It’s late at night…ok, that’s not right: it’s early in the morning as I write this. It’s been a strange day here at BangShift Mid-West. Don’t sweat, everything is good…the wife is fine, the cats are ok, and the neighborhood is peaceful. I even think the rain has let up. Being awake this late is rare for me nowadays, but even a few short years ago, that wasn’t the case. I loved working nights, I love being up late at night, and I love going for a drive at night. I can’t be the only one who thinks like that. There is something about tearing down roads that normally have traffic flowing like a river on a cool night with the windows down that soothes the soul and calms you down. Out here in the fields, it doesn’t work so well. There’s too many deer and bugs about after the sun goes down and you’re always concerned you will hit one.

I’ve found many decent routes over the years that I would frequent, but the one that I put the most miles on is in Washington State. Occasionally I would drive up to and through Seattle to enjoy the city lights, but more often than not, I would just go out and cruise what I dubbed “Insomnia Loop”. At least half of the miles I put on the Project SuperBeater Mirada came from driving the Loop late at night.

At about fifty or so miles no matter which way you drove it, the Insomnia Loop offered up some peaceful time behind the wheel. No music, no traffic, just the rumble of the engine and the sound of the tires as they rolled along. It isn’t like there’s things to see…it was always a night time run. No therapist or medication can provide that kind of relaxation and calm when your day has been less than great.

So, readers, where do you go drive when you just want to ditch the world for a while?