What've you learned?

[Guest]

A year ago today I was in Missouri and Kansas at the beginning of my western road trip; 2 months ago, I was in Pennsylvania in the middle of my eastern road trip. Both trips seem like they happened just yesterday ... and a lifetime ago. I learned quite a bit in those trips ... enjoying the company of new and old friends along the way. A "snapshot" of some of the things that I discovered during those trips....

Missouri & Kansas are not _that_ boring to drive through....

Colorado is absolutely gorgeous.

Wyoming has beautiful formations.

Utah has breathtaking views...even in rain with a rainbow for good measure.

New Mexico does have rust-free cars.

The guy who does the "voice work" for Rockford's 104.9, "The X" (rock) also does "voice work" for New Mexico's 105.1, "The Range" (Classic Country).

Oklahoma does have character.

Texas drivers take the speed limits as suggested limits.

Hawaii does have license plates (saw one on a Ford Explorer in Texas).

Arkansas does not take that long to drive through....

Sweet tea CAN be made incorrectly (had some bitter sweet tea in Memphis TN).

It really IS "Sweet Home Alabama" (should've bought some souveniers or something).

The Carolinas are hot'n'muggy.

I-81 in VA is not as long as it seems....

Driving the PA Turnpike is less costly these days than actually filling up the car with gas to drive.

Philly PA/NJ area has way too much traffic...even on Sunday.

The Washington DC/Baltimore MD/Philadelphia PA corridor has too many baseball teams.

Driving the "long way" (i.e. avoiding the PA Turnpike) from Alexandria VA to near Canton OH isn't that long of a drive & is quite scenic, especially through MD & the short distance in WV!

I-90 & SR 2 are beautiful right along the lake in Ohio.

The cruises before the official Friday/Saturday Woodward Dream Cruise feature just about as many cool cars!

Watching old reruns of shows (The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, etc.) can be fun & relaxing.

I want to own a 1975 Chevrolet Caprice Classic convertible.... I saw a white one for sale in TX; I saw a red one at the Wexford, PA, car show....

You never have enough time to visit with family & friends....

Strangers are friends you have yet to meet....

I'd rather be driving than working....

The longest drive is the one that leads you home.


So...what have YOU learned during your travels?


Cort, "Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip", 32swm/pig valve/pacemaker
MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
"I wonder if it's too late" ... Nickelback ... 'Photograph'

 

[dmoses1]

Don't Mess With Texas!!!

Don't Mess With Texas!!!

. . . Texas drivers take the speed limits as suggested limits. . .

But I have to admit, IT'S TRUE!!!

 

[Wise]

Hey I enjoyed reading what you learned. Some of us will never go on the road trips you've enjoyed...just let us travel vicariously with you...more more more. AND, what did you learn about Canton, Ohio?

Wise

 

[terryj]

I missed your Georgia impression. Didn't you come through here also? I know the expressways are horrible and everyone drives like its the indy 500 but, we do have some beautiful scenery away from the city.

 

[epstns]

Not sure about Texas drivers, but in Oklahoma (many years ago) the speed limit on the H.E. Baily Turnpike from Lawton north to Oklahoma City was 80, and if you were doing less than 90 you were likely to be hit from behind. (Sort of like I-90 Westbound past O'Hare toward Rockford in Chicago's morning rush hours.)

You also learn that when driving Westbound on I-80 toward Colorado, the mountains seem to "pop up" all of a sudden, and they are simply stunning.

Last, but not least, many of us find that a road trip is what always seems to settle many anxieties and bring us back to emotional "top dead center" again.

 

[OldManEmu]

Did a 10000 kilometre road trip up the East coast of Australia from Melbourne to Cairns and back in 2003 just before the whole endocarditis mess started. Sure glad I did it before the current surge in fuel prices!
It's always good to get away.

 

[Sherry]

Cort, thanks for sharing these observations. We just love traveling with you, even if it's only through your words. The only one I'll disagree with is about I-81 in VA. I've done that a half dozen times or so in the last decade, and it seems to be endless. It is beautiful, though, which makes the drive a little more tolerable. Thanks again.

