The older we are getting, the shorter the daily drive is becoming.
We figure about 200-250 miles a day. That translates between 4-6 hours of actual driving time. We have found that we can travel shorter distances and NOT be so beat out we can't enjoy the evening hours.
We have learned it is absolutely NO fun at all driving like a crazy nut escaping from hell itself for hours and then reaching our destination so exhausted we do nothing but sleep the next day. That's just stupid!
So, we have slowed WAY down. 200-250 miles a day provides enough driving time to get on down the road, but not so far it's exhausting. We will dive 3 days like this, and on the 4th we stop for at least 1 full day before going on. And unbelievable, the trips are all enjoyable. If we see something along the side of the road while traveling, or see an attraction we'd like to visit, or take an extra long lunch break at a park somewhere, we do and don't have to feel so gosh-danged rushed ending up in frustration and exhaustion.
So as we are getting older, our style of travel and camping has changed completely from when we were younger and had kids at home living with us. For us, camping begins when we start stocking up the camper. We've learned to enjoy the packing, the planning, the driving, the miss-adventures, the wrong turns, as much as the final destination. Actually, some of the best experiences we encountered while driving has been when we missed our turn or somehow got turned around and lost. Those were really the best times on the road! You meet some of the most interesting people when you are "lost".
