A few years later, however, I had cause to swear never to drive anywhere again. My memory dims about some things but I think it was Mississippi. If it was, the highway was Interstate 55. Anyway, I turned off another highway and headed south on the new Interstate, pleased that I could pick up speed. I noticed that there was no traffic in the northbound lanes but the roadway was obviously brand new and I figured few people had found it. I was really impressed by how friendly the state’s road crews were since to a man every one of them waved at me. And I enjoyed waving back. I probably didn’t drive as far as it seemed but finally came to a metal barricade blocking the roadway where the payement came to an end; on the other side of the barricade was a drop off of 10-15 feet.

I had to turn around and head back north and for several miles frantically tried to find a way over to the northbound lanes since the last thing I wanted to do was drive the wrong way on an Interstate highway. The guys on the highway crew still waved but less urgently and seemed to be laughing.

I drove north in the southbound lanes all the way back to the point where I’d gotten on the roadway. I then learned that a barricade blocking access to the yet-to-be-opened stretch of Interstate had been moved to allow access by grass-seeding equipment.

What a waste of driving time. Surpassed only by my son, Trace, who once during the arrival of the outer squall lines of a hurricane ignored rising waters along a highway in Louisiana. He had to stop at a point where a river had jumped its banks and the highway was under water. He turned around and headed back north but drove only a few miles before he encountered another river out of its banks and the roadway under water. He found a rise of land along the highwy and parked there. He and his college roommate spent 50 hours in the car, sharing the small piece of dry land with a large population of rattlesnakes and water moccasins, never imagining how exciting it would be to see a highway reopen to traffic.

Regards,
Peter H.

Now, with GPS, I can make my way deep on back roads. You see and meet a part of the country that everyone needs to know exists.

I don’t always start the line from my home base, because the first 100 miles are too well known to me to qualify as exploration.

In doing this, I have visited a hound dog cemetery, crossed the Ohio on a small ferry barge, dropped in on local events, etc. It can be quite colorful.

I did a road trip from Spring, TX to Dana Point, CA. once. You get out there past San Antonio and Comfort, and there ain’t hardly nothing till you hit El Paso. Took 15 hours from the North Freeway to El Paso.

Needless to say, by the time my friend and I got to LA, we were sick of each other and the Pontiac Sunbird.

http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/DE9D0217A8A2A1758825744F007E23F3/file/0635644.pdf

Thought you all might be interested.

FYI - my favorite driving is on I-10 West from Houston to Columbus. Picture perfect Texas landscape!

Regards,
Peter H.

I just want to share with all of you my experience last night of being at a speech by Ken Burns (Civil War). If anyone has the opportunity to hear him, he is a powerul speaker. What a passion he has for this country and how lucky we are that is such a great documentarian. His new series The War looks fabulous. It will be rerun on PBS soon.