Where Was I?

 Yesterday was an "interesting" day to say the least.  I had the day off so that I could do some last minute food shopping.  (I make a BIG salad that covers at least 2 meals.)  Then I had some "down time" before I started my drive to pick up my son.  I knew the roads would be busy, and that is putting it mildly.  Let's try to "map it out" shall we?

Around 11:30, I left the Poconos and headed back to NJ.  I didn't want to do the long round trip drive in one go.  So I arrived back at the house around 1, which gave me about an hour to "relax" before the next two legs of the trip. 

My son had a class that ran from 1-4.  However, he told his professor he would be leaving a bit early.  (Not early enough however.)  I said I'd pick him up around 3:15.  So I went to fill up my tank (not that I really needed it) around 2:15 with Waze saying it would be the usual 45 minutes.  As I drove towards NY, I could see that it was going to be longer and it became abundantly clear that the drive from NY back to the Poconos was not going to be the usual 2 hours.

I got to campus around 3:25 and my son was in the car by 3:30.  At which point, Waze told me it was going to be a 3 hour and 5 minute drive.  I could have opted to drive back to the house in NJ, but based on what I saw driving to NY, that was going to be close to 2 hours, so why not bite the bullet and do the whole thing.  How bad could it be?  (insert ominous music here.)

We got on the Staten Island Expressway, which was packed (not unexpected).  We crept along with "Thanksgiving Music" (Sirius XM's The Bridge Thanksgiving Music Mix).  As we went over the Gothals Bridge back to NJ, Waze didn't direct me to get on the NJ Turnpike, but instead said to get over to the right lane and get on Bayway.  It was raining slightly, so I followed directions:

Had no idea where this was taking me as I was in uncharted territory.  (At least for me.)  

 

From there it had me turn onto South Broad, which was quite "traffic-ie" as it was after 4.

South Broad too me to North Broad.

Then somehow (and looking at maps I can't figure out exactly what roads we took or how we got there), we ended up on Route 78.  Okay, I (sort of) know Route 78.  We headed west and I figured we'd either get off by the Parkway (and then get on 280 to 80 to PA) 

Or, we'd go further on 78, getting off at 24 (passing the Short Hills Mall), hop on 287 North and then get on 80 West.

Wrong!  We kept going.  Maybe we could get on 287 N further west (which would actually pull us back east a little before getting on 80)  

Nope, we didn't do that either.

So I kept driving west on 78.  I knew where I was, but I didn't know how to get to where I wanted to go.  I knew there had to be an exit to take back roads to get me up to 80, but I'm driving along in the dark/fog/rain so my eyes were pretty much glued to the road.  (I will say traffic did, for the most part, move on 78).  So I just kept heading west on 78.

FINALLY, Waze told me to get off at the last exit in NJ, Exit 3.  I thought that getting on Route 22 would take me to 611, which would wind it's way up to 80.

But NO!  That's not what Waze said to do.  Instead we did this:

And this:

(So I guess I was touring the south side of Phillipsburg?)

Finally:

I knew 33 would take me to 80.  But by now it was after 6:30 and no one had eaten.   Since we can't  have turkey for Thanksgiving (my poultry allergy), I had promised my husband that Wawa Gobblers ere in his future.  So, he placed and order and...

We got our order and did the last lap (I'm not calling it a leg) home.  

We pulled into the driveway around 7:10.

Not counting the one brief stop at Wawa, we had been on the road for THREE HOURS AND FORTY MINUTES.  (I suppose with the Wawa stop it was ony 3 hours and 30 minutes.)  Is it any wonder I had a pounding headache and some muscular pain/cramping?

Now that I've mapped this all out, I can kind of see where we were and how we got here.  I'm not sure WHY we went the way we did.  If I had stuck to the turnpike and route 80 would it have been as bad? (Maybe I saw some photos from Route 80 last night.)  Who knows?

For now, we're here.  And I'm keeping my fingers crossed than when I return my son to college on Sunday (and trust me I am taking him in the MORNING and not later in the day) that my drive will be smoother and sans rain (or snow) and fog.  (It better not be dark.)  I'm saying my prayers, if you want to add yours too, I'd be grateful.