mental_floss magazine
SUBSCRIBE >
GIFT SUBSCRIPTIONS >
DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS >
subscriber services >
There’s nothing quite like a road trip. You pack your bag, empty the change jar for gas money, grab a map (or not), and hit the highway, seeking adventure around every turn. And with summer upon us, there’s no better time to strike out on your own to discover what life has to offer. If you need a little inspiration before you go, here are the stories of people who traveled across America, from sea to shining sea.
1. Escaping at 195 mph
According to his story on Jalopnik.com, when Richard Jordan’s fiancée left him, he wanted to run away. So, Jordan did what any gear head would do—he sold everything he owned and bought a brand new sports car. But he didn’t buy just any sports car. Jordan bought a $180,000 black Lamborghini Gallardo, featuring a 512 horse-power V10 with a top speed of 195 mph. With that kind of car, you can escape just about anything, including a broken heart.
Jordan roamed through the lower 48 states for over a year, with no particular place to go. He stayed in motels as he crisscrossed the nation three times. While he was out finding himself, the police found him, too—he was hit with 53 speeding tickets. But his driving record wasn’t the only thing that took some dings by the time he finally returned to his hometown of Dallas.
While most used Lamborghinis have about 10,000 miles on the engine, Jordan’s has 91,807 miles. And because the vehicle didn’t receive all of the recommended maintenance a high-end sports car needs, it doesn’t run anymore, either, leaving him with a really nice-looking paperweight. But to Jordan, that was a small price to pay for the experience.
2. Rolling Across America
At the age of 53, David Whittaker, a wheelchair-bound ex-Marine, was homeless and suffering from Congestive Heart Failure. With a poor prognosis, Whittaker made it his mission to do something positive with whatever time he had left. So, in May 2009, he set out to drive his motorized wheelchair from Key West (the southernmost point in the lower 48 United States) to Blaine, Washington (the northernmost point in the lower 48), spreading the word about homeless veterans everywhere he went.Â
Moving at an average speed of less than 5 mph, his trip was slow-going. He was scheduled to be in Blaine by October, but mechanical setbacks, like 17 flat tires in Florida alone, significantly delayed his trip. Then in November 2009, Whittaker was riding along the sidewalk in Long Beach, California, when a driver ran a stop sign and plowed into him, totaling his wheelchair and putting him in the hospital. This unfortunate series of events meant he had to stop short of his final destination. But considering he rode from Florida to California in a wheelchair, while helping fellow veterans in need, it seems fair to say Whittaker’s trip was a success.
3. The $10,000 Technicality
The year was 1896 and the Estbys—Helga, her husband Ole, and their eight children—were about to have their Spokane, Washington, house reclaimed by the bank. Desperate to save the family farm, Helga and her 19-year old daughter, Clara, set off in the hopes of winning a much-publicized wager from a now-unknown New York City fat cat. The wealthy bettor was willing to pay $10,000 to the first woman brave enough to walk across the country without a male companion.
The pair left Spokane on May 5, carrying little more than a compass, a curling iron, some red pepper spray, a revolver, and $5 between them. During their journey, to raise money to feed themselves and replace their worn out clothes, the women did odd jobs before moving on again. In this manner, they arrived in The Big Apple on December 3, 1896. However, the bettor refused to pay the $10,000 reward, claiming the rules stipulated that any takers had to arrive before December 1.
With no money to their names, Helga and Clara were stuck in New York City for the winter, but were able to return to Spokane in the spring of 1897. When they arrived home, the farm had been foreclosed and their family refused to speak to them, believing that the pair had run off to live in New York City.
4. One Wheel, Fifty States
To raise money for an Inuit tribe in Alaska, Lars Clausen jumped on his unicycle in April 2002 with a plan to ride across the United States. As part of his training, he kicked off his journey by cycling through Alaska, before then flying to Washington state to begin the long haul. For the next four months, Clausen rode his 36” unicycle for 50 to 60 miles every day. However, at one point in June, he broke a Guinness Record by riding 202.5 miles in only 24 hours. With this pace, he reached Ellis Island in August, having traveled nearly 5,000 miles.
But Clausen wasn’t finished yet. Along the road, he decided to go ahead and break another Guinness Record by becoming the only person to travel through all 50 states on a unicycle. So he turned around and rode another 5,000 miles on a different route, back to Washington, helping him hit all 48 lower states on his round-trip voyage. With Alaska in the bag, and just a quick flight to conquer Hawaii, Clausen rode one wheel into the history books. His final tally: 50 states, 9,136 miles, and approximately 5,118,000 pedals, in only 205 days.
5. A Very Quick Getaway
Even if you don’t have a lot of vacation time to spare, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to go on a cross-country road trip this summer. Legally it might be difficult, but that didn’t deter the first official “Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy” race, also known as “The Cannonball Run,” that took place in 1971. Leaving from the Red Ball Parking Garage in Manhattan, eight teams of drivers made their way across the country by whatever route they chose in whatever type of vehicle they wanted, all in a race to reach the Portofino Inn in Redondo Beach, California, in as little time as possible.
