Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with driving

Please help with an impromptu Nova Scotia/PEI trip

o0dano0o — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:45:07 -0800

My girlfriend and I are planning a somewhat impromptu driving trip to PEI and Nova Scotia - maybe involving camping... Last year, we did a similar thing in Scotland and England.

This time the rough itinerary is that starting on Tuesday, we will be driving up to PEI from Boston, then heading towards Cape Breton Island, then we'll begin making our way to Yarmouth for the ferry to Maine and the drive back home next weekend.

To make things a bit more interesting, we decided somewhat on a whim to try perhaps to camp a bit along the way. We're leaning towards doing the sleeping outside thing, but perhaps not the cooking portion. We got a tent, some sleeping bags/mats, and other assorted goodies the other day in preparation for this. I've never gone camping before, and I think my girlfriend may have a few times when she was a kid. Also, we did the dry run of putting the tent together and making it habitable.

So the question I guess boils down to a few things:

1) What are some must see sights and things to do along the route listed above? Which campgrounds should we check out (or any to avoid)?

2) What are some newbie mistakes to avoid while camping? What are some things we should absolutely take if going camping? Is it stupid to avoid the cooking bits?

3) If we do decide to cook while camping, can we bring a camping stove and fuel to Canada with us? This seems to say yes.. Also, is a camping stove what we should be using as a heat source for cooking?

3) I realize that this week is the 4th of July here in the US. I don't know if that will have an impact up there as to crowds etc. In other words, can we just fly by the seat of our pants in regards to finding places to stay for the night? (This was pretty much our M.O. during the UK trip except for a few nights.)

And with that, hivemind, we turn to you for insight and guidance. Thanks!

Plan our cross-country road trip!

CommonSense — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:47:21 -0800

Where MUST we stop on a road trip from the Bay Area (CA) to Baltimore (MD)? My fiancee and I will get married in November, in California. Afterwards, we'll throw some junk in her car, and drive from there (the East Bay, just across from San Francisco) to Baltimore (where I live, and will be carrying her, against her will but alas, for the sake of love).

She's got a fun car to drive (Acura TL -- it's an automatic, but I'm done giving her a hard time about that), and that's good, because I know she's going to make me do about 94-95% of the driving. I know we can just generically do the I-80 to I-70 thing all the way here, and that there's even some decent scenery along that path (mainly out west), but surely there's a more fun, more scenic way to do it?

I'm open to being torn away from this "optimal" route. For instance, I'm already pretty sure I want to throw Chicago into the mix. St. Louis is good, too -- I have friends there who'll offer us free lodging, and it'll be good to see them after a while. But I've wondered about the beauty of Montana for the longest (hear good things about Glacier National Park!), though I've also heard Utah's natural beauty is not to be missed. Geography demands I pick one or the other, though.

I've heard great things about the farthest northern reaches of Wisconsin and Michigan's UP. Idaho's supposed to be really pretty in parts. The Dakotas, from what I can tell, have an amazing, idiosyncratic beauty. (Me living in Baltimore, and her living in California, we'd actually find the "utterly mind-numbingly boring, flat" nature of the Great Plains to be an utterly fascinating change of pace.) I hear Central Nebraska is fascinating, in its own unique way.

So, in any event, I'd love to hear some recommendations about how we can transform this otherwise mundane "let's haul the rest of your crap into our new home" trip into an adventure, in and of itself. Hey, we're already going to be raped on gas, to the extent that it'll COST as much as an exotic vacation, so I figure we might as well make the trip BE a destination in itself!

FWIW, this will happen in November, just before Thanksgiving, so yeah -- certain parts of the continent might be kind of inhospitable, weather-wise. But let's assume otherwise, for the sake of argument.

Many thanks, fellow travelers!

'Refresher' driving lessons in or near DC?

game warden to the events rhino — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:07:04 -0800

DC-area driving lessons: I'm a qualified UK driver, and I want to organize a few hours of "refresher" driving instruction to build confidence on US roads. But I'm finding it strangely difficult to arrange. Suggestions for specific DC-area instructors, or advice on where to look and what to ask for? As far as I can tell, there isn't any equivalent to the British School of Motoring — a national franchise that might not always have the best instructors but is basically reliable. I've found endless lists of driving schools in DC, MD and VA, of course, but no way of distinguishing between them. Several I emailed didn't respond, and the two I called seemed a bit baffled by the idea of refresher lessons: perhaps I'm using the wrong phrasing? The US system seems to involve a lot of desk-based safety instruction, which I'm pretty sure is not what I need. I'd be very grateful for specific recommendations, or any other thoughts.

