Ancient explorers were compelled by it, beat poets spun free verse about it, hell, even the frat boys in Animal House couldn't resist it. "It" is the call of the road trip, an urge hard-wired into the human soul to check out what's over the next hill or around the far bend. Car guys get it worse than most, since the primal urge can be satisfied by spending quality time in our rides, gobbling pavement in search of, well, whatever it is that calls to us from over the horizon.
The trips profiled here should stoke the wanderlust already simmering in your brain pan because many of them come from fellow CC readers who have already heeded the call and are eager for you to experience what they saw and felt on the open highway. You've got the need to hit the road anyway, might as well be going somewhere kick-ass, right?
Long Island, New York, to Rehoboth, Delaware
Where: New York, New Jersey, Delaware
When: Summer
Why: "It's a beautiful rip though old highways along the Atlantic Coast and Chesapeake Bay area," says reader Dan Jenney. "Once off the main highway (you need to go south on 95 for just a little), you pass an old military airport, several used and classic-car showrooms, and Dover Raceway, The Monster." The destination is "a wild little beach party town tucked on the tip of Delaware. If you're looking for a place to be a beach bum with fewer tourists and more drunks, Rehoboth is a great ride.
Mammoth Springs
Where: Highway 63 starting at the Arkansas/Missouri border to Hardy, Arkansas
When: Anytime
Why: "It's 16 miles of some of the best driving you'll experience in the Midwest," says reader Matt Hamby. "You come out of a good, flat stretch to find yourself in the Arkansas mountains. The speed limit is 55, the road is well maintained, but you get a second lane only on some of the particularly steep hills-get around those trucks! Lots of S-curves and gradual hairpins. During the day, you get some great vistas as you wind through the mountains."
Highway 2
Where: The southern edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula
When: Nice weather-it gets pretty damned cold in the U.P. in the winter
Why: "It may not be the most historic road, but it sure has some relaxing scenery," says reader Evan Gillette. "You can cruise all day and only get a few sirens off the Fuzzbuster. The route is scattered with small-town cafes with the best grub in the world and old motels that will send shivers down your spine. If you're outdoorsy like me, you'll throw in a tent and sleep on the beautiful white-sand beaches. I guarantee it will be worth the gas money."
Another U.P. tour
Where: Keweenaw Peninsula, in Michigan's northwest corner
When: Early fall
Why: CC reader Mike Neisen tells us Michigan Highway 26 "goes up the west side of the Keweenaw and stays close to Lake Superior for a spectacular view. Whenever it veers away from the water, it twists through the forest with trees close on both sides of the road, creating the illusion you are going much faster than the posted 50 mph. The best time of year for this trip is just when the trees turn color." Mike says gas is a little more expensive up there, but "the roads are surprisingly well kept considering that 300 inches of snowfall is the norm for a winter."
U.S. 250
Where: Allegheny Mountains on the Virginia/West Virginia border
When: Anytime
Why: "Nice scenery and lots of twisties," says reader-of-few-words Dave DeFord. "I've done it on my vintage Triumph and in an '05 Crown Vic. Now I just need to do it in my '79 Camaro-don't ask why!" Let us add that the route runs through the Monongahela National Forest and up to Elkins, near the center of West Virginia. Lots of Civil War historic sites along the way.