 

[Lynlw]

Thanks Cort and hope next time you cruise to my neck of the woods, i don't have bronchitis )
with that said, lol

Philly PA/NJ area has way too much traffic...even on Sunday.
I SO agree w/ you here, especially since Justin and HIS friends can now drive lol and don't forget out 'fun' jersey cirlces,



The Washington DC/Baltimore MD/Philadelphia PA corridor has too many baseball teams.
throw in NY and the NY teams that play in NJ and I agree w/ you here too altho Justin thinks there are never enough baseball teams or parks and tries to get to a new one or 2 every year,

Cort, did you ever post any of you CHD pictures w/ your little heart buddies? here they are so cute, you should share, Lyn
www.caringbridge.org/nj/justinw

 

[Karlynn]

Wonderful post Cort. Thank you for sharing this with us.

 

[Guest]

*grins*

Alrighty...let's see here....


Wise,
You are more than welcome to travel vicariously through me.... And, if I get my way here in the next week or so...traveling just might become a bit more of a reality.... Can't say anything else ... I may've just jinxed it already...we'll see .


terry,
Yes, I was in Georgia as well. In fact, met up with gadgetman (where is he?) and a few others at a restaurant just outside of Atlanta when I drove through that state. I think your note about Georgia sums it up for me, too .


Steve,
Oh...you are sssooo right about those mountains in Colorado. A year ago today (Oct 14) I traveled into Golden CO for the VR.com reunion ... and I so vividly remember looking ahead at one point in the trip and thinking storm clouds were gathering in front of me ... only to realize moments later that those were MOUNTAINS...not clouds .

And....yes, road trips help to relax me. Heh...I know I get more sleep on road trips than I do at home...go figure. If only I could road trip 24/7...I'd be fine .


OME,
Absolutely...always good to "get away" .


Sherry,
You are welcome . And, actually, I can see where traveling the same road so much would tend to make it longer. I know when I talked to friends in Kansas and Wyoming about my trip out there, many of them were shocked that I enjoyed those drives ... but, I had to remind them that I'm used to seeing buildings everywhere I drive...he he he...so the wide openness was a pleasant surprise .


Lyn,
I did post pics of that day....but, here they are again....
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mommyx3_46307/album?.dir=/c9db&.src=ph&.tok=phV7WpDBX3BXG54D

Ah, yes, those NJ circles ... so frustrated me when I was attempting to get to the restaurant where I met several people that Sunday afternoon (2 months ago today, in fact, August 14).

What games does Justin attend?

Sure hope I get to meet up with you when I am in NJ next ... bronchitis be darned .


Karlynn,
Thank ya ... and you're welcome!

 

[fyrfytr]

Hey Cort,
I really enjoyed reading about your trips. I am like the rest in that it would be Great to go along but your words make it sound like we were there.
When you take a road trip in a Dodge, let me know and I will be sure to make it with you.
Take Care

 

[Guest]

*chuckles*

In a Dodge, eh? Well, if I get a new Dodge Charger ... you could always come with me then . He he he.

I'm glad my posts make it sound like ya'll are there with me ... because, in a way (in some cases literally), you all are!

 

[geebee]

A few things I've learned:

A few things I've learned:

Hi Cort,

Here are a few things to add to road trip info:

There is actually a statue of a man standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.

Meteor Crater is one of the most powerful places I have been in this country.

Colorado, from west to east, goes from massively high mountains to some of the flattest land in the country.

The 405 highway through Los Angeles is endless in rush hour.

I-75 through Georgia is a long trip.

The Pacific Coast Highway has some of the most beautiful terrain anywhere on earth.

Don't ever drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on Friday of a holiday weekend.

There are more country music stations on the radio than any other type (or they have more broadcast power).

Whatever lane you get in at a toll booth will take the longest to get through.

The St. Louis Arch is not visible long enough while driving through St. Louis.

The drive up to Haleakala Crater, in the fog, is one of the scariest drives ever.

If you have the exact change for a toll, there will not be an exact change lane or the bell will always ring in the exact change lane you are in.

The worst looking dive in a city will have the best food.

I-64, through the West Virginia mountains, takes forever in the rain.

You can no longer drive onto the beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Ron John's Surf Shop went from a one room storefront to a building the size of a small city.

It's the people that usually make the trip most memorable.

I have found the longest AND the shortest drive is the one home.

