I've been daydreaming about a road trip this summer since the early spring, and having spent much of Saturday prepping to get on the road early on Sunday - picking up road food, washing the truck, cleaning the inside of the truck, picking up audio books (AKA 'tapes on CD'), and finally packing my bags - the reality of the trip finally hit me. I would be driving from little old Asheville, NC to even littler (but less old) Ada, OK in one day. I'd thought I'd perhaps split the drive into two days, but since I was meeting up with my friends from St. Louis, Lizzie and Joe, at our friend Chelsea's place in Ada, and Chelsea had only Monday and Tuesday off work, it was imperative that I get there ASAP. Fortunately I had worked out the timing of things so that the drive would fit within the hours of the day that I'm usually awake. Google estimated that it was a 15.5 hour drive, so if I left at 8 AM from Asheville, thanks to the time change from eastern to central time, I would arrive in Ada around midnight or so.
Point A: Asheville, NC
SUNDAY: I got up earlier than usual (6:45... oof) to finish the packing of the truck, smooched the boyfriend, and got going a little after 8, stopping to grab a coffee and breakfast bagel from Bruegger's before I left town. Leaving Asheville by 8:35ish, I was rolling westward on I-40. I primarily listened to Weekend Edition Sunday until the signal went to crap, then listened to my new Adele CD for a bit until I could pick up radio signal once again. NPR is so good for road trips, especially solo ones. The content they choose to talk about in all their programming is so stimulating, fascinating, and fun at times, too. Of course it's great to start conversations, too, but I'm driving alone, so that's not really an option, unless I call someone to talk. And I did call folks, since that also helped with mental stimulation. Driving long distances get me into a zone that is not far off from sleeping, it seems, so the phone calls helped to beat that feeling back. I know it's not great to talk on the phone and drive (and in some states is illegal), but when it's that over being asleep at the wheel, I'll choose the former. Singing along to music works that way a bit, too... except isn't illegal. Aside from stopping for gas or bathroom breaks, which I did my best to coincide, I was cruising down 40. The book (on CD) I chose to start with was Yann Martel's Life of Pi, a book I've been meaning to read for years. I had to break up the first few hours of listening since it was in the exposition (see plot diagram below) and not a great deal of action was happening, which kind of contributed to the zoned-out driving I mentioned earlier. Anyhow, I got some great quotes from the start of the book, though: "The more you look, the more you see you are in zootown." Also, "Life goes on and you don't touch tigers." Good life advice, don't you think? By the end of my drive though, I was well into the rising action and I was on the edge of my seat, figuratively speaking, and very much awake and aware of my driving surroundings and those of Pi Patel, the main character in Life of Pi.
Speaking of driving surroundings, here are some highlights. I'll start with the Hummer 3 I saw just inside the Tennessee border. Its license plate made me laugh out loud: 4 SALE. Clearly it's so unappealing as a vehicle that the desire to sell it is as permanent as the likelihood of someone wanting to buy it off the current owner. Also, roadkill counts were intriguing, and sad at times, too. Of course, there was plenty of unidentified bits of animals, but there were also a few cats, a small dog, and lots of armadillos. At first, the first armadillo I saw looked like a fetus and an alien, but then I saw another and I was more certain of its animalian place on earth, though not near the highway. Who knew there were armadillos in Tennessee? Not me.
Anyhow, the drive continued westward and I finally made it to Memphis, roughly half-way, and a heaved a sigh of relief. It was only mid-afternoon! Wahoo. But then it hit me, half-way. Oof. However, by the time I made it to Little Rock, Arkansas (where I got a little turned around because I was talking on the phone) I was in I've-got-ten-hours-of-driving-under-my-belt...I'm-invincible! mode. Anyhow, the rest of the drive went just fine, though I did get a little sleepy on the state routes getting into Ada. But I made it! And after stretching, hugging friends, and watching a little Wii being played, I hit the hay.
Point B: Ada, Oklahoma
Oh yeah! I discovered a pleasant surprise about Oklahoma... it smells like parts of Northern California, which was super comforting. I think it might be because of the severe dryness and fire hazards, though.Pictures to come soon!
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