Road trip rules! What are yours?!?

My cross country road trip rules, when traveling by myself, are as follows:

1) Never pass up a roadside attraction I would've liked to have seen when I was 8, as I surely want to see it now, too! This includes Corn Palaces, Mystery Spots, The Thing, Wall Drug, any cave that Jesse James may or may not have entered at one time, Tee-Pee shaped motels, etc.

2) I stop regularly and frequently to take a whiz. I'm not trying to test my endurance or torture myself. Peeing in a coke bottle is allowed in case of emergency, like, say, some F'ed up freeway system in Washington DC during awful weather. Or when I'm in the mood for a challenge

3) All junkfood is fair game on the road. Drinks are preferably bought by the 12 pk(I like diet pepsi, so sue me! ) If I find a place that offers rootbeer floats or chili dogs to eat in the car, I'm there for sure! Buying food at a grocery store and making it in your car is great, too. Little debbies are a major food group of this type.

4) Camp or sleep in your car. No motels. Mainly this is based on my cheapness. I can't see spending min. $50 on a room I have to kick the bedspread off because it's so gross, and flush the toilet with my shoe as well. My car is fine, and the germs are my own, thank you. Plus it just suits me.

My method is to sleep in rest areas. I put up the cheesiest windshield cover I can find-remember those, where one side says need help, call police? My mom gave me one with wild horsies on it and I use that hehe
Then I toss some junk in the back window and put newspapers in the roll up windows and voila, privacy! Put in some ear plugs and I'm good to go!

5) I never pass up a national park or monument. I'd like to see all of them. On a good cross country trip you can see several, so I find it's worth it to get the year long park pass for $50 or whatever and it gets you into every park for a year. I still have so many more to go! And it doesn't have to be a national park, just anything cool. Like I've never been to Crater Lake or The Devils Tower, I dunno what they're considered but I wanna see them.

Camp if possible. Regardless, you can always take a shower at one of these places and maybe do laundry.

Some stuff I can't get enough of. Like The Grand Canyon. Or Mount Rushmore.

6) Visit people along the way. I always try to see old friends or visit people I know from the internet while I'm traveling. Don't have any friends? that's what craigslist is for, make some!

7) There's no rush. If I get a wild hair to go to a city I've never been then that's cool, too, I don't have to be anywhere at a certain time(hopefully). I drive the speed limit most of the time. I just don't want a ticket, or the anxiety of worrying about getting busted while I'm driving.


So those are some of my rules. What are yours?!?

 

Geeee...thats cool!

I think I need to get out more and get a life!!!

Roadrat

 

We rode from Southern California to Austin Texas last year for the Republic Of Texas Motorcycle Rally (ROT) and had a blast! However the next time we're renting a motorhome. It's freaking HOT in Arizona that time of year.
http://www.rotrally.com/
That's the extent of my road trips. I getting too old for a cross country.

 

Its not a road trip if there are rules!

 

On road trips for me:
1. I like to at least have some kind of 'to do' list (attractions, sites, etc) Not really have to see them but if I pass by then why not.....
2. Being that I'm single I love going on road trips with only my dogs and myself, I would usually bring something that can be used as a weapon. (If they got passed my dogs.) Preferably my big Maglite or a couple baseball bats and some mace.
3. CAMERA!!!!!!!
4. Stuff to eat and clean up with.
I would go places that would be a good weekend trip. Get in the truck and GO! Sometimes I would only bring my dogs and a toothbrush & paste. I don't drive now but can't wait till I do again. I've already got a road trip planned out for the north/northwest areas.
I think the only real "rule" to have when roadtripping is to go with the flow. You never know whats gonna be around the next turn. Some crazy tourist thing, weird people to meet, cars to possibly buy(!!), strange food to try, etc.
One book I highly recommend is Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon. Very good book!!!

 

When im in my Rod I have to stop every Hour.5 to straighten my back. People with extra long legs weren't supposed to be rodders. Other than that anything goes.

 

No smoking or farting in the car.
Foul language is okay.
Everybody gets a turn at shotgun.
No licking the windows or leaving crumbs all over the seats.

 

one rule. put more gas in the tank BEFORE it becomes empty

 

Do you have the National Parks/ Monument passport book? I thought it was cheesey until I got one.

 

I always condsider my tank empty at 1/4 on long trips through the middle of nowhere.

 

It is only in recent years that you could find gas after dark in SD,ND,MT etc...........The pumps shut off when the store did!

 

If that's the book where you collect stamps from the different national parks, kinda like a passport, then *NO* I don't have one! I thought they were cheesy too...until a friend asked me if i had one...and now I'm pissed I didn't!!!! Next time...that's gonna be a lotta parks to backtrack to get it stamped, but, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do!!! hehe

 

I found out the hard way that my tank is empty at 1/8 on the gauge

 

If there is a vote to do an activity, or resturant to eat at the car ower's vote is the equivalent of 15 people.

 

When DW and i hit the road.. its Combo's, Beef Jerky and pork rinds.. and washing it down with 64 oz super big gulps.

and random roadside attractions.

On a recent trip, we went to the worlds largest truck stop, had some loose meat sandwiches at Maid Rite, hit a bakery and butchershop in Pella, and saw the "american gothic" house.. all in one short afternoon.. while making good time.

 

My rules for traveling in Canada are never ever drive by a Tim Hortons.
In the USA all stops must include a Cracker Barrel.

 

If you stop for dinner at night with a bunch of guys on a road trip,
order the most expensive thing on the menu, because it's being
split up evenly, even if you only had a salad, and a glass of water.
Get over it.

 

I,m glad we stopped at Wall Drug on a road trip from Toronto to Mount Rushmore two years ago. Nice little town in the middle of nowhere. Can,t really find an excuse to stay on the highway and drive past the town. It seemed like every 10 minutes there was a large sign on the side of the road screaming "visit Wall Drug", coffee was 1 cent.

 

I was told he would be the new Premier

 

It's always time to have ice cream. Never be in a hurry. Wear comfortable clothes.

 

If it's a trip where there are no RULES, where you do what YOU want to do when YOU want to do it, then there is no WE. I rode my old scooter from FL to CA and back a couple of years ago and it was the best trip I ever took because there was no WE, therefore no RULES ...

 

Then how do you travel more then a block at a time?

 

Slow car up front. (I hate being left behind)

 

Oh yeah! What are my Road Rules?
BRING MONEY!

 

You must pee on the sign that welcomes you to the state.

 

Isn't that crazy? I played in a band for many years, there were a couple of close calls when someone other than myself would do the night driving. Coming from a city they always assume that there's a gas station every 5 blocks.

You might wanna get that straightened out.

 

If it's for an event we leave WAY early so theres plenty of time to waste on the way.
If me smoking weed on the way bothers you, or makes you nervous, then ride with someone else

 

I feel ya on that one!

 

And not expect to find a hotel room within 150 miles of Sturgis SD the first week of August! Motorcycle Rally time, one of Carlas pals found out the hard way DOH!

 

A pack of baby wipes... You laugh now, but when the time comes that you actually need them you'll be thanking me.