Do you? Did you ever?
Link: Sunday drive - Wikipedia
Sunday drive as in just driving to drive going wherever or nowhere in particular and seeing what you see along the way? Yeah, I do that from time to time. But it’s not always or probably even usually on a Sunday. And whereas in the past I’d more often start out in that fashion, nowadays it’s more likely that I will slip into Sunday drive mode after I have driven somewhere with the notion of doing something, and then either did it or given up on it, and then have some time to while away behind the wheel.
Rarely in the car, but often on the motorcycle. Usually don’t know where
I’m going. Sometimes I even get lost, which I don’t mind if I have plenty of gas.
Well, conceptually anyway. For many years, I was in the habit of doing long country drives just to get out and see all the scenery, quite often, but I never paid any particular attention to doing so specifically on Sunday. I had an odd work schedule for several years that included some weekend days on and some weekdays off, so I might just a well have gone gallivanting in mid-week.
I got out of the habit about 20 years ago; since then, I’ve done this only sporadically. I guess I kinda began to feel like I had seen all I needed to see of all the places within a reasonable day’s drive, and it began to be tiresome.
Within the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of traveling along on several “country drives”, if I may use the phrase very loosely, in various vehicles with other than four wheels, providing a very different view of the country scenery: Once in this, once in this, twice in this, and once in one similar to this.
As best I recall, one of those day-trips was indeed on a Sunday. On three of those excursions, we stopped to eat at conveniently located restaurants, the so-called “Hundred-dollar hamburger”. Although the so-called “hundred-dollar hamburger” might well actually be (and in one case was) a full meal at a full-service restaurant alongside I-5.
With no purpose at all? Only when I have a new car (there is a purpose I suppose, test driving the new car.) There are plenty of times where we feel we need to “get out of the house” and will go for a drive to do something, go to a playground with the kids or something like that, but it is not driving for driving’s sake.
I remember Sunday drives with my uncle. We ate at a restaurant after church services. Then took a drive in the country sunshine. I always disliked rainy Sundays because we went straight home.
I live in the city now. Genuine country roads are at least 30 minutes away. It just doesn’t make sense to drive and use that much gas.
That sounds almost poetic. Let me clean that up a bit
Sunday ride today
I don’t mind if I get lost
The gas tank is full.
Sometimes this - the gas use- and I feel a twinge of guilt. But then I think that part of being an informed citizen is to be familiar with your local surroundings, and driving out to see them is part of that. On a drive I almost always notice things I didn’t know before. So in that way it’s not only justifiable but you might say we have a responsibility to do these “Sunday” drives.
We did when I was a kid. It was usually to a restaurant “out there”, meaning at least 30 miles from home, possibly more. We’d take the interstate out there but the back roads on the way home. For my relatives it was their weekly outing.
In the Twin Cities the Grand Rounds parkways are popular, bonus points for a convertible and double bonus points for a classic car.
A Sunday driver stopped at our house one day and came up to the open garage with his wife. They were in their church clothes, dressed up all nice she in a dress, pumps, pearls and he in a suit and tie. About 85 years of age I’d say but quite spry. We had no idea who they were. Then he said we used to live here way back in the 60’s and would we mind if they took a look around? Of course we wanted to adopt them right away, and not sure if it was true or not, but why not, we gave them a tour. Turns out the guy took this crude summer lake cottage and built up a house. Had info about odd things we found over time and was quite knowledgeable about the house. Kicker was when he said his mother who they left waiting in the car (???), used to live in the one room shack next door, it’s literally a one stall garage that used to have a toilet in the lower level and an outdoor shower. Mom had to be 100, and out for a Sunday drive with the kids.
My husband would take a Sunday drive and depending on the vehicle he drove he would sometimes have someone follow him home to ask about the car/van/motorcycle. good people!
This, exactly, including sometimes getting lost. (And sometimes it’s a Saturday, not a Sunday.)
Today is Sunday. I’m in the Twin Cities. I have a classic convertible, and I’m about to force my SO to get out of the house with me. I think I know where I’m going.
No. I dislike driving and only do it when I have a destination in mind.
That’s something my grandparents used to do back in the day – mostly just on backroads. My mother told me she hated it, because they’d just drive around for hours and never go anywhere.
(My grandfather LOVED using old back roads. Whenever he’d come to pick me up when I was a kid, he never took the turnpike.)
I do it all the time including today already. I love driving and going down roads that I would normally never take. I even have a name for it - “The Art of the Cruise”.
You just turn on some music and start driving in a direction that will take you some place you have never been before. It mortifies my daughters when I blast some rap or heavy metal music, roll down the windows and cruise slowly by random people.
My family did this growing up, after church usually ending up at a restaurant. I loved it: taking “the back roads”, “going the long way”, and “drive around looking at big houses”. I was surprised to learn that not everyone did this, it seems kind of limiting. Now I do it on my motorbike so have to keep a weather eye out in case of rain.
We did it often when I was a kid, but we lived out in the boondocks anyway. Nowadays my wife and I ride our Vespas all over the valley whenever we can (depending on the weather and work schedules). Doesn’t have to be a Sunday. Usually we have some kind of route planned, but we let whim and whimsy override a planned route. Good times.
They’re no fun anymore, with the kids straight-jacketed into carseats with hand-held electronics., eyes below window-sill level. I learned most of what I knew about the world by standing up in he back seat of a '38 Pontiac, asking questions of the grown-ups in front.
My toddler doesn’t nap on the weekends unless we take her for long car drives.
I often wonder if that is how the concept of Sunday drives started. Some desperate parent trying to put their baby to sleep.