Looking forward to the just under 2,000 mile(one-way from Oklahoma)road trip to Black Rock again this year. After doing some recent travel abroad, I got to thinking how similar to "Jet-Lag" my reaction to getting to the Playa was last year. We made the trip in 2 monster days of grinding through the mountains(Rocky)and desert country. We arrived, and I ran on nervous energy for a while, and then had to really slow down for a couple days till I adjusted. I`m thinking the trip kicked my ass more than the adventure...well I guess it was ..part of the adventure. I am lanky, so I get the usual cramped symptoms from car travel...crick in the neck...cramped butt from sitting for so long at a time....I know with air travel I`m limited to what I can bring to aid with this(but I`d love any suggestions for long flights) ... with the road trip,however, I have a little flexability. I`m bringing a support-board thingy for my car seat that my dad invented...kind of a fabric-covered piece of plywood w/foam support in the lumbar area. It seems to help a bit with supporting the lower back . I also am looking forward to having cruise control this year..so I can move my feet/legs around more..last year we rented a cargo-van...brand new...no cruise-control...Wtf? I am also thinking of making it a more leisurely 3 day trip.
.... I and I`m sure other long distance travellers would be very pleased to hear about any tips, gadgets or tricks that you employ to make your travels easier and more relaxed and enjoyable?.....
..... And any sure-fire remedies for :
....Jet-Lag / Playa-Pooped Syndrome......??????
......Thanks for your support.............EviLLe
Tips for Weary Travellers. . .
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EvilDustBooger
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AntiM
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Stop for a shower right before you hit the playa, both the Fernley truckstops sell showers. I don't think you need a CDL to purchase one. About $7, they provide the towels and soap. Made a world of difference for me last year, shaking off the 12 hour road buzz and grit before hitting the gate and setting up camp. Not that I was the one doing any driving or setting up ... but still, it was nice.
Of course, the best free showers along I-80 are at the brothels, Elko, Wells and Battle Mountain for sure, I'm not clear if there's one in Winnemucca or not.
Of course, the best free showers along I-80 are at the brothels, Elko, Wells and Battle Mountain for sure, I'm not clear if there's one in Winnemucca or not.
I have the feeling that this is not what people driving in the US typically do, but my best tip for long travels (and we do them quite much, with all kinds of transportation) is take your time, and go by the feeling.
Usually, I consider an eight-hour travelling day long. After that, and preferably before, it's find motel/camping site, and explore the area. Good guide books help in finding sights. We also regularly stop in the middle of the driving day if we know there's something interesting around, and go look. Practically anywhere you are going, there is so much to see on the route, that just cruising past it with insane 12+ hour days and getting your back sore in the process is waste of your time. Of course, sometimes you cannot avoid it - not enough vacation days to make a long trip, for example - but if you at all can, I feel it is best to make your driving days part of the vacation and not just driving days.
Also, take enough time and do not make too rigorous plans, so that you can go by the feeling. We usually like to try to start early, stop for a heavy brunch/breakfast around 11, then drive until evening and eat dinner after we have stopped, but some days are different. We might feel like sleeping late, or exploring the place we are at before going, or we might be hungry before dinnertime. Some days we might feel quite up to continuing the drive for another 4 hours before the planned stop, too. I feel that it is a good thing if you can pace yourself according to what you are feeling at that particular moment.
AntiM's point about getting yourself a shower before hitting the playa is an extremely good one. Last year, we stayed in camp sites many nights on the drive (a very slow sight-seey one from LA), but on the last night before BM we stayed in a hotel - cheapish, but still a hotel. It was probably the best decision we made on the whole trip, right after making it in the first place. :)
Usually, I consider an eight-hour travelling day long. After that, and preferably before, it's find motel/camping site, and explore the area. Good guide books help in finding sights. We also regularly stop in the middle of the driving day if we know there's something interesting around, and go look. Practically anywhere you are going, there is so much to see on the route, that just cruising past it with insane 12+ hour days and getting your back sore in the process is waste of your time. Of course, sometimes you cannot avoid it - not enough vacation days to make a long trip, for example - but if you at all can, I feel it is best to make your driving days part of the vacation and not just driving days.
