I drove over 500 miles today. Today was day one of my 1000 mile journey to see my special friend, Leah. I’d never gone on a road trip of this length before. In fact, the longest road trip I had previously taken was only three and a half hours.
I started my journey at 7:22am central time. It took me nearly 90 minutes to reach the state of Illinois. I made the mistake of wearing a hoodie and my coat, and as it turns out, my car heater works exceptionally well. By the time I reached Rockford, IL, I had to pull over just to take off my coat.
But my battle with in-car climate control was only just beginning. When I had my heater going for a while, my car would get much too warm. Then I would roll down my window just a crack to cool down the car. I actually turned on the air conditioning a couple times for a few minutes. Unfortunately, my feet would get cold. I discovered the nifty little setting in my car that lets me aim the heater at my feet. It was swell.
The roads in Illinois are terrible. They’re bumpy and full of cracks and potholes. You’d think they’d take better care of their roads – especially the Interstate. There was very little traffic though. My decision to go through Bloomington instead of Chicago was a very wise one.
Indiana was more fun. The speed limit was 70 mph for a big stretch of the trip. I actually set my cruise control at 76-77 much to my delight. The speed limit on the freeway is 65 in Wisconsin, so I never get to go faster than 72 at home.
I arrived at my hotel at approximately 5:00pm eastern time. Tomorrow I will be driving through Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and into South Carolina.
Things I Noticed Along the Way:
I drove past the world’s largest fireworks store. It struck me as somewhat odd that you can actually buy fireworks in February there. My brother-in-law would probably love that store.
There are loads of Cracker Barrel restaurants along the Interstate. I must’ve seen at least a dozen signs along the way, and quite possibly more than that. Funnily enough, my hotel is next to a Cracker Barrel. I almost ate there but instead opted for KFC which is right next to Cracker Barrel. Heh.
Illinois posts a minimum speed limit under the normal speed limit signs. I had never seen this before.
Illinois and Indiana both have a slower speed limit for semi-trucks. This is pretty cool as it generally makes them easier to pass.
The only area on my entire trip that had any congestion was the Interstate around Indianapolis. This struck me as odd because the Interstates in Wisconsin are usually jam-packed with cars.
In Indiana, you’re not allowed to stop, stand or park on the Interstate. They must’ve had problems with that before since they’ve posted a zillion signs informing drivers of this fact. They also seem quite obsessed with informing drivers that bridges may be icy. I guess Indiana is a safety conscious state.
