I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as I did, BBQ & 4th of July.
To get to my cousin’s house is about a 45 minute drive, most of it on a two lane road, and about 15 minutes on the I-84 turnpike. Visiting my cousin is about the only time I have to drive on a highway now. This is one of the best benefits of being retired, no commute in heavy traffic.
On the last job a had, before I retired, I had to drive between CT and NJ two to three times a week. The Friday commute was the worst, taking about 5 hours. By the time I reached CT I was no longer a civilized human being, and broke every driving rule in the book.
No longer being on a schedule I can now enjoy a pleasant drive, along the CT Housatonic River.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housatonic_River
What are the roads like where you live?
From my experiences in commuting to NJ I can relate to some of the “crazy driver” stores below.
From:
“Are drivers out to prove Darwin’s theory?” by Holly Ocasio Rizzo.
http://comcast.vehix.com/automotive/article.aspx?artid=15B0000000000E5&cid=800
1) Diplomacy under pressure
Adrienne Brown, wife of singer James Brown, was stopped by police in Georgia and charged with driving under the influence, speeding and criminal trespass. When her case came to trial, her lawyer claimed she was entitled to diplomatic immunity. Why? Because a year before the offense, a U.S. representative from Georgia proclaimed James Brown to be “our No. 1 ambassador.” It didn’t matter anyway that Brown was an ambassador of soul, not of the nation; American citizens, ambassadors or not, still are prosecuted for crimes committed on U.S. soil.
2) Pictures speak a thousand words
A driver in Campbell, Calif., got a $45 ticket after his car was caught on photo radar. In response, he sent the Campbell Police Department a photo of $45. The police chief then sent the driver a photo of handcuffs. The driver paid.
3) Stronger than a locomotive?
A driver in Italy got his Porsche trapped between the arms of a railway-crossing signal just as a train was coming. He got out and began to run – toward the train while waving his arms. Needless to say, he never did it again.
4) The computer survived …
A multi-tasking Northern California driver working on his laptop computer lost control of his car, swerving into an oncoming Hummer. He died at the scene. The couple in the Hummer suffered minor injuries. The computer was not seriously injured, either; the California Highway Patrol found it was still on, plugged into the cigarette lighter and working.
6) Stewed, fried and cooked
A drunken driver in upstate New York drove his car into a ditch, nearly knocking down a power line. To avoid calling for help and thereby avoiding a citation for driving under the influence, he stole a nearby farm tractor to drag the car out of the ditch himself. The tractor got tangled in the now low-hanging power lines, electrocuting him.
7) He was dead right
A University of Nebraska, Lincoln, student wrote an editorial for the school paper in which he advocated against mandatory seat-belt laws. Four months later, he was killed when the SUV in which he was riding slid off a highway and rolled several times into a ditch, ejecting him. The student, of course, practiced what he preached: He did not wear a seat belt.
8 Hey, smarty-pants – want a ticket?
Many motorists have been allowed unfortunate choices for personalized license plates, despite reviews of applications for them. A Los Angeles man, whose license plates read “NO PLATE,” received 2,500 computer-generated parking citations for cars having no plates. A Delaware motorcyclist with the plate “NOTAG” collected more than 200 tickets for vehicles without plates. “VOID” and “UNKNOWN” have fetched their owners plenty of misdirected tickets, too.
21 comments
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July 6, 2009 at 2:46 am
lovewillbringustogether
If i was driving along a road that had that view of the river and mountains there’d be more car crashes as i’d be looking at the view more than the road!
Worthy of being hung in a landscape gallery.
In the city and suburbs the roads here are quite reasonable i feel – but there is much talk that more money needs spending on them – particularly since our government collects far more from road users than it spends on road building/repair/maintenance.
