hours, an audiobook would be just about the perfect length for that trip and they make the drive go FAST.
I may be driving from Harrisonburg-ish to St. Louis next year, which is a longer drive than in the OP, so this might be quite useful. Having a cigarette-plug in adapter with my laptop and Banshee going while driving a Prius should be fine, right?
Music (and nothing too slow) is essential, as are frequent breaks. Stop every couple of hours to get out and stretch. Be sure you have something to drink, and a snack or two is good as well. Even better is to take a friend. If you feel tired/sleepy, get off the road as soon as possible. Take a quick nap if you need to (this is where a friend comes in handy! They can drive for a bit while you rest).
Also note that Google maps can be pretty pessimistic on their travel time estimates (They have told me several times that a three hour trip will take four), so it might not end up taking you 11 hours.
I recently listened to Leviathan during a torrential downpour in Jersey. Good times.
I drove a U-Haul towing a car from Florida to Jersey a few years ago, and what everyone else says seems right on the mark to me. Make sure you take a break every hour or two, and every 4-5 hours you should stop to eat a meal or walk around for 30-60 minutes.
Also, do not feel like you "have" to keep going if you get too tired to keep your eyes open. It's better to lose a couple of hours of time due to sleep than to endanger yourself and others because you drove while tired.
Honestly, if you are into cars, you may end up entertaining yourself. I'd start trying to predict where I'd see troopers, tactics for speeding "safely," even how I would react if I ran into "The Hills Have Eyes" country.
tldr; Make sure you have music.
That's simply because they calculate travel time based on posted speed limits.
No one drives the posted speed limit, especially on major highways.
This and this again. I've had trouble telling myself to take a break sometimes (but it's only 2 more hours of driving! I only have 30 more exits to go! I can push through! Etc. etc.)...but really, it's the best idea if you're getting that tired.
There's a beautiful rest stop (as bizarre as that sounds) in Shasta, right as you get toward the top of the mountain. Great place to take a break, and I almost always make it a point to stop there when driving north through California.
Satellite radio is another decent option if your CD player is broken.
I actually avoid books on tape because they put me to sleep, so that's something where you just have to know yourself.
If you get to a point where you need to sleep for a few hours, don't go out in the middle of nowhere. I usually park in front of a Dennys or something that's open 24 hours. Be visible enough for someone to notice if something is going down but not obnoxious so that you get the cops called on you.
Dress comfortably (that includes shoes), and have fun. A long drive by yourself can be an awesome time.
SUNSCREEN. Apply before you leave and maybe once more during the day. If you are traveling in one general direction, the sun is going to beat down on the same part of your body for the whole trip.
does the radio work? if so, buy a good FM transmitter, and use it with your mp3 player (i assume you have one... since, well, everyone has one
There are a lot of stops along I-5, and some of them (like shasta) are actually really pretty. Just stop frequently (like, every couple hours) to piss/stretch/etc and you should make it without any trouble.
A good trick is to have something else to focus on (aside from the road), whether it's music or the license plate game or something. Most people focus better on one thing while something else is going on in the background; this is something that will really help stave off fatigue.
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I always just assumed that any electronic device sold without a car adapter meant you were borked.
I am astounded. You can charge a laptop while driving?
Wow.
I'm going to Wallowa, on the far North-Eastern end of the state. That's precisely why it'll be such a long drive.
Isn't it a wonderful feeling
huh, I'm pretty sure I had a buddy in undergrad is who was from wallowa. Statistically, that means there's like a one in four chance you are him!
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Nah, just visiting a friend. When I went to undergrad I didn't make friends and...it didn't go so well.
Heh, sounds like the three guys I went to college with...all from Ketchikan Island, Alaska.
Genrally at the levels you talk about I would want to do the last 30% or more solidly, get it over with. Where as at the beginning I would stop quite often, every couple of hours at least.
The more fluids you drink, the more stops you'll make to pee. So again, drink lots early on and cut down at half way.
Don't have caffeine early on. You'll get a low and that sucks. Depends on metabolism, ymmv.
If there are beauty spots, with facilities, go there. Take 15 minutes, some photos, and a pee.
If there is space in the car, take everything you need/might need with you. Food, cool drinks, emergency gear and whatever. Have all your breakdown/insurance details readily available. Ideally a copy in your wallet and one in the car. You should only ever be missing one of the two at once.
Music is king. For me at least. Singing along keeps my mind more active and I enjoy it too.
Finally.
If you are struggling to focus or concentrate and your eyes are sore/heavy lidded - pull off, sleep. It is safer and cheaper. Better late than dead on time.
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I would recommend getting some gum to chew on to keep yourself from drowsing off.
Pillows are good to sit on because unless your seats are nice, that car seat is going to get old after a few hours.
Dunno what you're going to eat, but some chips and a few turkey sandwiches do the trick for me.
Drive in the daytime if you can. Nighttime = snoozefest + lots of semi trucks.
On highways I'll set my cruise control to about 5 above the speed limit (or set it to the speed limit depending on how heavy the traffic is), and I'll see how long I can go without touching the gas or the breaks. Basically you want to stay locked into cruise control for as long as possible. Safely of course.
As long as you don't drive like an ass it'll serve two purposes. It's pretty entertaining, and it makes you extremely aware of you and the cars around you.
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