Has anyone here driven...

[Anthony]

..across the country?  Well maybe not coast to coast per se, but a great distance.

I'm just wondering how it was overall, how often you stopped to get a motel, what you drove, yadda yadda..

..And any knife/tool use instances to save the day of course.

[Zack]

I've done a trip from GA to MA once.  Drove straight through, just stopping for bathroom, food, and fuel.  I did it in my Pontiac Grand AM.  No multi uses of really any note.  Just had to be careful in VA, whole state is a speed trap.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I once drove from Toronto to Atlanta then back again, which was 18 hours each way, then a little while later I drove from Toronto to Halifax by way of Blind River, which was maybe 35 hours or so. 

Each time I drove pretty well straight through, although when I did feel tired I found a hotel at the next exit, slept for a few hours and then moved on, stopping only for gas.  The Atlanta trip was the last one for my VW, and it barely made it home, and the trip out here was taken in an '81 Pontiac Catalina that I bought specifically for the trip, and cost me a whopping $250.  Long wheel base and heavy body make for a nice, smooth ride- although the gas was a fortune.

Def

[Fisting_Chili]

..across the country?  Well maybe not coast to coast per se, but a great distance.

I'm just wondering how it was overall, how often you stopped to get a motel, what you drove, yadda yadda..

..And any knife/tool use instances to save the day of course.

2003 Nissan Pathfinder.  From Portland, Oregon to Cap Cod, Mass.  Put over 11,000 miles on my truck!    Had to get two oil changes on the road.  Drove there to visit friends and see a Red Sox game.  Stopped at carhenge in Alliance, NE.  Stopped at the Field of Dream in Dyersville, IA.  Stopped at baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, NY.  Stopped at the Spam museum in MN (can't remember where...?).  Stopped in Yellowstone.  Had a blast w/the mrs and our dogs.  We drove about 18 hours a day and slept in budget motels or rest stops.   this was in 2003.

[jzmtl]

Not cross country, but drove from Little Rock, AR to Toronto, to DC, and back once, 3k mi. Then from LR to Montreal later, 1.5k mi. Last time from Montreal to PEI and back, 1.5k mi. 1st time in a rental Nissan Altima (back when it's still a compact), 2nd time in an old Camry, last time in a new Civic. Always had someone to switch driving thou, so not bad.

Stop is only for gas/food and rest, I prefer the rest stops along the highway for latter if there are any, less people and you can even lie on the bench taking a nap under the sun if you want. The first two times was looking for Motel as we went, no problem except when we ran into indy 500, no rooms for an hour and half lol, so make sure there aren't any large events at where/when you plan to spend the night.

Only notable tool usage was cracking open a 7 lb lobster on last trip with my pliers. The shell on pincer was so thick I thought the pliers are going to break first!

[Neil]

Its pretty hard for me to get my head around driving those kind of distances living on an island   

I think the furthest I've ever driven in a day was St Austell to Peterborough, just over 300 miles, took around six and half ours with breaks.

[DaveK]

I drove from home here in the UK Midlands to Novi Ligure in Northern Italy once, and then back again a couple of weeks later. I needed the business miles to save a big tax bill.

About 1,000 miles each way, took me about 21 hours, which is pretty impressive considering there was a ferry crossing involved. France was mostly a blur. I was in a hire car so thrashed the living f*ck out of it - 140 mph at times

I took it a bit easier on the return as I had the missus and kids with me - still did it in one hit though.

I have to say, driving alone on the outward leg remains one of the best experiences of my life - after a while the adrenalin kicks in and driving through the Alps in pitch darkness was a bit of a buzz.

[Kmarr]

I haven't driven anywhere near those distances  

I WANNA GO ON A ROAD TRIP

[DaveK]

I haven't driven anywhere near those distances  

I WANNA GO ON A ROAD TRIP

Do it. That is all

[Grant Lamontagne]

According to Google Maps the Toronto/Atlanta trip was just over 1,000 miles, and I was there and back in about two and a half days, and the trip from Toronto to Halifax was just over 1,600 miles.  I did the first trip with my dog Pete, and the second with Pete and my other dog Chinook- whom I didn't have yet when I did the Atlanta trip.

Def

[Blackbeard]

New York to Miami back and forth many times 20 years ago while I was in college.  Its a 20+ hour drive depending on traffic. WOuld make the drive during holiday break or summer break.
A few times I did it in one shot, gruelling and dangerous. I took the amtrak auto train once(another time I was scheduled to take it I was late and had to do the drive when they wouldnt let me on train in Florida. A couple other times I went with a friend and we took turns driving. and more often than not I would get a hotel room in Georgia or south carolina when goin south.

[GraysonK]

I drove a 1998 Ford Escort from Morgantown, WV to Orlando, FL.  I didn't stop for anything but fuel or bathroom.  I did carry a MT with me and it did get used but...ahem...I think it was a Gerber 400.  Took me 16 hours down and 15 and a half back.  Long drive but really really REALLY good weekend.

[hawkchucker]

I drove from Ga. to Texas. had to go straight through because of time restraints. Ya see a guy Hired me to get a truckload of Coors beer for a party. Me and my partner the snowman made it in time but had a sheriff follow us back in highspeed prusuit most of the way. Other than that.. No Just 3 hours every friday to my place in Maine and 3 Hours home to Ma. on sunday.

As you can tell I did just watch Smokey and the Bandit!

I hate driving distance. Yes ya get to see the country, but it just makes me zone out after about 4 hours in a car.

[Fisting_Chili]

Do I hold the record for distance in a trip?  Whoo hoo!!!!

[sardauker]

Salt Lake city to San Francisco, via Las Vegas and Los Angeles (and a crazy drive L.A. - Death Valley - L.A. in an afternoon to be back in time to meet Ahnold. weird story, you don't really wanna know) in 4 days, with some days in between in the major cities for tourism.

dunno what kind of rental car -automatic gear and cruise control were new and weird enough, for me, to care the brand, but i sorta remember an Honda logo-

(also two Florence-Paris on an Opel Tigra and a Florence-Nottingham in an old VW van)


each time only a Swisstool with me -only used as a bottle and can opener and as a knife-, stopped to rest in motels and for food and gas.

I tried to stop as less as possible, but to drive relaxed enough to enjoy the view, ready to stop if I saw something worth a closer look. only from LV to LA I ended in the absolute, dark nothing for miles and miles, with just som "litter removal sponsor" sign to tell I still wasn't lost at all, I felt uneasy.