Because they were shooting for the best time, it should come as no surprise that four of the eight teams received a total of 12 speeding tickets, with one cited for going 135 mph in a 70 mph zone. But speed wasn’t the only factor to consider, because the more you had to stop for gas, the less time you had on the road. To combat this, one van had a specially designed refueling system that could feed the fuel tank from one of five 55-gallon drums of gasoline sitting in the back of the van, all while the vehicle was cruising down the highway.
Dan Gurney and Brock Yates won the first official Cannonball Run in their Ferrari Daytona, covering the full 2,863 miles in 35 hours and 54 minutes at an average speed of 80 mph. That’s an average speed, mind you, as Gurney was famously quoted as saying, “At no time did we exceed 175 mph.”
6. Just Walkin’
Matt Green is walking. Just walking. He started walking at Rockaway Beach, New York, in late-March and will eventually stop walking in Rockaway Beach, Oregon. He pushes everything he needs with him on a modified baby stroller, including camping gear, clothes, and a cell phone, which he uses to update his blog, imjustwalkin.com, on a daily basis. But why is he walking, you ask? Green’s not walking to save the whales or to find a cure for cancer. He’s simply doing it for the adventure and the experience of a lifetime.
Because he’s just walking, Green travels a reasonable 15 miles every day and even takes the occasional day off to rest. When he gets tired at night, he camps out in the woods, or asks a farmer if he can put up his tent in the front yard. He doesn’t carry a lot of food, instead preferring to buy from local vendors whenever he gets hungry. However, he’s also received a lot of free meals from strangers who welcome him into their homes or pick up the tab at the local diner. Occasionally they’ll even offer him a comfy bed to sleep in that night.
Someday, probably in nine months or so, Green will reach Oregon. But for him, what’s important is the journey. Really, though, that’s what any great road trip should be all about.
* * * * *
We know you’ve had some amazing adventures out on the open road. Tell us all the exciting details in the comments below.
More from mental_floss…
Strange Geographies: The Mojave Desert’s Airplane Graveyard
*
Fordlandia: Henry Ford’s Ill-Fated Foray Into the Brazilian Jungle
*
How to Win Friends and Inoculate People: The Navy’s Strategy for Saving the World
*
Toilet Paper History: How America Convinced the World to Wipe
*
Strange Geographies: The Happy, Haunted Island of Poveglia
*
Spell It Out: 16 Abbreviated Company Names Explained
Comments (18)
Comment
- Follow mental_floss
I’ve driven cross country alone twice (MD to CA, CA to FL). Wow, you’re doing some serious talking to yourself by that last day, but you get to see just how big and how different the country is.
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 7-2-2010 at 5:24 pm
you forogt about the roy maher attempt to break the cannonball record, and he did it in 31 hours and 4 mimutes
posted by dennis on 7-2-2010 at 5:56 pm
I remember meeting Lars Clausen when he stopped by our church while unicycling through Alaska. He’s a Lutheran pastor and was at a congregation in the state, which was how he got interested in Native Alaskan needs. Then he stopped by again while on a book tour promoting his book, “One Wheel, Many Spokes” (really good book, by the way).
Next month I’ll be making the drive from Alaska to Birmingham, AL. I’m hoping for some amazing adventures. But hopefully nothing TOO crazy :)
posted by Moth on 7-2-2010 at 6:33 pm
In august 2006, i started driving from Caracas, Venezuela (in the north of South America), to Ushuaia, Argentina (the southern most city in the world).
4 months, 10 countries and 32.000 kms laters, I made it back to Caracas in time to spend new year’s eve with my family.
I went south boarding the atlantic cost, and went back north by the pacific coast of the continent.
I saw really many of beautiful and amazings landscapes, and got meet very intereting people.
I hihgly recomend it :)
posted by Mordaz on 7-2-2010 at 7:05 pm
Man I applaud these folks for their determination even if some of them didn’t reach their destination.
posted by Kari on 7-2-2010 at 8:46 pm
After I graduated from college in December 2007, I took a month and just drove around the country. I started in Cincinnati and went out to Seattle then down to Las Vegas and across to Texas (spent several days there with some family members) and then back up to Cincinnati since I couldn’t miss the Xavier-Dayton game. After the game I headed down to Savannah then up the East coast to Bangor then across through Canada and back down to Cincinnati.
Along the way, since I didn’t have money for hotels, I slept in the back of the car (a Honda CR-V) at truck stops and kept all my food in a cooler. With my dog with me, it didn’t get too cold any nights, but there were some nights that it might have been nice to have a little extra space separating us.
Along the way, I completed making it to all 48 contiguous states (although Minnesota only got about 15 minutes), drove down US-101 on the Pacific, saw the Redwood Forest at night, got pulled over for going too slowly on the highway, drove across the beach on Ocracoke Island in NC, and almost didn’t make it to Canada (I think they thought I was trying to surreptitiously move in), drove for over 18 hours one day and over 900 miles on another. All in only 14000 miles, 28 days, and with no empty gas tanks.
