Rangerland Forum Information

[Eric]

I'm trying to put together a road trip with a few friends.

One idea is for us to do a loop around the "eastern" United States. Basically down the coast, west to NOLA, up the Mississippi and back around through Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal. Finishing with a return to New York.

The other would be to go all the way to California and a bunch of other places along the way.


Has anyone here ever done an extended (multiple weeks) road trip? Any suggestions or stories to share?

[Hockey101]

I've been doing a road trip from Delray to Orlando, to Clearwater, all down the Gulf Coast roads and ending up in Sarasota, which is a place that i am falling in love with.

I've been doing this with my Jeep scariest f'ing ride on the highway :lol: Mighty 4 cyl engine!

It's fun as long as you make it fun. It's America. You get lost but you are always home. If you get too nervous or upset, you won't enjoy it as much. It's adventurous and it never comes out perfect. Always some bumps on the road (no pun intended), so just make it fun. Bring along a great camera. I've been using my Flip for video and it's fun when you are cruising safely. I don't have a photo camera (my brother does and he is using his Jeep) so i've been using my Droid Razr which makes some superb photos.

But yeah, that's my two cents. I'd do the first route you proposed. California is probably gorgeous, but always California and i guess it would be fun to visit the beaches, parks, and vineyards, but the other one takes you to a lot of different places. And i loved Toronto and Montreal.

[Eric]

So after some thought I've decided to narrow it down to about 3 or 4 cities with two choices of trip.

One trip would be to go north to Boston and then onto Montreal and Toronto. The other would be to go west to Louisville and St. Louis and then go north to Chicago and Detroit.

[Ebase]

I've been doing a road trip from Delray to Orlando, to Clearwater, all down the Gulf Coast roads and ending up in Sarasota, which is a place that i am falling in love with.

I've been doing this with my Jeep scariest f'ing ride on the highway :lol: Mighty 4 cyl engine!

It's fun as long as you make it fun. It's America. You get lost but you are always home. If you get too nervous or upset, you won't enjoy it as much. It's adventurous and it never comes out perfect. Always some bumps on the road (no pun intended), so just make it fun. Bring along a great camera. I've been using my Flip for video and it's fun when you are cruising safely. I don't have a photo camera (my brother does and he is using his Jeep) so i've been using my Droid Razr which makes some superb photos.

But yeah, that's my two cents. I'd do the first route you proposed. California is probably gorgeous, but always California and i guess it would be fun to visit the beaches, parks, and vineyards, but the other one takes you to a lot of different places. And i loved Toronto and Montreal.

Road trips get MUCH better once you get to the Rockies and West. The cities are far apart, the scenery is amazing and things feel more "open." I recommend that everyone do a Seattle to San Diego run at some point in their life.

From the east coast I80 is the most boring and least scenic. I40 is way better. From the southern east coast I10 is actually awesome once you clear Texas.

[ThunderDawg]

How long is this road trip? Could you go to MLB games in X major cities?

[Tex]

I10 is actually awesome once you clear Texas.

sadly, this is very true as the E.I. System in Texas was not zoned for a pleasing view while traveling. It is a constant stream of IHOPs, Chili's and Shell stations.

[Eric]

How long is this road trip? Could you go to MLB games in X major cities?

About two weeks.

[Alitaki]

Ugh. This would make me crazy. The furthest I've ever driven was to Montreal from NYC. I flew the next time I went. Do not like to be in any mode of transportation for too long. Long flights, long drives, all of it. Yuck. Just not something for me.

[Tex]

Taki, a proper road trip is made better by the company which diverts you from being in a car forever. With the right buds and tunes, road trips are fucking AWESOME.

[Kusand]

I would agree on doing the West Coast and/or Rockies. What about hitting California One or something?

[Mike18]

I'm trying to put together a road trip with a few friends.

One idea is for us to do a loop around the "eastern" United States. Basically down the coast, west to NOLA, up the Mississippi and back around through Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal. Finishing with a return to New York.

The other would be to go all the way to California and a bunch of other places along the way.


Has anyone here ever done an extended (multiple weeks) road trip? Any suggestions or stories to share?

I've done a few of these over the last year.

