Nothing beats the beauty of a Texas sunset...except maybe eight hours of solo, blissful driving every week.
I can't wait. Really! The solitude and the speed of long road trips have always drawn me, intoxicated me. If I can drive cheaper than I can fly somewhere, I usually do. I once drove back from Chicago, a 22-hour trip, with my 3 kids, at night, no stopovers. THAT was stupid, I admit, and I will never do anything like that again. But, I can say that I did it, crazy as it was.
Many people say they hate driving. They can't sit long and they get bored. I do admit that the long periods of sitting are getting more difficult for me as I age. My butt starts screaming loudly at me after about 3 hours, harmonizing with my moaning leg cramps. I do what I can to relieve them but nothing works better than stopping to get out and walk. On this last trip, I decided to bring a pillow next time.
I can also understand the boredom part. After all, there are few things to keep the mind occupied while driving solo. Can't have a conversation. Can't read a book. Can't surf the web. Activities are limited.
One of the main activities one can do while driving solo is listening to something~~to your self-talk, to music, to books on tape. Music has 2 sources: the radio and the CD/USB. I am old fashioned and do not own an iPod, even though my car stereo has the capability. Instead, I have all my favorite CDs in a case that I keep in the back seat. I listen to my favorite radio stations as far as I can on my way out of town. When they begin to crackle and become annoying, I switch to my CDs, randomly changing the music genre from hard rock, like Saliva, to Christian rock, like Blue Tree, to classic rock, like Rod Stewart. I could drive forever like that if it weren't for the necessity of stopping for things like gas and toilet and stretching.
I rarely use books on tape because I find the concentration I need to get something out of it takes away from my ability to stay sufficiently tuned to my driving.
Which brings me to the other part I love about driving solo.
Speed. I love to be in motion. The faster the better. Walking, running, cycling, driving. Forward momentum and speed is like a drug for me.
When I drive with my kids in the car, or anyone else for that matter, I keep my speed under control. I don't want to give my teenagers the wrong message and I don't want to scare my other passengers. When I am driving solo, I don't have that concern. Once I get out of the greater city area and the constrictive speed traps patrolled by cops with itchy fingers on the trigger of their radar guns, I can layer on the speed and fly. On average, I only do about 10 over the limit. But, in a situation where another motorist is driving stupidly or insensitively, say by texting and weaving while driving or playing speed control in the left lane, my speed becomes a tool and generally reaches higher limits.
Heck, I made it back from San Antonio in 3 1/2 hours. Lots of lane hoggers.
Like I said, speed.
I find that the music I play substantially affects my speed. Each Day by Blue Tree wrenches at my soul, moving me into the right lane and slowing me down to the speed limit as I try to keep the tears of joy from blinding me; anything by Saliva or Nickelback fires me up and tends to speed me up while I spend more time in the speed lane and weaving through the now slow-moving traffic. Some other drivers on the road might label me bipolar.
So, if you are ever on I-10 and you see my big ass truck flying by, you have a better idea of where it is all coming from.
I am reveling in long moments of bliss and solitude as I head into or away from my most recent harrowing life experience.
Click here to buy Blue Tree's God of This City!
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