SNA 1K
Sep 13, 01, 11:17 pm
On Monday, Sept 10, I traveled SNA-ATL on TWA (excellent trip...my first trip in TWA F...I commend that airline). Unfortunately, on Tuesday as I was prepping for my meeting, all hell broke loose. I was on the phone with my travel agent trying to arrange a train or a bus back to California from Atlanta, and EVERYTHING was shut down. She told me to get a rental car and get it fast.
I went to Dollar in Atlanta. It was a complete zoo. I ended up getting a car on Tuesday afternoon. It's a road trip back to Cali. I don't know when I'll be able to emotionally handle flying again. So here's my Trip Report....Road Trip Report that is...
Road Trip 2001, Part 1 - Wednesday, September 12, 2001
I figured that maybe you needed something to tear your eyes away from the TV, so I thought I would give you a brief synopsis of my trip so far….
Currently, it is 7:15pm Central time on Wednesday. I just arrived into Dallas, Texas. I covered approximately 800 miles across five states: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
Hey, only 1,300 more miles to go!
Thanks to everyone who called to chat me up along the way…..Tom called while I was lost in Birmingham, Alabama. Rob called when I was having my croisandwich in Birmingham. Craig called when I was at the Wal Mart in Meridian, Mississippi. Ron called when I was around Jackson, Mississippi. Jason called me a couple of times along the way. Thanks for helping me pass the time.
I have a *****in’ Chrysler 300M. And I have to say…after driving 13 ˝ hours today, I feel pretty darn good. Of course I’ll feel much better after I head across the street to Tony Roma’s and get a very large alcoholic beverage.
I chatted with a few nice people along the way…..the greeter at the Wal Mart in Meridian, Mississippi. The Taco Bell girl in Meridian. The ladies at the Welcome Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi. These southern people sure have some charm!
I’m going to try to make it to Tuscon, Arizona tomorrow. Approximately 928 miles.
<end of part 1>
Day 2
Miles traveled today: 931
Total miles traveled in 2 days: 1,731
Miles left to go: 495
So, after PART 1, I went to Tony Roma’s for some dinner: onion loaf and martini’s. Ahhhh, now that’s a meal. You know you’re in Texas when they don’t even know what Bombay Sapphire is.
I got up fairly early and was on the road at 5am central time. I wanted to beat the traffic in the Dallas area. Excuse me, but can I make one comment regarding the traffic on the roads in the south: what gives with all the **** double wide trailers on the road??? Every 15 minutes, I was passing someone’s house dragged behind a rig. Every now and then, I expected June Cleaver to lean out the window of the double wide and offer me a cookie. I can’t wait to get back to California where people’s houses never move.
Hey, did I mention how much I’m digging my Chrysler 300M? The car now has a name also. It’s sort of a brown metallic color, so I decided to call her “Brownie.”
So, me and Brownie are tooling down the road and stopped for gas at Love’s Truck stop west of Dallas. I went inside to buy some snacks and started chatting with Charlene (the clerk). While I knew Charlene’s name (cause of the nametag), she didn’t know my name…and it didn’t matter: she called everyone ‘baby’ and ‘sugar.’ I was in there only five minutes and got 2 ‘babies’ and a ‘sugar.’ Other customers received similar treatment.
Texas started to go downhill after my short chat with Charlene. I wasn’t on the road five minutes after leaving Love’s Truck stop before I was pulled over by one of Texas’ finest….finest jerks. He wasn’t at all moved by my story of driving cross country to see my child! Ok…so my dog is my child…but what’s the difference? Clocked at 81 in a 70 zone. Bummer. I set the cruise control on 70 for the rest of my trip through the horror that is West Texas. During my MANY MANY MANY hours of driving through West Texas, I saw at least 6 other people stopped for speeding.
I want to give a shout out to all my peeps who called to chat me up during the long drive through Texas. Unfortunately, cell coverage sucked. Here’s the typical conversation I had with almost everyone today:
Me: Hello?
Caller: Where ARE you???
Me: I’m at the end of the earth.
Caller: You’re breaking up!
Me: I’m in a bad cell area.
Caller: WHAT? You’re breaking up.
Me: Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?
<CLICK> …as the call gets disconnected
Whatever.
Things were pretty uneventful through the rest of Texas. Then it was on to New Mexico. It rained during my drive through there which was great…it helped wash the dozens of dead bugs off. Poor Brownie is a mess.
As soon as I crossed the border into Arizona, I started feeling like I was close to home. Only one state away! I stopped here for the evening in Tucson (at the Westin La Poloma Resort and Spa).
During the day, I spoke to my sister and told her that I was coming to this hotel. So, do you know what she did? She called ahead and ordered a bottle of champagne and a fruit/cheese plate for my room (and she paid! ****!!). Isn’t that cool? She’s the best. Oh, and it’s not just any bottle of champagne….it’s Veuve Clicquot. "F"*ck the terrorists, I’m living large.
