This Road Trip Is A Labor Of Love

Common road trip themes include stopping at small town parks for touch football on a sports focused journey, eating at only hole-in-the-wall barbecue places, collecting tacky souvenirs from truck stops and more. But how about a focus on love? That’s exactly what two former strangers are doing, trying to document 100 love stories as they drive from coast to coast.

Nate Bagley and Melissa Joy Kong have been traveling across the United States in a Mini Cooper hoping to “learn what makes a lasting marriage and dispel all the myths around real love,” says an ANI News report. Looking for couples involved in what might be considered a successful relationship, The Loveumentary has already produced more than two-dozen podcast interviews.

Learning the difference between real love and marriage myths, Loveumentarians Bagley and Kong want to continue their travels and document at least 54 more relationships. To do that, a Kickstarter project has been launched to help pay for future accommodations, gas and other incidentals.Want to get an idea of what The Loveumentary road trip is all about, who these people are and what they are up to? Check this video that tells us “One day consists of 86,400 seconds. This is one of them….”


105 Years of Road Tripping: A Slideshow of Car Travel Through the Decades

Today marks the 105th birthday of the Ford Model T. It was on October 1, 1908 that the vehicle was introduced, and how we travel has never been the same since.

Between 1908 and 1927, Ford would build some 15 million Model T cars, making it the longest production run until the Volkswagen Beetle came along. The car was meant for ordinary people to be able to drive every day, and so they did.But it was not just for driving to work. As cars became more and more ubiquitous they paired with the American spirit of independence and adventure, and the road trip slowly worked its way into American culture. There was freedom in the open road, and Americans wanted to experience it first hand.

Cars became the symbol of travel and exploration.

In honor of the 105th birthday of the Model T, and the trips that it inspired, here is a selection of vintage posters, maps and images embracing the spirit of the open road.

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New York Highways Get Texting Zones For Safety

Taking a road trip and want to send a text with your ETA? In New York, you’ll have to wait until you see signs for the next “texting zone.” Part of an initiative to crack down on distracted driving, New York has designated more than 90 rest stops and parking areas along state highways as safe places to stop and send text messages. Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled 300 signs with the message “It can wait” and the number of miles to the next texting zone. If caught texting while driving, motorists can face a fine of $150 and points on their license.

Elon Musk Plans Cross-Country Road Trip In Electric Tesla Model S


The man behind the electric vehicle company Tesla Motors (and the recently hyped Hyperloop idea) tweeted that he, his five kids and network of superchargers are ready for a cross-country road trip. The trip — stunt, if you like — could be another milestone in the viability of electronic vehicles.

Autoblog Green has the background:

Musk first proposed this trip back in May when Tesla announced an expansion to the Supercharger network. At the time, Musk said he wanted to retrace the route of a college road trip, but this time with his five children in the car. With the optional rear-facing seats installed the Model S can seat 7, if some are small enough. On Twitter, Musk said trip planning is done, and the six-day, 3,200-mile trip should only require nine hours of charging. He added, “At 1.5 hrs/day, we will only ever need to charge when stopping anyway to eat or sightsee, never just for charging itself.” But we assume he’s not including overnight charging in that time, since six Supercharger fill-ups – which can each provide three hours of driving – will not be enough for the entire coast-to-coast trip.

Interesting timing on Musk’s tweet: It came 56 years to the day that Jack Kerouac’s epic road trip novel “On the Road” was published.

Photo Of The Day: Extraterrestrial Highway

Labor Day weekend is coming up quickly, and although it’s forecast to be the busiest in five years, that won’t stop an estimated 34.1 million people from packing up and heading out… somewhere. Even though the main roads might not be as clear as this shot of the Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada, you may find solace in calmer, slower back roads. So, load up the car, map your route on the GPS, and spin the steering wheel whichever way the talking lady in the dashboard tells you to go. But maybe ask her for an alternate route before you set off.

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