Some Thoughts on Driving Cross Country

I guess maybe it should only be "Cross-Midwest" as I didn't really cross the country. I mean "overland," yes?

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I got a phone a little while back that successfully pairs with my GPS by bluetooth, so while driving I have a speakerphone. I hadn't used it much as the pairing and unpairing seems stupid when you'll be in the car for less than 20 minutes (I am probably doing something wrong), but for a long trip with maybe four hours between stops it seems like a good idea. I actually wound up using the speakerphone feature this time and discovered something. Since the GPS is fairly hard-mounted to the windshield, the person on the other end of the line gets a nice whooshing sound along with your voice. I am guessing it's the wind on the windshield being transmitted through vibration in the suction mount. Oops.

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In Indiana I saw a cell phone tower that had blown over. It was really cool and was gone before I could get out my camera. I mean I love you people and all, but not enough to stop.

I also should give a little shout out to the GPS nav system for continuing to keep my trips interesting. This time we got yet a third (fourth?) route through Northwest Indiana. So far we've used the Skyway and not used the Skyway, so thats 90 and 94 and then this time IN State 912. I cannot tell at all why the thing chooses one over the other. I know it can do real time traffic, but I also know it isn't enabled - because I don't know how and I think there's something I would have to subscribe to. I would say its using the day of the week and the time of the day except it must not know that because it can never seem to tell which way the Chicago reverseables will be open. Still, it did go quickly, and I think it saved me $2 in tolls. So thanks for that GPS.

The phone does other tricks beside the bluetooth. It's got 3G internet, so I could tweet and check email and even Facebook from the road - as well as look things up on google maps. I don't think the experience of driving is all that much better having these things, and I imagine it will cause a fair number of accidents from people Twittering instead of driving, but it's still a little cool none the less.

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I'd also just like to say, to have said it, that two people is not enough to staff a rest-stop fast food establishment, especially during the day. When you go into these places it's not for a relaxing driving sabbatical, at least it isn't for me. If I could pee, get food, and refuel without actually stopping that's what I would want. So standing there for 15 minutes while the two of you grind out value meals is enough to really make a man demented.

More annoying than that though... Coming into PA from Ohio I got stuck in one of these new toll-chutes behind some guy, and his dog, who were digging through the mats of his car to find enough change to pay a $3 toll. It would be ok if when you saw this you could maneuver at all but nowadays once you pick a lane - well, that's your lane. There should be some kind of honk-code you can do to get the attendant to just let the loser go and apply the toll to you. I would have much rather paid another $3 than to have had to sit there for 11 minutes. I mean, like I say above, I am trying to get from A to B.

Maybe I wouldn't mind the sitting around so much if the truck hadn't gotten to smell just a little bit like the monkey house at the zoo. Now I know this is sort of all on me, but two 8 hour drives in a short space, plus leaving the cooler in the car in between. Well, it wasn't a good recipe. Thankfully it wasn't a permanent change.