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Old 06-05-2013, 06:24 PM   #21
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Name: RogerDat
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I tend to start long trips at night. Florida and Colo. have both been common destinations over the years. Family visit/vacation of about 1200 miles each way to either one. Mostly interstate.

Come home from work, pack any last minute food items, sleep till 11:30 pm, shower and go. Hit some heavy traffic areas late enough or early enough to miss the worst traffic.

Snack often, don't really do meal breaks. Figure sitting in resturant and sitting in car not much different except one is getting me where I want to go. Besides find a full meal makes me start thinking of naps.

Wife is an early morning person and has picked up driving in the very early morning when traffic is lite so I can catch a nap after the first 5 hrs or so. Will pull into a truck stop if I'm feeling a need for a power nap to help keep me alert. And will generally stop at rest area between each fill up, potty break for dog or humans and chance to stretch legs.

I tend to like driving at night, can't see the deer (or that poor raccon) as easily but at night car lights are easier to see than cars in the daytime. Not going to miss headlights in blind spot. Less traffic on interstate. Would not be as inclined to do it on two lane highway, too many interesting things to see and more deer tip the balance against it.

That all said I don't think we want to do that in the future. Last trip to FLA. we spent a short night at a motel (no camper) to make it a two day trip. Trip before that it was a nap break at a truck stop in Tenn. Bones appreciated the bed and shower this last time.
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Old 06-05-2013, 06:26 PM   #22
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It actually is illegal in 38 states or so to impede the flow of traffic in the left lane.
It is especially annoying when someone refuses to give up the left lane on principle or ignorance with several cars behind them too.

They also have the trailer slower rule in parts of Il. I know but most places I travel the different speed limits are not the rule so that is really what I was asking about.

There is even an organization of left lane rights people that I have been tempted to join at times.

I know when driving a lot of places slower than traffic I am being a menace and the cops will run you over too!

I am not suggesting anyone speed but it is important to keep up with the flow of traffic when allowed in my eye.
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Old 06-05-2013, 06:52 PM   #23
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If I only have 2-3 weeks free at a pop from work, and I want to get to Wyoming/Florida/etc from Philadelphia, then I try to bust it out on the drive to and from to maximize time at the destination.

So, solo travel I've done 800 miles in a day, and with help we might do 900 - at trailer speeds, it's hard to go a whole lot more than that without driving till midnight. I have crappy vision and after 4 or so hours of after-dark driving I'm pretty well done.
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Old 06-05-2013, 07:03 PM   #24
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I enjoy driving, and if needed can often do 1,200km in a day, and even more at times.

I aslo enjoy night driving, as already mentioned there are less vehicles, and the ones there are, are easy to spot. I also like driving in ugly weather too, kinda feel secure in the storm.

All that said, I do look forward to the day when I can afford the time to go at a lesser pace.
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Old 06-05-2013, 07:08 PM   #25
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1200 mile trip to Colo or Fla are both about 28 hrs trips at 62 mph with gas stops and short breaks or naps. With two drivers, even if one just provides navigation and relief driving so the other can take a nap for a couple of hours it goes pretty smooth.

When I was younger it was about the same 28 hrs solo but I did arrive pretty beat. Both wife and myself are just less inclined to push that hard any more but will still do the 600 mile legs of driving to keep it down to two days of travel. I figure it's the stopping that makes it a long day, not the driving. I generally enjoy the driving.

Bottom line is if your alert and feel like staying on the road then do so, if not, get some rest. It's your call if that should be 8 hrs sleep, a two hour nap while parked or just relief driver so you can get a break.
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Old 06-05-2013, 07:23 PM   #26
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Me? On days that are just "Travel" daysI try to get 300 miles in daylight hours by leaving early in the morning and resting in the evening and getting a good nights sleep, usually at a WalMart or other similar venue.

But, I sure hope none of us are putting in 1000 mile days towning our little trailers. That comes out to over 16 hours of drving averaging 60 MPH, not counting gas and food stops.
I think the longest drive towing was my last trip south, 660 miles at 16. hours from the time I left home until I stopped for the night. I stopped at at least one maybe two times for about 1/2 hr. nap each along the way and for 3 meals. I felt just fine and alert, not sleepy. We stopped because I figured it was time and it was too far to next place we gab a few hours sleep.

