# I'll be driving halfway across the country... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2008, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ill-be-driving-halfway-across-the-country/475365 "2008-12-02T17:33:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ill-be-driving-halfway-across-the-country/475365/41 "2008-12-05T01:36:27Z")
I drove from Portland, ME to San Francisco, CA in a Honda Civic, with no CD player, loaded with most of everything I owned, trunk, backseat, passenger seat. Other than making sure the car was all serviced up and planning a half assed route with an atlas, I pretty much just pointed in the direction I wanted to go and pressed the little pedal. I had relatives in Buffalo for the first leg, after that I just planned on an easy sort of “work day” of driving. 8 hours and I’d find a Motel 8 and hang it up for the day. I had a little map of all the Motel 8’s in the country, so it was easy to estimate a decent day of driving. I ended up mixing it up a little – doing a short day so I didn’t have to negotiate the Motel 8 in downtown Chicago. And across the plains, by then I was just used to it and I’d end up putting in a 10 hour day of driving just because it was easier than stopping. So I didn’t push things. Did like Gump and stopped when I was tired, and sooner or later … what do you know … I made it to where I was going. I’m sure the OP will too. ---
**Author:** ![WomanofScorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@WomanofScorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WomanofScorn)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ill-be-driving-halfway-across-the-country/475365/42 "2008-12-06T15:54:25Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I almost forgot; have you made arrangements for someone to send food to you in New Jersey? Barbecue, okra, fried green tomatoes, things like that? Well… no. I’ve never been a fan of southern food. I’ve been here for 9 years, but never became a fan of it. Although I must say, it’s the first time I ever had chicken and dumplings, and I LOVE that. > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I drove from Portland, ME to San Francisco, CA in a Honda Civic, with no CD player, loaded with most of everything I owned, trunk, backseat, passenger seat. > > Other than making sure the car was all serviced up and planning a half assed route with an atlas, I pretty much just pointed in the direction I wanted to go and pressed the little pedal. > > I had relatives in Buffalo for the first leg, after that I just planned on an easy sort of “work day” of driving. 8 hours and I’d find a Motel 8 and hang it up for the day. I had a little map of all the Motel 8’s in the country, so it was easy to estimate a decent day of driving. I ended up mixing it up a little – doing a short day so I didn’t have to negotiate the Motel 8 in downtown Chicago. And across the plains, by then I was just used to it and I’d end up putting in a 10 hour day of driving just because it was easier than stopping. > > So I didn’t push things. Did like Gump and stopped when I was tired, and sooner or later … what do you know … I made it to where I was going. > > I’m sure the OP will too. You have balls of steel. Me, not so much. I’m still nervous about it all, but I have to do it. I just want to make it there in one piece. Me and my car. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ill-be-driving-halfway-across-the-country/475365.md?page=2)