How to Love Road Trips

Somewhere between CO and CA, Road Trip Sept 2010

                 

I don't want to say I'm and expert on this subject, but I do have a real love for driving for hours on the open road.  I've been on multiple long road trips usually about 8-10 hour drives excluding my drive across country (which I would do again in a heart beat!), and I've actually never had a bad time.  I figured I'd give some tips on the subject.

1.  Honour thy mixed tapes:  Make mixed CDs or playlists.  It's nice to just let the music go and get excited about your pre-approved list rather than skipping and searching for the right songs.  Road trips are all about the music so include everything from dance music to some slow Celine Dion ballards.  Pro-tip:  download a couple of stand up comedian shows, it really is an awesome way to take a break from music and just laugh.  Everytime we take a trip I always wish we downloaded more!

2.  Thou shalt not make people sit on their feet:  Make sure everyone in the car has enough space.  I know sometimes you need to jam pack the car, but do not put that bundle of wood under your passengers. 

3.  Thou shalt be comfortable (piggy backs number 2):  Wear comfortable clothes with layers.  If you're driving through multiple weather conditions, you don't want to be too cold when you jump out of the car to pump gas.  Also bring a couple of pillows for people to take naps. 

4.  Honour thy time:  Try not to "be in a hurry".  Road trips are better enjoyed for everyone when you're taking your time on the road.  This way, you won't get annoyed stopping to use the restroom, stopping for gas, or running into the dreaded traffic that kills your road trip buzz.  Just add a few hours on to you ETA and you'll be pleasantly surprised if you arrive earlier than expected.

5.  Thou shalt utilize thy co-pi:  Make sure you switch driving shifts.  I do like to drive, but you miss all of the gorgeous scenery when you're driving, so it's nice to take and break and let someone else take a reins for a while.

6.  Do thy research:  Research where the traffic will be and try to avoid it at all costs.  I know there's always traffic leaving Las Vegas and there's always traffic around Los Angeles.  I try to avoid it by going around it or leaving at a time where you will have the best chances of not getting stuck in it.  I can sit in the car driving for 12 hours, but there's something really irritating about sitting in traffic for a half hour!  

7.  Remember to keep emergency energy:  You will get tired driving at night.  Make sure you have a trusty redbull before heading on deserted roads incase there is no where to stop again for miles. Redbull has saved the day (night!) on important legs of our trips more than once.  Please be safe.  Pull over or ask someone who has been napping to take over for a bit.  It's very dangerous getting tired at the wheel.

8.  Remember to go to kinkos and print directions:  Print directions!  Cell service can be spotty in some areas, it's best to have old school paper back up.

9.  Thou shall know where to fuel up:  Gas buddy.  If you're travelling on a budget and you need an estimate for gas, use gas buddy.com.  It tends to be a little lower than what you actually will spend, but it's still a good gage.  Don't trust gas station signs and fill up when you can.  I was driving through CO once and there was a sign that said "next gas station 44 miles" but we decided to fill up right there.  Luckily we did this because when we arrived at that next gas station.. the entire town was closed.

10.  Thou shall remember to have fun:  This is kind of a no brainer.  When you're on a road trip with friends it's really fun to have games prepared and just enjoy some conversation.  If you're a passenger, put your phone down and try and enjoy the time you're spending with the people you're with.  Some suggested games would be the question game, print out trivia, or sometimes I like to play "don't forget the lyrics" with the music you're listening to at that time. 

I hope you enjoyed this list and got some ideas on how to prepare for a road trip.  Some obvious additional suggestions would be to have some water/snacks in the car and a general courteous to the person who is driving.. offer to fill up the tank once.  Just because that person is offering to drive, doesn't mean you shouldn't help split gas.  Especially with prices the way they are now:)

February 2012 Mammoth Lakes, CA

      One day at work, I randomly decided we needed to make a skiing/snowboarding trip happen. We kept talking about going to Lake Tahoe but that trip needs proper planning. I found a cheap hotel in Mammoth in a good location relative to the mountain and booked a room at the Shilo Inn. Our friends Cole and Gina decided to come along for the weekend to enjoy some skiing and to explore NorCal. We met at my work in Rancho Bernardo, CA and hit the road around 3pm on Friday. We were very excited to go on a yet another new road trip and to play in the West Coast snow.

We stopped at a lovely burger king for dinner and also stopped at this really strange convenience store along the way. They had a gloriously large room full of toys, knickknacks (cats everywhere), clocks and a Brandy CD from 1999 for $10 (tempting…). To Cole’s utter surprise, Colin walked out of the store with a Smirnoff Ice for him to enjoy all to himself.

We made it to Mammoth Lakes, CA around 11PM, had a couple of beers, and went to bed after a tiresome Friday drive.  We woke up bright and early the next day to enjoy the modest continental breakfast and to head to the mountain.

Cole and Colin went on their way to enjoy the mountain at their expert pace while Gina and I tested our snowboarding legs on the easier slopes. This mountain is so big and has so many different trails for everyone at any level to enjoy. I met back up with the boys later and had one last long run from the top of the mountain. Not really sure if I was experienced enough to do this, but it was fun regardless and I’m glad Colin took me up there!

We were the last people there enjoying beers outside at a picnic table with the mountain in view. When we got back to the hotel we decided to jump in the indoor pool and sit in the Jacuzzi to relax our worked muscles. We all showered and got dressed to hit the downtown area for the night.  I put on my winter coat and my knitted hat and was ready to go. I really miss bundling up and getting cozy to go outside to a warm bar during the winter time!

We ate dinner at Burgers which was very delicious and went out to a bar close by. We really didn’t like the vibe in there so we decided to head out to a dive bar up the street called Clocktower Cellar Pub. I couldn’t be happier with this choice. We had such a fun time hanging out here and drank until they flickered the lights.

The next morning we said goodbye to Mammoth Lakes, CA and took the 8 hour journey home. We ended up stopping at Convict Lakes for a pretty awesome photo opp before hitting the road to get back down to San Diego.