Our country roads can often leave a little to be desired – part of the problem is the size of my state and the small population. (total revenue collection)
WA is about 4 times the size of Texas but has a total population around that of the city of Houston. (2.5 million) a Huge mining ioyalty income helps a little but the sparseness of population means ‘main’ roads in the country areas can be a little ’sub-par’ – in some cases not even surfaced but are loose gravel and subject to washouts and flooding in the wet season!
Many roads narrow to one ‘lane’ of bitumen for BOTH directions of travel meaning IF you ever see another car on the road (rare) you each have two wheels off the road surface when passing. (at 66 mph!)
<B
July 6, 2009 at 3:04 pm
edfromct
Some of the two lane roads here, with all their twist and turns, can present a bit of a challenge. Especially when staring at the headlights coming at you of some idiot who decides to try and pass another car, and has crossed over into your lane.
I can see where driving on a one lane road could be a very exciting experiences.
My perception is that outside of the cities many roads in Australia are in desert country. I have driven desert roads in the American southwest, Arizona, Nevada. Even if you do go off the road the only thing you will hit is a cactus.
July 7, 2009 at 1:08 am
lovewillbringustogether
You are quite right that large areas of my country and state are desert (no cacti though??). The problem with the outback roads though is that with two wheels on a ’slippery’ surface and two wheels on a ’solid’ one it can be very easy to lose control and try to over-correct. Roll overs at higher than 65Mph are never likely to have a happy outcome – especially if there is no phone coverage and you may not see another car come by in days!
Also, an area the size of Texas in my state is largely forest. Single car accidents caused by fatigue from driving for hours (or minutes while drunk) and involving hardwood trees near the side of the road are the result of almost half my state’s road death toll! (Usually over 200 die per year in a population of just over 2 million).
By the way… not many cacti over here but we do get Camels, Emus, Kangaroos, Horses and cattle crossing desert roads. You do NOT want to hit any of those at highway speeds as the bulk of the animal goes through your windscreen!
In some states the ’small’ wombat (a little like a badger or beaver) causes many road deaths, not by flying through the windscreen but by acting like a ramp and rolling cars hitting them at high speed!
<B
July 7, 2009 at 7:56 pm
edfromct
“Wild” animals, and I don’t mean the local teenagers, do cause many accidents here as well. No wombats, but plenty of deer. In Ct it is not as bad as Maine, where Moose, at close to 2,000 lbs, can demolish any car.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose
One of the funnier animal vs car commercials:
July 7, 2009 at 11:31 pm
lovewillbringustogether
Hahahahahaha! That’s just Wrong! I suspect people seeing that commercial are going to be much less likely to swerve for a squirrel in future??
Steer clear of those mooses ( Meese?) though!
<B
July 6, 2009 at 6:46 am
Indian Lake Papa
One of the prettiest drives I am aware of is the drive from Lake Placid, NY to Plattsburg, NY. Here in Michigan roads are okay nothing spectacular. Two of the major U.S. interstates, I-94 and I-75 service Michigan.
July 6, 2009 at 3:11 pm
edfromct
Driving around rivers, lakes and mountains, can be a wonderful experiences, as long as we have the time, and no heavy traffic, to enjoy it.
I found that driving on major highways anywhere in the US is pretty much the same. Even the dinners, and motels, at the rest stops are the same.
If you want to take in the scenery you have to go on the back roads.
July 6, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Rain
Wow, what a beautiful river that is! Scenic drives are the best:) I have found a scenic route to work which really makes my day. Before I used to sit 90minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the highway all the way to work and get there tired and grumpy (Don’t know how you managed 5 hours!!??). Then I found this wonderful new route through farmslands and it only takes 45 minutes!
I’ll post some pics of our roads over at my blog…
Did anyone else notice these new smileys look a bit creepy?
July 6, 2009 at 3:17 pm
edfromct
Rain, what a difference it makes to be able to not have to deal with the tension of driving in heavy commuter traffic. Of course we have to lead our selves up with caffeine so we are wired even before we start.
Driving through farm country sounds lovely, as long as no cows, or sheep, decide to cross the road.
