Dallas Trip Part 2

Yeah, I wimped out. I left Kim's party around midnight and went back to my hotel. I was planning on getting up at 7:30 to start my trip back. I didn't sleep worth a damn. I tossed and turned all night long. If I had drunk a little more I might have passed out, but then I would have felt like crap the next day.

I wound up getting up at 8:00 and after showering, packing up, and checking out I was on the road by 8:45. I was tentatively planning on driving straight through. I figgered I might be able to make it in 11 hours and with the time change that would get me back to GOC Central at 8:45 PM. Famous last words.

My first stop was to hit the drive thru at a McDonalds and get some coffee. That kept me going for about an hour but then I started getting sleepy. I fought it as best as I could but when I hit Louisianna, I pulled off at the first rest area. I locked the car, laid my head against the window and took a 20 minute nap. That worked miracles.

So I lost 20 minutes. That would still get me home a little after 9:00 if I decided to drive straight through.

Now that I was awake, I needed sumpin' sweet. A few years back I got in the habit on road trips, since I don't eat lunch, of getting a milk shake around lunchtime. I stopped at the first McDonalds. In Louisianna, at the four McDonalds I stopped at on this trip, you order at the first window. I pulled up to the first window and there was no one there so I pulled up to the last window and ordered there. This flustered the girl at that window. She disappeared and came back three minutes later to tell me the ice cream machine was broken. Crap! Lost another five minutes.

About fifteen miles up the road I stopped at another McDonalds. Their ice cream machine was busted! WTF! There was a Burger King nearby but the line in the drive thru was too long so off I go. I'm now half an hour behind schedule.

A ways up the road I stopped for gas. There was a McDonalds at that exit and their ice cream machine worked. Finally!

I hit Mississippi and it started raining. I'm still making good time but I'm running behind. I decided I'd just go ahead and spend the night at Meridian Mississippi which is about ten miles west of the Alabama border. That would leave me with less than 300 miles to drive the next day. I pulled off at the exit for the motel I decided to stay at. I come up to a light and next thing I know I'm going away from the motel on a frontage road. Hmmm! What am I doing wrong. At the next light, I make a left which heads me back in the right direction. I come up to the same light that I screwed up before and once again I mess up. In my defense, it was raining. I decide that the Interstate Gods don't want me to stop in Meridian Mississippi and since I was less than 300 miles from GOC Central I would just keep on driving. Now I'm at least an hour behind schedule which will get me home at 9:45 Georgia time.

But first I had to take a pee break. Because of my condition (I'm a cripple ya know) it takes me a wee bit longer to pee than a normal person. While I was in the bathroom some bearded dude comes up to me and asks if I were going to Meridian Mississippi. Hell no! Anyway, that cost me 15 minutes.

I decide to drive a little faster. I catch a sports station talking about the Iron Bowl, which is the annual football game between Auburn and Alabama. The game had just finished and they were doing the wrap up, talking to the players and coaches, etc. The game had been played in Tuscaloosa which was on my route. I thought nothing of that until I hit Tuscaloosa. Bam! Major traffic jam.

I-20 through Tuscaloosa is just 2 lanes each way. I was in bumper to bumper traffic for at least fifteen miles until I-20 got another lane. Even then, I wasn't able to go much faster then 70 mph. I lost a good 45 minutes. So now I'm looking at between 10:30 and 11:00.

Outside of Birmingham I noticed that most of the traffic was getting off on the bypass. I had seen a sign that said that I-59 was closed at I-65 north but thought nothing of it because I was on I-20. Unfortunately, I-20 is also I-59 going through Birmingham. The Alabama DOT hadn't bothered mentioning that I-20 was also closed at I-65 north. Due to construction, the bridge was out. Going west there had been no problem. It was only the eastbound bridge that was closed. So, next thing I know, I'm heading south on I-65. This sucks!

I pulled off and gassed up and then headed north on I-65. I took an exit headed west and found a northbound expressway and got back on I-20 east. I lost even more time, but now I'm less than 200 miles away. I'm also pissed.

I've got my cruise control set on 80 mph. I'm passed by an SUV driven by an Auburn fan. I can tell because he's got a little tiger tail hanging out the back door. He pulls in front of me and slows down so to keep going 80 I have to pull out in the left lane and pass him. No sooner do I get back in the right lane, he decides to pass me and then pull in front of me and slow down again. Enough of this bullshit! I don't like to play these stupid games. I take it up to 95 and leave him in my wake.

I drive between 90 and 95 the rest of the way home. Screw these people. A drive that should have only taken me 11 hours wound up taking me 13 hours.

I did make it home safe and sound which is all that counts.

Posted by denny at November 22, 2004 05:51 PM