Thursday, December 07, 2006
I got back from a two week trip on Monday, visiting Beth in Florida and Jay in Georgia.
The main thing that happened is that I gained confidence in my driving because I had to do so much in big cities.
The first day, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I drove from Henderson to Atlanta, GA. I don't like driving through Nashville and Chattanooga but I have done it before. The next day, the day before Thanksgiving, I drove to Jacksonville. I couldn't face driving I75-85 through the center of Atlanta so I took the ring road to the west to get back on 75. The traffic all day was very heavy.
I had told Beth I could find her new house but I could not. I thought I would just get on 2nd street and then find the number. Unfortunately 2nd street is not continuous, so I wound up calling her. I was close enough that she walked over to drive me to her house.
I tried to drive back to Atlanta on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Big mistake! Traffic was horrendous. It was practically a parking lot on I-75 from I-10 to Atlanta. It got dark and I don't drive well in the dark. I finally stopped and spent the night at a motel only about 30 miles from Atlanta. I was so relieved when I got to my room.
The next morning I decided to tackle the biggie. I just kept on driving north and drove the I-75-85 interstate through the middle of Atlanta. I did guess wrong on the lane to be in when the two interstates divide. What fool decided that 75 the western road would go to the right and 85 the eastern road would go to the left? I did manage to move over successfully and I got off at Cambridge Road just fine.
But the worst driving was yet to come. Jay's doctor and hospital are in Duluth, GA. To get there I first had to get on I-75 then the perimeter north, which I hate. It is 7 and 8 lanes each way. Then I get off at Peachtree Industrial and go north to Duluth. It is a long way and tough.
Jay drove to the hospital on Tuesday morning and we talked about lanes and exits as we went which was helpful.
Unfortunately they forgot to notify me when Jay had been moved from the recovery room so I did not get in to see him until almost seven o'clock. When I left, it was very dark. I did NOT want to drive on the perimeter road in the dark. When I left the hospital, I had determined that I was going to spend the night in a motel along Peachtree Industrial and just not tell anyone. But I missed my turn and wound up driving all the way back to Jay's apartment without any mishap. I made the same trip the next day to bring him home and again on Friday to take him to the doctor.
Jay thought his Friday appointment was at 12:15 but my phone rang about ten saying he had missed his 8:45 appointment. I drove him on out there and he did see the doctor.
I told Jay it was a good thing. I told him the Lord was looking out for us. If I had tried to drive him around 8 o'clock, the peak of morning rush hour, that we would both have been dead by noon.
I did a lot of driving that I was afraid of and it has helped my confidence tremendously but I still hate to drive.
The main thing that happened is that I gained confidence in my driving because I had to do so much in big cities.
The first day, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I drove from Henderson to Atlanta, GA. I don't like driving through Nashville and Chattanooga but I have done it before. The next day, the day before Thanksgiving, I drove to Jacksonville. I couldn't face driving I75-85 through the center of Atlanta so I took the ring road to the west to get back on 75. The traffic all day was very heavy.
I had told Beth I could find her new house but I could not. I thought I would just get on 2nd street and then find the number. Unfortunately 2nd street is not continuous, so I wound up calling her. I was close enough that she walked over to drive me to her house.
I tried to drive back to Atlanta on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Big mistake! Traffic was horrendous. It was practically a parking lot on I-75 from I-10 to Atlanta. It got dark and I don't drive well in the dark. I finally stopped and spent the night at a motel only about 30 miles from Atlanta. I was so relieved when I got to my room.
The next morning I decided to tackle the biggie. I just kept on driving north and drove the I-75-85 interstate through the middle of Atlanta. I did guess wrong on the lane to be in when the two interstates divide. What fool decided that 75 the western road would go to the right and 85 the eastern road would go to the left? I did manage to move over successfully and I got off at Cambridge Road just fine.
But the worst driving was yet to come. Jay's doctor and hospital are in Duluth, GA. To get there I first had to get on I-75 then the perimeter north, which I hate. It is 7 and 8 lanes each way. Then I get off at Peachtree Industrial and go north to Duluth. It is a long way and tough.
Jay drove to the hospital on Tuesday morning and we talked about lanes and exits as we went which was helpful.
Unfortunately they forgot to notify me when Jay had been moved from the recovery room so I did not get in to see him until almost seven o'clock. When I left, it was very dark. I did NOT want to drive on the perimeter road in the dark. When I left the hospital, I had determined that I was going to spend the night in a motel along Peachtree Industrial and just not tell anyone. But I missed my turn and wound up driving all the way back to Jay's apartment without any mishap. I made the same trip the next day to bring him home and again on Friday to take him to the doctor.
Jay thought his Friday appointment was at 12:15 but my phone rang about ten saying he had missed his 8:45 appointment. I drove him on out there and he did see the doctor.
I told Jay it was a good thing. I told him the Lord was looking out for us. If I had tried to drive him around 8 o'clock, the peak of morning rush hour, that we would both have been dead by noon.
I did a lot of driving that I was afraid of and it has helped my confidence tremendously but I still hate to drive.
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