I couldn't wait to get my driver's license when I was a teen. Growing up in Montana, I had been riding scooters and three-wheelers for years, but there was something about a car or truck that was just so much better. I wasn't even thinking about dating at the time. I just wanted to drive. That passion for driving has never gone away. Long road trips are my favorite. When I see a guy in the passenger seat and his wife or girlfriend is driving, I really just don't get that! My favorite kind of driving is what I call the 'relaxation drive.' When I'm frazzled at work or just need a break from life, I go alone and just drive. Sometimes with the radio on, sometimes in pure silence. And I found a path that I love to travel just minutes from the Tri-Cities. It's like being way out in the country, but I can be home in 10 minutes if I need to.

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I start out on Locust Grove Road just outside of Kennewick. To get there, take 395 South and get on Interstate 82, eastbound toward Umatilla. Take the first exit (it's only a few hundred yards) and then turn right. And just that fast you've started your 'relaxing drive' journey. As soon as you take that right, you're already out in the country! From there you can drive up a ways and turn right on Clodfelter which is a pleasant drive, but this time I decided to go straight and make my way to Benton City. Here's what I saw along the way! (I did take some of these pics while I was driving. You don't need to call the cops, they already know where I live!)

My Favorite Country Drive is Just 10 Minutes from Kennewick

Driving is a de-stressor for me and it's crazy that nobody knows how "out in the country" you can be just a few minutes from Tri-Cities.

 

See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State

 

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

 

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