1,118 Miles of a Truck's Butt

1,118 miles. That is how far the trip was. Let's see... once I  left Florida, we went through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and finally Pennsylvania. It was one heck of a long drive.

Most of the trip was rather boring... trees and road. In fact, my view was this:

Yes, I followed this yellow Penske truck for 1,118 miles. At first it was kinda hard following something for so long that I couldnt see beyond... but by mile 542 I found comfort in the little truck. My eyes stared into the yellow sea of nothingness and daydreamed about the adventure I was embarking on. I was told over and over by the person behind me that my car was swaying all over the road. Perhaps that is why!

The Carolinas were beautiful. This warmed me, in more ways than one:

I LOVE cajun boiled peanuts. And, since I could never get them in south Florida and I surely wont be able to find them in Pittsburgh... picking them up when we stopped for gas was a MUST. And, to top it off, while I was chowing down on the boiled peanuts, I was staring out at all of the wildflowers that were found in the Carolinas. Beautiful! If my hands werent sticky from the nuts, I wouldve taken a picture!

Next up? Virginia... which had a very welcoming sign in their "Welcome Station" Rest Area:

When you walk into the bathroom, this sign was on every single mirror. It made me want to run to my car, put on my seatbelt and speed through their state to get to the other side. Um, Im not going to be the next fatality. How dare you even think like that! It had somewhat of a Final Destination-type effect on me. "Welcome to Virginia... its time to play... you are the next contestant on 'Are You Virginia's Next Traffic Fatality'!?!" I guess that is how they keep outsiders away.

Oh, West Virginia... how you are not much better, maybe even worse than regular ol' Virginia. Mountains, mountains, and more mountains. Did I mention there are mountains in West Virginia? Speaking of such.... Never Again!!! I felt like I was on a roller coaster for hours! My stomach spent most of the afternoon in my throat and in my hand I held a plastic bag so I could vomit as I drove. Awful, eh? We had to stop just to let my stomach settle. And... dont forget my ears were clogged and popping and my face felt swollen from my sinuses. Lovely. I dont think I will be re-visiting anytime soon. If ever.

All in all... It took us 3 cars, 2 days, 1 overnight hotel stay, and 6 people.... but we made it to Pittsburgh, unloaded the truck, unpacked, and got settled... in less than a week.

So far I havent had time to confront those worries... but I will keep yinz posted as I knock them down, one by one, with my mad ninja skills.
  

"Im one of those regular weird people" ~ Janis Joplin