drive

It was almost five hours on the freeway. For hours there were monotonous lane changes, mile markers, and billboards. A river or two were crossed, an orange moose was passed and more than three hundred miles were traversed. The resorts sprang from forest nothingness a few hours in. The construction, bringing traffic to one lane for a few miles at a time, would slow things down at a different mile marker each trip. The turns were mechanical and mindless.

There was the truck, mounted vertical with its engine to the ground, on the right. There was the giant mouse on the left. There was the Bog. There was the turn just before Madison. There were the state roads for more than an hour. There were the downtowns of a few different small towns. The speed limit changes, fifty-five, sixty-five, forty-five and thirty.

When I drove, I’d be in my own world. The iPod going through three or four CDs worth of music. The tank of gas emptying. The odometer ticking by rhythmically. The speedometer needle dancing between seventy-five and eighty-three. Other times, on the bus, I’d sleep or read for long stretches, paying little attention.

Trips were limited almost exclusively to the weekend and my mind would wander to the plans therein. There were always too many to fit, with too many people to see. I was exhausted on the trip back almost every time. By the time I was resting in front of the television, I was already looking forward to the next trip.

It’s different now. The drive is only fifteen minutes and less than a dozen miles. I know the roads just as well, but I’m on them only a short time. The anticipation is there, but relief comes sooner. The construction is shorter and avoidable.

There’s the lake on the right. There’s the Russian Art Museum on the left. There’s the Harriet Tubman statue on the left. There are a few stop signs and a couple stoplights. After exiting the freeway, the speed limit is thirty. There’s Famous Dave’s on the right. The landmarks, miles and cars are few. I can avoid the traffic by departing sooner or later. I can make the trip more often and for no reason beyond boredom.