Our Christmas Odyssey -
First Day - Drove to Doug's to drop off Christmas presents - had a good cookie and a good cup of coffee, chatted a bit, and headed for Findlay. Had a free night at the Findlay Quality Inn.
Second Day - On to Chattanooga (is that the choo choo?) and the Comfort Inn.
Third Day - here we are in Columbus, Georgia - another free night - at the Comfort Inn.
Columbus is just across the Chattahoochee River from Phenix, Alabama - so we were able to find caches in two different States, and leave our coin in each State. Phenix has a beautiful riverwalk all decorated with Christmas lights.
I-75 Observances:
1. Trucking is the lifeblood of this country. There are so many trucks up and down I-75 that it boggles your mind. You actually get used to having them blow your doors off when they pass.
2. The Nissan Murano is a very nice looking car. Dick questions whether it can pull the boat.
3. The Ford Escape is the car I want next - wider wheel base than the Explorer, and more fuel efficient. Dick questions whether it can pull the boat.
4. Michigan bathrooms are generally cleaner than the bathrooms available to travellers south of Ohio.
5. Ohio is too flat.
6. When Dick is wearing his Michigan regalia, people talk to you about it. They either used to live in Michigan, have a relative who's a big fan and has season tickets, or hate Michigan with a passion. One man jokingly told Dick that there was a dirty spot on his jacket (pointing to the M). Today in Georgia a man said, "Watch that Gators game!" Yoicks.
7. On Interstate Highways, signs for tunnels are red. We don't have red Interstate signs where I come from!
8. Ohio is too gray and foggy.
9. Tennessee fans are stuck with a really ugly shade of orange for their athletic teams. Denver fans used to be called the Orange Crush and their shade of orange was Halloweeny. Tennessee orange looks like peach yogurt.
10. Georgia State Troopers have police cars that flash and blink in horizontal blue strips - all the time....at every opportunity - they love their blue flashers!
11. The gas and lodging signs along the interstate are a big help to the traveller.
12. Dick still likes to blink his lights at trucks who are signalling lane changes, and once today one of them even blinked back to say thanks. It reminds me of when the kids used to pump their arms at truckers to get them to blow their horns!
13. Tennessee has a long stretch of an area prone to fog. They have every electronic device known to modern man set up to warn motorists of foggy conditions. It wasn't foggy when we passed by.
14. Ohio is not scenic. Cinncinnati is a mess to drive through.
15. Kentucky and Tennessee are very scenic - beautiful stretches of highway.
16. Nine hours is too long for us to drive in one day. Seven hours is more doable. We once drove from Belleville to the Florida State line in 22 hours straight.
17. Try to avoid Atlanta.
18. Can't avoid Ohio. Dick says that Ohio is like Kansas - you have to drive through it to get somewhere else.