Last June, me and 3 friends bought a van for $1700. We drove it from NY to Chicago, Milwaukee, and then to Billings, Montana before heading south through Yellowstone, to Moab, Utah, then to Denver, St Louis, Kentucky, and back home. We did it in about 2.5 weeks. It could easily have taken 10 weeks, and we still wouldn't have seen everything we wanted to. After we got home, we sold the van for $2500.

In September, I went with a couple friends on a shorter road trip - this one about 5 days. We went through Vermont, NH, Maine, Boston, and back home.

Then, in October, 5 of us flew to Seattle. We rented a mini-van, and drove to Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg, to watch the Rangers in all four cities on the road trip they took in the beginning of the season.

Here are some things I learned:
- Think about who you're planning to go with. There are people you can get along fine with in moderation. But, your friendship will be tested on a 15 hour drive from Calgary to Winnipeg through the tundras of central Canada.
- Take your time. Don't try to pack too much into a trip. Not sure how many miles you're planning to cover, but on that first trip we hit about 6500, and always felt like we were rushed.
- If you're like me, don't underestimate how much time you'll spend between cities. Some of the most interesting experiences/stories come from stops you didn't expect to make. We had a rule where we'd stop for lunch at the first exit that came after 12:32 every day.
- On the first trip we took, I quickly realized that the 4 of us didn't have many common interests. A couple of us preferred to see the major sites with less time exploring in between. The other 2 didn't want to stick to much of a schedule, and wanted to be more flexible. Both approaches are fine, but it's hard for a "scheduler" to just become a "dilly-dallyer" on a whim. So, we decided that our goal would be to visit as many breweries as possible. We stopped at about 30 over the course of the trip (and i have a pint glass from each to prove it).
- Where are you planning on staying? On my long trip, we camped out about half the time, and it saved us a ton of money. Unfortunately, it wasn't an option in October in Canada. Also, be warned that just because it's June in the Rockies, it still gets cold. Caught by surprise by the 12 foot snow drifts we saw in Wyoming, we had to stop to buy thermals when we camped out in Yellowstone. I had 7 layers of clothes on when i slept, and still felt like i was going to freeze to death. After the 2nd of 3 planned nights, when the snow fell hard enough to almost collapse the tent, we packed up and left early.
- Favorite places I've seen: Chicago; Madison, WI; Yellowstone;
- Denver wasn't nearly as cool as I'd hoped.

[xcdudesquadloves...]

You should come to Atlanta.

Ok, yeah that was a funny joke.

[Hockey101]

I loved Atlanta.

[Beamer]

Ugh. This would make me crazy. The furthest I've ever driven was to Montreal from NYC. I flew the next time I went. Do not like to be in any mode of transportation for too long. Long flights, long drives, all of it. Yuck. Just not something for me.

I'm with you:
"Guys, I've gotta pee!"
"Ooo, Arby's!"
"Who the fuck farted?"
"This has to be the tenth time we've heard this song?"
"I need to pee again!"
"World's largest moth ball! Let's stop!"
"Ooo, Long John Silver's"
"My bottle of pee is full, stop telling me to pee there and stop at the next Big Boy!"
"Ooo, South of the Border!"
"Ok, honestly, The Black Album sucks, change it before I punch you!"
"Who the fuck forgot deodorant?"

[Alitaki]

Taki, a proper road trip is made better by the company which diverts you from being in a car forever. With the right buds and tunes, road trips are fucking AWESOME.

Company, shmopany. Nothing could take my mind off the fact that I'm sitting in a car or on a plane for more than 2 hours.

[Beamer]

Taki, a proper road trip is made better by the company which diverts you from being in a car forever. With the right buds and tunes, road trips are fucking AWESOME.

Company, shmopany. Nothing could take my mind off the fact that I'm sitting in a car or on a plane for more than 2 hours.

Yup. You can catch a flight to Vegas and spend some of those two weeks with the same guys but on the strip. Or, if you're really looking to spend as little cash as possible, drive to Florida and spend it at a cheap motel by the beach.

[Tex]

spend it at a cheap motel by the beach.

this is ALWAYS a good choice. The difference is whether you like the "driving adventure" part, or prefer being at a cool destination for the bulk of your time. I enjoy both, but find often that the time is the most difficult commodity to gather. This leads to flying rather than driving on cross-country runs. As much as I'd love the 30 hour run to NYC, by flying it's like putting 2 whole days back into your play time.

[Mike B.]

