The Open Road

I angered a friend who was accustomed to highway driving. Maintaining the speed limit in the left lane- he did not have a license at that time. It has been reinstated. I was not used to long distance driving and moved over when someone wanted to pass.

He was right and I was occupied looking at what was ahead instead of thinking who was behind me or in the other lane. All of a sudden I was taking more long drives. It is nice to leave the confines of the city.

Driving expands your horizons. A trip out of town- I could have stayed home. Staying twenty miles from home put me in another area and my destination was forty miles away instead of sixty.

I can drive forty miles without thinking it is a "Road trip". Good thing I don't drink- a former colleague and her inebriated friends decided to drive to Wyoming. It's not like they were in Denver and decided to drive ninety miles to Cheyenne.

No, they drove for a few days and her father had to fly out there to pick them up; none too pleased that he had to post bail and pay full fare on a one way flight. I don't do things like that. I moved to Arizona which carried me along Interstate 40.

At the time I worked with a man who followed Phish around the country. Did Ticketmaster ruin that, too? Regardless- he invested in himself. Trey Anastasio is an effective coach. At least he joined a merry band of concertgoers.

He told me that on Interstate 10 you are in Texas forever. Eight hundred miles of Texas scrub brush becomes tedious. I saw Lubbock and the northern part at night. Having the sun rise over New Mexico- that is beautiful.

I don't mind long drives. It's an excuse to visit Cracker Barrel. I don't have them nearby so they are enjoyed on the road. The hostesses at Cracker Barrel are one hundred times sexier than anyone at Hooters. They are regular girls doing their job; not some chick in tight clothes acting sexier than she really is.

The composite experience at Cracker Barrel is enjoyable. The nearest one that I have not visited (I patronize each one once and probably won't visit them all.) is in York, Pennsylvania. Will that lead me up I-83? One never knows. There is a world out there and many modes of transportation. So why don't I ride the train often?

If you see the ghost of Union Station- it is like LinkedIn Groups. You might remember how grand and glorious it once was. Now it is a husk with many panhandlers sleeping near Au Bon Pain. I can catch the train in Alexandria or simply drive to my destination. Explore a different area.