Althouse: A late night post.

April 5, 2009

A late night post.

I'm back in Madison now, after 500 more miles of driving.

Yesterday:

19 comments:

Jason (the commenter) said...: "Okay, get me a bucket of water and a pot of coffee. It may take me all day, but I'm going to mark every one of these trees."; 4/5/09, 11:49 PM
JAL said...: Would it be cheaper and less time consuming [and maybe less stressful?] to fly priceline or something? And more time therrrre ....

Unless you really like to listen to books on tape and do two unabridged biggies a trip....; 4/6/09, 12:11 AM
Shawn Levasseur said...: I doubt it'd be cheaper. Even more doubtful that there would be any direct flights, so it probably wouldn't even be quicker.

And anyway, I've always been partial to this song.; 4/6/09, 12:51 AM
Donna B. said...: I'm in love with that dog. He can come live with me if things don't work out in Madison for him.; 4/6/09, 12:59 AM
Michael Haz said...: What is the black dog's name?; 4/6/09, 7:07 AM
Michael Haz said...: Would it be cheaper and less time consuming [and maybe less stressful?] to fly priceline or something?

Round trip tix Fri-Sun average about $550, three week advance purchase. Most flights take between 2.5 and 5.5 hours, most have at least one stop, some have as many as three.

Add in the airport time pre-departure, the layover hassle, parking, etc., driving is the better alternative.; 4/6/09, 7:14 AM
traditionalguy said...: Your hardest part must be the feeling alone again after a good time together. That shows you have the loyalty needed to succeed at a marriage, but it must hurt to adjust back and forth. Get your great plans into gear girl.; 4/6/09, 7:44 AM
rhhardin said...: I always drove NJ-Ohio, the same distance, rather than flying. So long as it's all interstates, it's no hassle compared to flying.

You wouldn't want to do it on curvey hilly roads, though.; 4/6/09, 7:46 AM
MadisonMan said...: There is a direct MSN->CVG flight. Or there has been in the past. But except for the tolls around Rockford and the traffic near Indianoplace, it's not a bad drive, unless you think boring = bad.

Driving long boring distances is a great way to collect your thoughts and to put order into your life.; 4/6/09, 7:58 AM
ricpic said...: Appalachian spring,
So delicate, so heartbreakingly on the wing,
Will soon descend to dark and lush
But for the moment...such an almost immaterial thing.; 4/6/09, 8:23 AM
Ann Althouse said...: There is a nonstop flight and it's a great alternative when I've planned ahead. This was a last-minute decision to travel, and I've been getting 30 mpg on my car since I've started using no-ethanol premium gas. So do the math and you can see how cheap it is to drive. I'm willing to pay $400 to fly, but last minute flights tend to be over $1000!

Anyway, it's nice the way you can just throw some things in the car and be on your way, on your own, with no planning and no transactions. There were some weather issues though. Getting caught in visibility-impairing rain was not fun, and on the ride back, I got super-sleepy around 5 in the evening with about 170 miles left to go. That was me, sleeping in the front seat of my car in the parking lot of a McDonald's in El Paso, Illinois. That totally solved the problem, and I had a cheeseburger and a Coke and drove the rest of the way easily.; 4/6/09, 8:26 AM
traditionalguy said...: There was a year in my life that required a weekly trip of 5 1/2 hours to Destin, Fl from Atlanta. The leaving at 6 AM was easy, but the leaving at 5 PM was hard to do. But the hassle of the ride to an airport and the chaos of the things out of your control made Flying a bad experience nearly everytime although it saved 2 hours IF the Airline left on time. The human auto-pilot ability kicks in after about 10 trips in the car. ( I-Pods can play audiobooks, of course) Yet the Althouse/Meade trip is 8 hours. Someone needs to move soon.; 4/6/09, 8:27 AM
knox said...: Althouse, there are some new Ricky Gervais podcasts, if you haven't heard them. I always listen to them on car trips.; 4/6/09, 8:37 AM
MadisonMan said...: So premium gas has no ethanol in it?

I know the Shell Station on University used to proclaim it sold only gas, not that dreadful ethanol/gas mix, but I don't know if it still does. But if you buy on Tuesday, they donate a portion of the sale to West High for something. I think it's the Shell Station that does that.; 4/6/09, 8:41 AM
Wince said...: Be patient, the Obama administration is about to build all those new high speed rail lines under the stimulus program, no?; 4/6/09, 8:43 AM
Meade said...: "I'm willing to pay $400 to fly, but last minute flights tend to be over $1000!"

You should have just said so.

Next time, please let me buy the plane ticket and leave your car in Madison. Okay?; 4/6/09, 10:14 AM
David said...: The black dog's name has to be "Black Dog."; 4/6/09, 10:15 AM
Kurt said...: Late again to comment here. I'm also curious to know the black dog's name. He (or is it she?) sure looks like a nice, calm dog.; 4/6/09, 11:02 AM
bearbee said...: Will 'Black Dog' be sacrificed on the alter of looooove?; 4/6/09, 4:24 PM