Diesel woes, help us sort it out!

TomMelee — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:46:32 -0800

We've got a huge truck that does pickups and deliveries all over a rural community. Diesel eats us up. Do you have suggestions for helping us schedule pickups in a manner that maximizes efficiency? We're an NPO... Hi. Me again.

Like it says, we do pickups all over a large geographical area. We really need to maximize our truck-time. Between labor and diesel and insurance, it currently costs us something like $40/hour to run our truck. Ouch, pretty painful for a non-profit.

Does anyone know any software system which would enable us to type in addresses and then automagically plot them along a route that was the most efficient?

We currently tell people X day, not X time, although we could even bump that back to "we schedule all pickups for the next week on friday, we'll call you that afternoon to let you know what day and time."

My driver already has a GPS, and it'll route plan, but only in the order you give it waypoints.

I've heard that MS Streets and Trips will do something like this, but I'm unfamiliar with the product.

Thanks!

How to fairly split costs on a roadtrip

biwa-shu — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:51:04 -0800

What's the fairest way to split gasoline and other costs between riders on a roadtrip? We will travel in Japan, and there are many variables in our trip, but I imagine the same information could be used in light of the rise in gas prices in north america!

-One person will incur costs traveling by train to our start point.
-We will travel by toll road.
-We will pick one person up along the way, incurring costs when we exit from the toll road. Does that rider pay the entire cost? Is he responsible for his share of our entire toll burden, or only the cost from his point of pickup?
-Also, should all riders split gasoline evenly, or only depending on how far they travel (eg: we split gas 3 ways until we pick up our 4th rider, then split it 4 ways)?

Because I own the car, I am interested in collecting as much money as I can--I have to think about oil, wear and tear, and cleaning time. Would it be fair to split the entire cost of our trip between all the riders evenly?

Driving infraction: to contest or not?

dougiedd — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:32:30 -0800

I was pulled over the other night after making a right turn at a stop sign. I believe i came to a complete stop but believe the officer could not properly see the sign or intersection from where he was standing. ( they seemed to be pulling lots of cars over: i watched three get pulled over in the short time i was stopped) How can i decide whether to contest this case? In my mind the key variables are: keeping a clean driving abstract so my insurance rates don't go up versus the hassle of going to court and potentially losing the case ( i am planning to photograph the site to see how strong my evidence looks and don't know yet). How would i discover whether this would affect my rates? In hawaii. Geico is the insurer

Am I destroying my clutch?

Who_Am_I — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:03:01 -0800

Is it bad to keep my clutch pedal pushed all the way in as I brake for stop signs and turns? Should I instead shift to neutral, let the pedal out, and then shift back into gear when I need it? I seem to remember this being discussed on Car Talk a while back, and their objection was something about not having full control of the car when you do this, but that doesn't really make sense to me. I think they were talking more about engine braking vs. pedal braking on hills and such.

Things you think about driving in Seattle

bjrubble — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:16:10 -0800

Why don't they shift freeway lanes to even out the wear? If you're driving on a well-used freeway, the wear creates a pretty consistent striped pattern: unworn lane divider, worn left-tire area, unworn area under the car, worn right tire area, unworn lane divider, etc. So if they shifted the lanes over by 1/4, everyone's tires would line up nicely with the unworn patches of road. I know this isn't a new idea because some jackass has tried to patent it, but I've never seen it done. Why not?

Racing school recommendations?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:04:08 -0800

Help me find a good racing school course! I'd like surprise my boyfriend with a racing course as a gift for generally being all-around wonderful. He's got his SSCA racing license, but I think he's still a novice until he completes a couple races (hopefully his year). He's done well in the races he has competed in, and has a formula car of some sort, but I don't know if he would be considered "advanced". What would be some good options in the US? Preferably someplace where we can spend a weekend, and bonus points if there are intro classes for me too.
(Posted here because he already reads all the racing forums, and anonymously because he sometimes reads Mefi too).

Leaving New York, Never Easy... Car hire?

tomble — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:59:42 -0800

I'm currently in Astoria, NY, and planning to drive to DC tomorrow in a hired car. The question is - where should I hire a car to get a good rate? Is it worth it to travel to New Jersey as was suggested to me, or should I just go to La Guardia airport? Anything I should know about car hire? I'm from Australia, so the main thing is to remember to drive on the right side of the road.

Can someone track me down from my license plates?

Anonymous — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:19:08 -0800

I got into a serious road rage incident with another driver, who turned out to be quite an angry guy. Do you think I should be worried about vengeful repercussions? Just as I was hitting highway speed and running out of road in the merge lane, another driver came speeding down the right lane and cut me off... he could have put me in a ditch. I lost it a little and flashed the finger as he passed me.

