Back road traveling

[Chancebond]

I prefer the back road travel. How do u feel about it?!

 

[masterplumber]

I prefer the back road travel.  How do u feel about it?!

I love it. One of my favorite books is "Blue Highways'' by Least Heat Moon. On many maps all the small 2 lanes were blue and the interstates were red. On a recent trip I managed to drive from the San Diego area to Phoenix and only hit the interstate for around 20 miles.

 

[Chancebond]

I hate the interstate, I'm always afraid that someday I might crash!!! Too many cars!

 

[minimotos95]

I hate the interstate because of how boring it is. and I also prefer cruising around 60-70 not 80+. I normally want to enjoy my drive/ride not get across the country in 30 hours with a sore butt, bleeding eyeballs and a dead brain.
I avoid the interstate at all costs if I can, I've gone double the mileage at half the speed, on gravel to avoid a 60 mile stint of I70.

 

[Chancebond]

Yeah, being from Fairbanks alaska, I try to avoid interstates as much as I can, even when my mom is driving!

 

[highdesertranger]

I see your blue roads and raise you to included county roads(many out west are gravel). I also try to avoid the interstate, they are very cold and impersonal. I much prefer the lesser traveled roads. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

I guess I'm the exception, I don't mind the interstates. They save time and money and the more time and money I save the more destinations I can arrive at.

Generally, when I travel the destination is my goal, and not the journey. If there i something along the way of interest to me, then it becomes a destination. Generally, the fastest and cheapest way to them in on the internet.
Bob

 

[Chancebond]

See bob, while I do agree that the interstate and freeways are a fast way to get to the place, I relish my travels, even though I don't drive yet. I relish in the journey, as well as the destination!

 

[ccbreder]

I'm with Bob on this. Why struggle on long barren secondary roads if they don't get to some where. Granted there are a lot of some wheres between.

 

[gramakittycat]

In unfamiliar areas as a single older woman the interstate is safer for me. I do go off on less travelled roads but only when it is on my way to a destination.

 

[Matt71]

I like the back roads when they are scenic and give me something interesting to look at and photograph. The Beartooth Highway is one of my favorite driving experiences. And I can't wait to drive route 101 up the Pacific coast.

Freeways are great for bypassing crap you don't care to look at.

Now back back roads, like dirt roads, I try to avoid unless they lead to someplace really cool. I suspect I will try to avoid them more once I'm driving a metal box filled with stuff I'd rather not have bouncing around every time I hit a bump in the road. I'm also a bit paranoid about doing damage to the structure of the van going down bumpy roads. Though getting new shocks before we hit the road might help with this issue.

 

[highdesertranger]

well I can't keep up with traffic on the interstates anyways. I am sorry some of you feel there is nothing to see on the secondary roads. I would have to disagree about the interstates being safer. out west here the gangs, human traffickers, and drug smugglers all use the interstates. just go into the restrooms at the rest stops or gas stations, they a full of gang graffiti. highdesertranger

 

[Tinman74]

Don't know where I read this or if the quote is even close but it went something like this. Since Pres. Eisenhower created the national interstate highway system it has now become possible to drive coast to coast without ever seeing anything of interest.

Tinman

 

[rvwandering]

Since we like slow travel we almost always drive the back roads. We stop for everything and it can take us most of the day to go 50 - 100 miles.

 

[Patrick46]

Well....I agree with ALL of you. How about that??!!


I simply love travel.

Some days, when I've got a long day of cold, flat roads, then sure, I'll jump on the big road and crank out some miles.

Otherwise, I prefer driving at a more moderate pace, definitely not pushing it, and stopping when the mood hits, and rolling on when that feels right too.

I'm with Matt71. I drove (actually rode) the Beartooth Highway for the first time this past summer riding home from Sturgis.
Absolutely Breathtaking!!! I think it pales Yellowstone by comparison.

C'mon out here guy! Highway 101 is a terrific drive!! (and ride) Lotsa great stuff to see and do!

