I just got in from Indiana at 5:30 this morning. We drove straight through for sixteen and a half hours from Bloomington. Amy thought it was a little ambitious to attempt in one day, but I kept telling her that my dad and I had done it several times. My brother was often with us but he was almost useless for driving long distances due to his knack for nodding off when he got tired. I remember once he slept for almost an entire eighteen hour roadtrip in the back seat of my dad’s truck only rising to eat the occasional McDonald’s.
By the time I hit Waco I had to really try to not get sleepy. This consisted of smoking Backwoods cigars and listening to trucker-oriented AM radio. Yuck, but it helps to hear people talking which is why AM radio is probably so popular on the road.
One of the most interested things I noticed is that almost 90% of the cars I saw Illinois have vanity license plates. What’s the deal with this? I will post photos soon.
Have you heard about the studies they’ve done on sleepy drivers? There’s a phenomenon called “microsleep” that lasts for 1-3 seconds that occurs a lot. I think I’ve experienced it in other contexts (since I don’t drive).
I bet there isn’t a charge for vanity plates in Illinois. It’s like that in Virginia and EVERYONE has them there. In most states it costs money.