Lantley wrote:
Once upon a time I took the 650 miles a day approach however I eventually realized it's not an endurance test. I try to limit my travel to 250-350 miles a day max. Find a CG along the way stop for the night and have fun.
I also try not to travel more that 2 days in a row before reaching a destination CG.
The object is to camp and relax not to drive. After a 650 mile day I'm generally to tired/wound up to enjoy the day.
650 miles is easily a 13 hour driving day. No thanks. Being behind the wheel that long is not:fun,enjoyable or relaxing.
I now pick closer destinations and plan accordingly.
I believe you are headed to DC this summer which is great, but plan 300-400 mile days to and from DC. Maximize your CG time not your drive time.
I once took your road warrior approach before I realized the goal was to relax and have fun. Now I travel in smaller steps and spend more time smelling the roses vs. sitting behind the wheel
Lantley and I must be related cuz that's how we travel these days. 4-hrs of driving, 5 in a pinch, and then we're down for the day. we retired in 2005 but for a couple of years after that we were still doing the 10-12 hour driving days. then one spring we were EB on I-40 somewhere in new mexico and the wind was just horrendous. it was so bad that we pulled off at a Flying J around 11am to rest. we saw a CG down the road from the J and decided to call it a day. best decision we ever made and it was then that I saw the light. since then, with very rare exceptions, we've done the 4-hr drive thing and we're lovin' it!
and at the other extreme...the absolute longest drive we did was 36-hours from sacramento, ca to des moines, ia. this was our pre-MH days. never want to do that again. our shortest day (in terms of miles)? we were crossing the southern tip of florida on US 41, left the CG around 9a one morning. saw a sign for an everglades tour and pulled in. ended up spending most of the day there and at other nearby tourist traps. ended up going back to the same CG that evening.