July 10, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Rain
No cows or sheep thankfully Ed, just a few stray ducks and an ostrich or two:)
July 6, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Debs
Our roads usually have some pretty awesome scenery and even after living there over 30 years it’s hard to keep my eyes on the road all the time….people seem to move at the right times tho…..it’s all good
July 6, 2009 at 8:50 pm
edfromct
Maybe the “locals” have learned to recognize your car and get out of the way.
I hope you and Darla are having fun “stirring up” Pennsylvania.
July 6, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Debs
yesr…count on it!
July 8, 2009 at 11:37 am
Michelle
Hi, Ed! I came over from Rain’s.
I wish I could boast of beautiful scenery in my neck of the woods. Mostly I see Targets, WalMarts, Taco Bells…thankfully our city loves to plant the boulevards with luscious flowers and native grasses or I’d be sunk in this concrete jungle called Dallas, TX.
I did recently pass through Lancaster county in PA…Darla’s neck of the woods…lovely farmlands. Good thing she was driving so I could enjoy the view.
July 8, 2009 at 7:51 pm
edfromct
Hi Michelle, thanks for taking the time to stop by with a comment.
I think big city highway traffic is the same everywhere. The view of the back of a 16 wheeler looks the same on any road.
I did a google search for scenic roads in Dallas and it sounds like they mean a day trip out of town. The East Texas guide to Fall Foliage mentions the East Texas woodlands starting from Canton and Grand Saline. I also read about driving through the Hill Country along Highland Lakes.
July 8, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Michelle
Ah…we do have some beautiful views in TX, but yes, at least a day’s drive from Dallas. My husband’s from East Texas, I’ve never seen such beautiful country. Actually, Darla’s area reminded me much of where he grew up.
My state has all types of views from canyons to mountains, deserts to woodlands, beaches to grasslands…and the biggest sky you’ve ever seen.
And the most lovely wildflowers! In the Hill country during the spring time, it appears a rainbow has bloomed in the grass:
http://www.naturaltapestries.com/nancyportfolio/flowers/images/Texas%20Wildflower%20Field.jpg
July 8, 2009 at 10:44 pm
edfromct
That is an amazingly beautiful display of flowers. Reminds me of a Monet painting:
“Irises in Monet’s Garden”
http://students.ou.edu/D/Yvonne.M.Diebold-1/monet.giverny.jpg
July 9, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Michelle
Oh, wow! That’s beautiful and surprising! I love Monet (as is demonstrated from my blog header) but I’ve never seen that painting before. Thank you for sharing.
It may be time to change my header.
July 9, 2009 at 4:48 pm
edfromct
The Museum of Modern Art in NYC had a exhibit consisting of a room with a mural-sized triptych of Monet’s Water Lilies “Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond”, one painting on each wall, with a large sofa in the middle of the room. You could easily imagine yourself sitting on a bench in Monet’s flower garden at Giverny, France.
I haven’t been back to NY in several years, and I know the exhibit has changed. Hopefully they have not altered that feeling of being transported to Monet’s flower garden.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Lilies
July 11, 2009 at 12:33 am
Michelle
Ooooo…I should go find the one at the Dallas Museum of Art. I can’t recall seeing it there.
This past Fall I went to the Fort Worth Museum to see an exhibit of The Impressionists. Of course I loved Monet’s, but found much of my favorites were from Renoir. Anyway…
Thanks, Ed.
Good to know another lover of landscape and art!
July 12, 2009 at 6:35 pm
edfromct
Michelle, one of the great things about the Internet is the ability to view so much art, even when we don’t have the means to view our favorites in person. Of course this can’t match experiencing a painting up close, especially with the impressionist painters, where every brush stroke comes alive.
The Famous Artists Gallery is an easy to use resources.
http://www.famousartistsgallery.com/index.html
A link to Pierre Renoir’s “L’Estaque
http://www.famousartistsgallery.com/gallery/renoir-es.html