 

[Guest]

Gina,

Thanks for adding your list . I like all of 'em ... and will have to check out Winslow AZ myself someday.


I agree with all of those....except:
More country music stations ... can't prove that in Chicagoland, sadly enough .

Ah, well....

 

[epstns]

Country music aside (drives my wife batty), one of my small pleasures of a road trip has always been listening to all the small-town radio stations as I drive. They always remind me of what life was like as a kid in the 50's and 60's here in the midwest. The announcers sound like some of my ham radio friends -- not really polished, but really sincere. The commercials are home-spun, and you can envision in your mind's eye what those local shops and diners must look like. All in all, local radio from small towns just seems to reflect a slower pace in life -- one that I find endlessly refreshing.

This is all crystal clear, as I recently returned from a mini-road trip to St. Louis. Great city, great restaurants, lots to do. Even went apple picking at Eckerd's in Belleville, Illinois -- a place that claims to be the largest "pick your own" apple orchard in the country. Don't know if it is the biggest, but it is several times the size of our (now defunct) local Wauconda Orchards.

Next trip, in November, will be via airliner to the Left Coast. . .

 

[Guest]

Steve,

That "local radio phenomenon" is _exactly_ why I don't take many CDs with me ... I love turning the radio station up and down the dial to hear the "local flavor" eminating from the airwaves....

Glad to know I'm not the only one .

 

[mamsram]

on the road

on the road

Well, I will have to add that traveling from N.H. to Roanoke Va. many times, that even tho it seems soooo long thru Penn. and Va. it still beats the D.C. Baltimore route and NO TOLLS.
BUT, THE TRIP of TRIPS------ I flew to L.A. with a friend whose aunt, entering a nursing home, told this guy that he could have her car if he wanted it. A 1967 Caddy hardtop with 57k on it. I was working the 3rd shift, then that morning, flew with my friend to L.A., arrived at 1 P.M. their time
picked up the car and headed east on route 40. We went thru the desert and the temp was in the 120's "I mean you could fry an egg on the roof of that car,HONEST." NO A.C. Well I couldn't continue that. Investigating the fuse panel I discovered that the fuse had been wrapped with tin foil and had become brittle, losing electrical contact Replaced the fuse all is good, but had to recharge, of course. Drove all the way to Oklahoma city before hitting a motel. (the guy I was with had bad eyes so Couldn't drive too much ) Dont know where I left 40 but remember seeing the arches in St. LOuis and headed East. So, left on Mon. at 1 P.M. and arrived in N.H. on Thur. at 5 P.M. I checked the gas mileage on that baby and got 9.4 mpg My friend wouldn't believe it was that bad, so checked again, YUP! BAD but the engine I believe was a 427 cu.in. so what do you expect.
What a trip, hey Cort? In my home state, Maine, ther is a song with these words " There's a tombstone every mile" Its the hainsville road to Houltin on the Canadian border, Tall pines line the road, blocking the sun,and that means BLACK ICE Its a killer
O. K. I rambled on enough keep truckin and keep singing

 

[mamsram]

St.Louis

St.Louis

Steve, I just got back from St.Louis ( a wedding) saw the Daniel Boone place and went to a wine festival. Missed the gambling boats, but did ride up the arch. You are right about the restaurants, there are a lot of good places. It does seem like an awfully busy place. It was pointed out to me the places that were under water in the great flood.
If your familiar with the area, the wedding was in a town called Chesterfield.
Didn't drive tho--flew THE RAM

 

[joy]

I've taken 4 roadtrips back home in my Honda since I moved out here...some of the things I've learned are...

Always make sure you have plenty for the kids to do while in the car.

Don't try to go 80 on Snoqualmie pass(especially around the curves.

We always bring a ton of CD's.

The rocky mountains are absolutely STUNNING when you are coming up on them in Montana.

I love driving cross country. It's so relaxing. Unfortunately, we won't be doing that for a few years now, but we always have so much fun when we do go. This year I am flying with the kids and the dog...my husband will be on westpac.

 

[Guest]

Joy,

Driving cross-country IS very relaxing . I've found that I seem to get more sleep while I'm on the road ... and thus, in general, am less tired .


Mamsram,

Holy cow what a road trip! That Caddy sounds mighty fine as well ... have any pics of it, by chance?