This week I had to deadhead from Neely's Landing, MO to Evansville, IN. In nearly 30 years of professional driving, mostly in the upper midwest, I had never cut across southern, Illinois before. Checking the map, I decided that it was best to cross the Mississippi at Cape Girardeau Missouri. I had briefly thought about heading back up towards St. Louis and crossing the river on I 255 and taking I 64 across. That was way too far out of the way. My thought was to cross the river and pick up Illinois 146 towards I 57 and then run across Illinois 13 into Indiana.
When I punched in the address in Evansville from my customer in Neely's landing the GPS selected the same route that I had scouted on the atlas. It is nice when we agree. I had a little over an hour left to drive when I left Neely's Landing. I figured that I could make it to I 57 in Illinois. With 9 minutes left to drive and 5 miles from the interstate I spotted a place to park in Anna, IL. That was close enough.
My right eye was still bothering my from the pterygium surgery. Then I noticed something. I could read my GPS without my reading glasses. That was a first. It was a drab February day, but I found myself noticing the landscape. It was mostly farmland with gently rolling hills. There were a lot of small ponds between the hills. It had a unique type of beauty. To quote Ray Stevens “Everything is beautiful in its own way.”. He is right.
Being a professional driver is a pretty awesome job. I have driven through Times Square and through Yellowstone. What other job lets you do that. I will always remember driving up Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn on a beautiful Spring day. The trees were blossoming and it was beautiful, in its own way. I'll always remember looking up the Mississippi at the Saint Paul Skyline while on one of my runs and thinking how cool is that. Skylines are beautiful in their own way, although sitting in traffic in Chicago may not be my favorite way to view that skyline. It is better to sit out by the Adler Planetarium and see it, but driving pays better.
This week, I will be driving down US 151 to Dubuque, Iowa. I look forward to it. The hills of southwest Wisconsin give you spectacular views as you head towards the Mississippi. I have run and ridden my bike on the Military Ridge State Trail southwest of Madison. I recommend it. As a matter of fact whenever you get a chance, get out of the truck and explore. We get to see some awesome sights. Whether you are crossing into the Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the Mackinac Bridge or into the Bronx on the GW, take in the view. It is part of what makes our job cool.