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February 14, 2004 ~ Notes from the Road
Saturday.
Oy vey. What a week. It started off with quite a bit of concern for two of my closest friends. One of those friends I'm still very concerned about so all is not resolved. I can't put into words how hard it is when those you love need help, but all you can do from the distance is hope, and pray, listen to their woes, and give what little advice you have.
But hey, the other friend! Grouse has found Amber, the little missing heeler! That news just made my day, Thursday. Good things still happen in the world.
So. It's about time that I started telling about my trip, eh? The actual visit is going to take longer to write about than the time that I have right now, so today will deal exclusively with the road trip itself. I'm a fairly new driver, licensed less than two years ago, and I've never driven for more than an hour straight before. This trip was seven hours each way, all the way across North Carolina, from the mountains through the Piedmont to Durham, then I curved north, crossed into Virginia, and traveled north almost to DC.
Here are some notes from the road:
Friday, I drove through a torrential downpour for the entire seven-hour trip. Seriously. From Asheville all the way there, it hardly ever let up. Flood warnings everywhere, a few inches of standing water on several of the sections of interstate, the hypnotic sound of the windshield wipers, no visibility, occasional hydroplaning--oh, it was fun, lemme tell ya. I am now a pro at driving in the rain. (About damn time, for someone who grew up in Portland, Oregon, eh?)
I have discovered that I must have a very high bladder capacity. Both ways, even though I was drinking lots of water, I didn't have to stop to pee once. Though I did stop to refuel at about the five-hour point both ways, and figured that I might as well go then. (Hey, perhaps this explains the bladder infection that I developed shortly afterwards. Oops.)
(Morgan, on the other hand, has no bladder capacity whatsoever. When we go on trips together, he has to stop at least once an hour. We call his bladder "The Radish." As in, the size of a small salad radish. Heh.)
Coming down from the mountains, all of the trees were coated in an inch of ice, and they loomed up out of a thick fog. It was one of the most surreal and beautiful things that I have ever seen in my life.
Note to self: Never, ever, drive through Richmond, Virginia during rush hour and a torrential downpour ever, ever, again. Lord have mercy.
I'd never used cruise control before. I gave it a try about the time I hit Virginia. I am now a convert. For long road trips, it is a huge help.
The "research triangle" of North Carolina was an ugly, dismal stretch of interstate, surrounded by miles of concrete and really awful sprawl. I've been spoiled by the mountains and their winding interstates with all of the flowers and trees. I-85 through southern Virginia was very nice, however, lined in tall pines, giving the feeling of seclusion.
I have a confession to make. The CD player was broken, which was a great sadness, but on the trip back, I broke down and started channel surfing on the radio. I like a fairly wide variety of music, my favorites being folk and classic rock, classical, alternative rock, world music, and Celtic. I was hoping for some ballads--you know, music that tells a story in the lyrics. But none of the stations were playing anything remotely like that.
Um. Until I stopped and listened to one of the country stations. "Hey," I thought, "These songs are ballads, except with that annoying twang. Hmmm..." I stayed to listen to another song about a father calling home to his kids and his wife while he's on a trip but missing them. And the comforting words he was saying over the phone, and how much he loved them... And before I knew it there was the hint of a tear in my eye. "Oh hell. I am not going to cry over a country song." But then the one about the man who almost died in a car wreck came on...
So, no. I did not find a plan for world peace in those lonely hours driving. But I did learn that it's probably a good idea to get out and stretch every once in a while instead of drive straight through. Country music isn't quite so bad as I suspected. Richmond has terrible, horrific rush hour traffic. Miles and miles of concrete and sprawl as far as the eye can see will suck your soul. Emptying one's bladder every once in a while, even if one doesn't really have to go, will save one much discomfort and pain several days later.
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