Taki, a proper road trip is made better by the company which diverts you from being in a car forever. With the right buds and tunes, road trips are fucking AWESOME.

Company, shmopany. Nothing could take my mind off the fact that I'm sitting in a car or on a plane for more than 2 hours.

Yup. You can catch a flight to Vegas and spend some of those two weeks with the same guys but on the strip. Or, if you're really looking to spend as little cash as possible, drive to Florida and spend it at a cheap motel by the beach.

I feel the exact opposite of you guys. My ideal vacation involves extended time on the road. I love it. See the scenery, places in America you would never think to visit otherwise, clear your head out, catch up on music you've been meaning to get to, etc. Relies on having a comfortable ride, of course. I really regret that I can't do 2-3 week road trips like that anymore.

Eric, I've done two extended trips, but didn't have any overlap with the shorter ones you proposed in your second post. I once went from NY to San Diego, taking 31 days and 6,500 miles. That was down through the Smoky Mountains, across NOLA and Texas, to Vegas, Death Valley, and SF, LA, and San Diego. On another trip, I flew out to Kansas City (so I could see a Royals game, duh) and made my way to Seattle through the Dakotas and Montana.

The first one you suggested, down the East Coast, west to NOLA, and up to Chicago, sounds great. Not sure what your interests are, but if you're like me (i.e. are overcome with an irresistible need to read every historical marker you pass), there will be tons for you to see and learn about. Think about all the history associated with the Mississippi, for example. Old French settlements, the first commercial navigation, industrialization, etc. If you want to party, the smaller and more rural areas might not be what you are looking for. NOLA excepted, of course.

As for company, on the second trip I was alone, and loved it. Gets around a lot of the disadvantages people have mentioned above - no disagreements about schedule, music, where you sleep, etc. I spend a lot of time alone on vacation, though, not everyone likes that. On the first, 30-day trip, I went with someone who was only slightly more than an acquaintance. You would think that would be trouble, but it worked out because we were both OK with extended silences on the road and had worked out a general plan in advance.

[Tex]

On the first, 30-day trip, I went with someone who was only slightly more than an acquaintance.

curious: are you still on speaking terms with this road partner? Is that something you'd do again?

[rightbug]

Taki, a proper road trip is made better by the company which diverts you from being in a car forever. With the right buds and tunes, road trips are fucking AWESOME.

Company, shmopany. Nothing could take my mind off the fact that I'm sitting in a car or on a plane for more than 2 hours.

If I am "driving somewhere" I agree, that I start to get antsy around the four hour mark. When I am on vacation, in a new place, however, I can drive all day because the attraction is in seeing new places and experiencing new things. My trips to the San Francisco area, Death Valley and Hawaii were the trips where I spent the most time in the car and I loved every minute of those trips.

[Mike B.]

On the first, 30-day trip, I went with someone who was only slightly more than an acquaintance.

curious: are you still on speaking terms with this road partner? Is that something you'd do again?

Yeah, we're still friendly, though he's disappeared from our circle of friends in the last few years. I sort of misspoke above, we were more than acquaintances when we went on the trip. "Friends through other friends" would be more accurate. As for whether I would do that now, good question. Probably not. I've become a little more settled in my own ways in my old(er) age. That was back in 2001, so I was on the more free-wheeling side of 30.

[Alitaki]

Taki, a proper road trip is made better by the company which diverts you from being in a car forever. With the right buds and tunes, road trips are fucking AWESOME.

Company, shmopany. Nothing could take my mind off the fact that I'm sitting in a car or on a plane for more than 2 hours.

If I am "driving somewhere" I agree, that I start to get antsy around the four hour mark. When I am on vacation, in a new place, however, I can drive all day because the attraction is in seeing new places and experiencing new things. My trips to the San Francisco area, Death Valley and Hawaii were the trips where I spent the most time in the car and I loved every minute of those trips.

Part of the problem is that when I go on vacation with my wife, I'm the only driver. She doesn't drive. So I'm doing all the driving and you really can't appreciate the sightseeing while you're behind the wheel. It's not just driving though, as I hate long bus rides and flights. The flight to Greece is 10 hours and I have to serioiusly question how badly I want to go whenever I'm planning a trip there. The flight to Hawaii was 16 hours and I've vowed to never do it again. Next I go I'm stopping in LA for a day or two and then continuing on to the Oahu. It's also the reason why I'll probably never visit Australia.

