RideLust

I-90, somewhere in Montana. Image: smithje77

You Tube user smithje77 was moving his family from Seattle to Maine, so he did what any of us would have done: he wrote a script in python to have his Droid take an image every ninety seconds, then he set this to video and dubbed in a Woody Guthrie tune, which he also performed.

And by “any of us,” I mean not me. I’m adept with an iPhone, but I draw the line at writing apps. As for setting images to video, I still struggle with Photoshop, and I’m fairly sure that people would pay me large amounts of money to NOT sing. I sure as hell can’t play guitar, but I have driven across this country more times that I care to ponder. Read More…

That’s right, we made it! We just conquered 2,987 miles in a 22-foot Penske box truck with a bench seat, 71 mph top speed, archaic suspension and an average fuel economy of 7.4 mpg. It was a long road (literally) but thankfully one that was void of any bad tidings. I’ve done a lot of cross country driving over the years, but I have to say that this particular run was very special. You see this one was a life changer for this native New Yorker, as California is about as close to New York as oil and water when it comes to people, weather and life philosophy. One thing however that remains constant though are the cars… those wonderful, wonderful cars.
Read More…

Image: Pat Hawks

From 1974 though 1987, 55 miles per hour was the national speed limit. In the early days, the limit almost made sense, since those were the dark times between our first and second gas crisises. Back then, most cars on the road weren’t getting 30 miles per gallon, so restricting speed in the name of fuel savings became the logical thing to do. Somewhere along the line, groups embraced the 55 mile per hour speed limit since it was “safer” than the old 70 mile per hour limit. When the double-nickel fell in 1987, those opposed to raising the national speed limit predicted carnage, death and highways flowing red with blood. Read More…

It’s true… I’m moving to sunny California. In fact I’m currently 625 miles into my journey as I type this from my hotel room from someplace in Ohio. Understand that moving 3,000 miles away from the Motherland (New York City) for me is a big deal. You see I’ve lived my entire life in and around the boroughs of Manhattan. In fact I was born in NYC proper at the now defunct St. Vincents Hospital down in Greenwich Village. I’ve lived in 5th floor walk-ups, battled giant rats one-on-one that would kill a normal man, and had all manner of guns, knives and pipes pulled on me on the subway. I was also right there in the mix on 9/11, a day that will forever be burned into my psyche as one of the worst days of my existence. In some ways being a New Yorker has made me hard and mean with a short fuse that can be ignited at a moments notice, but it’s also made me sharp as a f*ckin’ razor when it comes to people who try to get one over on me. New York is a blessing and a curse, but in the end, it will always be who I am.
Read More…

Ever try to find entertaining roads if you’re new to an area, or just passing through? You could try to hit up locals, but that takes time and research. You could go to Google Maps, but that doesn’t tell you much about road conditions, speed enforcement or even average traffic volume. It certainly doesn’t rate the roads on their entertainment value, which means you’ve got to eat a lot of soggy, tastelessly sweet popcorn before you snag a prize. Read More…

Image: Fábio Pozzebom, Agência Brasil

Mike and I are just back from One Lap of America. In case you’re not familiar with the event, it involves driving ten or so events at about eight different tracks over an eight day period. Race tracks in the United States are not conveniently located next to one another, and part of the One Lap Challenge is the transit legs. One leg in this year’s event involved driving nearly 700 miles after racing two events; in other words, you don’t even start the drive until mid-afternoon. Technically, you can go from event to event driving the posted speed limit (as some teams do), but you forgo a significant amount of sleep. It comes down to this: you need to push hard enough to get as much rest as possible, without jeopardizing your license or becoming a temporary resident of some backwater county jail. Read More…

A standard flight from San Francisco, CA to Paris, France is just under 5,600 miles and can take anywhere from 13-15 hours. It’s a hell of a run and after all that time sitting in one place the odds of a person getting a little shaky are about 85%, that is unless, you have a way to keep yourself occupied. Photographer Nate Bolt did indeed have a way to occupy his time, in fact he was able to condense his entire 14 hour flight in to just two minutes, by using time lapse photography, some great editing and a little music. Using a time lapse camera, Bolt snapped an astonishing 2,459 photos (2 every 30 seconds) over the course of his flight and in the process captured some of the most amazing images that you’re likely to see. The video was constructed by using a Canon 5d2 camera, a time-lapse controller, and a 16mm – 35mm lens with edits and pans done in After Effects CS5 and iMovie. The entire compilation is pretty incredible so make sure to click through to view the final product.
Read More…

If any U.S. state secedes from the nation, it’s likely to be Texas. That’s OK with me since my wife was born there, which kind of gives us diplomatic immunity and automatic citizenship. Besides, I’m a firearms instructor, so I can claim that I’ve got a necessary and valuable skill, which is critical anytime you’re asking for political asylum. In the mean time, Texas is about to give those of us who like to drive one more reason to call the Lone Star State home: legislation is in the works that will raise the 70 mile per hour speed limit to 75. Better yet, it will do away with the “nighttime only” speed limit of 65 miles per hour currently in place (Texas is the only remaining state to have a different daytime and nighttime speed limit). Read More…

Typical German speed limits: 50 kph in town, 100 kph outside of town and 130 kph on the Autobahn. Image: Arroww

The myth of unrestricted motoring bliss on Germany’s Autobahn is just that: a myth. Most sections have posted limits, and even the sought-after “end of limit” sections are often crowded with traffic. There’s even a recommended speed limit of 130 kilometers per hour (about 81 mph) on unrestricted sections; sure, you can go as fast as you want, but expect to be charged with the equivalent of reckless driving if you have an accident. Based on recent election results in the German state of Baden-Württemburg, there’s more bad news on the horizon: motorists in this southwestern state will soon be facing an enforced speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour, or about 74 miles per hour. Read More…

Germany’s famed Nürburgring is a mecca for driving enthusiasts from around the world, many of whom show up to drive the track in their own cars. Tourists from across the pond, however, face another dilemma: it’s possible to drive the track in a rental car (as far as I know), but doing so will void any insurance coverage you may or may not have on the vehicle. In other words, if you’re unlucky enough to stack your rented VW Golf in the Carousel, you’ll be writing a big-ass check to the rental agency when you turn in the keys. Local vendors will gladly rent you a race-prepped car to lap the ‘Ring, but this gets expensive very quickly; even a Renault Clio Cup hot hatch will set you back nearly $500 for a half day session, and a Porsche GT3 RS will run you $2,500 for a half day session. For years, the most cost effective way to lap the ‘Ring was in a “Ring Taxi”, sponsored by BMW and driven by such Nürburgring hot shoes as Sabine Schmitz. For a fee of about $270, up to three passengers could enjoy a hot lap of the ‘Ring, but it looks like those days may be coming to an end. Read More…