I've got the restless feet syndrome again...

[featherynscale]

What I would most like to have on hand today is a program that I could input my current location and how many hours I wanted to drive, and have it output a list of possible destinations that meet those parameters. I'm sure that such a thing exists, but I can't find one.

Any of you guys know of something that works that way? I mean, I can just make a compass circle on a map and get a rough idea, but I'm too lazy for that.

The thing is, I'm looking for short trips to make. I'm realizing again how much vacation I have. St. Joe was far enough away to keep me entertained for a few weeks, but now I want to go somewhere else. I'm thinking of 8-12 hour drives, so Denver is good, Dallas is good, Atlanta is probably close enough, and so on. If I can't get a resource, are there destinations that you could suggest?

Comments

Get thee to the atlas!

[crookedface.livejournal.com]

Many atlases have a mileage chart that provides distances from one city to all the others on the chart--usually a collection of major cities throughout the country. My atlas has a chart on each state page providing mileage from city to city within the state. At the end of the book, it has a large chart doing so nationwide.

It's late enough in the year that many truck stops will have the atlas books on sale. I picked up the 2006 edition last year for $5.

On to the data...assuming a radius of about 700 miles, these are the cities listed:

Cheyenne, WY
Chicago, IL
Columbus, OH
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Des Moines, IA
Fargo, ND
Indianapolis, IN
Little Rock, AR
Louisville, KY
Memphis, TN
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Nashville, TN
Oklahoma City, OK
Omaha, NE
Rapid City, SD
St Louis, MO

I drive a route every other week into the Dakotas. The northern plains are an interesting experience by themselves. The Badlands are within reach of your drive time. Heck, the Canadian border is within reach--Fargo's a nine-hour drive straight through, Grand Fork's an hour or so north of that, and Winnipeg might be within twelve; I enjoyed Winnipeg on my one short visit there.

Driving across Nebraska to Cheyenne is a bit tedious; I didn't find the vistas as impressive as those in the Dakotas. Cheyenne is a nice little city, though.

The Twin Cities are the easiest to drive in during rush hour, though I doubt that qualifies as an enticement for tourism. Driving through Chicagoland at any time is a pain. Yeah, lots of tidbits stuck in my head; most of my OTR work last year was in this part of the country, and all of my OTR work currently.

Re: Get thee to the atlas!

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Hey, Canada. I hadn't thought of Canada.
I wonder if they'll let me in or not -- I hear they're at their redheaded bisexual witch cap up there.

Also, I'm very fond of the Badlands. That's a fun trip to make, but I've never done it by car. That might be good.

Thanks for all the ideas.