Miles's blog

I made it St. Augustine, Florida.  A long two-day drive from Connecticut.  I wish I could tell you I passed sweeping vistas and breathtaking scenery, but not so much.  Mostly I saw highway, billboards, speeding cars, and lots of trucks.  Thankfully, I did not see any double trailers. Maybe they don’t do that anymore.

I sidestepped Philadelphia, went through Baltimore, and around Washington, D.C.  I passed through Richmond, Virginia, and spent the night in Fayetteville, North Carolina.  I ate McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and granola bars.  I drank Red Bull.  Gas was around $4.00 a gallon, even in New Jersey where state law requires an attendant to pump the gas.  (Do you believe that?)  I listed mostly to satellite radio and my iPod.  I read lots of billboards for things like restaurants, motels, radio stations, and lottery drawings.  My car ran flawlessly.  I checked out rest stops in seven states.  (I thought Maryland and North Carolina were the best.)  I paid tolls mostly in the northeast.  I saw license plates from lots of states but mostly from the east coast.  I saw no plates further west than Colorado.  Lots of people seem to be going from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to Florida.  It is too early from spring break; there were old people driving Lexuses, BMWs, and Toyotas.

 

I delayed my departure for a day to wait for a windstorm to pass and I am glad I did. The gusts on Saturday exceeded 50 miles per hour.  Sunday the weather was much better, still a little breezy but sunny the whole way.  Yesterday I drove through a lot of rain. Sometimes it was hard to see further than a couple of hundred yards, and while this slowed me down, some people must feel immune to the effects of water on pavement.  The interstate in Georgia was excellent. It drained very well, allowing me to keep my speed around 60 most of the time. (The speed limit was 70.)  Florida’s roads do not seem to have that same advantage.

I figured out that most states have welcome centers near the border, so if you can hold it until then you should be ok.  The gas stations and food places on the highway pretty much look the same wherever you go.  There is no local character on the interstate.  I saw no place serving grits, sweet tea, or pig’s knuckles.  Even in North Carolina the hotel did not allow smoking.  Local newscasts are pretty much the same everywhere: lots of smiling people giving their insipid thoughts about major events while highlighting stories about dogs and kids who can play musical instruments with their toes. Weather dominates local news and they always end with sports.  You would think in New York City it would be better, but the only difference is that the people are better looking and there are more crime stories.  Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite must be rolling over in their graves.  (Sorry, I digressed there for a bit.)

I will miss being in New York for a while, but I am looking forward to nice weather, sand beaches, and spring training baseball.  By the time I return to Stamford, there will be lots of new Broadway shows, major league baseball, and leaves returning to the trees.  New York is much more fun when it is warm.  This summer I should be able to see Meg dance with her new dance company. 

I plan to take a lot of pictures down here. I will post some on Facebook and include others in my blogs.