Just to be clear: Traveling in new Jersey sucks! (Sorry, Governor, but it's true!!)
This is a story of my trip to Greensboro,NC last Monday. The truth is--much was our fault; but also much was the confusing signing, etc. that NJ has---along with the lack of easy corrective measures to get back going in the right direction.
Background: I'm moving to NC in a couple months, so needed to make a trip down there to find a place; and being I no longer drive, took the offer of a friend (we'll call him Andy)who said he's gone South frequently---all the way even to Florida. Sounds good.
SO...we leave @ 8AM Monday. Schedule trip time is 10 hours---couple planned stops, should arrive about 8PM at the latest......
Follow me below the fold to see why my thoughts turned to the Kingston Trio.....
Remember their great little song: The "MTA"?
(About the guy that couldn't get off the "T")
That's what it was like for awhile in Jersey.
We have no problem leaving CT, going over the TappenZee and down into Jersey, on the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP).
Now, if I'M driving I stop on the highway stops and get my gas or coffee or whatever---but Andy likes to go at it a different way; said he knew of a nice donut shop OFF the NJTP---somewhere around Newark....OK, so we get off.
Thus begins the New Jersey Nightmare. We are not using a GPS, nor did we have a map--but Andy assures me he knows how to get back on; going south towards Delaware....
However, do to lack of good signing, and mostly due to not REALLY knowing WhereTF we were, Andy makes several on-off zig-zags around the Newark area; and even ends up into the Newark airport..
Finally, after about 45 minutes lost; we get back on the highway going south...
Now we had travelled further downstate, and so going South was NOT exactly correct.
(Remember Andy's made this trip "many times"...)
Map#1
As you can see we were headed south on the GARDEN STATE PARKWAY, and I was not alert to think about the difference between that and the NJTP---and unfortunately, Andy was not too alert to pick up what was happening...
Thus Map#2..
If you look at the drawings (lowest arrow), you see we went all the way down to the Jersey Shore area near Cape May; where we got off for a pit stop (Thank God)---at which point, as I asked a nice staff member how far it was to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. She looked at me; and said; "I'm sorry, but are on the wrong part of the state, and you need to backtrack..."
I was not too happy to hear that, to say the least....
So she gave us printed directions ("happens a lot, actually")---and we then turned around, went North on the Garden State; and crossed back to the NJTP; and finally crossed the DMB into Delaware.
Time lost: 1 1/2 hours.
At this point we had been in New Jersey for probably 3.5 to four hours.
Here is where the challenge began...Map #3
Andy has "been down thru here many times.."
So, the rest of the trip was uneventful-----UNTIL the last hour.
We are nearing Greensboro, (it is now near 11 pm--3 hours later than planned.)
We know the the exit for the hotel, and can taste the feeling of being real close---and we MISS it!!
OK, so we do get an easy turnaround....(NC is good for this situations, unlike effing Jersey)---BUT once we got off, getting to the lot of the hotel, which we can SEE; proves elusive, as the turn brings us onto a parallel road, but not THE road---another 20 minutes.
Finally arrive at midnight, 16 hours to go on a trip that should have been only 12 hours max.
(I'll NOT going into the challenge in NJ coming home---more confusing signing; and I made a mistake this time....)
Bottom line: Trip goal was was achieved; travel itself---major disaster.
All that said....Andy was one helluva guy to drive all those miles to help me out...
(But Governor Christie---you can keep your state........)