I don't recommend it. Each person needs to decide what's safe and what isn't for them. Blanket, don't drive over this or that statements, are not necessarily a good thing either. It's best to know your own sleep habits and fatigue levels, that are to not ignore them.
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Old 06-05-2013, 09:27 PM   #27
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If I only have 2-3 weeks free at a pop from work, and I want to get to Wyoming/Florida/etc from Philadelphia, then I try to bust it out on the drive to and from to maximize time at the destination.

So, solo travel I've done 800 miles in a day, and with help we might do 900 - at trailer speeds, it's hard to go a whole lot more than that without driving till midnight. I have crappy vision and after 4 or so hours of after-dark driving I'm pretty well done.
Actually I'm trying to break that habit. Now that I have fewer time constraints from work, I'm trying to work out fewer time constraints from family. That way we can start to take more time to get to and from our travel destination.
I'm trying to think of fuel in more of a per diem basis, and turn the same number of gallons into more days in different places.
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Old 06-05-2013, 09:58 PM   #28
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Books On Tape! Or iPod as it were.
I only pick unabridged titles and usually am so engrossed in the book that the times does seem to fly right by.
I listened to a couple of books on a cross-country RV trip. Yes, it made the monotonous parts more enjoyable, but I found it far too easy to become too engrossed in the story to be driving with enough attention.

Following a story takes far more attention than, for instance, listening to music.
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Old 06-05-2013, 10:37 PM   #29
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Cool

Cari's and my longest round trip towing was ~1600 mile loop from our home on the oregon coast down to the sierra foothills/gold country in cali doing some prospecting. We drove non-stop the ~600 miles to the first site in one day. Actually a beautiful and easy drive. (the above ~1600mi trip was with our Tacoma + 17ft A-Liner)

Now in the van+trailer if one of us wants to rest it is an easy thing to get up and take a stretch/snooze on the froli-bed in the van. We play tag team anyway and one is often resting/relaxing or reading maps and such. the van has made road trips a pleasure. And it does fine towing the parkliner.

Most of our trips (typically Monday through Friday) are to one of three locations we frequent from spring thaw to fall freeze on the i5 corridor once a month (yes we are spoiled working for Costco!). One near battle ground Washington (3hrs), one at Quartzville Creek near Sweet Home Oregon (5hrs), and the other on the Rouge River near Medford Oregon (7hrs). We get to camp by noonish after leaving early that morning and still have a full day of fun on the river.

=======and now for the bizzar=======

Kids don't try this at home!

I read others mentioning tips like snacking often, stretching, etc...

(circa 1989)
We are visiting my wife's family in Reno Nevada for a ~week. We also happen to be in the market for a second vehicle. On about day two we see this great deal on a vehicle we'd been researching and strike up a deal. BUT, i need some documents out of our fire-safe in our home...in Astoria Oregon...a 12 hour drive away.

Soooooo... I set off alone and leave wife and kids at grandparent's house in Reno. I get a six pack of Mt.Dew a bulk pack of snicker-snackers, and a box of no-doze. I set my digital wrist watch to chime each hour. On the hour i eat a snicker-snacker, down a no-doze, chase it with a snicker-snacker, sip some Mt.Dew. . .

12 hours later i arrive home. Go in, go to bathroom, grab what i came for, get into car... REPEAT all the way back to Reno.

~26 hours after saying good bye to my family in Reno, i arrive back in Reno via Astoria Oregon and say hello, plop into the nearest bed and sleep for ~6 hours, wake up and go buy a car. It was fun. Didn't mind talking to myself for all those hours, though i know i really should not have done it !

=======end of needless waste of bandwidth ramble

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Old 06-05-2013, 11:04 PM   #30
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Smile Memorable trips

I drove (no trailer) from Milwaukee, WI to Rochester, MN, leaving around 9pm after a full day. I did the No-Doz thing, too. Just before light along the Mississippi River, I started hallucinating. I would 'see' on the next hill, a large black cat sideways with the front paws in the left (oncoming) lane and the rear paws in my lane. The scary thing was I wasn't concerned about the cat, I wondered how the cat got to the next hill so fast.

