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6 May 2001, 04:35 (Ref:89554) | #1 | ||
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What to do on a long trip
The most important things to do on a long trip is to avoid getting tired or worse to lose your concentration.
I am sure Ray has done many long trips, and he can give you his tips next. Here are mine to keep me alert. I found out that the most important thing for me is not to eat much food at all because that makes me sleepy almost immediately. So I always start off with a very light meal, toast and tea, and have light snacks on the way. I eat jelly beans because I love them, and I also stop quite often for coffee. If espresso is not available, then the ready made cappucino will do for me, plus sugar. McDonalds are a godsend along the route, because they have excellent french fries, AND most importantly, they have the cleanest loos. I like to have my favourite CD's in the cassette, and I enjoy Alabama and my wife loves Bocelli. Never wait until you are tired before looking for a place to stop. Some of the stops off the highway are a bit out of the way, and I don't like these; could be dangerous. Two or three hour stints with a good stop in between is not a bad idea. Losing a quarter or half an hour for a rest might make some people think they are not getting that mileage per hour - I say "So what?" Who cares? I follow these practices, and enjoy my drive. For the record, I left Clayfield at 7.30 in the morning, mapped out my route to avoid the rush hour traffic in Brisbane, and arrived in Cooma at half past midnight. Of course, cruise control helped, because I didn't have to keep concentrating on my speed to avoid speeding - I just stayed at a constant speed at the speed limit. |
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6 May 2001, 23:32 (Ref:89800) | #2 | ||
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To be honest, I had not really thought about this in any depth - I guess there is just a subconcious plan that I have always used.
Sleep - the most important thing! If I have a long trip, I always plan to leave early in the morning. So early to bed the night before, making sure I get lots of sleep, then, like VB, Toast and a cup of tea is the perfect starter. (We would assume at this point, that the previous day, all tyre pressures had been checked, oil and water etc etc) Then I just drive. Longest stint I have done is Melbourne to Sydney. Maybe two/three stops along the way, and I never pack food, it always ends up that little bit warm and old - to keep the mind fresh, I like to stop and get fresh food and a cool drink. Once again I agree with VB here, jelly beans are the way to go for munchies along the drive. |
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7 May 2001, 00:50 (Ref:89816) | #3 | ||
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Over here we usually don't cover big distances (300-400 km, so there's n/p doing it in one go). I know many people who love making stops &c, but I prefer getting out of a car only on destination.
The biggest trip I've driven is night drive to Germany (600 km) during one night, conducting all the buissiness that I had to do over the day and night drive back; needless to say w/o any sleep over that period. And before you ask- I never had an accident in my life (only one 'controlled' spin). |
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7 May 2001, 04:58 (Ref:89830) | #4 | ||
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Not long ago, myself and a friend had to get ourselves home at 1 or 2am after a very long day at the Speedway up in Towoomba. Somehow we made it home, i think in a large part due to "Metalica S&M" blasting over the stereo for the trip home. Sure it ruined the stereo, but we made it home awake and in one piece
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13 May 2001, 11:57 (Ref:91732) | #5 | ||
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Yes, I agree with Valve Bounce on a light meal.. but I use Minties (alternating with choc coated peanuts) to while away the hours...
Boredom is the problem. Lots of it when you head across the plains west of the great divide... constantly changing the ventilation system, moving about in the seat, little things that help keep one awake. Strangely, I don't have a radio in my car (bought it from some people who are Brethren, they don't ever listen to radio or watch TV), so that's no help. McDonalds have those 30c cones, too... I do carry food and lollies, always. Crisps, maybe peanuts, can keep on nibbling when I want. Picking up hitch-hikers is a good way of staying awake, too... or maybe taking someone with you. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with a monthly 1200km each way drive on my own lately, while other 200 to 400km trips are not unusual. Just a shame we can't put the old right boot down and get on with the job of getting there... |
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14 May 2001, 03:26 (Ref:92129) | #6 | ||
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Tapes tapes and more tapes. A wide variety for the swing of the mood, and I have found that comedy ones have been a nice change. A good selection of munchies, fruit or veges too so you don't get all dried out.
The "try to get the most gas mileage" game is always fun. Imagining that a given long downhill stretch is not in a speedlimited country and you are actually driving something that would relish a top speed run or two, and that you do not have two kids in the back seat. Back in my motorcycle days, there was always the trick of trying different hand positions; seeing how many 100's of revs you could pick up by lying prone, or by picking up a draft from a fast passing truck; could a tailwind give you a higher top speed than usual; using the dotted lines as an imaginary cone line to weave in and out (if getting sleepy) All kind of silly stuff to do, but hell, what else are you going to do sitting on a bike all day? All in all, for car drives, I have to come back to the ample choice of music, it's what works for me. |
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14 May 2001, 11:43 (Ref:92244) | #7 | ||
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I have lollies and CDs and if possible a passenger to talk to. And if I feel tired, pull over somewhere and have a good stretch, maybe eat something even after all those lollies.
