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Driving Hell and dry cough
Dec. 24th, 2004 11:30 pmAs the old comic used to say, I just flew in, and boy, are MY arms tired!
Actually, I drove. Several hundred miles across four states to visit my family for the holidays (where I am now). It's a relatively simple 9-hour trek, normally.
Not so this time. Wednesday morning, I set out in fine weather. A little ways into the trip, I run into high wind trying to blow my Chevy off the road; further along, I run into driving rain with a white mist, which makes visibility absolute shit.
About 220 miles into the trip, in eastern Kentucky, the windshield starts collecting puddles of water that refuse to be dislodged by wiper blades; that's when I notice everything seems to gradually be turning white - trees, grass, fenceposts ... the fucking HIGHWAY.
I pulled off four hours into my road trip, 250 miles along, and checked into a motel in the hopes it would pass and I could leave the next morning. Not a chance. Thursday, yesterday, traffic jams packed several interstates throughout the Midwest, including mine. At one point, for probably 18 hours, vehicles were backed up in both directions for 40 miles (yes, on each side of the median!) even though it was a clear, sunny day.
I found out why today when, after 2 days in the hotel, I couldn't take it any more and decided to risk the last 350 miles of my trip. It took me 7 hours to go 180 miles ... and only 2.5 hours to go the remaining 170 miles after that, that was cleared off. The first 180 alternated between LONG stretches of nothing but ice and snow (no visible road) and short cleared sections. I have a medium-sized car, and it took every bit of my concentration the entire time to keep it from going off the road or into the path of a passing vehicle (yes, there are people who PASS on such roads).
I have never spent such a miserable collection of hours behind the wheel of a car, and trust me, I've driven in a LOT of bad weather/road situations. I STRONGLY suggest the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois invest in some *salt* for future winters, as well as enough drivers to spread it.
On the bright side, the hotel stay was better than average. The staff let people sleep in the lobby rather than send them back out to drive after all the rooms were rented, and went out to the grocery store several times to buy us deli trays and sodas, etc., on the company dime (the adjoining restaurants were all closed). I met new people and generally had a bizarre but interesting time.
But only for those two days. The time on the road - I will NOT repeat that. No way Jose!
Actually, I drove. Several hundred miles across four states to visit my family for the holidays (where I am now). It's a relatively simple 9-hour trek, normally.
Not so this time. Wednesday morning, I set out in fine weather. A little ways into the trip, I run into high wind trying to blow my Chevy off the road; further along, I run into driving rain with a white mist, which makes visibility absolute shit.
About 220 miles into the trip, in eastern Kentucky, the windshield starts collecting puddles of water that refuse to be dislodged by wiper blades; that's when I notice everything seems to gradually be turning white - trees, grass, fenceposts ... the fucking HIGHWAY.
I pulled off four hours into my road trip, 250 miles along, and checked into a motel in the hopes it would pass and I could leave the next morning. Not a chance. Thursday, yesterday, traffic jams packed several interstates throughout the Midwest, including mine. At one point, for probably 18 hours, vehicles were backed up in both directions for 40 miles (yes, on each side of the median!) even though it was a clear, sunny day.
I found out why today when, after 2 days in the hotel, I couldn't take it any more and decided to risk the last 350 miles of my trip. It took me 7 hours to go 180 miles ... and only 2.5 hours to go the remaining 170 miles after that, that was cleared off. The first 180 alternated between LONG stretches of nothing but ice and snow (no visible road) and short cleared sections. I have a medium-sized car, and it took every bit of my concentration the entire time to keep it from going off the road or into the path of a passing vehicle (yes, there are people who PASS on such roads).
I have never spent such a miserable collection of hours behind the wheel of a car, and trust me, I've driven in a LOT of bad weather/road situations. I STRONGLY suggest the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois invest in some *salt* for future winters, as well as enough drivers to spread it.
On the bright side, the hotel stay was better than average. The staff let people sleep in the lobby rather than send them back out to drive after all the rooms were rented, and went out to the grocery store several times to buy us deli trays and sodas, etc., on the company dime (the adjoining restaurants were all closed). I met new people and generally had a bizarre but interesting time.
But only for those two days. The time on the road - I will NOT repeat that. No way Jose!
