Encouraging everyone to slow down a little

[SentraSE-R]

Au contraire. I just completed a 35 day, 7238 mile cross-country trip and return, averaging 44.7 mpg, in my xB. I think my average travel speed came out to only 46 mph. I took the extra nights on the road to visit with friends and to see things like the evening bat flight out of Carlsbad Caverns (200 bats/second, for 23 minutes, = 276,000 bats!). When you're not in a hurry, you have time to smell the roses.

If I'd taken the faster Interstates, I'd have missed seeing the world's longest-running drive-in theater (since 1938, in Saco, ME), the world's largest rotating globe (in DeLorme USA's HQ in Yarmouth, ME), a 1700 lb milk chocolate moose in the Len Libby candies company in Scarborough, ME), and the monument to Phineas Gage in Cavendish, VT. I would have missed interesting tidbits of history, like a marker for the town of Blackdom, NM, a once-thriving community of 15,000 African-American farmers. And I wouldn't have met Rona Figueroa, who sang the roles of Eponine in Les Miserables and Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway, in Weston, VT.

55 mph didn't drive me crazy. The mind-numbing boredom of going 70 mph would have driven me crazy.

[JacobAziza]

So then maybe having an (enforced) 55 limit would discourage people from using personal vehicles for 2000 mile trips.

Its good to hear to stay below the limit even on long trips, but perhaps a better alternative would be the train for long vacations. Not only better for the environment / national energy security, but you also don't have to drive. At 30mpg, you spend the same on fare as you would on gas (almost to the dollar, $243) but no added maintenance to the car.

Seeing the sites is good too. I found travel by bicycle was really good for that.

[SentraSE-R]

I've taken some long train rides - Amtrak to Seattle and San Diego, and the Hudson Bay Railway to Churchill. The trains don't stop often enough, nor where I want to stop. Add in a few car rentals or bus rides, and there's no economic advantage to a train. Trains are amazingly roomy places to sit and enjoy the view all day long, though.

[wagonman76]

Originally Posted by MadisonMPG

Just a question, do other states have lifted 4x4's? Or is that just a southern state thing?

We have them all over the place around here. I would think most of rural America is the same way. But another reason is that Michigan does not currently have vehicle inspections, so people can pretty much do whatever they want. Practically every other guy around here is/was into steel fabrication.

Before I was trying to really save fuel, I would only go 70 (70 mph limit) on the freeway anyway, in good weather. Besides setting myself up for a ticket, I could watch the gas gauge move much faster at 75 mph so I almost never did that.

[ALS]

I was talking about a straight through run between home and the destination.
When your lolly gaging across the country all bets are off when it comes to saving gas. When your on the road two hours between stops you can cruise along at 55 mph. I was just making a point if your driving really long distance with out stopping or sightseeing.

I drive to Fl because it is far cheaper than flying and renting a car for week to ten days. I used the 2,000 mile distance to make a point. Anytime your driving solo the break even point is about 1000-1200 miles compared to flying. Anything over 1,200 miles it is far cheaper to fly and rent a car.

You drive the wife and two kids to Disney from Chicago in a mini van getting 24 mpg it is far cheaper than flying the family in for the vacation.

Flying is $1510 plus car rental of a Malibu for a week $516. $2,026
Driving $270 round trip.
It would take about 19-20 house to drive. The difference of $1,756 would pay for 1/2 a week at Disney with all the bells and whistles. Plus you can stop and sight see on your way down to Disney.

[JacobAziza]

I was talking about a straight through run between two major cities.
If you want to see random sites in random small towns or have family out in the country, train becomes a little less practical.

Chicago to Orlando, 2 adults and 2 kids, $425 train fare, 1/3 the air fare. Still more than driving, but removes the need to drive for 20 hours, no need to find a place to stay for the night during the trip, no wear on your car, and better for the environment too.

[MadisonMPG]

ALS, I sort of agree (over a good distance it does take a lot longer), but I mostly disagree. Driving 55 is safer, and more fuel efficient. America needs to stop caring about themselves (not completely but) in a way that helps EVERYONE. Something this country was built on.

[mobythevan]

I have driven 2.5mph all day long with my horse drawn wagon and it didn't bother me a bit. Gives a lot of time to sort your thoughts out and decide what is really important.

[JacobAziza]

Wow.
And I thought I was slow, averaging about 12mph for 2600 miles bicycling down the coast of N. America

[mobythevan]

12mph is good. If I get the horses up to a trot they can make about 7mph, but I don't like to keep them there. It is slow, but they haul a lot of passengers and supplies on the wagon so it is quite a bit different than a bicycle trip.