Here's where he goes ballistic - he gets in front of me and comes to a full and complete stop on the highway, cursing me out of his driver's side window. He takes off. I pass him, and he is yelling, calling us "bitches", et cetera.

I thought I heard him say something about running my plates. He had out of state plates and appeared to be the farthest thing from a cop. But who knows who this guy is, or who he knows? Maybe I was hearing things, but should I be worried he might do that? I have a pretty good imagination, and I am having visions of this person showing up on my parents' doorstep (to whom the car is registered).

Am I paranoid? Can someone do that?

How do I get my panic attacks in a car under control?

wolftrouble — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:28:06 -0800

How do I get panic attacks, triggered by the threat of a real physiological condition, under control? Warning: Somewhat gross discussion inside. Obviously this question is a bit embarrassing, and I've been holding off for months asking it in any forum at all. But I have to admit that the situation has gotten beyond my control and I don't know what to do.

I've always had what you could call a nervous stomach or, more clinically, IBS. The short version of the symptoms is that it's difficult for me to remain 'regular', and when I do need to have a bowel movement, it's an immediate thing - I go from feeling a twinge, to a painful ache in my intestines, to needing a bathroom in the space of about ten minutes.

Nervousness has always been a kind of trigger for it, but for a long time I had the situation under pretty good control - With fiber supplements and a careful diet I could manage a pretty normal once-daily cycle, with only the occasional emergency outside my normal time if I was really anxious about something.

At some point, starting about a year ago, I started getting nervous when I was in my car. My commute in the morning and evening is very, very congested - 17 miles takes me about 45 minutes to an hour during rush hour. It may have been because a couple of times I found myself stuck on the highway when my body decided it was time to 'go', but that's happened before, so I don't know if that's what precipitated it. But whatever the reason, I've gone from being a little anxious when stuck in traffic to on the verge of a panic attack ANYTIME I'm in my car at all.

Even if there's no bad traffic, or maybe just the threat of bad traffic, there's this pit of fear in my stomach I can't get rid of. If there IS traffic, or if I'm in a situation where I know I won't be able to quickly get to a bathroom (long bridges for example), I spend the whole drive in what I assume must be a full-on panic attack - I don't know, I've never felt anything like them before, but I figure that's what it is. I'm sweating, terrified, my stomach starts hurting something fierce, and I can't think of anything else. And that triggers at least what feels like my body needing to have a bowel movement, which makes it something of a vicious cycle.

I don't think my physiological condition has changed, this seems to be mental - I don't really have to have a bowel movement until I start panicking and the nervousness makes my intestines clench up. Even right now, writing this post, I'm squirming in my chair and my stomach's making sad noises at me, just because I'm thinking about it.

I don't know what to do. Long car rides are a near-impossibility for me now, I can't go on recreational motorcycle rides like I used to, and in a few months I'm going on a driving tour through Europe that I have no idea how I'm going to cope with. I'm not exaggerating when I say this happens every time I get in the car now, it's become an absolute trigger - I feel fine, I get behind the wheel or in the passenger seat of a friend's car, and that knot forms in my gut. I live in California, so driving a lot is a requirement for my life.

Anyone had this or similar problems they could offer advice on?

From DC to Dallas.

SNWidget — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:20:38 -0800

My girlfriend and I are moving across the country, from DC to the metro Dallas area. I've never moved cross-country on this scale, so what tips/advice/warnings can you give me about this sort of move? The Background: My girlfriend and I are moving to the Dallas are so that I can begin graduate school in Denton, TX. She'll be working in downtown Dallas, so we'll be trying to live some place that splits the distance.

The Equipment: We've got 1br worth of stuff, with our largest item being a leather sofa that she got cheap and isn't too keen to part with. I have a pick-up truck that we'll use for the drive, and we can get some, but not all, of the small stuff in there.

The Question: How do we do this? I've read past questions on cross country moving to get an idea, but I'm still a bit overwhelmed. Should I get a pod, a portion of a truck, or just get a Penske truck and drive it to Dallas?

The Bonus Question: Any suggestions on where to live in Dallas? I'm a Texas boy originally, but from the Rio Grade Valley, not the big city. We were looking in Carrolton, Flour Mound, or Lewisville. We're generally looking for nice apartments (generally, 1br+study/extra room) and are willing to spend basically up to $1200 to get something.

Et cetra: Beyond any of this, any general cross country moving/driving/packing tips are more than welcomed. I'm in the dark, generally, so I throw myself to the mercy of the Hivemind.