However, the story like this that most impresses is me is Steve Newman (The Worldwalker), who walked around the world for 4 years in the mid 80s. His story is simply astounding.
posted by James on 7-2-2010 at 9:39 pm
The southernmost point of the United States is in Hawaii I believe.
posted by Traci on 7-2-2010 at 10:20 pm
not quite as epic as some of these other adventures, but me and 5 friends bought a van after we graduated highschool in 2005, saved up a grand each and headed for the west coast (i’m from detroit). we ate cold cans of chef boyardee, camped, and slept in the van to save money. We made it about 3 weeks before we ran out of money and headed home. saw some absolutely amazing stuff for a bunch of kids who had never spent much time out of michigan, let alone spent more than a couple days away from our folks. we’re all still good friends, and once we start talking about it we cant stop.
its been one of the most significant events of my life, i still think about it when i’m making big decisions in my life. mostly, i want to be able to do it again and again!
this august my two younger brothers and i are doing the same thing: 3 weeks, a grand a piece. all we need to work out is where we’re going. new england? pacific northwest? california? for me, vacations are the best when you dont know what youre doing or where youre sleeping till you get there.
posted by tommy on 7-2-2010 at 10:31 pm
Thanks, Traci! (Fixed.)
posted by Jason English on 7-2-2010 at 10:45 pm
I wish you guys had included Project America Run. This was taken from his Facebook page:
“In May of 2010, to honor our fallen men and women of the Iraq War, Mike Ehredt, an Army Veteran and postal clerk from Driggs, Idaho, will be running the highways and backroads of our United States. Over 4300 miles in their memory. With a reverse chronological order of our fatalities, he will begin in the Pacific Northwest and place a flag with each soldiers name every mile, along the roads he travels, until his journey is complete. One name, one flag, each mile, for those whose lives and dreams were sacrificed. A memorial, a silent symbol of thanks, to those who were taken so quickly from us.”
You can also track his current progress on www(dot)projectamericarun(dot)com.
posted by SmallTownVet on 7-3-2010 at 6:24 am
I took the train from Norfolk, VA to Sacramento. Then the Amtrak to Santa Cruz, CA. I did it in 2002 and it only cost $227 dollars for a three day journey. I meet a lot of people, had a romance, and received a free dinner from a former Marine. I was in the Marines at the time. I would suggest this to anyone who doesn’t have a lot of money, but has to the time to travel across the country. One of the best things about it was I had a 3 hour lay-over in Chicago. Since the station is downtown and really no security like at the airport. I was able to explore Chicago a little bit before continuing my trip.
posted by P. Esh on 7-3-2010 at 11:36 am
When my husband and I were first dating, we were working at a theatre company on South Bass Island in Lake Erie. When that job was done, we drove to Atlanta for an audition, stayed overnight, drove to Rochester, MN to pick up his stuff from his parents house, stayed one night, went across to Missoula, MT to pick up some things I had in storage, stayed one night, and then drove straight through to San Jose, CA, where we had jobs waiting for us. We’d only been together for a couple of months, and we had so much fun on this trip that we knew it was meant to be. That was 14 years ago.
posted by Kristin on 7-3-2010 at 1:03 pm
I’m a broke college student, so the only road trips I’ve taken have been with my family as a kid, and short trips across the Midwest, but you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have exploring little farm towns and hidden treasures within a few hours of home. My favorite and perhaps most memorable trip was to the Field of Dreams in Iowa, where I fell for my first love.
posted by Ryan B. on 7-3-2010 at 6:54 pm
What about Terry Fox
“Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada’s west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.
While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.
It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22.
The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.
To date, close to $500 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.” From https://www.terryfox.org
posted by Ali on 7-3-2010 at 7:24 pm
This is a small point, but there is no Inuit tribe in Alaska (Inuits are an indigenous people in Canada). Lars Clausen rode his unicycle to raise money for an Inupiat tribe, as he says on his website.
posted by BlueAloe on 7-3-2010 at 11:54 pm
You forgot about wagonteamster(dot)com! This guy has been going on the road for almost 2 years now, cross country with his horses and “wagon”, just for the fun of it. He had an unfortunate accident towards the end of his first trip after getting hit by a tractor trailer, he was in the hospital for several months and 2 of the horses died, but he has been back at it for quite some time now, picking up from where he left off, he updates almost everyday online, its fantastic.
posted by Gussiebuns on 7-6-2010 at 12:01 pm
Check out the book Bold Spirit about the Estby women’s journey. They had a really amazing trip along the way and the aftermath of their decision was truly shocking.
posted by Amanda on 7-6-2010 at 7:28 pm
This was a fun article. I wonder how many odd ways people have crossed the country?
Just a small point: while a Lamborghini can outrun almost every other car on the road, it can’t outrun police helicopters and radios. ;)
This fallacy is usually forgotten by people who get into high-speed chases and wonder why a new set of police officers are waiting up ahead.
posted by John on 7-14-2010 at 6:20 pm