- The reason I called this the "road trip" edition is because I went on one last week to attend the funeral of my uncle, Clyde White. I left a week ago early Saturday with my dad and got down there Sunday afternoon. We came back up toward Ohio, with my mom with us, starting Wednesday and spent Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle in Tennessee. I finally got dropped off by my parents at home this past Friday afternoon. Again, it was a very long trip and I was tired and driven a little stir crazy, but that's what happens on long road trips sometimes.
- Speaking of the funeral, once we arrived on Sunday we had to get dressed right away because that night we went to the funeral. On Monday morning we attended another service at the cemetary. Both services were good yet solemn. I got to see relatives, some I haven't seen in decades, yet I wish it would have been under better circumstances. My uncle Clyde was a great family man. He loved trains and he could tell a tale like nobody's business. We (the family) are all going to miss him. Rest in peace, Uncle Clyde.
- As I noted before, my parents and I spent Thanksgiving with my aunt Claudia and uncle James at their home. Their home was beautiful and the food was great (James is a hell of a cook). Unfortunately my sinuses decided to attack me after dinner and I got really tired and a bit cranky as a result. I want to apologize to my aunt and uncle if they were put off by that or me, especially since both of them went out of their way to make my family feel welcome. Me personally, it meant a lot to me that they were so welcoming and I'm lucky to have such relatives in my extended family.
- Regarding the road trip itself, we started down I-70 and then hit I-77 south down to South Carolina. After a couple of interstate changes, we took I-95 down to Jacksonville, then took a couple of routes through the state of Florida to get to the funeral. We took a different route back up using I-75 to go through Georgia, stopping at Tennessee for Thanksgiving, then transferred over to I-71 in Cincinnati before I got home. I took a few notes along the way taking notice of various things and I want to share some of those observations as I had them and generally which state I had them in or noticed things in. I'll start with West Virginia and go from there.
West Virginia
- There are a lot of construction merges entering West Virginia on I-77. Maybe they should call it "West Merge-inia" instead
- The interstate lanes seem too thin for travel. It is very difficult to pass slower cars in the mountains as a result.
- We stopped at an Italian restaurant called Fratello's in Ripley. Decent food there and I got to watch some of the Ohio State-Michigan game there. I will say this...I could have never imagined how much people in West Virginia actually hated Rich Rodriguez, the head coach of Michigan and former WVU coach, until I saw it for myself.
- Wycheville is the only place I know where you can have two separate interstates run together on the same stretch of highway yet have one run north and the other run south at the same time. That can get very confusing.
- Using the carpool lanes in a busy city such as Charlotte is a very nice thing especially when there's a lot of traffic on Saturday night.
- After going through Savannah, there is a ton of construction on I-95 taking place. It looks like they are rebuilding the highway completely.
- After hitting I-75 in Ocala, it rained rather hard for about a half-hour.
- We stopped at a 24-hour fast-food-like restaurant called Whataburger on US 301. They have a pretty decent cheeseburger.
- It's about 10:30 PM on Sunday night after the funeral. I am gathering my thoughts and notes together for the blog outside where it is 70 degrees near the end of November. I never thought I'd ever be doing that.
- During the days here, it has been 80 degrees and sunny in Florida...can't beat that. I'm not sure I want to leave this place.
- I'm doing an awful lot of contemplation while I'm out of Ohio. I have a lot to think about.
- The signs of autumn are not apparent in Florida as it was for the other states I've travelled through on the trip.
- I have to admit, watching two of my relatives attempting to outdo each other in a proverbial all-you-can-eat contest is a sight to behold.
- I went to Holmes and Bradenton Beaches on Tuesday. It's the first time I saw lots of dolphins, big sand castles, and some beautiful women in bikinis all in one trip. I also took a look at vacation homes on Anna Maria Island and toured around some of the upscale homes on Longboat Key...there are some beautiful places here in Bradenton and Sarasota.
- I got rather grouchy on my last night in Florida. I think it had to do with the combination of my sinuses attacking, from getting tired from all the walking and travelling so far, and the prospect of having to head back to the much colder climate of Ohio the next day.
- On the way out of Florida, we stopped at a place called the Villages south of Ocala. It is a beautiful area with tons of shopping and a lot of individual golf courses, around 11 or 12 of them, each surrounded by houses and vacation homes. For a frame of reference, think Easton Town Center in Columbus except 20 times bigger with a school district and a much warmer climate.
- At the Georgia Welcome Center on I-75, truckers have to park their semis pretty far back away from the welcome center buildings while cars can park near them. It may be just me, but I think this is probably the official "Git Your Out-Of-Shape Trucker Ass To Steppin" initiative here at work in Georgia.
- Atlanta has been known as a traffic nightmare to many who have passed through it. For me, the areas before the city limits and after were rather heavily congested. However, travelling though downtown Atlanta itself was rather smooth, surprising given that it was so close to the Thanksgiving holiday and it was during the 5:00 PM rush hour when we went through the city.
- My family and I stayed at a "nicey-nice" Best Western while in Knoxville, the "nicey-nice" part being the upscale business nature of the hotel itself. I've seen some crappy Best Westerns in the past, but this one was definitely NOT one of those.
- I'm going a bit stir crazy at this point of the trip but I'm only about six hours away from home. However, I will be travelling on one of the busiest traffic days of the year...Black Friday.
- We stop at a Skyline Chili near Kings Island in Cincinnati. I didn't realize how close Kings Island was to Columbus...I thought it would be farther away. Anyway, this was the first time I ever went to a Skyline and didn't throw up while I was there or afterwards. The funny thing about that is that I'm being completely serious about that. Will wonders never cease?
And that concludes the observations and notes I took on the first road trip for me since 2001. In some respects I wanted to stay down there but ultimately I'm glad I'm back at home. Now to try to get into the swing of things...
- I was on the road while the OSU-Michigan game was happening, but I got to listen to at least half of it and watched some of it on TV while I was at a restaurant. I am happy that the Buckeyes won the Big Ten outright and are heading to the Rose Bowl. I just hope that the offense improves enough so that they can win a bowl game this time out.
- On the flip side, the Browns need an awful lot of work, especially in light of their loss to the Bengals earlier today. They are in the search for new front office personnel, but I think they need some coaching changes as well, especially for WRs and DBs...they seem to be on different pages and missing things at crucial points in games. I guess we'll have to wait until the end of the season for anything substantial to happen.
- I have to admit, being out of the loop sometimes has it's good and bad points. I guess it comes down to when those points occur and how.
- Song on repeat: "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan. Self explanatory given the reason for the road trip.
- SLP to the following: Dave, Pastor Cory, Nick (belated happy b-day), Todd (thanks for the heads-up), Bob, Lynn, Aunt Sandy, my cousins Scotty, Stacy, Walt, Steve, George, Tracy P., Aunt Susie, Uncle Tim, Aunt Claudia, Uncle James, Uncle Bill, my cousins Debbie & Betsy, Kenda, Josh (2nd cousin), Shayne (fellow nephew of Clyde), Holly, Rahn, Jay, Tammy (happy birthday), Heather (happy b-day), and the other family members I was with in Florida.
Before I go, I want to thank again those of you who said prayers to and for my family. They really appreciated it and thank you for them. I hope you continue to keep them, especially my aunt Sandi and my cousins, in your thoughts and prayers in this difficult time. After going on this road trip, I find myself asking this one question: why in the devil did I come back up to this cold weather in Ohio? Until next time, folks. Take care and God Bless.
DJ