How do I teach someone to drive?

selfmedicating — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:53:56 -0800

Tips for teaching someone to drive who is not familiar with USA car culture? My friend grew up in India, came to the US for grad school, and now is looking for jobs and wants to be able to drive. I figured teaching her would be an easy task, since she has a learner's permit, and has been out driving 4-5 times before with other people.

Wrong.

As we circled an empty parking lot for a couple of hours last week at 2 mph - not using the accelerator at all yet - I had lots of time to think. And what I realized is that if you grow up in the US you have a ton of exposure to cars. You know all the street signs, to buckle up, who has right of way, etc. You've probably pretended to steer your parents car many, many times. You've played video driving games. You've fantasized and visualized about driving so much that you have a lot of mental practice before you even get behind the wheel.

We'll go out driving again next week and I'm trying to develop goals for these sessions. The first goal is to increase confidence, and make absolutely sure she is familiar with which is the brake and which is the gas.

What other goals should I think about? What do new drivers need to learn? What surprised you when you learned to drive? What is so obvious that I'm not even thinking of it? We are in the suburbs in northern Virginia, if it matters.

Driving routes from Cincinnati to Ann Arbor?

matildaben — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:20:20 -0800

Please tell me about your experience driving the main or alternate routes from Cincinnati, OH to Ann Arbor, MI. Google Maps gives the main route as primarily on I-75, and says it takes 4 hours, but a friend of mine said it takes more like 6 hours and encounters big traffic jams in Dayton and Toledo. If I check "avoid highways", Google gives me a route that goes up the western side of the state, primarily on route 127, and it says that takes 6 hours. If the alternate route is a pretty drive, I'd be happy to take it. If you've driven from Cincy to Ann Arbor yourself, please tell me what you know about this or any other routes, and which you would recommend. Time is not so much the issue, I'd just like to have a nice non-frustrating drive.

Why do some drivers flash their hazard lights when seeing a pedestrian?

ORthey — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:50:54 -0800

What's up with drivers turning on their hazard lights when stopping for a pedestrian? I'd never seen it before very recently, but now I've seen it twice in a few weeks - a car pulling up to the intersection I was about to cross putting on its hazard lights to (presumably) let me know they saw me, or perhaps to tell the driver behind they were stopping (or both). Is this common practice in certain places? These have both happened in Berkeley, California. Does anyone do this regularly? I was not taught this in driver's ed.

First roadtrip ever

oldtimey — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:31:00 -0800

In two months I'll be going to a conference in Denver, CO. I want to drive there. I am a new driver (at age 30, and have owned my car for six weeks). Really, I've been on a ton of long roadtrips before -- but never driving, and never by myself. Can I make the 18-hour trip?? Any tips? Google Maps says the total drive time is 18 hours, so I've planned on the drive taking 2 (or 3) days. I'll probably stay in hotels rather than camp. The previous AskMe threads about long-distance driving have been VERY helpful. So far my longest drive-time has been 1.5 hours, so I will need to practice -- if I learn to drive 6 hours at a time, will 9 feel about the same? Are there any scary stretches of road on I-80 W//I-76 between Michigan and Colorado? What else should I know to become an experienced driver who just happens to be new to all of this?

Help us avoid a traffic nightmare in NYC

metahawk — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:15:45 -0800

NYC filter -- We are flying into JFK airport and then driving to New Haven CT at the worst possible times - we land at 4:00 pm Friday of Memorial Day and need to back at the airport no later than 6:30 Monday night. What is the best route to avoid total traffic jams? My travelling partner gets very uptight in stop and go traffic - if we can manage at least 25 mph everyone in the car will be much happier. Obviously traffic will be bad at rush hour on a three day weekend. So what would be the best route between JFK and New Haven? We are willing to drive a little further out of way (even if takes longer than the shorter, traffic clogged route) if we can be confident we won't be stalled in traffic.

Also, how long should we allow for the trip back to the airport. Our fight leaves at 8 pm so we want to be there absolutely no later than 6:30 so we can return the rental car and get through security.

Seeing the 2nd largest ball of twine

hwyengr — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:23:03 -0800

Driving Chicago to LA: Interstate or backroads? Next week I'm setting off for my new life in Los Angeles. My relocation package said I could either ship my car and fly, or get mileage to drive. 50 cents for 2000 miles plus lodging, I'm driving. I'm leaving mid-day Thursday, and I'm supposed to be in LA for work on Monday. But, that can slide to Tuesday if I need it to. So that's 4.5 days max. How should I get there?

