Well I have had the day from hell

[alarimer]

And I thought road trips were supposed to be fun?

First I could not sleep last night. At all. So I got up at 230 am. I was going to get up at 4 so what the hell, right? Well I think that is where everything started going wrong. Actually the first wrong thing was trusting Google Maps. Their mileage appears to be off somewhat and also these are the single worst directions I have ever seen. They don't have the names of the cities in the directions. Such as, take I-35 W around Ft. Worth to I-35 N and follow that XXX miles to Oklahoma City. You'd think they would mention Ok. City by name somewhere since that is where I have to change to I-44. And also, Google, while we are at it, is it really so difficult to give the actual exit numbers and not just the names of the highways they go to? Because some of the numbers are similar and it gets quite confusing, to the point where I found myself on I-40 instead. Ok, ok, I am sleep deprived and so, very easily confused, which is why your directions need to be spelled out like you were talking to a baby. So I end up going east on 40 until some very nice woman in a convenience store pointed me in the right direction. I don't know how many extra miles I drove instead. But it could have been worse; I could have ended up in Little Rock (Is that where I-40 goes or maybe it was Memphis, a nice place, my birthplace in fact but distinctly not where I wanted to go).

But this is only part of the story.

I had nearly escaped Texas when I damaged the sidewall of one of my tires (in a "pothole", wink, wink, and NOT on a curb. Well that's my story and I am sticking to it). Since the tire was damaged and might have blown out eventually I decide to go get it fixed. Well I called the Mazda dealer in Denton (only 35 miles south of where I was, so no big deal). When I bought my car, I was helpfully offered (pressured maybe the right word) a plan to replace wrecked tires and wheels should they be damaged, along with roadside assistance, for the small sum of $299. So I fell for it, along with the extended warranty. In this case, however, it turned out to be a wise purchase because the tires on my car apparently cost $266 A PIECE. And no, they are not made of gold. They are, in fact, crap tires because after 20 K miles, they only have 6/32 of an inch of tread left. And I am not known for burning rubber. So they will have to be replaced eventually (but I am not buying the same kind and I am certainly not buying them from the dealer). In any case, this plan I have will reimburse me the $271 it costs to replace my tire. The wheel was not damaged, only a little scuffed.

So that was a three hour delay in my trip. Okay, fine. Then I got lost and then I thought a cop was about to pull me over (I saw the lights in my rear view and nearly had a heart attack) but he was after other fish tonight so I breathed a sigh of relief.

So I am in a hotel room in Joplin, MO. I simply could not drive another mile. I was afraid I would fall asleep and hurt myself or someone else. It felt like Oklahoma would never end. (the state, not the musical). But I am still 300 miles or so from my destination.

Oh, and I forgot the Christmas presents. At home. In Corpus Christi, currently many, many miles from where I am. I have had dinner and a beer so I am sort of mellow at the moment.

[SPKrazy]

1. you forgot the christmas presents?

shit

go back and get them right now


just kidding

sounds like a long day.

i would have taken 75 to hook up with 44 it would have been faster

:P

have a safe rest of your trip and get some sleep

[alarimer]

2. Thanks

But I don't think Mapquest is any better at directions. Maybe I should have bought, you know, A MAP. Actually they are free at state welcome centers.

[SPKrazy]

3. maps

yeah

they help

75 is faster :P

ive taken it both ways and trust me if you are heading east, 75 would have been faster

but the interstate is good too

joplin

:wave: just 100 miles south of you now!

up in petersond the mod's area now

[alarimer]

4. I will take it on the way back.

But I took the advice of nearly everyone on my thread. And they said to stay on the interstate. And usually that is faster. So, it's the Lounge's fault! :p

[SPKrazy]

5. i may have been the lone dissenter

and it is a matter of choice, probably 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another, but 75/69 has gotten to be so much better over the last 20 years. it's mostly 4 lane.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. You are now an official Road Warrior!

I really never give much thought to driving cross-country. Have spent so many years from childhood up until now taking road trips and more road trips.

But, I understand how it can be if it's not something you are used to doing.

:hug: for getting to Joplin and getting there safely. :hug:

Where is your final destination?

[alarimer]

7. New Baden, IL

Just southeast (more or less) of St. Louis.

[Whoa_Nelly]

8. Sleep well tonight

Hope the weather is good for you. :hi:

[alarimer]

10. It's a little COLD

I guess maybe 40. Cold for me that is.

[alarimer]

9. I have driven cross-country many times

From New York state to California, from California to Florida and then Florida to Texas. Also Texas to Minnesota, Texas to New York \, Texas to Georgia. I think that's about it. I have never been to the Northwest; otherwise I have criss-crossed most of the rest. I haven't had a lot of problems. Only once did my car break down. And that was a minor computer problem that only took 4 days to fix because the guy at the dealership who did that work was out of town on training. So I got to spend four days in Indiana. They did give me a loaner car so I wasn't stuck in my hotel room.
I have been lucky because I have done most of these trips alone. I have never had problems with people. I stick mainly to interstate though because I was in a hurry. They weren't usually vacations or anything