Driving Miss Andee
Apr. 30th, 2004 09:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kjpepperI drove 82 miles today!
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gossamer_gull "heard" me bitching and complaining on LJ (was it yesterday?) about how I wanted to drive, so whilst I was taking a nap this afternoon she let herself into the house and gently prodded me awake. "Okay, lets go somewhere."
"Huh?" (I had been fast asleep. Indeed, as I had forgotten that Friday's are g.g.'s day off, I had just about written off the fact that she was indeed plopped down on my bed sorting through photographs as a very vivid dream.)
"You said you needed to go out drivin'. Here's me, here's Otto" (her car) "lets go."
Well, after groggily discussing some options with her we decided to head "North..." (great destination, eh?) So, after I got my pants back on and my wallet and grabbed my camera (glad I did, would have sorely regretted it otherwise) we set out going the less travelled direction of Rt. 9 (for us anyway.) And about 2 miles in, she asked, "Hey, wanna drive?"
Pause. I don't know why I always hesitate before volunteering to get behind the wheel, but I do. "Sure?"
So after passing this hilarious sign and coming back just to take its picture, we switched sides, and I rather trepidatiously set off down Rt. 9...
Hence begins my 80 mile adventure, which wound up being more West than North... but who's looking, right? The whole drive was more like 90 or so, but I personally clocked 82 miles. Go me.
Highlights included:
Getting "lost" around Plainfield in an attempt to find Rt. 2. We were on these waaaaaayback farm roads for a longass while there. Very twisty. I don't think I will ever be intimidated by twisty roads again. And Plainfield? Very aptly named.
Lots of hills. There was one section of Rt. 2 where we were just climbing and climbing and climbing and then wow, here we were...
Just the general feeling of "hey, wow. I'm driving." And Rt. 2 is so very pretty.
"Entering Florida." Yes. There is a Florida, Massachusetts. Their sign has palm trees on it. I wish I'd managed a picture of it. It's funny, as they probably get more snow than we do, seeing as they're both north and about 1500 feet higher than Northampton.
Stopping at the Mohawk Park statue and fountain. Of course, g.g. makes taking pics that much more fun.
Okay, I know Rt. 2 is the Mohawk Trail. But must we line the route with seriously campy Indian stuff? Like this distinguished gentleman... He's about three stories tall, in case you can't tell from the picture. Not photographed were the large terracotta roaring bear and charging buffalo. Cause there are sooooooooooooooo many buffalo native to Massachusetts. Uh-huh.
I did get a little while to enjoy the scenery, as g.g. drove from Mohawk Park to the Greenfield Friendly's.
Entertaining the waitress at the Greenfield Friendly's with our usual restaurant antics. There is something truly satisfying about being the very silly high point of a tired, frazzled waitperson's day. There was also this wire teapot that was kind of intriguing (what purpose could this possibly serve?) so I took my last pic of the afternoon.
pulling rather smoothly out of the Friendly's parking lot. Aww, yeah.
Some scary bits:
I apparently can't make sharp turns for shit. This is not a good thing to discover when you're turning into a street where an entire fleet of school busses are pulling out of a driveway DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU. g.g. and I both had heart attacks over that one... But the thing was, from that point onwards I was literally plagued with school buses. I'm not kidding, they were friggin everywhere. Granted it was about 3 pm at the time... but we kept seeing them up until 6. And we were stuck behind one from North Adams to Florida. With really smelly exhaust.
Several other examples of Andee not being able to do hairpin turns that resulted in near misses with guardrails.
Annoying fucks riding my ass, then passing me. I was five miles under to eight miles over the speed limit at all times. Assmunches.
A very stupid bird that didn't fly off the road until I was literally four feet away. Both g.g. and I were screaming at it to move. Fat lot of good that does from inside the car, but... dumb bird. I hope the adrenaline rush shortens its life span considerably.
accidentally getting on 91-N in an attempt to find Rt. 5 to get home. Eeep! Unexpected expressway, especially just off of Fisher Price® My First Rotary™, very scary. I didn't expect to have to deal with the acceleration lane just yet! Yikes! Course, g.g. was highly tickled by the fact that I'd never been on the highway before and that was my first time. It wasn't that bad once I got over it and once I actually got up to a speed where folks weren't aggressively passing me. Still I was quite glad to get the hell off.
All in all, not bad for my first extended daytime drive. (I had only put in significant milage during the night before.) Need to really work on the turning. And the braking smoothly at low speeds. (I do fine coming out of 40 mph but somehow find myself making a whiplash stop at 30 and below.) And at some point I need to do a little bit of confined space work, like parking lots.
Yay, g.g., and thank you for dragging me out into the sunshine - I probably would have stayed in all day and moped or slept or something. And I now have the driving bug that was up my ass somewhat dislodged. And I like driving Otto Versipellis, he's a nice friendly little car, and that's about what I can handle right now.
