18 hours of getting to Decorah
I’ve found the perfect combination for staying awake while driving.
I mentioned earlier that my standby flights were getting jacked up and I may have to drive. That came true.
On Tuesday there were 25 seats open out of 190 for me to get from Atlanta to Chicago. Two hours before my connecting flight to Atlanta left I checked again and there were -9 seats left. So I transferred my car rental to Lynchburg and started driving at 5pm EST. Seventeen and a half hours later I arrived in Decorah.
I hate to drive. I grew up with the silver spoon of having a mom that works for Delta so we flew everywhere. The idea of sitting in a car for 18 hours was not only annoying but a bit frightening. So I created the perfect combination for staying awake while driving.
Double shots of espresso, sunflower seeds and a video iPod.
Caffeine is the obvious startpoint for staying awake and the espressos do a great job, however that alone is not enough to keep me from nodding off.
Eating is also a well known way of staying awake, however you get full quickly by eating snacks or chips. This is where sunflower seeds shine. You can eat them constantly for hours without getting full and you also have to “work” at getting the food so it’s more engaging.
Lastly, the video iPod. All through college and my working life I’ve listened to music while I work. Which means I’ve trained myself to ignore music so it does nothing to help me stay awake. However, watching TV and/or movies does the trick. I have several different movies and TV shows on my iPod. I’ve seen most of them several times so I can “watch” them while I drive since the dialog is all I need to keep up with the story. Again, this is much more engaging then merely listening to music.
Mix together caffeine, chewing, listening and mentally following a plot line and you have a great combination for staying awake on an 18 hour drive.
So I’m here in Decorah safe and sound for the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. Stay tuned for more info on that one.
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:53 am
Oh god! Please tell me you are kidding! Maybe it is just me but I don’t know too many people who can watch TV while driving. I know I can’t.
Maybe a much better solution, and the one I use to melt hours away while driving is a book on tape. I know that many people can’t listen to these because it causes spontaneous napping but I love them. A full hour goes by and the only way I know it is over is because the the CD ends. Wonderful.
On the other hand, I do have to turn them off when I get near a city or a place where I need to change roads. I once missed my interstate and drove 30 minutes out of my way before I realized I should have taken a left in St. Louis and that none of the signs had St. Louis on them any more. I remember thinking, “Hmmm. I wonder if THAT is what caused that traffic a little while back…”
Anyhow, I recommend something that doesn’t take your eyes off the road for most of us. May work for you, but I doubt most of us are that talented/disciplined.