Tell me about your interesting and fun road trips to...wherever

[Dancefortwo]

I always like to hear car stories and crazy travel adventures.  It's a sort of hobby of mine to read about road stories.    They're almost always relatable because we have all had nutty things happen to us while traveling.  

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Drove completely around the Med in 1973, with bonus miles for Arab-Israeli wars.

[Dom]

Drove from Holland to Spain in an old Ugly Duckling (Renault) that had no seats. We sat on orange crates... I don't remember the exact year - late 60s.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I will get to posting something here probably Thursday when I have more time. I've got a few, and hopefully can find the write-ups on my hard-disk somewhere. If I can't, I'll recompose 'em ... and this time save 'em securely!

It's been a while since I've written any short stories, how better to stretch those muscles again than by writing up stuff that actually happened?

Looking forward to reading the stories from others in the meantime.

[SYZ]

In 1973 we drove from Melbourne to Perth on the Eyre Highway, in a 1968 Austin 1800 with
front-wheel drive. At that time the highway included 400 miles of unsealed bulldust, corrugations,
and loose gravel roadway.....



Anyway, as we pulled up at our destination, after an uneventful 3,500km (2,200 miles) journey,
I heard a 'clunk' from somewhere under the engine bay, and looking outa the window, I noticed
a small 'lump' of something, probably mechanical, rolling across the bitumen.  As it came to rest,
in the gutter, I realised what it was—one of the inner front CV joints!



So, it survived for all those miles, over rough roads, in Aussie outback summer temperatures, driven
at speeds from a slogging 20MPH to over 80MPH, and then only quit parked outside our friends' home.



BTW, the 1800 was one of the comfiest cars I've ever driven.

[Dancefortwo]

Drove from Holland to Spain in an old Ugly Duckling (Renault) that had no seats. We sat on orange crates... I don't remember the exact year - late 60s.

OMG.  Orange crates?  What a wonderful story.  Love it! BTW, what happened to the damned seats? LOL

[Dom]

Drove from Holland to Spain in an old Ugly Duckling (Renault) that had no seats. We sat on orange crates... I don't remember the exact year - late 60s.

OMG.  Orange crates?  What a wonderful story.  Love it!  BTW, what happened to the damned seats?  LOL

We bought the car from a junkyard. Probably they took the seats, it was dirt cheap. We drove it to Spain, then one of us drove it back to Germany where we all met again. We sold it to a junk yard there for the same price we bought it. It may have been ugly and seat-less, but it was a good car.

Most of my travels were not road trips, although there was a lot of hitch hiking, if that counts. There were also ships, buses , trains and planes used in my travels. The adventures at the destinations were more exciting than the trips themselves, as a rule.

[Fireball]

Drove from Holland to Spain in an old Ugly Duckling (Renault) that had no seats. We sat on orange crates... I don't remember the exact year - late 60s.

OMG.  Orange crates?  What a wonderful story.  Love it!  BTW, what happened to the damned seats?  LOL

Citroen "Ugly Duckling" vehicles were originally equipped with canvas sling seats. The material had probably degraded over time.

Ugly Ducklings

[Dom]

Drove from Holland to Spain in an old Ugly Duckling (Renault) that had no seats. We sat on orange crates... I don't remember the exact year - late 60s.

OMG.  Orange crates?  What a wonderful story.  Love it!  BTW, what happened to the damned seats?  LOL

Citroen "Ugly Duckling" vehicles were originally equipped with canvas sling seats. The material had probably degraded over time.

Ugly Ducklings

That goes to show what I know about cars. It was a Citroen, not a Renault. At least I got the country of origin right. 

[Fireball]

OMG.  Orange crates?  What a wonderful story.  Love it!  BTW, what happened to the damned seats?  LOL

Citroen "Ugly Duckling" vehicles were originally equipped with canvas sling seats. The material had probably degraded over time.

Ugly Ducklings

That goes to show what I know about cars. It was a Citroen, not a Renault. At least I got the country of origin right. 

Don't worry about vehicle identification! I had to go look up the "Ugly Duckling" myself.  Every French car built has been ugly as sin, in my book. The Citroen SM had just about the most comfortable I've ever sat on in a car, though. I had that experience at a car show in my teens.

[Deesse23]

Went to Italy with 2 friends in .......1987. Was after i graduated from high school and before i had to join the Bundeswehr (already had my draft orders in my pocket).

We took one guys dads Daimler, some tent and lots of canned ravioli with us.  

Drove through Switzerland (austrians are greedy with their highway tolls    ), took a break at Lago Maggiore (Locarno!). Went to Pisa, right before they had to close the tower for maintenance. Then straight to Naples (avoided Rome, because......everybody wants to to go Rome), Capri, Pompei, Paestum, then Calabria. Took ferry to Sicily. Visited Messina, Catania, Syracuse (where they broke into our car, after all it was a Daimler and Sicily, you know).  Then to Enna, right in the middle. Then we went camping at Cefalu, near Palermo for a week. Visited Palermo as well (including the tomb of the most famous german emperor. Good luck figuring that out ).

After three weeks we went back in 1 day.

[Dom]

Went to Italy with 2 friends in .......1987. Was after i graduated from high school and before i had to join the Bundeswehr (already had my draft orders in my pocket).

We took one guys dads Daimler, some tent and lots of canned ravioli with us.  

Drove through Switzerland (austrians are greedy with their highway tolls    ), took a break at Lago Maggiore (Locarno!). Went to Pisa, right before they had to close the tower for maintenance. Then straight to Naples (avoided Rome, because......everybody wants to to go Rome), Capri, Pompei, Paestum, then Calabria. Took ferry to Sicily. Visited Messina, Catania, Syracuse (where they broke into our car, after all it was a Daimler and Sicily, you know).  Then to Enna, right in the middle. Then we went camping at Cefalu, near Palermo for a week. Visited Palermo as well (including the tomb of the most famous german emperor. Good luck figuring that out ).

After three weeks we went back in 1 day.

Lago Maggiore - was there several times as kid. Mom had red painted toe nails. Went into the lake and immediately was surrounded by swarms of tiny fish nipping at her toe nails. It was hilarious!

[Dancefortwo]

Went to Italy with 2 friends in .......1987. Was after i graduated from high school and before i had to join the Bundeswehr (already had my draft orders in my pocket).

We took one guys dads Daimler, some tent and lots of canned ravioli with us.  

Drove through Switzerland (austrians are greedy with their highway tolls    ), took a break at Lago Maggiore (Locarno!). Went to Pisa, right before they had to close the tower for maintenance. Then straight to Naples (avoided Rome, because......everybody wants to to go Rome), Capri, Pompei, Paestum, then Calabria. Took ferry to Sicily. Visited Messina, Catania, Syracuse (where they broke into our car, after all it was a Daimler and Sicily, you know).  Then to Enna, right in the middle. Then we went camping at Cefalu, near Palermo for a week. Visited Palermo as well (including the tomb of the most famous german emperor. Good luck figuring that out ).

After three weeks we went back in 1 day.

What a great trip.    I would love to go to Pompei.


And did you say "canned ravioli?   



When I was about 13 my mother and my aunt drove around Europe and as they were driving through either Germany or Austria (I can't remember which) they stayed at a zimmer, which I was told was a single room, and the small village where they stayed was named Zum.  So I get this postcard from my mom saying "We stayed at a zimmer in Zum!"   She was highly amused and thought it sounded very Dr. Seussian.   Ok Mom......whatever. 

Not a real exciting story, but anyway.  

[Deesse23]

Went to Italy with 2 friends in .......1987. Was after i graduated from high school and before i had to join the Bundeswehr (already had my draft orders in my pocket).

We took one guys dads Daimler, some tent and lots of canned ravioli with us.  

Drove through Switzerland (austrians are greedy with their highway tolls    ), took a break at Lago Maggiore (Locarno!). Went to Pisa, right before they had to close the tower for maintenance. Then straight to Naples (avoided Rome, because......everybody wants to to go Rome), Capri, Pompei, Paestum, then Calabria. Took ferry to Sicily. Visited Messina, Catania, Syracuse (where they broke into our car, after all it was a Daimler and Sicily, you know).  Then to Enna, right in the middle. Then we went camping at Cefalu, near Palermo for a week. Visited Palermo as well (including the tomb of the most famous german emperor. Good luck figuring that out ).

After three weeks we went back in 1 day.

What a great trip.    I would love to go to Pompei.


And did you say "canned ravioli?   



When I was about 13 my mother and my aunt drove around Europe and as they were driving through either Germany or Austria (I can't remember which) they stayed at a zimmer, which I was told was a single room, and the small village where they stayed was named Zum.  So I get this postcard from my mom saying "We stayed at a zimmer in Zum!"   She was highly amused and thought it sounded very Dr. Seussian.   Ok Mom......whatever. 

Not a real exciting story, but anyway.  

Pisa:
Climbing the tower was really weird. Spiraling staircase inside, heavily tilted. Felt like i was drunk.

Capri:
If i was a roman emperor (Claudius afaik) i would have stayed there as well, just marvellous.

Naples:
Maradona everywhere. It was the time he was playing for Napoli. City was completely nuts for him. Vesuv was awesome. Driving car in the city a nightmare. While we were stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the city, a small kid walked by our car, went to a parked car just in front of us, in bright daylight, and broke into the car.
Best Pizza in the world.period.

Pompei:
Not as spectacular as the average tourist may imagine. Mostly ruins or foundations only. But some houses still had famous paintings.
Then the whorehouses in the middle of the town, next to all the other business.  

Road down from Piano di Sorrento to Amalfi.....fucking spectacular!!!!

Paestum:
Biggest temples after Akropolis. Three of them.

General:
South of Rome, poverty suddenly sets in. High crime rate, but poor people also tend to be more generous (with what they have).

Sicily:
Much like Arizona: Not too bad cuz it's a dry heat.  
Aside from that, just amazing. Oranges and lemon trees grow like weed, everywhere, and then all the roman stuff.....

Palermo:
Crapped our pants, cuz it was obvious we were tourists and....20km to Corleone if you know what i mean.  
Poverty everywhere, and then some random black Mercedes with black windows  
Cathedral was awesome. Norman and arab architecture....splendid.

[no one]

I once took a long extremely uncomfortable bus ride to Parris Island. On the plus side, we arrived at like 0300, and I had the welcome crew scream in my face.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Drove from San Ysidro to Juneau because the road was there.

[Tres Leches]

I drove solo from upstate New York to northern California in spring 1999 in my red Chevy Cavalier. 2,415 miles and 5 days of driving. Packed up my most valuable possessions like family photos, grandma's china, and my beloved Christmas decorations and left my old life behind.

This was before cell phones were ubiquitous and GPS for the general public didn't exist then. I still have the large fold out map of the US that I took with me, although it was Interstate 80 almost the entire way. Tied my hair back and put on an unfriendly face so truckers wouldn't bother me at rest stops or hotels when I stopped for the night. I had about $2,000 in life savings and stuffed traveler's checks under the driver's seat on the way.

Spent one night in Elkhart, Indiana. I think the proprietor saw I was a woman traveling alone so he put me in a room up front, next to his onsite apartment. I woke up the next day to morning prayers at 6am next door. Allahu Akbar!

I panicked in Utah. I tried to stop in Park City, not knowing it's an expensive ski resort town. So I got back on the road and got lost in Salt Lake City when the freeway abruptly ended. Construction for the 2002 Olympics, I heard. It was getting dark but I stopped at some random business and got directions back to the freeway and quickly found a hotel along the way.

While driving I subsisted on Girl Scout cookies tucked away in a picnic cooler that my old coworkers gifted to me when I left. I still have the cooler and use it frequently for outings with my kid especially since the bad times started in March 2020. It's turned out to be the most useful present I've ever received.

In Wyoming, I saw signs for a nearby historical wagon wheel ruts site. You can view the deep wheel ruts made by the many pioneers who emigrated in the 19th century by horse and wagon for a better life out west. Fascinating. I felt and still feel like a pioneer of sorts with my horse-less carriage. I took a leap of faith, quit my job with no job lined up in California, and knew only one person when I landed in California. (Everything is so different out here!)

It was a fun experience but I wouldn't do it again as Interstate 80 is rather boring for long stretches.

-Teresa

[Thumpalumpacus]

I drove solo from upstate New York to northern California in spring 1999 in my red Chevy Cavalier. 2,415 miles and 5 days of driving. Packed up my most valuable possessions like family photos, grandma's china, and my beloved Christmas decorations and left my old life behind.

This was before cell phones were ubiquitous and GPS for the general public didn't exist then. I still have the large fold out map of the US that I took with me, although it was Interstate 80 almost the entire way. Tied my hair back and put on an unfriendly face so truckers wouldn't bother me at rest stops or hotels when I stopped for the night. I had about $2,000 in life savings and stuffed traveler's checks under the driver's seat on the way.

Spent one night in Elkhart, Indiana. I think the proprietor saw I was a woman traveling alone so he put me in a room up front, next to his onsite apartment. I woke up the next day to morning prayers at 6am next door. Allahu Akbar!

I panicked in Utah. I tried to stop in Park City, not knowing it's an expensive ski resort town. So I got back on the road and got lost in Salt Lake City when the freeway abruptly ended. Construction for the 2002 Olympics, I heard. It was getting dark but I stopped at some random business and got directions back to the freeway and quickly found a hotel along the way.

While driving I subsisted on Girl Scout cookies tucked away in a picnic cooler that my old coworkers gifted to me when I left. I still have the cooler and use it frequently for outings with my kid especially since the bad times started in March 2020. It's turned out to be the most useful present I've ever received.

In Wyoming, I saw signs for a nearby historical wagon wheel ruts site. You can view the deep wheel ruts made by the many pioneers who emigrated in the 19th century by horse and wagon for a better life out west. Fascinating. I felt and still feel like a pioneer of sorts with my horse-less carriage. I took a leap of faith, quit my job with no job lined up in California, and knew only one person when I landed in California. (Everything is so different out here!)

It was a fun experience but I wouldn't do it again as Interstate 80 is rather boring for long stretches.

-Teresa

Driven much of the same route myself.

Jumping into your car and across the country took balls. I bet the entire story would be interesting.

[Fireball]

I drove solo from upstate New York to northern California in spring 1999 in my red Chevy Cavalier. 2,415 miles and 5 days of driving. Packed up my most valuable possessions like family photos, grandma's china, and my beloved Christmas decorations and left my old life behind.

This was before cell phones were ubiquitous and GPS for the general public didn't exist then. I still have the large fold out map of the US that I took with me, although it was Interstate 80 almost the entire way. Tied my hair back and put on an unfriendly face so truckers wouldn't bother me at rest stops or hotels when I stopped for the night. I had about $2,000 in life savings and stuffed traveler's checks under the driver's seat on the way.

Spent one night in Elkhart, Indiana. I think the proprietor saw I was a woman traveling alone so he put me in a room up front, next to his onsite apartment. I woke up the next day to morning prayers at 6am next door. Allahu Akbar!

I panicked in Utah. I tried to stop in Park City, not knowing it's an expensive ski resort town. So I got back on the road and got lost in Salt Lake City when the freeway abruptly ended. Construction for the 2002 Olympics, I heard. It was getting dark but I stopped at some random business and got directions back to the freeway and quickly found a hotel along the way.

While driving I subsisted on Girl Scout cookies tucked away in a picnic cooler that my old coworkers gifted to me when I left. I still have the cooler and use it frequently for outings with my kid especially since the bad times started in March 2020. It's turned out to be the most useful present I've ever received.

In Wyoming, I saw signs for a nearby historical wagon wheel ruts site. You can view the deep wheel ruts made by the many pioneers who emigrated in the 19th century by horse and wagon for a better life out west. Fascinating. I felt and still feel like a pioneer of sorts with my horse-less carriage. I took a leap of faith, quit my job with no job lined up in California, and knew only one person when I landed in California. (Everything is so different out here!)

It was a fun experience but I wouldn't do it again as Interstate 80 is rather boring for long stretches.

-Teresa

Boring is good, on the highway. Would you rather have had an exciting time traveling alongside a bunch of outlaw bikers returning from Sturgis, who were occupying most of the motel/hotel rooms, but willing to share? You had a nice, safe trip!

[SYZ]

In 1973 we drove from Melbourne to Perth on the Eyre Highway, in a 1968 Austin 1800 with
front-wheel drive. At that time the highway included 400 miles of unsealed bulldust, corrugations,
and loose gravel roadway..... attempt #2 at posting image.

[Dancefortwo]

In 1973 we drove from Melbourne to Perth on the Eyre Highway, in a 1968 Austin 1800 with
front-wheel drive. At that time the highway included 400 miles of unsealed bulldust, corrugations,
and loose gravel roadway..... attempt #2 at posting image.

That's a shit load of bad road there, SYZ.  Are there gas stations along the way? Looks pretty desolate.

[SYZ]

In 1973 we drove from Melbourne to Perth on the Eyre Highway, in a 1968 Austin 1800 with
front-wheel drive. At that time the highway included 400 miles of unsealed bulldust, corrugations,
and loose gravel roadway.....

That's a shit load of bad road there, SYZ.  Are there gas stations along the way? Looks pretty desolate.

Yeah... the gas stations are pretty close to each other, around every 100 miles or so.

That part of the highway has now been sealed all the way.   

[skyking]

In 2002 I made a go of an internet business, brokering domestic household moving. It almost worked!
My sponsor/idea guy had a moving company, and when I was clearly losing my ass he arranged a cross country lucrative trip. I had my Commercial Driver's License (CDL).
One of our friends was not busy so I paid him to come along and help. The first load was mostly a single household of a Coast Guard officer who was retiring out, back home to Georgia. There were 3 other small moves stuffed in behind that one. I had to do all the driving, Tom was not licensed for it.
We ran to Salt Lake City and did a drop and load, then all the way to Tennessee. I had to drive down some really narrow rural roads, and finally back in a half mile to the house. I trimmed all the trees on that lane for free!
Heading out of Tennessee Tom spotted the FULL ARMOR OF GOD church billboard, and spoke it thusly. We giggled for a while about that one.
We made the big drop north of Atlanta, circled around it to the west and counterclockwise, and picked up more in some quaint little berg south of the city. Along that highway we encountered boiled peanuts for the first time.
The far endpoint was Jacksonville. Not Florida, but Georgia. If you know your US military, a theme is emerging. Almost every load was military, and at that time it paid well.
From there we ran to yet another Jacksonville, this one next to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
Most times I paid for local loaders and packers. It saved time and also my energy, as I was burning the candle pretty hard with all the hours of driving.
Off we went through the mountains of West Virginia to Dayton Ohio, home of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
We had the weekend to wait for our load there, so we dropped the trailer in the locked lot and deadheaded out there. One day in the museum proper, and then we registered for an excursion to the Presidential and experimental hangars that were located on the base.
This was soon after 9/11, and you had to be vetted to go on base.
The next morning we drove back, went through all sorts of security and took the bus to those hangars. It was well worth it for this pilot enthusiast. In the experimental hangar there was every sort of oddball and one-off contraption you could imagine, all nestled underneath the only remaining XB-70 bomber, which loomed above on massive long landing gear.
In the presidential hangar you could tour FDR's custom VC-54C, the Sacred Cow.
It had an elevator that extended down to the runway to get him aboard in his wheelchair.
They built new buildings since our visit and all of that is now at the main museum.
From Dayton we made a hard run for Denver via St Louis.  I remember seeing the arch as I wheeled through construction at about midnight.  I missed a "bump" sign, and WHAM! I look back in the sleeper to see poor Tom is airborne, eyes opening in terror as we both got our bells rung.
We did some drop and picks in Denver, Salt Lake again, and then home. Total trip time was 23 days.
The trailer was a 48' double drop like this:


The truck was similar to this, a 92 Kenworth K100 with a big cam Cummins. It was hardly working with the light loads.

[julep]

One summer my youth group from church went on a trip from Richmond, VA, to San Francisco over the course of two weeks. It was called "The Possum Experience"--I can't remember why--with a Christian bus tour company. There were something like 20 of us living and sleeping on the bus. Outside of the occasional forced proselytizing  and the prayers and bible readings, the trip was fun. Black Hills, Wall Drug, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas (hide your eyes from all the sin on the way to the buffet), San Francisco, etc. 

Road trips when I was a kid were usually from Virginia or Maryland to Texas or Illinois. I spent most of those in the middle back seat, reading. What I remember most about them is the motels (love love love motels) and the vibrating beds. Always bring quarters! 

My last long solo road trip was with all my possessions in the car going from Chicago to Boston. Most of it just highway, but I turned off the highway on coming into Massachusetts, through the Berkshires. Tanglewood country. I had my first experience with a Friendly's restaurant. How could it take more than an hour to get a takeout cheeseburger? When I got to know the chain in the ensuing years, I realized that an hour for a takeout cheeseburger was a slightly better than average time for Friendly's.