Let’s bring back going for a drive

Since we’ve brought back the pandemic and the stock market crash of the early 20th century, why don’t we also bring back the simple joy of just going for a drive? You know, when you get in the car on a beautiful day, roll down the windows or put the top down, take the backroads and just drive. There doesn’t have to be a destination in mind, but it might not be a bad idea to keep a map or GPS in the glove compartment.

Jokes keep circulating about gas prices being lower than ever but there’s nowhere to go. When we’ve all been cooped up in our houses, getting out doesn’t need to be about going somewhere as much as it should be about going.

At the time of this writing, the Easter Sunday forecast is 70 degrees and cloudy. Not as pretty as driving in the sunshine, but at least it will be warm enough to roll the windows down and feel the wind in our hair.
Gas prices are as low as $1.83 a gallon, so we shouldn’t break the bank filling up. Even $10 at the pump should be about five gallons of fuel — enough to hit I-79 and circle Fairmont or even Clarksburg, depending on the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

The coronavirus has thrown a wrench in most people’s Easter weekend plans. Neighborhood egg hunts have been canceled; religious services have gone virtual, if they happen at all; big family dinners have been nixed. Going for a drive can’t replace any of that. But it can get us out of our homes — and hopefully out of our own heads — for a little while.

For those who can’t fathom getting behind the wheel without knowing where they’re going, pick a restaurant a decent distance from your house that’s doing take-out. It can be an old favorite or a place you’ve never been. Call your order in ahead or order when you get there, it doesn’t matter. Now you have a destination. So pick up your food and have a car picnic. Find a place where you can maintain social distancing and park. Fold down the back seats if you can and open the windows or the back hatch. Spread out a picnic blanket if you want. Or take the food home and picnic in your own backyard.

For parents who are homeschooling, going for a drive is a great time to teach your kids about nature. Give them a device with internet access while you drive (this will use up data) and have them Google the plants they see. Kids likely won’t know what the plant is called, but Googling a description will give a variety of results. Have them match the pictures to what they’re seeing outside. For example, if you search “tree with purple flowers,” one of the first results on is American redbud, which grows along many of West Virginia’s interstates and highways.

So get in your car and go for a drive on a nice day. What else is there to do? As the saying goes: Life isn’t the destination; it’s the journey. None of us know where this pandemic is going to end up, but we’re all on this journey together. Every journey has its ups and downs, so let’s enjoy the parts we can.