Near the west end of Williamson yard - this goes on for about a couple of kilometres
And here's the other end - Norfolk Southern moves some serious tonnage east to the coast from hereFrom Williamson, I headed back into Kentucky, and on my way westward towards Bowling Green, my destination for the night, and home of the National Corvette Museum. This leg was pretty much Interstate all the way. The Americans do take their roads seriously. When building a four lane highway, there is none of this mucking around following the contours of the hills - just plough straight through, and if the grade gets too steep, just add another slow lane for the trucks. Like so much over here, just the sheer scale of things continues to impress.
The first 150 miles or so was through the western end of the Appalachian Mountains, which run for maybe a thousand miles north to south, and were probably a good 300 + miles wide through West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.
One of the many cuts made to allow the Interstate to blast its way across the Appalachians
The first 150 miles or so was through the western end of the Appalachian Mountains, which run for maybe a thousand miles north to south, and were probably a good 300 + miles wide through West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.
One of the many cuts made to allow the Interstate to blast its way across the AppalachiansAfter a lunch stop at Hazard, I continued on and quite abruptly the mountains ended, and the countryside opened up into lush farmland spread over gently rolling hills. I got off the interstate briefly to visit Nancy (the village, not the girl), as my gas tank was getting low. Kermit sure makes a good talking point, and the gas station owner, Larry, was an old 'vette fan from way back, so we had a good old chat. These southerners do have problems with my Kiwi accent though!
Back on the road again, finally making Bowling Green about 5:30 - then realised I had crossed another time zone, and it was really only 4:30, which gave me time to get Kermit washed (it got really filthy in the rain in WV) in preparation for our visit to the museum on the morrow.
Another night, another Econo Lodge. I was reminded yet again of the old joke about 'Why are Indians no good at Soccer? 'Cos every time the get a penalty corner, they put a dairy on it'. The same could be said of motels over here, as every Super 8 or Econo Lodge seems to be owned by an Indian family. Mostly very nice ('So Mr Simon, Do you know Richard Hadlee?' - I'm not kidding - that was a actual conversation!!!!).
It does give one a somewhat distorted view of American culture though, so its just as well I'm balancing it out with visits to local Bar & Grills, and Restaurants. Saturday night at the Motor City Bar & Grill, conveniently next door to the Motel, was a good case in point. The local NFL team were playing on the TV, and the place was a riot until the game finished. There were some really odd people about too. I hate to reinforce stereotypes, but I reckon some of them might well have had parents whose genes were swimming in the same pool, if you follow my drift.
A good night's sleep was followed by a trip to the Laundromat for a quick drop off, then off to the Corvette Museum. The first cool thing about the museum, is that the best car parks are reserved for Corvettes only, so I took great pleasure in parking next to a very tasty 2006 C6 coupe. The museum itself is pretty neat, with 80 odd 'vettes ranging from one of the original batch of 300 from 1953, right up to a brand new 2008 model, awaiting delivery to its new owner. A lot of the interpretive displays weren't that well lit, which made photography a challenge, but there was one big open area called gasoline alley, where I did get some good photos.
Tasty '64 roadster
2005 coupe, after its return from a Sunday drive through Alaska to the Arctic Ocean
A representative from each Corvette generation - C1 in foreground through to the current C6 - 55 years, and close to 1.5 million cars!
Back on the road again, finally making Bowling Green about 5:30 - then realised I had crossed another time zone, and it was really only 4:30, which gave me time to get Kermit washed (it got really filthy in the rain in WV) in preparation for our visit to the museum on the morrow.
Another night, another Econo Lodge. I was reminded yet again of the old joke about 'Why are Indians no good at Soccer? 'Cos every time the get a penalty corner, they put a dairy on it'. The same could be said of motels over here, as every Super 8 or Econo Lodge seems to be owned by an Indian family. Mostly very nice ('So Mr Simon, Do you know Richard Hadlee?' - I'm not kidding - that was a actual conversation!!!!).
