When you head out, how long do you drive for?

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The toughest part of retirement is realizing it's ok to not get it done today. Or tomorrow, or this year.

Not many things are actually an emergency. Seriously!

I'm thinking a 1-1-1 would be a good starting point.

I'm done with the 8 hr drive and then next morning turn around.
 
Would rather spend more time out of the unit than driving it somewhere as well.
 
I left Fl 2 month ago and 4500 mile. Seldom drive more than 250. Traveling 101 down the Washington. Oregon Coast. Avering about 100 miles a week. Down at the Sand Dunes Florence Oregon. Fig I will stay here two weeks and ride out the 4th July traffic.
 
Unless we really have to be somewhere we drive 50 - 100 miles at a day, sticking to back roads and stopping for anything of interest. This allows us to save on fuel costs and see the countryside at a slow relaxed pace. The main problem is finding places to spend the night and that's only difficult in the northeast.
 
karl said:
When I'm running from weather, or haven't been traveling for a while, I'll push  up to 10 hrs, then after a couple days start to unwind and get into a more comfortable pace.
6 hrs, with short breaks every couple is my happy pace.

Last December I left Pismo Beach and headed towards Quartzite.  The temperature was in the upper 70's.  I headed across 156 through the high CA desert, and suddenly was going through snow flurries.  When I hit the Tehachapi, I was able to get through right before it was closed.   Not long after the roads were so bad I had to go to hide in a WM parking lot with 1 inch of ice on the road.  Next day I made it into Quartzite.
 
I grew up in a family where they drove till they got there.  Just breaks for fuel,
food, and restrooms.  Now that I'm on my own I choose not to repeat that misery.
If it's job related and I'm being paid, sure. 

So today I can drive for 4 hours in any direction and be almost anywhere I want to be.
When I do travel I try to plan for it and see things along the way.  Take photos and learn a little
about those sites and areas I'm passing through.  8 to 9 hours of travel and tour a day is enough.  Then time for fixing dinner and relaxing.  

I used to work with this Girl from the UK and I remember her talking about what she called "motoring".
It was about seeing sites along the way, taking breaks, stretching one's legs and enjoying the trip and
having a picnic somewhere.  She felt that those of us in the USA drove like "Lorry" drivers who were paid to get from their warehouse to a destination ASAP.  The thought of driving through the night was unacceptable to her, unless it was extremely hot during the day time hours.

I've drawn on her views since and enjoyed traveling so much more.
 
In 2007 I drove from central Florida to San Diego in 3 days.

22 hour stint, 15 hour stint, then an 8 hour stint.

I had to pass a smog test the next day. Emissions were so low the tester thought the sniffer machine had broken.
 
In my younger days, I drove till I dropped. Now, I enjoy shorter trips and stopping to see interesting things. Usually, by lunch I'm ready to find a place to hole up and relax.

Recently, on my trip from Az to Or to pick up Margie, I pushed a 500 mile day and was totally bushed. I had to make the last 100 miles the next morning. I don't care to try that again.
 
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