Well, here's hoping I get to do this again soon. I think I really do like driving. Provided there isn't a flock of school busses ahead, of course.
 |
| One big counterclockwise quadrilateral thingummy. |
gossamer_gull "heard" me bitching and complaining on LJ (was it yesterday?) about how I wanted to drive, so whilst I was taking a nap this afternoon she let herself into the house and gently prodded me awake. "Okay, lets go somewhere.""Huh?" (I had been fast asleep. Indeed, as I had forgotten that Friday's are g.g.'s day off, I had just about written off the fact that she was indeed plopped down on my bed sorting through photographs as a very vivid dream.)
"You said you needed to go out drivin'. Here's me, here's Otto" (her car) "lets go."
Well, after groggily discussing some options with her we decided to head "North..." (great destination, eh?) So, after I got my pants back on and my wallet and grabbed my camera (glad I did, would have sorely regretted it otherwise) we set out going the less travelled direction of Rt. 9 (for us anyway.) And about 2 miles in, she asked, "Hey, wanna drive?"
Pause. I don't know why I always hesitate before volunteering to get behind the wheel, but I do. "Sure?"
 |
| Corrosion is a big problem here, apparently. |
Hence begins my 80 mile adventure, which wound up being more West than North... but who's looking, right? The whole drive was more like 90 or so, but I personally clocked 82 miles. Go me.
Highlights included:
Getting "lost" around Plainfield in an attempt to find Rt. 2. We were on these waaaaaayback farm roads for a longass while there. Very twisty. I don't think I will ever be intimidated by twisty roads again. And Plainfield? Very aptly named.
Lots of hills. There was one section of Rt. 2 where we were just climbing and climbing and climbing and then wow, here we were...
 |  |
| Gently rolling Berkshires. This must be fucking gorgeous in the fall. | |
 |  |
| More rolling... | Not the best pic of me in the world, but it's not like I was entering a beauty contest this evening. |
Just the general feeling of "hey, wow. I'm driving." And Rt. 2 is so very pretty.
"Entering Florida." Yes. There is a Florida, Massachusetts. Their sign has palm trees on it. I wish I'd managed a picture of it. It's funny, as they probably get more snow than we do, seeing as they're both north and about 1500 feet higher than Northampton.
Stopping at the Mohawk Park statue and fountain. Of course, g.g. makes taking pics that much more fun.
 |  |  |
| The fountain itself wasn't working yet, but the stones were interesting anyway. | ||
 |  |  |
| one more fountain shot | Mr. Mohawk himself. | |
 |  |  |
| Gee, are we at Mohawk Park, do you think? | G.G. and Mr. Mohawk | G.G. strikes a pose. |
 |  |  |
| In stereo, where available. | The pine trees to other trees in this pic reminded me of a yin yang. | Otto Versipellis. The Driving Experience. |
 |
| *facepalm* |
I did get a little while to enjoy the scenery, as g.g. drove from Mohawk Park to the Greenfield Friendly's.
 |
| And now, your moment of zen... |
pulling rather smoothly out of the Friendly's parking lot. Aww, yeah.
Some scary bits:
I apparently can't make sharp turns for shit. This is not a good thing to discover when you're turning into a street where an entire fleet of school busses are pulling out of a driveway DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU. g.g. and I both had heart attacks over that one... But the thing was, from that point onwards I was literally plagued with school buses. I'm not kidding, they were friggin everywhere. Granted it was about 3 pm at the time... but we kept seeing them up until 6. And we were stuck behind one from North Adams to Florida. With really smelly exhaust.
Several other examples of Andee not being able to do hairpin turns that resulted in near misses with guardrails.
Annoying fucks riding my ass, then passing me. I was five miles under to eight miles over the speed limit at all times. Assmunches.
A very stupid bird that didn't fly off the road until I was literally four feet away. Both g.g. and I were screaming at it to move. Fat lot of good that does from inside the car, but... dumb bird. I hope the adrenaline rush shortens its life span considerably.
accidentally getting on 91-N in an attempt to find Rt. 5 to get home. Eeep! Unexpected expressway, especially just off of Fisher Price® My First Rotary™, very scary. I didn't expect to have to deal with the acceleration lane just yet! Yikes! Course, g.g. was highly tickled by the fact that I'd never been on the highway before and that was my first time. It wasn't that bad once I got over it and once I actually got up to a speed where folks weren't aggressively passing me. Still I was quite glad to get the hell off.
All in all, not bad for my first extended daytime drive. (I had only put in significant milage during the night before.) Need to really work on the turning. And the braking smoothly at low speeds. (I do fine coming out of 40 mph but somehow find myself making a whiplash stop at 30 and below.) And at some point I need to do a little bit of confined space work, like parking lots.
Yay, g.g., and thank you for dragging me out into the sunshine - I probably would have stayed in all day and moped or slept or something. And I now have the driving bug that was up my ass somewhat dislodged. And I like driving Otto Versipellis, he's a nice friendly little car, and that's about what I can handle right now.
Well, here's hoping I get to do this again soon. I think I really do like driving. Provided there isn't a flock of school busses ahead, of course.
