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Jul. 27th, 2020 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolariSo, Jo Bo asked how to do the kinds of drives I do. Here are some pointers to get you started and a little bit of history.
My roadtrips came from my dad. He's a trucker, and loves driving because it's calming for him. I'm the same way, but as I'm not a trucker, I just explored. First with my bike as a little kid, then with my cars when I got older. Then cross country when I had the resources. Before I left Texas, I'd explored every nook and cranny of the Hill Country. Public and occasionally private. And I got more than a few pretty cars very dirty that way.
But now you want to explore after seeing my pics and hearing about cross country trips? Here're my tips:
The easiest way to do the kind of road tripping I do? Find a road and see where it goes. If you see a no trespassing sign, dead end, or feel unsafe, turn around. Pretty simple, and this should get you started
But if you want to really go down the rabbit holes....
Determine your risk level.
Easy roads tend to be your Interstate Highways, US Highways, State Highways, Paved County and local roads. This is a good deal of the drivable paths out there, and will get you out where you need to be. For the most part, you'll have good phone signals, and radio reception. This will likely be most of your driving.
If you're feeling more adventurous, Dirt county roads will get you into quieter areas. You will likely see a lot more scenery, a ghost town or two if you know where to look, and basically enjoy a quieter, yet safe drive. County roads tend to have maintenance even when they're just ruts in the road. There's only ever been ONE country road in all my journeys where I felt unsafe (looking at you, Llano County "Road" 103 over the Llano River - https://goo.gl/maps/NgoHvmw8rdicS6TT8)
Now if you really wanna adventure, you can check out the forest roads (if you have them around you) or Bureau of Land Management roads (or just straight up off-road if you're not on private property). You're gonna want to be careful on these. BLM and Forest Roads are just a step above off-roading. They're maintained, sure, but they're not really meant for the average driver. Roads can often be washed out, have large rocks that can kick up into your car (Thankfully my Mazda has skid plates), fallen trees and rocks (that are often maintained just by someone cutting enough out to allow cars to pass by). Or, frankly, be so rough that you could pop a tire. And watch the Mythbusterd episode about how to drive reliably backwards. It's saved me more than a few times! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLwp1sLJ1Vk
Once you determine your skill level...straight up look at a map, check to see where you haven't been! I keep a map that shows roads I've been down and interesting sights I've seen. Once I've done that, if there's any doubts about the roads I'm taking, I'll double check that the road is passable (or even there) by looking at satellite imagery from Google Earth and cross checking that with Google Maps AND OpenStreetMap (recently I went down a road that Google Maps said was there, and OpenStreetMap said wasn't...Google was wrong).
But what about your No Freeways Trips planning, Jenn? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!
Forget the freeways. Freeways allow you to get to your destination super fast without seeing anything at all. If you want to see the sights, stay off them. Use the tips above to determine how far off the freeways you want to go. You can have a great time using the surface US Highways and county roads.
Google Maps lies when it comes to travel times. Don't drive more than what Google Maps reports as 7.5 hours. This is actually 12 hours in real stop-and-go-see-the-sights-take-pictures driving.
roadsideamerica.com is a great resource for quirky Americana/Canadiana to see along the way. But don't forget to stop when something wows you.
Bring groceries with you! Eating out is fun, but eating out three meals a day gets expensive and cuts down on traveling time. MREs are great for this, but I've also bought store-bought groceries. Every so often, try eating at a local park or roadside picnic table. But don't forget to eat somewhere cool when you find it, though.
Make sure your tires are aired up. Have an emergency kit (I have three days of food and water, solar chargers, radio, first aid kit, hydraulic jack). Try to have a full-sized spare, instead of a donut, especially on rocky roads.
When planning my trips I use the following apps and programs. DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON THESE APPS. Always have a paper copy of your route on cross country trips:
Google Maps:
PROS:
Super easy to program and export your trips to a phone app.
CONS:
Only allows for ten destinations/redirects, which you'll use up surprisingly quick.
If you lose the directions on the Google Maps app, good luck getting them back.
If you go off your path, Google Maps will redirect you to your next destination, not back to the path.
