Why Drive?

The drawback of living in a rural area is that flying anywhere is an all day ordeal with at least one layover. For me, driving to the airport consists of an hour and a half on the road to get to the airport two hours early for a flight that with layovers will take a minimum of 7 hours. Then arriving at the destination, another hour or two to cab, train or shuttle my way to the hotel. That is a minimum of 12 and a half hours for one way travel. If I include a return trip, tack on another 12.5 for a total of 25 hours, the one way driving time from Fort Yates to San Diego. Tack on a couple extra days on either side and a couple people can drive plus hotel and food for about the cost of one place ticket. The drive has given me impressions of our vast nation that will last a lifetime, plus an enjoyable trip with many benefits over flying.