It does give one a somewhat distorted view of American culture though, so its just as well I'm balancing it out with visits to local Bar & Grills, and Restaurants. Saturday night at the Motor City Bar & Grill, conveniently next door to the Motel, was a good case in point. The local NFL team were playing on the TV, and the place was a riot until the game finished. There were some really odd people about too. I hate to reinforce stereotypes, but I reckon some of them might well have had parents whose genes were swimming in the same pool, if you follow my drift.
A good night's sleep was followed by a trip to the Laundromat for a quick drop off, then off to the Corvette Museum. The first cool thing about the museum, is that the best car parks are reserved for Corvettes only, so I took great pleasure in parking next to a very tasty 2006 C6 coupe. The museum itself is pretty neat, with 80 odd 'vettes ranging from one of the original batch of 300 from 1953, right up to a brand new 2008 model, awaiting delivery to its new owner. A lot of the interpretive displays weren't that well lit, which made photography a challenge, but there was one big open area called gasoline alley, where I did get some good photos.
Tasty '64 roadster
2005 coupe, after its return from a Sunday drive through Alaska to the Arctic Ocean
A representative from each Corvette generation - C1 in foreground through to the current C6 - 55 years, and close to 1.5 million cars!After a quick visit to the giftshop, which one has to pass through on the way out - no escaping it - it was time for a quick bite (a damn fine cheeseburger from a local chain called Hardees, and about 5 x nicer food the Mickey D's), it was off to collect the laundry and back onto the interstate for a quick 200 mile sprint to Jackson, Tennessee. I do mean sprint too. The speed limit on the Interstates in western KY, and TN is 70 mph, which means to keep up with the traffic flow, a lot of the time you are either doing close to 80, or getting blasted past by 18 wheelers! I did the 200 miles in 160 minutes, and that included a quick stop for gas. I'll let you do the maths! The interstates sure are an efficient way of getting from A to B, but not much chop for sightseeing. Oh well, my schedule is a bit tighter than is ideal, so I may as well make the most of the opportunities to cover some ground eficiently.
Speaking of which, time for a couple of maps:
My travels over this past weekend, from South Williamson, KY [1] to Bowling Green, KY [2] to Jackson, TN [3]
My proposed route from Jackson, TN [1] to Los Angeles [6] via Clarksville, AR [2] (tonight's stop), Grand Canyon, AZ [3], & Las Vegas, NV [4].
Speaking of which, time for a couple of maps:
My travels over this past weekend, from South Williamson, KY [1] to Bowling Green, KY [2] to Jackson, TN [3]
My proposed route from Jackson, TN [1] to Los Angeles [6] via Clarksville, AR [2] (tonight's stop), Grand Canyon, AZ [3], & Las Vegas, NV [4].I generally only plan my overnight stops a day or so in advance, so the blue moon icons represent where my GPS software thinks I should stay, based on what I've told it about preferred driving times, planned stops and average speeds.
This route is a fair bit further north than I had originally anticipated, but time precludes other options. I had really hoped to get to San Diego, to meet up with Gregg Blundell, whom I had been introduced to through a mutual friend. Oh well, I will hold off making a final decision about that until I get to Nevada. If the next few days go well, I might just be able to pick up a bit of time, but I do need to be careful about not pushing myself (and Kermit) too hard!
Well, time to get packed up and hit the road - Arkansas here we come.
This route is a fair bit further north than I had originally anticipated, but time precludes other options. I had really hoped to get to San Diego, to meet up with Gregg Blundell, whom I had been introduced to through a mutual friend. Oh well, I will hold off making a final decision about that until I get to Nevada. If the next few days go well, I might just be able to pick up a bit of time, but I do need to be careful about not pushing myself (and Kermit) too hard!
Well, time to get packed up and hit the road - Arkansas here we come.
2 comments:
The common gene pool sounds familiar, remember we live in The Coromandel! We are reading your commentary with bated breath - you are really moving! The Corvette Museum sounds interesting for an enthusiast. 1.5 million cars is an awful lot. Don't do too much low flying!
Love from T&J
Glad to read you are still having fun! Better make it down to the Wraps whe you get back so Kermee can take us for a ride. xox
Post a Comment