Driving (towing a U-Haul cargo) from Waukesha, WI to Kent, WA with my son, we grabbed a nap in a wayside near Blue Mounds, MN. By the time we got to Wyoming, I, as copilot, was watching the road one minute, and my head fell sideways, which woke me up. We stayed that night in Sheridan, WY Holiday Inn.

Since I have joined the ranks of RVers, I try to do about 200 miles per day. Of course our big trips are in the winter with the short days.
Last summer we did drive from Spokane, WA to Kent, WA in one day, (270 miles).
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Old 06-05-2013, 11:09 PM   #31
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My limit nowadays is 450 miles when highway hypnosis sets in and I get punchy and argumentative. When setting the cruise control to 55 mph that usually takes 9 hours. With the trailer we like to find a campground with hookups. Up at 6AM, breakfast, break camp, on the road by 8. Drive till 5PM, get into a campsite, then a restaurant supper. Lights out at 9 or 10. Lather-Rinse-Repeat. Six full days to get from San Diego to Syracuse, but only 5 to get from Syracuse to San Diego, due to time zone changes. One trip home from Bandon Oregon, we drove 23 hours straight through to San Diego stopping only for gas, potty, and meals. I'm getting fatigued just typing that now.
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Old 06-05-2013, 11:10 PM   #32
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I'm good for 10-11 hours, which works out to 700-750 miles. My last (first) trip with the camper was 9.5 hours, 650 miles each way. It would've been less if it wasn't for 4 gas stops on the way.
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Old 06-06-2013, 05:35 AM   #33
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The Other View

We're retired and rarely drive over 150 miles and than some times push it to 200 miles. Our goal is the journey though we have destinations we find that virtually every place has something interesting or new, even places we have been before.

We avoid interstates when we can because their sameness lacks interest.

Our trip to Newfoundland's music festival took us about a week, probably about 1200 miles. We did drive every day, which is rare in itself. On these trips we usually spend a couple of days here and there.

Tip: Newfoundland's provincial Parks are $14.95 a day with electricity for seniors.
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Old 06-06-2013, 06:43 AM   #34
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Oh and ps, I am another audiobook and podcast fan. Love driving with music but it doesn't keep me alert like a good suspense/thriller potboiler. Well, by "good" I mean "enough of a story line and characters I don't totally hate, and enough explosions adequate to maintain attention span" which I guess is the very definition. "Really good" gets reserved for the once a year Lee Child update to the Jack Reacher series.

Podcasts like Radiolab, Savage Love, Lexicon Valley, On the Media...I hoard those as they land each week so I have 10 or so of each to listen to on a long drive when I want a break from the audiobook. I also have some language-learning podcasts that want me to talk back, which also keeps me awake.
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Old 06-06-2013, 07:00 AM   #35
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How about 1850 km in a day, well actually two without a real night stop!

Because our kids wanted us to babysit we crazily drove (no trailer) from just north of Toronto, not leaving until early afternoon, through to Emerson MB (on border with ND&MN). Wife drove a little in N. ON and across into the Soo MI, then I drove all night south side of Lake Superior (she was awake for much of it to help watch for deer - we saw 15!). Stopped for a few hours sleep at a truck stop in Superior, nice breakfast in Duluth, then hit the road again to arrive at the border at suppertime. Never again! At least coming home we flew from Thunder Bay ON to Tor, that was easy!

We are looking forward to taking Norm and Ginny's kind of relaxing travel once retired later this year, moving to Emerson, and getting our Escape!

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Old 06-06-2013, 07:43 AM   #36
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When my kids were young, we moved across the country (6000 km each way) twice in three years. On some of these long drives, I always took it as a signal to find a place to stop when the toys started whizzing past my ear and hitting the windshield.