[bloodorange]

If I had unlimited time I'd totally drive down to NOLA this summer with some of my teacher friends (who effectively do have unlimited time). looks like a couple of us may fly down instead, but I'm big into road-trippin' a la Mike B.

[Sed]

It's also the reason why I'll probably never visit Australia.

Not the mention the kangaroos that fire crocodiles and venomous snakes out of their pouches at you.

EDIT: THIS IS MY FUCKING IDEA, SYFY.

This post has been edited by Sed: Jun 5 2012, 11:48 AM

[Alitaki]

It's also the reason why I'll probably never visit Australia.

Not the mention the kangaroos that fire crocodiles and venomous snakes out of their pouches at you.

EDIT: THIS IS MY FUCKING IDEA, SYFY.

Now see if the kangaroos did that, I'd be on the plane. That's something EVERYONE needs to put on their bucket list. Could be a short list with that one at the top but hey!


Script time Sed. Script time.

[rightbug]

It's also the reason why I'll probably never visit Australia.

Not the mention the kangaroos that fire crocodiles and venomous snakes out of their pouches at you.

[Beamer]

Can we pick which 4 Rangerland posters we'd most like to see forced to do a 2 week roadtrip?




Answer: Greatone, KoD, SATS and Kusand. I'm guessing it ends with Kusand looking at his hands asking where all the blood came from.

[Mike B.]

The enjoyability index of this thread has gone up approximately 1,437% in the last 4 posts.

[Nilan 666]

Can we pick which 4 Rangerland posters we'd most like to see forced to do a 2 week roadtrip?




Answer: Greatone, KoD, SATS and Kusand. I'm guessing it ends with Kusand looking at his hands asking where all the blood came from.

This place could use a Thunderdome.

[Kusand]

Can we pick which 4 Rangerland posters we'd most like to see forced to do a 2 week roadtrip?

Answer: Greatone, KoD, SATS and Kusand. I'm guessing it ends with Kusand looking at his hands asking where all the blood came from.

Ouch. I feel vaguely guilty to make it into the answer to that question.

[Sed]

Can we pick which 4 Rangerland posters we'd most like to see forced to do a 2 week roadtrip?

Answer: Greatone, KoD, SATS and Kusand. I'm guessing it ends with Kusand looking at his hands asking where all the blood came from.

Ouch. I feel vaguely guilty to make it into the answer to that question.

We all know that this could never happen, as you'd never allow the kind of monitoring necessary to make this work.

[jburns]

I used to enjoy road trips and shitty hotels now I prefer plane rides and comfy hotels. With age comes wisdom.

[Mike B.]

I used to enjoy road trips and shitty hotels now I prefer plane rides and comfy hotels. With age comes wisdom.

Burns, Mike B., bloodorange, Alitaki. Alitaki checks out at the first stop for lunch. Burns follows two hours later when it is revealed that the "accommodations" for the night are a campgroupnd three hours south of DC, and not a single minute of TV will be watched during the entire trip. She spends the remainder of the trip getting spa treatments in a resort in Cape May.

[bloodorange]

Then me and Mike B. spend a weekend in Ocracoke drinking whiskey-sodas?

[Kusand]

Then me and Mike B. spend a weekend in Ocracoke drinking whiskey-sodas?

Does this imply the two of you are blacked out for the remainder of the two weeks?

[jburns]

I used to enjoy road trips and shitty hotels now I prefer plane rides and comfy hotels. With age comes wisdom.

Burns, Mike B., bloodorange, Alitaki. Alitaki checks out at the first stop for lunch. Burns follows two hours later when it is revealed that the "accommodations" for the night are a campgroupnd three hours south of DC, and not a single minute of TV will be watched during the entire trip. She spends the remainder of the trip getting spa treatments in a resort in Cape May.

Wait. How do you know this? Do you follow me around? This is exactly me. A few years back, my guy asked if I wanted to go camping and I said that if that meant a room at a Hyatt making a fort out of couch cushions and blankets, then yes.

[Kusand]

Wait. How do you know this? Do you follow me around? This is exactly me. A few years back, my guy asked if I wanted to go camping and I said that if that meant a room at a Hyatt making a fort out of couch cushions and blankets, then yes.

