British GPS’, 50ozs of Coke, Budweiser Brewery Tours and Other Observations

The Red Cedar Inn alongside Route 66 in Pacific, Missouri is now closed

Due to a silly law that any car 1995 or older must be inspected in the city it is registered in, I had to drive back to New York City for an inspection instead of heading directly to Washington, DC to begin my trip. No big deal, but it was 100 miles out of my way and the inspection took nearly two hours including a search to find a gas station that could even do it in the Bronx.

When I packed my car I had to use every bit of skill I gained from playing years of Tetris in order to get it all to fit.

Hostels are far rarer in the United States than in the rest of the world. I would do a search on Hostels.com for a city and it would give me statewide results instead.

It’s great that you can go 70 mph in so many places.

West Virginia has gross tap water.

Arts Motel Restaurant on Route 66 in Illinois

Barns, silos, trees, farms, corn and tractors are pretty much the majority of what I saw on my first day of driving.

The voice of my GPS goes crazy with instructions every time I leave the highway to take a rest stop. “Make a U turn. Go Right. Make a U turn! Do it now!”

I need a car lighter splitter for all the electronics that I need to charge. Ipod, phone, GPS.

Considering how many scenic overlooks there are in the Northeast I’m amazed that I haven’t seen one since I left Maryland.

There was a Time Warner Cable office in Columbus, OH…who knew they existed outside of NY.

One of the things I’m transporting in my car is a metal shelving unit that rattles all the time while I’m driving. The crazy part is the sound is exactly like the one the door on my family’s cat carrier used to make so I keep thinking my old cats are in the car!

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis

I saw a sign for a two pack of 50oz Coca Cola bottles that had the tagline, “enough for your meal.” As if America needs to get fatter.

There are antique stores everywhere.

I saw a sign for MexicoScuba.com in the middle of the farmlands of Illinois.

The only speaker in my car not covered by all my stuff is located to the left of my left leg. This means that depending on what position I’m sitting, the entire sound inside the car changes.

Subway has joined the ranks of McDonalds, Burger King and Starbucks in terms of chains you see every exit on the road.

So far my GPS has spoken in American, British and Australian accents. The Australian one sounds like no accent at all.

After traveling abroad for so long certain things are engrained in my mind. Like when I actually asked the hostel owner in Indianapolis if the tap water was safe to drink.

Outside The Budweiser brewery in St. Louis, Missouri

What’s with Steak ‘n Shake? I’ve never seen one before in my life and now they are everywhere!

I’ve had to remind myself more than a few times which side of the road I have to drive on.

There are a lot of bees in Springfield, Illinois.

So far, everyone I have met has been extremely friendly and excited to talk about Route 66.

I didn’t see my first Home Depot until I was nearly in St. Louis.

Motel 6 has some really crummy WiFi. I had better in Cambodia!