lately I’ve been spending a *lot* of time on the road. on I-70, in particular. there’s just something about the part of 70 that stretches east of Indianapolis that keeps drawing me in. or on. =)

at least in the summer people are driving faster. I can “keep up with traffic” at 80mph – in Ohio! I don’t know how often you, gentle reader (teehee), travel back and forth across the glorious armpit of a state that is Ohio… but in my experience it has been nothing wonderful. (no offense meant, Buckeyes, but 70 really is placed in an ugly 200-mile-long stripe of land.) and, even worse, the cops are vicious and vindictive (so I hear) so most people obey something close to the speed limit while passing through. which means it takes forEVER to get through Ohio.

both David and my parents (and sisters) live eastward via I-70. two hours to see Dave (in Ohio), nine hours to see the family (in Pennsylvania), so between those loved ones, I spend a lot of time in the car on 70.

so, this weekend I drove out to see my Mom for her birthday. she’s one of those people to whom the presence of a person is much much more important than the presents of a person. I figured that since I hadn’t been home since February, and since I’ll be seeing her in another three weeks for a beach vacation (yay!!!!!), she wouldn’t expect the trip in the least. and she didn’t. it was much fun surprising her…

I snuck in with the help of Melissa. I wanted to just get up and say “happy bday” to my mother in the morning, rather than waking her up in the middle of the night. I slept downstairs. just my luck, Mom got up at 6 or some other obscene hour o’ the morning and saw my car. she didn’t know/think that it was mine – thought it maybe belonged to a bridesmaid from the wedding Melissa was maid-of-honoring or something. so Mom sneaks up to see who it is sleeping on the floor, gets about a foot from my face, and screams “Tara!?”. I was… alarmed. =) but it was a good surprise and we had a good time together. even at the 6-hour-long wedding/reception.

anyway, back to the title of the post – I-70. I shall be out upon this most fantastic highway again in a couple of weeks, this time headed to home to go with the fam to Myrtle Beach. yay for South Carolina!