Last week, I drove my 2008 Impreza to Daytona Beach, Florida, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As I do every time I visit Daytona Beach, I drove on the beach itself.
"Not fair," cried those stuck in Wisconsin. Extra-cold weather was on its way as I left; temperatures were headed below zero. A snowstorm followed me through Kentucky and Tennessee, where it disrupted traffic and electrical power delivery during the weekend.
I dodged it all, although I had to deal with rain and wind in Daytona. The days of 70 degrees were balanced by those in the 40s.
My purpose in heading south was not to infuriate my family and friends or to escape to warmer weather. Those were the side effects of pursuing a greater goal: Attend the first 2010 race for Subaru Road Racing Team. The team has participated in the GRAND-AM series now called the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge for four years in the ST Class, and it was to make its debut in the GS Class at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday, January 29.
As I've mentioned a number of times before, the joy of travel for me is as much in the journey as in the destination. So here's where I digress. That cross-country trip took me to a number of places in my mind that I had no intention of visiting when I left home.
Crossroads of the Past
As we go through life, physical roads can become personal markers representing periods of life, choices made or not made, and paths to improvement or ruin. Several of the roads that I crossed were like that -- one of them being U.S. Route 24. Peoria, Illinois, and Fort Wayne, Indiana, can be reached via U.S. 24. I've lived near both, and crossing that highway brought back many years of memories from both places.
I also remember driving through Wolcott, Indiana, on past trips. It's on the edge of the prairie -- the land becomes flat as you drive west out of town.
Having driven the round trip from Milwaukee to Daytona Beach and other places in Florida previously, I'd spot restaurants where I've eaten and motels where I've stayed before, usually with family members. That made me miss those who couldn't make this particular trip.
There were places on the way, too, that were memorable for the weather encountered near them, including tornadoes barely missed and water over the roadway that seemed a foot deep.
The mountains always remind me of my wife, who loves driving her Legacy through them at night along with the trucks.
A Glimpse of the Future
Traveling south from Chicago to Indianapolis, you're confronted by fields of wind turbines. These three-bladed devices are huge, and to pop over a low ridge and see dozens of them spread out as far as you can see is a little disconcerting. With their long blades pivoting in the wind, they look like children's toys. It took a massive movement to build them to help generate electricity.
These are pretty interesting. Google "wind turbine" to find out more.
Indianapolis -- Home of the 500
One of the things I dearly loved about living in Indiana was the Indianapolis 500. I attended every race through the decade of the 1980s, dragging my children there for practice and time trials. We witnessed heroic drives, baked in the sun, cultivated friendships, and found some of the heart of the state. I miss the ritual that we had on Indy 500 weekends: midget car races on Thursday night, sprint car races on Friday night at the fairgrounds, midget races (and others) at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Saturday night, and the 500-mile race on Sunday. There never seemed to be enough.
Construction
It's everywhere ...
I don't think I crossed one state without it.
The Name Flagler
In the early 20th century, tycoon Henry M. Flagler connected the Florida Keys with a railroad that was running by 1912. I learned of him when we did an article about driving across the Keys in Winter 2005 Drive magazine. Flagler's name seems to crop up everywhere in Florida, and whenever I see it, I'm reminded of the bravado that would bring a person to build such things. Whether or not he was a likable fellow, I'm somehow amused.
A hurricane wiped out the railroad line in 1935, but bridges built to carry it remain.
Snow
I realize that people in many areas are not used to snow, but one of my pet peeves concerning it was taxed innumerable times driving home from the track. Vehicles would pull onto the interstate with hoods, roofs, and rear decks covered with three or four inches of snow and ice. It blows onto the windshield and blocks visibility, into the paths of others, and causes dangerous patches of packed ice where it dumps onto the ground.
Come on, people, use your heads! Clean off your vehicles!
Where do you think that sheet of snow and ice on your roof is going to go when you've warmed up the interior for a bit and then have to hit the brakes? Right across your windshield. If you're not stopped, you're blinded, and you're going to hit something or somebody!
I saw several motorists on the side of the highway clearing off their windows so they could see -- something they should have done before leaving their driveways!
OK. I'm done now.
So How'd the Race Turn Out?
Due to an engine change, Subaru Road Racing Team #35 Impreza WRX STI had to start from the back of the GS Class field -- 44th out of 45 cars starting.
The team and drivers Bret Spaude and Andrew Aquilante finished the 2.5-hour event in 15th.
Too bad we didn't have the rain that fell the next day at the start of the Rolex 24.
Click here for more about the team.
Early next month, Subaru Road Racing Team is off to Homestead-Miami Speedway! Go to www.grand-am.com for more information.
Maybe I'll see you there!
-- Ric Hawthorne
