@f00l@JnKL@moonhat@phendrick When VW was doing buybacks, they offered me about 2.5x what it was worth. (It needed some fairly major body work.) I wanted to keep it anyway–it only had 50K miles at 7 years old–but my husband told me I’d be insane not to take the offer. He was right, probably, but the regular Jetta I replaced it with has been a disappointment. I loved loved loved my TDI.
@ahacksaw@f00l@moonhat@phendrick I have an 06 Jetta. I like it quite a bit. I happened to notice the odometer is sitting at 199,917 miles when I got home tonight.
I drove five 3400 mile trips between April and July last year. Four of them solo. I would have died without Audible.
And yes, by the time I reached my destination on the fourth, and only non-solo trip, I was pining for the solitude of those many thousands of solo miles.
@macromeh@ruouttaurmind if you go on the main highway past the “time zone” sign where you go back an hour, then take the next exit, use the dirt side-road with no signs on it and go back, then get on the same highway and go past the time zone sign again, you will now be back two hours. keep doing it until you are at the time you want. or out of gas.
@pmarin I like this in concept. But if I do this enough times will my wrinkles fade and my knees stop hurting?
Also, since I’m going back an hour on each circuit, and I had a full tank an hour ago, wouldn’t I essentially have a full tank ad infinitum as long as I keep repeating that circuit?
@smigit2002 You could have just had SEVERAL cups of tea for a similar affect…with the additional advantage of an excuse to stop every hour to take a wizz.
I like taking road trips by myself. I can stop when I want and look at different attractions, drive as long as I want, sleep wherever. But definitely have to have good music and audible and money to sport the trip.
I’d like my music players (iBasso and, yes, a Zune, with the music not yet consolidated on the iBasso) with music and podcasts on my phone. I have trouble concentrating on audio books while I am paying attention to the road. In the “old days,” which you youngsters are not familiar with, I would have wanted a good set of maps.
@OnionSoup
That reminds me of the old joke:
I want to die quietly in my sleep like my uncle Jim… Not screaming and crying like the passengers on his bus…
According to Urban Dictionary, which is
right up there with the OED in my extensive array of floor to ceiling barrister bookcases: “sold - the past tense of the verb you call someone when they sell out, meaning they messed something up for a great amount of people”. meh would never suggest we listen to sellout jams on a road trip… or would they?? Damn you, meh, you’ve confounded us again.
@rockblossom bathrooms? That’s what big trees are for. If God didn’t want us pooping behind trees he wouldn’t have made trees so big.
/ For the record I’ve never actually pooped behind a tree… Peed many times but not actually pooped. But I carry a trowel and toilet paper with me for just such an emergency.
@macromeh@rockblossom sometimes you really need to dig them out if you haven’t been getting enough fibre…
… The trowel is to bury your poop. I have a hammock with mosquito net, a trowel, toilet paper, camp soap, first aid kit, blanket and towel in my car at all times.
Never actually used any of it besides the towel, soap and first aid kit other than when planned camping
@OnionSoup I carry an array of emergency stuff in my vehicle that I hope I never have to use. I had enough of camping and outdoor latrines during a couple of decades of Army life; and, I wasn’t born with the right equipment to pee on trees. These days, I like rest stops with nice bathrooms, motels with soft beds, and a button I can push for roadside assistance 24/7.
“female pee funnel”
Is a search phrase that works.
There are bunches of these available on amazon at and places like REI. I first saw them in outdoor/camping stores in the 1970’s.
I’ve seen these in sporting goods in some Walmarts also.
A little bit of cash, backup maps on paper, a few gallons of water (enough to drink AND refill your radiator), toilet paper, your own toiletries (hotel soaps are hit or miss).
A good road trip car. Something you can really open up while you’re running blocker for the semi truck carrying a pallet of Coors from Texarkana to Georgia.
I would say a good car is more important. I’ve been on so many road trips, but before I got the van, I would rent a car for the week instead of driving in my little Civic. Having leg room is worth it. And the trunk space. Because something changes in my brain when we are doing a road trip instead of flying and I pack pretty much everything.
@shaunanl That is why you might need a minivan or SUV then. It is really nice to have the space to “overpack”. Also to have enough space to lie down flat in the back for a nap or the night in a rest area.
Chocolate Banana Bread.
I would not call it a snack. It keeps you full and the chocolate keeps you going. Only problem is that it does not last very long unless you have a whole bunch.
@Kyeh I apologize, I do not have a recipe. I used to buy from a local bread franchise called Breadsmith.
