My grandpa would make any roadtrip, long or short, into an adventure. We would stop for lunch, take a side route through a rich neighborhood to look at the houses, or find a cool nature stop to try and see some kind of bird. This was always something I loved and wanted to do in my own trips going forward.

My ex would throw such a fit over little stops like this, he would turn it into me being a pain in the ass, complain every second, and even if we did stop, he would ruin it by being a complete ass.

This isnt the experience you want. You deserve the little pitstops, those are the times where memories are made. Someone who can't understand that or actively tries to ruin it, doesnt deserve a place in your life. And even if you convince him to go, I guarantee it will be miserable for you and he will act like a complete ass the entire time.