South 95 Wilmington

 

John Nash -- original co-conspirator of this #Project365 madness -- is back on the horse but is now trying PHOTO 365 at "The October Weekend." Please support his journey as he's a great writer and photographer. Photos have inspired me to write from time to time and that's where I find myself today.

It was Jan 11, 2012. It was around 7:00 a.m. and I was just north of the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware on Interstate 95 south.

Sept 2022 (Google Street View)

It's a big overhead sign that reads "South 95 Wilmington Local Traffic/South 495 Thru Traffic City/Port of Wilmington, Baltimore."

That's the simple backstory of the picture up top.

The deeper version is that I'd been on the road since 4:22 a.m. I'd been up since 3 a.m.

I was bound for Charleston, SC in a rented Mitsubishi to meet up with a former relationship who flew down for a conference. We were going to drive back together and I was able to get away for a few days.

This was in the days when Sean and I would have our "father/son dinner" together on Wednesday nights. You knew Sean and I loved being together but this format was forced. We made the best of it for several years before it eventually died down. I think our status is pretty good regardless.

But, that week, we moved dinner to Tuesday so I could hit the road on Wednesday. In fact, I actually considered leaving for Charleston after dropping Sean off on Tuesday night. I still think that could have been fun but it also would have been ill-advised. I figure I probably had until midnight or 1 a.m. before I'd need to pull off and sleep somewhere for a few minutes. That was inherently dangerous so I scrapped it.

After dropping Sean off, I went home and packed -- thus avoiding any urge to do the overnight drive. I also set up a lunch plan in Richmond with Jon at his office.

So, yeah, I was up at 3 and excited for the drive. I hadn't been south of Richmond on Interstate 95 since the early 90s. I was going to get to South of the Border for the first time since then also.

Oh, I was ready. Showered, ate breakfast, and dressed. I'll never forget it was 3:50 a.m. and I went out to the car.

Then I thought about visiting Jon's job and, because I'm me, decided I was underdressed. Again, I'm me.

Now, I didn't need a suit but I wasn't satisfied with what I was wearing. I needed something more "business casual." And so, faithful friends of "Exit 55" I harrassed my brain over this until I finally got in the blasted Mitsubishi at the fateful 4:22 a.m. Moments later, I turned on the Taconic State Parkway.

Then I turned on the radio. WCBS 880. Overnight construction at the junction of the Major Deegan and Cross Bronx expressways. The exact way I was going to proceed given it was roughly 4:30 in the morning!

I pivoted to crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge and rolling down the Garden State Parkway. Crisis averted. In fact, I was cruising along nicely and decided to add Pennsylvania to the drive instead of taking the New Jersey Turnpike to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. A quick jump at Exit 2 and I ran to the Commodore Barry Bridge to enter the Keystone State.

A few minutes after that, I encountered the sign assembly in the picture. I snapped the photo and, to be truthful, I didn't like it. It's blurry and I'd be chided if I shared it in certain corners of the road community.

But, in hindsight, I like the effect, even if I wasn't trying to do so. Time helps make some things better.

I stopped in Delaware at the three-hour mark and stretched my legs. I'd stop at a Wawa and, now, I wasn't making the greatest time in the world. I'd get nagged by my job at that time while driving through Baltimore and near Washington.

I hit Richmond right around 11:30. I was ahead of time for lunch with Jon but he was a good sport and told me to come to his office. He also was dressed along the lines of how I looked back in New York at 3:50 a.m. My ability to overthink had won again.

I might have been there for an hour or so. I ate with Jon and several of his coworkers, including our friend Lori. The bummer part of this is that I haven't seen Jon since then (we've been snakebitten in several attempts to connect) and it the last time I ever saw Lori. She passed a few years ago.

I remember thinking that, while a few days in Charleston lie ahead, a few more hours in Richmond would have been good for me. What awaited in South Carolina was, at that point, a basically finished relationship (but a friend). That story is complicated but aren't they all?

Before leaving R-Va, a Krispy Kreme donut and a cup of coffee were required.

Then the rain hit. That made the bottom of Virginia and all of North Carolina fun. It was night as I pulled into South of the Border for a quick look, knowing I'd be back in a few days on the way home.

I grabbed road food near Florence, SC, and finished the glorious solo drive to Charleston at 8:52 p.m. It had been 16.5 hours since I left Mahopac.

A travel companion -- like a broadcast booth -- requires chemistry. That was fine for the drive home but just different than being the lone wolf that I was all the way down I-95. When the chemistry is right, I'm very content.

In this case, I loved driving on my own. I changed the radio at my own whim. I stopped when I wanted and went where I wanted. I look back at that drive and cherish it, probably more than the rest of the trip. 

I passed out in my hotel room, knowing I'd have the next few days in Charleston to look around.

Many more pictures followed.

The relationship was officially completely done by April. She married the next guy. It was for the best.

I moved on.

There were more pictures to take.

More roads to explore.