The Drive... From HELL! (© Richard Lewis)
My drive back to Tallahassee yesterday was messed up! I decided to take I-95 all the way up to Jacksonville and catch I-10 from there. My reasoning was that I'd avoid the fire on the Bee Line and also wouldn't have to pay any tolls - the credit card my SunPass draws from expired last month and I haven't switched it over yet. So I'm on 95, and everything is great... Then I hit New Smyrna.
Apparently, a new fire started there yesterday... The smoke was incredible. Of course, the police closed the Interstate and forced all of us onto State Road 44, where we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for about 45 minutes. I got fed up and broke from the pack, looking for US-1. I found it and took it all the way up to Port Orange, where I got back on 95. Traffic was moving along really well, the fire was well behind us... And then we all just stopped. @#$%!!! I hate traffic jams.
I needed to gas up, so I took the next exit. I-95 was backed up for as far as I could see... So I decided to hell with it and just started heading west on the Old Dixie Highway. I found US-1 again and headed north... Then I came upon State Road 100, so I pulled over and got out my atlas. It turns out SR-100 goes all the way to Lake City. So that's where I went... It was SO different than driving on the Interstate! I drove through all these little towns with their dilapidated houses and acres of farmland... Kinda surreal!
I made it to Lake City without incident and caught I-75 to I-10. I finally walked in the door of my house at 10:14PM, nearly seven hours and 338 miles after I started. All I can say is that I'm never going on I-95 again unless I absolutely have to! It seems like every time I take that route, it's a big hassle.
Apparently, a new fire started there yesterday... The smoke was incredible. Of course, the police closed the Interstate and forced all of us onto State Road 44, where we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for about 45 minutes. I got fed up and broke from the pack, looking for US-1. I found it and took it all the way up to Port Orange, where I got back on 95. Traffic was moving along really well, the fire was well behind us... And then we all just stopped. @#$%!!! I hate traffic jams.
I needed to gas up, so I took the next exit. I-95 was backed up for as far as I could see... So I decided to hell with it and just started heading west on the Old Dixie Highway. I found US-1 again and headed north... Then I came upon State Road 100, so I pulled over and got out my atlas. It turns out SR-100 goes all the way to Lake City. So that's where I went... It was SO different than driving on the Interstate! I drove through all these little towns with their dilapidated houses and acres of farmland... Kinda surreal!
I made it to Lake City without incident and caught I-75 to I-10. I finally walked in the door of my house at 10:14PM, nearly seven hours and 338 miles after I started. All I can say is that I'm never going on I-95 again unless I absolutely have to! It seems like every time I take that route, it's a big hassle.