Also, take enough time and do not make too rigorous plans, so that you can go by the feeling. We usually like to try to start early, stop for a heavy brunch/breakfast around 11, then drive until evening and eat dinner after we have stopped, but some days are different. We might feel like sleeping late, or exploring the place we are at before going, or we might be hungry before dinnertime. Some days we might feel quite up to continuing the drive for another 4 hours before the planned stop, too. I feel that it is a good thing if you can pace yourself according to what you are feeling at that particular moment.
AntiM's point about getting yourself a shower before hitting the playa is an extremely good one. Last year, we stayed in camp sites many nights on the drive (a very slow sight-seey one from LA), but on the last night before BM we stayed in a hotel - cheapish, but still a hotel. It was probably the best decision we made on the whole trip, right after making it in the first place. :)
Keeping your mind distracted may help the body deal with all the time on the road. I recommend books on tape and/or recorded lectures on topics of interest. The hours and miles fly by for me when my mind is occupied with listening and understanding something.
Also, I try to avoid too much junk food. When I eat lots of crap from fast food restaurants and convenience stores, I often arrive at my destination more than a little sick to my stomach. But if I take home brewed ice tea, baby carrots, sliced apples, etc I feel a lot better.
Also, I try to avoid too much junk food. When I eat lots of crap from fast food restaurants and convenience stores, I often arrive at my destination more than a little sick to my stomach. But if I take home brewed ice tea, baby carrots, sliced apples, etc I feel a lot better.
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EvilDustBooger
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Excellent advice all...
..The fresh foods
..Shower...I am ALL about the shower....last year we stopped at a cheapo hotel in Winnamucca just to shower, Shop for Groceries, and re-group before the final plunge into playa!
..The distraction from the dull routine of travel(without crashing into something!) ..The Ebooks sound intriguing...any suggestions on material?
...and especially taking the trip as it comes and living in the minute....I understand men in particular have this problem: We tend to look at a trip as an accomplishment ..rather than an experience. I think with the extra day I will try to do just as you suggest Janka..advice well taken...there are some places in Wyoming I saw that I would love to explore...wish I did have more time, but with a full 2week vacation for me...that`s all I can escape at a time for now....
...Thanks all for your advice.....
EviLLe
..The fresh foods
..Shower...I am ALL about the shower....last year we stopped at a cheapo hotel in Winnamucca just to shower, Shop for Groceries, and re-group before the final plunge into playa!
..The distraction from the dull routine of travel(without crashing into something!) ..The Ebooks sound intriguing...any suggestions on material?
...and especially taking the trip as it comes and living in the minute....I understand men in particular have this problem: We tend to look at a trip as an accomplishment ..rather than an experience. I think with the extra day I will try to do just as you suggest Janka..advice well taken...there are some places in Wyoming I saw that I would love to explore...wish I did have more time, but with a full 2week vacation for me...that`s all I can escape at a time for now....
...Thanks all for your advice.....
EviLLe
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AntiM
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Since my trips out on the truck with larry, I've learned a few basics for long grueling drives:
1. Stay hydrated. Don't wait for the playa to start sucking down liquids. If you have to stop to pee more often, that's fine. (yeah, I cheated, we had a lugaloo in the truck and I could get up and walk around in the cab).
2. Don't get too hungry, snack on carrots or trail mix and something proteiny and salty. Go easy on the sugar, at least I personally get queasy if I eat candy bars in a car.
3. Wear your sunscreen in the vehicle. Sunburns begin at the start of the trip, not at the gate to BRC.
4. Carry a refreshing spritzer for your face and neck. Mine is grapefruit scented.
5. Tuck a couple moist handtowels in your cooler, a quick swipe is an excellent picker-upper. Do have a small cooler of chilled beverages and snacks handy in the vehicle.
1. Stay hydrated. Don't wait for the playa to start sucking down liquids. If you have to stop to pee more often, that's fine. (yeah, I cheated, we had a lugaloo in the truck and I could get up and walk around in the cab).
2. Don't get too hungry, snack on carrots or trail mix and something proteiny and salty. Go easy on the sugar, at least I personally get queasy if I eat candy bars in a car.
