View Full Version : Enjoy driving



Eddie1
06-01-2014, 12:17 AM
I am probably going to get quite a bit of backlash for posting this question on a predominantly 'urban minded' audience but anybody here actually like driving? I have 3 cars (2 sports cars and and off road vehicle) and have always enjoyed driving for the sake of driving; the feel of being behind the wheel, the sound of an engine, the mechanical feel of an well-made car, the freedom that driving provides. I feel the same excitement today that I felt 24 years ago when I passed my test. Maybe it's just me.

Plutonic Panda
06-01-2014, 12:27 AM
I love it

kevinpate
06-01-2014, 07:15 AM
I sometimes accept clients several counties away in part because I enjoy the solitude of putting in some road time.

rezman
06-01-2014, 08:27 AM
Yes, i love getting out and just going for a drive. Either in the car or on the bike, many times staying out all day on the old two lane roads.

RadicalModerate
06-01-2014, 09:02 AM
Yes, i love getting out and just going for a drive. Either in the car or on the bike, many times staying out all day on the old two lane roads.
That's the ONLY type of driving I enjoy. Getting out on an old two-lane with almost no traffic and not in any hurry to get to a particular place. It helps if the drive is scenic. Like, for example, the road from Jane, MO. to Washburn, MO and then on down to Eureka Springs. Or the road from Idabel to Poteau. Or the old route from OKC down to Broken Bow. Or--even with the traffic--Talimena Skyline Drive. Or Highway 77 all the way from Ardmore back to OKC.

90% of my driving is to and from work or the grocery store and I don't find that driving enjoyable at all. In fact, it sucks.

Just the facts
06-01-2014, 09:09 AM
I used to like to drive - but the other drivers ruined it for me.

Urbanized
06-01-2014, 09:56 AM
That's the ONLY type of driving I enjoy. Getting out on an old two-lane with almost no traffic and not in any hurry to get to a particular place. It helps if the drive is scenic. Like, for example, the road from Jane, MO. to Washburn, MO and then on down to Eureka Springs. Or the road from Idabel to Poteau. Or the old route from OKC down to Broken Bow. Or--even with the traffic--Talimena Skyline Drive. Or Highway 77 all the way from Ardmore back to OKC.

90% of my driving is to and from work or the grocery store and I don't find that driving enjoyable at all. In fact, it sucks.

Pretty much exactly the way I feel about it. Fortunately about a decade ago I eliminated almost any commute whatsoever. I drive well below 8K per year, and it makes other driving much more pleasant. Even more pleasant now is substituting motorcycle riding for much of the driving.

But yeah, I love driving in places with not much traffic and when I have no urgent need to be someplace quickly.

venture
06-01-2014, 02:31 PM
"Going for a drive" and commuting are two totally separate things. I think most "urbanists" would agree with that. I have no problem going on road trips to see the sights. I despise commuting to work though and dealing with the idiots that make up the environment of driving in urban settings. I just wish it was limited to traditional rush hour. Driving home late at night doesn't seem to exclude idiots though. I had someone blow by me on 35 last night easily doing over 100.

Plutonic Panda
06-01-2014, 02:56 PM
"Going for a drive" and commuting are two totally separate things. I think most "urbanists" would agree with that. I have no problem going on road trips to see the sights. I despise commuting to work though and dealing with the idiots that make up the environment of driving in urban settings. I just wish it was limited to traditional rush hour. Driving home late at night doesn't seem to exclude idiots though. I had someone blow by me on 35 last night easily doing over 100.sorry man.... the beast still comes out of me every now and then ;)

Plutonic Panda
06-01-2014, 02:57 PM
BTW, I witnessed someone doing around 85MPH on Kilpatrick Turnpike reading a newspaper the other day... just wanted to point that out

RadicalModerate
06-01-2014, 02:57 PM
sorry man.... the beast still comes out of me every now and then ;)

Wascally Wabbit . . . =)

Didn't VW have a car awhile back called "The Rabbit"?
How come no car company has been bold enough to introduce a model called "The Squirrel"?

Mel
06-01-2014, 03:00 PM
Yep, loves me some motorvating. Bad habit I picked up from my Dad when we would drive from Florida to Cali to visit my Maternal Grandparents. Before the Interstate system was completed. In a '56 Merc with no a/c.

