The drive home (part two).
So I am in.. who knows OK, I STILL TONIGHT 'don't know where' Oklahoma a decent golf swing away from Arkansas, and I am STEAMING at Berryman. I wouldn't even take his calls. I have Colby working feverishly on getting me out of there in the morning, as my resources are limited to my shitty cell phone.
Tasty beverages, a solid talk with Ingram, a fight with Cora and a solid nights sleep, led me a monster makeover in the morning knowing this might be the last chance I have to feel like a champion before I get home. VERY recharging. I hit the highway around 10AM. Indeed, Arkansas was a stones throw. But like every other western state, it was LOOOOOONG. Around 4PM, I very quickly found myself without warning on the bridge taking me over the Mississippi River and into Tennessee.
I was psyched to get on the bridge, thinking I would have a ton of time to snag a couple pictures, but the bridge was no longer than the Rourke bridge, with JUST AS MUCH construction!! Couldn't see over the side, and it was over in 20 seconds. HOWEVER.. it DID mean I crossed over into the EAST. I was pumped. At that point, I had no idea where and when I would stop next. I didn't know where I would stop for dinner, and didn't know how much gas I had in my OWN tank.
Bye Memphis. Bye Nashville. (By the way navigating your city SUCKED).. was gonna stop at the 300 mile mark into Tennessee.. dinner time. Got off the highway in search of TENNESSEE BBQ.. I got off an exit that had literally, not exaggerating.. 328 restaurants. The local BBQ place was CLOSED!! hahaha it was 9 or 10, I don't know what time zone I was in anymore.
So I got mad. And I said screw it. And I drove on. And drove to that last milestone in Tennessee.. can't remember what city.. I know Colby was helping me again, and Cheri holy SHIT was driving me batshit crazy.. I'm gonna have to cheat to remember the last major city.. All I can think of is Halifax or Youngstown. YES I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE :D.. AHH!! KNOXVILLE.
Here is the thing. Tennessee was AWFUL. In my mind, I knew it was long west to east. But Knoxville was the 400 mile mark. In my head, I thought.. This HAS to be over. I am going to hit..... SOMETHING any second now. Exits go by miles. Knoxville was 395.. 400.. then through.. In my head I am hitting a second wind. I can't wait to get this shit behind me.
Then I realize my directions are.. Take 81 North.
Yes, I wanna go north.
LIKE A LOT.
But this was a mental thing.
I turned directly north at mile 421.
But WHY?
I know there is something new for me that is probably YARDS away.. I know it's IMPOSSIBLE to go any further and remain in Tennessee!
But Colby has guided my perfectly to this point, and I stick with him. I go north. In my head I know what TN looks like north to south. Even if I just spent 7126395876 million hours in TN, I am bound to GET OUT of it. This is getting late. Midnight. I am fading again and think about getting a room for the second time. Then my girl makes a late appearance.
Text, text, text.. energy, energy, energy. It is pure adrenaline.
HERE is a MAJOR twist.
If I had known THEN what I know NOW, I would have stopped. On 81 in Tennessee. NOT armed with this knowledge, I hit Virginia. It was a HUGE shot in the arm. I actually screamed in the car. I YELLED to Facebook, I yelled to my baby. EAST COAST now. In my head SOON I wouldn't even need a map or GPS. I KNOW the East Coast!! I am almost home! What I forgot was, I know Virginia via 95. Not 81. And that stretch of 81 was another 300+ miles.
I set my sights on stopping in Roanoke, VA. It was one of those stops with the ridiculous countdown.. Roanoke 178418746 miles. 09124781 miles. 1847 miles. BAH
I hit 'Roanoke'.
It was quick and dark. Why? Because I was on 81. It was the TURN to Roanoke. I am not typing that word again, I hate it.
Flew through it. Was dying. Starving. THEN it happened.
I am driving in pure pitch black death highway goodness and I look up too late. I am in the middle lane of a very wide three lane major highway. It's a highway BUILT for tractor trailers. The lanes are VERY VERY wide. I was in the smallest vehicle on the highway for 300 miles. This is what movie makers call FORESHADOWING. I am in the middle lane of death highway, look up and it's WAY too late.
There is a piece of roadkill in the middle lane. I stretched from the white line to my left, to the white line to my right. NO way I could avoid it. It's HUGE. I clench the steering wheel and hit the whole thing. It makes the sickest SOUND on my undercarriage. I just SHUDDER.
kakljfhakjlfhafha
The R word mark where I wanted to stop was about 100 miles in. And I was EXHAUSTED. So I started pulling off the highway at 4 or 5 exits trying to find food and a room. One after another.. no food or the room was 600 bucks. Food but no room. FINALLY.. at the 205 mile mark into Virginia, (4AM) and WAY past where I told my body we were done, I found a Waffle House.
An AMAZING thing happened there. I ordered an omelete, some sides and a lot of white milk. I sat at the counter alone, but a couple came in and sat right next to me despite an EMPTY diner. Their talk was very familiar. Obviously been together for awhile. It was fun to listen to. It made me smile. Inside at least. So THEN..
There was a jukebox there. (And hopefully anyone that know me knows how important music is).. No one played it. But it was one of those jukeboxes that plays a song randomly when no one pays attention to it. While I was eating, it played ONE SONG. Counting Crows - A Long December.
Last December for me? SUCKED. For my girl? This is not her journal. However? Not great.
The first line of that song? 'A long December, and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last.'
