Done. Wow, that was a long 3 days of driving. My route and approximate overnight spots:
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The journey was basically uneventful.
The short version of the trip:
Day 1 gets the question: So what state are you in now? For breakfast: California, for lunch: Arizona, for dinner: New Mexico, for sleep: Texas.
Day 2 gets the question: So what interstate are you on now? For breakfast: I-10, for lunch: I-20, for dinner: I-30, for sleep: I-40.
Day 3 gets the question: So what is all that white stuff? For breakfast: Just a little frost on everything, for lunch: Salt on the roads, for dinner: bright white lights are traffic so much traffic, for sleep: Lots of ice and snow.
I almost had to give day three the what is the theme of the billboards, it only lost out because there weren't any clear differences and was more of a just which stands out more. It was an interesting day for them Starting out with the Adult stores in western Tennessee, adding guns to it by eastern Tennessee, and then Jesus got thrown in, but there aren't any billboards in my sister's place. When there are two billboards one above the other, sometimes you get some interesting slogans for God. Texas does win the "really?" contest when reading billboards as they had a message from God, preaching at me in txt spk.
The slightly longer version:
Day 1, January 1, the start of a new year and the start of a new adventure.
I started out at a bright and early 8:30am, out at my friends house in Redlands, CA and put everything where it needed to be and my new blanket on the bed. I then got in to the drivers seat to find that there was a dead bee on my center elbow rest. Removed him from the car and got going just a bit before 9am. My directions for day 1 were very easy, stay on Interstate 10. My first bathroom break was only an hour down the road (coffee in the morning will do that) and I had forgotten to pull out my road snacks, so I dug about to find the delicious dried apples and of course broke the arm off my sunglasses. But the winter sunlight isn't all that bright when you don't have snow, so I wasn't worried about them. And I was back on the road again At 11:30am I had made it to the end of California, and entered Arizona exactly one hour later (first time zone line there at the border). Stopped for gas and bathroom not far into Arizona, because I know that there isn't a lot between Quartzsite and Phoenix. The going was going good and I was munching my apples, and had the radio going and was in the zone. And forgot to stop, until my bladder was making itself known and my gas tank was less then I would like at the other end of Tucson around 4:30 and with me not knowing the area and knowing that there isn't much after this; I decided to get gas again before continuing on.
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| Arizona Sunset |
Around 5:30pm, I stopped again to enjoy the sunset in the rocks of southern Arizona. Another hour down the road and I was in New Mexico; another hour and just after the continental divide had me stopping for dinner. It was a quick dinner from my cooler at a rest area, I still had a long way to go tonight. 9:30pm Texas, El paso, wait New Mexico was much shorter than Arizona, Well duh just look at the map but still it had me a little surprised. I actually did make it to Texas, The just over 10 hours drive time of google took me just over 11 because I kept my stops short. I was also still on California time and decided to keep going at least another hour before stopping. Although to do that first I need gas. Which is where I learned that it really doesn't matter if you put a travel alert on your credit card, using it in Arizona and Texas on the same day makes them decline it anyway. Thank you gift card. Use that instead and on the road again. Maybe by morning the credit card will have it all cleared up. Aproximately 100 miles into Texas around 11pm I had to go through a US border patrol station, all they asked was if I'm a US citizen and my yup got me off and driving again. At 11:30pm the time suddenly became 12:30am (another time zone line) and I realized that if sunrise is going to wake me up, I had better get some sleep, and shortly there after I spied a rest area with lots of others doing exactly what I should be doing and found myself a parking spot, changed into pjs and curled up under all the blankets and went to sleep.
Day 2, January 2:
The sunlight and truckers and other traffic woke me up a little before sunrise. After using the restroom again, changing out of the pjs, I was off again. I had slept very warmly, and woke up a bit over heated, which was quickly not true when I got out of bed to the actual just below freezing temperatures (the frost on my hood tells me and then the internet tells me it was 29 degrees.) As the sun rise was well under way, and I was driving again I appreciated it and was very grateful that in winter the sunrise is fairly south of east and my easternly journey was starting to curve a bit north. There was very little traffic on the road and for the most part not a lot other than flat land.