I've done the drive via Interstate before, taking the north out and the south route back. I liked the north route more, since I could live out my Smokey and the Bandit fantasies at the Coors Brewery. And, there's Vegas. South has the Grand Canyon, and I've already been there.

The only major new sight along the backroute would be Four Corners. Which I've always wanted to see. And I'll hit the Grand Canyon again. But is that, along with getting a little more culture, worth the extra 15 hours of driving? (Google says 30 hours for the north route, 45 for "avoid major highways"). That's quite a bit of extra time, and I'm not going to be able to stop in every little town and take in the experience. It'll be like I'm on the interstate, except going much more slowly. I've linked to the Gmap backroad trip, so if anybody knows of something absolutely worth seeing along that route, I'm all ears.

Gettin' down with the rentals on Dominica.

Gordion Knott — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 04:48:48 -0800

Should I rent a car during an upcoming visit to the island of Dominica? I'm interested in experiencing the standard touristy fare--exploring the island, visiting the easier hiking trails, making my way to restaurants for meals.

I've been watching videos like this one to acquaint myself with the rigors of driving in Dominica, and have a modicum of experience in driving in developing countries. I'm more interested in whether 1) cost-wise and 2) convenience-wise it makes sense to rent. And any caveats on dealing with rental agencies, of course.

Austrian villages

TiredStarling — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:52:46 -0800

Pleasant towns in Austria? In May we're spending a couple of days driving south through Austria from Salzburg, via Spittal an der Drau and Villach, into Italy. We're mainly sticking to the autobahn but enjoy the back roads.

Does anyone have suggestions for a couple of towns or villages along the way to break the journey? We're a couple, over 40, like old churches, the simple life, local cuisine, small places.

Where should we go?

Lizc — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:22:42 -0800

Planning a multi-state road trip - where should we go and what should we see? States include: IL, MN, SD, NE, WY, CO, UT, NV, and CA. In June my SO and I will be taking a road trip from Chicago, IL north to St. Paul, MN - then west through South Dakota and Nebraska (to the Chimney Rock National Park) and then west to southern California.

What are some interesting things to see along the way? We'd really love to pick the hive-mind for recommendations of any cool/interesting places to stop along the way. Any fantastic local events, delicious food & drink, haunted ghost towns, picturesque roads, historic spots and natural wonders -- anything we'd be silly to miss.

Length of trip is no option, if it's cool, we want to see it. We probably won't get the chance to travel for awhile after this trip, so we want to make it a good one.

Thanks!!

The single most important question you'll answer today

Diskeater — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:23:13 -0800

What to do when you're behind someone that pulls way ahead of a Stop sign? This question has bothered me for a long time and no one in my life knows the answer.

There are a number of intersections with Stop signs between the main road and my apartment....at least four. The drivers around here have the tendency to drive past the Stop sign and stop about one to one and a half car lengths away from the Stop line (not sure what it is called, but the line on the road used to indicate where you are actually supposed to stop while at a Stop sign).

If I'm behind someone that does this, I'm now stopped at the Stop line where I'm supposed to be but they've pulled ahead of the Stop sign and then stopped. What do I do when it is my turn to go thru the intersection? Pause longer or pull ahead and then stop, as they did?

I'm reluctant to pull ahead and then stop because almost I and almost all of my friends have been pulled over by the police for not stopping where we were supposed to and I want to avoid getting a ticket.

Tips/Links/Advice for traveling across the country?

poryphia — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:36:18 -0800

Possibly moving from Southern CA to Rhode Island. Do you have any Tips/Links/Advice for traveling across the country? Both my boyfriend and I would be going and we don't have too much stuff..But..
He just leased a new car and he can't run up too many miles on it. What would be the best way to get his car from one side of the country to another without all the wear and tear?

Also, I haven't driven much more than 5 hours away from where I live. How would I go about planning a trip across the country?

Any kind of help would be great.

Hudson River Crossing - Pro Tips?

Miko — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:16:34 -0800

GW vs. Tappan Zee: Pro tips for deciding on route? I travel back and forth between New England and my relatives in NJ (and points south) frequently. Most of these journeys entail a Hudson River crossing.

I'm pretty good at telling when the bad times are to cross (Sunday evenings, especially in summer, and rush hours on both ends) but I don't really have any sense of what factors to weigh when choosing a crossing. I listen to the traffic report like anyone else, and know where the points are that I can easily switch from Garden State Parkway to Jersey Turnpike. But I feel like I'm doing guesswork and floundering in the dark. It seems to me that there are people who are sort of wizards at knowing where and when to cross the Hudson. What are your pieces of advice on trip planning and on when a last-minute change-up is called for? GW, upper or lower? When and why?