Route 29...take me home

Route 29. How many miles have I ridden on you? How many miles have I driven on you?

Route 29 has been an artery of my life. I realized this at 6:45 this morning at I drove to Culpeper from Cville.

~I was born within a 1/2 mile of 29.

~My house is a mile from 29.

~The elementary schools I went to were less than a mile from 29.

~The middle and high schools I went to were less than 5 miles from 29.

~29 is within 1 miles of Aunt Pagie and Uncle Jimmy's house.

~Worth's house is yards from 29.

~Relay For Life is yards from 29.

~My apartment in Cville for 3 years was within 5 minutes of 29.

~The Williams' B & D is within 5 minutes of 29.

~Summer mornings of swim practice overlooked 29.

~29 chauffered me to high school sporting events.

~29 takes me straight to UVA.

~29 takes me straight to Ellen & Obama in DC.

~29 takes me summer country concerts at Nissan.

~29 takes me straight to Steph in Danville.

~29 takes me straight to many NASCAR races in Martinsville.

~29 is within a mile of the school I teach at now.

I have traveled 29 at all hours of the day. I have traveled 29 by myself. I have traveled 29 with 29 other people. I have traveled 29 in the hot, lazy days of summer or the cold, ice patched days of winter.

I have 2 favorite 'lookouts.' One in Madison, heading 29S, for 10 seconds you see a panorama view of the Blue Ridge. The other is in Greene before the Madison line, heading 29N, for 7 seconds to the left is a beautiful scene of fertile pastures and an old, country barn.

I know where the police wait to try to catch me in their speeding traps (knock on wood).

I have pondered life on Route 29. I have jammed to Phil Vassar and Garth Brooks. I have listened to the torture of 101.9 for the girls on 29. I have caught up with friends on 29. I have stopped many times at the Tastee Freez on 29 for a chocolate dipped cone of vanilla or at Yoder's for Strawberry Sugar Free Jam.

I can time to the minute (knock on wood) my ETA.

Moral of the Story: