I have always loved a good road trip. From childhood trips between Illinois and New Hampshire to visit family, to a month-long RV trip around the country after my Dad retired from the Air Force. I have always been fascinated by exploring the roads and highways of the United States.
My first adult road trip was when I packed up my Mitsubishi 3000GT and moved from New Hampshire to Pensacola, FL, to attend flight school after college. I remember my AAA TripTiks highlighting my route, which seems silly today since the route was pretty simple: drive on 93 south until you reach 95 south, then drive that until you can’t stand it anymore and turn right onto I-10, exit at Pensacola. Done.
Throughout my military career, I had the opportunity to make multiple long drives from one region of the US to another. Sometimes those drives were in clumsy moving vans loaded to the brim, other times I was in whichever vehicle I owned at the time for temporary assignments. Regardless, I saw a lot of the central US through my windshield.
When I retired from the Air Force, we celebrated by putting about 7,000 miles on my Corvette Grand Sport, driving a route from Rapid City, SD, to Glacier National Park, and then to the Oregon coast, where we hopped on the Pacific Coast Highway and drove it south to Los Angeles. I then traced historic Route 66 eastbound into Illinois before driving to Maryland, where we were living at the time.
Our move to Tennessee in 2021 spurred a springtime, no Interstate Highway road trip west with my wife and me each driving our sports cars. Our COVID-era trip put over 6,000 miles on both cars and brought us through most of the National Parks in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and finally, a few in Colorado. It was epic.
Now I drive to IMSA races around the country to cover them for articles and clients. Most of the time, I am in a hurry, so I use the much maligned, but actually quite spectacular, Interstate Highway System to get me to events.
I recently drove a Porsche Macan 4 EV from Atlanta to Oklahoma City for an article. That trip in particular reminded me of how beautiful some often overlooked states are. Take Arkansas, for example–simply stunning.
Arkansas has spectacular forests and lakes, and it can be as beautiful as areas of New Hampshire, where I grew up. Even Oklahoma had a surprise in store for me with a lovely scenic drive when I had to parallel I-40 for a bit due to construction. I was only three or four miles away from the Interstate, but it was a different world, with lush trees, scenic farms, and even some slight elevation changes. Since I have traveled I-40 through Oklahoma more than a few times, this was a delightful surprise.
Just the other week, I drove to America’s “National Park of Speed,” Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. I decided to avoid our Interstate system and used only back roads and state highways to meander through Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
The journey was certainly longer, but I don’t regret it for a minute. Even though some of the county roads I encountered in the Land of Lincoln were in poor condition, I ignored the sound of rocks bouncing off the rocker panels of my Toyota GR86 and enjoyed the ride.
Driving through cornfields with their microclimates only to suddenly pop into a small town was a blast. By the way, if you find yourself near Fairfield, IL, do yourself a favor and go to Fusion Coffee. The coffee selection is excellent, the staff are super friendly, and my pour-over was sublime.
I don’t know if it’s the expectation of adventure, the unknown possibilities, or something baked into my DNA, but I love being on a road trip. After making a statement like that, it should be no surprise that one of my favorite books is John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley.
The key to transforming a long drive from a pain to a pleasure is time. There are instances where you just “have to get there,” and those drives are probably going to suck. I’ve done them plenty of times, and they leave no time to stop and enjoy the places you are traveling through, just the pressure to get to your destination.
If you can add an overnight stay to your plan, do it. That stop should provide you with the breathing room to take a few detours. Stop at the rest areas near a state border crossing; they are usually excellent and filled with information on interesting places to see. When you see the signs for a scenic overlook, pull in and check it out. Stop and read the occasional historic marker you typically fly past.
And just like my stop at Fusion Coffee in Illinois, do a little advanced scouting on Google Maps and find a local cafe, diner, or coffee shop that is off the main highway for your lunch or just a coffee break. As great as Buc-ee’s can be, a local small business in the town off the highway might be a more fulfilling experience.
Also, never underestimate the effect of seeing the sun set in a completely different place from where you watched it rise. Yes, getting up early if you don’t absolutely have to can be difficult. But I have never regretted being awake to watch the sun rise once I was there.
Finally, a great road trip doesn’t need to be an epic adventure that crosses multiple states. If you don’t have a lot of time off from work, use a long weekend to explore areas near you. Most people, myself included, haven’t fully explored their own state, let alone others. So find a cool lake, state park, or historic sight within a half day's drive of your house. Make plans for a weekend away and take the back roads. It's easy, just set Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze to “avoid highways” and start driving.