An Exercise in Driving
Tue., January 29, 08:52 AM
I drove down to Stamford yesterday. It’s not that I enjoy doing this, but I have a couple of reasons for visiting my sister. For one thing, she’s my sister; she holds a unique place in my life, whether or not we agree on everything.
Besides that, I go to help her a little in her business. Sometime I don’t feel I don’t do much, and sometimes my best help is advice that she can’t implement. (If she ever does it, I’ll be able to do more.) Finally, I drive to see her in gratitude for all the times she came up here for me. Whoever is more mobile does it.
But one of the reasons I do this is to keep driving while I can. As my eyes get older, I find that I can’t see well enough in the dark to drive safely. I can often find someone who will drive me where I want to go, but I’m not ready to surrender my independence entirely. So I do my “driving exercise” two or three times a month.
People who drive between New Haven and Stamford have two choices of highway, I-95 (the Connecticut Turnpike) and I-15 (the Merritt Parkway). The two are more or less parallel, and there is even a spot in Milford where you can switch directly from one to the other. Both are posted at 55 mph, though the Parkway runs a little slower. So most people make their choice based on how close a given exit will bring them to their destination.
My choice tends to be based on other factors, such as the slower speeds of the Parkway when I was a new driver. But I avoid it now, specifically the bridge over the Housatonic River in Stratford. Local tradition has it that the roadbed was installed upside down. Whether or not that’s true, it’s slippery driving even in dry weather, and I hate it. I say a prayer of thanks every time I pass over it safely.
Yesterday, I started out on I-95 as usual. (It happens to be much closer to my house.) The radio reported a traffic tie-up in Bridgeport; it still sounded serious as I drove through Milford. So I took a deep breath and proceeded toward the connector to the Parkway. Thankful that the approach was easier to drive, I still had to get over that bridge. I did, of course; I have never had a true problem on it. It just scares the hell out of me.
Then I had time to appreciate the Parkway, which I don’t think I’ve driven in the last ten years or so. It was the most modern highway in the country when it was built, more than sixty years ago. It has been properly maintained, and it is truly a park-way. That is, it’s pretty, like a park, bordered by trees and shrubs. (It is absolutely breath-taking in autumn, when Connecticut is famous for its multi-colored foliage.) It works its way through the suburbs, rather than the middle of industrial complexes; that’s very soothing, but you really have to remember where you’re going because you don’t see many landmarks.
The Parkway has only two lanes in each direction, and commercial vehicles are prohibited, so the driving doesn’t seem so competitive. Nevertheless, as I was driving as fast as 75 mph, there were jacki passing me on the right. (You recognize the term? Jacki is the plural of those braying animals with long ears and tails.)
There are fewer rest stops on the Parkway, and they’re far more primitive than those on newer interstates. Gas, bathrooms, and snack machines are the extent of the amenities. If you want more, you watch for exit signs marked “restaurants,” etc. However, this is a 45-minute drive; I can manage.
I remembered the proper exit, but it’s several miles from where I was going. I knew I was going the right way when I passed the cemeteries. But I did forget just how to get to my sister’s from the back roads. I went a couple of blocks too far until I recognized the street where I used to live. Oh, yeah, now I remember!
By afternoon, I-95 was clear, and that’s how I went home. There are a lot of big trucks, but the bridges are better. Just from the driving, I felt as if I’d done a full day’s work.