That was an easy meal and I left a very generous tip to a very enthusiastic waitress.
I got up, went to the car, there was a chill in the air, and the next part is.... part three. :D
Tasty beverages, a solid talk with Ingram, a fight with Cora and a solid nights sleep, led me a monster makeover in the morning knowing this might be the last chance I have to feel like a champion before I get home. VERY recharging. I hit the highway around 10AM. Indeed, Arkansas was a stones throw. But like every other western state, it was LOOOOOONG. Around 4PM, I very quickly found myself without warning on the bridge taking me over the Mississippi River and into Tennessee.
I was psyched to get on the bridge, thinking I would have a ton of time to snag a couple pictures, but the bridge was no longer than the Rourke bridge, with JUST AS MUCH construction!! Couldn't see over the side, and it was over in 20 seconds. HOWEVER.. it DID mean I crossed over into the EAST. I was pumped. At that point, I had no idea where and when I would stop next. I didn't know where I would stop for dinner, and didn't know how much gas I had in my OWN tank.
Bye Memphis. Bye Nashville. (By the way navigating your city SUCKED).. was gonna stop at the 300 mile mark into Tennessee.. dinner time. Got off the highway in search of TENNESSEE BBQ.. I got off an exit that had literally, not exaggerating.. 328 restaurants. The local BBQ place was CLOSED!! hahaha it was 9 or 10, I don't know what time zone I was in anymore.
So I got mad. And I said screw it. And I drove on. And drove to that last milestone in Tennessee.. can't remember what city.. I know Colby was helping me again, and Cheri holy SHIT was driving me batshit crazy.. I'm gonna have to cheat to remember the last major city.. All I can think of is Halifax or Youngstown. YES I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE :D.. AHH!! KNOXVILLE.
Here is the thing. Tennessee was AWFUL. In my mind, I knew it was long west to east. But Knoxville was the 400 mile mark. In my head, I thought.. This HAS to be over. I am going to hit..... SOMETHING any second now. Exits go by miles. Knoxville was 395.. 400.. then through.. In my head I am hitting a second wind. I can't wait to get this shit behind me.
Then I realize my directions are.. Take 81 North.
Yes, I wanna go north.
LIKE A LOT.
But this was a mental thing.
I turned directly north at mile 421.
But WHY?
I know there is something new for me that is probably YARDS away.. I know it's IMPOSSIBLE to go any further and remain in Tennessee!
But Colby has guided my perfectly to this point, and I stick with him. I go north. In my head I know what TN looks like north to south. Even if I just spent 7126395876 million hours in TN, I am bound to GET OUT of it. This is getting late. Midnight. I am fading again and think about getting a room for the second time. Then my girl makes a late appearance.
Text, text, text.. energy, energy, energy. It is pure adrenaline.
HERE is a MAJOR twist.
If I had known THEN what I know NOW, I would have stopped. On 81 in Tennessee. NOT armed with this knowledge, I hit Virginia. It was a HUGE shot in the arm. I actually screamed in the car. I YELLED to Facebook, I yelled to my baby. EAST COAST now. In my head SOON I wouldn't even need a map or GPS. I KNOW the East Coast!! I am almost home! What I forgot was, I know Virginia via 95. Not 81. And that stretch of 81 was another 300+ miles.
I set my sights on stopping in Roanoke, VA. It was one of those stops with the ridiculous countdown.. Roanoke 178418746 miles. 09124781 miles. 1847 miles. BAH
I hit 'Roanoke'.
It was quick and dark. Why? Because I was on 81. It was the TURN to Roanoke. I am not typing that word again, I hate it.
Flew through it. Was dying. Starving. THEN it happened.
I am driving in pure pitch black death highway goodness and I look up too late. I am in the middle lane of a very wide three lane major highway. It's a highway BUILT for tractor trailers. The lanes are VERY VERY wide. I was in the smallest vehicle on the highway for 300 miles. This is what movie makers call FORESHADOWING. I am in the middle lane of death highway, look up and it's WAY too late.
There is a piece of roadkill in the middle lane. I stretched from the white line to my left, to the white line to my right. NO way I could avoid it. It's HUGE. I clench the steering wheel and hit the whole thing. It makes the sickest SOUND on my undercarriage. I just SHUDDER.
kakljfhakjlfhafha
The R word mark where I wanted to stop was about 100 miles in. And I was EXHAUSTED. So I started pulling off the highway at 4 or 5 exits trying to find food and a room. One after another.. no food or the room was 600 bucks. Food but no room. FINALLY.. at the 205 mile mark into Virginia, (4AM) and WAY past where I told my body we were done, I found a Waffle House.
An AMAZING thing happened there. I ordered an omelete, some sides and a lot of white milk. I sat at the counter alone, but a couple came in and sat right next to me despite an EMPTY diner. Their talk was very familiar. Obviously been together for awhile. It was fun to listen to. It made me smile. Inside at least. So THEN..
There was a jukebox there. (And hopefully anyone that know me knows how important music is).. No one played it. But it was one of those jukeboxes that plays a song randomly when no one pays attention to it. While I was eating, it played ONE SONG. Counting Crows - A Long December.
Last December for me? SUCKED. For my girl? This is not her journal. However? Not great.
The first line of that song? 'A long December, and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last.'
That was an easy meal and I left a very generous tip to a very enthusiastic waitress.
I got up, went to the car, there was a chill in the air, and the next part is.... part three. :D