Miles Driven Today: 153
Miles so Far: 3068.6
Drive Time: about 3 hours
Total Stops: 1
Gas Mileage: anywhere from 10 to 13.3 mpg (not getting any better...)
Hours Driving: Meg - all 3, since we're now with the crazy east coast drivers
Average Speed: 59.0
Last night after a great dinner with the Smithgalls at nearby Irish pub Annie Bailey's, we set out for Karin's home state, the dirty Jerz. Daphne (brilliant, as always) took us on a quicker route around Philly to avoid the perpetual gridlock that is 76 through the middle of the city, and then confounded Karin by directing us to take I-195 across NJ to get to the shore.
[As an aside: Every summer, New Yorkers - a particularly obnoxious breed of shore-bound drivers also known as Bennies - invade NJ beaches for the weekends and clog every major highway with bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours. I-195 is the best highway to get across NJ, a generally locally guarded secret, especially since it doesn't have tolls, either. Daphne is omniscient.]
Once across into NJ, Meg was quickly introduced to the NJ aroma; it's a lot like a fermented version of Tacoma. We don't have much in the way of pictures since it was pitch-black by this point, but the road construction was great fun, if by fun we mean "Thanks, NJ, for posting road signs no one else uses in the continental US" and "Thank god Meg was driving because the trailer caught a little air." There is one generally accepted uneven-road-surface sign, and NJDOT apparently uses their own version. We missed it anyhow since it looked as though it had been hit by a semi, but quickly discovered its meaning when Meg changed lanes, only to discover that the left hand side of the center line was about an inch higher than the right. Points to Meg for keeping the car on the road!
So to conclude this post, we'd like to share some pointers on driving on the east coast and particularly in Jersey:
Turn signals are just clues as to your next move in road battle so never use them. Under no circumstances should you leave a safe distance between your and the car in front of you no matter how fast you're going. If you do, the space will be filled in by somebody else putting you in an even more dangerous situation. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of getting hit. Construction signs tell you about road closures immediately after you pass the exit but before the traffic begins to back up. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right. It's a good way to scare people entering the highway. Just because you're in the left lane and have no room to speed up or move over doesn't mean that the driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot. Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident or even a person changing a tire. If you're lucky, you may see the unwitting breakdown victim get mugged, the proceeds of which are vested directly into the Democratic frontrunner's campaign for governor. Learn to swerve abruptly. NJ is the home of the high-speed slalom driving thanks to NJDOT, who put potholes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keep them on their toes. It is traditional in NJ to honk your horn at cars that don't move the instant the light changes. The state is founded upon such traditions. Seeking eye contact with another driver revokes your right of way. All unmarked exits on the Parkway lead to downtown Newark.
Drive Time: about 3 hours
Total Stops: 1
Gas Mileage: anywhere from 10 to 13.3 mpg (not getting any better...)
Hours Driving: Meg - all 3, since we're now with the crazy east coast drivers
Average Speed: 59.0
Last night after a great dinner with the Smithgalls at nearby Irish pub Annie Bailey's, we set out for Karin's home state, the dirty Jerz. Daphne (brilliant, as always) took us on a quicker route around Philly to avoid the perpetual gridlock that is 76 through the middle of the city, and then confounded Karin by directing us to take I-195 across NJ to get to the shore.
[As an aside: Every summer, New Yorkers - a particularly obnoxious breed of shore-bound drivers also known as Bennies - invade NJ beaches for the weekends and clog every major highway with bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours. I-195 is the best highway to get across NJ, a generally locally guarded secret, especially since it doesn't have tolls, either. Daphne is omniscient.]
Once across into NJ, Meg was quickly introduced to the NJ aroma; it's a lot like a fermented version of Tacoma. We don't have much in the way of pictures since it was pitch-black by this point, but the road construction was great fun, if by fun we mean "Thanks, NJ, for posting road signs no one else uses in the continental US" and "Thank god Meg was driving because the trailer caught a little air." There is one generally accepted uneven-road-surface sign, and NJDOT apparently uses their own version. We missed it anyhow since it looked as though it had been hit by a semi, but quickly discovered its meaning when Meg changed lanes, only to discover that the left hand side of the center line was about an inch higher than the right. Points to Meg for keeping the car on the road!
So to conclude this post, we'd like to share some pointers on driving on the east coast and particularly in Jersey:
the kids reunited 