Summer time Somedays-The Road is waiting.

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent." — Carl Sandburg

It seems to happen every year.

"I'm going to spend more time driving this season. No excuses."

Then, before you know it, summer arrives, and with it comes everything else. Cookouts. Friends. Car meets. Yard work. Family gatherings. One commitment after another, all competing for our time and attention. Somehow, the very season we spend all winter looking forward to becomes the hardest time to simply get behind the wheel and drive.

It's happened to me again this year. Despite all the momentum going into the season, the heat and hustle of summer have brought my driving season to a slow crawl. It left me wondering why that is.

Maybe it isn't that we don't have time to drive. Maybe we've just forgotten to make time for it.

The truth is, most of us aren't sitting at home with nothing to do. Summer is busy by nature. The days are longer, the calendar fills up, and before long every weekend has a purpose. We tell ourselves we'll take the long way home next week. We'll get up early and chase the sunrise next Saturday. We'll plan that day trip once things settle down.

But they rarely do.

IThe funny thing is, we don't stop loving the drive—we stop treating it like it matters. Driving becomes the first thing sacrificed because it doesn't feel urgent. There isn't a deadline. No one is expecting us. There isn't a notification reminding us to go find that forgotten back road we've had saved on the map for months.

Maybe it's because driving feels optional. We make time for the things that demand our attention. Work. Family commitments. Yard work. Social events. If we don't mow the lawn this weekend, it'll be taller next week. If we skip the cookout, we'll hear about it. But that road we've been wanting to drive? It'll still be there tomorrow... or so we tell ourselves.

One weekend turns into the next, and before long it's August. The weather is still beautiful, but the season suddenly feels like it's slipping away. The realization hits almost out of nowhere.

"I haven't driven nearly as much as I thought I would this year."

The truth is, that road isn't going anywhere. That overlook you've been meaning to revisit will still be there next weekend. We convince ourselves there's always another Saturday, another sunny evening, another opportunity to go.

Until suddenly, there isn't.

But I don't think time is the whole story.

I wonder if, somewhere along the way, we've started confusing car culture with driving. We spend hours detailing our cars, modifying them, photographing them, and standing around parking lots talking about the next big trip. None of those things are bad—in fact, they're part of what makes this hobby so enjoyable. But they're no substitute for the simple act of putting the car in gear and seeing where the road leads.

Maybe that's why so many of us reach the end of summer feeling like we somehow missed it. We were surrounded by cars all season, yet we never found ourselves behind the wheel with nowhere to be.

Perhaps the biggest mistake we make is treating driving like a reward.

"I'll go after I finish this project."

"I'll go once things slow down."

"I'll take that road next weekend."

The problem is that life has a way of replacing one obligation with another. There will always be another lawn to mow, another event to attend, another errand to run. If we wait until the calendar is empty, we'll be waiting forever.

Maybe the answer isn't finding more time.

Maybe it's deciding that the drive deserves a place on the calendar, just like everything else.

As I sat down to write this, I realized this article wasn't really about summer at all. It's about remembering why we fell in love with driving in the first place.

It was never about horsepower, lap times, or owning the perfect car. Those things are certainly part of the fun, but they were never the reason we fell in love with the road. The real magic has always been in the feeling—the freedom of having nowhere to be, the excitement of cresting a hill without knowing what's around the next bend, and the quiet satisfaction of taking the long way home simply because you can.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized those moments don't just happen. They happen because we make room for them. We choose to leave a little earlier, take the scenic route instead of the fastest one, or dedicate an evening to driving when it would be easier to stay home.

Maybe that's the challenge for the rest of this summer.

You don't need to plan a week-long trip through the Rockies or finally check the Tail of the Dragon off your bucket list. Those adventures will come in time. Instead, find an evening this week, pick a road you've never driven before, and give yourself permission to wander for an hour or two. You might be surprised how quickly the stress of the week fades once the destination stops mattering.

Before long, the evenings will get shorter, the first hints of fall will begin to appear, and another driving season will quietly slip into memory. When that happens, I hope we aren't looking back wishing we'd found more time. I hope we look back knowing we made the time.

So here's the assignment.

Before summer slips away, carve out an evening. Skip the excuses, leave the errands for another day, and point your car toward a road you've never driven before. Don't worry about the destination or the mileage. Just go.

Then, when you get home, ask yourself one simple question:

Why don't I do this more often?

Here's to more good drives, and good vibes before the season fades away.