I retired a couple years ago and we bought a place in North Idaho last year. My mom was born up the road and her folks retired in the mid 60s to a spot only a mile from our house. The reason I brought that up is we are preparing for western road trips after my wife retires late next hear. I added this to our bucket list.
About 40 years ago, a buddy and I drove in my CJ7 Jeep from CA to Durango via Farmington where we picked up an oil service buddy of mine. We skied for a week around Christmas time and really enjoyed it. It isn’t an easy place to get to.
I also enjoy the choices in scenery between you and me. In my my mind, there is nothing wrong with making a hundred miles or two between stops. We live in a great country with great people, so we can safely ignore *some* things that are wacky in the cities by staying away.
So take that bad and long road as a type of filter, keeping the wrong people away. Closed mountain passes and irregular snow plows are a plus, and even the delays in cone-zone seasons are similar features.