By Jeff Glucker
I haven’t driven my Mercedes-Benz in a bit. The Charge Indicator light that glowed as I leaned into the throttle foretold of an impending stranding by way of an empty battery. That issue is now fixed with a fresh alternator though, so I decided to drive the Benz while I ran some errands. I opted for the usually empty California toll roads to get around. The weather was just right for window-down motoring, which is good in a car with a non-functioning A/C system. The audio system works just fine though, and I let it crank out the watts.
Cruising along like this is one of my favorite ways to experience any vehicle. Yes, the 9/10 stuff on a race track is great. Ripping across dusty trails in Mexico is bucket list stuff. Supercars on empty stretches of road are wonderful. But an old car with proper musical accompaniment is essentially my favorite type of driving.
It’s you, your machine, and your favorite songs.
I enjoy the other stuff. In fact, I look forward to it. But breaking it up with slower moments is great way to provide end caps to these more intense moments. What are some of your favorite driving experiences? Is it cruising to a car show early on a Saturday morning? The first drive after you finish wrenching on something? Or do you simply live for the race track, and every thing else is just the space between being filled?
On a day off sometimes just top off the tank and go for a long cruise around the lakes, no destination in mind .
My favorite kind of drive? The kind where I might get wet
https://www.boat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Lund-1875-Pro-V-running.jpg
(sorry, it’s been a long, long winter)
Some years back, I drove in to southwestern Colorado, by myself on a couple of occasions, on a 4-ish hour one-way trip to/from a work location from/to Albuquerque (the nearest convenient airport). The scenery, the solitude with interruption only by the dusty little towns is incredibly peaceful. If I could do it with my choice of vehicle, it would be even better, but as it was with the “Ford Fusion or similar” I was issued at the Enterprise counter, I enjoyed it thoroughly and was sorry to have to get out of the car at either end.
When I had a convertible there were few things better than driving empty back roads on a warm starry night with the top down. Doubly so if it was the long way home after a stop at the local ice cream shop.
Warm fall day, windows down, solo cruise through the mountains in my Comet Caliente with nothing but the sound of rustling leaves and the deep rumble of a 390 V8.
Right outside my front door there are great 2-lane blacktop curvey mountain roads. Just got back from a few months wintering in central Texas where I’m from. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. Wall to wall traffic, huge trucks and rude drivers. I’m so glad I’m back home for spring in the Ozarks. I have to keep reminding myself when I get an irrational nostalgia for Texas that I live where people come to vacation.
Driving is no fun near (or between) any major city in Texas these days, we’ve caught up with the other major metro centers in the country in terms of sprawl and density.
I’ve had a couple of occasions to have been police escorted in non-funeral, non-arrest situations. Having a team clear the road so you can sail through red lights can be quite the guilty pleasure, particularly during rush hour traffic.
Presidential motorcade? Radioactive materials handling? You can’t leave us hanging, I gotsta know.
Various reasons. One was during a filming and the producers paid to only let the “special” cars on the road. Another was a for-charity drive through rural back roads, and the charity organizers hired escorts to keep all the cars clustered together leaving the parking lot of the mall where we gathered and then for several more miles until we passed all the congestion trouble spots. Another time I was at the back of a line of about 40 car club members and an officer came alongside (I was driving a convertible) to ask what was going on. I told him we just enjoyed each other’s company and he pulled ahead to the traffic signal to block cross-traffic and wave us through as a group. Sometimes we do processions to schools and nursing homes and hire police so we arrive as a group.
One of my favorites was detouring through Memphis on the way home from spring break. We motioned for a police officer to roll down the window, and asked for directions to Graceland. He said “follow me” and led us about 13 miles, running 80 mph most of the time.
In Scandinavia, traffic lights are motion operated at night. In truck driver forums, the comparison to presidential motorcades pops up occasionally. Ballooning towards a red light at 80kph in a 50 ton machine sure must feel…powerful.
Or like what some do here as a matter of course. I’ve seen trucks run red lights at least 5 seconds after they have changed.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/760b403765ac977111ef124a42a011f674e28f43f8a5cb9e0265b823088f3bef.jpg
picture says all
At this stage, anything out of the full-of-traffic metro area where I spend most of my time. Now that I think of it, take boring highways at our ridiculously low speed limits off the list too.
Hmm, seems like it is time I head for a winding road in the hills!
At this stage, anything out of the full-of-traffic metro area where I spend most of my time. Now that I think of it, take boring highways at our ridiculously low speed limits off the list too.
Hmm, seems like it is time I head for a winding road in the hills!
My favorite type of driving experience is when the vehicle completes the trip under its own power. I cherish those moments.
“ For there is simply not/ A more convivial spot/ For prefect problem-less motoring/ Than staying in the Parking Lot “
“ For there is simply not/ A more convivial spot/ For prefect problem-less motoring/ Than staying in the Parking Lot “
“ For there is simply not/ A more convivial spot/ For prefect problem-less motoring/ Than staying in the Parking Lot “
Discovering back roads, hydropower roads, empty, twisting mountain stuff that leaves dust on the car. Yes, please.
In other news, I was in the city tonight for a work thing. The sun is out in Bergen after one of those 72 day stretches of continous rain/snow. This is the best of times with excess happiness everywhere. Lots of motorbikes and classic cars everywhere, drivers smiling and enjoying themselves. If everything else is right, “everywhere” is the correct answer.
That’s “busy season” for orthopedic surgeons. People who haven’t been on their motorcycle for several months sometimes don’t realize how rusty their skills got during the downtime, and end up in a disproportionate number of crashes.
/ˈbʌzkɪl/
True that though…I ruined both my knees on my first hunting trip after a longer period of sickness, having never thought about that a body needs to be maintained until I was well into my 20s.
Either a twisty road in a car capable of making good use of it or a warm evening, top down on my Thunderbird and the low rumble of the 352 V8.