The Road to PAX: Bakersfield to San Jose

This was originally going to be a much longer trip, but alas. Regardless, I had the pleasure of driving the four hours or so from Bakersfield to San Jose in a permanent state of "windows down." The journey from the valley to the bay area is mostly uneventful, but it gets pretty neat near the end.

My Current Car

I don't have much experience shopping for vehicles. My first car was a hand-me-down, and my second vehicle was purchased for me without my knowledge.

All of the experience I have with shopping for cars comes from my current vehicle.

Crossing the Pacific

As this blog post goes up, I'll be crossing the ocean toward Japan.

I've already discussed my Japan trip in another blog post, so I'm not going to go into it too much here. Instead, let's talk about airplanes as a mode of transportation.

How to Not Die On a Road Trip: Stimulation

The key to surviving a long road trip involves long hours of constant stimulation followed by a sizable rest. The driving itself is incredibly easy since there are considerably fewer obstacles on the Interstate than there are when driving around town. This guide instead focuses on more advanced skills for survival.

Let's begin with stimulation:

As your vehicle hurdles down the highway at 70 MPH you will find yourself, against all logic, becoming bored. Yes, although you will be traveling at speeds that would not impress but terrify owners of early automobiles, your hunk of modern automotive engineering renders that feat unimpressive.

So, you will need to find ways to entertain yourself, paradoxically distracting yourself from the road in order to better pay attention to the road. Here are some of my suggestions:

• Audio stimulation: Almost everyone listens to the radio while driving. This is that, but yo might need to go into it with a bit of planning. You see, there's nothing like an 8 hour drive to remind you that there's only, like, 10 songs on the radio. My solution is to come prepared with a selection of podcasts and my own playlists of music I can sing to,  switching back and forth depending on my mood and tiredness levels. Singing keeps me alert better than podcasts, but eventually my voice gets tired, so I need to strike a balance or risk losing my voice.
• Eating: This is one of the most dangerous balances to strike. You should, of course, never eat a meal while driving. However, even if you stop too eat a meal at a restaurant you still run the risk of the It is. A heavy meal will make you drowsy, which is not a good state to be in while driving. One alternative is to simply go hungry during a road trip until you're at or close to your destination or resting place. Another is to snack lightly throughout the day. One of the most effective ways to stay alert for a decent stretch is to drive hungry with the "goal" of finding someplace to eat. Focusing your mind on the secondary task of finding someplace to eat acts as a sort of game/survival instinct hybrid that can keep you on your toes for hours if done right. Being hungry hurts, though.
• Using the bathroom: Simply put, pit stops serve a purpose other than simply emptying your bladder. Savor them. Take a look around the gas station or rest area and allow your eyes a rest from looking at the road. At a certain point, any stimulation becomes a god-send.
• Change it up: The most important thing to remember when keeping yourself alert is change. Driving during the day is good for this in some places since sometimes beautiful scenery around you can keep you alert. Sometimes it's as simple as changing the radio station, even if you were kind of enjoying the one you were listening to. Any change requires the mind to process it, which is in the end the most important thing.

As far as rest goes, that's actually what I'm about to do right now. It's late, and I've been rambling about everything I've basically been doing all day. Perhaps I'll discuss resting tactics some other time.

Travels, and a Defense of Rest Areas as a Hotel Alternative

Today I'll be driving from my ancestral home of Louisiana on the way to National Harbor, Maryland, where MAGfest will take place.

Road trips, it turns out, are one of my weird strengths. I enjoy them, insofar as I enjoy any mostly-mindless task that allows me to listen to music and podcasts for hours at a time.

My first major road trip ever was just a little over five years ago, for my first ever Starmen.Net convention in Chicago. Technically it was Michigan City, Indiana, but it was driving distance to Chicago. That was where I first met several of the people I work with today, and that combination fear/excitement fueled the 15 hour drive.

I only remember two things from that trip: a fancy Burger King with table service and free Wi-Fi (a luxury in the olden days of 2008) and the endless, boring fields of whatever they grow in most of Illinois. I don't even remember sleeping. Did I sleep? I know that it was late afternoon when I arrived at the con house. I must have slept at a rest stop somewhere. It's an ongoing habit.

Speaking of which, I feel it's worth defending my tendency to sleep at rest stops. If you have a vehicle in which you can stretch out and sleep comfortably, there's really no reason to get a hotel. The van I'm in right now, for instance, is plenty wide enough for me to sleep in one of the back seats. If you need a shower, you can probably get one at a truck stop. (I'm guessing here. I've never used a truck stop shower.)

There are several reasons I would not sleep at a rest stop, however. Most of these are from lessons learned from experience. If I'm traveling with a companion, for instance, a hotel is probably worthwhile. Likewise, if there's no comfortable place to stretch out and sleep due to a small vehicle (my car) or a full van (filled with PAX stuff), a hotel is pretty much necessary.

Over time I've developed quite a few road trip habits, but I don't think I'll go into them all right now. I've got 365 blogs to write next year, starting tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll be desperate for material at some point, if not constantly.