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My most memorable drive: Dubuque to Tallahassee my first year of law school.

I bought an old VW Microbus and loaded it up with everything I owned. Brakes went out in Central Illinois, so stopped to replace them. At 2:00 a.m. came into a tiny town in Southern Illinois called Cave in Rock, traveling down a hill into a parking lot where I thought there would be a bridge over the Ohio River but, -- no -- it was a parking lot with a sign, "STOP, WAIT FOR FERRY." Figured ferry was not operating at 2:00 a.m. and at any rate it was on Kentucky side, so I drove 20 miles looking for a bridge.
Once in Kentucky, on a blacktop county road, there were opossums running both directions across the road, dozens. They are kind of spooky at 2:30 a.m. And then I went over one. And you feel the weight of yourself going over an opossum in a Microbus, because you sit atop the front wheel.
I never visited Tallahassee before I enrolled. I just showed up with a fully loaded VW Microbus, with full-sized bed and all my belongings. Stayed in a mom and pop hotel a few days. If my daughter tried doing that I would be all over her. I was in a vulnerable position with a VW Microbus fully loaded and no place to live. Bought the newspaper. Looked for a place to live. Actually found a nice place - pure luck - with a great neighbor above-me who has been a friend for life.

Ya the boring parts are usually farms - so like the critics can eat

The seven trips I made around the Etoile traffic circle in Paris (the one around the Arc de Triomphe over silly American drivers) was memorable for me.  The wife kept yelling "A GAUCHE!" the whole time because I reckon the other drivers were poorly attired or something.

I never visited Tallahassee before I enrolled. I just showed up with a fully loaded VW Microbus, with full-sized bed and all my belongings. Stayed in a mom and pop hotel a few days. If my daughter tried doing that I would be all over her. I was in a vulnerable position with a VW Microbus fully loaded and no place to live. Bought the newspaper. Looked for a place to live. Actually found a nice place - pure luck - with a great neighbor above-me who has been a friend for life.

This was me, moving out to AZ.  Never been west of Baton Rouge (not counting birth-3 yrs old), but packed up all the stuff I could in a tiny u-haul trailer, towed by my tiny Saturn.  
My dad was cute, he printed out directions from Gainesville to Phoenix, which was all of 1 turn, lol.  North on I-75 for 40 miles to Lake City, turn west onto I-10 for 1800 miles to Phoenix.  Lived in a Hampton Inn for a week while working and finding a place to live.  
I had more teaching stuff with me than personal belongings.  Only 'big' thing was a desk my parents bought me.  
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Looking back, that was pretty crazy.  But the drive out was memorable because I'd only been in the southeast (aside from airports).  The eastern half of Texas might as well be Florida with hills.  The LA/TX border is unsightly, with all the oil industry infrastructure just laid out all over the place.  But once you creep a few hours west of San Antonio...the world changes.  The highway changes - the exits are different out there.  Then my first, official 80 mph speed limit signs.  Elevation.  Desert.  Rock formations.  Stuff you could see from 200 miles away if you dropped it in Gainesville, but out west, it's unremarkable.
Such elevation!  And cactus.  El Paso's overpasses are all very decorated and you can look over at Mexico.  The terrain was just a marvel as you drive into New Mexico (for someone who's only lived at sea level).  
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I always prided myself on geography knowledge, but had no idea northern AZ is at 6000-7500'.  Flagstaff is 2,000' above Denver in elevation.  If you ever have some time to kill, driving along the Mogollon rim, where the southern AZ desert gives way to the Colorado plateau, it's beautiful.  From I-17 out towards Payson.  

Elevation.  Desert.  Rock formations.  Stuff you could see from 200 miles away if you dropped it in Gainesville, but out west, it's unremarkable.
Such elevation! 

I learned to downhill ski at Villa Olivia in the Chicago suburbs. It's a golf course in the summer. My only trip beyond there was Wilmot "Mountain" in Wisconsin, which seemed enormous in relation.

After moving to San Jose, I went to go learn snowboarding with friends in Tahoe. Suddenly I realized just how small and flat my previous world truly was...

I always prided myself on geography knowledge, but had no idea northern AZ is at 6000-7500'.  Flagstaff is 2,000' above Denver in elevation.  If you ever have some time to kill, driving along the Mogollon rim, where the southern AZ desert gives way to the Colorado plateau, it's beautiful.  From I-17 out towards Payson.  

I had a business trip one summer which was one day in Phoenix followed by one day in Albuquerque. Phoenix was 115 degrees, which I find unbearable. Albuquerque was high 90s, which for desert heat is quite tolerable. That's the difference with a mile of elevation...

I had a boss who had his winter house and his summer house. His winter house was in Phoenix. His summer house was in Flagstaff. You don't normally think there's going to be an area of Arizona that you're trying to "escape" in the winter, but you get real winter at 6000+ feet.

Most Saturns would have no towing package, although there were a few Saturn SUVs made. I can imagine the issues towing with a small sedan.

The 1970 Microbus could go 71 mph downhill through the Appalachians, and no more than about 50 mph uphill. About 66-67 mph was top speed floored on level ground. Not only did it have a low top end it didn't stop fast. It had 4-wheel drum brakes. You needed stopping distance.

I am amazed I am still living. You would be the first person to the scene of a head-on crash. It had no protection of any kind for the driver and front seat passenger, save a seat belt; your feet hang down over the front of the front wheel well. They were very utilitarian, and very dangerous.

One great drive is from LV north through Death Valley and then US 395 up the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada to Tioga Pass road up and then down into Yosemite.  I would have that very high on my personal rankings.  We then drove south and visited Kings Canyon and Sequoyah NPs and then back to LV.  LV is a great place to start great drives IMHO, and rental cars are very very cheap.  I usually get a Mustang convertible.  (The 4 cylinder is not much fun to drive really, but whatever.)

The western US has some great vistas and views.  I once drove around Mt. Ranier on a clear day, spectacular.  I took the wife and the clouds were at about 10,000 feet but it was still worth seeing, along with Mount St. Helens.  I want to drive north from SF to Oregon sometime.