Sleepy Drives and I Have a Son?

 

Hellertown, PA

I have a son.

Did you know that?

I don't share every detail of his life so you might not.

As with me, you don't know everything about him.

But yesterday, Sean (that's his name if you don't know) said it's time for a father/son road trip. Just a day trip. Nothing too fancy and, literally, nobody else can understand it. 

I grew up in a family that would do these types of things. To the outside world there would appear no rhyme or reason but we got it. Sean and I have kept that spirit alive. 

He wanted to go to Waffle House. Now, that didn't seem possible when it was heading towards 10 this morning and we hadn't hit the road yet.

But he asked me if I had a time that it was too late to leave and I didn't have one. So we pulled ourselves together and left.

We were off to the Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, PA area. The trick is we need to find other things to do after we eat to make a little more of the day but we still had a great time. We sort of just drove around after the meal. Lancaster is too far to hit the outlets and it needs to be things that interest both of us. It's a work in progress.

My love of road trips is fairly well known. But there are also roads that are just, well, just not my favorite to drive.

Interstate 84*, for instance. Nearly all of 84 -- from Sturbridge, MA to Scranton, PA -- is a snooze. Some of that is likely due to it being a road that I'm so familiar with, especially in New York. 

* There are actually two Interstate 84s. There is one in the east (Mass to Penna) and one in the west (Utah-Oregon).

Then there are the roughly 45 miles of Interstate 287 from the New York State Thruway to Interstate 78 in New Jersey. There's also I-78 in New Jersey as well.

I first drove I-287 back in the 1990s, not long after it was completed. As a road enthusiast, it was great to drive something new.

Then I drove it again.

And again.

I know, I know. Some of my road friends will take offense but I'll die on this hill. It's a bit of a race track (New Jersey? Nah!) and it's, well, boring. In fact, I feel quite glad when I cross the Delaware into Pennsylvania because this entire stretch of New Jersey (I-287/I-78) is just a drag and, normally, causes me to get sleepy. Today was no different.

Look, this isn't an anti-New Jersey post. Interstate 80 can be quite nice towards Pennsylvania, especially heading towards the Delaware Water Gap area. I also have respect and appreciation for the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. 

Keep in mind, this also has to do with the fact that these roads are normally in the early stages or last stages of a trip. I cross into New Jersey and begin to feel like whatever trip I'm on is over. So, basically, I sort of just want to get home.

There are only a handful of drives that are mind-numbing for me. Most of them are roads I've commuted on, like Intestate 684 and even my beloved Taconic State Parkway. Repetition and, indeed, familiarity breeds contempt. As much as I love the Taconic, driving it up to its northern terminus can get a bit mundane.

I've done it. Many times.

So, yes, not every road trip is all delightful.

Still, we had fun because that's what we do. I did a few things to break up the monotony on the way home. While that added time to the length of the drive it also gave me some different things to occupy my mind.

We were gone a few hours and made it back home safely. Let's face it, that's always the goal. He's now doing his thing and I'm watching football.

We also listened to "our" Steelers in the car as they beat the Browns to end the season. He appreciates the Steelers but it's mostly because of me. I don't force it.

A new week awaits and, thankfully, I'm back on the air tomorrow with hockey as Brunswick comes home. I've missed it.