Mitch Sneed at Large

I love to drive. I always have.
I guess it goes back to being that 5-year-old sitting in my Dad’s lap holding the wheel of that baby blue 1966 Chevy pickup while we headed down the road. I know today it would land him in jail, but it sure did make me feel like king of the road.
My baby girl moved out of the house we had called home in Alabama into an apartment, so Daddy had to come help with muscles and wallet. I’m afraid I’m equipped with more of the latter these days.
I jumped into my Chevy Caprice, the 1984 beast that had almost a half-million miles, that I call the Gray Ghost and headed south. It’s a 10-hour drive, but you can’t help loving the trip. There is always so much to see and road stories are plentiful.
I took a recorder to make notes along the way. Here’s my journal from the road….
*State Police love to hide under bridges, so why not just slow down when you get close to a bride, or better yet, why not just do the speed limit?
*I never thought I’d see the day when I’d get excited about $3.29 gas, but South Carolina has the best prices I’ve seen. Too bad the Ghost drinks premium. Still $3.49 is cheaper than the regular in Culpeper.
*Why don’t McDonald’s hamburgers taste the same at every location? Some have more onions. Some have more mustard or ketchup. There should be a law.
*I saw a sign of the times just outside Greensboro. There was a Hummer H2 for sale on the side of the road. On the windshield written in white shoe polish hit the nail on the head. “Must sell. Great Deal. Can’t afford the gas. Will trade for new compact car.”
*Wireless internet is one of the greatest inventions of all time. I was able to pull into a Hampton Inn and access a wireless server from the parking lot, check my e-mail, approve reports and head on down the road. Is this a great world or what?
*The best coffee is always at truck stops, but there are more juices and energy drinks in c-store coolers these days than there are regular soft drinks.
*Did you know that eating sunflower seeds will help you stay awake? If works. Try it sometime.
*There are very few good AM radio stations anymore. Most of them either run church services or syndicated talk shows. I miss them.
*They really need to complete I-85. It would make the trip faster. But if they did that think of all the scenery we would miss.
*I’m not as young as I used to be. I used to drive 16 hours straight, stopping only to get drinks and hit the restroom. I couldn’t make it all the way back without stopping for the night.
* I’m getting old.