There's something romantic about a long road trip, unbroken and unplanned. Call it an outlier experience, but everyone should have one once. It's American to th

There's something romantic about a long road trip, unbroken and unplanned. Call it an outlier experience, but everyone should have one once. It's American to the core. You get in the seat and head out, first watching the familiar pass away. The first time your GPS says stay on this road for 400 miles, that's when the trip starts. That's when you accept it. You'll see whatever comes - open ranges, mountains, trains that span longer than you can see, bison that wander onto the empty road. You'll listen to whatever is on the radio. Nobody will tell you what to do next. A spirit of freedom comes flooding back, and you remember that you aren't just an ape in a box working for the next planned fun, but a human, a natural explorer, and you feel a bit more like yourself. Music is awesome. You spontaneously pull over to snap a picture and take a leak, just because you can, and nobody is around anyway. And then it hits you - bliss. Quietness. No more inner voice. Just sounds, sights, and sensations. The wind. The rest of the road trip after that is a bit different, and the passing of time doesn't matter as much. It's like when you go on vacation - it's not until the third day when you really settle in. For these trips, sure you're trying to get somewhere, but that's not what it's about. You could fly if you wanted to. If you legislate drudgery into this, or take away from the experience in any way, you're robbing others of something special, even if it's not your thing. EVs don't cut it yet - they require more frequent and longer stops and more overall planning. But I hope they improve because their silence is nice.