3. Wear your sunscreen in the vehicle. Sunburns begin at the start of the trip, not at the gate to BRC.
4. Carry a refreshing spritzer for your face and neck. Mine is grapefruit scented.
5. Tuck a couple moist handtowels in your cooler, a quick swipe is an excellent picker-upper. Do have a small cooler of chilled beverages and snacks handy in the vehicle.
Booger:
Keep in mind that some of the funk may not be just from the road. For us, (from sea level), the altitude change is an ass kicker for the first two days - causes serious grumblings and lethargy. Treat with rum, nookie and snoozing.
Keep in mind that some of the funk may not be just from the road. For us, (from sea level), the altitude change is an ass kicker for the first two days - causes serious grumblings and lethargy. Treat with rum, nookie and snoozing.
Cum catapulte proscripte erunt tum soli proscripti catapultus haebunt.
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AntiM
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You don't have to buy audio books, they can be checked out of a library or rented at truckstops. I think Pilot has a program where you can rent an audio book and return it at any other Pilot anytime. larry does that frequently, or did when he had a cassette rather than a cd player, I don't know how much it costs.
My wife discovered that Cracker Barrel restaurants do a books-on-tape exchange between their many stores, for a modest fee. Pick up at one, drop off at another!
I do the trip FAST, due to limited pre-event time....Michigan to BRC in two days! It's good to bring or get little treats along the way- I like smoked oysters, or good cheese, or Landjaeger sausage.
For those of you coming from the East and taking I-80, I recommend the big truck stop in Iowa:
http://www.iowa80truckstop.com/
Iowa and Nebraska are the hardest part of the drive for me, but thankfully I'm still jazzed to go on the way West....The return trip is where it gets you. 65 MPH through little-to-nothing. Western Nebraska gets more interesting (sorry, Omahans!) and I like to stop at Cabela's in Kearney to check their closeout room and gawk at the taxidermy. Then SLC and amazing mountains, and the salt lake. The rest stop at Bonneville is a good place to stretch your legs and walk on salt- And I found a Spiderman doll there last year, which I'm transforming into The Amazing Playaman. The last two years I've overnighted in Wendover (Nevada, not Wendover, Utah, which is next to it.) and found it to be a surreal place to poke around. Thunder Mountain State Park in Imlay is an AMAZING art installation, and worth seeing- I stop on the return trip. Supply stop in Winnemucca, where there's a good grocery at the second or third exit. The Walmart isn't a GROCERY Walmart, but there's a liquor store nearby. I smile as I pass Battle Mountain, seeing the big letters BM carved into the mountainside. Then make a right, go a while, and get Dusty! Oh yeah!
I do the trip FAST, due to limited pre-event time....Michigan to BRC in two days! It's good to bring or get little treats along the way- I like smoked oysters, or good cheese, or Landjaeger sausage.
For those of you coming from the East and taking I-80, I recommend the big truck stop in Iowa:
http://www.iowa80truckstop.com/
Iowa and Nebraska are the hardest part of the drive for me, but thankfully I'm still jazzed to go on the way West....The return trip is where it gets you. 65 MPH through little-to-nothing. Western Nebraska gets more interesting (sorry, Omahans!) and I like to stop at Cabela's in Kearney to check their closeout room and gawk at the taxidermy. Then SLC and amazing mountains, and the salt lake. The rest stop at Bonneville is a good place to stretch your legs and walk on salt- And I found a Spiderman doll there last year, which I'm transforming into The Amazing Playaman. The last two years I've overnighted in Wendover (Nevada, not Wendover, Utah, which is next to it.) and found it to be a surreal place to poke around. Thunder Mountain State Park in Imlay is an AMAZING art installation, and worth seeing- I stop on the return trip. Supply stop in Winnemucca, where there's a good grocery at the second or third exit. The Walmart isn't a GROCERY Walmart, but there's a liquor store nearby. I smile as I pass Battle Mountain, seeing the big letters BM carved into the mountainside. Then make a right, go a while, and get Dusty! Oh yeah!
Howdy From Kalamazoo
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Captain Goddammit
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