~ Holiday Travel... UGHHHHH ~

Ohhhhh... at the wondrous joys of "holiday travel"... ughhhhh!!!

What am I missing? Do I have everything that I need? Let's see.... flight info, wallet, CD's for the LONG drive there and back, cash for a drink and maybe something to eat, car seat, blanket, pillow, Game Boy Advance and games to entertain my child on the long drive back home, pepper spray, jacket, hmmm... WHAT am I missing... I'm sure it's something, as it just never fails, I always tend to leave SOMETHING behind that I'll need....

Ok, so it's a 3-hour drive South on I-5 to the Sacramento Airport... should be a breeze, right?! Well, I anticipated it would be anyway! As soon as I entered the freeway from the house, I noticed a higher volume of traffic than normal, actually quite heavy really.

It's a very curvy drive, with quite a bit of up and down-grades from the Dunsmuir region to Redding, about 50 miles, as the road winds through the canyon and mountains. Once you get to Redding, the highway straightens out considerably and it's a straight shot down to Sacramento! This stretch of highway between Redding and Dunsmuir is rural so you don't have to contend with a log of city traffic normally.

The weather is lovely, I didn't need a jacket today or even long sleeves for that matter. The sun was shining, there was no wind blowing me all over the road... so what seemed to be the dilemma to this travel day you ask??? Why... all the people on the road, driving like they had no place to be, and like they weren't all that familiar with how travelling on the highway actually works! Geeessssshhhhhh.... I sometimes wonder where they learn to drive, how they got their licenses, and I sooooooooooooooo wish I were still in law enforcement to give some a ticket!

The highway volume was much heavier than normal, but I felt I could still utilize my cruise control, right?! Sadly, I was mistaken! Every single time it looked as though folks were going to drive accordingly, they would inevitably slow WAY down for NO apparent reason, and then I'd have to either tap my brakes or turn off the cruise time and time again.... it became quite the chore! I just didn't get WHY we'd be driving along at around 75 to 80 mph, only to quickly drop down to speeds of 45 to 50 mph, because we were next to a tractor trailer, so of course we need to SLOW down... good grief!!! I just didn't get it! Every time the flow of traffic came upon some big trucks, they would get all jammed up and slow down, like they were afraid to drive beside them or something! It was killing me! There was hardly any construction zones to deal with, and thankfully, no traffic accidents either. Just a few CHP's handing out speeding tickets here and there was all.

All the way to Sacrament and back, the traffic was like that. What a chore and such work that was truly unnecessary! Oh, and let's NOT forget about the ones that seem to LOVE to drive in the fast lane and drive around 55 mph... I mean, the speed limit for the most part all the way is 70 mph... what gives there?! So, you would end up being trapped! Can't get around the slower traffic and big rigs on the right, due to the slow pokes in the left lane/passing lane/fast lane, bogging up the whole system and blocking you in so that you could not get around or through! More than frustrating to say the least, and something I just don't have the patience for!

Sighhhhh... I'm glad that holiday travel isn't all that often, as I believe it would drive me insane to drive in such stuff all the time! Thankfully, I wasn't flying this year... another nightmare in and of itself. Surprisingly, once I arrived at the airport to pick up my son, it was EMPTY! I drove right up to passenger pick up, without having to fight for a spot, it was a breeze! Wish the rest of the trip had been like that!

Just one more holiday to endure more travel pains yet... Christmas!!! The roads could end up being more treacherous, should the snow begin to fall... Boy, won't that be a nightmare to deal with on the highway if it does! I sooooooooooooooo HOPE that doesn't happen.... If you have to travel this holiday season, do be careful... it's a parking lot of cars on the interstate, and don't plan on getting anywhere in a hurry, allow yourself plenty of time!