Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan |
Last month, we identified two main categories of road trips --
the Youthful Jaunt and Youthful Quest -- but there is a near-infinite
supply of secondary reasons to hit the road. One very popular motivation
for road tripping is actually a hybrid of the Jaunt and the Quest. We call
it the Road Trip Challenge. Whether the goal is to "bag" certain
destinations or make a trip within a time frame (which can be nearly indistinguishable
from "a race"), the Road Trip Challenge has a specific goal or set
of goals.
To prove
that goals have been achieved, most challenge-oriented road trippers
acquire "proof." Some use cameras to record themselves, a sign, or a prop
(we've heard about everything from teddy bears to college pennants) at
specific locations along the way. Others collect tokens -- postcards,
brochures, autographs, key chains, and sometimes more natural souvenirs
like leaves and soil samples. If they've set themselves a time limit,
they might find reputable third parties to "mind the clock" and bolster
their credibility. Almost all challenge road trippers are eager to broadcast
their goals and share details of their attempts to reach them. The Internet
offers an ideal medium for these kinds of road trippers to publish their
adventures.
Here are
a few Challenge Road Trips we've heard about lately. If you warm to
the notion of a goal when you hit the road, perhaps they will spark ideas
for your own planning.
* Visit
every county seat in the lower 48 states. (Not for the faint of heart
-- there are thousands.) Much easier is the goal of visiting the capital
of every U.S. state and Canadian province.
* Collect
a sample of something from every state that you can only get by going
there. Here's where the leaves and soil samples come in, but refrigerator
magnets and souvenir teaspoons are also popular choices. (No fair shopping
on Ebay.)
*Drive
around each of the Great Lakes. "Chuck," a frequent contributor to
the Great American RoadTrip Forum has proposed this
challenge, which is a lot longer (they don't call them "Great" for
nothing) than you might guess.
* Visit
every national park, national seashore, and national historical park in
North America. A major challenge, because there are hundreds, and
some are accessible only by boat.
* Photograph
the tallest peak in each state and/or province in North America, and drive
to all summits accessible by motor vehicle. Alternatively, some people
choose to visit the lowest points in each state or province - much easier,
but not quite as photogenic.
* Drive
through every state in the United States and Mexico. Visiting every
U.S. state (or sometimes just the "lower 48") is a popular road trip goal.
The speediest such trek we've heard about was a fundraiser that passed
through all 50 U.S. states in just over eight days. More speed runs are
online here.
* Drive
through every province in Canada. Ferries are okay when necessary.
* Drive
around the world. Sound impossible? Such an expedition is currently
underway as a fundraiser for Parkinson's disease research. The team expects
to cover 30,000 miles in nine months. (This trip allows the use of both
ferries and container ships -- the team and their Land Rovers are now
in Australia.)
* Follow
the seasonal migration of wildlife: birds, butterflies, whales, migratory
mammals. Travel during fall "leaf-peeping" season, spring wildflower
season, etc. Serious bird watchers can opt for a "Big
Year," a twelve-month push to see as many different varieties of birds
as possible.
* Take
a swim in every body of water that touches the edges of the North American
continent.
* Drive
all the way from Tierra del Fuego to Prudhoe Bay as quickly as possible.
Tim Cahill and Garry Sowerby still hold the Guiness Book record for doing
this in a mind-boggling 23½ days back in the early nineties. (Read the
highly entertaining account in Cahill's Road
Fever.)
* Drive
at least ten miles on every Interstate Highway in the USA. Might be
a good goal for a professional truck driver.
* Visit
every named hot spring in the West. How do we sign up for this one?
* Attend
every state fair in America in one year. Logistically tough, but good
for lovers of funnel cake.
As you
can see, Challenge Road Trips are limited only by your interests and
imagination. For more inspiration, take a spin around our RoadTrip
Planning page and our Book
Review page. When you've found your perfect challenge, visit the RoadTrip
Forum and let us know your plans!
Yours
from around the next bend,
Mark
Sedenquist & Megan Edwards
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