Road Trip

Do you know what today is?

No?

Today is the day that Jim and I sprout our "wittle wings" and fly south. That's right. These snowbirds are leaving Dodge and heading for warmer weather.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some trivia facts about the highways and byways of this great nation of ours. Therefore, these apply to the United States only.

Let's talk INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS.

Did you know......

that the interstates were originally designed to be able to run military equipment from coast to coast on flatbed trailers at sustained speeds of 75 mph?

that ALL  [or mostly all]  interstates going east or west have EVEN numbers?  ALL interstates going north or south have ODD numbers?

that if a city bypass has an even number it loops  [called a LOOP]  back to the same interstate. i.e. I-440 ends back up on I-40?

that if a city bypass has an odd number it does NOT loop  [called a SPUR]  back to the same interstate.  i.e. I-540 does not come back to I-40?

that if you’re on interstate 5,  you have 5% of the U.S. left to the west of you?  If you are on interstate 95,  you have 95% left to the west of you?

that if you are on interstate 20,  you have 20% of the U.S. left to the south of you?  If you are on interstate 90,  you have 90% left to the south of you?

Let's talk MILE MARKERS.

Did you know......

that ALL mile markers go down as you head south and go up as you head north?

that ALL mile markers go down as you head west and up as you head east?

that if a mile marker looks like this:  195|5  what does it mean?  It means you are at the 195 and 5 tenths mile marker.  The use of the tenths in a mile marker can be very helpful if you are broke down to allow police or other help pinpoint your exact location.

Let's talk EXITS

Did you know....

that if the exit number on an interstate sign is on the top right of the sign that you will exit to the right no matter if it says exit only or not?  See the illustration:

Exit to the right

Exit to the left

(All of the above information courtesy of www.thetruckersreport.com)

It's interesting when we drive and cross into a new time zone. We don't feel a thing, but suddenly we're an hour ahead. I like how our cell phones immediately reflect the change. At least they are accurate. We, however, are always a little dazed, not quite sure when we stop for the night as to the correct time unless we check our phones!

Did you know that Arizona and Hawaii do not observe Daylight Saving Time? (The Navajo Indian Nation in Arizona observes DST.) Supposedly the Arizonians didn't need to have an extra hour or so sunlight - it being so hot when the sun is out - and they tend to do more activities when the sun has set.

With funding being cut in several states, many rest areas will be closed down or are ALREADY closed. This means that people have to train their bladders to "hold it a little longer". Luckily, we DO carry our toilet with us, so if the urge should occur, we'll just have to pull over to the side of the road and make a "piss" stop, so to speak. Too bad we don't have a motor coach where we can just walk into the back area and use the bathroom!

So I bid adieu to IL and head westward, ho!