In Jersey, finally...

So I'm at the parent's house in NJ.

Yesterday, I was talking to my boss about how I was going to be driving up to NJ from MD, and he commented that he usually tries to avoid driving on the day before Thanksgiving, and I said that I've made the trip every year and it's usually pretty smooth - I go the back way, and I know all the bottlenecks.

So of course I had to be proven wrong. The drive was actually pretty smooth most of the way- until I got to Allentown PA on I-78 and saw a sign informing me that I-78 Eastbound was closed at exit 78 and that I should take RT 22 instead.

So I did. That was around 3pm. I didn't get to my parent's house - about 60 miles away - until 5:45 pm. Traffic was crawling on 22, and wasn't helped by the fact that the left lane was closed in one place due to a disabled tractor-trailer.

When I pulled onto 22, I tuned to PA's radio station, which informed me that it was closed due to an overturned tractor-trailer.

When I got to the parent's house, I checked, and there was indeed an overturned tractor trailer. It says the road opened at 3:45, which makes me wonder if I would have been better off staying on 78 - I guess it depends how backed up traffic was.

Most people who drive from MD to NJ go via 95. I've always done the 83-81-78 route. When I was in college, my dad - who was convinced that it was safer - told me I couldn't take my car with me unless I went that way, and I've gotten used to it - I know where the best food is, the cheapest gas, where the cops hide - plus I pay 75 cents one way in tolls, rather than about $30 each way if I took the MD/DE/NJ Turnpike. Most of the time, it's a smooth pleasant drive, but every now and then a truck seems to have trouble staying shiny side up and throws a wrench in my plans.