A driver of 77 years gives his guidelines for street tripping together with his spouse

To the editor: I’m 90 years outdated and have been a licensed driver in California for 77 years, beginning with a junior operator license once I turned 13. I’ve by no means had a significant accident, only some fender benders. I taught driving for the California Nationwide Guard and AARP. My spouse and I’ve been in love and married for greater than 50 years (“If a 7-hour street journey up the 5 doesn’t damage your marriage, nothing will,” July 1).

Our driving guidelines: No pointless dialog with the driving force. No distractions from driving. Spouse acts as co-pilot — heads-ups are welcome, as are private wants requests. Routes are agreed upon earlier than the journey begins. Relaxation and meals stops are taken because the journey progresses. Management of the radio is shared. HVAC has separate controls for driver and passenger. Driver doesn’t use telephone. We usually don’t carry passengers and thus, no conversations within the automobile.

My spouse won’t trip with different drivers and now we have an settlement on my driving: When she believes I ought to not drive, she is going to inform me and I cannot argue together with her. Drive safely!

Ernest Salomon, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: Rising up the kid of public college academics, I skilled street journeys all through my youth — fuel was low cost and tenting spots had been plentiful. Clearly, we had no digital distractions and the locations we went to had been all distinctive and consultant of people that lived totally different lives than we did within the suburbs. Plus, there have been no ubiquitous chain shops that seemed the identical in all places we went.

I’d add one ebook to visitor contributor Derek Mong’s syllabus on the street journey in America (“The street journey — chic, profane and [almost] reclaimed,” July 3). That’s William Least Warmth-Moon’s “Blue Highways,” a wealthy story of America within the Eighties and an exploration of the variety of endemic cultures in our nation.

Peggy Perry, Claremont