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Kind of old, but here it is... |
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<center>Lord Shishio's Travelogue
Being a semi-accurate record of his recent road-trip/move to Phoenix, AZ</center>
NOTE - All times are vague guesses.
Day 1 -- Michigan to Missouri
Well, the plan was to get on the road by five o'clock pm... I was driving by six thirty, so I wasn't too far off. Especially for having put off the packing to the last minute.
I began by taking I-94 west, much like my old drives to Chicago. Seeing as I had 2050 miles to drive, time flew to the edge of Michigan (approx. 290 miles). Then, it was I-55 South from Illinois, all the way to Misery. Er, Missouri.
Illinois was dull. No scenery, nothing to distract me. SO, I started getting tired. Just inside the border to Missouri, I was way too tired to keep going (this was at about four in the morning). So, I stopped for a fifteen minute nap at a rest stop. In this fashion, I continued hopping rest stops until about six thirty in the morning. This time, I fell asleep at a rest stop for about three hours.
Day 2 -- Missouri to Oklahoma
When I woke up, I continued on the trip. This is where I encountered a monsoon... of sorts. It was a heavy rain, anyway. And I still drove 70 the whole way. The storm kept up till about noon.
I believe it was here that I stopped to visit a monument to the greatest man of all time: George Washington Carver - inventor of peanut butter. I promptly called my peanut butter hating friends to tell them about it.
At about three, I made it to Oklahoma. I decided to stop in Tulsa, but after reaching it in less than an hour, I chose Oklahoma City instead.
Like an idiot, I failed to prepare for the merciless great fire orb's wrath. I got a wicked sunburn on my left arm. My right arm was still pale...
And somewhere in that mess, I got onto I-44 west.
Day 3 -- Walmart to New Mexico
Checked out, found a nearby Walmart, and bought SPF 50 sunscreen. Cursed myself for yesterday's idiocy, and covered all exposed areas with the cream. Outside was a hamburger cart, so I ordered one. The ladies working it said they could tell I was from out of town bcause of how I acted... I was baffled, because I hadn't seen any difference in the locals. Not even an accent.
Anyhow, I was quickly underway. Back on I-44 or I-40 west... Don't remember which one. (Burger was awesome, by the way.)
I love the freeways in Oklahoma. The speed limit is 75, and I didn't see a single cop from here all the way to Phoenix.
Around six o'clock, I found myself nearing a rather famous city. Weird Al's sung about it. Bugs Bunny can't seem to steer right by it. I just had to stop for the night there. So, I lodged at the Econo Lodge, and was surprised to see a Six Flags down the road! But, for some weird reason, they were closed. I'd have loved to make my road trip into more of a vacation, but you can't win 'em all.
Day 4 -- Alllllllllburquerqueeeeeee to Arizona
So, I get up at about eleven in the morning, and lo! My Jeep wouldn't start. I, again the idiot, had left the interior lights on all night. So, I used my AAA card (never leave home without it), and got a timely jump. Noonish had me back on the road.
OK, TX, and AZ all have speed limits of 75 on their freeways (or at least on I-40). I love them for that. But, in Arizona, the construction zones drop the limit to a turtle-like pace of 45. So, it was fast/slow driving through the state.
Midway through the state, I turned south onto I-17, and was treated to a scenic, hair-raising moutain route. The scenery was beautiful, but I know if I hadn't been driving, I couldn't have done it. I am too paranoid of other folk's driving, and after being that high up with that little support... I couldn't have been a passenger.
Anyway, as I drove through the forest preserve and the beginning of the mountains, I thought, "It's only 89 degrees! I can handle this!" (Remember, the A/C crapped out in Texas.)
As I got further into the mountains, though, I began to get a taste of true AZ heat. 110 degrees. Gosh, I enjoyed that. Especially when I neared the city of Phoenix, and traffic brought me to a standstill.
Anyway, it took an hour to get the last 20 miles, but finally I arrived at the Motel 6. I promptly ate, got food, nearly killed myself, and went to bed.
Area Summaries:
Michigan -- It's Michigan. I lived there my whole life, it's hard to say anything much about it...
Indiana -- Spending less than fifty miles in this state on a pass-through makes it hard to judge it. They do have good taste, though, having named a city after my homestate.
Illinois -- This state holds some memories, but I don't much care for them anymore. Beyond that, it's bloody boring to drive through.
Missouri -- Misery is very green. And humid. I like their freeways, nicely paved and high speed limits.
Oklahoma -- First of the bloody hot states. Oklahoma was a lot of farmland that you could smell with the windows down. This is not a good thing. And what the hell are those "DO NOT DRIVE INTO SMOKE" signs for?
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- Stayed at the Quality Inn. Ordered pizza; it was good. Watched Rat Race on TBS; not as funny the second time.
Texas -- Texas sucked. It's where my A/C died. The little part at the top, while not nearly as wide as Texas, is still just as wide as Michigan. The scenery was dull, more farmland. Until Amarillo, that is. The freeway overpasses and medians were painted. It was a very nice display.
New Mexico -- No one lives here. Except invisible Indians that want to sell you things every 14 miles. Also, the entire state is uphill. No scenery to mention until you pass Alburquerque. Then, you get all the red mesas and rock formations from the Warner Brothers cartoons.
Alburquerque, New Mexico -- Stayed at the Econo Lodge. Ordered Nachos and a chili burger; they were excellent. Pay movies were down; I cried. Ended up watching something on HBO instead.
Arizona -- A very versatile state. The red mesas of New Mexico continue through here in the beginning. I also saw a few minor dust storms; very interesting to watch. Midway through the state, I turned south, where I entered a forest preserve. Very nice scenic route as I drove through it. Then, on the other side of the forest, I got to drive through the mountains. More scenic goodness. I wish I had brought a camera, the sites were beautiful.
Tempe, Arizona -- Stayed at the Motel 6; they left the light on for me. Ate some food from Taco Bell. Took a short walk; died from heat (110 degrees) and dehydration (was an idiot again, and failed to bring water along). Went to bed early, to be ready for school in the morning.
Phoenix, Arizona -- I love my new apartment. $335/month, they cover utilities up to $125/month. I have the apartment to myself for now, and am writing this in my underwear with the A/C cranked; feels almost like home. Got a washer/dryer and dishwasher, the complex has a fitness center and a pool. The pool... with the water temp, it feels kind of like people soup, but it's great when you get out of the water and stand around in 100+ heat.
 Lord Shishio · Tue Oct 12, 2004 @ 04:18am · 4 Comments |
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