Twisties, after the too speed couple times, you really dont feel it anymore entertaining

Going on a 1-2 day road trip.

Not too far to be stressful if anything goes wrong. But not too close either.

It used to be high-speed curves. Now it’s rock crawling at extremely low speeds. Both involve lots of adrenaline.

Racing along the Peak-to-Peak and other mountain highways west of our hometown of Boulder in our rebuilt vintage British sports cars and motorcycles

Buddies and I have done it since high school in the early 1970s.

We’re not crazy, though, and have never had a single bad accident doing so, just a few spinouts. We pick times when there’s no other traffic. We have to watch for elk herds crossing, however.

Top down (the MX5, not me), time is golden hour, carving up SoCal mountains not with any real pace, but enough to enjoy the drive and the scenery.

Mountain roads, a Car with around 300hp. and a Throaty exhaust.

it is the BEST feeling in the world.

I love going out of the city of a night, and navigating the backroads of the mountains that I live at the base of. It makes for something of a mixture between cruising, and a bit of spirited motoring (within reason, of course).

Relaxed drive out of town, scored by some slow tracks, and then hustling it up a twisty section or two. If it’s clear out, then there are a few places to stop and take in a lovely view, of both the starlight, and the city beneath. Have struck up some nice conversations with many a motoring enthusiast doing the same thing after hours.

Luke-warm summer night after sunset. Windows down, slight breeze.

I live in Metro Detroit area but I’m from The Thumb…I love driving to my hometown along the coast of Lake Michigan and setting the cruise at 60 and taking in the sights and conversation. As I got older I found myself driving less and less with music and now do all of my driving with no music. A added bonus I’ve found too is I can tell when my car is acting up cause I hear it app the time

Twisty mountain roads.

And tunnels. Love tunnels. Downshift and floor it through the tunnel and let the V8s roar.

I love driving in the rain. I also love driving at night.

Additionally, i find the old adage that it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow to be true.

We used to have a Honda Fit. It was slow. No power to speak of… but the handling was razor sharp, the brakes were amazing and was ridiculously fun to flog.

On a chilly Missouri evening with my wife in the passenger seat, my son and (now ex) daughter-in-law in the back, I hit a decreasing radius freeway exit and pinned the throttle to the floor, squishing my DIL up against my son with G-forces until DIL cried “uncle” by saying “DAD! Pregnant lady back here!”

What a ridiculously fun car to drive.

Forested, hilly, and twisty roads are my favorite. They often expose flaws and strengths in a vehicle.

Oddly enough, I chose to buy my Charger after taking it up a connector state route near my home in KY. This over 2 ton sedan somehow came alive on this windy 2-lane road. The transmission kept the engine going strong and acted as my driving partner, not as my enemy. The steering proved trustworthy in exploring the car’s limits and the chassis showed off a little more verve than I expected-and made it very clear when it reached its limits.

This same style of road steered me away from an Acura RDX recently. The transmission wasn’t nearly as flawless as the Charger, which I ultimately bought, on the twisty, hilly roads where you absolutely need your car’s tranny to be in sync with you. The RDX fought me at every elevation change and I did not care for it.

I used to like prowling on Friday and Saturday nights looking for a little action and making a hit or two. Now, I like exploring forest roads, BLM trails, forgotten or abandoned roads, anything remotely and lightly traveled.

Empty road, elevation change, decreasing radius, increasing radius, on camber, off camber, blind exit, perfect sightline, mid-corner dip, mid-corner bump, view for miles, opens into meadow, exposed, walled, no guardrail, dirty, clean.

This is my favorite most of the time.

Empty desert, washboard, dry lake, jumps, whoops, articulation, ledges, rock garden, side angle, feels endless, makes you feel small, brings you closer to Earth.

85 degrees, windows down, reeling in the horizon, passing saguaros and joshua trees, dodging potholes, 97-year-old road, jet age diner, art deco filling station, dead town, bygone era.

Top down, heater on, sea salt, loved one at side, waves crashing, kites flying, wetsuits and sweatshirts, surf boards, pelicans above cliff tops, charcoal fires, sun breaking through marine layer.

Top down, AC on, bird songs, decomposing plants, flowers, canopy above, driving slowly.

These are all nice.

I’ve been corrupted by the track. Can’t enjoy myself anywhere else now, even back roads. Always have the feeling of holding back and don’t want to waste expensive consumables. I told my self my second set of wheels would be the back street tire but now it’s become my back up track set as well.