Solo Road Trip

I started my drive from Fort Hood around 4:30pm on Thursday. I got to Lindale, TX around 8 that night and then drove for 12-13 hours the next day, making it to Dandridge, TN. Yesterday I continued on and arrived back in State College around 3:30pm. I drove through 9 states total. I took a more southern swing around instead of heading into where the tornadoes and storms were supposed to be (which was pretty much every other route I could take). Clear sunny skies the whole way except for about two minutes of rain in Virginia, and quite a bit of fog in the morning of the last day. I don't know why I thought the trip would take three days or longer than it took with two people driving. I don't take very long breaks, just as long as necessary to refuel, and there's nothing else to do but drive so I just kept going. I get way more tired as a passenger than a driver. Your knees and hands start to ache from being bent up and gripping the wheel for so long, but nothing a day of rest won't fix. Some things I noticed:

-As you get further East, people drive faster. Except in Virginia. But in Virginia sometimes people stand on bridges over the highways and wave, sometimes with flags. A Memorial Day thing, or a thing Virginians do on Saturday? I do not know. I waved back.

- The "State in Which the Most Bugs Were Killed on my Window" Award goes to: Alabama! Congratulations!

- I knew I was getting close to home when: I saw Sheetz on the blue sign listing upcoming gas stops.

- This is a nice and easy route to take if you're headed down to the Texas area/up to PA. This is the fourth time I've driven between Texas and PA, and I liked this way the best. Any route that does not include Arkansas is preferable.

- That ET song by Katy Perry that the radio likes to play is really annoying.

Here's the route I took:


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The first day driving away from my husband was the hardest part. 

- From the desk of Mrs. Sarah McPherson