I decided that since we did not have anything scheduled on our final Friday before basketball season started that I would drive down to Shreveport and visit my mom. I knew going into it that I would really only have one full-day, but I figured my mom would enjoy it and I wanted to see where she is living.
So, Friday morning I took off from Ottawa at 6:20am, hoping that I could cut some time off of the 9 hour and 45 minute drive - I mean, they always over estimate on time...right? I had asked some people if they thought I should go on 71 through Missouri and Arkansas or 169 through Oklahoma. Everyone said 71 but that they didn't know what to expect when I hit Arkansas. For some reason, I feel like that sentence gets said about Arkansas a lot. Another issue is that when I loaded my map it was 30 total directions...17 of those were just to get out of Kansas.
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| As you can see, I chose Route 3. Also notice the lack of major Interstates that run North or South through KS, AR, MO, and OK. |
I felt good going in to my drive. I had a fresh cup of coffee and two fluffy maple donuts for breakfast, I was ready to attack anything that came my way. Little did I know that I was going to be in the path of a storm for 5 hours. Now, I'm not just talking about a little sprinkle here and there, I'm talking about a full-fledged rainstorm. I considered multiple times as I was white-knuckling the steering wheel if I should just pull over and stop, but the fact that my average speed was only 45 mph on an almost 10 hour drive told me to push on. Plus, I'm like a cat, I hate to be wet and I look for the quickest possible escape route. I would like to once again note that the quickest and/or shortest route between two points is not found in Arkansas.
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| This storm might look small, but when it moves in the direction you move it isn't so innocent. It followed me from Ottawa to midway through Arkansas. |
As expected, Arkansas did not have much going on other than a bunch of rain and some really, really small towns. And it would have been a really pretty drive, had I been able to see beyond 30 yards. Either way, I eventually made it to Shreveport.
Spending Saturday with my mom was pretty awesome! I like Shreveport more than I expected and it was cool to get to see all of the places I had heard her talk about on the phone. I also got to see the house that they had bought and helped my mom pick out some lights for the kitchen. We went down to the boardwalk area and did some shopping and just had fun hanging out! It was also nice to be around someone who does stuff the way I do. That might sound weird, but with all the change that has been going on in my life, it felt like a weight taken off to be able return to a bit of normalcy. Even if it was only for about 40 hours.
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| Centenary's Gold Dome |
Then, I woke up Sunday morning and left at 8 am. I took 169 on the way back to Ottawa (route 1 above) and it still took me 9.5 hours. So when I go to Shreveport during Thanksgiving, I will be looking for a plane ticket.
I really enjoy driving, and you learn a few things about yourself when you drive for close to 20 hours in a weekend. First, I really like being by myself. I just like to sit and think, uninterrupted, about anything that crosses my mind. My favorite thought of the weekend was - how would I try and survive if I hydroplaned out of control into a ditch since the last sign of humanity I saw was 16 miles ago and I don't have any cell service? Second, I really like teen pop music. I would like to send a special shout out to my girl Taylor Swift for singing along with me to and from Shreveport. Oh, and Jesse McCartney, One Direction, and the Jonas Brothers for their guest appearances.
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| Despite how ridiculous this picture is, it accurately describes my drive. Storm clouds - check. Taylor Swift - check. No sign of nearby humans - check. |
Finally, I drank 6 Diet Cokes this weekend driving.
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