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| Texas sunrise |
Around 9am I stopped for gas, tried my credit card hoping it would be cleared up, it wasn't. Shortly there after I stopped at a rest area that my rest area map said had free wifi, and it didn't so I used my own and tried calling the CC people, spent a lot of time on hold and finally got to talk to a person and almost immediately my phone cut out. I decided I really didn't want to sit on hold again and started driving again. I was watching for a free wifi place and there was very little, so I finally gave up and at the next rest area, used my wifi to turn the cell phone back on. Pushed all the buttons until I was on hold again and then since the area is flat, figured I might as well start driving. The human that finally answered hung up on me when I asked him to write down my cell number and call me back if we got cut off. I then spent a very long time on hold and with the stupid machine hanging up on me for not pushing buttons. (Safety when driving, I don't mind sitting on hold on the phone, or even talking to a person, but I will not push buttons if there is anyone near me on the road.) When I finally got a person, that actually didn't get cut off, she was nice enough to take down my cell number and said she could have a manager call me back if we were cut off. She then actually dealt with the problem, apologized for the inconvenience, updated the travel note on my account to show that I wasn't just going to be in the DC area but all points in between and some points that are not in between. And after over an hour of hold time the problem was finally fixed. And when I stopped for gas again, just after 1pm, my credit card worked. I couple hours later just before the Dallas/Fort Worth area I stopped to stretch and of course bathroom. I happily made it through DFW area before rush hour so the traffic wasn't that bad. Around 6pm, I got gas again. And just after 7pm I left Texas behind me for Arkansas. Around 8 I stopped and got some quick dinner at subway because I ran out of apples to munch on. The kid behind the counter couldn't have been over the age of 13, but he was polite and did his job better than most of the minimum wage workers out there. Just before the leaving Arkansas, I had another gas stop and then crossed the Mississippi River into Tennessee around 11pm. I was thinking it was sleep time unfortunately it was 12:30am before I found a rest area. Found it I did, changed into pjs and curled up to sleep.
Day 3, January 3
Started out cold (the low appears to have been 14 degrees that morning, near where I was), I woke with cold feet. Took my clothing to the nicely heated rest area and changed, appreciated the sunrise and the light layer of snow, plugged in my keep warm cup full of icy water and started driving again about 7:30am.
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| Tennessee Sunrise |
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| Look snow on the plants |
Around 9:30am, my keep warm cup finally made it up to warm tea temperature, and shortly there after I had to stop for gas again, Nashville was cold and there was ice instead of water in the depressions at the gas station. At 11:42am it suddenly became 12:42am when I passed another time zone line. I was finally in the right time zone and am slightly entertained by the timing of these time zone changes. Another cold rest area stop for bathroom and stretching around 2pm, and I actually wanted some warm ramen for lunch so I started the water. And then I was leaving Tenn, for Virgina just after 3pm. Another Gas, bathroom and put ramen in the warm water stop, and I was off again now with ramen to eat. Now I was heading much more North and with the hills I couldn't see much of the sunset. Traffic was steadily became heavier, and the up and down hills were actually not much fun with all the traffic and trucks on the road. Another gas stop at 8pm because the cold was not making me want to get out and stretch, plus the end was near. A little before 9 had me in what can only be considered the DC area and lots of snow on the side of the road. Then into Maryland, finally the destination state. And I got to my little sisters house at 10pm.
After much driving I am here, at least for a little bit. I do prefer being able to see the country side as I drive through it. Although I don't mind night driving, I prefer appreciating the nature that I drive through. I also learned that I don't like extreme cold. Meaning if it is below freezing for a high, it is just too cold. I have safely made it to my sister's house, and am going to be here for a couple weeks.
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