Dann Sheridan: Boston to Seattle (17 July to 21 July 2002)

Mon, 22 Jul 2002 04:03:38 GMT

Drivel: I will be uploading images from my trip over the next week at time permits.

Mon, 22 Jul 2002 03:59:41 GMT

Drivel: I arrived in Bothell, WA, at 7:30pm PDT on Saturday. I decided to push through on Saturday to give myself some additional time to settle in on Sunday. It worked and I am recovering from the drive nicely. I told my wife today that driving across the country alone is the loneliest things that anyone could do. I forgot how truly stressful and demanding it can be. This is my second time driving alone and my fifth time driving across the country taking the Boston-Seattle route.

Sat, 20 Jul 2002 06:57:37 GMT

Drivel: I have posted my mileage log for my trip here.

Sat, 20 Jul 2002 06:55:17 GMT

Drivel: I have finally come out of the other side of the technologically barren wasteland of middle America which started in Minnesota and ended in Montana. The entire way through South Dakota and Wyoming I had intermitent mobile phone access and it was analog at best. Most of the way through Wyoming, I had no service on my mobile phone at all. I could not connect to AT&T WorldNet last night in Mitchell, SD. It is amazing how much of the US is still has limited or no access to the rest of the world. Long-range, digital wireless technology will be required to fill in the gaps.

Thu, 18 Jul 2002 12:44:43 GMT

Drivel: Of all the drivers I have encountered so far on this trip, the drivers from Canada are the worst. They speed excessively, which is far faster than I am going (which is also excessive ;->). They also tailgate like I have never seen. To make it worse, they are driving beat up hunks of metal that look like they should not even be on the road. To be fair, the Canadian drivers I have seen have been from Ontario and Quebec. ;->

Thu, 18 Jul 2002 12:41:05 GMT

Drivel: I saw a nasty accident Wednesday evening heading into Cleveland. Some guy on a motorcycle hit the Jersey barriers and ditched his bike. He lost a foot and part of his lower leg. I saw his foot about 50 yards before I saw him. He was laying on his back with his lower body twisted in an odd direction. He didn't look conscious. There were about eight people all around him, yanking at his helmet and poking and prodding him. Man, did that piss me off. Don't people take basic first aid these days? You never move anyone that has been in a moving vehicle accident. You immobilize them, stop immediate external bleeding, and wait for the professionals. There was nothing I could have done to help as the police and fire-resecue were showing up as I was passing through the scene. His bike was about 100 yards down the road. He must have been flying down the highway.

Thu, 18 Jul 2002 12:35:15 GMT

Drivel: Here is a nice picture of the sunset in Ohio on I-90 Wednesday evening.

Thu, 18 Jul 2002 12:33:57 GMT

Drivel: I noticed a few interesting things driving through New York yesterday. Every service plaza was jam packed with small vendors. I am not sure what it was, whether it was for vacationers or just people trying to make some extra money, but it was unusual. I had not noticed this during any of my other times through New York. As an example, here is a picture of a fruit stand at the gas pumps. About an hour outside of Albany, New York, I passed a weigh station where the State Police were pulling every single truck over and inspecting it. There was a State Police Special Operations Unit at the weigh station and they had two patrol cars ready to give chase should any truck blow by the weigh station.

Thu, 18 Jul 2002 04:25:35 GMT

Drivel: I left Lexington, Massachussetts, at 9am EDT this morning. I ended the day in Wauseon, Ohio, at 9:30pm EDT. I saw four states today, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The temperature ranged from 76 degrees to 96 degrees while traveling today. I stopped three time for gas and bio-breaks. One of the more interesting things was the gas prices. I paid $1.45 and $1.44 per gallon for two stops in New York and $1.29 per gallon for my one stop in Ohio. The Shell station across the street from the Holiday Inn Express I am staying in reads $1.39 per gallon for regular. I have not had time to calculate the exact mileage.

Wed, 17 Jul 2002 06:23:31 GMT

Drivel: I am just getting things wrapped up. (Note the time stamp below.) The car is packed, with the exception of my computer, bicycle, and food. Shellie is fast a sleep and I should be joining if I want to have a decent day tomorrow. No further posts are likely until after I hit the road.

Wed, 17 Jul 2002 02:34:43 GMT

Drivel: I am leaving tomorrow morning for Seattle. I will be driving from one end of Interstate 90 to the other. Man, has the time flown this past week. I got a lot done in terms of wrapping up projects, but not as much as I wanted to. I will be working at least three hours a night while driving to Seattle. I realized tonight while packing that when I come home on weekends the only thing I will have to take on the plane with me is my laptop. That was a funny feeling.