I am pretty sure I can blame myself, gaining a few pounds, as I consumed this product every week. My local store closed down as they could not make a decent profit. Their bread variety was great and the quality was good. https://www.breadsmith.com/product/banana-chocolate-chip-dessert-bread/
@asplus Darn - they don’t have any stores in my state, but it does look good! Oh, well - that’s probably better for me because I can see why you’d consume a lot of it!
@Kyeh The omgchocolatedesserts does not look brown enough. Probably needs cocoa or dark chocolate in the recipe.
The a sassy spoon looks good but one would have to make it to see if it is decadent enough. They do add a half cup of cocoa powder.
If you can find the right decadence, plan on adding a pound on your weight ever so often.
@chienfou@f00l they are. Some of my best memories from those years are the silly trips we took. We once crossed two entire states taking nothing but back roads. No interstates or major highways allowed.
(Took the interstate home because we were tired by that point).
@chienfou@OnionSoup As a kid we did the Key West thing. My family was family camping on the coast in August south of Miami (can’t remember where) and on a whim decided to drive to the end of highway 1. Surprised it took so long though. I remember as a kid being impressed with the bridges in the keys.
@chienfou@Kidsandliz yeah, you hit Key Largo and you think "we’re here… Not much further to go… " But there is… There’s miles and miles of bridges and islands still to go.
Fortunately we hit the keys right as the sun was coming up so traffic was pretty light.
I’ve actually never been back so most of my time spent on the keys to this day has been spent just driving across the keys and back.
@chienfou@OnionSoup Years ago I worked on a “tall ship” that was there one winter. We’d sometimes go down (when chartered) to the Dry Tortugas and the fort there, the marine national park… Really beautiful places. I was really lucky to be able to do that.
@chienfou@f00l@OnionSoup One of my favorite vacations was by myself headed in general to Corning, NY. No reservations or specific plans to start. I drove off interstate until a sign caught my eye and stopped. So relaxing and nice to not worry about someone else for breaks or meals.
I would like to do it again. I looked into a couple bucket list destinations to fly and visit by myself last year. It was cost prohibitive plus trying to explain to the spouse that I would be fine alone. Right now I don’t have a good travel buddy. This year I had considered a family visit this fall but doubt I will be ready to venture away from home then.
@f00l Talks about going somewhere then when it comes down to it backs out. We went together twice and worried about home stuff instead of having a good time.
@f00l@kerryzero@speediedelivery Yes solo is nice. I did a lot of that when I lived in Europe. So nice to not have to take anyone else’s desires into consideration. When I did it youth hostel style there were plenty of people with the same idea for a day and so often I wasn’t alone, but other times everything I decided to do I did by myself. Never boring and usually fun.
I listen to Audible on a daily basis so referencing a tape gave me a good laugh. It’s almost like the writer of this poll is over 40. At least Meh is helping out our elderly.
However … I still do own a few books on tape. I forget which books, because they’re stuffed in a bin in the back of my closet And I haven’t looked at them in forever; last time I checked, I couldn’t find any digital source for these, and I’m too lazy to convert them. So I kept them.
You might wanna check out chirpbooks also. They put a tolerably good selection of digital audiobooks on extreme sale every day, rotating out. Unfortunately, they don’t put as many non-fiction titles into the sale selection as I would prefer to see.
BTW: i’m so far past 40 that I can’t see it in the rearview mirror; but somehow I came across audible decades ago, long before the amazon buyout.
and my audible library is … ah … stupid-big.
But you have a point: I started with books on tape, and migrated as tech changed. People under 40 may have never even seen a book on tape, unless they go to garage sales.
@viktore just be careful if you head East of Colorado. i was stopped twice in my truck & camper driving East across country, once in MO and next day in TN. I had WA plates. each time they were hoping for large quantities of something. and I said I didn’t have anything, which was true. once they said, hey, if it’s just a bit, you know, that’s OK. but I really didn’t. once they asked “if we had a dog search your truck, would he find anything?” and I said, yes he’d find my cat, and the cat would be pretty upset!
A road.
@awk And a vehicle.
@awk @macromeh
/youtube taking it easy
Is option 5 supposed to say “solid jams”?
@hammi99
Nope. You need to sell your jams so they don’t go bad while you’re away.
@DVDBZN oic. But what about fridge?
@hammi99
Fridge is coming on the road trip. Duh.
MONEY
Sold jams are much safer than the alternative, stolen jams.
@Ambiverbal Or the unspeakable: given jams… shudder
Nobody needs gasoline?
@phendrick
Diesel
@f00l @phendrick yay for diesel!
