Traffic

Hello, hello!  I have made it back from vacation and am so happy to be home.  Being away and visiting is nice, but it's always so nice to get home to my own stuff.  Now is the dreaded and inevitable unpacking, grocery shopping since there is nothing to eat in the house, and catching up on all the blogs I usually read (and I will- look out for week-old comments!). 

Let's talk traffic.  I hate it.  I like to drive, but I admit that I am not the most patient when stuck behind the car that's going exactly (or under) the speed limit.  Or if other drivers do stupid things.  Our trip took us all the way down I-95 along the east coast.  It is, in parts, on of the most dangerous, congested, and boring routes you can take.  If you've ever been down it, you know what I mean.  We left very, very early in the morning, hoping to get through NYC before traffic was out, actually going down the Cross Bronx Expressway without stopping, which never happens.  Then we get to the George Washington Bridge, which has an upper level and a lower level.  We always take the lower because it's cars only.  Get this- as we're passing under the last sign, after the road is already divided by concrete barriers, we see a sign that says, "Lower Closed".  WHAT!?!?!  I end up driving along the Husdon River which my husband re-routes us on the GPS.  Thanks for the warning, New York.  Luckily there was a quick turnaround and we were back on track in no time.

Then in Virginia, and I do not understand this at all, we got into two spots where the traffic basically stopped: once because there was a pack of motorcycles stopped underneath an overpass, and once because a guy had pulled over on the left shoulder because of car trouble.  This blows my mind.  They weren't doing anything- nothing was on fire, no one was lying on the ground, nothing.  I mean, slow down a little, gawk if you like, be careful not to hit anyone, but come to an almost complete stop?  Come on!


11 x 14 Traffic Jam print by trendypeas

 Once you get past Richmond, Virginia, you hit the longest, flattest, most boring part of the highway through the Carolinas, which seem to take forever to get through.  One great thing about that part, though, is that just about every exit has a gas station right there as soon as you get off, which is very convenient.  But other than that, there's not too much to look at as you are counting the miles.  Luckily here there is generally very little traffic, with people driving in the right and just passing on the left (only two lanes down there), which is how it should be.  And it's mostly trailer trucks, so they are pretty much on a steady course.  We are always happy to get to Georgia just because we finally feel like we've made some progress after all that.



1930s South Carolina Map by StoriesDiviniations

 And the best part: Chik-Fil-A.  The South for us is Chik-Fil-A country, the best fast food chicken sandwich you will ever find (if you missed my copycat recipe you can try it here), and we try and make sure to hit it at least once while we're there.  This time we got it for lunch driving both ways, so I feel a little spoiled.

I'll share more of what we did on our trip as the week goes on, but for now, I'm off to tackle my list.  Hope you all have had a great holiday weekend!  How's the traffic out there?