I know this might not sound too popular these days what with people trying to save money and find different ways to protect the environment, but I realized something last week.

I love to drive. This is not really a new revelation. Because I commute down to Baltimore for work, I have understood my appreciation for driving for a long time.

I do feel a bit of guilt with pollution and all that, but when I tune in some good music and settle in for the trip, all that fades to the back of my mind.

That’s how I felt a couple of weeks ago when I went to visit family up in State College. I think I enjoyed the trip back a little bit more than the drive up because I enjoyed one of the special things about a long drive before I got home.

I stopped at a random restaurant on the road for dinner. I could have easily pulled off, grabbed some fast food and jumped right back on the highway, but I have done that enough times over the years.

There’s something special about having a waitress bring you a piping hot plate of food in a place where you have never eaten before. Even though I just got a simple plate of chicken and potatoes, it seemed to be something totally new.

This is why I have always preferred to take back roads during my commute. The main roads might mean a straighter shot, but you tend to notice new things when you travel a path you may never have tried before.

This behavior may have come from my father’s penchant for taking a “shortcut” on family vacations. We did do a lot of summer driving when I was a kid, which probably helped me appreciate my trips.

I do have my limits, however. The trip to State College fit me perfectly. Once I spend more than two or three hours in the car, things start to get to me.

Some friends of mine spent the summer in California once. They intended on driving back over two or three days, but plans changed, and they decided to make it back at soon as they could.

Sure, they have a great story for the rest of their lives, but that meant more than 24 hours on the road only stopping for meals. I couldn’t take that.

I did something similar once in high school on the way to a wrestling tournament in Iowa. Five of us went straight through from Baltimore in one vehicle. I think the whole thing took about 18 hours.

We drove in a small Dodge Colt. I sat in the middle of the back seat. For the whole ride. Next to a hyperactive guy who rocked from side to side for the entire trip.

I don’t know which was worse, that or the time I spent close to two hours, each way, in the hatchback of a AMC Eagle on the way to a concert in college. I rested my head on the spare tire.

I’m surprised I even get in a car anymore.