Tired of driving?

[Tuesdayafterlunch]

Do you find that over time you've gotten tired of driving and want to limit travel days to just a couple of hours?

And if so, do you find that feeling that way interferes with the nomad life?

 

[Cammalu]

I think about 100 miles a day is now good for me. That being said as soon as all the Dr appts are completed I’m hauling ass outta here as fast as I can to beat the snow while crossing the country so that 100 miles a day is out the window.

 

[highdesertranger]

in the old days driving for 12 hours straight was no biggy, now a days 300 miles is about max that I want to drive. however last year when I picked up my solar panels I did a 500+ mile day that was more than enough for me. highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

I've been staying put longer for various temporary reasons. The other day I just wanted to get out and drive. So I decided I "needed" to make a 110 mile round trip to the next large town for supplies. (I bought just one item, and I could've gotten it locally.) It felt great to be cruising down the highway with the windows open and the radio blaring. In fact it felt so good that the next day I invented reasons for a 320 mile loop.

Driving is one of the reasons I became a nomad. I love the movement.

 

[rvwandering]

You'll find many different traveling styles by CRVL members. Some think nothing of hopping onto the interstate and driving for eight hours straight.
Others find a good boondocking spot and settle in for two weeks, then move the required 35 miles and repeat the process. Do whatever makes you happy and fits with your plans.

We stopped driving long distances when we began fulltime RVing. There's no reason to rush when we don't have jobs to go back to or property to care for. We travel the back roads and most of the time cover 50 or fewer miles in a day. Right now we're in the middle of a cross country trip and have to be in Nevada at the end of the month so we're driving about 100 miles a day. This is fast for us but most people chuckle when we tell them it will take us a full month to go across the country. There are so many interesting things to see and do and we don't want to breeze right by them. After all that's why we started fulltiming in the first place.

 

[eDJ_]

Occasionally we speak of the 2-2-2 system here.   Seniors and the road weary seem to find it a good solution.

 

[Tuesdayafterlunch]

Thank you all for your replies.  After a lot of researching and then searching, I found a rig I was interested in - actually it seems about as close to my current ideal as I'm going to get - and so I set out on the road for a 350 mile journey to inspect it. Up until this time I've been very happy driving several hours, a few hundred miles at a stretch. This time, I have not been enjoying the ride as much and this gave me pause about whether the nomadic life is still for me. I haven't spent much time living in a vehicle out in the middle of nowhere, just a few months about 3 years ago. So I'm still pretty new at all this. But I'm pretty convinced that the camping part in between the travels to get there would feed my spirit best - town life is so incredibly not for me! Once again, thank you so much for sharing.

 

[MrNoodly]

Occasionally we speak of the 2-2-2 system here.

Here's my take on the 2-2-2 system. It's a blog post from a couple of years ago;


http://rollingsteeltent.blogspot.com/2017/08/go-your-own-way.html

 

[Qxxx]

Tuesday, I had not heard of the 2-2-2 system previously but find that's basically what I've been doing on trips. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I could drive 16 hours and more, but on my recent trip to WA, ID, and MT, I spent **5** weeks in total. You can do the math. Only a couple of days were more than 300 miles. I targeted nearby places to camp and sight see and did just that.

If you're traveling to enjoy yourself, then a big part is spending the time to visit local places, rather than blasting by everything on the interstate. That's not what this lifestyle is about. I have a great feel for where I visited in those 3 states now. And there are several places I wish I had spent even more time. 

There is a difference between being a tourist and a traveler.

 

[bullfrog]

It is so easy to get settled into routines for us. I am really lazy as I get older and don't want to spend time doing the mundane tasks of daily living and yet have a hard time making myself get ready for something new. Road miles don't really bother me if I'm with good company and even without it I like to be moving. It's the stopping that is the hard part for me. It is sort of like the idea something at rest tends to stay at rest and something moving tends to keep moving. It takes me years to go from one way to the other, crazy, but then I ain't right!

 

[Qxxx]

"It takes me years to go from one way to the other, crazy, but then I ain't right!".

Well Bullfrog, "some" of us slowed down as we got older. Nature is trying to tell us something ... you ain't a kid anymore, except in your mind.

There is another problem with driving for more than a few hours everyday that I meant to mention. Older people tend to have more issues with blood clots and such when they sit in the same place for many hours at a time. This is apparently common on long airplane trips. Eg, Caravan Carolyn recently drove from Seattle to Phoenix driving many hours a day. And her ankles started swelling up from sitting so long.

 

[waldenbound]

I can travel 300 miles in a day, but that’s hard. About 200-250 for a productive day, 150 for an easy day. Sometimes, in the west, you have to drive long distances to get to a place to stay. I think of how many miles I can travels in a day, then find services within that 200 miles.

 

[bullfrog]

For me even staying in one place means I drive 225 miles one way for supplies. I used to drive there, shop and drive back. Now I make it two days and I guess soon I'll make it four or more! I may end up back on the road more than I am here, it just ain't right!

 

[MeiraNomadRN]

I love this whole thread!

I’d never heard of 2-2-2, and Mr.Noodly’s blog post about it was informative and encouraging.

I was under the impression that everyone else’s goal was to either move 25 miles to get to the next spot, or efficiently cram as many miles/hours as possible. On my trips I found myself aiming for 3-4 hours but I really felt like an underachiever. Learning I’m normal is more comforting than I care to admit, lol.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

On the old fart 2-2-2 plan here, especially the 2 day or more required stay.

Unfortunately I have to get to Phoenix quarterly for specialist medical appointments. Those days, we drive up to seven hours at a time from our current "home base". Generally, though, we break that in pieces by spending a night at a rest stop on the Interstate. The drone of the road never bothers us.
Ted

***I celebrate my 2nd year on the road anniversary this month!***

 

[bullfrog]

We are slowly working towards seeing all the side roads and camp spots along the way between our base and medical appointments, ect. in town, that some that live here forever have never stopped to see.

 

[Qxxx]

For me even staying in one place means I drive 225 miles one way for supplies. I used to drive there, shop and drive back.  Now I make it two days and I guess soon I'll make it four or more!  I may end up back on the road more than I am here, it just ain't right!

Assuming you still live at Bullfrog Marina and commute to Provo or Grand Junction for your supplies, you do get to travel through some of the best areas in the US, albeit nothing there but scenery. City dwellers like me can only feel sorry for your ain't right plight. Yeah, right.

 

[speedhighway46]

When I am on the road I follow a self-imposed 1-2-3 Rule:

“1”
If I’m not staying for another overnight, then leave by 1:00. This gives me a casual morning; breakfast, do a little housekeeping, work on a “project” on my vehicle; then hit the road before they get crowded.

“2”
Travel no more than two hours; I know my next stop because I’ve preplanned it. I try to keep my daily mileage to 100-125 miles daily.

“3”
Arrive by 3:00. Avoid late afternoon traffic; avoid darkness; arrive when my overnight is not crowded and lots of space is available, and I have time to take a few minutes and cruise around to find just the “perfect” spot for the overnight.

I stay at a lot of Walmarts, truck stops, and Menard’s; this method works for me!

 

[Qxxx]

1-2-3, that's just too easy.

 

[ukenukem]

Well, I must confess that my first thought when i saw this thread was someone created a crank down hook to latch onto another vehicle's bumper, put yours in neutral and take a nap.

So my brain must be creative or crazy!