While making the 1-hour drive to Brentwood (California), for our annual fruit-picking day, I was reminded (again) about why I love driving through the wide and far-reaching roadways of USA. I find it so relaxing and invigorating to see these vistas while having relatively less traffic to deal with. Of course, driving on the freeways 880/280/101/680 during peak traffic is not what I am referring to here. I am referring to “away from the cities” driving experiences. If you havent tried it, I would strongly encourage you to try it.

As mentioned elsewhere, I have driven through most of USA. There are a few places left, which I will cover in the future. Some of those enjoyable drives, of the top of my head:

– Drive from Bozeman, Montana to Rapid City, South Dakota

– Drive from Cleveland, Ohio to Milwaukee, Wisconsin

– Drive from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington

– Drive from Las Vegas, Nevada to Albuquerque, New Mexico

– Drive from Boca Raton, Florida to Key West, Florida

– Drive from Memphis, Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia

– Drive from Manchester, New Hampshire to New York, New York

– Drive from Crater Lake, Oregon to Crescent City, California

and so on …

To me, even a wide open desert is a beautiful sight. When there is very light traffic (yes, and no cops around!), it is a true pleasure to drive on these good roads. When you cross a city or town, you do hit those slow traffic spots, but mostly, it is full zoom ahead. Of course, I have had my fair share of driving adventures:

– Ticket in Arizona

– Warning Ticket in Illinois

– Warning Ticket in Iowa

– A truly scary ride in the night, through Crater lake area, with sheer drops on one side

– Car trouble in Michigan

– 150$ fine for missing a 50 cent Toll Charge

and so on …

But that is what makes the experiences unique. Unlike in Europe/Asia, where the public transportation is very well run and well connected, in USA, it is almost impossible to survive without a car, unless you are living in a major Metro area (e.g. New York City). There are many places in the world, where having a car is a true luxury and probably a waste.

But while the conditions align, enjoy what one can do on the open roads!

On my Social Networking pages, I have posted “PostCards” taken during my many rides.