A lot of drivers know exactly when and where they're going to stop because they plan their trips so well. I'm not one of them. That's why I wound up driving my full 11 hours straight through today, which is unheard of for me.
North of Wytheville VA I began to thinking about where I could stop for a 10 hour break. Raphine maybe? No, I don't really like White's or the Wilco; and besides, I wanted to get a little further up the road. My little pocket truck stop guide (which I can read in the daylight but need granny glasses for at night) said there was a Flying J in Winchester VA at exit 323, and I decided that would be perfect.
But then I started seeing signs for I66, the highway that cuts over to the Washington D.C. area, and the way I needed to go. It was at exit 300. I thought, "Well crap!" because there aren't any truck stops on I66, and the closer you get to D.C., the worse traffic gets. Then you get on I495 to go around D.C. on the north side - no place to stop and traffic was squirrely like always. On around to I95 towards Baltimore.
What about the TA at Jessup MD? NO WAY. Well, there's the TA in Baltimore.... NO WAY. Tick tock, tick tock - time's running out. You gotta stop at 8:15PM or you'll be in violation of the 11 hour rule.
I can make it to the Flying J in Elkton, can't I?
And so I did - with no time to spare. That's where I am now. Only about 50 miles from delivery. I'm too pooped to say much else, except "Goodnight" to my Facebook readers, if any of you clicked through to here.
(Molly, you gotta get a Facebook deal. It's the coolest thing since sliced bread!)