These days, I still try to keep the travel days short, but I don't mind driving and will if circumstances require it, sometimes put in +1000km driving days. One of those recent long trips was driving 1100km in a day to the Escape factory to pick up our new 19'.
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Old 06-06-2013, 09:21 AM   #37
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Guess you didn't see my post Bob?

No trouble for me,I just want to get to Rallies with Floyd sooner!

What is the big deal? Is this the same as when we compare the Purity if the experience on any other topic?

Or am I being irresponsible for going farther than you might?

I have been an ambitious long distance driver for a long time and am slowing down some but when I need to be somewhere,sometimes I have a deadline too.

Also is everyone here really saying they drive 60mph in places where the limit is 70 or 75mph?

I am not.
Yes, I'm saying that I drive 60 where the limit is 70 or 75. That is when towing with the Escape. No obstruction problems since we stay in the right lane except to pass which, as you might imagine, is rare! The premium is 5MPG!
Keeping up with traffic would be futile anyway since it often exceeds the speed limit by ten or more MPH. I sure am not going to tow at 85MPH!
When not towing , I generally set the cruise at 78 MPH and get passed about twice or three times for every pass I make.

You have an excellent rig for towing and I know you have common sense and a strong motive to protect what you carry with you.

There is a lot more to traffic safety than relative speed and(as you say) lane usage is a very important factor.
In Illannoy, it is now illegal to obstruct traffic in the left lane at any speed, even if you are exceeding the speed limit. Minimum speeds are more likely to be enforced than maximums, and for good reason.
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Old 06-06-2013, 09:32 AM   #38
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While I enjoy driving, at least on secondary roads- the interstates are boring, over the last two long (4+ month trips) I averaged 160 miles per day. The longest day was 290 miles. I have the advantage that I'm retired, and can take as much time as I want. I do my best to hit the evening's campground by 1:00-2:00 in the afternoon so I have plenty of time to explore the area.

As to speed, as I said, I avoid interstates, but even when I have to take them my maximum is 60 MPH, and I generally drive 55-57MPH.

I still do 400 mile days on the interstate on my annual run to Nantucket to visit my brother, but not with the trailer.
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Old 06-06-2013, 10:06 AM   #39
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Speed vs. Cost = Free Miles?

Admittedly, when I retired I made the decision to take life a lot easier.

I too used to made the drive from San Francisco to Vancouver, BC in one shot, but I was young, foolish, and only got 2 week long vacations, in those days, none of which apply today

That said, here are a few numbers that makes driving slower and fewer miles per day attractive to moi...

For 300 miles @ 55-60 mph I get about 18 mpg, at 70-75 mph it drops to 14 mpg, figuring $3.89 a gallon that equals:

At the slower speed I will burn about $65 in gas
At the higher speed I will burn about $83 in gas and "might" get there about 1 hour sooner.

That difference will buy me enough gas for 85 miles the next day.

In the Golden State, where the speed limit for towed ehicles is 55 mph,it can also save me the price of a speedng ticket

And I won't mention that sleepy drivers are the leading cause of non-alcohol related night time accidents per the NHTSA, nor will I mention the reasoning behind and need for OTR drivers logs.

But that's just me, others will be different.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Harris View Post
Guess you didn't see my post Bob?

No trouble for me,I just want to get to Rallies with Floyd sooner!

What is the big deal? Is this the same as when we compare the Purity if the experience on any other topic?

Or am I being irresponsible for going farther than you might?

I have been an ambitious long distance driver for a long time and am slowing down some but when I need to be somewhere,sometimes I have a deadline too.

Also is everyone here really saying they drive 60mph in places where the limit is 70 or 75mph?

I am not.


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Old 06-06-2013, 10:18 AM   #40
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Audio books put me to sleep! I like to read when camping but the pace of the spoken reading just draaaags along. Tried a Stephen King audio book and could not stay awake for a whole chapter.

Do like talk radio if the discussion is something I find interesting and the tone is not bombastic. Like music, have started every trip for the last 17 years with some album by Jimmy Buffet. It's become a tradition.

Interstates are boring but it's time to think, talk, listen to entire album. Things that I often don't have or make time for when not on vacation. Nice having nothing on my to-do list but drive.
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