Day 1 Roundup

From the Pitrsburgh airport I had a nice, if not long, cab ride to the UHaul place with Kevin. It was in his hood, and he knew almost exactly where it was. Driving a 14' moving van as a one-way rental felt a little ridiculous to me, but having confirmed that none of the rental car companies were interested in helping me out, I got over myself.

Pennsylvania 28 was a nice country road. It followed the Alleghney River for the first hour or so--nice semi-mountainous road through some beautiful forest and pasture land.

I drove out of the rain somewhere around New Bethlehem and had great weather from there on out.

Ron and Pete and I had a good laugh about my mode of transport, and then we got down to business. We returned the UHaul, put the plates on, and turned me loose. I'd really like to thank Ron for coming in on his day off.

The DuBois Diner had a great burger and fries, and it looked exactly like you're imagining it. Down to the counter and the waitress saying "Hon'".

The drive from DuBois, PA to Columbus, OH was pretty and perfect the whole way. I don't think I'd like the winters much, but the Ohio countryside is as beautiful and pastoral and you can imagine. Every half mile was like a scene from John Scalzi's Flickr stream.

In any event, it's time to check out, and head across the highway for breakfast at the Waffle House. The Highlander is basically perfect and awesome. I'm making better than 30 mpg out here on the highway, which is more than I expected. It's so full of gadgets I've been squeeing a little. It's not all economy driving, though, it's got power and a nice exhaust note when you need it. I've got a few niggles with the nav system, but I'm sure some more poking around will help me sort those out. I keep finding stuff I didn't know I'd bought!

Today: Nashville, or maybe Little Rock. I'll try to update today from my lunch stop--maybe with some pictures.