November 8, 2009. Chevy Chase, Md. Traffic.

The worst traffic we experienced on our three week car trip was on Highway 66 in Northern Virginia driving into D.C. today. It was ridiculous. It was pathetic. Sunday afternoon early in the day, the road was full. Highway 81 still has two lanes in each direction, exactly as it was in 1970 when we moved here although the population has dramatically increased. What has happened to the good people in the north? Nothing is happening to improve infra-structure. No wonder the southern states are getting ahead.

Leaving Jackson Ms. on Saturday was interesting. We drove east on Highway 20. Soon we started to see cars with College colors hanging out the windows and words painted on the cars. It took us a while to figure it out, that all those cars were heading for the LSU/ Alabama game in Tuscaloosa. The traffic increased heading east, full of kids driving in packs. Their driving patterns were awful. I was driving over seventy, and these cars breezed by me. Once we passed the stadium, my traffic was gone, but the road heading west was full. Now the game was to begin at 2:00. We drove through the stadium at 11:00, so everyone was heading to a huge tailgate party. It was just amazing to see the impact of a football game on a southern highway. It was very new to us.

We are pleased. We drove to Texas, on to Mississippi, then home , and the truck just kept on ticking. Not even a flat tire or a ding. The cap working as promised. But we are always happy to be home!!