I like to drive. I like to just get in the car and roll down the highway. T'is the embodiment of American freedom, yes? You have this key in your hand. And when you crawl into this tin can of machinery, you slide the key into the ignition, give a twist, and go watch submarine races Friday night up at Canyon Ferry Dam... er, I mean make a 200 mile round trip with Mom's car when you were only supposed to be gone for an hour or so...
Really though, I mean you're ... Free. Nobody tells you what to do with any real effect (though some might make passionate suggestions if you cut them off). YOU are the "deciderer". YOU have the will, and exercise it to make your next stop down the road. Or decide to NOT stop if you get exceptional mileage.
Yes, there are some caveats... There are those shiny flashing lights that make your auto insurance carrier smile (not your agent, necessarily), those pesky "Do Not Enter" signs (sing with me: signs, signs, everywhere are signs...) but don't damage my calm, man. The tank is nearly full, and I'm rollin'.
In the past, I've been pretty much bored out of my gourd on the likes of I-70 from the Colorado-Kansas border (truthfully, starting east of Limon) en-route to Pigeon Forge, TN because it's so damn flat. Same for central Montana's I-90, the latest source of my insurance carrier's evil, despicable grin.
Anyone that takes road-trips on occasion knows full well that radio stations A) generally suck (a-la Clear Channel), or B) don't last more than an hour or two. I don't like taking a load of CD's with me because I just don't care that much to be careening down the road trying to shuffle out a new CD. I picked up a stereo that plays MP3s, which helps greatly on the "don't need to fling so many CD's around" front, but didn't eliminate it. And frankly, I've gotta say I'm getting kinda tired of the music I do have, which may number a hundred (and from across the land comes the echoed "AMATEUR!"). So Thursday I went & got Sirius installed on the car since the stereo was designed for it to be plugged in, and I'm planning another road-trip for Christmas. I'm liking this quite a lot.
Where are we going? And why are we in this handbasket?
2 comments:
I'm totally with ya on the driving. Few things ease my troubled mind more than crusing, and I'm happy to drive 2-3 hours just for a different view of the lake or a burger with a sesame seed bun. And I don't even care that I drive an 11-year-old, pink station wagon because it gets 35-40 mpg on the highway and I NEVER get pulled over driving that car. :)
I'll, uh... take the speeding tickets and envy the mileage. :p
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