Traffic and parking problems!

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Tahitijack

Skateboarding.......the road surfaces where you live could be a challenge....might loose a filling or two. Worst case chip or missing tooth.

That would be tough - my dentist has just retired!

You wanna see a 71 year old Brit on a skateboard? Not gonna happen!

I did once drive/ride one of the original "Segways" - it was great - sadly illegal in the UK.

[Brucebubs]

I live in a small coastal town.
We don't even have a set of traffic lights.
Clean air.
Love it.

[Murphy Slaw]

Originally Posted by imwjl

Are you a contractor or farmer? The popularity of such vehicles around me often creates some head scratching, can't help but laugh or bite tongue.

I own 30 acres of deep woods (different location from my home) with a hunting cabin I built with no electricity. I often pull a trailer with 4 wheelers on it. I am forever hauling lumber, fencing, concrete blocks, ice chests, tools, and so on.

I have no idea how people do stuff without a truck.

[DenverSteve]

Everyone thinks they have it the worst. At some time, they do. I have now mostly uncluttered my life so I can have all the inner-city benefits and be able to avoid bad traffic by walking, cycling or training it wherever I need to go. If that doesn’t work, I don’t need to go. You’ve never experienced gridlock until you’ve experienced Istanbul at its worst. Not even Rome, London, Tokyo, Washington D.C., L.A., or Mexico City compare.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

I own 30 acres of deep woods (different location from my home) with a hunting cabin I built with no electricity. I often pull a trailer with 4 wheelers on it. I am forever hauling lumber, fencing, concrete blocks, ice chests, tools, and so on.

I have no idea how people do stuff without a truck.

Rent one when you need it? Hire someone? I haven't needed a truck often in years. I was glad to end the lease on my Kenworth. I was just as happy when I could just rent pickups and not own one.

I get there is a need and we're free to make a lot of choices but mostly it looks silly to see how many people drive pickups. I thought about it earlier while covering 65 mi of city, roads and freeway. Functionally it looked kind of like dozens and dozens of people carrying empty suitcases and maybe many have gotten so overweight that cars don't work well.

Maybe I don't come out ahead renting some years but most of the time I'm really glad to have a more nimble vehicle and like Silly here like it when a bike will do the job.

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

..I have no idea how people do stuff without a truck.

Almost anyone will deliver and I have no desire to haul anything. My bicycle and golf clubs fit in or on a Porsche. My skis and performing gear fit in a small AWB crossover that allows me to go anywhere a person would want to go. It ‘s not truck owners that get me, it’ s the dually driving meatheads that take up two spots at the mall to get a haircut or the Suburban (or similar) driving soccer moms who haul or carry nothing more than a handbag that bugger up the roads and parking. As imwjl observed, 90% of the trucks on the road carry nothing more than a single occupant. Huge waste of space. And I don’t care what you drive to your land, but you hinted of asking.

[Murphy Slaw]

Murica.

Different strokes and stuff. I can't rent a truck 3/4 times a week to maintain my own land which is 1 mile from my home. Or pay someone else to run my road and pick up / cut up broken limbs. Or haul my stuff for me to go camp.

Do you know how ludicrous that is ?

And you can't pull this trailer to that location with a Prius. I'll keep my 4X4 Hemi. Thanks for the ideas though.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

Murica.

Different strokes and stuff. I can't rent a truck 3/4 times a week to maintain my own land which is 1 mile from my home. Or pay someone else to run my road and pick up / cut up broken limbs. Or haul my stuff for me to go camp.

Do you know how ludicrous that is ?

And you can't pull this trailer to that location with a Prius. I'll keep my 4X4 Hemi. Thanks for the ideas though.

No one said anything about a Prius, and I'll stand firm in my believing it is healthy to be curious.

You're probably right about "Murica". It's not something I've seen having done a lot of travel elsewhere. We have family and friends in other countries three are in ag or farming. Except for a van, their utility vehicles are not part of their personal time or lives. When so many having pickups was more of a nascent phenomenon it seemed to me like an over-readiness thing. A few friends and acquaintances say the cabs and seats better accommodate the shape they're in but I am not sure being overweight is not so uniquely "Murica".

[CoffeeFan]

I'm an environmental nightmare. I own 14 vehicles of one form or another.

• 2014 Chevy Malibu
• 1966 Ford Bronco
• 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda (sadly, not a hemi)
• 2016 Shelby GT350
• 1981 Ford F100
• 2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe
• 2013 Harley Davidson Street Glide
• 2018 Harley Davidson Tri-Glide
• 2015 Ural Patrol Custom (with sidecar)
• 2014 Mercedes Benz Sprinter (camper)
• 2002 Prevost 45 XLII
• 1965 Plymouth Belvedere
• 1975 MG MGB
• 2018 Lincoln Continental

I know, I know. It's a sickness. I buy vehicles like some of you guys buy guitars, and I'll be adding a 2020 Corvette early next year. Thankfully, I'm single. Most are kept in a climate controlled warehouse in... well, I keep them somewhere.

Unlike a lot of collectors I know, I drive the majority of the vehicles in my collection. The 'Cuda, the Bronco and the Belvedere don't get out much, and the MGB doesn't go out in the rain (the top leaks a bit). Everything else, though, sees relatively regular use (the Prevost only for long road trips).

Obviously, I can't fault anyone for owning big, honkin', pollution-spewing rides. After all, they're the most fun!

[RP]

I live in a cabin in the woods, and drive 14 miles into Charlottesville 4-5 days per week to swim, shop etc. I own two cars - a '16 Honda CRV & a '10 Mazda MX5. When the weather is good I drive the MX5 into town. Given the driving exhilaration of the MX5 and the beautiful scenery that abounds in western Albemarle County, the MX5 drives are joy rides. The CRV is more utilitarian, and I drive that when weather is bad and/or I need to shop.

As a retiree, I can schedule my trips into C'ville and avoid "rush hour" traffic or going into town altogether on any given day. I've thought many times that moving into town and avoiding the commute would be desirable but the peacefulness that I find from living in the woods and the rent I pay always eclipses a bit of added convenience.

I was a Special Education teacher for 30+ years, and toward the end my mantra became "It's Five o'Clock Somewhere", not because I couldn't wait to drink (I don't) but just because I longed to be free of the work-a-day world, feel more in control of my daily schedule and not be responsible for the welfare of others.

To respond to the OP, retirement is better than anything I've done before, and if I encounter some traffic I can handle it because I know what awaits me at either end of my drive. My license plates say it all for me....

[Mr. Paul]

We drove to Breckenridge, CO yesterday. In 140 miles we encountered one stoplight. Living in the sticks has its benefits, many benefits, but it isn't for everyone.

Not by a long shot

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Mr. Paul

We drove to Breckenridge, CO yesterday. In 140 miles we encountered one stoplight. Living in the sticks has its benefits, many benefits, but it isn't for everyone.

Not by a long shot

That's funny to me because my relatives, friends and some work associates would not have 1 stop light. They're in Morrison, Aurora, Denver, Boulder and a few between 225 and 470. I'm picturing which side of the reservoir but the one in Keystone might be challenged with only one stop light if he doesn't ride a MTB there.

[Mr. Paul]

I lived in Denver metro for 30 years you can not fool me on the subject of traffic there LOL

We live in the only county in CO that has no stoplights. That's just one of the many things we dont have!