@f00l @moonhat @phendrick I second that diesel cheer! VW TDI here.
@phendrick Or electricity??
@f00l @JnKL @moonhat @phendrick SIgh. I miss my Jetta TDI so much.
@ahacksaw @f00l @JnKL @phendrick Hack, where did it go? JnKL, what kind of TDI do you have? I have a beetle. Did you get the fix or do without?
@f00l @JnKL @moonhat @phendrick When VW was doing buybacks, they offered me about 2.5x what it was worth. (It needed some fairly major body work.) I wanted to keep it anyway–it only had 50K miles at 7 years old–but my husband told me I’d be insane not to take the offer. He was right, probably, but the regular Jetta I replaced it with has been a disappointment. I loved loved loved my TDI.
@ahacksaw @JnKL @moonhat @phendrick
My TDI is pre-scandal.
@ahacksaw @f00l @moonhat @phendrick I have an 06 Jetta. I like it quite a bit. I happened to notice the odometer is sitting at 199,917 miles when I got home tonight.
@ahacksaw @f00l @JnKL @moonhat 83 more miles, and then you throw it a PAR-TEE?
@ahacksaw @JnKL @moonhat @phendrick
I got a bit over 81k till the next round number par-tay.
I’ll start stocking up.
@ahacksaw @f00l @JnKL @moonhat Just buying fuel might be the party. Wonder what it will cost by then?
A book on tape, although it hasn’t been on tape for decades.
An excuse not to go.
I drove five 3400 mile trips between April and July last year. Four of them solo. I would have died without Audible.
And yes, by the time I reached my destination on the fourth, and only non-solo trip, I was pining for the solitude of those many thousands of solo miles.
@ruouttaurmind You should try a different map app - I drove between April and July in only 2700 miles.
@macromeh Sure, but I made the trip from April to July and back 5 times! You should try a different calendar app. Or a time machine?
/giphy back to the future
@macromeh @ruouttaurmind if you go on the main highway past the “time zone” sign where you go back an hour, then take the next exit, use the dirt side-road with no signs on it and go back, then get on the same highway and go past the time zone sign again, you will now be back two hours. keep doing it until you are at the time you want. or out of gas.
@pmarin I like this in concept. But if I do this enough times will my wrinkles fade and my knees stop hurting?
Also, since I’m going back an hour on each circuit, and I had a full tank an hour ago, wouldn’t I essentially have a full tank ad infinitum as long as I keep repeating that circuit?
@pmarin @ruouttaurmind
I just wanna know:
In that case, is your mom backseat driving with you for all of time/distance infinity?
Now that’s a real journey.
@f00l
Coffee and AC.
Solid Jams.
Also, coffee.
@PocketBrain
/youtube KLF What Time is Love?
I prefer not to have podcasts or company.
Solo drove 5 students from Baltimore to Kansas City for a conference last year. I listened to SO MUCH Reply All.
Good snacks would have been nice. Unfortunately I packed some of that caffeine gum. Not my cup of tea.
@smigit2002 You could have just had SEVERAL cups of tea for a similar affect…with the additional advantage of an excuse to stop every hour to take a wizz.
@smigit2002 that’s a sold podcast
Coffee and no one else in the car
I like taking road trips by myself. I can stop when I want and look at different attractions, drive as long as I want, sleep wherever. But definitely have to have good music and audible and money to sport the trip.
Fenris, duh!
@PooltoyWolf who needs airbags when you have pool toys?
@OnionSoup This airbag is almost big enough to be the vehicle!
@PooltoyWolf I take it you don’t keep all your pool toys inflated and in the pool at the same time…
@OnionSoup That has happened at least once.
@OnionSoup @PooltoyWolf
Pix pls!
@f00l @OnionSoup None on this phone, but I do have this one.
@OnionSoup @PooltoyWolf
/giphy Cartoon beating heart
@f00l @OnionSoup Hahaha!
No back seat drivers!
Plenty of sleep and a full tank of gas.
A car or truck???
I’d like my music players (iBasso and, yes, a Zune, with the music not yet consolidated on the iBasso) with music and podcasts on my phone. I have trouble concentrating on audio books while I am paying attention to the road. In the “old days,” which you youngsters are not familiar with, I would have wanted a good set of maps.
All of the above except the company.
A good nap whilst I’m driving.
@OnionSoup
That reminds me of the old joke:
I want to die quietly in my sleep like my uncle Jim… Not screaming and crying like the passengers on his bus…
According to Urban Dictionary, which is
right up there with the OED in my extensive array of floor to ceiling barrister bookcases: “sold - the past tense of the verb you call someone when they sell out, meaning they messed something up for a great amount of people”. meh would never suggest we listen to sellout jams on a road trip… or would they?? Damn you, meh, you’ve confounded us again.
