First Day On The Road

Day one of this journey is in the books.  It was a long 700 miles and took right at 12 hours.  Nothing real extraordinary on the road, just confirmation of the many things I once knew, but forgot.

Waiting for the next leg of the journey...

Road signs can be funny… maybe it’s just me but I saw a sign that said to “Dial #77 to report aggressive driving”.  That sounds awfully like entrapment to me:

“Highway Patrol, is this an emergency”

“Not really, but there’s this driver on I81 that is driving really aggressively and it kinda freaked me out”

“Thank you, Sir, may I have your name and contact information?”

“Yes, my name is Jeff, [etc…]”

“Please hold the line while I make a Highway Patrol Officer aware of the situation”

Suddenly, I see myself being pulled over for talking on a phone while driving… very sneaky Pennsylvania!!

My usual frustration with 18-wheel trucks came out.  Why is it that truckers think that a good time to pass another truck is up hill when their difference in speed is like 2 MPH!?  To add insult to injury, 99% of the time I saw this, the truck doing the passing was also passing a sign that said no commercial trucks in the left lane (that he/she was in).

Anyway… it was a good ride today.  I dodged all the rain, and not too much sun as it was overcast for most of the day.  Just south of Roanoke, Virginia I spoke to an older couple riding a Honda Goldwing.  They were lamenting about having to be on the interstate and how much they hated being on the interstate as it was so boring.

While I understand the allure of back roads and the cool things you find there (as I will hopefully find on during my run of Tail of the Dragon tomorrow).  I must say, Interstate 81 through Virginia and Tennessee is an absolutely beautiful ride/drive.  It is so nice to get out of New York and that area.   

The road seems to open up and smooth out.  The scenery is breathtaking and truly reminds me of what it means to be in the part of the country where people work… farms everywhere and just beautiful mountains and rivers.  I had the fortune today to cross the Delaware and the Potomac Rivers among others.

This route was also a trip through history… Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Carlisle… battlefield after battlefield.  Places where the mettle of our country was tested over and over and our great nation stood strong and prospered.

As I arrived in Tennessee, the flags are all at half-mast.  This is in honor of the four Marines and one Sailor that were killed in a domestic terror incident last week.  Disgusting.  Have our enemies not yet learned that by attacking us we band together and get stronger, regardless of what path our civilian leadership takes?

As I prepare for my evening rest, my heart is with those here in Tennessee who grieve their loss.