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I listen to NPR or talk radio to keep from zoning out but it seems that the majority of people in Los Angeles driving on the freeways like to text to keep themselves entertained.
I feel old fashioned and so out of touch with all my friends and family with them not knowing my every thought when I drive while looking at others texting but I do take solace with knowing I'll probably be accident free longer than they will be.
What do you do? Music, audio books, punch buggy, chatting on phone, etc.?
Fastest time killer for me is chatting on the phone. Hours and miles can fly by.
play the geography game. so you start with alabama, whatever vowel or consonant it ends with next guy/gal has to figure out a place that begins with A. it sounds lame, but it works.. if you're alone, then hope you don't get a panic attack looking at nothing.
Music with a storyline i.e. musical soundtracks worked well for me when I did a lot of 4 hours drives between a few cities fairly frequently (Guys and Dolls, Music Man, Sound of Music, Oklahoma, King & I, South Pacific, Camelot, Phantom of Opera, etc...). In daylight I'd sometimes count highway hash marks and then do math in my head based on how many in a selected distance and then calculate distance between destinations and approximate number of white lines.
Depending on time I would listen to ballgames. I have some great memories of where I was driving when listening to some memorable games. Browns - Steelers (when it was actually a rivalry) late 80s game when Terry Metcalf returned two punts for touchdowns I was kept awake in the excitement while driving the stretch of US Route 2 amidst the islands of Lake Champlain in the Vermont autumn darkness.
Road trips I take CDs (unfortunately many newer rental vehicles are eliminating CD players). I select an assortment usually fitting for the trip and topography. Since I like Western and Southwestern states for road trips I will take Ennio Morricone CDs with the Western trilogy and others. Driving through majestic national parks, I will play Decca selection of great orchestral works. In general, I find the music to be most appropriate for driving and as someone mentioned earlier, the driver should always pick the audio.
A great game in drives with multiple people is the linguistic license plate game. Basically, the first person who can come up with a word using the alpha characters on a license plate gets points. The word must use the alpha letters in sequence (you have to use them all) - you get extra points (doubling) on exact sequence letters. I play it with my nieces and nephews to increase mental wiring, stay sharp and to also hopefully enable easier remembrance of license plates should any strange incident ever occur.
Note: Do not play "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", by Flatt & Scruggs because you may find yourself driving crazy like bank robbery getaway
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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This is the only reason we have Sirius XM on the one car that we use for long road trips. We change over from our favorite music to sports events and comedy. It's way too expensive but every year I threaten to cancel and they give me a good deal for another year.
A great game in drives with multiple people is the linguistic license plate game. Basically, the first person who can come up with a word using the alpha characters on a license plate gets points. The word must use the alpha letters in sequence (you have to use them all) - you get extra points (doubling) on exact sequence letters. I play it with my nieces and nephews to increase mental wiring, stay sharp and to also hopefully enable easier remembrance of license plates should any strange incident ever occur.
ha - my license plate starts with XKN. Think you'd be stumped with that one
I'm big on scenery. Since my car has a sunroof, I'll usually climb up and sit on the roof while steering with my feet. You can see a lot more that way. Also, I enjoy the sensation of wind whistling through my teeth.
I was traveling in the outskirts of GTA where traffic tends to move very quickly (75mph typical) and noticed a Camry rapidly weaving its way through this traffic, probably 85-90mph. I was waiting to find a rabbit to pace and this car was going to fit the bill. Anyway the vehicle weaved its way passed me and unbelievably the young, female driver had one arm hanging out the window and BOTH feet kicked up on the window sill, resting on the side mirror! Lounging and cruise set to 85-90! Definitely one of the craziest things I have seen on the road. I paced her for about 25 miles or so before she exited. Not sure what her plans were for an unexpected stop or slowdown.
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