Plutonic Panda
06-01-2014, 09:44 PM
Wascally Wabbit . . . =)

Didn't VW have a car awhile back called "The Rabbit"?
How come no car company has been bold enough to introduce a model called "The Squirrel"?Ah, yes.... The Toyota Picnic or perhaps the Nissan Cube.

RadicalModerate
06-01-2014, 10:29 PM
Ah, yes.... The Toyota Picnic or perhaps the Nissan Cube.

Introducing . . . The 2015 Fogiemobile (for those who think young . . . but aren't). =)
(and who managed not to die young in a car wreck)

Next roadtrip I take, if I can't find a Fogiemobile, I want to be behind the wheel of one of these, instead of a rented Impala or Malibu or Taurus.
When I get home, I'll take it to the carwash and clean the SUVs out from under the wheelwells (c/o old Jay Leno joke)
http://fawny.org/blog/images/Bulgemobiles_Fire.jpg
Best part of all is that it's SOLAR MAGNETICALLY POWERED!
So it's E-Z on the environment.
Plus the air conditioner is so powerful that it causes Global Cooling!

bluedogok
06-01-2014, 10:37 PM
I used to like to drive - but the other drivers ruined it for me.
Must be a byproduct of driving in Florida.....I have heard that refrain from many ex-Floridians.

I enjoy it whether in my wife's SUV, my convertible or on the motorcycle. We just went to lunch today in Breckenridge because we wanted a nice drive in the mountains. I don't much enjoy our 20 mile commute but on a nice afternoon day with the top down it can be pretty decent even for a commute.

I just really love the machinery, if I had the means I would have a warehouse full of cars and a shop like Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars.

Plutonic Panda
06-01-2014, 10:37 PM
That's awesome

adaniel
06-01-2014, 10:39 PM
Pretty much exactly the way I feel about it. Fortunately about a decade ago I eliminated almost any commute whatsoever. I drive well below 8K per year, and it makes other driving much more pleasant. Even more pleasant now is substituting motorcycle riding for much of the driving.

But yeah, I love driving in places with not much traffic and when I have no urgent need to be someplace quickly.

Agree completely with this. Before I moved, I put no more than 10K miles on my car a year, and about 3K of that was visiting my parents out-of-state. My car became a nice weekend toy more or less instead of a symbol of commuting drudgery. Even now I am 3 miles from my job.

I love taking my car, a 2011 Camaro 2SS out in the open country and getting up to speed. For the record, one of the best roads to go 100MPH for a long stretch is the Indian Nation Turnpike....a friend told me this :-)

Plutonic Panda
06-01-2014, 10:42 PM
Agree completely with this. Before I moved, I put no more than 10K miles on my car a year, and about 3K of that was visiting my parents out-of-state. My car became a nice weekend toy more or less instead of a symbol of commuting drudgery. Even now I am 3 miles from my job.

I love taking my car, a 2011 Camaro 2SS out in the open country and getting up to speed. For the record, one of the best roads to go 100MPH for a long stretch is the Indian Nation Turnpike....a friend told me this :-)I'm not going to publicly say how fast I've gotten certain cars on that road, but boy it'd be neat if they state did some safety upgrades and made that the countries first highway with no speed limit- or at least portions of it.

RadicalModerate
06-01-2014, 10:49 PM
Yep, loves me some motorvating. Bad habit I picked up from my Dad when we would drive from Florida to Cali to visit my Maternal Grandparents. Before the Interstate system was completed. In a '56 Merc with no a/c.

The Texas Panhandle, New Mexico and Arizona were a lot hotter back in the late 50's and early 60's. Especially in a vehicle such as the one you apparently experienced back around the same time. The one I was in was a white, Chevy station wagon. The hottest parts of all were waiting for traffic to move until the flagman, for the Interstate construction, that was underway out in the middle of the desert, to give the go ahead. Of course, I wasn't driving at the time . . .

RadicalModerate
06-01-2014, 10:54 PM
Must be a byproduct of driving in Florida.....I have heard that refrain from many ex-Floridians.

I enjoy it whether in my wife's SUV, my convertible or on the motorcycle. We just went to lunch today in Breckenridge because we wanted a nice drive in the mountains. I don't much enjoy our 20 mile commute but on a nice afternoon day with the top down it can be pretty decent even for a commute.

I just really love the machinery, if I had the means I would have a warehouse full of cars and a shop like Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars.

