Day 1

Start: Columbia, MD
Finish: Atlanta, GA
Daily mileage: 695 (1118km)
Driving time: 10:00 hrs



After sleeping for the last time in our empty flat in sleeping bags, we hit the road at 6:oo am. Already by that time D.C's Beltway was showing its bad tooth, but luckily we were on the breakes only for a short while. Instead of using so familiar I-95, we took I-81 which runs on the west side of the Appalachian Mountains all to way to North Carolina. Despite the on-off rain and fog, the scenery was nice and winding road kept us alert.

In Virginia, we did to short stops. First, Foamhenge in Buena Vista. Everyman's (if you own lots of foam) replica of the original Stonehenge in England.

Second, we wanted to see Virginia's pride, the Natural Bridge. Local creatonists insists that a big stone bridge was made by the hand of the Almighty. Don't know about that, but however, it seemed like business had taken over the whole place. We thought that 18$/person was too high price to see a natural landmark.

Otherwise we just drove, drove and drove. So nothing special took place. One thing we had learned from our Monday's dress rehearsal, was the dietary intake. No hunger, no frowning. Usually, I'm the one who gets easily drowsy while driving. Therefore, Dan Brown's newest book "Lost Symbol" kept us some company once in a while. Still, P claims that this was way better.

It was also surprising how much truck traffic was on the roads. They seem to keep America rolling. Unfortunately, one of the many drivers had fallen asleep and his truck was upside down on the other side of the Interstate. Truckers' presence was easy to feel at almost every stop we made. In addition, the local accents provide yet another interesting change on the road.

Now it's time for some serious science. The Gerontological Society of America's annual meeting keeps me busy and gives P some freedom to do his own things and the last revision of his article. Maybe that compensates his disappointment caused by missing Marathon gas station - twice.

Here our "new" series: View from Pontiac at 10:00 AM.