The Art of the Blitz Drive

[PNW Judy]

Are any of you planning anything for July 4th weekend (on the road)? I'm thinking of a motorcycle ride to the southern Utah and Four Corners area (I'll have 3 days). Gerald Thurman's photos have me all primed! Bob 06-26-2005 04:12 PM

That sounds heavenly, Bob. I wish I could meet you there. My husband's job makes it dang hard for me to get away. He's a local politico (county level). As such, we're expected to show up at every dang local celebration there is. We are to be at a costume ball, wearing clothes from the early 1900's, to celebrate the 100th birthday of Moclips on July 2. The rest of the weekend will include stops at various local 4th Celebrations in Ocean Shores, Copalis Beach, and Westport with Hubby making a short speech at 2 of these events.

You have no idea how much I'd rather be on the road and getting away from this madness.

[ken rentiers]

Some added thoughts on the excellent Blitz Drive post.

CoPilot: The trick to covering long distances on the road quickly is to keep moving. I agree with stopping every two hours; I used to race sailboats offshore, you could never maintain maximal concentration more than two hours at the helm, and maximal focus is what you need. So stop ever so briefly every two hours, stretch, walk around a bit, and SWITCH DRIVERS!

Measure Block Speed: The way airlines do it. Portal-to-portal distance/time. Average speed is different, it is the speed while travelling. Block speed includes pit stops, stops for lunch, etc.

Timing: Spring and fall are best. Weekdays are best. Start just before sun-up. Avoid crossing any urban areas during rush hour. Avoid holidays, spring break, etc.

Food: What teriyaki beef jerky was invented for! Avoid greasy gut bombs. Franchise fast food is boring, but it is fast. And safe. Staph food poisoning is no fun. You will have to stop. You will have to stop a lot.

Speed: IF you know your tire pressures, and otherwise maintain your car, there are plenty of lonely places in the southwest where it is reasonable and prudent to choose your personal velocity, given only that you excercise all due respect for any others on the road. I once crossed NV 50 when it was still posted 55MPH. It was sunny, dry and empty. I would pass at least one car every hour or so. I felt like my assessment of the current local conditions was way more relevant than that from some faceless bureaucrat in DC, made during the Nixon administration. So I kept in under 110.

At 55 the jackrabbits were passing me on the right.

-ken-

[Mark Sedenquist]

Some added thoughts on the excellent Blitz Drive post.

Judy's original post was re-organized and structured into one of our RoadTrip essays here: The Art of the Speed Run

CoPilot: So stop ever so briefly every two hours, stretch, walk around a bit, and SWITCH DRIVERS!

Generally, I agree with the policy -- but what I have found after 1,000,000+ miles or so, is that the sweet spot for me is blocks of driving time of approximately five hours.

Measure Block Speed: The way airlines do it. Portal-to-portal distance/time. Average speed is different, it is the speed while travelling. Block speed includes pit stops, stops for lunch, etc.

The rule of thumb we use here on this Forum is an average speed of 57 mph on western highways and 53 mph on eastern states over an eight-ten hour driving day (with rest & fuel stops).

Timing: Spring and fall are best. Weekdays are best. Start just before sun-up. Avoid crossing any urban areas during rush hour. Avoid holidays, spring break, etc.

Again, we are all different -- I find that my all-time-most-difficult period to drive is 6:45 am to 7:30 am (I always have to fight to keep my eyes open during this period -- it doesn't matter whether I have been on the road for six hours or six minutes -- these 45 minutes are impossible for me!

Food: What teriyaki beef jerky was invented for! Avoid greasy gut bombs. Franchise fast food is boring, but it is fast. And safe. Staph food poisoning is no fun. You will have to stop. You will have to stop a lot.

Dennis Weaver is our RoadFood Guru and his tips for fast and healthy roadfood are the best we have ever found. Here is an excellent primer on how to keep coolers the right temperature!

Mark