Counting police cars on the way to Goulburn is a good game |
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14 May 2001, 13:56 (Ref:92311) | #8 | |
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hmm. well, i'm off to harrogate (2 and a half hours) on wednesday or thursday), and for munchies i'll have
pringles. a big momma bar of dairy milk. a chicken and tomato ketchup butty. for entertainment i will have 'halfway...' - fatboy slim album the may street project - shea seger (with 'clutch' on repeat) the ultimate driving tune - american dream - jakatta. prodigal sista - beverley knight. i shall sing my heart out and i always find watching for speed cameras and police cars is a pretty good way of staying awake. that and playing the age old guessing game 'how many miles to doncaster?' |
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14 May 2001, 15:31 (Ref:92334) | #9 | ||
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Best tip I've heard was from a workmate , when travelling round the M25 late at night she would shut a handful of her shoulderlength hair in the window and then if she dropped of the slightest nod of her head would pull her hair and wake her immediately - obviously that won't help the follicley challenged amongst you but a good tip for ladies and heavy metal fans........
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14 May 2001, 21:31 (Ref:92544) | #10 | ||
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I will be travelling down to Texas this weekend for a family reunion and to see my parents and sister. The trip is 290 miles and I will be leaving just after work Friday evening at 5:00pm. That puts me there between 9:30pm and 10:30pm if everything goes to plan. One year I did strike a 90 pound deer on the drive and nearly destroyed my truck. Adding four hours to your drive while you get your vehicle towed away and find someone who will rent you a car on a holiday in rural Oklahoma is a pain in the arse.
As sunset will be at about 8:30pm and the long work day I will measure my tiredness after leaving Tulsa. If I am tired or sleepy I will pull over at a rest area and get a 20 minute nap then press on. I always keep something caffeinated to drink, usually Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, and maybe a light snack. I don't eat much because it makes me drowsy. I drive mostly at night because it is generally cooler and more comfortable. I will usually listen to my CDs, especially when away from town. Old country music can be depressing, especially out in the desolate countryside of Oklahoma where it is the only thing on the radio. If I can I will listen to talk radio about sports or politics because the shows are broken up into 15 minutes segments with commerical breaks. The segments make the hours seem to go by faster. However, due to the vagaries of AM band radio sometimes you can pick up distant stations sometimes you can't. I will also periodically change the lumbar adjustment on my seat, move the steering wheel tilt around or just squirm about to keep from getting to comfortable and getting drowsy. I sometimes turn off the cruise control to do the same thing. |
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15 May 2001, 08:46 (Ref:92699) | #11 | |
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CRUISE CONTROL? luxery... i have to make do with a brick on the accelerator...
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15 May 2001, 10:11 (Ref:92705) | #12 | ||
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Good to see everyone out there amongst it!!
In the car, Dylan or delta finger picking Blues interspersed with the sound of Banjos in the morning. Load and dangerous, singing blue murder down the highway. But, on the Beemer - usually start by doubling the advisory signs on the corners and singing away in my head to Dylan etc.. Don't worry about food, but need to know where to lay the head for the night. Like this weekend, out west of Tenterfield to sleep in a rocky paddock at the Moto Guzzi Rally. All those open unpatrolled roads can see the Muffster and friends head down and bum up at 200 klms an hour. Sometimes you gotta go with it. |
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15 May 2001, 17:08 (Ref:92887) | #13 | ||
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A full-face brain bucket makes a wonderful echo chamber. Better than singing in the shower.
On a two week cross country ride, I replayed the entire They Might Be Giants CD "Flood" in my head for hours on end. "Istanbul was Constantinople" "Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople" "Why did Constantinople get the works?" "It's nobody's business but the Turks"-They Might Be Giants |
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17 May 2001, 01:50 (Ref:93437) | #14 | ||
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The only tune in my car is both cylinders beating furiously... Besides, the engine is too loud for any kind of radio. Not that I complain.
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10 Jun 2001, 13:18 (Ref:103345) | #15 | ||
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I often travel over 1,000km (600 miles) in a day. I always take CDs and tapes, you can't count on country radio. I always have jelly beans and i stop about every 2 hours and walk around for a few minutes. Definitely, get a good night's sleep before setting off. I keep an eye on the signs and convert the distances to the next towns into minutes, that wiles away the hours.
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11 Jun 2001, 05:00 (Ref:103717) | #16 | ||
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Seems I went against all advice for my trip back from Canberra
Up until 4:30am, up again just before 8am. Did have lollies and stopped once (only a 3 hour trip). |
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