Three fun drives/rides in the Colorado Context (vaguely recalled from my youth)
The Peak to Peak Highway from Estes Park to Nederland then down Boulder Canyon (or as far south as it goes then back to Boulder via Golden?)
Trail Ridge Road
Independence Pass

We used to do variations on the Peak to Peak circuit just about every weekend.
Including when it was snowing! =)

I think they are considering a Carbon Footprint Tax so do the drives before The Freedom To Do So expires. =)

bluedogok
06-01-2014, 11:03 PM
Three fun drives/rides in the Colorado Context (vaguely recalled from my youth)
The Peak to Peak Highway from Estes Park to Nederland then down Boulder Canyon (or as far south as it goes then back to Boulder via Golden?)
Trail Ridge Road
Independence Pass

I think they are considering a Carbon Footprint Tax so do the drives before The Freedom To Do So expires. =)
Yep, we've done all of those including Peak to Peak many times on both of my bikes (Triumph Sprint and Kawasaki Concours14), the Z4 with the top down when it was still "brisk" temperature wise and the 4Runner. Usually we have done Peak to Peak going out through Evergreen/Conifer to Echo Lake/Mt. Evans and up through Idaho Springs and Blackhawk/Central City.

Jeepnokc
06-01-2014, 11:04 PM
Wascally Wabbit . . . =)

Didn't VW have a car awhile back called "The Rabbit"?
How come no car company has been bold enough to introduce a model called "The Squirrel"?

They did. I had a 1983 baby blue rabbit diesel in law school. It was slow and stinky but got great gas mileage and with 350000 miles...was still going strong (albeit slowly going strong).;)

I drive a VW jetta TDI now and is just as efficient and reliable but doesn't stink and is pretty damn zippy!

SoonerDave
06-01-2014, 11:10 PM
I am probably going to get quite a bit of backlash for posting this question on a predominantly 'urban minded' audience but anybody here actually like driving? I have 3 cars (2 sports cars and and off road vehicle) and have always enjoyed driving for the sake of driving; the feel of being behind the wheel, the sound of an engine, the mechanical feel of an well-made car, the freedom that driving provides. I feel the same excitement today that I felt 24 years ago when I passed my test. Maybe it's just me.

Absolutely love it. Now, I"m not a sports car person, but I love driving. I've driven my family to Florida multiple times and wouldn't trade so much as a single second of it for air travel. I could easily make a case that we had at least as much fun on the road during the trip as we did at our destination. We found wonderful roadside stops, fun, pleasant people at places ranging from gas stations to burger joints to toll booths (what few are left). We had silly mad-libs, told dumb jokes, ate crazy snacks, found free orange juice at the Florida welcome center, saw some beautiful "less traveled" back regions of southern Georgia and Alabama that cut through some of the simplest "small America" towns you never knew existed, and were even a bit sobered by going through a section of Birmingham, Alabama that had been wrecked by a tornado just a few weeks earlier - all for the joy of driving.

Completely there with ya, Eddie :)

RadicalModerate
06-01-2014, 11:54 PM
Yep, we've done all of those including Peak to Peak many times on both of my bikes (Triumph Sprint and Kawasaki Concours14), the Z4 with the top down when it was still "brisk" temperature wise and the 4Runner. Usually we have done Peak to Peak going out through Evergreen/Conifer to Echo Lake/Mt. Evans and up through Idaho Springs and Blackhawk/Central City.

Excellent. !!!

(1970 BMW R-75/5 . . . Volkswagen Bug (1960 vintage) . . . Corvair Spyder . . . Corvair . . . Datsun Pickup . . . MG whatever . . . and a host of others . . . =)

[btw: Thanks to the OP. In lieu of a "Like" button.]

Bill Robertson
06-02-2014, 07:46 AM
I love driving! And riding the Harley. I love long out-in-the-country drives. I love commuting. I'm a very mechanical guy and I love cars. We have 3 cars and the bike for two people. Latest purchase is a very nice older Miata that may never get wet or see the top up. It's to drive on days the wife doesn't feel like getting on the back of the Harley.

RadicalModerate
06-02-2014, 07:17 PM
This one's for you, Plutonic . . . =)
I've thought, from time to time, how nice it would be to accessorize my personal vehicle for Real Defensive Driving, remove the brakes and let the chips fall where they may.
I'd probably also disable the horn on account of I rarely use it any way. =)

Gdv5EtZQ6jg

MWCGuy
06-03-2014, 01:16 AM
I love driving. I consider it a form of therapy. When my employer asked for volunteers for courier runs around the state. I was the first one to step up. Over the years I have driven everything from buses, to delivery trucks to fast cars, SUV's and pickups. I love the feel of the open road once you get out of the hustle bustle of the city. A good tune on the radio, cruise set and an ice cold Dr. Pepper.