Tomorrow’s trip calls for 495 miles from Tucson back to SoCal. 495 miles seems like a drive around the block compared to the past two days.
Back to the grind next week.
I went to Dollar in Atlanta. It was a complete zoo. I ended up getting a car on Tuesday afternoon. It's a road trip back to Cali. I don't know when I'll be able to emotionally handle flying again. So here's my Trip Report....Road Trip Report that is...
Road Trip 2001, Part 1 - Wednesday, September 12, 2001
I figured that maybe you needed something to tear your eyes away from the TV, so I thought I would give you a brief synopsis of my trip so far….
Currently, it is 7:15pm Central time on Wednesday. I just arrived into Dallas, Texas. I covered approximately 800 miles across five states: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
Hey, only 1,300 more miles to go!
Thanks to everyone who called to chat me up along the way…..Tom called while I was lost in Birmingham, Alabama. Rob called when I was having my croisandwich in Birmingham. Craig called when I was at the Wal Mart in Meridian, Mississippi. Ron called when I was around Jackson, Mississippi. Jason called me a couple of times along the way. Thanks for helping me pass the time.
I have a *****in’ Chrysler 300M. And I have to say…after driving 13 ˝ hours today, I feel pretty darn good. Of course I’ll feel much better after I head across the street to Tony Roma’s and get a very large alcoholic beverage.
I chatted with a few nice people along the way…..the greeter at the Wal Mart in Meridian, Mississippi. The Taco Bell girl in Meridian. The ladies at the Welcome Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi. These southern people sure have some charm!
I’m going to try to make it to Tuscon, Arizona tomorrow. Approximately 928 miles.
<end of part 1>
Day 2
Miles traveled today: 931
Total miles traveled in 2 days: 1,731
Miles left to go: 495
So, after PART 1, I went to Tony Roma’s for some dinner: onion loaf and martini’s. Ahhhh, now that’s a meal. You know you’re in Texas when they don’t even know what Bombay Sapphire is.
I got up fairly early and was on the road at 5am central time. I wanted to beat the traffic in the Dallas area. Excuse me, but can I make one comment regarding the traffic on the roads in the south: what gives with all the **** double wide trailers on the road??? Every 15 minutes, I was passing someone’s house dragged behind a rig. Every now and then, I expected June Cleaver to lean out the window of the double wide and offer me a cookie. I can’t wait to get back to California where people’s houses never move.
Hey, did I mention how much I’m digging my Chrysler 300M? The car now has a name also. It’s sort of a brown metallic color, so I decided to call her “Brownie.”
So, me and Brownie are tooling down the road and stopped for gas at Love’s Truck stop west of Dallas. I went inside to buy some snacks and started chatting with Charlene (the clerk). While I knew Charlene’s name (cause of the nametag), she didn’t know my name…and it didn’t matter: she called everyone ‘baby’ and ‘sugar.’ I was in there only five minutes and got 2 ‘babies’ and a ‘sugar.’ Other customers received similar treatment.
Texas started to go downhill after my short chat with Charlene. I wasn’t on the road five minutes after leaving Love’s Truck stop before I was pulled over by one of Texas’ finest….finest jerks. He wasn’t at all moved by my story of driving cross country to see my child! Ok…so my dog is my child…but what’s the difference? Clocked at 81 in a 70 zone. Bummer. I set the cruise control on 70 for the rest of my trip through the horror that is West Texas. During my MANY MANY MANY hours of driving through West Texas, I saw at least 6 other people stopped for speeding.
I want to give a shout out to all my peeps who called to chat me up during the long drive through Texas. Unfortunately, cell coverage sucked. Here’s the typical conversation I had with almost everyone today:
Me: Hello?
Caller: Where ARE you???
Me: I’m at the end of the earth.
Caller: You’re breaking up!
Me: I’m in a bad cell area.
Caller: WHAT? You’re breaking up.
Me: Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?
<CLICK> …as the call gets disconnected
Whatever.
Things were pretty uneventful through the rest of Texas. Then it was on to New Mexico. It rained during my drive through there which was great…it helped wash the dozens of dead bugs off. Poor Brownie is a mess.
As soon as I crossed the border into Arizona, I started feeling like I was close to home. Only one state away! I stopped here for the evening in Tucson (at the Westin La Poloma Resort and Spa).
During the day, I spoke to my sister and told her that I was coming to this hotel. So, do you know what she did? She called ahead and ordered a bottle of champagne and a fruit/cheese plate for my room (and she paid! ****!!). Isn’t that cool? She’s the best. Oh, and it’s not just any bottle of champagne….it’s Veuve Clicquot. "F"*ck the terrorists, I’m living large.
Tomorrow’s trip calls for 495 miles from Tucson back to SoCal. 495 miles seems like a drive around the block compared to the past two days.
Back to the grind next week.