Driving North

  Rutland, Vermont
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Well, the journey began on a down note. I got held late at work, then got stuck at AAA waiting for a temporary card. Quick sidebar - I was behind a guy at AAA who was adding his kid to his policy. The lady asks for his son's name. The guy says it's for his daughter, Sara. I look at the kid next to him and, from behind, I'm not sure. But from the front, it sure looked like a boy to me. Then I thought that he may not be the child in question. Either way, it was weird.
I took 130 N to the Turnpike. From there, I got on 287 N. Everything was fine til I got to Morristown, after which I was stuck in traffic for the rest of NJ. I never really liked that road.

87 in New York, however, was a different story. Traffic moved nicely and the scenery was lovely. I kept noticing how striking the sudden bridges over deep valleys felt. I wish I had more time to enjoy this road, but I was running so late.

I finally got off 87 in Glens Falls, NY. I took a wrong turn and ended up driving route 9 all the way through the city. Glens Falls is actually really a nice looking little city. It had a feeling of an older suburb, but maintained a charm about it. I noticed a lot of young families out at the amusement park, ice cream stands, bowling alleys, and mini golf courses. It looked like a really nice town for a Tuesday night in July.

Eventually I found my way to Rt 149, which is a small road that took me to Vermont. It was very rural and tough to enjoy in the darkness. It eventually turned into Rt 4, which actually became a 65 MPH highway. What was really weird about it was that the speed limit was high but there were NO LIGHTS. It felt really bizarre. At one point, the XM cut out and I realized that I was driving next to a mountain that I couldn't really see. Again, it was a shame it was so late...

Rutland, VT feels like any other town. It is inviting, but doesn't appear to be special. I'm not a big fan of the roads in this area, but I can get past that. I tried to check in to the Best Western, but it was full. I got one of the last rooms at the Ramada which, while the condition of the room is sad, at least had free wifi.




Now to plan my Wednesday...