@kerryzero I dunno. They might be good jams.
@InnocuousFarmer touché
@InnocuousFarmer @kerryzero great album. Loved that CD case.
@InnocuousFarmer @kerryzero @RiotDemon
/image solid jams
@kerryzero
One of the really good hard side coolers and a bunch of stainless steel double wall beverage/water bottles.
streaming music and iheart radio for the news and weather stuff.
A destination, a route with bathrooms, a sense of direction, fuel, sleep, and empty passenger seats.
@rockblossom bathrooms? That’s what big trees are for. If God didn’t want us pooping behind trees he wouldn’t have made trees so big.
/ For the record I’ve never actually pooped behind a tree… Peed many times but not actually pooped. But I carry a trowel and toilet paper with me for just such an emergency.
/giphy pooping behind a tree
@OnionSoup @rockblossom Is the trowel for the particularly nasty cleanups?
@macromeh @rockblossom sometimes you really need to dig them out if you haven’t been getting enough fibre…
… The trowel is to bury your poop. I have a hammock with mosquito net, a trowel, toilet paper, camp soap, first aid kit, blanket and towel in my car at all times.
Never actually used any of it besides the towel, soap and first aid kit other than when planned camping
@OnionSoup I carry an array of emergency stuff in my vehicle that I hope I never have to use. I had enough of camping and outdoor latrines during a couple of decades of Army life; and, I wasn’t born with the right equipment to pee on trees. These days, I like rest stops with nice bathrooms, motels with soft beds, and a button I can push for roadside assistance 24/7.
@OnionSoup @rockblossom
Female Urination Device,Reusable Silicone Female Urinal Foolproof Women Pee Funnel Allows Women to Pee Standing Up,Women’s Urinal with Drawstring Bags is The Perfect Companion for Travel and Outdoor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YPJ9BNJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LOGdFbPSP74XF
“female pee funnel”
Is a search phrase that works.
There are bunches of these available on amazon at and places like REI. I first saw them in outdoor/camping stores in the 1970’s.
I’ve seen these in sporting goods in some Walmarts also.
A little bit of cash, backup maps on paper, a few gallons of water (enough to drink AND refill your radiator), toilet paper, your own toiletries (hotel soaps are hit or miss).
A full tank of gas and half a pack of cigarettes.
/image Blues-Brothers
@w3kn Hit it!
A good road trip car. Something you can really open up while you’re running blocker for the semi truck carrying a pallet of Coors from Texarkana to Georgia.
@j37hr0
Cleedus, is that you?
Whats your 20?
@j37hr0 @mike808 Eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’
@j37hr0 @mike808 trivia question. When Westbound, the next line is different. what is it?
I would say a good car is more important. I’ve been on so many road trips, but before I got the van, I would rent a car for the week instead of driving in my little Civic. Having leg room is worth it. And the trunk space. Because something changes in my brain when we are doing a road trip instead of flying and I pack pretty much everything.
@shaunanl That is why you might need a minivan or SUV then. It is really nice to have the space to “overpack”. Also to have enough space to lie down flat in the back for a nap or the night in a rest area.
Chocolate Banana Bread.
I would not call it a snack. It keeps you full and the chocolate keeps you going. Only problem is that it does not last very long unless you have a whole bunch.
@asplus Recipe?? Please?
@Kyeh I apologize, I do not have a recipe. I used to buy from a local bread franchise called Breadsmith.
I am pretty sure I can blame myself, gaining a few pounds, as I consumed this product every week. My local store closed down as they could not make a decent profit. Their bread variety was great and the quality was good.
https://www.breadsmith.com/product/banana-chocolate-chip-dessert-bread/
That’s @OnionSoup’s fault.
@asplus Darn - they don’t have any stores in my state, but it does look good! Oh, well - that’s probably better for me because I can see why you’d consume a lot of it!
@asplus I did find a couple of recipes online - don’t know if they’re as good, but worth a try maybe!
https://omgchocolatedesserts.com/chocolate-chip-banana-bread/
https://asassyspoon.com/chocolate-banana-bread/
@Kyeh The omgchocolatedesserts does not look brown enough. Probably needs cocoa or dark chocolate in the recipe.
The a sassy spoon looks good but one would have to make it to see if it is decadent enough. They do add a half cup of cocoa powder.
If you can find the right decadence, plan on adding a pound on your weight ever so often.