MapQuest (Yes, it still exists)
PROS:
Allows for 26 destinations/redirects. Usually enough usually for one day of cross country travel.
If you go off path, it tries to get you back on path, instead of just reroute you to your next destination.
CONS:
Not the easiest to program a path, and the website has a bad habit of erasing all your progress if you hit backspace at the wrong time.
The UI of the app can often erase your path if you hit back at the wrong time. If you don't have a link to the path you've generated, it's lost forever.
OsmAnd:
PROS:
I have yet to hit a maximum length of path it can follow.
It will take you exactly down the path you generate.
Works offline, since all maps are saved to your phone.
It shows you EVERYTHING around you (Creeks, trails, businesses, old railroad tracks, everything).
If you go off path, it tries to get you back to the very spot you went off path.
CONS:
SUPER DUPER HARD TO PROGRAM. I end up having to program my path in the "My Maps" section of Google Maps, export that to a GPX using a third party website, and import that into OsmAnd.
You have to buy the maps. But once you buy them, they're super detailed and saved to your phone so they're available offline.
It's navigation is way too sensitive and will tell you to make "slight rights" when the road is just curvy.
Way too customizable, which you wouldn't think is a con, but it is because you have to program your screen to give you the info you need (the default is mostly blank).
My personal recommendation is to use Google Maps for everyday driving, MapQuest for longer distance driving, and OsmAnd for Cross Country or "precision" driving (when you MUST go down a specific route without redirections).
Nothing however replaces your own personal research. Don't rely on the apps. My first no-freeways trip was just telling Google Maps "Take me to Seattle without freeways." And while seeing Irish Canyon in Colorado was AMAZING, doing so in the middle of a snowfall on 100 miles of dirt roads in November was a bad idea.
Know your limits: If you feel unsafe, you may be unsafe. Turn around when you can. A Mazda 3 with front wheel drive can actually have more traction than a Chevy pickup with rear wheel drive and no weight in the bed. Are you seeing no tresspassing signs? You may be on someones driveway.
But don't be afraid to challenge yourself! My old chevy could easily make it's way up Mt Ambilis. But my Mazda 3 did too. Just a lot slower because of it's low clearance.
Happy Traveling! :)
My roadtrips came from my dad. He's a trucker, and loves driving because it's calming for him. I'm the same way, but as I'm not a trucker, I just explored. First with my bike as a little kid, then with my cars when I got older. Then cross country when I had the resources. Before I left Texas, I'd explored every nook and cranny of the Hill Country. Public and occasionally private. And I got more than a few pretty cars very dirty that way.
But now you want to explore after seeing my pics and hearing about cross country trips? Here're my tips:
The easiest way to do the kind of road tripping I do? Find a road and see where it goes. If you see a no trespassing sign, dead end, or feel unsafe, turn around. Pretty simple, and this should get you started
But if you want to really go down the rabbit holes....
Determine your risk level.
Easy roads tend to be your Interstate Highways, US Highways, State Highways, Paved County and local roads. This is a good deal of the drivable paths out there, and will get you out where you need to be. For the most part, you'll have good phone signals, and radio reception. This will likely be most of your driving.
If you're feeling more adventurous, Dirt county roads will get you into quieter areas. You will likely see a lot more scenery, a ghost town or two if you know where to look, and basically enjoy a quieter, yet safe drive. County roads tend to have maintenance even when they're just ruts in the road. There's only ever been ONE country road in all my journeys where I felt unsafe (looking at you, Llano County "Road" 103 over the Llano River - https://goo.gl/maps/NgoHvmw8rdicS6TT8)
Now if you really wanna adventure, you can check out the forest roads (if you have them around you) or Bureau of Land Management roads (or just straight up off-road if you're not on private property). You're gonna want to be careful on these. BLM and Forest Roads are just a step above off-roading. They're maintained, sure, but they're not really meant for the average driver. Roads can often be washed out, have large rocks that can kick up into your car (Thankfully my Mazda has skid plates), fallen trees and rocks (that are often maintained just by someone cutting enough out to allow cars to pass by). Or, frankly, be so rough that you could pop a tire. And watch the Mythbusterd episode about how to drive reliably backwards. It's saved me more than a few times! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLwp1sLJ1Vk
Once you determine your skill level...straight up look at a map, check to see where you haven't been! I keep a map that shows roads I've been down and interesting sights I've seen. Once I've done that, if there's any doubts about the roads I'm taking, I'll double check that the road is passable (or even there) by looking at satellite imagery from Google Earth and cross checking that with Google Maps AND OpenStreetMap (recently I went down a road that Google Maps said was there, and OpenStreetMap said wasn't...Google was wrong).
