Pittsburgh to Atlanta

I left Pittsburgh at a quarter to ten in the morning and arrived in Atlanta a quarter to midnight. The trip took at least three hours longer than Mapquest suggested. My frequent stops only partly accounted for that. I seem to remember Google offers more generous estimates. Next trip I must remember to mark the Google times on Mapquest maps, which are more useful.

The route passed through West Virginia and Virginia, which I'd visited before, and the Carolinas, which I had't. I was impressed with the highways, lined with forest most of the way from Buffalo to Charlotte. I-85 through North and South Carolina was not so nice. It reminded me of Ontario's 400 series of highways: billboards and devastation. The stretch through Georgia seemed nicer, but unfortunately I ran the last three hours in the dark.

As ever, I am enamoured of the land. I badly wanted to turn off Pennsylvania and West Virginia highways to explore their forests and mountainsides. Roadside wildflowers and butterflies blazed past. Next trip, I'll remember to allow more time. I love long drives with pleasant destinations.