Don't Run Over the Rooster: Stories From the Road

 

Commuting from the Poconos to my NJ home (and then onto the office in Newark) has proved to be more complicated that I imagined.  Last week's trek was one for the books (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/a-three-hour-tour.html).  It was not an experience I'd like to repeat.

With a section of route 80 out of commission the drive has been "challenging" to say the least (Although I am hopeful:  https://newjersey.news12.com/gov-murphy-provides-timeline-on-possible-reopening-of-i-80-in-morris-county  Please don't be toying with me Governor Murphy!)  Not wishing to repeat last Wednesday's horror, when my husband and I had to return to NJ over the weekend, I made sure to leave relatively early on Saturday morning (before 9).  On Sunday we dropped our son off at college (spring break went by quicker that I could imagine) and GSP routed us a strange way, but we got back to our home in just over 2 hours.  All things considered it wasn't bad.

Unfortunately I do not have the luxury of leaving when I want to for work.  My workaround this week was to take a half day on Tuesday.  I worked remotely all day Monday and then the morning of Tuesday.  Ran some errands on Tuesday afternoon before heading back to NJ around 2.  It was an "interesting" drive to say the least.

When I leave our house in PA, I head down a hill that is very steep. (So steep in fact that if there is any chance of snow or ice, I will not take it, but instead take a somewhat longer route which a better traveled.)  When I say steep, I mean STEEP.  Even in my relatively new SUV, I often wonder if I am going to make it up the incline.  Going down is easy, at least if there isn't a rooster in the middle of the road!   There were no rooster crossing signs and while I know there are roosters in the area (I can hear one or more from my backyard and last week I discovered a flock pecking around several blocks over.) I don't know who was more startled...me or the white rooster!  But it quickly made its way to the grass.  So why did the rooster cross the road?  To get the heck out of Bfth's way!

When I got on route 80 east, there was not much traffic, which is what I planned for.  However, something rather odd happened and this was WAY before the detour.  GPS alerted me to a car on the shoulder.  I saw flashing lights, so I knew there was a police car.  It appeared that a car was being loaded onto a tow truck.  The police car was in front and then pulled out onto the highway.  Traffic obviously slowed down a bit.  (You don't want to speed past the police!)  Then the police car did something odd (or at least it did to me).  The car (which was ahead of everyone) weaved from the right lane all the way across to the left.  Then it weaved back to the right.  This went on for enough time (I'm not sure how long...a couple of minutes) for me to wonder what the heck was happening.  Yes, it slowed down traffic (which I am assuming was the intent), but it was very disconcerting.  Back and forth and back and forth the vehicle went.  Eventually, the car did pull over to the right shoulder and I could see that there was a tree branch down in the shoulder area, but not on the road.  I've never seen anything like this before in my decades of driving and I don't think I want to again.  Has anyone else seen this?  Does anyone have an explanation?

Now USUALLY after being in the office on Wednesday, I drive back to the Poconos, but after adventure I had the previous Wednesday AND seeing how traffic was already backing up on 80 west at 3 pm when I was heading east on Tuesday, that didn't seem like a good idea.  Since I'm an early morning person, I thought I would get a good night's sleep (don't laugh) and head out early on Thursday.  I set my alarm to 4 and figured if I got on the road by 4:30, even if there were issues I would be back in the Poconos before 7.  So what really happened?

• After spending the day honking and blowing my nose and dosing myself with Dayquil, I amazingly got a bus that arrived in my town in record time.  I ate a very early dinner, took a HOT shower (to try and steam all the gunk out of my sinuses) and climbed into bed.  I fell asleep early, but woke up several times.  The last time being  around 2 AM
• Once awake at 2, I was awake.  I ended up watching a movie on TCM that I had heard of but never seen (Executive Suite). While I watched, I "futzed" around, doing Wordle, getting dressed and making sure I had packed up everything I needed.  By the time the movie was over around 4, I was pretty much ready to go.  (And I didn't even forget to take out the garbage!)
• Even though its spring, it was FREEZING out (it had snowed on and off the previous day in the Poconos...another reason why I didn't want to head out at night).  Thank goodness for heated seats and steering wheel!
• 90% of the traffic on route 80 was trucks.  (Which makes sense.)  One nearly merged into me where 287 comes into 80.  Another seemed to weave a bit (although nothing like the police car on Tuesday.)  It was a little unnerving with all those trucks and I sometimes felt pressured to speed up or get in another lane.
• Most of the traffic on 80 at that hour was headed east.  It makes sense.  I don't think I would want to head back east in the early morning because of the amount of traffic, which I'm sure only gets worse as the sun comes up.
• The detour heading west did not take much time at that hour of the morning.  There was some stop and go (where I was sandwiched between 18 wheelers), but it was relatively painless.  I definitely made the right choice when it came to timing.
• It was smooth sailing after the detour.  I did really have to focus though...it is DARK on 80.
• Once I got off route 80 and onto my local two lane highway, I was surprised to see so many vehicles heading downhill/east, especially so early.  I don't usually see that many cars on that road at any other hour!
• During most of the last leg of my trek I felt like I was in a David Lynch movie.  (IYKYK)
• For the last few miles I was behind a school bus!  Remember it was not even six in the morning.  There were no kids on board, but still the driver was out and going to pick up kids.  Yes, it's a pain to get behind a school bus, but big shout out to school bus drivers for doing what they do.
• Going up the steep hill in the pitch black is unnerving.
• My husband is a sweetie.  He timed lights in our family and living room so that I could see when I got him.  He expected to be asleep when I arrived...he wasn't.  (But I didn't wake him up!)

And so I made it back to the Poconos with plenty of time to spare.  I am, however, going to need lots of coffee to make it through the day.  Plus I think I need to run to CVS for more Dayquil...pass the tissues!  It's going to be a LONG one, but I'm here!

UPDATE:  A friend and reader has just informed me that the "weaving police car" maneuver is called a "rolling roadblock."  You can always trust a librarian (even a retired one) to have the answer.