Seven by myself. After that my heel starts to hurt.
I’m a light weight. I can’t drive more than four hours, I had a friend who used to live out of state, with out going numb and wanting to sleep. As most of you know, I don’t care for driving. Even when others drive, after three or four hours, I fell asleep.
If I’ve got a companion and we make stops along the way, 8 hours behind the wheel is my max.
If I’m alone, I’m only good for about 4. Pittsburgh to Baltimore (or Buffalo or Columbus or Elkins, WV) in a day is about all I can manage.
I’ve never tried longer than 4 and even then I want to punch myself in the face. I could probably make it to 6, but any more than that and heads would roll.
On a road trip with people, I’m good switching every few hours and doing 12-16 hours. By myself, however, anything over an hour and I’m so bored I’m zoning out completely and have trouble paying proper attention.
I just did a solo road trip and drove 23 hours straight. I was tired the last couple, tho, so I’d have to say that about 20 hours is a reasonable driving period for me.
At work, I am limited to 11 hours within a 14 hour period, then need to be off duty for 10 before I can drive again. Driving for pleasure, it depends. I have done 12-14 to get somewhere at a particular time, but if I am not in a hurry, I will do a lot of stopping to site see (especially National Parks) and only manage 6-8 hours.
By myself - 10-12 hours. In my younger days I actually made the trip from Sedro Woolley, WA to Redlands, CA in one mad 18 hour dash. I averaged over 70 mph for the trip, including gas, food and off-loading of excess liquids.
Most we’ve ever done at a stretch is 14, usually stopping every 3 hours or so to switch off drivers or take breaks.
I find road trips with more than 3 people to be a pain in the ass. 3 seems to be the magic number where everyone has enough room in the car, it doesn’t take 20 exits to agree on where to stop to eat, and you can go a long time before someone needs a bathroom.
Did 13 by myself once. I was seeing things by the end and though I could have gone on it didn’t seem wise.
Whatever the time is between my house and my brother’s house in Vermont. This means that from door to door can range from 8.5 hours to 10 total depending on what horrors the Jersey Turnpike holds for me. Subtract about 45 minutes for various stops. My drive home from college was a similar trip except it was SC to Maryland. Normally hit that 8 hours even.
I’ve never tried to drive further than that, because I have no issues with flying to my further flung destinations. Whoops, just remembered the summer I drove to Maine. Up on Thursday back on Sunday. That was brutal on my back, but the driving part itself is fine.
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I hate stopping and will do 20+ with nothing but stops for gas. I guess you could say thats pushing it, however and not what you are interested in.
I once did Reno to Denver, did my business, and started back. Didn’t stop till Grand Junction, where I ate for the first time. Took off again and finally had to stop to take a nap just back inside Nevada.
I’ve done shit like this a few times. Reno-New Jersey and back in 4 1/2 days. That was kinda ugly. Rain and snow all the east and most of the way back.
12-15 is a piece of cake.
I love to drive, especially solo. I’ve done California-NC several times both solo and with family. Early April, I spent $350 on one way airfare just for the chance to relocate a friend’s car from Phoenix to North Carolina (Sweet Audi, I might add.)
Two of my Facebook posts from that trip will share my approach:
[QUOTE=Jammer on Facebook]
Time for some sleep. Set some new personal records for solo driving today. 1,146 miles in one run. Just short of 17 hours in the saddle for an average of about 68 miles an hour including stops. Climate during day ranged from 36 degrees in the higher altitudes of Arizona to 86 in the Oklahoma plains. Tomorrow will be a piece of cake now…Mississippi and Smokey Mountains!
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Jammer on Facebook]
So, the final stats for the Great Solo Cross Country Audi Relocation of 2011! 2,147 total miles including the final drive from the car drop in Charlote back home. 31 hours and 14 minutes of driving time and 38 hours 47 minutes total elapsed time. Average speed 68.7 miles an hour includes all stops and the traffic jam on I-85 last night.
[/QUOTE]
Solo, I would rarely do less than 16 hours if the trip is long enough for that. With the wife and kids, we usually stop at 12-14. NC to Disney every Christmas is nothing. But, my best friend flies anywhere more than 5 hours. I never really understood his distaste for the open road, but maybe I’m the crazy one.
Trip from Sydney to parents farm is 950km (590 miles) will do that in a bout over 9 hours with one stop for fuel. Done this return trip 3-4 times per year for the last 20 odd years.
I’ve done about 15 hours once or twice in the past but I wouldn’t want to do it again. Now, I’d probably shoot for about 12 hours of actual driving per day, with one break in the middle to get gas and to see a man about a piss. I’ve done that many times in the past without a problem, though I haven’t had call to make such a long trip in several years.
The idea of switching drivers doesn’t appeal to me. I neither like nor dislike driving but I really don’t like being a passenger in a car when anyone else is driving.
When I did long drives, I tried to stop for ten minutes every two hours. Doing that, starting with my normal amount of rest, and consuming my normal amount of caffeine, I’d go for a bit more than a day before I’d feel the need to pull off and sleep. I found that starting just before sunset (if going east) or just after sunrise (if going west) worked best, squinting into the sun when tired never seems like a good idea to me.
These days, if I’m leaving New England, I fly. I don’t have the time to drive anywhere I’d actually want to go, and still be able to spend time there.
As for switching drivers, I drive til I need to sleep, then someone else can drive until they need to sleep; never had a second driver who could ride for a day, then drive for 6-8 hours, always end up pulling over somewhere to get a nap. Weirdly, I sleep better in a moving car than a still one.
I find the frequent, short breaks are more useful than fewer longer ones, too. Just get out, stretch everything out, get some fresh air, get a drink or empty your bladder, then back at it.
My last trip cross-country I kept up at least 16 hours a day. Coffee, no breaks except gas. I was 30 at the time, but not all that healthy, and hungover when I started. I think it helped that I was going solo, and didn’t really care to stop or see anyone or anything, and was leaving a place and person I didn’t much care for anymore. I did lay over a day or two in Missoula just for kicks. It was a good trip, even though I was getting I’m sure what was awful gas mileage speeding through S. Dak. and all that stuff in the middle.
I didn’t notice a fellow hungover-starting driver above. Way to be!
I would be the world’s worst cross country driver - would take me weeks and weeks.
Problem is, I get really antsy sitting in a car longer than 4 hours per day, period.
From LA to SF, I insisted we stop and stay overnight half way there.
I was usually barely able to make it from LA to Vegas.
I donno, I guess I get bored easily, but driving for over four hours is just not something I can do.
I also get antsy when flying over three hours in a plane - which made for interesting flights to and from Europe. Always envious of those who can sleep on a plane and awaken refreshed when arriving…I always arrive looking like I have been on a three day bender, but feel I have to stay awake in case the pilot needs me.
Never had to do more than eight: Schenectady to Washington DC.