I want to thank you guys for reminding me how tame my daily commute is anymore.
For you guys in Europe who are trying to get a handle on the wide open spaces in America, I live in the "Greater Cleveland Metro Area" so it isn't exactly back country but I used to put an average of 150 miles a day on my car just driving to my girlfriend's house, taking her to school, then going to work, back to school, her home, then back to mine.
I used to take 80 to 100 mile drives just to clear my head when I was upset, and nobody thought that was unusual. Driving from Toledo Ohio to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania (3.5 to 4 hours each way) just to visit family members for a few hours and pick up a case of beer was a fairly regular practice. Last years gas prices curtailed such activities a bit, but we're still a nation of open spaces that people think nothing of crossing.
As for craziest driving, I spent a week in Boston learning how much I could love public transportation about a decade ago. Drivers in that town are just nuckin' futs if you catch my meaning. I will only drive in that city if the lives of myself and/or loved ones absolutely depends on it. Mind you this is coming from someone who has navigated Washington DC traffic using only two throttle positions (Idle and Wide-Open) in a Delta 88, and accomplished rally-driver maneuvers in a Ford Aerostar (the short-overhang version is remarkably stable in a drift when the rear seat sets are removed, and it is possible to catch air off a hill crest without crashing on landing believe it or not).
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