Trip would almost never take up a heading of west. Not just the jungle of franchise neon at Interchange 38. Most important, have an eclectic destination every night, Resorting to chain palaces only in extremis. Stay in a different kind of hotel, motel, inn or B&B every night, No eating anywhere one orders by speaking into a sign. The plan is to drive as much of the trip as possible on back Pennsylvania doesn't come a moment too soon. Starting a trip on yourĭoorstep, along familiar roads, is like driving to the grocery "WELCOME TO Pennsylvania," the billboard says. Look down on from 41,000 feet, delicate as symbols on a map, holdĮlemental truths from which we're insulated by eight miles of In the trip as well? Do the small towns and anonymous cities we All these I want to feel, but are there lessons Safer, perhaps, to say what theyįeel: happy, ruminative, curious, content, unfettered and foot-looseĪnd free. What do they learn? I'd wager few can say, though somethingĬhanges from coast to coast. In their poke-along RVs, the great coast-to-coast drive is the Tokyo marveling at all that space, for lonely souls in MustangsĪnd families in station wagons and retirees holding them all up Starting new jobs, for tourists from Liverpool or Rome or Its highways in convenient chunks, fancied myself aīeen-in-every-state-but-Idaho sophisticate. Innumerable times in airplanes large and tiny, coursed many of Weeks to come, for I've never driven cross-country. Reality will doubtless intrude upon fantasy again in the two Ride in the breeze, bungeed to a luggage rack like an Okie's Rain or sun, my bags would be fewer and would In opening nothing bigger than the gas-cap door, my packing plans
Scratched around what should have been the bootlid and succeeded Reality: the Chevrolet Corvette has no trunk. That would turn pretty heads, smoke its fat tires, color me goneĪnd generally function as a rolling fountain of youth.
States on back roads, driving a hyperactive 145-mph red roadster enjoy! CROSS-COUNTRY CORVETTE Stephan WilkinsonįANTASY: ACROSS THE breadth and much of the length of the United
In the hope to counter the myriad autonomous and EV propaganda, The Auto Channel management has decided to republish and spotlight these evergreen Great Drive articles which can stimulate the daydreams of experienced drivers and awaken the appetites of those modern youngsters who have never experienced just how exhilarating and fulfilling the freedom of a Great Drive on an open road can be. Those of you who are regular readers of The Auto Channel know that for the past few years the boys and girls from the digital world with the backing of investment bankers have been hot and heavily pushing "Autonomous Vehicles".transportation appliances that will eliminate, and replace “Driving with Riding”. First published on The Auto Channel when there was no talk or even a thought (except for Jetson Fans) of ever having to consider giving up our freedom of mobility and the many pleasures of driving, in exchange for a robotic ride controlled by a bundle of (made in China) silicon valley invented chips and a fear of the implementation of a government run "Central Traffic Control Administration" with the ability and political potential to make us safe by eliminating our hard earned freedom of mobility.
But First Snide's Remarks: Twenty years ago when this wonderful and fanciful series of Enjoy The Great Drive articles authored by travel writer Steve Wilkinson and other driving lovers.