Car Rides.

I feel as though my life is full of nothing but constant driving. This actually may hold some truth. Last weekend I drove two hours to visit my sister. Before that was spring break, full of alot of driving all over the place. In an attempt to conceal my whereabouts, which is probably ridiculous because I'm pretty sure there are more than enough clues all over this blog, it's difficult for me to talk about driving without giving this away, but here we go.

So. I live four hours from home and two hours from my siblings. Four hours from friends at other colleges. Whenever I drive, though, there are many ways to pass the time. When I'm alone, I usually always play music from my iPod. Weather permitting, I roll the windows down, crank up the volume, and sing as loudly as my heart desires. While driving, I calculate how long it will be until I reach my destination, or at least the exit for whatever interstate I may be on at the moment. I do this by a long, roundabout equation. For example.

"I just passed mile marker 297. I need to get off at 237. That's 60 miles. I'm going 80 mph. 60/80 is 3/4. 3/4 of an hour is 75% is 45 minutes. I will get off my exit in 45 minutes. It's 5:30 now, so at 6:15 I'll be at the exit, and it's 20 minutes from that to campus. I'll be at campus at 6:35." I update this train of thought every 5 minutes or so, with the mile markers that are easily divisible by my current speed. Anything more than that and I don't feel like putting in the effort. I'm a promising math major.

I told this to Leah. Leah said, "When I drive, I think, I wonder what's in that town? I wonder what's in that town? to every exit I pass. And Google Maps told me when I'd be back." That sounded like another wonderful way to pass the time. Maybe one day Leah and I can take a car trip and actually stop at every exit. We will get to see what is in every town, which will always be the gas stations, fast food joints, and hotels that line the roads that are near the interstate ramps.

Speaking of car trips with other people and not alone, I occasionally am not alone in the car. Like on spring break, when it was Leah, Daniel, Daniel, and me. Now, these car rides are different. Usually it starts out with alot of excitement. There are epic conversations, suggestions for music, laughing, joking around, and a general good time. Then, the energy begins to die as the minutes pass. Leah and I begin to sing in harmony to different songs we choose. Eventually, though, all falls silent. Everyone is out of music to play or things to say. People sleep or begin to work independently on different things. This seems to happen on all group trips that last over an hour. Then we stop for dinner, after which everyone is alive for a little more. If not, as soon as we get near the destination, everyone stirs back to life, and little by little conversation returns as the passenger reads directions and the driver tries not to get into the exit only lane on accident.

Sometimes I don't take interstates. Sometimes alternative routes are those long two lane highways through the forests. These roads have a problem, which is that they have very infrequent bathroom breaks. Once I made the mistake of not realizing I had to go to the bathroom before I entered the forest. Near the end I was quite distressed, as there were no available locations. Likewise, a similar situation happened with passengers on the way to Atlanta. Forest roads are inconvenient.

I also dislike driving east in the morning and west in the evening, particularly when the sun is at the odd diagonal where it isn't blocked by the ceiling visor, but you can block it with the door frame if you tilt your head at an awkward angle. Or maybe it is blocked by the visor, but you have the visor down so low that you have very limited distance visiblity. It's quite a situation.

Sometimes I really enjoy just driving alone for hours. Sometimes I enjoy having friends with whom to sing. Driving always has this good feeling, once your on the road. I think what I really like is looking forward to the destination. Nothing feels quite as good as completing a long car ride and parking the car, whether you know that you've arrived somewhere for an adventure or you've just arrived home.

I'm glad for car trips.