Before 2001, I took the plane on any route no matter how short. I've flown Austin-Houston, Houston-Dallas and Dallas-Lubbock.
Before August 10, 2006, because of the security hassles (with a $10 fee just to rub salt in the wound), I would drive up to 750 miles. I've driven from Greenville, SC to Pennsylvania and to south Florida.
Now I have no limit on how far I will drive. In fact, I am writing this post from a La Quinta Inn in New Mexico. I drove 2,500 miles from my home to Arizona by way of Missouri (may as well visit my sister along the way
).
Despite the fact that I love the physical aspect of flying, driving is SO much better than flying commercial. I brought all 12 of my CD's but have listened to only four of them. Most of the time I admire the scenery, plot my legal strategy, or gab on the phone with my mother or my girlfriend (though the latter is usually at a rest stop because I don't like to talk on the phone and drive at the same time).
When I packed for this trip, rather than get out all the stuff I would like to take and then remove items one by one until it fits in my suitcase and carry-on, this time I took everything but the kitchen sink (and winter clothes since there's no chance of needing that). This is a three week trip, and I have around 20 pairs of underwear, socks, shirts, etc. I need not even bother with laundry!
I have all kinds of prohibited items with me -- water, cigarette lighter, boxcutter, toothpaste, pocketknife, shaving cream, handgun, deodorant, and live ammunition. I feel safer on this trip than I do flying with the nincompoops at the TSA "protecting" me.
I normally drink large amounts of water anyway, and when I drive, I drink even more water. Last Wednesday when I drove from South Carolina to Missouri (18 hours door-to-door!), I drank 8.5 liters of water. When I say that I am not going to board an airplane without a liter bottle of water with me, I am not kidding.
Unfortunately, I do have a couple of air trips already ticketed that I may as well use. I will defy the idiotic rules and bring my water with me anyway and see what happens.