Well, that time finally came! However, it did require me to drive back and forth between my new home and my old home several times. Driving alone for eleven hours on empty roads gives the mind a lot of time to wander. I looked at the landscape and the surrounding architecture and wondered about the history of the place. I saw occasional passing cars and became curious about who the drivers are and where they were going.
It took a lot of caffeine to keep me focused.On the way back to Missouri for what I thought was the final time (more about that later*,) I was surprised by how clear the interstate seemed. I made the mistake of saying it aloud to my mom on the phone. At the exact moment that I exited that highway for the next one, I came to a standstill. Now, my first reaction was "Oh, no!" Then I took the situation as an opportunity, an opportunity to take pictures of the things I usually see along the way but can't stop because of the
First I snapped a quick shot of the Dallas skyline. Then I spotted this strange building that always confuses me. Are they putting it up, or tearing it down? It looks like it has been shrink wrapped and the wrapping is slowly sinking. I don't know what it's going to be. Hopefully it will be completed the next time I have to pass it.
This was about the place that I found out that this highway had been closed and all traffic was being diverted through downtown Dallas. Now in this time of Google Maps, this can be upsetting to a person who doesn't have GPS, especially when there are no detour signs posted anywhere. Like a lemming, I just followed the people in front of me which seemed to be working until I got held back by a stoplight where I saw this church. The rest of the crew went ahead leaving me with no one to follow. Additionally, this left me as the "leader." Ha! If only the lemmings behind me knew what they were in for. I decided that the road I was on was "somewhat" parallel to the original highway and went for it. I drove until I came to a strange intersection that wasn't a typical meeting of two streets nor was it a traffic circle (I learned about those in Norway.) Instead if you wanted to continue straight, you had to turn right and get on another street and turn left. It was basically a broken traffic circle. (Does that make it a traffic triangle or trapezoid?) Fortunately, I saw the beautiful blue glow of an interstate sign and made my way back on track. I was quite relieved to be on my way.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. My favorite part of the trip is driving on the Will Rogers Turnpike. This is for two reasons. First is because you get to drive 75 miles per hour (120kph) almost the entire way. The second great thing about it is you get to drive under a McDonald's.
The kids and I thought this was cool, but my husband was not impressed. He said he grew up with it.
*Okay, it's later. :-) I have to go back to Texas again this weekend. This time I am dragging the whole crew. We are going to clean the house, pick up the little bits and pieces that I didn't want to pack and hopefully get a little paint down to cover up little one's finger prints. Oh yeah, and rip out the carpet. We will see how that all goes.
What do you do to pass the time when driving long distances? I would love to hear.