Abort Operation Meat Lasagna. ABORT.

[Mike B.]

I used to enjoy road trips and shitty hotels now I prefer plane rides and comfy hotels. With age comes wisdom.

Burns, Mike B., bloodorange, Alitaki. Alitaki checks out at the first stop for lunch. Burns follows two hours later when it is revealed that the "accommodations" for the night are a campgroupnd three hours south of DC, and not a single minute of TV will be watched during the entire trip. She spends the remainder of the trip getting spa treatments in a resort in Cape May.

Wait. How do you know this? Do you follow me around? This is exactly me. A few years back, my guy asked if I wanted to go camping and I said that if that meant a room at a Hyatt making a fort out of couch cushions and blankets, then yes.

[bloodorange]

Then me and Mike B. spend a weekend in Ocracoke drinking whiskey-sodas?

Does this imply the two of you are blacked out for the remainder of the two weeks?

I'm... actually not quite sure how to respond to this.

[Kusand]

Then me and Mike B. spend a weekend in Ocracoke drinking whiskey-sodas?

Does this imply the two of you are blacked out for the remainder of the two weeks?

I'm... actually not quite sure how to respond to this.

Well, it's a two-week road trip, and you only booked a weekend for drinking whiskey-sodas once Burns and Taki bail, so I figure your BACs hit 127.6% and the rest of the road trip involves detox or jail.

This post has been edited by Kusand: Jun 5 2012, 01:31 PM

[bloodorange]

Nah we'll recover and hit Savannah and New Orleans, I assume. total the car and hitchhike back.

[Alitaki]

I used to enjoy road trips and shitty hotels now I prefer plane rides and comfy hotels. With age comes wisdom.

Burns, Mike B., bloodorange, Alitaki. Alitaki checks out at the first stop for lunch. Burns follows two hours later when it is revealed that the "accommodations" for the night are a campgroupnd three hours south of DC, and not a single minute of TV will be watched during the entire trip. She spends the remainder of the trip getting spa treatments in a resort in Cape May.

That depends on how long into the trip the first rest stop is. This story could easily end with me driving the car into a tree.

[bloodorange]

please, can we not let Jerry drive? this scares me

[Kusand]

I do appreciate that Beamer set me up to kill KoD, SATS and Greatone, though. I'd hate to think he'd pencil me in for being one of the dead people.

[Mike B.]

I used to enjoy road trips and shitty hotels now I prefer plane rides and comfy hotels. With age comes wisdom.

Burns, Mike B., bloodorange, Alitaki. Alitaki checks out at the first stop for lunch. Burns follows two hours later when it is revealed that the "accommodations" for the night are a campgroupnd three hours south of DC, and not a single minute of TV will be watched during the entire trip. She spends the remainder of the trip getting spa treatments in a resort in Cape May.

That depends on how long into the trip the first rest stop is. This story could easily end with me driving the car into a tree.

Revised version: Alitaki is kicked out of the car at the first stop, after he tries to play Number of the Beast for the third time in a row. This is acceptable to him.

[Kusand]

please, can we not let Jerry drive? this scares me

He's not giving you an option, he'll just grab the wheel if he has to.

[bloodorange]

Revised version: Alitaki is kicked out of the car at the first stop, after he tries to play Number of the Beast for the third time in a row. This is acceptable to him.

uh oh. you haven't yet witnessed the swiftness of my jab toward the "replay" button at the end of Cee Lo's cover of "No One's Gonna Love You."

[Kusand]

Revised version: Alitaki is kicked out of the car at the first stop, after he tries to play Number of the Beast for the third time in a row. This is acceptable to him.

Revised for further accuracy: Alitaki is kicked out of the car at the first stoplight, after he tries to play Number of the Beast for the third time in a row. This is acceptable to him.

[bloodorange]

Mike B. and I spend the remainder of the road trip listening to NPR and singing along to the Smiths and shit.

[xcdudesquadloves...]

Can we pick which 4 Rangerland posters we'd most like to see forced to do a 2 week roadtrip?




Answer: Greatone, KoD, SATS and Kusand. I'm guessing it ends with Kusand looking at his hands asking where all the blood came from.

Jkman, 101, Greatone, and KoD. With Greatone driving.

"If you suggest another ridiculous trade proposal, I'm pulling this car over RIGHT NOW"