CHATTANOOGA, TENN. – Some life lessons gleaned along the road during my 13-hour, five-state trek Wednesday:
• Yes, I meant "five-state trek." I notched a corner of Georgia in addition to the expected Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
• My suspicions were verified: Just about every state does roads better than Illinois. In my various attempts to leave Illinois, I kept hitting traffic jams due to construction work. Well, when you have already insufficient six-lane roads encircling a major city like Chicago and you close one or two lanes, traffic is going to be a nightmare. Why did I encounter eight-lane and even 10-lane and 12-lane roads around "lesser" municipalities like Louisville and Nashville? Seems like somebody somewhere has a better plan.
• Oh yeah: None of these roads was a toll road. Apparently, moving people around is an actual priority.
• Diamond lanes. One extra lane is a diamond lane which needs to be traversed by a vehicle with more than one person during peak hours.
• Cheapest gas so far: $2.5999 in Bowling Green, Kent.
• Most expensive gas: Whatever I paid when I tanked up the last time in Illinois.
• I spent 13 hours on the road but the net effect was 14 hours when you factor in Eastern Standard Time.
• I am moving slowly Thursday.
• The editors of Mark's World voted the 2002 Kia Sportage as "Car of the Year" due to its great performance.
• What Mark and the Kia dealer service team missed: The interior light is out.
• Trip highlight: Pulling in to the La Quinta after 13 hours.
• Scariest moment: Flying down the mountain about 35 miles north of Chattanooga in the dark in the rain with scores of yellow warning signs alerting drivers of the peril. All trucks had to be individually inspected before they were even allowed to head down.
• Scariest scent: The scent of burning brakes was thick in the air during the downhill slalom.
• Most breathtaking view: Probably from the top of the mountain had it not been dark and/or raining.
Today's trip agenda: Heading south on Route 75 toward Atlanta (reputation as the worst traffic hazard of the trip) and then I'll knife my way into Florida. Thanks for all the blog posts and the emails!
More later.
Mark
2 comments:
Mark,
Mark,
Atlanta is the worst place to drive that I have ever seen. You go 85mph and then slam on the brakes to sit for a while, then go like crazy again. Too, too much traffic!
Lookout Mountain is beautiful! But coming down can be scary, especially with big trucks barreling past in the truck lane.
Stay safe!
Love,Karen
OMIGOSH!!! You mean to tell me that you missed Rock City??? Extremely poor planning on your part Mark. Rock City is one of the premiere kitschy sightseeing spots left in the country.
Oh yeah.....I forgot.... you're not on a sightseeing trip.
I will totally agree with your assessment of Illinois highways/tollroads. What an embarrassment. Take care through Atlanta. Although Kiplinger's listed it as one of the top 10 cities to live in the U.S., I believe their nasty traffic alone would bump them off the list.
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