Random Thoughts on a 1400 Mile Road Trip

Florida to Michigan. A road trip of nearly 1400 miles. Nine states. Gallons of coffee. An overdose of fast food. Way too many traffic tie-ups. Monotonous highway fatigue. All leading to a weary traveler's quirky random thoughts, observations and ruminations...in no particular order.

• The American highway system is obsolete, hazardous and just plain screwed up. There is simply not enough concrete to hold the massive amounts of traffic that traverse the interstate routes on a daily basis. When you have more vehicles than a road can accommodate, there's bound to be chaos.

• The United States desperately needs an efficient, reliable, high-speed rail system like they have throughout Europe.

• I resolve never ever ever to travel Interstate 95. Bumper to bumper from Florida to the Arctic. Numerous deadly accidents...each grisly scene we were forced to drive by at 5 mph.

• Waldo, Florida...a very sneaky speed trap.

• Stopover in Asheville, North Carolina...the San Francisco of the Appalachians. Where grungies and zillionaires co-exist in altitude-adjustment toleration.

• Best breakfast ever...Tupelo Honey Cafe, Asheville.

• Skyline chili...Cinncinnati's signature dish...is disappointingly bad and packs a wallop of indigestion.

• Who knew the Amish dined out at Skyline Chili? An Amish couple pulled up in an older car, ordered chili and Greek salad and bowed to pray before they ate. Maybe their horse and buggy was in the shop.

• If you lined up all the Interstate road kill end to end, it would reach the moon. Then the smell would obliterate it.

• Nine times out of ten, the really, really slow car in the fast lane that refuses to move over, creating a long tie up behind it...is a Ford Taurus.

• Recipe to relieve boredom: DQ pit stop every afternoon.

• The South seems to have more Dairy Queens than the North.

• On average, Burger King restrooms are cleaner than McDonald's restrooms.

• Clothing sightings along the roadside: 9 single items of footware...mostly tennis shoes. 1 pair of jeans. 3 shirts/blouses. 7 baseball caps. 1 fuscia rain slicker.

• The mountain tops are literally being scalped by mining companies and developers.

• I wonder who litters the Appalachian hills and hollers with old washing machines, broken down church buses and rusty tractors.

• The South has the prettiest and longest spring ever...and the most pollen.

• Nicest McDonalds ever: Van Wert, Ohio. Hip, edgy decor. Upscale ambiance. Leather chairs. Cozy fireplace. Outdoor patio seating. Ultra clean. Friendly service.

• If I stuck my face out the car window going at a speed of 75 miles an hour, would my head blow off?

• Michigan welcome sign: "Pure Michigan". Yippee. All the snow is gone.

• The scenic shoreline of northwest Michigan along the big blue lake with its towering cliffs and magnificent views, reminds me of the California Pacific coast.

25 hours after we began our trip...home sweet home...safe and sound. It's good to be back in Michigan. Our own cozy bed never felt so comfy.

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