But what about your No Freeways Trips planning, Jenn? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!
Forget the freeways. Freeways allow you to get to your destination super fast without seeing anything at all. If you want to see the sights, stay off them. Use the tips above to determine how far off the freeways you want to go. You can have a great time using the surface US Highways and county roads.
Google Maps lies when it comes to travel times. Don't drive more than what Google Maps reports as 7.5 hours. This is actually 12 hours in real stop-and-go-see-the-sights-take-pictures driving.
roadsideamerica.com is a great resource for quirky Americana/Canadiana to see along the way. But don't forget to stop when something wows you.
Bring groceries with you! Eating out is fun, but eating out three meals a day gets expensive and cuts down on traveling time. MREs are great for this, but I've also bought store-bought groceries. Every so often, try eating at a local park or roadside picnic table. But don't forget to eat somewhere cool when you find it, though.
Make sure your tires are aired up. Have an emergency kit (I have three days of food and water, solar chargers, radio, first aid kit, hydraulic jack). Try to have a full-sized spare, instead of a donut, especially on rocky roads.
When planning my trips I use the following apps and programs. DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON THESE APPS. Always have a paper copy of your route on cross country trips:
Google Maps:
PROS:
Super easy to program and export your trips to a phone app.
CONS:
Only allows for ten destinations/redirects, which you'll use up surprisingly quick.
If you lose the directions on the Google Maps app, good luck getting them back.
If you go off your path, Google Maps will redirect you to your next destination, not back to the path.
MapQuest (Yes, it still exists)
PROS:
Allows for 26 destinations/redirects. Usually enough usually for one day of cross country travel.
If you go off path, it tries to get you back on path, instead of just reroute you to your next destination.
CONS:
Not the easiest to program a path, and the website has a bad habit of erasing all your progress if you hit backspace at the wrong time.
The UI of the app can often erase your path if you hit back at the wrong time. If you don't have a link to the path you've generated, it's lost forever.
OsmAnd:
PROS:
I have yet to hit a maximum length of path it can follow.
It will take you exactly down the path you generate.
Works offline, since all maps are saved to your phone.
It shows you EVERYTHING around you (Creeks, trails, businesses, old railroad tracks, everything).
If you go off path, it tries to get you back to the very spot you went off path.
CONS:
SUPER DUPER HARD TO PROGRAM. I end up having to program my path in the "My Maps" section of Google Maps, export that to a GPX using a third party website, and import that into OsmAnd.
You have to buy the maps. But once you buy them, they're super detailed and saved to your phone so they're available offline.
It's navigation is way too sensitive and will tell you to make "slight rights" when the road is just curvy.
Way too customizable, which you wouldn't think is a con, but it is because you have to program your screen to give you the info you need (the default is mostly blank).
My personal recommendation is to use Google Maps for everyday driving, MapQuest for longer distance driving, and OsmAnd for Cross Country or "precision" driving (when you MUST go down a specific route without redirections).
Nothing however replaces your own personal research. Don't rely on the apps. My first no-freeways trip was just telling Google Maps "Take me to Seattle without freeways." And while seeing Irish Canyon in Colorado was AMAZING, doing so in the middle of a snowfall on 100 miles of dirt roads in November was a bad idea.
Know your limits: If you feel unsafe, you may be unsafe. Turn around when you can. A Mazda 3 with front wheel drive can actually have more traction than a Chevy pickup with rear wheel drive and no weight in the bed. Are you seeing no tresspassing signs? You may be on someones driveway.
But don't be afraid to challenge yourself! My old chevy could easily make it's way up Mt Ambilis. But my Mazda 3 did too. Just a lot slower because of it's low clearance.
Happy Traveling! :)
