Conversion experience-how and why did you start shunpiking?

I first found the word on local maps in Vermont where it was the free way 'round a former turnpike tollgate. I've always been a map fiend, but as with most shunpikers it took me years to put aside the destination is the journey mentality.

I had used back roads as shortcuts when applicable to the quickest way mentality, and I was ever ready to abandon the Interstate when traffic tie-ups, again, made this useful. I was always amazed that people would sit in their cars indefinitely in an Interstate accident traffic jam, when there was most probably a US Highway or, even better, a state road running parallel to the jam. Sometimes, it is very difficult to break out of a reigning mentality. Quicker is always better dominates, EVEN when it isn't...quicker that is.

I was in many ways predisposed to be a shunpiker. I loved maps, I'm a contrarian at heart, I love to explore, and I usually bicycled on the old routes. However, it wasn't until gas prices spiked in Spring/Summer of '08 that I finally broke my lead foot and started to drive slower, often below the speed limit. My black Corolla with no A/C (in Vermont A/C can be an optional item) got great mileage and by driving slowly and calmly I could often surpass 40mpg. However, driving around 60 on the Interstate with windows down was noisy, hot, boring, miserable and even dangerous.

I was routinely making the trip from Knoxville to Nashville and I-40 was intolerable due to the above mentioned factors. I began to experiment with alternate routes and was immediately smitten with a shunpiker's mentality when I found TN SRs 62 and 25.

First off, it was cooler temperature wise. My preference is for state (and even county) roads as I find US Highways have often been made as dull as our Interstates. These roads are far more likely to have trees near the road providing critical shade and even when they don't they are surrounded by less heat absorbing pavement.

Second, the jake-braking and otherwise loud trucks were nearly non-existant, so the noise factor was less. My slightly reduced speed (40-60) also reduced wind noise. Traffic, save for where older routes entered suburban/exurban sprawl, was often much reduced. Local traffic is encountered on occasion, but it's rare to be stuck behind really slow moving traffic for long.

Third, boring was banished. The Interstates are so consistently dull and regularized that I would constantly fight drowsiness on longer trips. Back roads have largely escaped the tyranny of the safety engineers taking out every single narrow bridge, "dangerous" curve or imposing hillside. These landforms make the drive fun and interesting.

Fourth, America lives on back roads. The cultural landscape is vastly more interesting off-Interstate. I saw baseball and football games, lawn-mowing, farms, churches, state/national parks, wildlife and forgotten road side attractions.

Fifth, it's just more fun. I'd much rather climb/descend mountains on hairpins, drive serenely along unfrequented valley roads or duck and weave through chicanes of hilly roads, than slide along the automotive sewer that is most Interstates.

I expect others share some of these reasons and may add others. What's your story? What was your conversion event?

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