April 5, 2010: Getting Started

I've been looking forward to this trip for a long time. It will be my second cross country trip (first one was in summer/fall 2008). This time I will be going to California, which is one of the few states (along with Louisiana, Alaska, and Hawaii) I have not seen.

Although I packed up the car fast, it seemed the last minute details never ended. As usual, I left without bringing some items I planned to bring. Fortunately, I can buy them at stores along the way, though that's extra time. I expected to leave by 11am or noon at the latest. I finally got out at 3pm. I still had to go to the bank before I left, which cut an extra few minutes. By the time I finally got on the Northway, it was about 3:30.

The route for this trip was similar to one I took two years ago around this time, exploring the South. I took I-88 to Binghamton, then took I-81 through Pennsylvania. Of course, two years ago I was less ambitious and stopped in Pennsylvania for the night. This time, my destination was New Market, Virginia (in the northern part of the state, just off I-81).

The drive was nice. I had not been on I-88 in the daytime in a while (perhaps since the previous trip to the South in 2008). It was good to see the mountains and farms again. As I went further south into Pennsylvania, of course, it became dark.

In a cost saving measure, rental companies have changed their definition of "intermediate" cars while increasing the price. What passed as intermediate even last year is now considered "full size." What was considered "compact" last year is now "intermediate." I ended up with a compact car passing as intermediate. The car is very weak in terms of getting up to speed. When it comes time for an oil change, I'm going to swap it out at an Avis office in my travels. I was told that I could do that or just get oil changes myself and they'd take the cost off my bill. I'll take the former option. On the other hand, whatever replaces it may not be much better.

Further into southern Pennsylvania, there was an awful odor for miles. It smelled like rot. I worried that it might be something in the car, but in rolling down my window, the smell was definitely outside. As I passed into Maryland and West Virginia, it went away. But shortly after getting into Virginia, it was back. Outside the hotel, the smell was really strong everywhere I walked. The inside of the hotel was very nice, and thankfully the smell didn't get inside.

Google Maps estimated that the drive would take almost eight hours if there were no stops. This drive took about 9.5 hours. I arrived at 12:30 am. Of course, I was the last one with a reservation to arrive at the hotel. That's standard for me. I had to stop several times along the way between fuel, dinner, walking around, and resting. It usually takes a couple of days of traveling to get back into the pace. Also, once I get into the trips, I have actual planned attractions to see which breaks up the travel. They can substitute for stops just for resting.

Along the way, I received a voice mail from EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) which is located in Birmingham, Alabama. I had requested a ticket to be in the audience for the Life on the Rock show at 8pm on Thursday, April 8th. They reserved a space for me. I'll also be attending the televised Mass on April 8th, and likely April 9th. The televised Mass does not require tickets, but you have to get there by about 6:20am Central Time or else there is no room in the chapel.