I don’t really take vacations. Of course some might say my life is one big vacation. In any event, my granddaughter in Texas is getting her driver’s license and she needed a car. I had a 2018 Ford Escape, parked in the garage with only 12,000 miles on it that was not being used, Sparky, and it seemed they would make a good combination. The only obstacle was that the car was in Maine.
Old as tree bark and living in the woods, I generally don’t like to adventure past the end of my hundred yard driveway. There are too many people out there, all sort of political mayhem and acronym people and organizations that have determined I represent all that is wrong with the country… a guy getting by, remaining independent and not wanting to participate in saving the rhubarb and addressing people with misplaced pronouns.
Still, the car had to get from Maine to Texas. Truck transport was out of the question. Too expensive and, the last time I shipped a car to my parents in New Jersey from our then home in California, the driver dumped it in an unincorporated area in San Bernardino County as more or less the property of the Hell’s Angels.
Having to negotiate the car’s release, I agreed to a cash payment of $72.16, let Chainsaw Terror’s wife Betty Boo tattoo “HAMC” on my neck and I accepted the honorable nickname “Hombre En Motoneta”… which I am pretty sure means “Dangerous Dude”. Side note – My parents really enjoyed the car.
The Google Maps trip route to Texas seemed not so long, at least not on the small screen of my cell phone. However, as a driving experience, the route did pass through ME, NH, MA, CT, NY, PA, OH, KT, TN, AR, and into Texas. Approximately a 2170 mile continuum of highway reconstruction projects, pot holes, gas stations, and rest areas that offered no respite.
Leaving Maine late morning Tuesday, arrival in Round Rock Texas was Thursday, early evening, which included overnight stops on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Daily miles driven were 600, 800 and 770. No leg of the trip fell into the “Drive like a zombie” mode, but all took concentration to prevent the car’s “Driver fatigue! Stop for coffee!!..!” warning light from haranguing me.
That car was way too judgemental, constantly critiquing my driving techniques and shaking its steering wheel in my hands; “Wake up!”, “Get in your lane!”, “You can drive only 14 more miles before I run out of gas!”, “Do you really need to drive this fast?!”, “I know you need to find a bathroom”.
The Excitement Never Ends!!
I don’t care what state I was in, geographically or emotionally, the scenery was… stunning. The diversity of flora and fauna was amazing and distinctive. As an example, this video was recorded at a brilliant combination of Sunoco gas and Subway sandwiches; 87 octane fill up and a Philly cheese steak with jack cheese and green peppers. At least some of that gas lasted all the way to Texas.
Next week we’ll be back to a normal schedule, publishing on Sunday. We have some newly released firearms in queue. In the mean time….
Sounds like an adventure that won’t be repeated soon.
Have to do it every once in awhile to make sure I’m still breathing and really good people to visit.
Sounds like a nice road trip. I am guessing once the vehicle was delivered to the happy grandchild, you flew back home. That might have been the tougher part of the journey, given the state of air travel.
Generally speaking, road trips are interesting and mostly fun. I’m afraid I’ve lost my appetite for flying or at least airports.
Yes, this time return flight to shorten the return time.