Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Changin' Things Up A Bit...

As much as I wish it was different, it doesn't look like I'm going to be any traveling abroad in 2021. There are just too many restrictions in place, in too many of the places I want to go and, frankly, I don't see those restrictions being lifted to a degree which would make international travel attractive next year.

But, I've always said, there's plenty to see right here at home. All you have to do is go find it. So, that's what I'm gonna' do.

If you haven't figured it out by now, I love to drive; the longer the better. There's something about the open road which energizes me., and the more of it I can get the more I like it. So, keeping that in mind, next year I'm going to be embarking on some serious drives. My goal? To drive the four longest roads in the United States.

 I've been looking at this website for the better part of the last year, and I think it's time to start:

 The Longest Roads In America

 My first drive, I think, will actually be the third longest road in America. It's I-90, which runs from Boston, Massachusetts to Seattle, Washington:

 

Credit: 4nadia/iStock
Credit: 4nadia/iStock

 

It's a little more than 3,100 miles and, if I was able to go non-stop, I'd probably complete the drive in about 45 hours. Of course, I'm not going to do that. A trip like this is wasted if you don't take your time. As I did back in 2013, I'll have my camera(s) with me for this trip, and around 400gb of memory, so photos will be plentiful.

My daughter lives in Seattle, so it'll be nice to get out there and visit her and her fiance for a bit (although I suspect parking's gonna' be a bitch!).

Once my time in Seattle is done, well, I have to get back to Florida. For that, I'll probably drive from Seattle down to Newport, Oregon. From there I'll head east along US Route 20, which happens to be the longest road in America at 3,237 miles. 

 

Credit: M. Kaercher/iStock
Credit: M. Kaercher/iStock

Much of this highway is still two-lane road, so it'll likely afford me a nice, leisurely pace. I'll stop when I need to, but it'll be nice to not have a time constraint around my neck. 

This route will take me back to Boston, after which I'll make my way south to Florida. Just those two longest roads equal about 6,350 miles. When you consider that I've also got to get to and from Boston, that adds another 2,400 miles to the trip. 8,750 miles on the road, and that doesn't include the driving around I'll do in the places I stop, or the 310 miles (roughly) from Seattle to Newport, Oregon. 

I'm going to start planning the trip now, but I'm thinking I won't embark on this journey until late March or early April. I figure the entire trip will take between two and three weeks; could be more, could be less. But, whatever it is, after over 9,000 miles in a relatively short time span, I fully expect the wheels to fall off the Malibu...



The Final Hours...

The final hours in Seattle were fun, low voltage and relaxing. Jess and I have learned not to plan minute by minute and having everything la...