@Kyeh (un)fortunately they closed down near my house. I was their customer as long we were near each other, a few pounds was the only question.
@asplus Hah, good thing I’m pretty lazy when it comes to baking! But if I try it out sometime and get good results I’ll post about it.
Lysol wipes and spray.
Lots of my well water in bottles, fresh coffee in my thermos, and some peanut butter and honey on whole wheat sandwiches (they keep a loooong time).
@yeld I love PB & Honey. Highly underrated.
@Fuzzalini @yeld Agreed!
A destination
@chienfou
How bout just going along for the journey?
/youtube tambourine man
@chienfou back in University we would sometimes hit the road and just travel until we felt like stopping.
One day we ended up heading South. 16 and something hours later we were in Key West.
Took a quick nap on the beach and then took the road home.
@chienfou @OnionSoup
Aren’t those the very best trips of all?
/youtube truckin’
@chienfou @f00l they are. Some of my best memories from those years are the silly trips we took. We once crossed two entire states taking nothing but back roads. No interstates or major highways allowed.
(Took the interstate home because we were tired by that point).
@chienfou @OnionSoup As a kid we did the Key West thing. My family was family camping on the coast in August south of Miami (can’t remember where) and on a whim decided to drive to the end of highway 1. Surprised it took so long though. I remember as a kid being impressed with the bridges in the keys.
@chienfou @Kidsandliz yeah, you hit Key Largo and you think "we’re here… Not much further to go… " But there is… There’s miles and miles of bridges and islands still to go.
Fortunately we hit the keys right as the sun was coming up so traffic was pretty light.
I’ve actually never been back so most of my time spent on the keys to this day has been spent just driving across the keys and back.
@chienfou @OnionSoup Years ago I worked on a “tall ship” that was there one winter. We’d sometimes go down (when chartered) to the Dry Tortugas and the fort there, the marine national park… Really beautiful places. I was really lucky to be able to do that.
@chienfou @f00l @OnionSoup One of my favorite vacations was by myself headed in general to Corning, NY. No reservations or specific plans to start. I drove off interstate until a sign caught my eye and stopped. So relaxing and nice to not worry about someone else for breaks or meals.
I would like to do it again. I looked into a couple bucket list destinations to fly and visit by myself last year. It was cost prohibitive plus trying to explain to the spouse that I would be fine alone. Right now I don’t have a good travel buddy. This year I had considered a family visit this fall but doubt I will be ready to venture away from home then.
@chienfou @OnionSoup @speediedelivery
Spouse won’t/can’t go? Or were you seeking a solo journey?
@f00l Talks about going somewhere then when it comes down to it backs out. We went together twice and worried about home stuff instead of having a good time.
@f00l @speediedelivery the solo journeys are so good; can very much relate.
@f00l @kerryzero @speediedelivery Yes solo is nice. I did a lot of that when I lived in Europe. So nice to not have to take anyone else’s desires into consideration. When I did it youth hostel style there were plenty of people with the same idea for a day and so often I wasn’t alone, but other times everything I decided to do I did by myself. Never boring and usually fun.
“A book on tape” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!
I listen to Audible on a daily basis so referencing a tape gave me a good laugh. It’s almost like the writer of this poll is over 40. At least Meh is helping out our elderly.
@RedHot
That was an amusing poll choice.
However … I still do own a few books on tape. I forget which books, because they’re stuffed in a bin in the back of my closet And I haven’t looked at them in forever; last time I checked, I couldn’t find any digital source for these, and I’m too lazy to convert them. So I kept them.
You might wanna check out chirpbooks also. They put a tolerably good selection of digital audiobooks on extreme sale every day, rotating out. Unfortunately, they don’t put as many non-fiction titles into the sale selection as I would prefer to see.
BTW: i’m so far past 40 that I can’t see it in the rearview mirror; but somehow I came across audible decades ago, long before the amazon buyout.
and my audible library is … ah … stupid-big.
But you have a point: I started with books on tape, and migrated as tech changed. People under 40 may have never even seen a book on tape, unless they go to garage sales.
WEED
E
E
D
@viktore just be careful if you head East of Colorado. i was stopped twice in my truck & camper driving East across country, once in MO and next day in TN. I had WA plates. each time they were hoping for large quantities of something. and I said I didn’t have anything, which was true. once they said, hey, if it’s just a bit, you know, that’s OK. but I really didn’t. once they asked “if we had a dog search your truck, would he find anything?” and I said, yes he’d find my cat, and the cat would be pretty upset!
Credit card preferably one someone else pays the bill. You can buy everything else you need.