Winter in Rhode Island is a time of cold temperatures, foul weather, and short days, and when you’re stuck inside all the time, it leads to a wandering mind.

This winter has been particularly difficult for me, and not just because of the unusual amount snow and bitter cold we’ve had to endure. You see, I retired and closed my business of 38 years back in June. Prior to retirement, I used the winter down time to plan and plot how the business would function in the coming year, setting goals and establishing budgets. That responsibility is gone now. Starting this year, I can use my wandering mind to plot and plan for things that are frivolous and, more importantly, fun.

Driving was an integral part of my working life. It was not unusual for me to log 500 to 600 miles in a week. The drive usually involved miles and miles of interstate highway travel, charting road signs that noted the distance left to my destination, and listening to podcasts or AM radio talk shows to pass the time. I’m sure many of you experience this in your daily lives — the joyless effort of interstate highway travel.

That experience led me to this unique idea for road tripping. I was born in 1960, but I really do not remember a time without having Routes 95, 195, or even 295 available to hop on to get somewhere outside of northwest Rhode Island. I have clear memories of my father actually avoiding any highway and always taking Route 102 to get to locations south of Burrillville. I can remember him taking us for a picnic at a parking area maintained by the state Department of Transportation, located at the intersection of Route 102, Route 14, and Rockland Road in Scituate. He called it “Crazy Corners,” and there were picnic tables and small fire pits to use. That was my Dad’s idea of a road trip.

So, my wandering mind this winter came up with an idea: to bring back the concept of road tripping without using an interstate highway. And to truly bring it back to the 1960s: No map apps or even mobile phones will be used for the trip. Paper maps only.

Garmin, Ltd. still publishes the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer map books for each state. All it took was a quick trip to Barnes and Noble, and I purchased map books for Rhode Island and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The planning for Road Trip #1 has begun!

I should point out that for me, a proper road trip requires a proper automobile. I have the good fortune of having two such cars at my disposal. The first, and I must admit my favorite, is a 2006 Pontiac Solstice. Pontiac only made the Solstice for five model years. The two-seater rag-top was basically billed as a new affordable American sports car. This dark blue convertible was purchased new by my father-in-law in 2006 as an anniversary gift to my mother-in-law, and it has since been handed down to my daughter. She loves her father and gives him unlimited access to this beauty during the summer.

The second car is a 1985 Mercedes 300D. My wife sarcastically calls this my “pépère” car. It’s maroon with an impeccable tan leather interior. It’s also a diesel, which accounts for the model’s longevity – several 300Ds have logged more than 1 million miles on their odometer. It still gives a smooth ride and always gets heads to turn.

Both cars are in storage for the winter.

Looking outside, who can be sure when this snow will melt. But when it finally does, rest assured, I will take each one out of hibernation, clean them inside and out, and set out on the first road trip without using any interstate highway to get to my destination. Trust me, it is not as easy as it sounds. I promise that each trip will be to an unusual location in New England that you might never have thought to visit. Stay tuned.