So last weekend I felt brave enough and took my first extended drive. I headed northeast, up into Tennessee to see my friend Gmama. Thursday evening I filled the tank with gas and the trunk with goodies do that I would be ready to head the second I could leave school.
I've been pretty stubborn about my driving do far, tending to stick to actual maps, rather than relying on the Sat Nav, but with a nearly five hour drive ahead of me I plugged that baby in and was happy to let it lead the way.
Friday seemed endless, but of course it wasn't and finally, tuning the radio to a country station and settling my cup of water in its slot, it was time to head out. At first, it was fine. I was sailing along roads I knew, as I'd been driving them for weeks, but suddenly the car started bumping along ominously. Immediately, I looked for a spot to pull over and got out to check the tires. I couldn't see anything wrong so I got back, cranked the volume again and set off.
Ten minutes later the car started bouncing around like a moon buggy again, so for the second time I found a spot, pulled over and got out to check the tires. Once again there was no sign of anything wrong so it was back behind the wheel and on the road again.
It was only after I'd repeated this wee routine three times that I realised what the problem was. The roads themselves were dreadful! Potholes, cracks and lumps galore all combined to make a dreadful driving experience. Thankfully after and hour or two, the began to improve and the rest of the drive was smooth as silk. I didn't even get lost ;-)
It was a lovely weekend, where we visited downtown Knoxville but mostly just relaxed and ate the wonderful food that Mr Gmama kindly made for us all. After whirlwind weeks of excitement and stress, it was great to be able to just relax with friends.
The drive home was much the same, though with the added delight of seeing some real bonafide rednecks on the way home. Literally. They were painted red to the waist, and driving in convoy of five trucks. One of their pickup trucks had a pair of silver bollocks hanging from the trailer hitch and I laughed so hard I almost cried.if only I'd had someone there to take a photo :-(
