# How Long has it been since you drove a Gravel or Dirt Road? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 12, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628 "2011-05-12T05:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/61 "2011-05-13T13:51:32Z")
Yesterday afternoon. Lots of gravel roads in Eastern Ontario… ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/62 "2011-05-13T14:13:52Z")
Last week, donuts with Attacklad screaming in the back and the Offspring on the radio. I love how all the Canadians are chiming in with some variation on ‘recently’. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/63 "2011-05-13T14:20:54Z")
All the time. I chose the road less traveled. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/64 "2011-05-15T00:32:23Z")
About a month. It is not a daily experience for me. But I live in Colorado. And if you are going to take full advantage of the outdoor opportunities Colorado offers, you are going to have leave the pavement. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/65 "2011-05-15T00:56:36Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Speaking of which: over the last few years some of the gravel roads are being replaced with a type of gravel that compacts into an asphalt-like base after many compressions from vehicles. What’s this stuff called? Milling up old asphalt and replacing it with new is very popular here, and one can buy the milling byproduct, which is like asphalt crumbles, if you will. We put some on our driveway. It does “set up” very nicely because it has a lot of fines in it. My only complaint is that the individual ‘rocks’ are very light and they are easy to get picked up in your tire treads, or track into the house. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/66 "2011-05-15T01:58:55Z")
I drive them all the time here in Panama. Many of the roads off the main roads are gravel (if you’re lucky; mud if you’re not). I last drove on one probably a few weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/67 "2011-05-15T02:34:01Z")
What do you consider a substantial distance? The first three miles of my daily drive is county maintained gravel road. The other 17 are paved. We like snow because it fills in the pot holes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/68 "2011-05-15T03:29:21Z")
I drive on unpaved roads several times a week. To reach some of my clients, I have to ford a creek or two in my car. Fun times! ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/69 "2011-05-15T03:58:26Z")
Our driveway is a quarter mile long. It is gravel/dirt, and full of potholes. So to answer the question, I drive on a gravel/dirt “road” roughly twice per day. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/70 "2011-05-16T00:53:03Z")
A lot of the county roads around here are gravel. There’s a lot of land still used for farming and ranching, and they’re cheaper to maintain. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/71 "2011-05-16T01:08:50Z")
For some folks between Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie, the question would be: “When was the last time you boated down a gravel road?” ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/72 "2011-05-16T01:32:04Z")
Three weeks. If I succeed in moving to Colorado, it’ll be more often. I like going places you can only get to in a Jeep. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/73 "2011-05-16T04:04:45Z")
I live on one… ::: shrug :::: ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/74 "2011-05-16T22:51:51Z")
_looks outside at dirt road_ Um…yeah. Though it’s a very short dirt road. There are much longer ones around, I live in the middle of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/75 "2011-05-16T23:03:15Z")
I drive dirt and gravel roads every day. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/76 "2011-05-16T23:46:18Z")
5 hours ago. Do it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/77 "2011-05-16T23:51:40Z")
Everytime I leave my house. 2 miles on dirt (not gravel) to the gravel road, continue on gravel 1 1/2 miles to pavement. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/78 "2011-05-17T01:55:00Z")
Today and every day. Your poll assumes that everyone on this board lives on a paved road; that dirt roads are, at best, a thing of the past You need to get out past the 'burbs now and again. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/79 "2011-05-17T02:47:14Z")
Recently. While I live in suburbia, I particpate in the sport of Rally. Most events are on gravel roads. They can be hell on suspension, but they are a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-drove-a-gravel-or-dirt-road/581628/80 "2011-05-17T03:50:19Z")
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