It’s just about Memorial Day weekend in America, and that means a whole lot more than just the Indianapolis 500. It’s a busy travel weekend on the roads, and we all just want to stay sane and get to our destinations. So, how do you survive the traffic? I’ll go first since I had my long weekend a little earlier.
See, last weekend was Victoria Day weekend in Canada, or as everyone calls it, May 24 (pronounced two-four). It usually doesn’t fall on May 24, but is instead named after the number of beers in a case. Ask any Canadian. My adventure for that long weekend was seeing a couple of buddies racing at Mosport, all part of the Castrol Victoria Day SpeedFest. It’s only about an hour from Toronto in free-flowing traffic, but it’s sort of on the way to the Kawarthas, a definite cottage destination.
A few days before the trip, I like to give whichever vehicle I’m taking a little once-over before hitting the road. Double-check bushings, ball joints, brake pads, tires, torque on critical fasteners, light bulb operation, fluid levels, all that good stuff to hedge bets on getting there safely. Does my tier of roadside assistance come with a black card? Sure, but I hope to never actually need it. Thankfully, I can always put it up on the two-post lift at RCLUB in Leaside and give it a quick check-over for peace of mind.
Next, I pick what I’ll be listening to. Solo drives are easier with a soundtrack, so I usually make a playlist longer than the expected travel time with some good highway travel music. Think liquid drum and bass. Oh, and I download a few podcasts in case I want to hear people talking, a different sort of contrast against road noise.
When it comes to actually driving, I like to leave on any long weekend trips on or around the asscrack of dawn. Yes, it means going to bed early the night before, but free-flowing roads are absolutely worth it. I made it to Mosport around 7:30 a.m., beating just about everyone else to the track and getting prime parking. Swish. Now, if I can’t avoid serious traffic, I like to just take it easy. Stick in the right lane next to the shoulder so I always have an escape route if necessary, take things slow, and keep a cool head. I’ll get there when I get there, although owning two older German cars as my exclusive forms of transportation gives me a little leeway that maybe a Toyota owner wouldn’t have.
Once everything’s done and I’m home, I like to give whatever I drove a good clean immediately after getting back. Bugs, road grime, and all sorts of other contaminants can wreak havoc if left on the paint too long, and the sooner you attack them, the easier they are to clean off.
So, how do you survive long weekend travel? Maybe you like to drive off-peak, or you might simply not go anywhere at all. There’s no shame in a staycation, especially with the cost of living right now. Regardless, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. As Red Green said, “Remember I’m pullin’ for ya’ — we’re all in this together.”
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
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