 

[thatchickinpa]

I travel the highways most of the time to get to my destination. Then after arrival, drive the backroads.

For example, I drove from Pennsylvania to Oregon then hooked 101 down the coast from Newport, OR to LA and veered off onto a few scenic sections of route 1 that hug the coast. It was one of the best drives I have ever done ... and I plan on doing it again within the next few months   I chickened out on taking route 211 to see the "lost coast" of California though. The road is accessed from 101 in Fortuna, CA and Weott, CA. The road had huge gaps of missing concrete on the edge with large vertical drops, so I aborted that side trip.

Some interstates have long sections of nothing (especially on the coast to coast routes) and aren't very busy, so I usually don't mind them. Kind of boring though, but I don't know if side roads would be more entertaining when there really isn't anything around. Like when I drove through South Dakota. It was flat and appeared that the same view would be had from any vantage point.

One interstate that I dislike very much is I-95. People drive all kinds of crazy, and it always seems busy on most of its length. I will need to drive from DC down to the central East Florida coast in a few weeks, and if anyone has driven an alternate side road route, I'd like to hear about it.

I haven't heard of Beartooth Highway, but it will definitely go on my list!

 

[VJG1977]

I travel the highways most of the time to get to my destination. Then after arrival, drive the backroads.

For example, I drove from Pennsylvania to Oregon then hooked 101 down the coast from Newport, OR to LA and veered off onto a few scenic sections of route 1 that hug the coast. It was one of the best drives I have ever done ... and I plan on doing it again within the next few months   I chickened out on taking route 211 to see the "lost coast" of California though. The road is accessed from 101 in Fortuna, CA and Weott, CA. The road had huge gaps of missing concrete on the edge with large vertical drops, so I aborted that side trip.

Some interstates have long sections of nothing (especially on the coast to coast routes) and aren't very busy, so I usually don't mind them. Kind of boring though, but I don't know if side roads would be more entertaining when there really isn't anything around. Like when I drove through South Dakota. It was flat and appeared that the same view would be had from any vantage point.

One interstate that I dislike very much is I-95. People drive all kinds of crazy, and it always seems busy on most of its length. I will need to drive from DC down to the central East Florida coast in a few weeks, and if anyone has driven an alternate side road route, I'd like to hear about it.

I haven't heard of Beartooth Highway, but it will definitely go on my list!

[font=arial, sans-serif]It has been over 40 years since I regularly traveled the I-95 route from the Boston, Ma. area to Washington, NC.  It did not take many trips for me to tire of I-95.  I would use I-95 to get through New York city and Philadelphia.  When  I reached Wilmington, I would jump over to U.S. Route 13.  This takes you across what was then called the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, now called the Lucius J. Kellam Junior Bridge-Tunnel.  At Norfolk I switched to U.S. 17.  There are many historic sites along this route.  Here is a couple to get you started.[/font]

[font=arial, sans-serif]http://www.tryonpalace.org/[/font]

[font=arial, sans-serif]http://www.battleshipnc.com/[/font]

[font=arial, sans-serif]Make sure you do not miss the [font=Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge [/font][/font]

 

[akrvbob]

For me it's just deciding which is best for this segment of this trip. I try to avoid "It can only be one or the other." thinking. That almost never works for me.

If taking the freeway can save me $50 worth of gas and a few hours of time, that gives me another $50 of gas and time to spend on the back-roads when I get there. Win-win!
Bob

 

[Suanne]

My favorite way to travel is via the back roads.  In fact, I call myself a shunpiker.   But, sometimes I just want to get to where I'm going; and some interstates aren't so bad.  I'll be taking I-5 from Seattle to Los Angeles in a few days and I especially enjoy the southern Oregon and Shasta stretches of that trip.

Suanne

 

[mockturtle]

I've always preferred the back roads--the 'blue highways', if you will, but I do sometimes take the freeway.