Road Trip

Got my first road trip of the year in last week. 1,530 miles in 5 days. Truth be told, it was a little rushed. Another day to relax before the drive back to the VA would have been nice. All in all it was a good trip and I got to see some new territory along the way.

I sucked it up and took I-76 through Pennsylvania as I headed West because with gas at $4.00 per gallon it offers the shortest trip mileage wise to my brother's in Ohio. I-76 is one of my least favorite roads. They literally cut I-76 into the earth when they built it which means you are two to five feet below the surrounding countryside during much of the ride. There is a lot of pretty scenery in Pennsylvania but it is hard to see from I-76. Add in the huge concrete barrier that is always 15 inches to your left and you get a fairly stressful ride. An accident, road construction or rush hour traffic can quickly turn the ride into a nightmare. I hit the construction jackpot on my trip, seemed like the whole thing was torn up but it was really probably only 20 miles or so. 6 hours and 45 minutes to Westlake, not horrible but not great either. The highlight of the day was going through the Allegheny Tunnel on I-76. It is always exciting to drive THROUGH a mountain.

Day two found me West bound and down from there on the Ohio Turnpike. I have only been West of my brother's a couple times and it always amazes me how flat western Ohio is. It isn't Illinois flat, but it is pretty flat. Headed up Route 23 and into Michigan - wahoo new territory! I was surprised by how flat Michigan was too. I bypassed the big cities and headed for Lake Huron. Now I have seen 2 of the Great Lakes, 3 more to go! Lake Huron was cool, the entire shoreline was sand which is a trip for me. There ain't much sand in Maine, just a lotta rocks. I was far enough north that it wasn't million dollar estates on the shores of Lake Huron, it was just everyday homes. I think it would be pretty cool to live on the shore of the world's 5th largest lake.

I always try to eat at new places when I am on the road and I hit the jackpot in Michigan. I hit a Big Boy for dessert one evening and a Tim Horton's for breakfast the next day. I had never been to either before. They just aren't around in my neck of Virginia. I would have liked to try the Big Boy - the hamburger the Big Mac was cloned after - but it was late so I settled for a simple slice of pie. Tim Horton's was good - really I have never met a donut I didn't like.

I had to boogie back to Ohio to make it to my Brother's slightly belated Cinco de Mayo party. What's 5 days when free margarita's are involved? I was really too pooped to party at this point, so I took it pretty easy at the party. I even snuck upstairs for a nap at one point during the evening.

Had Sunday to relax with the fam before heading back to VA on Monday. We went and saw Iron Man on Mother's Day. Not sure if my sis-in-law picked this one or if she was simply out voted. I wanted soooooo much to hate this movie but it was a really good flick. I still think Robert Downey is a cock master but he was a perfect fit for this movie.

The drive back to NoVa started out fine but it came to a screeching halt in Pennsylvania on, you guessed it, I-76. An accident 10 miles up the highway had traffic at a standstill at mile 34. I put the car in park, shut off the ignition and cranked up the iPod. Eventually, I got bored enough to dig my camera out from the trunk to document the standstill. 7 hours and 45 minutes back home - yucko!

Miles: 1,530

States Visited: Ohio, Michigan

States Along the Way: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania

Food Stops: Big Boy, Tim Horton's, Roy Rogers

Highlight: Standing on the beach looking out at Lake Huron

Lowlight: Traffic jam on I-76 in Pennsylvania