I used to drive a 1991 S-10 Blazer back and forth to Gulfport, Mississippi in my military days. My favorite time to drive was at night with the cruise set, stereo playing and chatting away with the truckers on the CB.

From 2006-2008 I drove a delivery truck for Circuit City. I loved when the routes took me to the out of the way places. Oklahoma really has some beautiful scenery throughout the state. The only drive I didn't like was the Indian Nation Turnpike. That is the most mundane, put you to sleep road you will ever drive.

Just the facts
06-03-2014, 06:47 AM
I'd probably also disable the horn on account of I rarely use it any way. =)

Don't get rid of it, get a better one - a scarier one. I would prefer the horn from Jeepers Creepers but one of those train horns would work well for you.

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Tritone
06-06-2014, 12:50 PM
I did the commute thing for too, too many years. Now, road trip driving is a different matter. Sign me up! We drove from OKC to Mt. Rushmore with a total of 10-15 miles on the interstate. The primarily two-lanes through western Kansas and Nebraska were theapeutic. Some folks brag about going from OKC to Tulsa in an hour; I brag about taking a full day on old 66. One last point: where can I get a fogie mobile? Sounds like the pefect match. Cover those back windows with decals from snake ranches and the like. Long live Cherokee, The Mule, Diamonds, and Cline's Corner.

Just the facts
06-06-2014, 01:12 PM
We drove from OKC to Mt. Rushmore with a total of 10-15 miles on the interstate. The primarily two-lanes through western Kansas and Nebraska were theapeutic. Some folks brag about going from OKC to Tulsa in an hour; I brag about taking a full day on old 66.

Like^. I had to go to Daytona Beach a few days ago. Instead of an hour on the interstate home, the little dog I spent 4 hours driving up A1A along the coast.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/Jack%20the%20dog/CAM01717_zpse8d8de98.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/KerryinJax/media/Jack%20the%20dog/CAM01717_zpse8d8de98.jpg.html)

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/Jack%20the%20dog/CAM01716_zpsb310a683.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/KerryinJax/media/Jack%20the%20dog/CAM01716_zpsb310a683.jpg.html)

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x378/KerryinJax/Jack%20the%20dog/CAM01714_zpsa6317c54.jpg (http://s1178.photobucket.com/user/KerryinJax/media/Jack%20the%20dog/CAM01714_zpsa6317c54.jpg.html)

Urbanized
06-08-2014, 11:18 PM
Looks like a good candidate for Doggles (http://shop.doggles.com/).

Tritone
06-08-2014, 11:57 PM
Looks like a great navigator there. Doggles! I read about those a while back. At first I thought they were pulling my leg.

RadicalModerate
06-09-2014, 10:47 AM
We drove from OKC to Mt. Rushmore with a total of 10-15 miles on the interstate. The primarily two-lanes through western Kansas and Nebraska were therapeutic. Some folks brag about going from OKC to Tulsa in an hour; I brag about taking a full day on old 66.

I'm right there with you on Old 66. The only part of "The Mother Road"--at least the Eastern Part of Oklahoma section--that I haven't been on is Eleventh Street through Tulsa. I plan on making up for that the next trip I make up to the Grand Lake area.

Now . . . about Kansas [and, I assume, Nebraska, even if never having been there] =) :
There was a comedian, back in the 70's or 80's, named Ron Shock, who made a quip from the stage about driving across Kansas. He said: "If you ever have to drive across Kansas, do it at night. If you do it during the day it will suck the soul right out of you. Miles Davis drove across Kansas during the day and came out the other side a white man."

As a passenger in a car, from Denver to OKC, through Kansas, many times--and having driven the route a couple of times--I really appreciate the veracity behind his hyperbole.

He also said he was from Iowa. Des Moines. He said that Des Moines was a French word that translated, "Without Life." I've also been through Des "The Traffic Jam Capital of I-35" Moines a few times--and I'm steeling myself for another drive-thru in a couple of weeks. The only redeeming thing about Des Moines is that there is a Barilla Pasta Factory a few miles to the north.