My Google Maps Experiment: Part 2

I woke up on the second day of my trip feeling unrested and wanting to pull the covers back over my face and just forget about the rest of the drive. Being in a hotel room for the night freaked my dog out a little. This doesn't usually happen - I think it had something to do with the fact that the room was so huge and open and that the air conditioning unit sounded like a helicopter. She wouldn't sleep on the floor, so I let her up onto the bed with me. Most of the night she did alright, but from about 4 a.m. on, she repeatedly crossed from one side of the bed to the other, paying no mind to my legs in the middle. While I showered, she curled up on the floor and finally slept just like she normally does.

We left Ashland, VA at about 10 a.m. and supposedly had a drive of 6 hours and 15 minutes ahead of us. I had very tiny stretches of interstate to go through, and then another slightly longer one on I-81 (it was still relatively short), but once I crossed into Pennsylvania, it was all country driving. I have to say it was the most enjoyable drive I've ever had through Pennsylvania. I loved it, and will probably do it in the opposite direction when I go home.

I don't think I had been to any of the places I passed through in PA (until the small towns close to my home). My favorite part of this entire trip was passing through Tuscarora State Forest and the surrounding area. It's just so beautiful there - living in Charleston, and really the South in general, has got me missing good views. I miss vast, sweeping landscapes. And I got a lot of them as I drove through the mountains. I had some nice ones in northern VA too - there were rolling hills and vineyards all around. But they were no competition for what PA had to offer.

It was a great experience with a few really terrifying moments. Driving on those curvy, winding mountain roads was a really fun time. Until you realize you have to go down what you came up. These roads are on such steep inclines, which isn't such a horrible problem, but with the curves and the signs warning you that 20 mph is probably the speed you should be going, it was just a bit trying. A distance of less than a tenth of a mile was increasing my speed by up to 15 mph just coasting. Multiple times I hit 65 mph while trying to maintain 45 and thought to myself 'Oh yeah, I'm gonna die. Just like in the movies. With the car and the cliff and oh god.' But it all turned out well.

I didn't stop anywhere along the way, not that there would've been many places to stop. What I was seeing while I was moving was good enough for me. I didn't get lost but once, and the mistake was easy enough to fix. I made it home about right on time according the the time estimate Google gave me.

So it was a fun trip. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Meaning I'd do the same route again (minus Franklin) or I'd do the random Google Maps thing again. I'd just split my distances better between days next time.

Now that I'm home in PA, things are very weird. There's a lot going on and it just feels strange to me. I always get a really awful feeling when I arrive at a place I call home (meaning I've lived there for probably a year or more). It's a feeling of disappointment in the place and also in myself. It's not that I've done anything particularly to create this disappointment, it just happens. It's almost like a feeling that I'm doing everything wrong in my life combined with a feeling that I shouldn't have come here. Irrational and without explanation, it usually comes and goes within my first day or two of being here. So we'll see how it goes. I've got that feeling combined with feelings surrounding the changes in my family and all the events happening. I don't like being moody/mopey/less than elated, so I'm really hoping things will straighten out in the near future. I need some kind of definite indication of where my life is going next. I have a good idea, but a guarantee would be good.

Tomorrow morning is my first doctor's appointment to get the ball rolling on finding a solution for all the stupid issues I've been having. I'm kind of nervous - also a familiar feeling. I always feel nervous when I go to a doctor's office. When I was a kid, it wasn't uncommon for my parents to assume I was making up whatever was wrong with me. I will say, just like every kid, I faked sick to play hookie a few times in my younger years. But generally, I don't say anything about being sick or experiencing discomfort unless it's really, really bothering me. I guess my nervousness surrounding doctor's visits is that they'll take the same attitude my parents did when I was younger - that I'm making it up. I've only had it happen once, when all tests came back negative, and a change in doctors quickly changed the diagnosis. So anyway, I hope it goes alright. We shall see.

Nothing much is going on otherwise. Surely something will come up before the week is over though.