Life in the fast lane...

One of the things I love about America is the road network. Thanks to Eisenhower's vision, i.e. the interstate system, there is never a shortage of a several miles of roads that you can zip at 70 mph. Road trips are one facet of American life I have come to absolutely love. When I was a grad student, I made several memorable trips.

Razdan and I drove from Austin to Raleigh in a span of 24 hours (with a 3 hour halt in Forest, MS where we slept in the confines of our car, in the parking lot of a Patel owned Super 8 motel that had no availability). The trip is fresh in my memory as the morning dew on leaves. We touched seven different states - Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and finaly North Carolina. We saw a sign for a place called Delhi in Mississippi, we crossed the line where time zones change from Central to Eastern and listened to more than our normal share of classic rock. It was thrilling and exciting!

And then, when Razdan got a job in Chicago, I drove with him from Raleigh to Chicago, a 16 hour trip made longer by the fact that we took a detour to Detroit to pick up another friend of ours. That Sunday afternoon, the 3 of us sat on the steps of a pedestrian Indian restaurant for a few hours sipping on multiple cups of some of the best chai in the continental US, while pontificating on a slew of topics under the sun and moon.

Then of course, is that memorable trip I made with Sachin to Pittsburgh, Philly, DC and back to Raleigh. Wait, in fact, we made that trip twice over the course of a year. The second time round, Razdan accompanied us and we actually stopped by Penn State as well. Somehow, the DC to Raleigh leg was jinxed. The first time round, my car got wrecked by a drunk 18 year old who did not quite comprehend the concept of 'red means stop'. I was probably a few micro seconds away from getting a few bones broken for good. Thank you God! The second time round, Sachin somehow perceived that speed limits in Virginia were not to be taken seriously and got pulled over for doing 87 in a 65 zone. (At one point, I think he thought he was in a Formula 1 race).

The first Pennsylvania trip was more memorable. We drove through the Appalachian mountains in mid October and witnessed some spell binding foliage. When we were close to Pittsburgh, we had to drive through a tunnel. And when we emerged out of the tunnel, we were on an imposing bridge over one of the rivers in Pittsburgh, staring directly at the Pittsburgh skyline. Breathtaking!

There were some other fascinating '16 people' road trips I was on - from Raleigh to DC and back; to the Smokies and back; to the Outer Banks and back. I will save those for a rainy day.

In the summer and fall of 2003, my cousins and I made a few weekend trips from Boston to NYC and back. So much so, that the baristas at the rest stops got to know us on a first name basis!! Pachai Nirame blasting from the sound system, spectacular north eastern fall hues and cruising along Interstate 95 at 75 mph. What a ride! (Best timing: three and a quarter hours from harvard square to times square).

It's been a while and I am itching to get on the road again. Hop in, if you want to live in the fast lane!