The furthest you’ve driven, straight on through

Fort Worth, TX to Louisville, KY- @860 miles in a 2007 Alpina B7 press loaner. That car was a monster for its day- a 4,700 pound car that ran the quarter in 12.8 seconds. Top speed? 192 mph.
 
Boston-Stockton CA 2 36 hr legs with an overnight stop in Grand Is NE, Just me and the wife in our Java Gruhn '66 Bug. :cool:
I’ve always wanted to someday do an east coast to west coast trip. Is the ride at least somewhat enjoyable?
 
I have done 1300 miles non-stop (except for gas) many times when I was younger. My best time was 18 hours, and that was when the national speed limit was 55. I don't think that this time would be possible today even though the 55 mph speed limit has been lifted because of the trucks and the big trucking company's putting speed limiters on their trucks. Back in the day the trucks could go as fast as they wanted (or risked going), the truck drivers were courteous (they stayed out of the left lane and let faster vehicles pass), there were CB radios where everyone on the road helped each other to overcome the ridiculous 55 mph speed limit, and there were very good radar detectors (like the Escort) that actually worked.
 
I’ve always wanted to someday do an east coast to west coast trip. Is the ride at least somewhat enjoyable?

It is. I80, I94, and I40 are all amazing highways that'll lead you through every landscape the USA has. I definitely recommend doing a roadtrip via I94 all the way to Seattle and taking I80 or I40/10/55 back.
 
Summer of '89. Me and a buddy drove 28 hours straight from Key West to Detroit. Had a Ford Ranger with only a 60/40 split seat that had limited recline due to no space behind the seat. It was a pain the rear to try and sleep in as there was no way to get comfortable.
 
In case anyone was wondering, truckers in the USA are allowed to drive for 11 hours in a 14 hour period. I wouldn’t last a week. :oops:



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Yeah. I did 3200 miles in 6 days last week. Central Michigan to Billings, Montana and back. Slept in the truck every night. I only do about 8-9 hours a day. Get out every 2-2.5 hours to stretch the legs. Most I ever did in a week was 4300. The company I contract with is on the 70 hours in 8 days plan, then a 34 hour reset is necessary. I have done a couple of 11 hour days, but can't keep it up. 70 hours/8 days is 8.75 hours per day, and average drive speed is 60-62 mph if you have cruise set at 65. After 520 miles, my brain gets sluggish, and I have found it best to not fight it. Otherwise, I get up on adrenaline, and then when I stop, I can't relax, sleep suffers, and I'm a zombie all the next day. I have been running hard all year: travel trailers are considered essential, so have stayed busy, even during the deepest lockdown for the stupid virus. For a few weeks there, I could breeze through Chicago with no traffic backups.
 
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I’ve always wanted to someday do an east coast to west coast trip. Is the ride at least somewhat enjoyable?
It depends on which way you go. Mass Pike to Albany, NY, then take I-88 to Binghamton, and west on I-86 to Erie, PA. That's the most beautiful way through New York. The NYS Thruway is not bad, and has decent scenery, but the southern tier is beautiful. Then take I-90 through PA and northeast Ohio. I bypass Cleveland by taking I-271 and I-480, then get on the Ohio toll road, I-80/90. Through OH and IN, into IL. Then a big decision once you get to Chicago: I-80 through IL, IA, NE, WY, UT, NV, and CA, or the northern routes on I-90 and I-94. I don't like I-80 much through IL and IA. Nebraska is pretty nice, and Wyoming is just nasty until it starts descending into Utah west of Evanston. I have yet to drive through any part of Utah that I didn't like. West of Salt Lake City, I-80 is dead flat and straight through desert landscape, and you go right past the Bonneville Salt Flats. Then Nevada is all desert until you get to Reno, then you climb into mountains to cross into CA.

I prefer the northern routes, through WI, MN, SD or ND, MT, ID, and WA or OR. I-90 and 94 are together until they split at Tomah, WI. I-90 goes west through southern MN, SD, and WY before joining I-94 at Billings, MT. I-94 goes through MN, ND, and WY, ending at Billings. Distance is about the same whether you go through ND or SD, and I think both have nice scenery. Montana gets really lovely west of Bozeman, then the scenery is spectacular through Couer de Alene, ID and Liberty Lake, WA. Then it's I-90 to Seattle. Central WA is high desert, then gets somewhat challenging to cross Snoqualmie Pass before descending to Seattle.
 
Gillette, Wyoming to Roswell, Georgia, April 24th, 1995. Left at 5am, got there the next day at 6am. 1639 miles. I don't remember the trip, really. Was running on pure adrenaline, stopped for gas, didn't even eat. I left Wyoming to attend flight attendant training in Atlanta, and then had to get in the car again to go to my domicile in Dallas 5 weeks later.
 
Way back in 1984 I drove a new Buick Skyhawk (think Cavalier) 5 speed manual 1.8 liter four banger from Olean, NY to Tampa FL. I was in love and I had not seen my girlfriend in a month.

I drove 1300 miles in 19 hours only stopping for gas and to pee. That's the best I've got.
 
I did 1050 miles once in my Sienna with three other people, a beagle and two rats. It was psychologically easier on the way out than it was on the way back.
 
Albany, ny to Rocky mount, nc- about 600 miles in 9 1/2 hours. My wife, 2 kids and my mother in law and my father in law (who was just starting down the road to dementia). That trip is probably the only thing that might help me get into heaven. No stops at all. That van had a huge gas tank.
 
Drove from Lubbock, TX to San Antonio and Corpus Chrisiti, TX multiple times back in the 80's. One of my buddies had a VW Microbus, so we had plenty of drivers for the trips.

When I left the USAF, myself and another driver drove straight through from Lubbock, TX to Bristol, TN. We were driving an Isuzu box truck from Budget and towing a Pontiac Trans Am. We stopped every 3 hours or so, topped the fuel off and switched drivers. I would not attempt that today.

Longest trip lately was from about 15 miles south of Jaksonville, FL to Rockingham, NC.....had to stop for fuel, food and bathroom. Surprised the wife made it that far. We fueled up, went through a drive through and drove the final 2 hours to our home in VA. Couple days later I developed a good case of sciatica.....probably from not getting out and stretching like we normally do.
 
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